Nubo Japanese Tapas

You might speed by this unassuming sushi shop in Victoria but do yourself a favor and make the trip just for this restaurant. With dark walls and modern decor, it's a laidback bar that exudes a sense of classy and cool.

Cool at least until the server comes by and TORCHES your "Tomahawk Roll". Oh my, what a delicious combo of flavors they have in their sushis, unlike anything we have in the states. Never would have expected that the pesto and guacamole of the "Victoria's Secret Roll" would be my winner of the night. Seems kind of sacrilegious to put those ingredients in a sushi roll, but damn does it work and I suppose well deserve its name

Tempura was simple yet satisfying

The Ceviche wasn't something I personally found all that amazing but props for including it on the menu

Motoyaki were jumbo sized and delicious!

I would go back here again just for the udon. The place was a nice place and there's other good things to try on their menu.

We came into Nubo at 8:00 PM on a Friday night with a group of 6 with no reservation. We were lucky to get a table right away! It was hard to narrow down what to pick to eat and drink here-their sushi menu has some wonderful flavor combinations, including some that we have not traditionally seen with sushi!

I enjoyed two cocktails:

The Spicy Ume Margarita-This was SPICY, tangy and sour. For a margarita, I wouldn't anticipate that plum would be such an excellent pairing. This margarita was one of the most creative drinks I've enjoyed for awhile.

Empress Yuzu G+T - Herbal and citrusy. Loved the yuzu with the gin! This was a great spin on a classic. The color of this drink also was gorgeous.

For the foods, we enjoyed:

Kabocha croquette -flaky fried potatoes. Simple, good and a great way to set the stage for the other foods.

Puff daddy-this was creamy and sweet and savory all at once. The imitation crab works really well here!

Buta Gyoza-this was my favorite of the opening dishes. Deep fried pork in a simple savory sauce. It looks simple but the flavor is outstanding.

Karage-who doesn't love fried chicken? this was more juicy than fried. This was a fried lemony but not too oiled chicken. Served on a fresh bed of greens and lemon aioli to the side. I didn't think I would ever use "fried chicken" and "refreshing" in the same sentence, but there you go! It was filling but still light.

Nagano Tuna Tartare- very fresh and creamy with the avocado on the bottom. The Taro chips were delicate and

For our mains, we shared these:

Victoria Secret- this was an unconventional choice we made but a welcome one! For those of you who wouldn't think pesto couldn't work in a sushi roll...think again. The pesto was lovely and it did not overpower the rest of the roll!

Negitoro maki-this roll is simple, but tastes so good. This was a good roll to have inbetween some of the wilder flavors.

Tomahawk roll-Jalepenos plus spicy tuna fish eggs on the side. Also plus FIRE! This sushi was spectacular to see presented.

We really enjoyed the food and the service here. Our waitress gave us outstanding recommendations and we all were impressed by their flavors and quality of service.

There comes a time on every trip that I start to crave Japanese food. After a week and a half of dining out, I needed some Japanese comfort food. I ordered take-out from Nubo and got a few sushi rolls. They were delicious and hit the spot. Take-out was the way to go as the restaurant was very busy and there were many people waiting for a table. Must be popular!

Update to previous review / this place is out newest favorite place in Victoria / amazing food with predictable high quality. Was perfect for a long drive & romance filled night!

Hands down the best lunch deal ever. What a variety and the quality of fish is super fresh. We came right when it opened on a Friday to avoid the rush. I'd say around 20 minutes into our meal, the tables starting filling pretty quickly during the lunch hour so try to come early!

This was a really fun lunch stop. They do a lunch special with small plates where you can pick the main - highly recommend! I got the sushi/sashimi set and it was fresh and tasty. I loved the variety of the sides. I also got a specialty roll to split with my husband- they offered to torch it table-side, which was fun. My husband got ramen and it was very solid. All in all a great meal!

We stopped in for lunch as it opened. We went for the special and had sashimi and nigiri as our mains. The 3 tempura pieces were very good, shrimp and sweet potato. I enjoyed the small salad and the sashimi pieces were very good. I highly recommend this place just get there early or expect a little wait. Fish was very fresh.

I've had quite a bit of excellent Japanese food and this place ranks amongst the top with outstanding sushi, kaarage, bao buns, and seafood pancake.

There is a large variety of non-typical food on the menu. We ordered five dishes and each was delicious