Tribeca Festival Review: ‘Nobu’ is a Tasty Look at a Very Inventive Sushi Chef

Sushi is not just a cuisine, it’s truly an art form. I came to sushi in college, so I’m a late bloomer, but it’s one of my absolute favorite meals. The appreciation of a perfectly done bit of sashimi, for example, is like few other things. So, I already went into Nobu ready to vibe with the story of culinary legend Nobuyuki Matsuhisa. As such, not only did the film make me hungry, it gave me an even deeper understanding of Chef Nobu. Playing at the 2025 Tribeca festival, it’s a lovely little documentary. Just have your dinner reservation ready, since you’re going to walk out of this one hungry for sushi.

Nobu is a biographical doc, to be sure, but there’s as much here about food as the man himself. That gives the movie a real comfy feel to it, especially if you like sushi. The love for it that’s on display is overwhelming in the best way possible. The combination of biography and food appreciation makes this very satisfying.

This is an intimate portrait of Nobuyuki Matsuhisa, who now runs a fine dining empire, but as a child was just a boy impressed by sushi. Yearning to be a sushi chef, he began studying and began his career, with many fits and starts along the way. Eventually, one of his restaurants became a success, begetting bigger and bigger successes, leading to no less than Robert De Niro convincing him to go into business together. There, the restaurant Nobu was born, leading to Matsuhisa becoming a celebrity chef and restauranteur. The rest, as they say, is food history, as we see how his desire to to experiment has led to many a Japanese cuisine innovation. Miso-marinated black cod? That’s Chef Nobu. Caviar on sushi? That’s him too.

Chef Nobu is an interesting figure to watch, which goes a long way towards having the documentary work. He clearly loves sushi, which comes out not just in how he talks about it and how he prepares it, but in how he demands perfection as well. A scene showcasing him making sure his chefs at the restaurant can prepare his dishes exactly as he intended is as intense as anything you’ll see in a big budget thriller.

Director Matt Tyrnauer mixes in archival footage and talking heads with lots of scenes centered around Chef Nobu at work. Those are the film’s most interesting and engaging sequences, alongside the loving way hat he captures the sushi on the screen. The movie is more than food porn, to be sure, but it’s not not food porn as well (which is a compliment).

Nobu will please just about any foodie, as well as anyone who appreciates the craft of preparing the best meal possible. I was fascinated by the man, lusting over his food, and overall glad to have been in his company. As one of the tastiest documentaries at Tribeca this year, it’s well worth digging into. Bon appétit!

SCORE: ★★★