One of the best parts of living in Milwaukee is that Chicago is less than a 2-hour drive! My husband and I like to go often for a quick getaway and have stayed at a variety of hotels, with one of our favorites being The Langham hotel. However, we’ve been anxious to try the new The Nobu Hotel that opened last summer, especially since we’re huge Nobu restaurant fans. The hotel has been in the works for a few years and has had several delays even prior to COVID. When we finally got the chance for an overnight getaway, we didn’t search any other options and booked The Nobu Hotel immediately. Keep reading below if you are interested in my Nobu Hotel Chicago review!
As I mentioned above, we only stayed one night, but the best way to describe that night is serene. This is hard to find when you are staying in a busy and bustling city like Chicago. From our check-in experience to the amenities and even the hallways, everything is very “Nobu”: Minimalistic and serene.
Location
The property is located in the West Loop neighborhood of Chicago. With traffic, it’s about a 10-minute drive to Michigan Ave and the River North area. Walking would take about 30-40 minutes. West Loop is a vibrant, hip area with popular dining and nightlife. Lots of upscale boutiques and restaurants. The area is much calmer than the heart of the city, which is nice if you want a little bit more of a relaxing vibe.
Amenities
The Nobu Hotel is the home of the Nobu restaurant. It has 11 floors, a fitness center, a pool, and another rooftop restaurant. It’s more of a boutique hotel, which I think allows for a better customer experience. Check-in was quick and easy, and the concierge let us know that we can text (or call) the front desk with any of our needs. Our room was spotless and had fantastic amenities, including a steamer, Dyson hairdryer, and t3 hair straightener. The TV had a preinstalled Chromecast and in our case, we could stream our YouTube TV straight from our phones (free high-speed WIFI). They also included four bottles of water in our stay. Snacks and drinks were available for purchase to the room and were pretty affordable! $5 for beer and $2-$3 for snacks.
Although snacks were affordable, parking is pretty expensive. Valet parking at the hotel is $60 per day, so we ended up parking at a nearby structure (Circa 922 Apartments) for $20 for the entire day and overnight. We booked this online through the SpotHero app.
In regards to the hotel’s rec area. We didn’t try out the fitness center, but we did peek in. It seemed reasonably large with excellent modern equipment. The pool area is small but beautifully constructed. The hotel currently only allows six visitors at one time, with reservations, due to COVID. We spent about an hour at the pool and had no issues booking a spot. During our swim, it was one other gentleman and us. The only downside is they don’t have a hot tub, which would have been preferred. Keep in mind that due to COVID restrictions, masks are still currently required throughout the hotel, but in all honesty, during our stay, we only ran into 5-6 other guests.
Dining
For dinner, we obviously went to the Nobu restaurant. It isn’t very clear when making reservations, but the property has a Nobu Restaurant and a Nobu Rooftop Restaurant. Nobu Rooftop doesn’t serve sushi for dinner and offers an abbreviated menu. It’s more of a lounge atmosphere. If you are interested in dining at the restaurant, make sure to make reservations ahead of time and select the right option. Opentable has both. The main restaurant is on the lobby floor of the hotel. We love Nobu restaurants and have been to several across the country and even internationally. The Chicago restaurant was great, but the service was a little slow. Our favorite Nobu restaurant is the Miami one, but this one was still delicious. We always start with the Toro Tartare and Shishito Peppers, both were amazing, but the peppers were much spicier than usual. We tried the famous Miso Cod (which was okay, but a pass in my book) and wrapped up with our favorite rock shrimp, maki rolls, and dessert.
The following day we ventured upstairs to the rooftop restaurant. The menu is minimal but pretty good! My husband ordered the American breakfast, which he said was fantastic. I opted for the salmon Egg Donburi; it was good but was heavy on the rice and not enough Ikura. The best part of the restaurant is, of course, the beautiful city views! I would even recommend popping up here for some drinks and enjoying the view, perfect date night spot.
Overall
Overall, we loved our stay. The hotel was modern and clean. The amenities were very thoughtful and convenient. Service was A+. The Nobu hotel allowed us to enjoy the city without the crazy atmosphere. It was a great parent getaway, and I would highly recommend it.
Check my other property reviews:
Ritz Carlton Dove Mountain, Arizona
JW Marriott Marco Island, Florida
Secrets Cap Cana (Punta Cana, DR)
As always, please let me know if you have any questions!
