Say the word Nobu in Abu Dhabi and watch half the dinner table start planning a Saadiyat date night. The good news: Chef Nobu Matsuhisa’s first permanent Abu Dhabi home is locked in, complete with a hotel, a beach club and branded residences on Mamsha Al Saadiyat. The less good news: it is not open yet, so anyone promising you a table this weekend is selling something.
Here is everything confirmed so far – where it is going, when it is expected, what is on the plans and the dishes you can count on – plus where to get your black cod miso fix while the cranes finish their shift. We will turn this page into our full first look the moment the doors open.
Nobu Abu Dhabi at a glance
| Status | Coming soon – not yet open (as of September 2026) |
| Location | Mamsha Al Saadiyat, Saadiyat Cultural District, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi |
| Expected opening | 2027 (Aldar’s latest guidance points to Q2 2027 completion) |
| What is planned | Nobu Hotel, Nobu restaurant, Nobu beach club, rooftop Nobu Villa, 88 Nobu Residences |
| Developer | Aldar Properties with Nobu Hospitality |
| Reservations | Not open yet – updates via nobuhotels.com |
Where exactly is Nobu Saadiyat going?
Nobu is landing on Mamsha Al Saadiyat, the beachfront strip in the Saadiyat Cultural District. Picture it this way: Soul Beach on one side, the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi on the skyline and Louvre Abu Dhabi a short hop down the road. The whole development spans around 50,000 square metres of hotel, residential and retail space, and Nobu says the restaurant will look straight out over the water and the Guggenheim.
If you are new to this corner of the island, our Saadiyat Island guide covers how residents actually use it, our review of every beach on Saadiyat Shores tells you which sand is worth the drive, and the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi visitor guide covers Nobu’s future next-door neighbour.
When does Nobu Abu Dhabi open?
Short answer: 2027 is the date to pencil in, not 2026. The project has had a moving target, which is fairly standard for anything this size on Saadiyat:
- November 2022: Nobu Hospitality and Aldar announced the hotel, restaurant and residences with a 2026 target.
- November 2023: Aldar launched sales of the Nobu Residences with completion slated for Q2 2027.
- December 2025: Nobu gave Abu Dhabi a taste with a week-long Race Weekend pop-up at Yas Marina, with the permanent Saadiyat opening still billed for 2027.
- Today: the official Nobu Hotels page still lists Abu Dhabi as coming soon, with no opening date and no reservations live.
We are keeping an eye on it. The moment a date drops, this page gets updated first.
What is planned at Nobu Abu Dhabi
The restaurant
Abu Dhabi’s first permanent Nobu restaurant is the headline act. Nobu says the design takes its cues from Nobu Malibu – the brand’s famous beach-shack-meets-billionaire outpost on the California coast – which tells you to expect a breezy, sea-facing room rather than a dark, clubby dining den. Add waterfront terraces with Guggenheim views and you have the Saadiyat sunset table everyone will be fighting over.
The hotel
The Nobu Hotel will be a five-star beachfront stay. The room count has shifted between announcements – Nobu’s own page says 165 rooms and suites, while Aldar’s residences launch referenced a 125-key hotel – so expect somewhere in that range. The crown jewel is a rooftop Nobu Villa for the VIP crowd, with a rooftop bar, a wellness and fitness centre and multiple swimming pools also on the plans. Guests get access to Saadiyat’s long stretch of natural beach.
The beach club
A Nobu beach club is part of the package, which would make it the UAE’s second after Nobu by the Beach at Atlantis The Royal in Dubai. Expect daytime lounging with a soundtrack and a menu that makes the usual club sandwich look a little embarrassed.
The residences
Nobu Residences brings 88 apartments – one to three bedrooms, two-bedroom lofts, penthouses and sky villas – to Mamsha, billed as the region’s first Nobu-branded homes. Residents get Guggenheim and sea views, a screening room, pools, a gym and lounge, plus kitchens designed with input from Chef Nobu himself. Great for the owners, and a steady built-in crowd for the restaurant.
What will be on the menu?
The Saadiyat menu has not been announced. That said, Nobu is famously loyal to its greatest hits, and the December 2025 Yas Marina pop-up was a pretty clear preview of what Abu Dhabi can expect. The signatures served there included:
- Black Cod Miso – the dish that built the empire, sweet, silky and flaking at the slightest suggestion of a chopstick.
- Yellowtail Jalapeño – thin-sliced yellowtail with a little chilli heat and a citrusy soy dressing.
- Lobster Tempura – served with a tamari honey sauce.
- Nobu Wagyu Sliders – the one your friend who does not eat raw fish will order.
- Nigiri and sashimi – the classics, done properly.
- Miso Cappuccino, mochi ice cream and Nobu Cheesecake – leave room, trust us.
Expect the permanent menu to carry these staples plus a few dishes created for Abu Dhabi, as most Nobu openings do. We will add the full menu and prices here once they are published.
How to book Nobu Abu Dhabi
You cannot book the restaurant or the hotel yet. When reservations open, the hotel will be bookable through Nobu Hotels, and Nobu restaurants in the region take table bookings online through their own reservation pages. Be wary of third-party pages claiming to take Nobu Saadiyat bookings before an official launch.
WOW Abu Dhabi Expert Tip: Keep an eye on the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix race weekend in early December. Nobu popped up at Yas Marina for Race Weekend 2025, and brands love to warm up a city before a big opening. If it returns, book the moment it is announced – last year’s pop-up sat 220 and still felt small.
Cannot wait? Where to get your Nobu fix right now
Until Saadiyat opens, the nearest Nobu tables are on Palm Jumeirah in Dubai – roughly 90 minutes from Saadiyat on a clear run. Two options, very different moods.
Nobu Dubai at Atlantis The Palm
The original UAE Nobu and a MICHELIN Guide-listed restaurant, with dinner from 6pm (closed Mondays), weekend lunch and a bar that runs late. This is the full Nobu evening – the room, the buzz and that black cod.
Vibe check: The black cod still makes grown adults go quiet mid-sentence, just know that peak Friday and Saturday nights can feel rushed, so book a weeknight and pace your wallet around the edamame.
Nobu Dubai – Japanese-Peruvian, Atlantis The Palm, Crescent Road, Palm Jumeirah, Dubai. Reservations: +971 4 426 0760 or restaurantreservations@atlantisthepalm.com
Nobu by the Beach at Atlantis The Royal
The daytime sibling, and the closest preview of what the Saadiyat beach club could feel like. Pool from 9am, restaurant and bar from noon to 9pm, seven days a week.
Nobu by the Beach – Japanese beach club and restaurant, Atlantis The Royal, Crescent Road, Palm Jumeirah, Dubai. Reservations: +971 4 426 0760
WOW Abu Dhabi Expert Tip: Driving up from the capital? Make it a lunch at Nobu by the Beach rather than dinner at Nobu Dubai. You beat the E11 traffic both ways, catch the pool in daylight and are home before the kids start negotiating bedtime.
Prefer to stay in Abu Dhabi for a big night out? Our best private dining rooms in Abu Dhabi and best brunches guide will keep you well fed until Nobu arrives.
Nobu Abu Dhabi FAQs
Not yet. Nobu Abu Dhabi on Saadiyat Island is still listed as coming soon, with no reservations open as of September 2026.
The latest guidance points to 2027. Aldar has slated completion of the Nobu development for Q2 2027, but no official opening date has been announced.
Nobu Abu Dhabi is being built on Mamsha Al Saadiyat in the Saadiyat Cultural District on Saadiyat Island, next to Soul Beach and close to the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi and Louvre Abu Dhabi.
Not yet. Reservations will open closer to launch through official Nobu channels. Until then the nearest Nobu restaurants are Nobu Dubai at Atlantis The Palm and Nobu by the Beach at Atlantis The Royal, both bookable on +971 4 426 0760.
Yes. The Saadiyat development includes a Nobu beach club, which would be the second in the UAE after Nobu by the Beach at Atlantis The Royal in Dubai.
Details are based on official Nobu Hospitality and Aldar announcements and will change as the opening approaches. Last checked September 2026. Featured image: Unsplash (royalty-free).
