Robert De Niro helped turn one Japanese restaurant into Nobu; decades later, the brand expanded into hotels and a £360 million residential project

Robert De Niro’s involvement helped turn Nobu from a restaurant concept into an international name. What began with a meeting between a Hollywood actor and Japanese chef Nobu Matsuhisa has grown into a business spanning restaurants, hotels and luxury residences. Now, a £360 million Manchester development shows just how far the brand wants to go.

The planned 76-storey tower will include 452 apartments and a Nobu hotel. It marks another step in the company’s effort to bring its name into the property market, where its reputation for hospitality could appeal to buyers looking for more than a conventional apartment.

How Robert De Niro Helped Turn Nobu Into a Luxury Empire

Matsuhisa opened his Beverly Hills restaurant, Matsuhisa, in 1987. De Niro visited the following year and became a regular. Impressed by the food, he suggested opening a restaurant together in New York.


Matsuhisa initially turned down the idea. He wanted to focus on his existing business before taking on another venture. De Niro continued to back the plan, and the pair eventually joined forces with restaurateur Drew Nieporent and producer Meir Teper.

The first Nobu restaurant opened in New York’s Tribeca neighbourhood in 1994. Its mix of Japanese cooking and Peruvian influences helped establish a distinctive identity. London followed in 1997, giving the brand a foothold in another major dining market.

Restaurants remained the foundation, but the business did not stop there. Nobu entered the hotel sector in 2013 with a property at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. The move allowed the company to reach customers beyond the dining room and build a hospitality brand around its name.

Why Nobu is putting its name on homes

Nobu's planned Manchester development takes this idea further. The project, known as Viadux 2, is being developed with Salboy. Plans include 452 branded homes, 160 hotel rooms, a restaurant and a bar in a 76-storey tower.

Residents are also expected to have access to facilities such as a swimming pool, spa and gym. The aim is to offer more than a luxury apartment. Buyers are being offered a home linked to a well-known hospitality brand.

That is a big change from Nobu's early days. The business began with a chef's restaurant and a customer who believed it could become something larger. It now aims to be part of how people eat, travel and live.

De Niro has described the potential for Nobu residences as having “the sky’s the limit.” The Manchester scheme reflects that ambition, but its scale also brings a practical test; whether a reputation built around food and hospitality can translate into a successful residential development.

Nobu has spent decades establishing its name at restaurants and hotels. Its next challenge is making that name matter just as much to people choosing where to live.