I went on a solo dinner outing to Chubby Nori, and it was a 10/10 experience! They specialize in Japanese hand rolls, and while it is on the pricier side, you can get surprisingly full from just a few rolls because they're definitely not stingy with the fillings. My favorite rolls were the Miso Butter Cod and the Mango Salmon. Both were incredibly flavorful, and the fish tasted fresh. Paired with wasabi, soy sauce, and ginger, every bite was delicious. The ambiance was relaxing and made for a great solo dining experience. The chef was also impressively quick, preparing each hand roll fresh right in front of you. The presentation of each roll was beautiful and definitely photo-worthy. If you're craving quality hand rolls and fresh fish, I'd highly recommend giving Chubby Nori a try! read more

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I didn't think I would enjoy this spot as much as I did. Wow, chubby group did a great job with this restaurant. Very solo diner friendly and lots of delicious options to choose from. LARGE handrolls that are packed full of protein. I love that they weren't skimping on the portions. One person would definitely get full after 3/4 rolls. A5 Wagyu: Great. What is better than rice and beef? So incredibly tender and savory. Spicy Tuna: PACKED FULL of tuna. The roll had sweet potato inside that was crispy and salty. Loved the contrast. It helped me not get too overwhelmed by the soft texture of the tuna. Uni: Buttery, UMAMI. So good. They gave such a generous portion of Uni too! An Uni lovers dream. Miso Cod: Smoky, flaky. Amazing. Maybe my favorite one. A very large portion of cod too! Highly recommend this one!! I will 10000% be back when I come back to Philly in the future. read more

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Amazing hand rolls. On the pricier side. Slow on the service because only one server taking orders for everyone.. not very practical. The restaurant is split between chubby nori on the left and chubby shabu on the right. Ambiance is in and out quick. read more

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Went on a Monday night during flower show week. They were out of a lot of our choices due to the weekend crowds. Hubby and I shared the large nori rolls. All very tasty and unique. We especially liked the scallop and the egg "custard". Word of advice, the staircase is very long and steep, be mindful if you have any handicaps. read more

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Was excited to try another chubby chain but was unimpressed. Seating and service were unorganized? It was early dinner and almost empty, but seemed like the servers were struggling. I never got water, I waited 20 for a menu and more for the check etc. p much one guy running the whole thing. The people were kind and friendly but you need to be very patient here. And the food was okay. Yummiest was their miso cod that is very popular. The others were very average. Pieces were big but too big in my opinion to enjoy as a hand roll. read more

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One star only because the Uni was good and the service was fine. But the rice ruined the experience. The rice was unfortunately mushy. The ikura roll was 85% cucumber?! The yellowtail hand roll was also just kind of mid. The seaweed was soggy for most of it and the rice to fish ratio was 90% fish 10% rice. Comparing to kazunori btw. The price is higher here for lower quality. read more

This is my 4th time coming here & the food always hits the spot! My fave bites are the uni, toro mushroom, and spicy yellowtail. The hand rolls are always packed, and the fish is fresh. They also have pickled ginger, wasabi, and soy sauce on the side. The drinks are good too, the yuzu lychee cocktail was strong and the chubby passion mule was sweet, but refreshing. The staff are extremely efficient, definitely a great place to go for a quick bite & we'll keep coming back! read more

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YUM. Yes. YUM. Do it. If you're a fan of seared foie, this was a surprise treat for me. I didn't know this was on the menu, but when I saw it, I had to try. It was AMAZING and I'd come back again just for that. read more

The handroll sushi here is the best I have ever eaten as a California traveler! The price is higher than others but the classic handroll at the bar is second to none read more

Made a spontaneous stop at this Nori shop and we were impressed from the quality of the hand rolls, sake selections to the friendly service. It was like watching an art piece to be crafted while sitting by the sushi bar having the chef piece together the hand rolls. Price is not cheap but you get what you pay for, the portions are generous and I got full after 3 rolls. I am sure others can eat more than me, but 3 is my max Intimacy atmosphere, nicely decorated with semi automatic Izakaya vibe. Clean seatings. A great place to enjoy some quality rolls with refreshing sake. Highly recommend by @WineDinenVacay read more

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The hand rolls were very tasty, though unfortunately they were out of crab. The price for the portion size did seem a bit much though. The service was ok - very friendly when we were ordering but then we had to flag down our server and ask for the check twice. The ambiance is nice for a gathering with friends or to chat. They have a taller sushi counter area or hotpot style tables. Would definitely come again but would probably not show up super hungry. read more

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The fish here is SO fresh and clean tasting and the portions you get in the rolls are huge. I loved the spicy yellow tail, miso butter cod, and blue crab hand rolls. If you're deciding between here or chubby cattle and can only go to one, definitely recommend chubby nori! The pricing is also so fair and service was great. Can't wait to come back next time I'm in the area. Do note though they don't take reservations and are walk in only. read more

After a horrible experience trying to get into another spot, I ended up at Chubby Nori -- and honestly, I'm glad I did. This place is a total gem. First off, the ambiance is perfect -- chill, welcoming, and great for both casual hangs and date night vibes. The staff is super friendly, actually treats you with respect, and makes you feel at home right away. Now the real highlight: the sake is -- smooth, flavorful, and really reasonably priced. Their drink selection in general is on point. And the food? Absolutely amazing. Fresh, flavorful, and plated with care. I wasn't expecting this level of quality, but they delivered big time. If you're in Chinatown and want great vibes, great drinks, and great service without all the ego and nonsense, Chubby Nori is the move. Highly recommend. Edit: so good I came 2 days in a row, try the spicy yellow fish tail roll gas packertons read more

Have been wanting to go here!! It was tasty! If you are hungry, you will spend a decent amount as each hand roll is about $10 and more if a speciality one. It is very much worth it and each hand roll has plenty of fish! Walk in only! Was not too crowded when I went at 8pm on a Friday. read more

Chubby Nori - Blue Crab - Bars Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

I've been to Chubby Nori twice since it's opened and I got to say, it's really quite great. It's not a sexy, sleek omakase by any means, but the fish is really fresh, the sushi bar is extremely comfortable, and the room feels authentic and of a place that you would want to be. My first time alone I had 5 different hand rolls, my favorite being the wagyu with uni, but I must say that each and every piece had so much taste and flavor, and was piled high! My second time I had two favorite, one was the spicy scallop and the ebi with ikura. I also like the ikura handroll, but wish they didn't have the cucumber in there. Service is kind and good enough - it's not as proactive as it could always be, but they are busy because they're so good! The price point is just stellar - I'll keep coming back! read more

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Chubby Nori, when I first visited you for the first time during your soft opening - you truly blew me away. Quickly jumped to my favorite restaurant in the city. The freshness of the fish, the size of the portions, the steamed egg alone!!! I absolutely loved the experience and had raved about it to everyone I know. Fast forward a year later, I came back to visit Chubby Nori and I could tell how much had changed over time. The place was empty on the night I went, yet we barely saw our waiter and they would walk by our table and completely ignore us and avoid eye contact with us when we were actually in a hurry to order and make a show in time. The quality of the food has definitely gone down but still delicious in my mind, not quite as delicious as the very first time I had Chubby Nori. I'm sad I can't give this place the 5 stars I thought it deserved from my first time visiting here, but now that my second time was tainted by the terrible service, the freshness in fish going down and the prices seemed to keep going up, I'll give it a 4 which is still great in it's own way. I'm still happy to be a repeat customer but I think there's other places in the area that I could use instead to satisfy this craving if I ever wanted for less price. read more

Solidly mediocre. The "tuna roll" and the "spicy tuna roll" are identical somehow... and the people behind the bar are eating and sitting when there aren't any orders in. Gross. Not sure how this place has the rating it does. Definitely wouldn't eat here again. read more

Chawabmushi $5.5 no longer comes with the ikura gel. Disappointed that we didn't get to try it with the gel. Our friends went previously and recommended this dish. They went back later and no longer recommended it without the gel. We decided to try it anyways. It was very bland to us. Something nice and warm for the tummy on a cold night but nothing special. We did ask the waiter about the gel. We were told it was too sweet for some customers. We would hope they cover the gel on the menu or inform customers when ordering in the future. They were kind enough to comp us this item. Miso Butter Cod $9.25 this was our favorite. We started with this and ended up ordering another set at the end. Scallop $9.25 was a good runner up Salmon $6.50 though simple was good Botan ebi ikura $ enjoyed this but would have been nice if the tail was removed Spicy scallop $9.25 the spicy mayo overpowered the scallop a bit for me but boyfriend liked it Toro mushroom $17 we felt this didn't taste like much. Even picking at the mushroom to try it didn't really have a taste Confused how to order. Chefs were standing around, but we didn't know if we order with them or we wave down a waiter. Waiter was very friendly when he had time to come by though. I think the wait staff was understaffed and the chefs were over staffed. This was a Tuesday evening Fair amount of ingredients in rolls for the price. We would probably come back to get the miso cod and scallop as a snack but not come for a whole meal read more

Chubby Nori - Spicy Scallop and Scallop $9.25/each would recommend - Bars Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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2 star -- The food was good, I had the shrimp tempura hand roll but I am never coming back. Absolutely terrible service at Chubby Nori in Philadelphia. Our waitress read our full order back to us, including two cod rolls -- then somehow didn't even enter them into the system. We waited and waited, and when we followed up, she completely ghosted us. No update. No apology. Just disappeared. After about 10 minutes of silence, we had to flag down a different waiter just to ask for the check. And guess what? The missing rolls were on the receipt. When we told him we never got them, we were surprised to hear his response, "None of them? Are you sure? Because your waitress just added it." Wow. So instead of owning the mistake, she sneakily tried to add them at the last second to cover herself? We were already waiting forever for our food -- the timing was awful all around -- and she couldn't even come back to say, "Hey, I forgot to put it in, do you still want them?" Nothing. Just tried to hide it like we wouldn't notice. Completely unprofessional, and frankly, dishonest. Don't waste your time or money here. Plenty of better sushi spots in Philly that actually care about customer service. read more

Chubby Nori - Bars Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Amazing and so worth the wait! Food was incredible and staff was super friendly and provided great recommendations despite other patrons getting restless and sometimes even rude. They don't take reservations, but you can put your name in and they'll text you when your table is ready. You can also check your place on the waitlist on your phone. Again- completely worth the wait if you're patient! Recommend splurging on the wagyu and buttered cod. read more

Chubby Nori was awesome!! A friend and I went on a Saturday night around 7 - we waited just a few min for bar seats as opposed to a table (there were some tables where it looked like you could get hotpot too) but we just wanted hand rolls and drinks. I got the peach cocktail which was delicious. I ordered the mango salmon hand rolls and miso cod hand roll. They came out right at the bar as they were ready. On the platter above us with the light shining behind them they looked like angel sushi. It was beautiful! And they were so delicious too. My salmon roll had a good amount of salmon! I wasn't that hungry so 2 was enough for me, but I definitely want to come back and try more varieties! read more

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Great food. Nice service, not much seat. But they forgot one of my order and let us sit there for more than 10 mins without food. Has to ask for the forgotten order. Lesson: if something is not coming, just ask for it rather than suspiciously waiting. Except that, everything is great. read more

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Another win by the Chubby group! I found this hand roll spot by chance on Yelp and since it was only a few blocks away from my hotel, decided to give it a shot. I was seated quickly at the bar on arrival given I was a solo diner. The hostess and the waiters were all very friendly and helpful in terms of helping me gauge how much and what to order. I ordered a total of 6 rolls which filled me up more than I expected. The total for my meal was also much less than expected ($60 some without tip), but coming from SF, I guess this is comparing apples to oranges. I loved the ratio of sushi rice to toppings (perfection) and that the nori was still super crisp when it arrived table side. My favorite rolls were the specialty ones like the eel and scallop, but the regular salmon and yellowtail rolls were also superbly seasoned. I think having a house made soy sauce also helped! The sweetness of the soy married well with their wasabi. Overall, a great great meal. I wasn't surprised to find that one of my favorite hotpot spots, Mikiya, is also part of this restaurant group. read more

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Great service and the hand rolls weee to die for. My favor it was the miso butter cod and lobster hand rolls. Overall, it's a nice place with the Japanese ambiance feel to it. read more

Came here for lunch and sat at the bar. The service was quick, efficient, and super friendly. The food was absolutely delicious, and the fish tasted incredibly fresh. The nori rolls were to die for! So perfectly crisp and packed with flavor. Overall, such a great experience. Can't wait to come back for more! read more

Weird experience but food was alright. Didn't really like the entire attitude from one of the hosts. She was somewhat rude. Nonetheless I'll still come here for the food. read more

Excellent service and the food tasted very fresh. The handrolls are large and very satisfying. We especially enjoyed the truffle fries and salmon handrolls. We will come back in the future. read more

When we arrived around 6pm on a Sunday the space was quiet, but in the course of our meal more diners filtered in. With only a few other diners our order was prepared quickly and in less than five minutes or so the four rolls and appetizer were ready. Never having eaten in quite this format before, I felt a bit rushed with all of the food ready at more or less the same time. The hand rolls were a new experience that definitely made an impression. The miso butter cod was tender, deeply savory and slightly funky from the miso with a hint of char from the torch. Now the KBBQ Wagyu hand roll. Before it touched my lips I was overwhelmed with the most purely beefy aroma I've ever experienced. By the time I had my first bite with ssamjang, it was as intensely savory as anything that I have ever eaten. The texture of the rice out of the Zojirushi was pillowy soft while still boasting structured, individuated grains seasoned lightly to form a canvas for the star ingredients. The salmon cups were the only dish that underwhelmed. All the ingredients felt muddled and overpowered by the crunchy cup. Thank you Chubby Nori for a memorable experience. read more

Chubby Nori - KBBQ Wagyu beef hand roll - Bars Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Very delicious. Speedy service. Pretty presentation served in a wooden cradle. With a bit of pushback, my grandma was able to get her Saketini! read more

Amazing deal for super high quality hand rolls made to order. Everything is very inexpensive for the quality you're receiving. While this is distinctly a Chinatown restaurant, with hotpot tables, a second floor entry, and pop music bumping, the ambiance is very crisp, modern, upscale Japanese. Servers come quick and it's easy to split tabs to be per person. Favorite hand rolls were all of them! But I would most likely order the spicy yellowtail every time I come back read more

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The ambiance was pleasant, and the hand rolls were well-crafted. They were a good size, and 5-6 rolls were enough to feel full. I preferred the Spicy Scallop over the regular Scallop, and you can't go wrong with the Toro. However, the Ikura was a bit too overpowering for my taste. Service was good, when I got there, wasn't too long of a wait before I was seated. read more

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Location has friendly staff, amazing food, and great ambiance would definitely come back read more

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Amazing rolls, Toro mushroom was my favorite! Very interesting rolls. Definitely worth the visit read more

Service was really good! The waitress always came to check on us and made sure to help us when we needed anything Good lighting and seats, was surprised that there was hotpot upstairs, and only limited seats on the hand roll side, Overall good ambiance! The food was all really good and decently priced The uni and the miso cod was really good! read more

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I've been wanting to try this place for a while and I'm so glad I finally got to eat here! The spicy yellowtail was my favorite! They pack so much fish in the hand rolls, it's delicious! Service was also very good. There was a small technical error with the orders but our server was very attentive and helped fix it immediately. Every employee I interacted with was very friendly and ready to provide me with anything I needed. The restaurant looked and felt very clean inside. I would definitely come again! read more

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Stick with the signature rolls! Three weeks old Chubby Nori is a great new addition to the Chubby empire of elevated dining experiences. This version is collaboration with Matsunori Handroll Bar, specializing in Temaki-style sushi on the second floor right next to another Chubby enterprise. Stick with the signature rolls which are more generously filled and offer more complexity in the flavor profile. I enjoyed the Blue Crab and Spicy Scallop signatures more so than the regular Salmon or Spicy Salmon. The employees are very attentive, I got a new bowl of ginger before the original bowl was finished. Parking is terrible in the area, if you find a parking spot remotely close, don't chance it, take the spot. read more

Chubby Nori is a fun hand roll restaurant in Chinatown. The hand roll combinations are all appetizing and palatable, even to those who many not typically enjoy raw fish. I tried the Mango Salmon, Spicy Tuna, Miso Butter Cod, and Blue Crab hand rolls. The Miso Butter Cod was stood out the most as it was truly buttery, savory and lived up to the description of tasting marinated for 72 hours. The menu is split by "Classic" hand rolls, which come fully wrapped, "Signature" which come in a U-shape for presentation purposes, and "Specials" which include pricier ingredients such as uni or wagyu. If I had to choose, I'd opt for only Signature hand rolls as the Classic hand rolls are all normal sushi options which are available at other restaurants that would come in bigger portions. The Signature hand rolls are more unique with various tasty ingredient combinations. Price point was around $6.50-$7 for a classic handroll, $9.25 for the signature hand rolls, and $14-17 for the specials. There's both bar seating and table seating available. Service was friendly and helpful to provide suggestions. If you sit at the bar, your hand rolls are placed in front of you like a traditional sushi or omakase restaurant. This restaurant is located on the second floor so you'll have to climb up a short set of stairs to get to the restaurant. read more

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We came right when they opened on a Wednesday at 5 PM and were seated immediately--no wait at all. The staff were incredibly friendly and attentive throughout our visit. We ordered four rolls each, which was plenty for us, though we easily could've had more. Everything was prepared quickly and tasted super fresh. I would absolutely recommend the lobster roll--the portions were generous, and the flavor was spot on. I was especially impressed by the miso cod; it wasn't as sweet as Nobu's version, but it was much more buttery, and honestly, I thought it was even better. read more

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fantastic service, food was delicious, will come back again happily. Everything tasted fresh and made with care and artistry

Food was outstanding - the handrolls were unique, well priced, and SUPER fresh. The eel foie gras and miso black cod were definite standouts. But I also loved the wagyu with uni, the avocado truffle, and the classic yellowtail. The lobster could have used a bit more seasoning, spicy mayo, something to give it more flavor, but it was still a great portion of lobster meat! Since they don't take reservations, we were not able to sit at the bar, which was disappointing. I usually prefer to see the chef making the rolls and ask directly for recommendations. We were sat at one of the hot pot tables, which I think made the service extremely slow. It seemed as if we were forgotten about since the place was so busy. Also, the restaurant only serves beer, sake, and soju. There is no wine, which was again disappointing to me. When I asked what soju was, I was told it was similar to vodka. However, when I tried it (the yogurt flavor), it was sweet (12% alcohol) and similar tasting to Sprite. I think Chubby Nori has potential, but definitely needs to work out some kinks before I go back! read more

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