Nobu Matsuhisa Biography: Net Worth, Age, Wife, Parents, Children, Height, Menu, Restaurants

Nobuyuki “Nobu” Matsuhisa is a Japanese celebrity chef and restaurateur best known for pioneering the fusion of traditional Japanese cuisine with Peruvian ingredients. He was born on March 10, 1949, in Saitama, Japan, and is currently 77 years old.

Matsuhisa lost his father in a traffic accident at a young age and was raised by his mother alongside his older brothers. After finishing high school, he began his culinary training as a dishwasher at a sushi restaurant in Tokyo called Matsuei, working his way up through seven years of traditional apprenticeship.

In 1973, at age 24, he moved to Lima, Peru, to open his first restaurant, where exposure to local ingredients and techniques shaped the Japanese-Peruvian fusion style that would define his career.

After a brief run in Argentina and a short-lived Alaska venture that burned down within weeks, Matsuhisa settled in Los Angeles and opened Matsuhisa on La Cienega Boulevard in Beverly Hills in 1987. The restaurant’s reputation, built on dishes like his signature black cod in miso, drew the attention of actor Robert De Niro, whose partnership with Matsuhisa led to the launch of Nobu in Tribeca, New York, in 1994.

The Nobu brand has since expanded into a global chain of restaurants and hotels spanning dozens of cities, including London, Paris, Tokyo, Sydney, and Hong Kong.

Beyond the kitchen, Matsuhisa has appeared in supporting film roles, including Casino (1995) alongside De Niro, Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002), and Memoirs of a Geisha (2005). He is married to Yoko Matsuhisa, and the couple has two daughters, including Junko Matsuhisa.

Nobu Matsuhisa
Wiki Facts & About Data
Real Name:	Nobuyuki Matsuhisa
Stage Name:	Nobu Matsuhisa
Born:	March 10, 1949 (age 77 years old)
Place of Birth:	Saitama, Japan
Nationality:	Japanese
Ethnicity:	Japanese
Height:	5 ft 7 in (1.7 m)
Religion:	Shinto-Buddhist
Parents:	Mr. and Mrs. Matsuhisa
Siblings:	2
Spouse:	Yoko Matsuhisa
Children:	Junko Matsuhisa
Occupation:	Chef, Restaurateur
Net Worth:	$200 million

Early Life & Education

Matsuhisa was born on March 10, 1949, in Saitama, Japan. His zodiac sign is Pisces.

Matsuhisa is ethnically Japanese and was raised within the Shinto-Buddhist tradition that predominates in Japan.

His parents were Mr. and Mrs. Matsuhisa. His father, a lumber merchant, died in a traffic accident when Matsuhisa was eight years old, leaving his mother to raise him and his two older brothers alone. He is the youngest of three brothers.

Matsuhisa did not pursue higher education. After completing high school, he took a live-in job at a sushi restaurant in Tokyo called Matsuei, where he spent seven years training under senior sushi chefs, learning knife work, rice preparation, and the fundamentals of classic Japanese technique through the traditional apprenticeship system.

Career

Matsuhisa began his professional life as a dishwasher and delivery boy at Matsuei, a sushi restaurant in Tokyo, at age 17. Over the next seven years, he rose through the ranks to become a trained sushi chef, mastering the discipline of classic Japanese technique under the restaurant’s senior chefs.

In 1973, at age 24, he moved to Lima, Peru, to help open a Japanese restaurant. The move exposed him to Peruvian ingredients such as chili peppers and native seafood, and he began experimenting with blending them into his Japanese training. This period laid the foundation for the fusion style that would later define his career. He spent roughly three years in Peru before relocating briefly to Argentina, then returning to Japan.

Matsuhisa moved to the United States in the late 1970s, opening a restaurant in Anchorage, Alaska, in 1977. The venture was destroyed by fire within weeks of opening, wiping out his investment. He relocated to Los Angeles soon after, working at restaurants including Mitsuwa and Oshou while rebuilding financially.

In 1987, he opened his own restaurant, Matsuhisa, on La Cienega Boulevard in Beverly Hills. The restaurant’s inventive Japanese-Peruvian menu, anchored by his now-signature black cod in miso, drew a following among food critics and celebrities, including actor Robert De Niro. The two formed a business partnership, and in 1994 they co-founded Nobu in Tribeca, New York, alongside producer Meir Teper.

The Nobu brand expanded rapidly over the following decades into a global chain of restaurants and hotels, with locations opening across cities including London, Paris, Munich, Sydney, Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Toronto. By the mid-2020s, the Nobu portfolio had grown to more than 50 restaurants and 18 hotels worldwide.

Alongside his restaurant career, Matsuhisa has taken supporting roles in film, appearing in Casino (1995) with De Niro, Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002), and Memoirs of a Geisha (2005). He has also written an autobiography detailing his approach to the restaurant business, built around his understanding of Japanese gastronomy, cultural integration, and hospitality management.

Social Media

• Wikipedia: Nobu Matsuhisa
• Instagram: Chef Nobu Matsuhisa (@therealnobu)
• Facebook: Nobu Matsuhisa (@nobumatsuhisa)

Personal Life

Matsuhisa is currently 77 years old.

He is married to Yoko Matsuhisa. The couple wed before his move to Peru in 1973.

Matsuhisa and Yoko Matsuhisa have two daughters. One is publicly named as Junko Matsuhisa; the name of the second daughter is not publicly documented.

Matsuhisa stands at approximately 5 feet 7 inches (1.7 m).

Net Worth

Matsuhisa has a net worth of $200 million. His wealth comes primarily from his global restaurant and hospitality empire, which includes the Matsuhisa and Nobu restaurant chains and Nobu Hospitality, the luxury hotel brand he co-owns with Robert De Niro and other partners.

Additional income streams include his cookbooks, a branded product line, and television and film appearances.

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