Nobu Opens Its First Cairo Restaurant at Eastown in New Cairo
SODIC opened the Japanese-Peruvian restaurant at its Eastown District on 24 June, with chef Nobu Matsuhisa at the preview and a Nobu hotel planned to follow.
Nobu opened its first restaurant in the Egyptian capital on 24 June 2026, when developer SODIC celebrated the launch of Nobu New Cairo at Eastown District New Cairo (EDNC), Egyptian Streets reported that day. Chef Nobu Matsuhisa travelled to Cairo for an invitation-only preview for guests from Egypt’s hospitality, business, cultural and lifestyle circles. Hotel & Catering reported that the restaurant opened for reservations on 16 July.
The cooking is the brand’s Japanese food with Peruvian influence. Dishes served at the preview included Black Cod Miso, Yellowtail Jalapeño and sushi. “Every Nobu destination is inspired by its surroundings and community,” Matsuhisa said, according to Hotel & Catering.
A large room, opened later than planned
When SODIC announced its design team in March 2025, it described a restaurant of 2,200 square metres over two floors, for up to 300 guests, designed by Rockwell Group around a limestone sushi bar and mixing Japanese minimalism with Egyptian references such as desert landscapes and pyramids. Opening-day coverage did not repeat those figures, so they remain the plan rather than a confirmed measurement.
The same announcement gave autumn 2025 for the restaurant and early 2027 for a Nobu hotel of more than 50 rooms. Invest-Gate’s report on the launch of EDNC in October 2024 had pointed to early 2025, so the restaurant opened some way behind its first date.
EDNC itself is SODIC’s flagship retail and leisure district, on Road 90 next to the American University in Cairo. It covered 14,765 square metres of leasable space when it opened in October 2024, with cafés, restaurants and a patisserie among its first tenants, Invest-Gate reported.
The North Coast comes next
The partnership between SODIC and Nobu extends to Egypt’s Mediterranean coast. Nobu North Coast, at SODIC’s 440-acre OGAMI community in Ras El Hekma, was preparing to open for its second season in July, and plans there call for a Nobu hotel, restaurant and branded residences. Days before the Cairo opening, Robert De Niro joined Nobu and SODIC executives in London to unveil the Nobu Residences at OGAMI, Hotel & Catering reported.
Japanese-Peruvian cooking is drawing attention elsewhere in the region too: our report on Chotto Matte in Riyadh covers the Nikkei restaurant named Restaurant of the Year at the What’s On Saudi Arabia Awards. Cairo’s own scene was already on the regional radar: Reif Kushiyaki was the Highest Climber on MENA’s 50 Best 2026, up 27 places to No. 20.
Sources & fact-check6
- SODIC and Nobu launch New Cairo location and expand North Coast projectEgyptian Streets, 24 June 2026
- SODIC opens Cairo’s first Nobu restaurant with chef Nobu Matsuhisa as Robert De Niro unveils Nobu Residences at OGAMI on Egypt’s North CoastHotel & Catering, 24 June 2026
- Chef Nobu Matsuhisa opens first Cairo restaurant as Nobu expands across EgyptCurly Tales, 25 June 2026
- Rockwell Group to design Nobu New CairoHotel Designs, 26 March 2025
- SODIC partners with Rockwell Group to design Nobu’s first hotel and restaurant in Egypt at Eastown District New Cairo (EDNC)Hospitality Net, 25 March 2025
- SODIC launches EDNC in New Cairo, setting a new benchmark for retail and leisureInvest-Gate, 9 October 2024
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