Nobu was born in Saitama, Japan. At age six his father died in a traffic accident and he and his two older brothers were raised by his mother. After graduating from high school, he worked at the restaurant "Matsue Sushi" in Shinjuku, Tokyo for seven years, and was invited by a regular customer who was a Peruvian entrepreneur of Japanese descent to open a Japanese restaurant in Peru. In 1973 at age 24, he moved to Peru (Lima) and opened a restaurant with the same name of Matsuei in partnership with his sponsor. Nobu was unable to find many of the ingredients he took for granted in Japan and had to improvise, and it was here that he developed his unique style of cuisine that incorporated Southern American ingredients into Japanese dishes.

After three years he and his sponsor parted ways over differences on the business direction, and he moved to Buenos Aires. He later moved to Alaska, USA and opened his own restaurant, which failed almost immediately due to a fire that destroyed the restaurant.

In 1977, he moved to Los Angeles and worked at Japanese restaurants "Mitsuwa" and "Oshou", and in 1987, he opened his own restaurant "Matsuhisa" on La Cienega Blvd. in Beverly Hills. The restaurant quickly became a hot spot and was frequented by Hollywood celebrities, including Robert De Niro, who invited Nobu to set up a restaurant in Tribeca, New York. In August 1993, the two opened up in partnership "NOBU" to critical acclaim. Restaurants bearing the same name were later opened in Milan, London, Greece, Dallas, Tokyo, Honolulu, Moscow, Dubai and Budapest.

Nobu's friendship with De Niro landed him a role in the 1995 Martin Scorsese film Casino, as a wealthy businessman who was a guest at De Niro's casino. He also had small roles in Austin Powers: Goldmember, as well as Memoirs of a Geisha, where he played a kimono artist.

The Matsuhisa Restaurants (in Beverly Hills, Aspen, Athens and Mykonos) are privately owned by the Matsuhisa family, while the Nobu Restaurants are co-owned by Nobu with Robert De Niro, Meir Teper and managing partner Richie Notar, Myriad Restaurant Group : Nobu). Nobu Matsuhisa also co-owns Nobu Hospitality with Robert De Niro and Meir Teper. In addition, Nobu Matsuhisa serves as the executive chef of Nobu Las Vegas, where he holds his Michelin Star.

In the United States:

• Matsuhisa Aspen
• Matsuhisa Beverly Hills

• Nobu Dallas
• Nobu Las Vegas
• Nobu Los Angeles
• Nobu Malibu
• Nobu Miami Beach
• Nobu New York
• Nobu Next Door (New York)
• Nobu Fifty Seven (New York)
• Nobu San Diego
• Nobu Honolulu

International Locations:

• Matsuhisa Athens
• Matsuhisa Mykonos

• Nobu Atlantis, Paradise Island The Bahamas
• Nobu Atlantis Dubai
• Nobu Intercontinental Hong Kong
• Nobu London
• Nobu Berkeley Street London
• Ubon by Nobu London
• Nobu Melbourne
• Nobu Mexico City
• Nobu Milan
• Nobu Moscow
• Nobu Tokyo
• Nobu Cape Town
• Nobu Badrutt's Palace Hotel St.Moritz
• Nobu Budapest

Cruise Ships:

• Silk Road and The Sushi Bar. Crystal Symphony

In June 2009, Matsuhisa was presented with an award from the Japan Society for his achievements in food culture.

Michelin One Star each for Nobu Las Vegas, Nobu London, and Nobu Berkeley Street London

Nobu restaurants are selling bluefin tuna, a species now internationally recognised as endangered.As a result from press and campaigning pressure, they offered to add a warning on their menu, however this was considered inadequate by conservationists to help the spiral of demand and market price that leads to overfishing.