First things first. Don’t read this if you’re hungry and don’t have food available. The amount of times I had to put this manga down because I just got so hungry reading it is ridiculous. I wanted to eat everything on the page.
Otherworldly Izakaya Nobu is your typical foodie isekai slice-of-life—except instead of just a person, it’s a whole restaurant that’s been isekaied to a German-styled fantasy world. And apparently they can go back and forth from the real world to fantasy pretty easily. The story itself is pretty straightforward, with each chapter featuring a new, down-on-their-luck character stumbling across the izakaya. Unfortunately this, and the densely-packed pages, made it a rather slow read, which had me putting it down more than I wanted to (that and the pressing need to find a snack). But if a slower pace is more your style, than it’s not a problem.
I was a little bit offended for Germany’s sake since the story pitches itself as their food being less than delectable while the Japanese food they served was amazing. I mean, I know it makes sense for the story, and yes, European food tends to be a little more on the flavorless side, but sometimes a person wants a nice, stomach-easy meal rather than something bursting with a lot flavor and most likely ketchup. (In my defense, I do cook Japanese food a lot. It’s amazing.) This has no reflection on the story itself though, just my personal thoughts.
I think my favorite panel in the whole manga was the evil tax collector guy leaving the izakaya with spaghetti sauce all over his face while going on about how he’d been reborn as a new person. Quite humorous.
Overall, Otherworldly Izakaya Nobu is a perfect manga for foodies who want a relaxing read without a major conflict and plenty of interesting characters.
NOTE: I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley for review purposes only. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was so fun!

In this medieval town a special restaurant has opened. It’s a hit with everyone who attends and its popularity grows with each new customers. With no set menu the chef and his employee always seem to know the right meal for each customer.. but how did a Japanese restaurant end up in a medieval town in the first place?

Nice and wholesome manga about community and food! I will definitely continue this series.

Food transcends cultures, time, language, and now in this manga, even worlds!

I love reading this series because it perfectly illustrates the delights of discovering THE place to have the best food and of having the most life-changing bowl of rice and whatsontapp.

It's such a wholesome series to sink into after a long work day.

I really adore stores with the concept of going to another world via portal or other means and enjoying a new experience and it has food related content count me in. I enjoyed this one and I hope to dive more into the series soon.

Love this! It's cute and cozy and is in depth about the dishes. The premise is unique and I love discovering the Nobu for the first time along with the characters.

I enjoyed Food Wars and this is right up that kind of food recipe enjoyment. I want to go visit. It's quite fun.

For "foodies."

For a first volume, it doesn't do much to hook the reader (it officially has 18 volumes). <i>Otherworldly Izakaya Nobu, Volume 1</i> gives no information about its owners, nor about the cook simply called "Chief," nor about the smiling waitress, Miss Shinobu, except that they are happy to see the diners smile with their food.


We only know what the soldiers of a garrison in a medieval German village think about a quaint tavern with food they have never seen before. They are amazed by the cold beer, and seeing things like glass (which is quite expensive), but they give no mind, even eating using chopsticks to enjoy Japanese dishes, with a menu written in Japanese, and they don't even wonder where all that comes from, like fresh fish from the ocean or vegetables in the middle of winter.

There is no plot. It bothers me that it is not clear where this is going.

The first volume is divided into 6 parts, each with a different dish that is enjoyed by a character (soldiers, a commander, a tax collector, a noble girl).

It seems that this started as a light novel that was adapted to manga and then anime. And I think there are more explanations later, but as I said, as a first volume it doesn't hook me.

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Para "foodies".

Para ser un primer tomo, no hace mucho por enganchar al lector (oficialmente cuenta con 18 tomos). La Izakaya Nobu de Otro Mundo Volumen 1 no da información acerca de sus dueños, ni del cocinero simplemente denominado "Chief", ni de la sonriente camarera, la señorita Shinobu, excepto que son felices de ver sonreír con la comida a los comensales.

Tan sólo sabemos lo que piensan los soldados de una guarnición de un pueblo alemán del medievo acerca de una pintoresca taberna con comida que nunca han visto antes. Les asombra la cerveza helada, y ver cosas como vidrio (que es oneroso), pero se echan todo al saco, hasta comer usando palillos para disfrutar de platillos japoneses , con un menú escrito en japonés , y ni siquiera se preguntan de donde sale todo eso, como los peces frescos del océano o vegetales en pleno invierno.

No hay plot. Me molesta que no se vea adonde va esto.

El primer volumen esta dividido en 6 partes, cada uno con un platillo diferente que es disfrutado por un personaje.

Según parece esto comenzó como una light novel que fue adaptada al manga y después al anime. Y creo que hay más explicaciones más tarde, pero como dije como primer tomo no me engancha.

*Digital book gently provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

For fans of Kakuriyo or Pass the Monster Meat Milady, Otherwordly Izakaya Nobu tells the story of full bellies, good food, and finding comfort in trying something new. Nobu is a Japanese style pub that mysteriously popped up in the medieval city of Eiteriach, It offers great food and great atmosphere, but nobody knows where the staff came for or how their food tastes so much better than anything else around.

If you are a fan of food and cooking, this might be for you. Because it's a slice of life series, there's not much of a forward moving plot, but you'll learn about some new types of Japanese food on the way (even though some of the recipes are odd. Looking at you spaghetti chapter.)

I snagged this book because I am always down for a cute little manga story! I found myself confused and bored most of the way through the story. I did finish it and was hoping it would get better, but it just wasn’t for me. All the words in different languages threw me for a loop while reading. Some were translated on the page and some I didn’t see the translation until one of the last pages. I would recommend if you like manga and food maybe to pick this one up and give it a try.

Thank you to NetGalley, the Publisher, and the author for a copy of this manga in exchange for my honest review.

I love books about food and stories that include details about what the characters are eating, so I was excited to come across Otherworldly Izakaya. The premise is a fun idea, but the snapshot stories ended up feeling a bit repetitive. A doubtful customer comes in, they express curiosity over what the mysterious menu will be, and are always blown away by the quality of the delicious food and drink. Reading about the different meals was satisfying (it all sounded delicious), and enthusiastic reactions to the food were wholesome and descriptive.

The customers come from different backgrounds and have their own reasons for seeking out something new or better when it comes to finding a good meal. Because this is only the first volume, I hope that more character development will be included in future issues as there isn't much to connect with so far. I was initially confused about the time period this story takes place in, so I looked up the light novel series the manga is based on and it turns out the shop is a gateway between Japan and a fictional medieval world with a heavy influence from Germany. Finding this out made the combination of modern cookware and ingredients in a medieval setting make WAY more sense. This detail isn’t mentioned in the manga’s description, but does become more apparent as you gather the hints throughout the book. I’m curious to see how this aspect will continue to unfold in other volumes.

This was a really cute book. The art is great. It's cute how the Japanese pub in the middle of a German-like medieval city can make everyone more pleasant and happy. All the food can make a reader quite hungry.

**Thank you to NetGalley and Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own.**
☆Review is live on Goodreads as of 7/27/2024.☆

4.25⭐️

This is an excellent addition into the food/pub genre that manga has delved into recently. With the success of others, I forsee that Otherworldly Izakaya Nobu will do just as well! This first volume offered a good taste of what's to come. This new series might be for you if you're looking for short and sweet, cozy fantasy!

What a cute little slice of life! This was such a fun manga with lots of characters to love! It was such a good manga to read as a break from more dense novels! I would definitely recommend this as a light-hearted little bit of magic.

I really enjoyed the concept of this, I think it's a fun and interactive way to get manga and food lovers alike to seek out new foods and recipes and see how good food can bring people together. My only complaint is that I wish there was more of a story surrounding the restaurant and characters but hopefully that will happen in volume 2!

If you are looking for a cozy manga, look no further.
This gave me all the cozy feels and I loved meeting all the town folk and seeing them experience new cuisine.
Alas, I'm now starving and will probably need to order some Japanese food tonight :)

This is such a cozy, slice-of-life manga. I love the premise of a modern Japanese pub being connected to a medieval German town. I think the art showed off the dishes well, and I liked the blend of German and Japanese food words. It was a very enjoyable, quick read.

What a cute fantasy tale, intertwining cultures! The art is nice, the art makes up for the text being somewhat very straightforward and curt. It’s kind of difficult to pinpoint the age of the target audience for this book though. My guess is that it’s suitable for manga lovers of any age, even middle-graders.

This manga is a fun, light-hearted tale set in medieval Germany where a Japanese restaurant introduces locals to Japanese cuisine, sparking heartwarming transformations among them. While it's sweet and enjoyable to see how food bridges cultural gaps, what really piques my interest is the hint of something supernatural—like a mysterious hallway that replenishes their ingredients. I'm curious if this could lead to a deeper storyline in future volumes, but for now, I'm hoping for more clues to unravel this intriguing mystery.

This is a really cute, chill fantasy book. It would be suitable for all ages. I could kind of sniff a plot coming, but it doesn't develop in the first volume. The "magic izakaya" is a well loved trope in Japanese pop culture, but this is a cute take. I will say my digital edition was grainy and weird, but considering it was published in 2018 and I got it for free...

Izakaya Nobu pub has everything to please the tastes and needs of its customers.

It doesn't matter if you are an infantryman tired of eating potatoes, Chief Nobu will make for you the best potatoes with mustard sauce..

A greedy tax collector who has lost enthusiasm for anything other than amassing large amounts of money... Don't worry, we will cook for you the best Neapolitan pasta ever created to evoke your childhood memories.

The orphaned picky eater heiress of the viscounty who no chef has been able to meet her expectations... No problem! A bwol of Anakake Yudofu will have you begging for seconds.

A soldier contemplating his life and decisions, don't worry... A few shots of sake 🍶 will help you find your way.

Overall it was a great reading. I liked. And I just realized it has an anime adaptation that I will be watching soon

Content warning: This manga will make you hungry, make sure you have some snacks on hand. And don't read at 4 a.m. on a Sunday, at that time no grocery store, restaurant or delivery service is open 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

It is not mentioned how or where Chief Nobu gets its ingredients, but considering the name it is clear that this manga is an isekai. I suppose that in the following volumes it will be explained.