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.

Set in the fantastical medieval European city of Eiteriach, "Nobu" is a Japanese-style pub that serves as the central hub for an eclectic group of characters, from slacker soldiers to a spoiled heiress. The premise of this novel is charming, with its mix of unlikely individuals bonding over the universal language of food. The mystical elements, like the pub's enigmatic appearance in the town, add a layer of whimsy that somewhat compensates for the book's lack of depth.

While the concept of a cultural fusion between medieval European settings and Japanese cuisine is novel and executed with a pleasant atmosphere, the book struggles significantly in its development of characters and plot. The characters are thinly drawn, with little to differentiate them beyond their broad archetypes. The tax collector remains uptight, the soldiers are perennial slackers, and the heiress is predictably spoiled, with little growth or complexity displayed throughout the narrative.

The narrative relies heavily on the novelty of its setting and the culinary descriptions, which, while evocative, are not enough to sustain interest through a thin plot. The book feels more like a series of vignettes than a cohesive story, with each chapter resembling a disconnected episode that does little to advance any overarching narrative.

For readers looking for a light read that offers a mystical escape and a taste of Japanese culture through the lens of a fantasy setting, "Nobu" might be a delightful diversion. However, those seeking a story with rich character development or a compelling plot might find it lacking. This manga is perfect for those feeling nostalgic or homesick for Japan, as it beautifully captures the atmosphere of a cozy Izakaya, but it falls short of being a memorable or impactful read. It was great for it's atmospheric charm but overall a missed opportunity to delve deeper into its intriguing premise.

I really enjoyed this book. It shows a place having alot of new foods and shows how good food is universal to being a human. All the visitors have different things going on and the food helps them in some way.
I struggled reading this as an ebook because I kept swiping the wrong way

A cute and funny story for all the foodies out there! It's a lot like Food Wars though in the description and actions regarding food so it can get to be a bit much at times as that takes up a good amount of pages, but as a person who loves food I can appreciate it. Also, as a person who has been to Izakayas, I get the appeal! This story involves a magical izakaya and that concept alone is really cool.

If you're a foodie who wants a few laughs with a laid back story (so far) this ones for you!

This was a fun manga. I was a little lost at first but I will probably continue on. I'm interested in the story. I found it fun and charming and light hearted.

This is one of my favorite manga series of all time. Magical realism mixed with portal fantasy, low stakes, lush and vivid descriptions of food. It’s the perfect manga for me.

Loved this. So good. Such a nice and chilled out manga. Learnt about some food. Really want Hans to declare his love haha. So so cute.

A very fun and interesting read. The characters were very intriguing and I had to laugh and grin here and there. Will recommend it.

I thought this was an okay read. This was my first time reading a book by Natsuya Semikawa.

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to review Otherworldly Izakaya Nobu Volume 1.

So I was wondering why this manga felt so familiar to me, turns out I watched the anime! It’s such a cute story. I love any story about restaurants and cooking and this is no exception. My favorite chapter was the one with the little girl and her uncle it’s so cute and sweet!

My only complaints are just technical things I don’t know if this is formatted to be the correct dimensions for the official ebook but while it looks good on my phone when I looked at it on my tablet I was noticing the pixelation that is normally due to improper sizing. Page 36 also seemed to have some sort of issue it wasn’t the same quality as the rest. I only point this out just incase it isn’t on purpose to differentiate between the arc and the official. If it was ignore this whole paragraph

Absolutely mouthwatering experience.
Now I'm not eager to quench my thirst, grab some heartwarming food and travel at the same time.

Cozy fantasy. Great for food fanatics but no real plot. The first volume is more a series of vignettes that all take place inside Nobu pub. I personally am not a huge fan of watching people eat, so while the drawings of the food are interesting, I quickly found myself frustrated by how much time was spent on people's reaction to food instead of anything plot-wise happening.

The author clearly hinted in the shop's ability to cross between worlds and I can only hope that later volumes include much more about that. Otherwise I cannot survive another volume without being bored.

-- 4/5 Stars -- ★★★★☆

Trigger Warnings for Otherworldly Izakaya Nobu 1: implied wealth gap, implied war/military

Otherworldly Izakaya Nobu 1 by Natsuya Semikawa, Virginia Nitouhei, and Kururi is the first volume in the Otherworldly Izakaya Nobu series. In this volume we see many patrons discovering Nobu and it's unique access to a range of foods. Throughout we get beautiful descriptions of Chief and Shinobu's food through the eyes of Hans, Nikolaus, Hildegarde, Johann Gustav, and more.

This manga was cute and gave wafts of the manga and anime series Food Wars!: Shokugeki No Soma. So much of the food looked delectable, even in black-and-white. All of this being said, I really wanted to know more about the characters. We saw glimmers of each of them, but I would have sooner had an entire volume dedicated to each person or family's stories and then have then meet together in a later volume

​Overall, Otherworldly Izakaya Nobu 1 was fun and easy. I look forward to the current and future iterations of this series. ​Special thanks to NetGalley, Natsuya Semikawa, Virginia Nitouhei, Kururi, and Udon Entertainment for access to a digital copy in exchange for my honest review.