Nobu Hotel Palo Alto

Nobu Hotel Palo Alto brings a famous restaurant name to a small downtown hotel. The building on Hamilton Avenue holds 73 rooms over eight stories, a Nobu restaurant and lobby bar on the ground floor and an interior garden courtyard. It is the most design-forward hotel in downtown Palo Alto and the only one where a world-known restaurant shares the lobby. It is also a practical base: University Avenue, the Caltrain station and dozens of restaurants are a short walk away.

This profile is based on the hotel's own website and news coverage. We do not publish prices, ratings or reviews. To see current rates, check Nobu Hotel Palo Alto on Booking.com or book with the hotel directly.

Location

The hotel is at 180 Hamilton Avenue, two blocks south of University Avenue in the downtown grid. A note for anyone who has seen it listed elsewhere: Nobu is downtown, not on El Camino Real. The big hotels on El Camino Real near Stanford are about half a mile southwest.

From the front door you can walk to:

• University Avenue restaurants and shops, a couple of minutes away.
• The Palo Alto Caltrain station, a few blocks west, with trains to San Francisco and San Jose.
• The Stanford Theatre, the restored movie palace on University Avenue.
• Professorville, the historic neighborhood just south of downtown.
• Stanford's Main Quad, roughly a mile and a half on foot, or a short ride on the free Marguerite shuttle from the station.

The hotel lists the distances to the airports as about 17 miles to San Jose, 20.5 miles to San Francisco International and 27.6 miles to Oakland. See getting to Palo Alto for routes and transit options.

From The Epiphany to Nobu

Before it carried the Nobu name, the building was The Epiphany, a boutique hotel run by the San Francisco chain Joie de Vivre. Palo Alto Online reported in 2017 that Oracle founder Larry Ellison had bought the property in 2015.

The change came in two steps. The Nobu Palo Alto restaurant opened on the ground floor on July 7, 2017. Nobu Hospitality then took over management of the hotel on October 2, 2017, under the name Nobu Hotel Epiphany. The hotel now goes by Nobu Hotel Palo Alto. The San Francisco Chronicle covered the restaurant's opening as Nobu's Bay Area debut.

Rooms and suites

The hotel's FAQ lists 73 rooms in total: 64 guest rooms and nine suites. The look blends Japanese and Californian design, with clean lines, natural materials and subtle in-room technology. Most standard rooms are about 320 square feet.

Accessible versions of several room types are available, including Premium and Ryokan rooms and a Ryokan Suite. Confirm the exact layout and bed type when you book. Rooms here are compact compared with suburban hotels, so families who need space may prefer a suite or a hotel such as The Clement, where every unit is a suite.

The Nobu restaurant and bar

Nobu Palo Alto is the reason many people know the hotel. It serves the Japanese-Peruvian style of cooking that chef Nobu Matsuhisa made famous. The brand is best known for dishes such as black cod miso. The restaurant opens onto the lobby bar and the garden courtyard. It is a public restaurant, so reservations help on weekends and during big Stanford weekends.

The ground floor also holds a café and the Nobu Lobby Bar. For more on the local scene, see our guides to Asian food in Palo Alto and fine dining.

Fitness, spa and services

• Fitness center. The hotel's FAQ describes a 640-square-foot gym on the second floor with Technogym equipment, free weights and Peloton bikes. It is open 24 hours.
• Spa. There is no spa in the building. The hotel partners with Watercourse Way, a bathhouse spa in downtown Palo Alto.
• Pool. None is advertised.
• Pets. Not allowed, according to the hotel's FAQ.
• Parking. Valet parking is available for a daily fee. The FAQ also points to public parking nearby.
• Check-in and checkout. The FAQ lists check-in at 4 p.m. and checkout at noon, with early and late requests handled when possible.

Details like these change. Check the hotel's FAQ page before you travel.

What is nearby

Staying on Hamilton Avenue puts much of downtown Palo Alto within a ten-minute walk. Classic films play at the Stanford Theatre on University Avenue. A longer stroll south leads through the shingled houses of Professorville to the HP Garage at 367 Addison Avenue, which you can view from the sidewalk. The downtown farmers market runs on Saturdays year-round, a few blocks from the hotel.

For a change of scene, ride Caltrain north to San Francisco or south to San Jose without moving your car. Stanford's campus, with the free Cantor Arts Center and the Main Quad, is a short shuttle ride from the station. Mornings are a good time for a run or walk through the quiet residential streets east of downtown before the business day starts.

Who should stay here

Nobu suits travelers who want to walk to dinner, ride Caltrain and enjoy a stylish room without leaving downtown. It works well for business trips to downtown offices, couples' weekends and anyone who plans to eat at the restaurant anyway. It is a weaker fit for travelers with pets, families who need a pool or drivers who want free parking.

If those matter more, compare the Sheraton Palo Alto on El Camino Real or read our overview of luxury hotels in Palo Alto.

Booking tips

1. Book early for big weekends. Stanford commencement runs June 10 to 13 in 2027. With only 73 rooms, the hotel fills quickly.
2. Ask for a quieter room. Downtown streets are busier on weekend evenings.
3. Budget for parking. If you drive, valet adds to the nightly total.
4. Reserve dinner separately. A room booking does not hold a table at the restaurant.
5. Compare dates. Weekday nights are busy with business travelers. You can compare downtown Palo Alto rates on Hotels.com.

Frequently asked questions