I Went to Nobu to Try Kim Kardashian’s All-Time Favorite Cocktail

During an appearance on “Today,” Kim Kardashian called the lychee martini from Nobu “the best” cocktail.

While the reality star famously doesn’t drink alcohol frequently, she said if she were to imbibe it would be with the signature Nobu cocktail or, about once every four years, a few shots of tequila. (Of course, she took the opportunity to plug her sister Kendall Jenner’s 818 Tequila brand.)

“I don’t drink,” Kardashian told Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager. “But, I love the lychee martini at Nobu. That’s the best.”

Nobu, which is named for its chef Nobu Matsuhisa, has over 60 locations worldwide.

According to the company’s website, there are 62 Nobu restaurant locations across the globe. 

Perhaps one of the most well-known locations is in Malibu, where Kardashian has often been spotted. Its beachfront space boasts views of the ocean, which is enough to bring in hungry customers with money to spend. 

I headed over to my closest location after work to try the iconic cocktail.

Nobu Downtown is in Manhattan’s Financial District, just steps away from the World Trade Center and, lucky for me, the Insider offices.

The restaurant and bar opens at 5:30 p.m., so I walked over for happy hour, even though there were no deals to be had where I was going.  

The restaurant is kind of hidden inside an office building, and that adds to the allure.

I had been to this Nobu location once before, so I knew where to find it. But, from the outside, there’s just one small sign near the Fulton Street entrance, and then another as a decal on the glass door.

Using the Fulton Street entrance, the restaurant will be on the right. But diners can enter on Dey Street as well and walk through the long hallway, past Anthropologie, and into the restaurant on their left. 

There was a large circular bar in the center of the room, and people were already taking up seats for post-work drinks and bites.

I walked in close to 6 p.m. and headed straight for the bar, which was already starting to fill up. There were mostly people dressed in suits and dress shirts looking like they were coming from their offices upstairs or across the street for post-work drinks. 

I found a seat at the oversized bar, which reminded me of some fancy hotel lobby bars, and settled into my comfy stool. There was a hook under the bar for guests to hang their bags which I very much appreciated. 

The cocktail placed in front of me looked just as frosty as the chilled Nick and Nora glass it was served in.

While I’ve had a lychee cocktail before — I loved the 500 Miles High at Pebble Bar, a New York City cocktail lounge part-owned by Kardashian’s boyfriend Pete Davidson — I’ve never had a lychee martini like the one at Nobu, so I didn’t know what to expect. 

When I took my first sip out of that cold glass, I felt chic. But sadly, I didn’t like the drink. 

I’m personally not a vodka fan, so this reaction makes sense. But I’ve had other vodka-based cocktails that were less alcohol-forward in flavor, and I enjoyed those, so I thought there was a chance I’d like this one, too.

Ultimately, the drink was too overwhelming for my palate, as the strong alcohol taste was paired with the super-sweet flavor of what the bartender told me was basically canned lychee sent through a juicer.

I was surprised someone like Kardashian who says she rarely drinks has this vodka-forward cocktail as their one go-to. But hey, to each their own.

My favorite part of this drink was the fruit.

Hiding in the abyss that was this cocktail was a single skewered lychee. This was delicious and undoubtedly my favorite part of the drink. It was like a little snack the way olives are in a more basic martini. 

The fruit was firm but also soft, and definitely fragrant. It didn’t taste too sweet itself and added a refreshing component that I felt was much needed. Unfortunately for me, these flavors didn’t transfer to the rest of the drink. 

Overall, I think the allure of the lychee martini is what makes it fit for a Kardashian — and I can get behind that.

Even though the drink didn’t hit the right notes for my palate, I was still able to appreciate it for what it was: a pretty sexy cocktail. 

The all-white libation goes with Kardashian’s aesthetic (her whole house is beige), and it’s not something I’ve seen on tons of other menus, which makes it sort of elusive. 

If you like the taste of vodka, and you enjoy a syrupy sweetness, you’ll probably like this drink.