Omboo in St Albans

Dining at Omboo was an absolute delight! The food was nothing short of exquisite—every dish was bursting with flavor and beautifully presented. The service was impressively quick, even faster than what we’ve experienced at The Shard, which truly exceeded our expectations. What made the evening even more special was how the waitress went above and beyond for my dad's birthday. Her attention to detail and thoughtful gestures created such a memorable celebration for him, and we were so touched by her kindness. The atmosphere and vibe of the restaurant were lovely—elegant yet welcoming—and the cleanliness was impeccable. It’s clear that a lot of care goes into maintaining both the food quality and the space itself - we were speechless. We will definitely be coming back!

Service was awful! When seated we ordered water & a cocktail each. Then another server requested our drinks order a few minutes later. We then ordered our food. All out starters came before our cocktails arrived. We had to ask twice about our cocktails before then came, we had got half way through starters. Mains & wine arrived promptly. Dessert, coffee and dessert wine was then ordered. Partners coffee arrived. Then about 5mins later desserts. I held off eating mine for 5 mins as wanted my dessert wine alongside it. With no sign of it we prompted a waiter again so I started my dessert. Another 10 minutes passed before someone brought it out however I had finished my dessert by that point. We spent over £200 for the 2 of us, and were extremely disappointed with the meal. It was a special treat to ourselves & would have had a better meal with better service somewhere else. The food was nice, we both said we would have given the food around 3.5-4 out of 5. We were surprised how quiet it also was for a Friday night. If they were busy we could have understood the clunky service but didn’t seem to be a reason for it.

Im obsessed with Omboo atmosphere and food, the quality is unbelievable. I always come here to get positive vibe, special thanks to Hamim and Patricia who looked after us 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Amazing food, Nicolai was a fantastic service!! Would recommend every time

The food was amazing and the service was even better, Klara was incredible thank you so much for a beautiful evening

Nicolai our waiter was amazing and very polite. Pleasant service and lovely food. The host Quentin was so lovely and accommodating. Fantastic staff and wonderful restaurant. Highly recommend. My son said if there was an infinity button for good service he would press it.

One must admit, to have such a quality Asian fusion restaurant within countryside hotel was such a pleasant surprise. Great ambience, delicious food and genuine service from Vincent in the evening. Really quality place and pleasant surprise. Thank you Vincent and the Team.

Nicolai was very attentive. Food was exceptional and special dessert to celebrate a birthday in our party was so thoughtful. Couldn’t fault the meal. Great atmosphere.

Nicolai was amazing. Great service and a great member of staff. Thanks to him we felt comfortable and happy with service as well as food recommendations.

Nicolai was excellent and very welcome my! Great service and great food. Enjoyed every moment of it! Thanks guys will be back!

I had a dinner here last week and an unforgettable experience. The food was exceptional, with every dish expertly prepared and beautifully presented. Our waiter, Nicolai, provided outstanding service, taking the time to thoroughly explain each dish, which truly elevated the experience. He also recommended a fantastic bottle of Sauvignon Blanc wine that perfectly complemented the meal. I will definitely be returning!

This was a lovely experience and Nicolai was amazing super excellent service and polite will definetly come again

Really lovely food, atmosphere & amazing service from Nicolai! Would definitely be back!

Our 5th time here. Unfortunately the service has gone downhill dramatically. Two mistakes in one night. They brought us wrong drinks and a wrong dish. Then left for a least 45 minutes without food. Two hours later we were still waiting to order desserts!! The last time we went we were charged twice. Once for our meal then charged us for another tables meal……unacceptable!!!!!!!!! Good job I checked my account.

Lovely food and ambience came here for a a birthday dinner and was lovely. Thank you to Nicoli for a warm friendly 5 star service. The lady at the front desk was also very lovely. Thank you both for making our visit even better!

Fantastic food and service. Nicolai was so friendly and welcoming! We really enjoyed ourselves and Nicolai knew all about the food and cocktails which helped make such a great experience!

Food was 10/10 and Nicolai ensured our service was also 10/10

Amazing food fabulous waiter Nicolai very attentive fab service

My partner and I went for dinner here whilst staying at Sopwell House and we have to say, we were really impressed. The food was excellent and we really enjoyed it all, especially the spring rolls, sashimi and lamb chops. We were looked after by our wonderful waiter Nicolai, who was brilliant

We did not want to trek into London for Asian/Japanese cuisine and knowing not too far from us in Sopwell House there is an Omboo was perfect! The staff are friendly and service was great! We visited to celebrate our 2nd Wedding Anniversary, it was a lovely touch for the team with the special dish at the end congratulating us! ❤️ We both opted for the set menu with the black cod, in some places you worry if the set menu would be enough and if you needed to order more. Not to worry here! The quantity of the set menu we would say is very generous and providing a nice variety for all your different tastes! We will definitely come back again! ❤️

Your runner Nykolay is a great guy! Much appreciated his help during our yesterday dinner 😊

A lovely setting on beautiful grounds. This definitely feels like a special occasion place. We opted for the set menu. The food was nice but sadly didn’t blow us away… for the price, we’d have expected a bit more quality, especially on expensive dishes like the beef. The dessert was divine. All in all, a must visit but prices are high for what this is.

Overall a good experience. Only note, staff was really inexperienced for a £100+ per person dining experience.

Got severe food poisoning eating here, so I will never eat here again. Completely ruined sushi for me. Despite the food being very nice, I can only give one star as it is the only place on earth to have given me food poisoning. Had the restaurant at least taken responsibility, I wouldn't have felt the need to post this publicly

My boyfriend and I went to Omboo to celebrate my boyfriend’s birthday. We were extremely impressed with both the quality of the food and the service. We have to say a massive thank you to Freddie (our waiter) as he was amazingly attentive and very sweet. He made our time at Omboo all that much better. He was kind enough to get us a birthday dessert and chose us to give us a taster of their Sake. I would highly recommend everything that we ate from this menu and we will most certainly be coming back again for my own birthday in December. Thank you again to Freddie and the rest of the staff for making our time here so memorable.

Omboo has become our go-to restaurant for special occasions The food is high quality and unique even for people who love Japanese food this restaurant will be able to deliver some dishes you've never seen before They also still offer some classic staple food of Japanese cuisine such as salmon sashimi and nigiri as well as fatty tuna as sashimi and nigiri One of my favourite dishes here is the California roll. Unlike what you get at a normal sushi restaurant this California roll is made with real crab rather than surimi (imitation crab). So having a proper California roll with real crab is a real treat Another personal favourite is the truffle spring rolls just bursting with flavour and a dish I get every time we eat here In addition to the quality food both sushi and cooked Japanese food they have excellent new desserts. Highly recommend the crème brûlée and they have excellent cocktails My only negative feedback would be the lack of hot sake options they have a variety of cold sake but no hot sake choices. Luckily Sopwell House has an excellent cocktail bar and you can order both menu and off menu cocktails from the restaurant that are made at one of their two top tier cocktail bars at Sopwell House and my recommendation would be to get a cocktail either here with your meal or in any case after your meal They also have excellent coffees here at Sopwell House that again you can either go order at the bar after the dinner or at the table in the restaurant

Amazing, tasty food! Service was phenomenal- Lucy and the team made sure we were catered for in terms of our dietary needs. Lucy was so helpful during our visit and made us feel so welcome - she knows exactly what good customer service is! The service we received today was top tier and we'd definitely visit here again, even if we weren't staying at Sopwell house. The knowledge of the menu was perfect and it was great to have such a friendly team. The food was so tasty!

Rui was our waiter and he was fantastic. His lovely of knowledge of each dish was very helpful in helping choose from this amazing menu. The duck salad was perfectly and the sea bass to die for. Highly recommend this restaurant

Greeting was lovely & we were warmly welcomed & seated. From that point it sadly went down hill. The food we did get was tasty but nothing special for the price. We received our first menu choices within five minutes & then waited 1 hour for next which was only one bowl of seafood rice & red curry. When we asked why we were waiting so long we were told they were busy! The waiter did not ask if we wanted anymore drinks we had to gain his attention all the time. Asking for the menu again having only had 4 small plates between two people in 1.5 hours there we were handed the dessert menu & a piece of had scribbled paper informing us what Gluten free items my husband could have which was basically sorbet & one other this was a very limited choice & all others could have definitely been made gluten free. We did then explain our concerns to the greeter who was very apologetic & brought out a gluten free happy birthday cake & the bill which he had removed the service charge from. At this point the waiter was ignoring our table still so we walked our bill to the entrance to pay. After 2.5 hours hungry & £105 later it was a very disappointing Anniversary & Birthday celebration.

Fantastic experience here. Pushed the boat out and went for the Omboo set menu. Highlights for us was the crispy duck salad, tuna carpaccio, and Seabass... but all topped bybthe A5 grade wagu beef which was so soft. Bit of a delay between first batch of courses but the restaurant had become fully seated at that point. Service was very friendly but just needed a little more polish from our server. Looking forward to another treat night here

EVERY mouthful of EVERY dish was delicious, and looked incredible. Definitely coming back soon!

The food was delicious especially the dragonroll sushi. My wife loved it and she’s a sushi fanatic. Service was good although the Salmon did take some to arrive.

Erg lekker gegeten bij Omboo. Vriendelijke bediening en mooi restaurant. We werden heel vriendelijk geholpen door Josh en Tatyiana. Heel goede service, dank jullie wel!

Stayed 1 night at the hotel and came here for our anniversary. Really great atmosphere and exceptional customer service. Food was very tasty and the dessert platter was delicious. Would recommend for a lovely evening.

Watch your back Jude Kareema. The flavours in this food are so delicately balanced, there's a little bit of heaven fallen into every plate. Papaya salad, mizo cod, soft shell crab, tnedersten broccoli,sugar snap pea n mishrooms and coconut bomb and vanilla creme brulee. All bursting with individual flavour and sensational together. If the food wasn't good enough on its own the service was exemplary. The hostess completely brilliant but Josh was exemplary. Sevice was incredible. He knew the menu and the dishes inside out. Very attentive friendly and totally professional. There are many highlights to staying at Sopwell House but my goodness Omboo is most certainly one of them! Tremendous

At Sopwell for a spa retreat Ate at omboo Nice setting Excellent service Food on the whole very good Dish of the night was the duck salad - superb The chicken thigh dish wasn’t great - I did feed that back Sushi not bad Dessert (with bottle of accompanying Sauterne) excellent Decent barolo too Nice desert Only criticism was dishes come up way too quick Felt a bit overwhelmed / rushed £360 - not bad at all

Omboo offers a truly wonderful dining experience! The sushi is exceptional, fresh and bursting with flavor. But what truly elevates Omboo is the amazing staff. Coantin and Barbara went above and beyond to make our day enjoyable. Their helpfulness and friendly demeanor created a warm and welcoming atmosphere.

We stayed at the spa for a weekend and had dinner at Omboo. Amazing food, great menu, lots of options to choose from. Sraff knew the menu very well and could give us advice. Very warm and welcoming atmosphere. Make sure you visit the restaurant when you go for a spa treat.

The dining experience at Omboo in Sophwell House surpassed all expectations, notably outshining my favorite restaurant, Saccalleo in Sicily. The quality of the food at Omboo is truly exceptional, elevating the overall culinary experience. The flavors, creativity, and presentation of each dish were outstanding, making Omboo a standout choice for those seeking an unparalleled dining adventure. Highly recommended for those who appreciate an esclusive location, andoutstanding flavours

My first stay at sophwell, hopefully not the last one . Francesca and Tomas provided us with a fantastic check in experience. From the moment we walked in, they were incredibly helpful and attentive. I had an exceptional dining experience at Omboo The dinner surpassed all expectations, with Lucy, Raffaele, and Aweng delivering an absolutely incredible experience. The attention to detail, paired with the delightful atmosphere, made our visit truly memorable. I highly recommend Omboo for an exquisite dining experience in every aspect.

Afternoon Tea at Omboo/Sopwell house. The staff were so friendly and helpful, guiding us to our seat and also with our tea choices. The tea itself was so flavorful and delicate. The scones with such soft cream and jam, tasted marvelous and lastly the desert tray was as beautiful as it was rich and delightful. Would recommend to everyone.

Lovely venue. Great food with even better service. The staff was lovely and very accommodating. The music could've been a little quieter but we were warned that the music can be a little loud.

I visited this place with my partner for my birthday celebration and it was a fantastic choice. Every dish was exceptional. The dragon roll stood out as particularly delightful, ranking among the best I’ve tasted – and I’m a frequent sushi diner who’s been to Japan. The salmon roll and nigiri were impressive, even when compared to other sushi spots. The chicken pops were a pleasant surprise, and the papaya salad was delicious too. The sashimi and yellowfin tuna carpaccio met my expectations. Lastly, also spicy edamame was good

We had an acceptable dinner for four at Omboo. The food was presented nicely, and the staff were very friendly though lacking knowledge. The atmosphere is what you might expect from a large corporate hotel restaurant, though they’ve tried to disguise that in the decor. It’s a bit short on intimacy, and there is intrusive loud piped music - we asked if this could be turned down a bit, without success. It seemed to get louder through the evening, with the inevitable consequence that everyone had to talk loudly to hear each other. The food is Asian-themed, rather than authentic Japanese. I’ve had better sushi and sashimi for less, and the prices are geared towards central London. Best dish of the evening oddly was the pulled duck salad. The rather short list of cocktails and mocktails yielded very good results. The jasmine tea was massively strong and quickly became too bitter to drink, showing the inexperience of the team. The place is obviously very popular, so I think appeals to a different audience, who might rate it quite differently. It’s just not for us.

Food was beautifully presented. Our lamb dish wasn’t to our taste. Very expensive meal! Service was very good. But I wouldn’t visit again.

Where do I start, a fabulous night out. We arrived a little early and went into Octagon for a cocktail. There we met Adam the mixologist who was wonderful and made my hubby a drink off the menu, no problem. The meal was so good, well presented and fairly priced. We were served by Annika, who to time to explain the menu and assist us with our choice of dishes. We were also looked after by Barbie and Patricia who made sure we were seated at our choice of table ensured every detail of our evening. They were all so lovely and it made the night memorable for us. I can highly recommend and we will be visiting again.

This menu is a little different from most restaurants. Not a traditional starter, mains, dessert but more food and then dessert. Each plate is either a sharing plate or small plate similar to tapas. The food quality and taste are excellent and the service is good. I would have rated it 5 stars if it was a little more traditional in starters/mains/etc.. with table cloths and course cutlery. But it’s a less formal restaurant in a price bracket for a more formal restaurant. A good restaurant but to me overpriced for what you get.

First visited this restaurant in April for my birthday - it was so good my wife wanted to come again for her birthday. Excellent range of dishes, beautifully presented and all tasted amazing. Great service by Alice and a fantastic experience - if you like Asian cuisine in a fantastic setting with great service then you should try this, you will not be disappointed.

We had an excellent meal at Omboo. They serve Asian sharing dishes, with a focus on Japanese, of which we tried several, all of which were tasty and excellent. The cocktails are also very good, as is the sake. The welcome was warm, service was friendly and quietly efficient. We would very much recommend Omboo for a great meal and for any special occasion.

A delicious and special meal for our wedding anniversary- duck salad, beef skewers and the black cod were highlights. We definitely ordered too much food but it was all very good! And they even gave us a cute decorated dessert for the occasion at the end which was a lovely touch. Alice our server was very thoughtful and friendly. Would definitely recommend and hope to come back some time

Recommended by friends and didn’t disappoint. We had a thoroughly enjoyable evening and food is five star.

Wow wow wow. The food and staff were amazing. We went with the wagu, miso code, lamb dish, prawn tempura. All were delicious. I would definitely recommend.

The food and atmosphere were amazing. We got a free glass of champagne each to celebrate Omboo’s anniversary. We were served by Lumi who was very attentive and helpful and made our experience amazing.

We visited Omboo for a birthday dinner and the food and service was excellent. Lumi took wonderful care of our table and was lovely the entire evening, absolutely amazing service

Lumi was amazing with her services to myself and my friend. She was very attentive and had smiles all over her face throughout her service. She made really good food recommendations as well. Ambiance is 💯 so is the food. Totally will recommend.

I took my fiancé out for his birthday dinner. It took 25 minutes to receive our first drinks. We had to ask for soya sauce to be served with our sushi. The waitress stood in the corner watching the table, so it was very uncomfortable eating. We were disturbed by our waitress every 10 minutes (no exaggeration). The food was below average, other than the pulled duck salad (which was lovely) and the mushroom springrolls. The broccoli dish was so oily and lacked flavour. The soft shell crab just tasted of oil too, when you bit into it, oil came pouring out. The seafood sushi was served with hot rice. The restaurant is decorated well, however the lighting and ambiance were mellow, yet they had fast paced house music on...the two didn't go together. I had noted in my reservation that it was my fiancé's birthday, and they kindly brought a small cake out, but this was only offered to us after we had already eaten our desert and at the time of us paying for our bill. Disappointed.

One of the best restaurants we have visited in a long time. The service is great as is the setting. Almost every dish we had tasted amazing. If I was to find fault it would be in the two chicken dishes we ordered. The skewers were a bit bland and the friend chicken was just ok. But saying that it would not be fair to mention the great dishes we had. The California na Dragoon rolls weer the best we have ever had. Even something as simple as the pickled cucumber were outstanding. Please, if it's the only time you go out for a meal in the next few months, go to Omboo

They tried to charge £37 for this “sushi platter”! Left half way through the meal, having waited 30 minutes for a drink. No tuna, no yellow tail available. It’s a very expensive sushi/on-Asian restaurant. You expect a hell of a lot more. Wouldn’t be in business if it were in London. Shocking! The above was written while there. Afterwards, and to be fair, the manager was excellent, and tried very hard to make things right, and insisted that we pay nothing.

Came here for my 10 year anniversary last week. First time visiting. Wanted to try something a little different and wasn't disappointed. What stood out for me the most was the quality of ingredients and the freshness. Wine was good and our server Raff was on point. Attentive without being overbearing. Really enjoyed our visit. Bear in mind its rather pricey and the spend per head can go up quickly

We had a truly unforgettable experience at Omboo Sushi Restaurant. Patricia went above and beyond to make us feel welcome and also introduced us to sake for the first time! If you go try the the Ribeye Skewers and the Papaya salad, they were outstanding. The atmosphere is delightful, the restaurant is very well designed, my date was really impressed. The team is very polite and professional. Overall a memorable visit. Will definitely go back!

Can’t fault this restaurant AT ALL. Service is fantastic, the food is so fresh and tasty. I visited for my birthday and was really pleased with the experience. A special thank you to our waiter Adam who went above and beyond to make sure we were taken care of. Thank you! One of my new favourite restaurants.

Overall a lovely experience in terms of food and ambience. We had particularly attentive and kind service from Lumi which made up for a somewhat abrupt interaction with another server.

Beautiful setting and food but staff ruined it by trying to rush us out , we had our reservation until 11 but way before that they hung around us clearing away and asking if we wanted desert etc etc . Wouldn't go back

First the pluses - venue is very nice - beautiful environment and the service was good too - friendly and helpful staff (although we were waiting for drinks a couple of times). However I am a bit taken aback by other reviews of the food. In my view the food was extremely middling, both in taste and quality of ingredients. Overall I’m not sure I’d go back, despite the nice environs! Pickled cucumber was very limp and bland - far too sweet Prawn tempura was pretty poor, tempura batter quite heavy and oily - not too far from a typical Chinese takeaway deep fried prawn Chicken yakitori was ok, chicken a bit thickly chunked up and bland inside Seared tuna sashimi - tuna was very average (especially if chu toro) as advertised, plus on the over seared side for me Salmon nigiri very average, quality and thickness of fish left a bit to be desired, rice bland and a bit stodgy Dragon roll was ok but quite sweet ( a matter of preference I’m sure) Lamb dish (forget name) was pretty terrible with a heavy curry like sauce not good at all.

Had a selection of foods, the strawberries on top of sushi was definitely surprisingly tasty, the black cod was cooked perfectly however unfortunately the crab was slightly over cooked and was stuck to the shell which was very hard to take out to eat. Loved the presentations of all dishes especially the desserts. My favourite was the chocolate dessert, staff were friendly and great parking as it’s located at the hotel.

Surprisingly very enjoyable! I came for an anniversary dinner after a spa day I wasn’t sure what to expect. Wow we were very impressed! The service was exceptional and food was incredible. The food was brought out very quickly. Our waitress was very attentive and knowledgeable. I can’t fault this place. We will definitely be returning!

Lovely ambience in the restaurant and the service was absolutely phenomenal! Super quick and attentive throughout the meal. The sushi was the star of the show i’d highly recommend the dragon rolls. The black cod was also lovely too! I had the lychee cocktail and it was sooo fresh and well balanced- would recommend if you like a sweet cocktail. My only downside was that it was a bit awkward seeing people walk past after their spa session in their robes, but that can’t be avoided due to proximity of the spa. Overall, great dinner and fab service!

Visited Omboo to celebrate my mums birthday and wow - the food is incredible. We loved every dish and we are thankful for the friendly service. Will definitely be re visiting! A great addition to Sopwell House.

Fabulous Asian fusion food, great atmosphere & impeccable service. The staff were amazing! A very special mention to Abhilash the manager & Ella for making our first visit so special for my birthday, we will definitely be back! Thank you 😊

Perfect meal to end our spa day. The decor was trendy, staff were friendly, dishes were tasty and timed well & cocktails were delicious. I’m normally picky and I can’t really fault much. Thank you to the entire team for a fab dinner! Items ordered: duck salad, chicken karage, soft shell crab, dragon roll, aubergine, rib eye skewers, fried rice (I’d skip the rice, it was recommended as a favourite but truly it’s just an upsell filler).

A relatively new restaurant at Sopwell House, and a great addition to the St Albans area. Like me, a lot of people who come here will have also visited some of the fine Pan-Asian restaurants in central London. Personally, I was slightly disappointed. Service was friendly but not as professional as you might expect. For example, I’m used to being asked if I want to try the wine before it’s served to the entire table. I always order Black Cod, but here the quality and portion size for the price was below par. Nevertheless, a good experience and I would return.

Seated by Quintin and served by Amber with the help from Adam. All three were incredibly hospitable, professional and super friendly. The food was delicious and highly recommend the eel nigiri! Already recommending to family friends!

What a place!! Beautiful venue and cosy atmosphere. Food was delicious and the service was super friendly and helpful

Wow! What an amazing dining experience. Food was delicious and really nicely presented. Great mix of sushi/sashimi and warm dishes. Staff were friendly and happy to offer suggestions/help with menu choices. We left feeling nicely full having tried a good variety of dishes and would happily return.

Delicious food, lovely service. Would definitely come back.

Very impressed with our first meal here. Great service and a tasty menu. Ingredients extremely fresh and food delivered quickly. Beautiful atmosphere with stylish setting - we will be back!

Lucky enough to be one of the first to visit, and what an incredible evening! Amazing menu, amazing service and amazing wine / drinks list. The revamp of the fine dining room is beautiful and really well designed, the seating is comfortable and plenty of space between tables. The serving staff were so knowledgeable about the menu and allergens. Food came out when it was ready and was absolutely delicious - everything was perfectly executed! Didn't take any photos - always the sign of a good night, can't wait to go back.

Had a lovely evening. As the restaurant has just opened some of the items on the menu weren’t available however what was, was really good and tasted great. The staff were also super attentive especially Abhi & Hugo