Local Food Influencer Is Behind This Hidden Sushi Spot

Denver has a thriving sushi scene, and recently, a new option made its debut inside a longtime Highland staple.

Over one thousand colorful paper cranes hang from the ceiling of the hidden sushi spot as one customer sips a purple cocktail garnished with an orchid while another takes a bite of tuna tartare. Origami Den, which debuted in November, is the brainchild of food influencer Candies Liu (@candieseatsworld) and Sushi Hai owners Tien Le and Kevin Nguyen. (This concept has no relation to Sushi Den or its sister spots, Izakaya Den and Temaki Den.)

The concept, which Liu calls an “underground speakeasy,” is currently only open on Saturdays, from 5 to 10 p.m., and is located in the basement of Sushi Hai at 3600 West 32nd Avenue. Liu explains that Le initially invited her to collaborate on an event at Sushi Hai in February 2025. When Le showed Liu the restaurant’s empty basement, she knew what she wanted to create.

“I was like, ‘This is perfect.’ I was looking for a place where I could do something like this and call it my own and be creative with the menu,” Liu says. “I asked [Le] if she wanted to do a speakeasy concept, and that’s where it all started.”

Liu, who has been a food influencer for four years and has 17,500 Instagram followers, was raised in the culinary world; her parents owned eight Chinese buffets between Texas and Oklahoma and one restaurant in Littleton. “ My dad was Chinese, born in Korea, so I was immersed in that culture,” she notes, adding that her father inspired her love of food.

“I literally grew up in the restaurants. Instead of getting a babysitter, they had me stay there, and I would help,” Liu recalls. “When I became older, I would work there. And then when I went to college, my job was serving and bartending and just being in the industry, so I’ve literally seen all aspects of the restaurant industry.”

Liu went on to found an international tattoo publication, Inkspired Magazine, and continues to work in insurance sales. “ But I never stopped going to restaurants,” she says. “ I always say that food and social media are my two greatest passions.”

She says that the time she has spent visiting restaurants for social media helped her figure out what she wanted when creating Origami Den. “ When I go to a restaurant, I want that feeling of something that is such a vibe that it takes your breath away, or it makes you forget about what’s going on in your life,” she notes, adding that she settled on origami cranes as her concept’s theme because they symbolize good luck.

What’s on the menu

Origami Den serves specialty cocktails and mocktails, small bites, sushi rolls, big plates and desserts. One of Liu’s favorites on the menu is the Origami Trio ($26), which includes minced toro, ikura (salmon roe), and Hokkaido uni with gold flakes on a bed of seasoned rice with a side of nori.

She also enjoys the caviar karaage ($24). “Whenever I go to a Japanese restaurant, I always have to have karaage,” Liu notes of the popular fried chicken dish. “It’s one of my favorite things. It’s just good savory, crispy fried chicken, and then we decided to put a dollop of creme fraîche and caviar on it” — a decision that’s in line with the current restaurant obsession with putting caviar on everything.

Many of the offerings at Oragami Den include some theatrics at the table. When a customer orders the dragon’s breath roll, for example, a server pours water over a piece of dry ice, and the subsequent fog flows over the roll.

Now that the concept has been open for nearly four months, Liu is looking ahead. She hopes to eventually open on Friday and Saturday nights and expand the Origami Den menu. “ I just feel like the world is our oyster,” she concludes. “We have so many fun things we can do to bring a breath of fresh air to Denver.”

Origami Den is located in the basement of Sushi Hai at 3600 West 32nd Avenue and is open from 5 to 10 p.m. on Saturday. For more information, follow @origamiden on Instagram.