You can find sushi everywhere, from taco food trucks to fancy steakhouses, from supermarket kiosks to Chinese restaurants. Conveyor belt sushi, a thing in Japan and across the U.S. (but not in Denver since the closing of Jeff Osaka's Sushi-Rama) will soon make a comeback with Kura Sushi in Boulder. There are even all-you-can-eat sushi spots (Sushi Neko in Arvada is $32.99 per person, and Aurora has Sushi Katsu).
With so much sushi available, how do you choose what's good? What's legit? What's fake? All too often, you find poor quality or sloppily sliced fish stacked on top of undercooked or overcooked, unvinegared rice. Don't waste your time and money. Don't be a sushi tourist: Even in landlocked Denver, there are sushi bars and Japanese restaurants where you can get the real thing.
Here are ten places where you'll find the best sushi in metro Denver:
Aoi Sushi & Izakaya
3303 30th Street, Boulder
303-449-5394
aoisushiandizakaya.com
This small, family-run shop is fronted by Keizo and Yuki Aoi, who were born and raised in Japan in restaurant families, then worked at Japanese restaurants in the metro area until they opened Aoi Sushi & Izakaya in 2019. They serve a terrific menu of izakaya-style small plates and a full sushi menu — which does include the decidedly non-authentic California roll, but it's balanced by the very real Natto roll with slimy fermented soy beans, which makes most non-Japanese recoil.
A huge seafood display at Matsuhisa for a Japanese government event promoting Japanese seafood.
Gil Asakawa
98 Steele Street
303-329-6628
matsuhisarestaurants.com/denver
Matsuhisa is at the top end of the fine-dining scale, which is obvious from its tony Cherry Creek location (the other Colorado locations are in Aspen and Vail). This international chain was founded by acclaimed chef Nobu Matsuhisa, whose restaurants reflect his globe-trotting cultural diversity, having cooked in Japan, Peru, Argentina and across the world (yellowtail sashimi with jalapeno isn't exactly Japanese...and yet, it is). He opened his Denver spot in 2016, and executive chef Toru Watanabe makes sure the sushi is always excellent. And yes, there's a California roll, for $15.
Misaki at Stanley
2501 Dallas Street
720-400-1212
direct.chownow.com
Hsiao Ling Thai, the Taiwan-born, Japan-educated proprietor of Misaki, knows her fresh fish. She used to operate Asahi Food, which supplied Japanese restaurants throughout the state with the best seafood imported from around the world. She and her husband, Robert, now run the roomy Japanese restaurant at Stanley Marketplace, and the couple's knowledge of Japanese cuisine and her experience with sourcing seafood show in the quality and expansiveness of the menu. She aims to please, and offers a variety of rolls with rice on the outside. But the sushi is always top-notch.
Sachi Sushi Niwot
7980 Niwot Road, Market, Niwot
-303-652-0919
niwotmarket.com/sachi-sushi-1
Tsukasa Hibino is almost a one-man show at a counter at the back of Niwot Market, a small grocery store in the town northeast of Boulder on the way to Longmont. A veteran of fabled Sushi Tora in Boulder, he went solo and opened up Sachi Sushi in 2005. Although his Sundays-only Ramen gets a lot of attention, be sure to try his sushi and sashimi. One of our faves is his chirashi sushi, where he puts perfectly sliced sashimi atop a tray of sushi rice. Our only complaint? This place needs to be bigger. Warning: Don't be fooled by a newer place called Sachi Sushi in Thornton; it's not the same at all.
Sakana
7520 Sheridan Boulevard, Westminster
303-429-6646
sakanasushiramen.com
Chef-owners Kazu Fujiwara and Noriko Kanaoka opened their small, strip-mall shop in 2015. Fujiwara focused on sushi, which is what he'd served at other local restaurants. Kanaoka ran the front of the house, and welcomed diners. The couple soon added ramen to the menu and business boomed; the ramen was terrific and their sushi was always excellent. The couple retired a few months ago, after finding new owners who kept the staff and menu intact; Fujiwara even stayed for some time to help the business transition. As a result, diners can expect the same service and quality they've enjoyed over the years.
Sushi Den
1487 South Pearl Street, Denver
303-777-0826
sushiden.net
Hands-down, the OG of the Denver sushi scene. Brothers Toshi and Yasu Kizaki opened Sushi Den on Christmas Eve of 1984, and since then they've built an empire of restaurants along South Pearl Street, training a couple of generations of sushi chefs along the way. Toshi is the acknowledged sushi master who just opened an amazing omakase room in the next block. But the original space is still a hopping destination for anyone looking for the freshest seafood in their sashimi or sushi. The Kizakis made their rep by being crazy enough to fly in fresh fish from Japan: Can't beat that!
Sushi Zanmai
1221 Spruce Street, Boulder
303 440-0733
izakayaamu.com
When Sushi Zanmai opened in Boulder in 1986, it was known for its owner, Masao Maki, who would start blowing jazz and blues on a saxophone during dinner service from behind the sushi bar. The gimmick worked because the sushi was quality; when the Emperor and Empress of Japan visited Colorado in 1994, they asked Sushi Zanmai to cater dinner one night. The restaurant was eventually bought by one of its sushi chefs, Nao Kanda, who opened a terrific tiny eatery next door, Izakaya Amu, with just a few seats and a few tables serving small plates (no sushi). Kanda sold the restaurants a couple of years ago, but Zanmai and Amu continue to serve quality meals to increasingly discerning and sophisticated diners.
Tai Tai
5078 East Hampden Avenue
720-287-4321
taitaijapanese.com
When Sushi Sasa shut its doors a few months ago, there was much gnashing of teeth and moaning and wailing — and with good reason, because Sasa had become an institution over two decades of serving everyone from sushi novices to Japanese businessmen. That's how respected owner and chef Wayne Conwell (whose first job in high school was at Sushi Den) had become. But dry your eyes and grin instead of gritting your teeth: In 2015, Conwell had opened Tai Tai, a smaller, more intimate sushi and poke bar. On a recent visit, the room was quiet but the staff still ready to rock and roll, and all of the sushi was excellent. The spirit of Sasa is alive and well.
Tasuki Sushi Bistro
1575 Folsom Street #201, Boulder
303-447-9718
tasukisushibistro.com
Chef Nobu was a mainstay at the celebrated Sushi Tora when he decided to go out on his own and opened Tasuki, which means "sash" in Japanese. He flies in fresh seafood every week from Japan, and has a dedicated and well-trained staff serving quality sushi and other Japanese food; he even goes out of his way to find Japanese-speaking servers to work the floor. Tasuki doesn't get much attention from the area's foodies, but it deserves the kudos.
Tokio
2907 Huron Street #103
720-639-2911
mytokio.com
Miki Hashimoto ran the sushi restaurant Japon for almost twenty years before he sold the name and went to Japan to learn the secrets of making ramen. He returned after a couple of years and opened Tokio in the shadow of Coors Field. He makes amazing ramen (traditional styles like Tonkotsu and Miso, as well as the creative Cremoso Diablo, a creamy, cheesy delight), but also maintains a strict sushi bar with precision and fresh ingredients. He has great sushi chefs — but if you're lucky enough to have him making sushi when you're at the bar, it's an elevated experience. That's why he's a popular caterer for official events hosted by the Consul General of Japan.
Where do you go for sushi? Post a comment or share your thoughts at [email protected].
