Sushi Den - Denver

If you’re in the mood for sashimi, head over to Sushi Den. Want to follow that up with some maki? Go across the street to Izakaya Den. Craving saki and a bento box? Ototo is right across the street. Yes… three restaurants all facing eachother at the same intersection, and run by the same guy. From what I’ve heard, Izakaya Den is the best and if that’s true, it must be absolutely superb because my experience at Sushi Den was… well, let’s just say that at least the food was phenomenal! Sometimes I wonder if an ill-paced meal is the fault of the server or the kitchen because mistakes can happen, but there shouldn’t be a half hour lag between dishes. One entree arrived at our table but it was at least another 20 minutes before the rest of us saw a lick of food. Our server Gerard stopped by our table multiple times and seemed sincerely apologetic about the delay and said that he “had an eye on the kitchen,” but it didn’t seem to make the food arrive any faster.

Easily one of, if not THE, best place in the DU area for some sushi. SD has a reputation in south Denver as THE hotspot for this cuisine, which if you look at my favorites you’ll see I am particularly fond of. An advantage that SD has is that the proprietor has a brother in Fukuoka who buys fresh from the market there, and they fly in their fish daily from Japan. Nobody else in Denver can even attempt to make that statement. So, you’d think that it would mean SD has the absolute freshest and best-tasting fish around? I have found that isn’t always the case. Let’s face it, after 7 years of living in Japan, I’m a bit of an aficianado. If you’re not in tune with the delicateness of sushi-grade fish, then SD is hands-down the best place you’re going to go eat. For me, though, not so much. I’d rate it as good, but not great, when compared to an absolute dive sushi shack in Tokyo. Major factors when visiting SD: there will be nowhere to park, but they offer valet or you can walk 10 blocks to get there you will wait at least 15 minutes for a table or a bar seat almost always. you will usually wait 30-45 minutes. you will be at a small table among many closely-aligned small tables. if you bow up, you’ll probably hit someone. you will pay an exorbitant price for the seasonal fish, which is what sushi dining is really about. your service will be slow your conversations will be all but private. They will also be louder than you want because noone can hear you talk at a normal tone. when you get your check, you will be there for at least 15 more minutes before you have paid. (and this bugs me) your waiter/waitress will not speak Japanese, and if you ask about something not on the menu, they will not know wtf you are talking about. you will wait 5+ minutes before you find out anything. you will get a beer that isn’t as cold as it should be, as if it was out of the fridge for 30 minutes before you got it (on 3 consecutive trips this has happened). if you have children that need a high chair, do not go. they can accomodate you, but your child will get hit and bumped repeatedly.

We had an amazing mother's day dinner here. Our server took great care of us but wasn't overbearing. All the food and drinks were fantastic

Absolutely amazing. I was really worried about a land locked sushi place. But they fly everything in fresh every day. I might go as far as to say that this is one of the best sushi restaurants I’ve been to.

Always a must when visiting Denver. Remains one of the best sushi restaurants anywhere