A Review of 12 Denver area sushi restaurants
I grew up in Houston but I moved here from Austin last year. I love sushi. My life has evolved from enjoying sushi happy hours and fancy date nights out to now sneaking away for a solitary lunch away from the kids or sometimes a lunch date with my older but still small kid son. When I moved here I scoured Reddit for sushi reviews and decided to try as many new sushi places as I could and compile a list and rate them all. I thought it would be a fun project.
Given the state of my life right now (old and tired with young kids), these are all places that are all you can eat (AYCE) or have affordable lunch specials. They hit my trash panda American sushi cravings well. I am not looking for fancy – my husband doesn’t like sushi so fancy sushi date nights are out and I have no friends here yet who also like sushi. I also can’t have soy, so I care a lot about the seasoning of the rice and the quality of the fish, so that is what my reviews center around. My go-tos are the Philadelphia roll, salmon roll/nigiri, tuna roll, and the negihama roll.
These are my findings so far, as a Denver resident for 11 months, from worst to best in my summation.
Sushi Uokura – Golden, CO – They have an AYCE lunch. The staff was kind and quick and the restaurant had a nice vibe to it. The rice was bland, but the worrisome part was the fish. This was the first time I have ever taken a bite of nigiri and wanted to spit it out. I probably should have but the waiter popped up right when I put it in my mouth and I didn’t want to spit it out in front of him. It was salmon sushi but it tasted near rancid or rotten and like they tried to cover it with an acid of some kind. I stopped eating, went home, and took a shot of liquor in the hopes it would kill whatever bacteria I had just ingested. I thankfully did not get food poisoning. I have not gone back.
Orion Sushi Lakewood, CO – The staff is nice and the restaurant looked very clean. They had a 3 rolls lunch special for a good deal that I got plus an order of salmon nigiri. The rice was overcooked and had no seasoning. The salmon sushi I had tasted very fishy. Two of the three rolls I got were OK but the Boston roll had maybe one small shrimp total sliced thin throughout the roll. I won’t be going back.
Sushi Totorro Aurora, CO – AYCE sushi. Service was very friendly but the restaurant looked tattered. They had some of the messiest rolls I’ve seen and the fish to rice ratio was off, even in the first order. The fish was OK but it looked like it had been cut by a rusty garbage disposal. Rice was under seasoned. A lot of people really liked this place. Maybe I hit it on an off day, but I won’t be back – if anything because it is really far from me.
Sushi Katsu Lakewood, CO – AYCE sushi. Their Philadelphia roll had kani in it which was disappointing. I should have double checked it. I don’t think the rice had ever met seasoning. The fish was edible but that’s about it and the rolls were not well proportioned. The service was friendly and understanding though, but I think I will be giving it a miss in the future.
Umai-Ya Arvada, CO –AYCE sushi. Service is friendly and quick. Restaurant is clean. Fish is decent, but their rice is consistently undercooked and under seasoned. Have returned because it is decent AYCE sushi. The rice is consistently bland and under though. At least they’re consistent?
Shiso Sushi & Oyster Bar Edgewater, CO – Went here for happy hour. It had good happy hour specials. Rice was solid and fish was decent. I forgot to take notes for this one but honestly nothing strongly jumps out from my memory positively or negatively. I would go back.
Kasoku Sushi Lakewood, CO – OK rice. It’s a little under seasoned for my taste, but it does have some seasoning and the cook is generally correct though it has been a little over in the past. The service is friendly but can be very slow, so I usually get takeout from here. The fish is consistently decent though and the rolls are well-composed. They also have some good lunch specials, like a pick 3 roll lunch special. It’s solid and I will keep going back.
Fontana Sushi Alameda – Nice restaurant with kind and attentive staff. Has good lunch specials. Rolls were nicely proportioned but the rice had little to no seasoning and was slightly overcooked. I liked that they had actual wine – I’ve noticed most sushi spots have sake or beer. Their fish though is what blew me out of the water. I went back and got a tuna hand roll and it had some of the best tuna I have had anywhere. I wish their rice was better but I will be back just because their fish was so good.
Kura Revolving Sushi Bar Boulder, CO – I’m sorry I love this place. The rice is cooked the same way at every location every time and is seasoned well and cooked properly. The fish is mid but still I like it. It’s probably over priced for what you get but I don’t care. They have a published allergen menu that they update monthly with their new specials. I will keep going back as a fun treat myself day.
Sushi Moment Wheat Ridge, CO – The staff is always quick, kind, and accommodating. They have really good lunch specials, solid quality fish, and decently seasoned rice. Their quality is also consistent, so I keep going back.
Chubby Fish Thornton, CO – AYCE sushi. Solid rice and solid fish. Fun atmosphere with friendly and attentive staff. I love going here with family for celebrations or just a fun night out. Quality is consistent.
Eeny Meeny Sushi Roll Lakewood, CO – They have good lunch specials as well as an AYCE option. I’ve done both. They have good rice – nicely seasoned and properly cooked. The building is a little rundown but I genuinely like the ambiance and the covered parking is super nice on a hot day. The service is quick and friendly and the fish is very fresh and high quality. I have returned a few times and it has been consistently good.
I still want to try Sushi Neko Arvada. Let me know if there is anything else I need to try.