Denver Japanese Izakaya Recommendation

🍽️ Name: Leezakaya 📍 Address: 2710 S Havana St, Aurora, CO 💰 Price: 💲💲💲 📅 Reservation: Highly recommended — dinner gets busy. If walking in, try to arrive by 6:30 PM to secure a table. The vibe is like a food-focused Japanese bar — separate bar area with mixologists and a dedicated sushi/sashimi station. Spacious but often packed. They have all the izakaya essentials: sashimi, sushi, skewers, cocktails, and sake 🍶 👍 Recommended Dishes: 1️⃣ Uni (Sea Urchin) — Excellent quality, sweet and fresh. Tried it grilled on bread but that didn’t add much — still, the uni itself is great. 2️⃣ Sashimi Platter — Chef’s daily selection (total surprise box!). We asked to swap one item but they didn’t accommodate — so if you love certain fish, maybe order à la carte. (We added sweet shrimp separately.) 3️⃣ Tempura 🍤 — Some of the best tempura I’ve had — huge shrimp, perfectly crispy, with delicious dipping sauce. Other dishes are generally safe — no major letdowns. For yakitori skewers: they arrived lukewarm — reheating risks drying them out, so eat as is. Grilled eel was just okay — a bit dry for the price. The ambiance is chill and intimate — great for small groups catching up or a romantic date night. #Izakaya #Yakitori #JapaneseFood #RestaurantRecommendation #Denver #DenverFood 🥂