Eating Through Denver // The Village's First Japanese Michelin Star 🌟

🍣 Name: KIZAKI 🍣 Location: 1551 S Pearl St, Denver, CO 80210 (shares a building with Margot) 🍣 Experience: Arrive early and you can enjoy a cocktail at the main bar 🍸 before being escorted to the inner dining room at your reserved time. The chefs started by introducing themselves and showcasing the day’s ingredients, along with fresh wasabi—a nice touch! 👨🍳✨ Highlight: They served kohada (gizzard shad)! 🐟 In a place like Denver, finding kohada—and without any fishy taste—is a real plus. Offered a sake pairing with four varieties, served in wine glasses 🍶. The selection leans modern and is limited, but pours are generous. By the end, I lined all four up for a side-by-side tasting! 😄 The cooked dishes felt a bit seasoned heavier than traditional Japanese style, likely adjusted for American tastes. For example: The first soup (photo 8) was slightly salty. Black sesame tofu had a very strong sesame flavor, somewhat overwhelming. Lobster corn bisque—the sweetness of corn overpowered the delicate lobster flavor. The sashimi and sushi, however, were impressive! 🍣✨ The fish quality was excellent, each piece delivering the freshness and flavor it should. Possibly some of the best sushi in town—if you know of better, tell me! 😉 Want more? You can order extra pieces à la carte (see the “extra pieces” menu). Dessert and tea were just okay—nothing memorable. I was hoping for something like a flown-in Japanese melon, but it was just mochi… 🍡 Price: $225 per person 🍣 Summary: I didn’t have high hopes for high-end Japanese omakase in Denver, especially with several new places charging Michelin-level prices but offering fusion or adapted menus of inconsistent quality and low value. KIZAKI stands out with a more traditional Japanese experience—unsurprising, since it’s the fourth sibling restaurant of Sushi Den. 🏮 If you’re craving well-prepared, quality fish, it’s worth a try. #DenverEats #MichelinStar #Omakase #SushiLover #JapaneseCuisine #DenverFoodie #FineDining