Mountain Flying Fish — Restaurant in Breckenridge

Went to Mountain Flying Fish with my friend and sat at the sushi bar. Then, we proceeded to have easily the best sushi experience we've ever had.

I've sat at a few sushi bars before, but the experience you get from sitting right in front of a man who has been making sushi for probably his entire life was amazing. The meticulous knife work, precision plating, and the quality of the fish was impeccable.

My buddy ordered some edamame, a California roll with real snow crab meat, and a rainbow roll. The California roll, he said, was absolutely delicious, and the rainbow roll was topped with all types of beautifully cut fish. He said it was the best sushi he ever had.

I ordered the omakase, allowing the chef to pick between 9-12 pieces of sushi for me. I will tell you right now, it was one of the best decisions I've made. The omakase WILL BE EXPENSIVE, but, it was 100% worth it. The chef, through the course of the meal, told me about every single piece of fish, and how they are flown in from Japan every day. I could tell through his demeanor he was extremely happy to be presenting me with each slice of fish, almost with a sense of pride.

I had a few things I had eaten before, and some that I may not ever be able to experience again, unless I come back to visit the restaurant or go to Japan. Some of the highlights were the tuna belly, the sea urchin from Hokkaido, and the sea eel. I had never experienced sea urchin before, mainly because I honestly was a little skeptical and hesitant to try it, but oh my Lord was it worth it. There was also some sea perch, black sea bass, and a few other delicious pieces.

Short story is, GO TO THIS RESTAURANT! I'd highly recommend the sushi bar seating, and would also highly recommend the omakase. The chef will take care of you, and you will have a phenomenal, one of a kind experience. I haven't been to a sushi restaurant in Japan, but I'd like to feel like this little heavenly spot in Breckenridge is...

The food we did receive was pretty great. The experience, though?

First, it took 30 minutes to get our order in. Then, a few minutes later, our waiter informs us they’ve sold out of the negitoro maki. No problem — we asked to replace it with some tuna nigiri. Our food gradually comes out, and most of it actually slaps! We’re missing the tuna and a few other sushi, but the restaurant is packed, so a delay is understandable. We watch our neighboring table, who sat down and ordered with another waiter after us, down some delicious looking bluefin. 30 minutes after the last dish came out, I ask our waiter about our missing items. He says at that point, “Oh, I think we’ve now sold out of a few fish.” He checks and informs us that yes, the tuna, the clam, and the tamago is now 86’d. I say, we ordered these items more than an hour ago, and why didn’t he tell us then, and he replies that the kitchen only tells him when things are out when they are out. This is not how you run a restaurant? To add insult to injury, he then pulls out the original order bill and says “I don’t even see the tuna nigiri on this.” Bruh.

Look, we can get bluefin tuna on the East Coast. This is Breckenridge. People who come here aren’t coming for bluefin tuna. They’re looking for a good time, and they’re paying hundreds of dollars for that. In resort towns like this, the good time trumps all else, and we left with a bitter taste...

Let me start saying that our family comes to Breck yearly as we own a property here and we just love the town! This year, we chose the Mountain Flying Fish for celebrating my birthday as sushi is my favorite and there were great reviews online about this place. The food here is really awesome and we were very thankful for the recommendations made by the sushi man - I believe his name was Jay (really hope I got this right)! When we asked if they did anything for birthdays the response given by Jessica, our waitress, was that sometimes they do and sometimes they don’t, which I thought odd, but she said she’d ask and let us know. I even offered for her to check my ID and confirm the date, but she didn’t want to. Well, when we finished our meal she asked if we’d care for any dessert and didn’t even acknowledge anything about what we’ve previously asked. I have no idea what their criteria is for them to give away a drink or a dessert in order to make your day more special, but I suspect you would’ve to spend more than $100/person for that to happen. 😅 Anyways, if you’re looking for a casual sushi place I’d recommend it here, but if you’re looking for a spot to celebrate your birthday or anniversary, I’d definitely look somewhere else. I really wish we had made a different choice for this...