Yonsei — Restaurant in Thornton

I heard about Yonsei in Thornton and while I was in the area decided to check it out. It's tucked into a very busy strip mall but don't let that detour you as the food is very authentic and exceptional. I particularly enjoyed the tempura and sushi that came with my Tanuki bento. The tempura was light, crispy, and had great variety of vegetables and shrimp. The California roll was fresh and the salad/dressing was excellent. The menchi katsu was good however, I think it has room for improvement like softening up the meat texture and adding a bit more seasoning. The panko breading was a bit underwhelming too (almost seemed like it was precooked and warmed up in the deep fryer before serving so it lost it panko-i-magic). With that said, I’d try it again.

Service was by far the best part of my meal. The owner's hospitality made me feel like I was actually in Japan having lunch. Very attentive, polite, and authentically Japanese. This restaurant has only been open for 2 months. I suggest you get there soon as it will be very popular as more people seeking authentic Japanese sushi, dishes, and service discover Yonsei. It’s a gem and highly recommended.

To the owners, although it would be nice to have more authentic Japanese cuisine options particularly ramen, sukiyaki, shabu shabu, okonomiyaki…please don’t try to do too much. Very rarely if ever would you find sushi and ramen together at the same restaurant in Japan. Stay focused on authenticity. Oh and open a ramen or yakitori...

This place is a great little hidden gem. A small little spot in a strip mall that has traditional sushi bar vibes. Warm little space with maybe 8 tables and 6 stools at the bar. The service is on point. You're welcome with a warm greeting as soon as you walk in. They have a very nice selection of sushi to choose from, including a whole board if specials. We started with the Age-dashi Tofu and House made gyoza. Both were delicious and well cooked. The cornstarch crust on the tofu was hot and crispy with a soft center that melted in your mouth. The gyoza were well seasoned and nicely cooked as well. A beautiful crisp bottom with a soft steamed top. We had a few different rolls. The California, spicy tuna, shrimp tempura, and spider roll. The spider roll was very good! The soft shell crab was cooked perfectly. California roll was good. Not great. A little small. The spicy tuna is not traditionally what I'm used to. It's just a piece of fish with some hot sauce on it. Not bad, but not what I expected. The same could be said for the shrimp tempura roll. I'm used to shrimp tempura rolls being bigger and filled with more ingredients. Theirs is simply a piece of shrimp tempura in a roll. Nothing else. All of the nigiri that we ate was extremely good!! Fresh, flavorful, and beautiful to look at! 🤌🤌🤌 the unagi and seared tuna were my favorite, but EVERYTHING was great! Overall, this place was very good! I would definitely...

The ABSOLUTE BEST SUSHI in the Denver Metro Area! We have been in Denver since 1990 and have gone to “every” sushi restaurant and Yonsei by far exceeds every one of them. When you go, expect something far from the ordinary and think EXTRAORDINARY! For my husband’s 60th birthday we hemmed and hawed on where we would go for sushi, sighing at the thought of our options. Until a simple Google search found Yonsei. Why haven’t we seen this before? Because they just had their Grand Opening on April 1st 2023! Tucked in a strip mall on 120th and Colorado, with 10 seats at the sushi bar and 35 seats in total, this tiny gem should not be missed. We had 3 of the specials off the board (Live Scallop prepared two ways, Aji prepared 3 ways and Shigoku Oysters), multiple hand rolls off the happy hour menu (yep, weekdays from 3-5pm), squid salad, sashimi, nigiri and a special Shogun roll. Their take on the food was entirely refreshing. Plus, the service was excellent! I highly encourage everyone to check out the amazing creations at Yonsei!

PS - my husband is now mad because I have let the secret...