Denver, COJapanese

Denver's original destination sushi bar, open since Christmas Eve 1984 on South Pearl and still flying in daily catch from Japanese fish markets. It functioned as a training ground for many of the city's current sushi chefs, and the South Pearl block it anchors has grown into a small dining destination around it.

The izakaya sibling sharing a kitchen with Sushi Den next door, with sushi on par with its neighbor and a small-plates menu that blends Japanese technique with Mediterranean and American touches like scallop risotto and grilled hamachi collar. The two-level room stays busy well into the evening.

The Cherry Creek outpost of Nobu Matsuhisa's global brand, open since 2016, known for globally inflected plates like yellowtail with jalapeno and black cod miso. It is the fine-dining, see-and-be-seen end of the city's sushi spectrum, with prices and a polished room to match its pedigree.

An owner-chef spot near Coors Field turning out both traditional and creative ramen alongside precise sushi. It has catered official events hosted by the Japanese Consul General, a sign of how seriously the kitchen is taken, and the compact room keeps the focus squarely on the food.

Hong Jian Lee's LoHi izakaya is built around a binchotan charcoal-grill skewer menu and a short, serious nigiri and sashimi list sourced from Tokyo markets, rather than a sushi-first format. It is a grill house first and a sushi bar second.