Sushi Sasa

This place was amazing! The taste and quality of sushi is largely dependent on rice and fish quality. Both are outstanding here– one of the best sushi restaurants I’ve been too. I would definitely go back!

I had a serious sushi craving at about 9 pm, but every place except Sushi Sasa closed at 9:30. I’m so glad because this place is great! The woman who took my order over the phone was super friendly, and the food was reasonably priced and delicious! The rolls are nice and big and really good.

Pretty good.
The best spicy edamame and the best miso. Fresh food but too much cream cheese in everything.
We were not made a priority to the large party in back and the service was great… Until it wasn’t.
Didn’t knock my socks off either…

My friends took me to this restaurant for my birthday raving about some of the unique sushi options. The strawberry shortcake and regular veggie roll were so good. It’s a little on the higher price point and wonderful service.

I can’t speak highly enough about Sushi Sasa! I’ve had plenty of sushi in the Denver area and this restaurant has, by far, the best sushi I’ve had here! I reserved a table because we had 6 people for my birthday but I don’t believe it requires reservations (though it looks like it might fill up quickly due to the smaller, intimate size of the place). The wait staff was incredible! Our waitress was very attentive but not to the point where we were annoyed and she even allowed us to bring in our own cake which they cut up and served for us!
On to the food. Amazing for Denver! We ordered about 6 different rolls. My favorite was the dragon roll which is a staple when I order sushi but on this roll, the eel was cut so thin and put together so nicely that it just melted in your mouth! The Strawberry Shortcake roll is a great dessert-​y type roll. Shrimp tempura roll — yum!
We will most certainly be back for more!

UNI… uni…uni…WOW — when a sushi place can get Uni (sea urchin) right, and is brazen enough to pair it with a quail egg, then you, my friend, have a WINNER in my sushi book. And, if you can satisfy even the members of the table who aren’t at an almost-​exclusively-​sushi restaurant with a mere appetizer (that sauteed calamari though… OMG), then you are a double-​winner.
I was lucky enough to be invited to dinner here with some friends who are serious foodies who live in Denver’s Highlands neighborhood and visit Sushi Sasa regularly. Needless to say, I was super-​excited to have our friends order for the table; everything from the sake to the sushi was on their sole recommendation; I just dined like royalty and paid (gladly) my portion of the bill when it arrived.
Be warned that the space at Sasa is cramped and intimate in a «dining-​in-​Manhattan» way, so be prepared to be occasionally bumped or to sit very closely with your table mates. It’s also loud, yet still romantic, so it’s a good spot for all sorts of dining adventures. They do accommodate reservations, but I will say that our party of 10 seemed to take over much of the limited seating in the main dining area (there’s also a small sushi bar).
Pricey? Yes. Do I believe that with sushi that one receives what one pays for? Yes, especially given their fish quality, preparation style, location in a pricier neighborhood, and their overhead that must come from flying in fish on a multiple-​time-​per-​week basis from the Pacific. You know what’s funny? When people claim that «sushi can’t be good unless it’s in California/​Washington State/​Hawaii.» Airplanes, people, airplanes. Many times per week. Freshest fish possible.
The freshness was extremely palpable as I’ve never had such tender maguro, hamachi, or sake (salmon) — the presentation, taste, and execution were mind-​bendingly good. The specialty maki rolls are equally amazing, ranging from spicy tuna/​jalapeño rolls with house-​made spicy infused dipping sauces, to imaginative yet fresh rolls not requiring sticky-​sweet accompaniments (i.e. teriyaki) or mayo-​laden stuff to take away from the purity of the fish itself.
Even their wasabi and ginger are right-​on and fresh. I know, I know… they do wasabi a bit differently in Japan, but Sushi Sasa has beautiful and fresh ginger and spicy and potent wasabi, both of which are pleasant and plentiful.
And hey — even if you’re not into sashimi, nigiri, maki, or any kind of sushi — cooked or uncooked — Sasa does offer very nice Bento Boxes and Teriyaki dishes for dinner at very reasonable prices. But — I implore you to come here for your sushi fix if you value the mouthfeel, taste, execution, freshness, and romance that is delicious sushi! You will not be disappointed!

Had a friend recommending this place for years so finally took the fam there for New Year’s Eve. The sushi was very fresh and simple things like spicy tuna were decidely better than some down-​market places — where it tastes like ground-​up Bumble Bee. Had a great calamari app with a very inventive sauce and presentation. This is not ‘beginner sushi’ and Sasa goes out of their way to put curveballs on classics (strawberries or unpeeled lemon atop your roll, anyone?). Not everyone in my group was a fan of that. Service was OK and fairly efficient although not very personal (seems like about half a dozen different folks were tending to us). No one ever asked to refill our drinks.
Overall our takeaway was that the premium price didn’t really add up to an amazing difference between some of our local places on the south side, and the swanky digs don’t mean much to me. Also, was put off by the prices being jacked up for New Year’s Eve and a lot of the combos and other items on the usual menu missing. I doubt we’ll go back but I’m glad we checked it out. Certainly if we lived in that area we’d go more often — although it’s pretty spendy.

Came back for more of their delicious sushi! We cannot get enough of this place. Our favorite if the Golden Dragon roll.

sushi was A+ but the «tapas» left a lot to be desired. Oysters were ruined by the addition to ponzu sauce, the Sasa trio tartare was not seasoned well enough but the house made rice crackers were the saving grace and the lobster in
Seafood Tobon was over cooked. Duck breast lettuce wrap was a real hit. Had we stuck with sushi only, this would have been a 4 star review.

Best sushi in Denver!
Been here several times and it’s consistently Awesome. We prefer to sit at the sushi bar and when we do, we request to sit in Ziya’s section. He’s an amazing Chef and we recommend you ask for him as well!
The Pink Lady Roll is outrageous. Try it for sure!!!

Best Sushi on the West side of Denver! Always busy but never a long wait, I like to sit at the Sushi Bar. Their Fish always tastes fresh and is served SO COLD (my fave) the Diablo and Pink lady are always my go to, and if Red Snapper is on the Menu Get it! Melt in your mouth goodness! That staff is friendly and always on there feet! I go to sushi at least ounce a week and lately I have been counting the days to my next visit!

The quality of both food and service have fallen dramatically enough that I inquired if the restaurant has a new owner or new manager. Yes, new manager since last visit.
Sushi rolls are over-​riced and the cheapest ingredients are abundant. Spicy tuna roll had more avocado than tuna, other rolls have extra thick layers of rice — truly disappointing.
Ordered appetizer immediately with drinks — had to ask for it multiple times after main order was delivered to table.
No longer the top sushi place in Denver. Not even close.

I cant believe it has taken me this long to go to sushi sasa. A Denver staple, this place has been serving some of the freshest sushi around town for years.
The ambiance is super clean and chic. Everything is white on white on white. The place is not very big so I would definitely suggest making reservations. I went with a group of 5 girls and we had a lovely evening. Our waiter was super friendly and had a lot of great suggestions. There are lots of fancy options for appetizers. One we really enjoyed was the artichoke appetizer, served with a dipping sauce. This was cooked perfect, and a real treat that you would not expect to see on a sushi centered menu. We also enjoyed the mussel appetizer, which was served with delicious pieces of grilled baguette for dipping in the mussel stewed sauce. Lastly, we ordered the spicy edamame. Out of the all the spicy edamame I have had around Denver, this had to be my favorite.
Then came the SUSHI! We chose 5 rolls that the waiter suggested. Thought cant remember all of the names or decipher which was which, I have no complaints. I know we enjoyed a dragon roll, the pink lady, the Scottish salmon, and diablo roll. They were all very tasty.
I think the only reason I did not give 5 stars is because the rolls didn’t stand out as something unique against other sushi places I have been too. I am still a fan of the old south pearl street takeover by Toshi and Yasu Kizaki which makes it hard for any other Denver sushi place to stand a chance. They were also very heavy on the rice with their rolls. I think lighter rice highlights the freshness of the fish and doesn’t mask what is inside the roll. I also thought the prices were a bit high for the quality.
Overall an enjoyable experience but I still have other favorites. :)

MEH. Sorry, I don’t mean to be a jerk. I don’t like writing mediocre reviews, but I just thought the food here was just that: mediocre.
It definitely wasn’t badddd. It is better than Sushi Hai, but Okinawa is certainly much better.
We were seated in the basement lounge. I appreciate their business decision of using all space possible, but it was kind of annoying down there. The music was a little too loud, the AC was a little too cold, and it was just a little more than annoying hearing the staff shout «DOOR» every 3 minutes. They have one of those two way doors that swing in and out. I totally understand that they don’t want to hit each other… but maybe a see through door or even just a curtain would be a better option?
The shrimp tempura roll was very delicious! I know this makes it sound like i just order all the fried fusion cream cheese blah blah blah at sushi places, but I swear it’s not true! We ordered the salmon nigiri, and for $ 6 the pieces were itty bitty compared to most sushi restaurant’s $ 4 big cuts of nigiri!
Really fun location! Happy hour prices were good too.

This was probably the 1^st sushi restaurant I’ve ever been to that has white table clothes. It’s definitely more upscale than the average sushi spot so it makes a great option for date night. The restaurant is slightly below ground making the place feel more cozy and dim. There’s seating around the sushi chef bar area where you can view a selection of fresh seafood. I tried a couple of rolls and some pieces of the chirashi bowl my friend ordered. Everything was more expensive than your average restaurant & the chirashi bowl had more rice & less fish than we were used to but the food didn’t disappoint. It all tasted quite fresh & satisfying. The lemonade however was horrible & tasted like it was made from concentrate with artificial flavors. The miso soup tasted better than average.
I’ll honestly probably not come back here (at least not for a while) unless it is for a special date. The higher prices are reasonable considering the ambience is nicer than most sushi spots.

We visited this highly acclaimed restaurant for my birthday celebration, just my wife and I. We went for lunch on ⁶⁄₁₃ around 1pm. We sat outside on their deck under the umbrella which was a great way to be outside on a hot day. We started with a salad and a bottle of midrange nigori sake that was delicious and refreshing. Every single thing we had after that was fresh, tasty and artfully presented. Some of the best sushi in Denver by far. I know that people want to compare this to the «dens», but I think you would choose Sasa over Pearl St. depending on your mood and be equally satisfied. The service was great and extremely accommodating for my wife’s Celiac disease. Gluten-​free friendly menu.

I think I have a new favorite sushi joint in Denver.
Their fish is as fresh as I expect, and they seem to be able to get Uni, as well as some other tasty treats, on a pretty consistent basis. Good Nori, but I’ve had better…
Decent Sake selection, friendly service… Modern Japanese-​y décor, simple, elegant and typical. Nothing ground breaking or new.
Solid 4 stars.
That being said, I was disappointed when I went downstairs for happy hour though, the rice was cold and hard, the fish in the rolls just wasn’t of very good quality. So minus 1 star, since I feel that if you’re going to offer a happy hour special, it should still be the same quality…

While searching for something different on Unilocal,chirashi bowl popped up from Sasa and wanted to revisit.
My visit was Saturday and wanted to make sure they were open since lot of Japanese sushi restaurants are closed for Saturday lunch. Thanks Unilocal,without having to call, I was able to find out and we drove for 30 minutes (I-​25 traffic sucked big time) and got our seat.
We were greeted by friendly host, promptly waited by waitress. We wanted to seat in the middle and she gladly accommodated our request.
1. Nice, clean, modern dining area. None of the fried food smell. Not as hustled and crowded as other joints.
2. Chirashi sushi was very fresh. Mackerel was best tasting one I had. No fishy smell or taste and not salty at all.
3. Host was very friendly and I can tell lot of regulars are frequenting this one. One lunch custimer was actually giving him a kiss in the cheek on the way out. What? :) He excelled at his job. I’m gonna scout him away when I open my restaurant. :)
4. Our waitress was very professional. Quite, prompt, courteous and well mannered. For a second, I thought her service to our table was the best in a long time. I’m gonna have to scout her away too. Haha
Lot better service than Sushi Den and affordable $, I m willing to give more than 5s.
Great job people. I will be back soon!

This is a pretty hip little sushi place. The menu has some very interesting options, including «Japanese tapas» which are some very fun fusion twists on old tapas favorites.
The pork belly steam buns are good. The diablo roll was good too. The west coast oysters on the half shell were amazing, they’ve totally discovered the best topping for oysters. But the rice situation is a little sub-​standard for the nigiri (and even for the rolls). I’m going to reveal my food snob here a little… But proper nigiri is supposed to be stable enough to be picked up, with hand or chop sticks, flipped upside down, and dipped fish side into the soy sauce without falling apart. That stability comes from properly prepared rice and proper technique. This area was a bit lacking…
I applaud the effort here and love to see the experimentation with a lot of the dishes but the sushi basics need a little work. Still highly recommend this restaurant though.

I lived in Denver for 4 years and Sushi Sasa was by far my favorite sushi place (and possibly my favorite Denver restaurant) in the city. Sure there are other options that seem in the same caliber — Sushi Den for example. But Sasa has it all. An elegant and yet social atmosphere. Easy to make reservations either at a table or the bar. Excellent and friendly service. A great location for a night out in downtown Denver. And most of all, the best sushi artists in Denver. My friend and I would go to Sasa at least once or twice a month, always sitting at the sushi bar to be dazzled by the talents of Poe, Jesus, or the other sushi chefs.
The quality of the fish is second to none and they always have something special that was just flown in that day. Cocktails are also superb, though we typically opted for something off their extensive wine selection. While we rarely dabbled in the sushi roll selection, the nigiri and sashimi were always at the height of freshness, cut to perfection and presented artfully.
Other delicious treats include the jalapeño sashimi, spicy trio tartare, and spicy garlic edamame. We usually started with edamame and the jalapeño sashimi plus a few nigiri selections and after that we would just let the chef wow us with whatever he fancied that day.
Sasa is the one restaurant I never skip whenever I’m back in Denver and even living in Chicago, I still miss the charm and dependable cuisine that I could always count on.