Denver's ten best sushi restaurants

Jim Wills

A sushi chef at work at Taki Sushi in Washington Park.

For obvious reasons, we don't make New Year's resolutions here at Cafe Society that involve cutting delicious morsels out of our diet. But since we used the holidays as an excuse to go on even more of a gastronomic bender than usual this year, we are thinking about switching our binge eating tendencies to lighter fare for a few days. Namely, sushi.

If you're on board with that sentiment -- and in want of a great spot -- we've compiled our favorite joints in Denver and its surrounding area that serve up raw fish. And we realized that, for a land-locked state, we've got quite a few sushi joints doing it right. Here are the ten best:

Sushi Tora

10. Sushi Tora
This Boulder sushi joint set the standard for sushi in Boulder when it first swam onto the scene. Since then, the sunny spot just off the Pearl Street Mall has had its ups and downs, but after landing chef Ray Srisamer -- an alum of acclaimed Austin sushi spot Uchi -- Tora is definitely up. Srisamer brings in high quality fish and cuts it with exacting precision -- and while his menu includes old standbys and favorites, he's also incorporated some new, delightful twists.

Jim Wills

9. Kassai Sushi
The dining room at this east Denver joint is not exactly opulent, but its richly appointed and colorful, and absolutely comfortable for a lingering meal over dozens of bite-sized bits of fish. And you'll want to linger, ordering round after round. Kassai serves up fresh cuts of what you'd expect as well as some surprises, plus well-crafted rolls and hand rolls, all beautifully displayed and humbly delivered.

Jim Wills

8. Namiko's
Namiko's has held down its Arvada strip mall address for 21 years, and the small neighborhood joint -- aquatically decorated down to the glowing fish tank in the center of the dining room -- has only gotten better with age. Owner Yuri Chandonnet, a native of Sapporo, insists on top quality fish, and the sushi chefs turn slick slices of tuna, albacore, mackerel, scallops and numerous forms of fish roe into sashimi, nigiri and rolls.