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Category: Sushi Bars [Edit]
Neighborhoods: Northwest, HighlandTue-Thu. 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Tue-Thu. 4:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 4:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Sun. 4:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Lunch specials everyday 11am to 2pm. We also have happy hour sushi & drink special available 7days a week! Let us know you found us on Yelp!
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Date Night at the Sushi Hai - 5 stars!
As a first timer to Sushi Hai and reading the just okay reviews, I HAVE to beg to differ. Not only was the service outstanding, the sushi rolls were delicious and were presented beautifully. Robin, our waitress, recommended a white wine and was there to refill our glasses each time. I didn't even touch the wine bottle. I liked that!
We started off with edamame, which came immediately, and then checked off one of each: Dragon Roll, Spider Roll, Surf n' Turf and the special L.F.A roll.
By far, our favorite were the Surf n' turf and the special L.F.A roll with crab, salmon, asparagus and a spicy sauce. The other two rolls were tasty but I will probably dream about the shrimp and filet mignon Surf n' Turf roll.
After dinner we headed to Hai Bar downstairs and bellied up to the bar. The bartenders were nice and attentive and the crowd was having a great Saturday night. Two saki bombs and six drinks later, my bf and I were ready to move on. It was THE perfect start to what became a Highlands two person bar crawl.
The place was pleasantly packed and not annoying at all. What I thought was a small restaurant, turned into having 3 levels, tons of seating, separate rooms for small parties, great martinis and fun music.
Well done Sushi Hai!
I went to Sushi Hai last night with some girlfriends and although it was okay - we've had much better service, atmosphere and (most importantly) sushi at other places.
Our waitress was a bit surly and the service was pretty slow (it took about 1/2 hour to get our tiny appetizer bowl of edamame...) The sushi was okay, but like I said, I've had better. The Firecracker roll and the salmon/avacado roll were good, but the rest fell a little flat in my opinion.
Outside of the drinks and food, the atmosphere at Sushi Hai is nice - but quickly becomes ruined by the bumping loud music from the bar. I really felt like I had to lean toward my friends to hear what they were saying.
I love Sushi Hai's neighborhood, and the atmosphere would be nice without the bumping music... I might give it another try in the future, but won't be rushing back.
Sushi Hai, when are you going to learn that location does not equal instant success?
We went to Sushi Hai on a sort of busy Friday night. We sat downstairs at a table. I'm not sure if they only had one person working the entire downstairs or what, but the service was terribly slow.
The sushi was just ok. It was kind of lukewarm, and the rice was not prepared right. Think of the sushi you would get at a 7-11 or King Soopers. It was pretty much on par with that. I wanted to go back to give these people a second chance, but the sushi was so bad, and so expensive for being so bad that I know I will not be back.
Sushi Hai, please go back to sushi school, and call us when you can give us an authentic, or at least tasty experience.
I revisited Sushi Hai this weekend after getting snowed out of the drive to Boulder for First Bite. Barely caught the tail end of happy hour and the waitress didn't give us too much grief about it. Extra credit for offering happy hour 7 days a week. This time the food was excellent! I hadn't tried the fish tacos before and they were a great blend of flavors and textures...spicy sauce, tender fish, crunchy cabbage, tart citrus. These won over my non-fish-taco-eating friend. Added a new roll to my list of favorites: the Nine roll with tempura crab and shrimp, topped with salmon and avocado, apparently a "neighborhood favorite." Our waitress asked us if we wanted to add strawberries for another dollar. We declined, but it sounds interesting if you like fruit in your food. She did take a wine glass that wasn't totally empty but did a good job of managing our multiple orders to make sure we never had too many plates on our tiny table, even on a busy Saturday night. $40 for two glasses of wine (even more extra credit for their $5 happy hour house wine being a pinot noir, my favorite!), 5 gyoza, 2 fish tacos, a california roll, a salmon+avocado roll and the Nine roll. I like it!
I would come here more often, since I live nearby, if the service was a little less pretentious.… Read more »
this place is just rotten. The service was very slow, waitress was kind of bitchy. Drinks were weak, Spider Rolls and Dragon Rolls were pretty rancid. This last visit was much different from when we went this time last year on a Thursday. The old skool superstar DJ was great, this time it was like we were at the Pepsi Center. We couldn't even hear each other speak. Will never go return back to this place. I DO NOT recommend this place. Sushi from 7-11 would taste better.
Man, I used to like the lower lounge - when did that Techno blast arrive? At least we had some dancing girls outside our not so private group room there... which might have been fun but we had to seriously make sure the doors were re-closed each time the waiter or buss person came through, or we couldn't talk. If you're put off by the so-so sushi, ya might have a go at the sliders. I know, odd for a fish joint... but they were ok. The best dish I've had here of late was the crab salad, but they need to work on consistency for sure.
I'm hoping the place will come back around cause it is a cool space.
I wavered between three and four stars for Sushi Hai. It came down to three stars based on the service which is consistently terrible. I find that the sushi is really consistent and they have some great rolls too. It's not always the freshest fish in town but it is also definitely not the worst. The prices are reasonable and the downstairs area has a pretty cool atmosphere.
I'm probably partial, because I was treated to lunch here, but I'd call it "Frikkin Good!". Overall a cool atmosphere, fresh tasty sushi and good service.
Our waitress helped us pick out a delicious Sake to get us started. We then dug into a tasty Miso which was nicely balanced, not too salty and a good precursor to our meal.
We ordered a variety of Sushi and tried to find some unusual options as we're pretty adventurous eaters. I would say the menu is pretty typical of a Sushi restaurant in Denver, but there was a roll with a soy paper rather than seaweed nori that I highly recommend. It added a nice nuttiness to the rolls. Roll portions were good and filling and the fish was fresh and tasty. Give it a try if you're in Highlands!
Wednesday March 04th 2009:
9 friends and I came to Sushi Hai for dinner. We were seated downstairs in one of the tatami rooms similar look-alike sort of tatami rooms. When I first arrived, I feel at the "front desk" ~ the lady is snorty. But at least she informed our party that one of our members could not join us so that's is OK and so there are 10 of us.
As usual I came early. At least the Assistance Organizer for the Sushi group came earlier than me since her sister lives around this neighborhood. Okies, back to Sushi Hai. When I was there, the outside room were where the lounge/bar/karaoke rooms, seems a little empty.
But boy oh boy, with the blasting stereo MTV music wannabe or look-alike, this place is LOUD.
Then back to service. At least our waitstaff was attentive to our needs. She brings out what we requested.
Now for the food:
These are what I ordered for that evening of March 04th 2009:
* New Zealand Green Lip Mussels
* Hai Calamari
Nigiri Sushi:
* Amaebi
* Unagi
* Kani
* Hokkigai
* Kaibashira
* Uni
* Masago
* Wasabi Tobbiko
* Tako Tako (Spicy Octopus)
All in all I AM NOT WOW with the order I have that evening. The rice of the sushi seems a little too "tough" for my taste bud. The only sushi nigiri I like is the Tako Tako (Spicy Octopus). I still cant figure out what they put in, either the marinade or the sauce in Tako Tako.
Another DRAWBACK, arent sure if this is true or not. Not all our entrees came out at a orderly manner. I heard there is only ONE sushi Chef. Like, hello... if you were to run a sushi restaurant please do engage several Sushi Chefs so at least everyone is not kept waiting for their food.
As the time goes by, the place outside this Tatami Room gets louder and louder and more patrons for the BAR Scene arrives. Not condusive for me in my books to have dinner here let alone to bring my friends. But oh well, this shall be my 1st and last to eat sushi at Sushi Hai.
Plus the parking in this neighborhood is another nightmare!
Aint coming back.
Check my record, I've never given a restaurant a 1 star before! I wish I would have checked out the other reviews before I returned to Sushi Hai a few weeks ago. I had a great experience a year and a half ago, but things have changed!
1. The sushi menu is tiny and a big yawn (I don't believe it was always this way)
2. They need to refresh their food safety knowledge
3. The service is a disaster - these people need to read the Tucker Shaw article on service no-nos that was in last week's Denver Post!
Our server was extremely timid, slow, and unresponsive. He never took away plates, glasses, or offered to refresh anything while he was at the table. We also had a busser, who also managed to come around yet never do anything...and worst dining pet peeve: reeked of B.O. to the point that we thought there was something wrong with the food!!
Everyone working in the restaurant was standing around chatting the whole time to increase the unattentiveness. I was a server once, I get it - there are slow nights where you're bored out of your mind - but take it elsewhere out of my line of sight.
Then, there were the food issues..
Our sushi sat out on the pick up counter UNDER A LAMP for 10 minutes. Three other servers looked at the ticket and left it there, even though we were sitting right next to the window!!!! Hello teamwork? Food safety?
Finally a floor manager looked at our ticket AGAIN and gave it to our server. He came over and I let him know what I had witnessed (probably not in the nicest way) and he just stood there with our plate of food. Then he asked if we still wanted it and continued to stand there awkwardly.
Ugh uh - take my food away, bring a new plate back quickly, and comp everything.
I just wanted to get out of there so I told him to leave it, expecting at least a manager to come rectify the situation. She came 10 minutes later, with a $10 gift certificate, said sorry and "please come back and see us soon"
NO WAY! It blows my mind how terrible service is in Denver sometimes. If managers aren't going to put some time and effort into training for their servers they are really doing the server, the customer, and the business a disservice. I know its not the easiest job sometimes, so you shouldn't give it to just anyone!
There are plenty of other great sushi places where I would rather spend my money, good luck in the tough economy Sushi Hai!
I have to agree with most of the reviews- Sushi Hai is ok...we have been to the bar for drinks a few times, and like the downstairs...so we tried it for dinner for the first time this friday.
The service was decent, nothing spectacular, but I've definitely had worse in my years of dining...I agree, the menu is tiny and a yawn. Our normal sushi joint is Hapa in Cherry Creek and we're excited to see what interesting rolls Sushi Hai could offer---I think there were one or two original rolls, and the classic rolls and nigiri were mediocre at best. Crunchy rice, bland, and overall just "ok"
I vote for Hapa!
It's sort of unfair for me to have to write a review of this-- or ANY-- sushi joint. See, I love sushi so very, very, very much. So much that if we were all in 4th Grade together you'd probably ask me, "well why don't you marry it then?"
And then I'd say, "maybe I will! And I'd never ever invite YOU over for dinner parties starring my delicious sushi spouse so I'll have him all to myself. So nyah."
And then you'd say, "real great comeback.... SIKE." Because it'd be 1982 and people didn't end sarcastic sentences with "NOT" yet. "Not" didn't hit the scene until Wayne and Garth brought it into vogue in the mid-90s. Also, because we're both in 4th grade we don't yet know that "SIKE" is not actually spelled that way.
But since you insulted the comeback I actually thought WAS pretty good, I'd haul off and kick you with my checkerboard Vans because you're being a jackass.
Sushi Hai was way too crowded for a place that only serves mediocre sushi. Now don't get me wrong, I slurped it down with gusto because I DO love it... but there were issues. Notably, the rice. It was weirdly wet and gummy. Think of the exact opposite of icky supermarket sushi, where the rice gets hard and dry and granulated from sitting in the 'fridge case all day and you'll get some idea of what it was. Mushy. Odd. Off-putting. Thankfully, all the fish and other such yummies rolled up within it were quite tasty. So it had that going for it.
Yes... yes... I said "rolled." I love sushi, but I'm not such a snob or purist that I believe that all rolls are for idiot beginners and Nigiri is the only way to go. We didn't order any Nigiri that night. When you're sharing sushi with your sushi-rookie husband who pretty much hates all seafood but makes the rare exception for sushi... well... you make concessions.
There were high-highs and low-lows when it came to service as well. The lowest of the low was not seating our party of 12 until 8:45 when we had a reservation for 8:00. What's the point of making a reservation if it isn't upheld? My husband and I were one of the earliest to arrive, and it was clear that the hostess didn't want us standing in the micro-tiny foyer area while we awaited the rest of the group. "Would you like to stand outside and wait?" she suggested. Honey, no. It's 30 degrees out and although I'm wearing badass cherry sandals, they are not as warm as they are HOTT.
High-highs came from a couple of the servers, who went above and beyond the call of duty to accommodate our gettin'-fussy toddler. One brought him soup spoons to clang together (the music is bumpin' loud in there... so it wasn't as annoying as one might think). She also brought our sushi out well before everyone else's, even though we didn't ask for it. I guess she knew we'd been seated late, and that little kiddos have timetables. Big ups for that!
So... yeah. There's some good, some bad, and some in-between. Truth be told, I think it's more a "see and be seen scene" than a place for real kickbutt sushi... but that's fine. After all, it's not like I wore my badass cherry sandals for nothing!
WARNING: DO NOT USE YOUR CREDIT CARD AT SUSHI HAI!!!
So, Sushi Hai is pretty much LUCKY for their prime location at the corner of W.32nd and Lowell Blvd up in the Highlands because if they were anywhere else where there was decent sushi within a one-mile radius, they wouldn't be in in business anymore.
I have begrudgingly gone back to Sushi Hai with friends in the Highlands.
Their sushi is completely mediocre. I have had more than one person that I know personally attest to becoming physically ill after eating at Sushi Hai!!! The ambience is mediocre. Service is mediocre. The music and videos playing in the background is obnoxious and overbearing on your dining experience.
What has been completely frustrating about Sushi Hai is that not once, but TWICE, they have accidentally OVERCHARGED my credit card because of server ineptitude and I've had to dog their a$$es to take the incorrect charges off!!! (We're not talking 10 dollars, we're talking hundreds of dollars over).
This is just irresponsible business. Don't believe the hype about this one. If you're craving sushi and live in the Highlands, make the extra effort and head down to Sushi Sasa at 15th and Platte River Drive.
You'll thank me for the tip.
***DO NOT EAT HERE***
Sushi Hai was horrible! Everything was bad from the moment we stepped into the restaurant. Our waitress was arrogant and rude. The reservation was made for 7:30 on a Monday and we did not leave until about 9:30. The food took an HOUR AND A HALF to come and they were definitely NOT understaffed. Not once did the waitress apologize for the amount of time it took for us to get our food.
The sushi was not fresh and not prepared very well. It seemed like we got the "bad" pieces of fish. The presentation of the meal was embarrassing. We had yellowtail hamachi sashimi, a shrimp tempura roll, and several individual pieces of sushi. Even the seaweed salad was over-seasoned and poorly prepared.
Like I said, we weren't even offered an apology for the lack of service.
I was very excited to eat here as I had heard some good things but I left absolutely livid. This place was so bad that I will actually make an effort to tell people NOT to go here. I can't even write anymore because I am so upset. This was hands down the WORST dining experience I have ever had.
***DO NOT EAT HERE***
Wowee, good thing I didn't Yelp this place before I went...I'm happy to report back that my experience was a-ok.
I went with a party of 5 on a weeknight and had a decent experience. All of the sushi rolls that I had tasted fresh and delicious and we had a bunch of them! Spider roll, philadelphia roll, and some others. Our server was ok, she wasn't very friendly but she was attentive. My one complaint besides our BLAH server was that there aren't many specialty rolls on the menu. Sometimes I wanna go out and spend $11 on a seven different types of fish and three sauces roll, and they just really have the basics. But whatever, I'd come back again but next time it will be during their happy hour.
My favorite thing about this sushi joint is the building itself. I love the triple floored layout. The atmosphere is also fresh, cool, and relaxing. I'll come back here just to eat in a different part of the resteraunt.
As others have said, the service is somewhat lacking. I don't know if I'd call it bad, but it could be improved. They all seem friendly to me, but tend to forget your there as soon as they acknowledge your presence. The menu is somewhat small, but I thought the food was pretty good It's not exactly on par with some other, better sushi places in town, but you could do worse. The prices do seem a tad high.
My only real gripe is that parking in this area can be a nightmare.
I was thoroughly underwhelmed. The BF and I went to Hai for dinner tonight. If you read my review of Wasabi, you will see that we are now sushi experts because we read a book. Okay that is lame but it certainly gave us things to look for in our sushi. The atmosphere on a Friday night was nothin' special in the restaurant (didn't hit the downstairs).
Here's the important stuff - I was disappointed in the sushi rolls. I am a BIG kappa maki fan (cucumber roll), in fact it is a test roll to see how good your sushi chef is... this guy, not so great. Thought i would do something special and get their vegetable caterpillar roll (cucumber with avocado on top). The chef making it clearly didn't care how I got it. It held together enough to stand but as soon as I touched it, it fell apart. I couldn't even get it in my mouth. AND it was drenched in sweet brown sauce so I couldn't taste that the cucumbers and rice had no flavor. Totally bland. Sticky, sweet brown sauce + falling apart rolls = very sticky, gross hands.
The BF ordered a few things off the regular menu which were okay. Nothin' to write home about. I also ordered some nigiri which never came. We were done eating and I decided it wasn't worth it so had the waitress take it off the bill. (Not paying for tuna I didn't eat!)
I watched the chefs and they didn't look like they were having much fun... not to mention that they drowned every plate in the brown (eel?) sauce.
It really was a MEH experience. The hot towels were nice at the beginning (could have used them after the sushi, though). The tables were so small that we were constantly in fear of knocking something on the ground and the table was wobbly so eating the miso wasn't easy.
I had called earlier for a reservation but the hostess told me it was full and they weren't taking any more but we could come in and get on the list that night. Good thing we did. We showed up 30 min to get on the list and were ushered right to a table. I guess it wasn't as busy as they thought it would be.
So super great sushi? Nope, sorry.
Sake bombs and party time? Probably would have been more fun.
When Hai Bar is slow it's a great place to kick back on the comfy sofas with a gal pal for sushi and gossip and to flirt with the bartenders (but you didn't hear that from me).
Didn't go to the restaurant proper, only to the Hai Bar downstairs for Happy Hour on a Friday.
The sushi is nothing special, the regular spicy tuna & philly roll type. No one in my group whined or raved.
The sake is nice and hot and poured out of some kind of sake hot pot that reminds me of the Jager coolers. Not much of a selection, tho, only 2.
The atmosphere was pretty cool, not as uptight as the sake lounge down the street, more of the young, loud after-work crowd. There were definitely some that had dressed to impress, but I didn't feel uncomfortable in my jeans. Liked that there were pool tables in another section (so you don't have to dodge sticks to get to the bar).
The bathroom is...... interesting. The stall doors remind me of the old middle school gym locker room. Apparently we were going for industrial-sheik in there.
Parking, sucks, as usual in this area.
If I was in the neighborhood again, I'd stop in for a drink. But, I don't think I'll be dining here any time soon. There are much better places for Happy Hour in the area.
Solid sushi spot for Denver if you don't feel like dealing with the crowds at Sushi Den. Service is fine, nothing to write home about.
I would give this place 2.5 stars if I could. Like everyone else has mentioned, this place needs to work on their service.
We were seated for a good 10-15 minutes before anyone came over to greet us. By the time our waiter came over we had our entire sushi order finished and ready to go (no easy task). He forgot our edamame the first time around. He definitely forgot my tofu entree and essentially had the kitchen make it in 2.2 seconds after half of the sushi was devoured (therefore this dish lacked some serious TLC.) We waited ages for the check. It's a pity that after all of the "suggestions" on this site to improve their service it still seems like a solid mediocre at best. The only redeeming quality to the service was that our server gave us several free samples of sake and wine in order to aid our alcoholic decision-making. This place is fine if you want an uber leisurely/laissez faire dining experience, but from the sound of it there seems to be much better options in the city, so why settle for mediocre?
Nothing to write home about and I'll roll down the hill to Sushi Sasa next time. The seaweed salad was too "wet". Too much rice vinegar and whatever else they used to dress it. You'd pull out a bite and it litterally dripped all over the place. The two rolls were decent but the sashimi platter was very fishy. We didn't finish more than half of either the seaweed salad or the sashimi platter and the server didn't even ask how everything was. I won't be visiting here again.
OK...I have been to more sushi spots than I care to admit. The only reason (and a damn good one, I might add) I found this place was that I recently moved into the neighborhood (West Highland area).
I had my trepidations (no, not a new rare form of sea creature) because the place was almost empty on a Thursday night at 7:00. I have to say, though, it WAS the 4th of July weekend coming-up, so we can blame the 'ol "people-go-out-of-town" thing. Aaanyway, we were seated quickly (of course) and were greeted promptly by our server (who immediately had the hots for my son). I was pleased to see they had Momokawa Diamond by the bottle and it was not crazy expensive. So we drank and stared-down the menus.
We ordered Kalbi (which was also a pleasant surprise - being a Korean item, really) and Seafood Dynamite appetizers. The Kalbi was just outstanding! From presentation to the way they cut it into manageable little hunks (vs. the wild slabs you encounter at any number of Korean BBQ joints around the world), it was delicious and perfectly cooked. Alas, the "Seafood Dynamite" was marginal. I had never seen Dynamite served this way...on rice...huh? It was a small portion of salmon and various indistinguishable seafood bits mixed with thin slices of scallion (?) and whatever else...on white rice to make it look like a larger portion. For something like $9, it was a real bummer. Tasted OK, but what the heck ever happened to slices of giant clam and maybe some shrimp or other clam varietals as the primary ingredient? It's been a long time...ahhhh, food costs rein supreme!
Now...the sushi. Incredibly GOOD! I mean really excellent, balanced, beautiful, and fresh (like my ex?). We ordered what I consider a pretty basic assortment (Tuna, Whitefish, Salmon, Octopus, and some awesome Yellowtail Handrolls) that, in a very entertaining way, shocked the table of women sitting next to us. And embarrassed the new table on the other side of us full of young guys "hipsters", dare I say, whose table was like a white-out of Cali Rolls, Tempura Rolls (ugh), and other such stuff that comes precariously close to trashing what Japanese/Sushi experience ought to be (IMHO). Not to sound food snobbish...but sheesh.
We even tried a little Creme Brulee' dessert "shot"...well...just suffice it to say, "stick with the sushi". Not terrible, just, well...annoying.
After dinner ($98 including a bottle of Sake - not bad!), we headed downstairs to their bar....it was most excellent! I'll blab about that in another post sometime.
Good Luck and Have Fun....
SG
Cool space and good drinks, but I wasn't sold on the sushi. Quite possibly, it was the worst sushi I've had in the city.
The rice barely stuck together- basically resulting in a suggestion of a roll. I wasn't impressed at all.
We sat in new/downstairs bar. Like I said, it was a cool space- loungy without pretension. Unfortch, our server paid close to no attention to us until we decided to order food as well. It took 20 minutes to get a refill on our drinks- but the minute we were ready to order rolls/ect, she was all over us. That's always a bad sign to me.
It would take some major convincing to get me to return to it.
Ladies love thursdays! From 9-1am bogo drinks and select sushi!!! holla --live music was awesome--haibar is the bees knees--come out on thursdays (Even my vegan friend was full and had a blast)
Lovely. Never ending. Creative. I dig it! Keoki was our sushi chef and we let her do her magic (thanks Keoki!) They have an extensive menu (not just the raw stuff but lots of cooked stuff too). The sushi was quite tasty and I fell in love with the space. I want to "do it in every room". My next adventure will surely be the lobster mac and cheese... in a private room... on the floor...
I had more fun at the bar with the staff than enjoying the sushi. I think if the sushi was better, I would go more often. I think of Hai bar more of a place to socialize with the locals of the Highlands than going there to eat the sushi.
Don't go here for the sushi, go for the special private room off of the main dining room that has the sunken table and sliding doors.
There is only one of these rooms, and somehow, on one magical day, I reserved a table for six and we landed on this gem. We all took off our shoes and sat at the low table to enjoy our festive meals. The sliding Japanese looking doors helped to block out a ton of the noise that echoes loudly through the restaurant most days of the week. This private room and special table might be only available for parties of six or above, but if you can, request it and you will know instantly as you enter the room, that you made the right choice. This table made my experience 88.7% better than normal.
The bar downstairs is pretty popular and fun, but it wigs me out because it has no windows. The sushi is not that wonderful and the teriyaki chicken is horrible... And for some reason, I always forget that I dislike the teriyaki sauce and order it again... or maybe subconsciously I think it will be better tasting but it never is. Don't order it!
This popular Highlands treat is a sure win with visitors and locals, just make sure you bring your mega phone and you patience... Often you can call and they will tell you that you will get in with no problem, and then you get there and are told that you will have to wait thirty minutes.
* Star one for a stellar Highlands location
** Me so special star two is for the sunken table room
*** Oh so pretty star three is for smooth decor and a good amount of seating
**** Distracting star four is for the snazzy bar downstairs that is always full of patrons
5 stars for the atmosphere, 4 stars for the service, 2 stars for the food and 1 star for all the people who think that they are way too cool hanging out all over the place. A total of 12 stars divided by 4 categories = 3 stars in my book.
I think that when a place is in a super trendy neighborhood they attract people who think that they are super trendy. And why is it that all of the "trendy" restaurants don't seem to care about their food. They do a great job decorating, hiring beautiful people to work there, making killer drinks and then must just forget about the food. I guess they figure if you are drunk enough and imagining your server naked that you won't care what the food tastes like.
Keep on, keepin' on Sushi Hai
I wish there was a 2.5 star option. The sushi was fine. The service was fine. The prices were high. I'd rather go to Sushi Den for the same money and far superior food. I know there are a lot of what I'd call "Sushi-Den haters" out there....but having moved to Denver from an island where fresh sushi was a daily way of life, Sushi Den (for me) has been the best, freshest sushi I have had in this landlocked city so far.... Skip Sushi "High" where the quality is only ok and the prices are unjustified.
Mediocre, at best. I think the prime location gives the impression that it's a good restaurant. It's not. The bar is great and the space is actually really nice, but they completely fail with the quality and execution of their sushi. I wanted to like this place and have been there several times, but it's disappointing every time. Denver has some great sushi restaurants and a ton of decent ones - I wouldn't waste your time here.
I came into this place a little confused because there are so many rooms, each with a slightly different atmosphere. Luckily, I was meeting some girlfriends who had been here before. Down in the Hai Bar, we shared a few rolls and cocktails. The sushi was good, not the best I've had, but what I liked more about the place was the atmosphere. Really laid back, younger crowd, cool decor with good music playing. Overall - a great place to go for a weeknight dinner and or drinks.
Really good sushi! I don't usually go out of my way for sushi, but was persuaded to meet some friends here over the weekend. The Vegas roll and the Black Mamba were really good!
Sake is another thing that I typically avoid, but Sushi Hai had a really good plum flavored sake: Purple Haze.
The only downside is that the restaurant is really busy. You definitely need a reservation on the weekends. And the service was really slow, even when it came to replacing drinks. It's also a bit pricey. Our bill for two people was over $100, which included drinks and sushi.
But I'll definitely be back! The food was stellar.
Been here a few times as it's in my hood. A nice neighborhood go-to for yummy fresh fish, a couple of interesting roll options, and some quirky cocktails so that's enough for 3 stars for me. I've had 4.5 star experiences and 2.5 star experiences depending on the service which really varies. Much better than Sonodas, slighlty better though more expensive than Fontana, probably not up to Sushi Sasa standards but haven't been there in awhile so can't say for sure.
So, I hate to admit it but I'm a complete sushi snob!! I will be honest when I first went to Sushi Hai 2 years ago I was NOT impressed. It was sad because I live literally a couple houses away and I couldn't even eat at a a sushi place, I wanted to love, right there! The fish didn't seem fresh to me and the service wasn't that impressive.
However, from multiple recommendations from friends, my boyfriend and I decided to go back for another go-around 2 years later. I was completely impressed!!!! They changed my opinion from here on out! The fish was super fresh, the chefs added their own creative touch to the food, the service was great and you can't beat the prices.
I literally eat there almost 3 time a week for either lunch or dinner. If someone wants some quality sushi in an energetic neighborhood with a great atmosphere check it out!
I love the Hai Bar downstairs since it has expanded. The loungey atmosphere is cool and not like any other place in the Highlands. I like hanging out there on a week night over a bottle of wine and a couple of sushi rolls with some friends.
The sushi at Sushi Hai is good, but it isn't best of Denver or anything. The main reason I like Sushi Hai is because I don't have to drive all the way across town to Sushi Den, be a part of that god awful yuppie scene, and wait an hour and a half to be seated. It's nice to have a decent option in this neighborhood and the sushi is good enough.
Some coworkers and I went here for a group lunch on a Friday, and I was really impressed. We ordered a lot of sushi and enjoyed it family style, so I got to try a lot of different things from the menu. It was all good, and some of it was very, very good. Our service was attentive and helpful. The restaurant looks clean and modern inside.
I had to take the wife to get her haircut in the Highlands and needed a place to watch the BCS Championship game. Sushi Hai was right around the corner and was a great spot to have a beer and eat some sushi. It's extremely large on the inside with two different bars and a restaurant area. There was hardly anyone in the bar area, so the service was excellent, thanks to Lisa. I had the rainbow rolls and the red rocks rolls and both were very good. I also had Samurai beer, which was on tap, and I had never had it before. Overall, it was a good place. It has a very modern feel to it.
Sat in the basement bar area - the bigger side - for happy hour and was quite pleased. Sushi was perfectly acceptable, staff was friendly, and the music was quiet enough to hold a conversation. Food and drinks for two came to about 12 bucks w/ the happy hour deal.
Was in on a Monday night, which might have explained the lack of people there, but the place had plenty of space.
Also, free wifi.
I've been here a few times, twice we reserved the Tatami Room, and it was great. The sushi was fantastic, as was the wine and sake selection. The service was fast, friendly, and made us feel super comfortable. The prices are a bit above average, but definitely more bang for your buck than the over-rated Sushi Den and Sushi Sasa.
Neighborhood: Northwest
Category: Sushi Bars
Neighborhood: Northwest
Neighborhood: Southwest
Category: Japanese
Neighborhood: Northwest
Category: Seafood
Neighborhood: Northwest
Category: Asian Fusion
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