Izakaya Den

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1518 S. Pearl St. Denver, CO 80210

303-777-0691

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7 User reviews Write A Review

Critics'
Pick
Best Vegetarian Dish in a Non-Vegetarian Restaurant
Award Winner 2010

Cuisine(s): Fusion, Japanese, Spanish, Sushi

Hours: Sun,Sat 11:30am-2:30pm, Sun,Mon,Tue,Wed,Thu,Sat 5pm-10pm, Fri 5pm-11pm

Price: $$$
Payment Types: All Major Credit Cards, cash

Features: ATM, Banquet Facilities, Catering, Patio/Sidewalk Dining, Private Party, Takeout

Serving: Dinner, Lunch
Alcohol: Full bar

Reservations: Accepted, Recommended for Large Parties

Parking: Street, Valet

Description

Izakaya Den's menu is impossible, ridiculous, amazing, awe-inspiring and should never work in a million years, but somehow it does. At its core, it's a fusion menu. A Japanese-Mediterranean fusion menu (with hints of northern Spain and France and America shot through it like rogue strands of culinary DNA). The room is large and beautiful; the staff both competent and confident, knowing the menu, sake list and lore of the house inside and out. A night at Izakya Den can be so perfect, you may never want to leave.

2010 | Best Vegetarian Dish in a Non-Vegetarian Restaurant

What do otherwise dedicated carnivores eat when they think no one's watching Seaweed salad at Izakaya Den, a tide of flashy green algae, weeds and leaves, pink grapefruit wedges, pencil-thin rods of asparagus and sliced apples tossed in a stark white, square bowl, sprinkled with sesame seeds and dressed with a citrus-y spray. The salad is included on the vast menu among many other temptations -- sushi, sashimi, udon and unagi bowls, tempura, Kobe beef sliders and miso black cod --... More »
2009 | Best Late-Night Menu

Denver has always had a shortage of good late-night restaurants. Most places in town lock the doors around nine or ten and leave the late-night service to the drive-thrus, bars, diners and street-corner burrito vendors. So before the clock strikes eleven, head to Izakaya Den, which has a great menu for late-night snackers: a combination Italian/Mexican/French/American/Japanese board that offers both the lowbrow and the high-tone side by side. More »
2009 | Best Fusion Restaurant

Izakaya Den is a lot of things. It's a tapas restaurant, a small plates restaurant, a sushi restaurant, a sake bar. It does Mediterranean food and Italian food, re-envisioned American bar food and really, really authentic Japanese food. And sometimes, it does all of these together on a single plate -- to the delight and confusion and occasional horror of those fortunate enough to have happened into this South Pearl Street restaurant with the nondescript exterior and windows that look... More »
2008 | Best Fusion Restaurant

Miso soup Check. Homemade Satsuma-age and nikumaki with burdock root Check. For about thirty seconds, Izakaya Den seems like nothing more than a late-night version of Sushi Den, its sibling across the street. But then you see the panzanella salad on the menu, the roasted red and yellow beets with green tea-smoked mozzarella, the curried Maine lobster with apricot-shallot veloute, and you begin to wonder just what kind of restaurant you've wandered into. At Izakaya Den, the seemingly... More »
2008 | Best New Restaurant

Izakaya Den is a beautiful restaurant -- dimly lit, with a lovely, blonde-wood sushi bar and huge beams made from imported cedar, set and carved by Japanese craftsmen -- but that's not why it's the year's best new restaurant. The menu, designed by Toshi Kizaki and executed by one of the most talented crews in town, is ridiculous, a Japanese-Mediterranean fusion (with hints of northern Spain and France and America shot through it like rogue strands of culinary DNA) that's amazing,... More »
2008 | Best Place to Pick Up an Off-Duty Chef

Some people like cops, some go for doctors, others are only interested in bikers, punks or nerds. And there's also a distinct subset of the singles scene interested in food-service employees -- specifically cooks and chefs. For those whose tastes run a bit higher in the brigade than the Jäger-drunk commis or sullen, strung-out grillardin, Izakaya Den is a must-stop late on a Friday night. Izakaya regularly hosts a wide swath of Denver's exec-level talent -- loud fellows with... More »
2008 | Best Late-Night Menu

Funny thing about Izakaya Den: Owner Toshi Kizaki didn't write the menu for you. He didn't write it for the market, for the scene, for any specific demographic. He came up with the concept, the cuisine, many of the specific menu items to satisfy the wants and needs of one person only: Toshi Kizaki. See, Toshi, who also owns Sushi Den across the street, loves Denver, but he'd long felt that the city was missing a spot where people who work late (like him and cooks in general) could get... More »

Denver's five best Japanese restaurants

By Laura Shunk | Mon, April 30, 2012

While Denver is swimming in great options for sushi, we're woefully short on Japanese joints that feature good versions of the broader culinary canon -- and, in fact, we'd be stoked if a few more spot... More »
The Izakaya Den/Pearl Street Grill deal moves forward...slowly

By Jonathan Shikes | Thu, April 12, 2012

In January, the owners of Izakaya Den announced that they had entered into a very involved deal with BW Holdings, the company that controls the Wynkoop/Breckenridge group of breweries and restaurants,... More »
The Den Farm -- and a new greenhouse -- gets ready to sprout

By Laura Shunk | Thu, March 22, 2012

Owning a farm, says Yasu Kizaki, was always a dream for him and his brother, Toshi, the owners of two Japanese restaurants on South Pearl Street: Sushi Den and Izakaya Den. "Our parents were farmers,"... More »
Sliced! sushi-making class at Izakaya Den

By Amber Taufen | Wed, February 15, 2012

Roll up to Izakaya Den, 1518 South Pearl Street, tonight for Sliced!, a sushi-making class featuring chefs from Sushi Den and Izakaya Den; after class, sit down for a meal that includes sushi, miso so... More »
A sake lesson from Izakaya Den's international sake-pairing event

By Laura Shunk | Wed, November 2, 2011

Sake, with its range of styles, light body and crisp finish, is ideal for food pairings as well as an easy thing to sip all night long. Plus, you can take down a lot of it and escape a hangover. Those... More »
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westwordbestof | Denver, CO | 102 Reviews

| Wed, May 6, 2009

Denver has always had a shortage of good late-night restaurants. Most places in town lock the doors around nine or ten and leave the late-night service to the drive-thrus, bars, diners and street-corner burrito vendors. So before the clock strikes eleven, head to Izakaya Den, which has a great menu for late-night snackers: a combination Italian/Mexican/French/American/Japanese board that offers both the lowbrow and the high-tone side by side.
Like (0) Dislike (0)

tannaruzicka | Denver, CO | 307 Reviews

| Tue, July 20, 2010

Try their bowls. They have the perfect blend of flavors in them.
Like (0) Dislike (0)

JamieK2 | Denver, CO | 131 Reviews

| Thu, July 29, 2010

After finding that Sushi Den was a 45 minute wait, we went here and got right in. Great service, delicious sushi and saki. I will definitely be back!
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Main Menu

Soups And Salads

$4.00

Miso Soup

$8.00

Cucumber Soup
served cold with poached lobster, ricotta gnocchi

$5.00

House Salad
carrots, cucumber, water chestnuts, haricot verts, ginger tofu dressing

$9.00

Baby Beet-frissee Salad
cucumber relish , herbed goat cheese

$13.00

Grilled Panzanella Salad
jumbo lump crab, toasted foccacia, local goat cheese, pistachios, plum wine vinaigrette

$8.00

Butternut Squash Soup
seasoned jumbo lump crab

Vegetarian

$13.00

Grilled Mushroom Salad
shitake and oyster mushrooms, avocado puree, roasted tomatillo and jalapeno sauce, parmesan cheese

$10.00

Grilled Portobello And Asparagus
aged balsamic reduction

$8.00

Organic Haricot Verts
sautéed with japanese mushrooms and garlic

$7.00

Organic Fingerling Potatoes
pan roasted with garlic butter and fresh herbs

Japanese

$8.00

Crispy Calamari
thai chili and vietnamese fish dipping sauce

$11.00

Salmon Collar
miso marinated salmon collar

$9.00

Yellowtail Collar
jalapeno-ponzu dipping sauce

$8.00

Tempura Appetizer
shrimp and assorted vegetables

$14.00

Soft Shell Crab Tempura
vietnamese fish dipping sauce

$12.00

Nikumaki
asparagus & burdock root salad wrapped with thinly sliced beef striploin

$12.00

Duck Udon Noodle Soup
served with cucumber roll

$12.00

Izakaya Den Short Ribs
sweet korean marinade , jalapenos, haricot vert

$12.00

Tempura Udon Noodle Soup
(2pc shrimp & 3pc vegetable), served with cucumber roll

Sushi And Sashimi Combinations
Bowl Of Rice Available Upon Request $1.50

$14.00

Taste Of Sashimi
6 piece chef's choice

$13.00

Taste Of Sushi
4 piece chef's choice

$20.00

Sushi Platter
1pc tuna, hamachi, salmon, whitefish, scallop, shrimp, albacore tuna & unagi nigiri

$24.00

Sashimi Platter
2pcs tuna, salmon, albacore tuna, hamachi & whitefish sashimi

$16.00

Unagi Bowl
freshwater eel over bowl of steamed rice

$26.00

Chirashi Bowl
assorted sashimi over bed of sushi rice

$6.00

Miso Eggplant
japanese eggplant and bell peppers stir fried with miso glaze, burdock root salad

$16.00

Tekka Bowl
tuna sashimi over bowl of sushi rice

$18.00

Mini Chirashi & Udon Noodle Soup

$12.00

Crispy Tuna
tempura sushi rice cake, spicy tuna, avocado, sliced jalapenos, tobiko, sweet eel sauce

$16.50

Jalapeno Sashimi
yellowtail, jalapenos, cilantro, yuzu soy

$16.50

Ginger Sashimi
bincho, japanese, mushrooms, ginger soy

$16.50

Fresh Japanese Wasabi Sashimi
bincho, fresh wasabi, ponzu sauce

$16.00

New Style Sashimi
lightly seared salmon and whitefish, cilantro, ginger, yuzu soy

$9.00

Spicy Tuna Spring Roll
tuna, sesame seeds, cucumber, cilantro, wrapped in rice paper, sweet eel sauce

$5.00

Edamame
lightly salted soy beans

$7.00

Den Tofu Salad
locally made fresh tofu

$8.00

Seaweed Salad
seaweed, mixed greens, grape tomatoes, pink grapefruit, asparagus, sesame seeds

$6.00

Japanese Vegetable Appetizer
3 kinds of traditional preparations

$7.00

Agedashi Tofu
crispy tofu cubes in dashi broth

$8.00

Homemade Steamed Shumai
pork and seafood dumplings, mustard-soy and jalapeno-ponzu dipping sauces

Meat

$11.00

Fried Brussels Sprouts
braised pork belly, parmesan cheese, soy glaze

$15.00

Kobe Beef Sliders
seared foie gras, pomme frittes

$20.00

Wagyu Ny Strip
roasted mushroom and watercress salad with a beef demi

$15.00

Duck Breast
cherry chutney, carrot puree, spinach, baby carrot

$11.00

Beef Carpaccio
olive oil and aged balsamic reductions, micro greens, crumbled gorgonzola, grilled baguette

$11.00

Pork And Apple Pot Stickers
sweet chili pepper sauce

$15.00

Honey-glazed Pork Ribs
marinated napa cabbage

$13.00

Sesame Teriyaki Chicken Breast
stir fried vegetables

$11.00

Hoisin Duck Crostinis
parmesan cheese, cilantro crème fraiche

Seafood

$16.00

Miso Black Cod

$12.00

Pei Mussels
garlic, shallots, cured tomatoes, white wine broth

$12.00

Sautéed Calamari Salad
baby spinach, roasted roma tomatoes, garlic sautéed citrus-ginger soy sauce

$15.00

Seared Diver Scallops
bacon risotto, edamame, brown beach mushrooms

$16.00

Pan Seared Monkfish
celery root, celery potato fricassee

$12.00

Lobster Wonton
blanched bok choy, wasabi tobiko, lobster oil

$20.00

Lobster And Gnocchi
lobster broth, parsnip chips

Dessert

$7.00

Banana Cream Pie

$7.00

"twix Bar"
salted caramel gelato, vanilla-toffee crumble

$6.00

Mochi Ice Cream
green tea, red bean and mango

$7.00

Pineapple Upside Down Cake
vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce

$4.00

Ice Cream
green tea, red bean, belgian chocolate and vanilla

$7.00

Chocolate Mousse Cake

$7.00

Tiramisu

Looking for another city?

Izakaya Den

1518 S. Pearl St. Denver, CO 80210

303-777-0691

Description

2010 | Best Vegetarian Dish in a Non-Vegetarian Restaurant

2009 | Best Late-Night Menu

2009 | Best Fusion Restaurant

2008 | Best Fusion Restaurant

2008 | Best New Restaurant

2008 | Best Place to Pick Up an Off-Duty Chef

2008 | Best Late-Night Menu

Denver's five best Japanese restaurants

By Laura Shunk | Mon, April 30, 2012

The Izakaya Den/Pearl Street Grill deal moves forward...slowly

By Jonathan Shikes | Thu, April 12, 2012

The Den Farm -- and a new greenhouse -- gets ready to sprout

By Laura Shunk | Thu, March 22, 2012

Sliced! sushi-making class at Izakaya Den

By Amber Taufen | Wed, February 15, 2012

A sake lesson from Izakaya Den's international sake-pairing event

By Laura Shunk | Wed, November 2, 2011

westwordbestof | Denver, CO | 102 Reviews

tannaruzicka | Denver, CO | 307 Reviews

JamieK2 | Denver, CO | 131 Reviews

People Who Like Izakaya Den