Matsuhisa

Amazingly, chef Nobu Matsuhisa’s first and second namesake restaurants were not in Denver but, rather, Aspen and Vail respectively. If the third time’s a charm then this can be no truer than Denver’s Matsuhisa in the ultra-luxe Cherry Creek shopping area.

The cuisine is a sublime mix of chef Matsuhisa’s classic Japanese upbringing with influences from his time in South America, most notably Peru and Argentina. Most devotees will tell you that this is the best sushi in Denver, and they’re not wrong. But the dinner menu has so much more to offer than that so be sure to explore the whole selection of signature salads, tempuras, stone oven selections, hot specialties, and Miyazaki Wagyu beef. When it comes to wine, you’ll want to plan a lot of time to pore over their massive tome of selections.

The list is a great balance of everything you’d expect at a fine dining restaurant and everything you’d want to drink with sushi. Unsurprisingly, high acid, bright, and aromatic varieties are well represented, as are the big, powerful wines ready to pair with Wagyu and hot dishes. Of special note, Matsuhitsa restaurants exclusively feature sake from Hokusetsu, a traditional sake brewery based in the Niigata Prefecture on Sado Island (affectionately nicknamed ‘Sake Island’). If you’ve never had Junmai-Daiginjo sake paired with Wagyu, you’re missing out on one of life’s great pairings!