Good ramen, fun friend chicken. Ramen good, glad to have it in Aspen. Thought place was closing? Glad to believe still open. Ramen may need $18/bowl in any, but $28/bowl in Aspen not so bad,
Sean Bliss
It's called something else but it had a Pop-up Gin-Joo that ends on Jan 30th.The ramen was the best in thing I've eaten in Aspen
Vivian Leba
I don’t know what’s going on but this place is no longer Nakazawa. None of this information has been updated on Google or the website. We walked in and were seated fully expecting to eat at Nakazawa. It wasn’t until several odd exchanges later that we were told it’s no longer Nakazawa, and instead it’s now a ramen place?? We ate here anyway, and the food isn’t anything to write home about. There was a piece of hair on one of our rolls, and we weren’t offered any of the Japanese whiskey selections that are apparently leftover from Nakazawa. We are supremely still confused with the server’s convoluted explanation of if this place will or won’t become Nakazawa in the future, but at the minimum please update Google and your website it’s now a ramen restaurant with some gentrified sushi rolls you can get at any mod-Japanese restaurant.
Tom M
Great omakasse dinner at the sushi counter. The somm made a great sake rec to start off the evening. The food was great and the chef was super knowledgeable and friendly. We had a great evening and enjoyed it as much as the NYC restaurant. Highly recommend but bring your wallet (but well worth it).
Nick Rallis
Sit at the bar. Far and away the most standout dining experience in Aspen. The only negative reviews I’ve read are people wanting to talk about how sophisticated they find themselves (likely east coasters.)Tips: No need to go with an over the top Sake. Ask for the Sake that they recycle and use as their water carafes, or otherwise something very dry.Don’t be above a Japanese lager too.Lastly… Pay no mind to the kemo sabe hats donned by the patrons, it’s simply the equivalent of wearing a whale bone margarita necklace in Vegas.
Brendan G
Absolutely fantastic. Sat the the chefs table and had an incredible experience. I have been to Nobu, Uchi, Sushi Bar, Matsuhisa etc and this is by far the best sushi I have ever had. It is without question the Michelin star experience that you are looking for. Stunning meal, amazing service and a spectacular experience. Not to be missed!!
Steven H
My wife and I were in town and we decided to give it a shot. We lived in Seattle and New York for years so we're no strangers to high end Omakase style sushi bars.Food - definitely fresh and well prepared, as you would expect from restaurants at this caliber. Their Uni from Hokkaido was not the freshest I've ever had, but considering it's Colorado I'll give it a passing grade. Variety of the fish was good. We had two kinds of uni, bluefin tuna agami and O-Toro, wagyu tartar, and other assorted fish. The chef did a great job handling the sushi and his technique was superb.Why only 2 stars? Portioning and pace. The entire meal felt very rushed. Merely an hour after we sat down the chef told us the meal was complete - my shortest Omakase experience so far. For a $800+ (with alcohol) Omakase dinner for two you don't want to rush your guests. And most importantly, you want to make sure they leave happy and well-fed. Out of all the sushi restaurants that offered Omakase style dinner I've been to on the west or the east coast, I've never left the restaurant hungry. There are both higher and lower end sushi restaurants out there that will make sure you are happy before they finish the Omakase service. Do they charge extra if you want more food than what they typically offer. Maybe. But they definitely offer the options which means they care. And that to me is the number 1 item when it comes to restaurant service and hospitality industry in general. Especially when you pay a few hundred dollars per person for a sushi dinner, it's more about the experience.Will NOT recommend this restaurant unless you must have sushi in Colorado, which I agree this is probably your best option. Fly to Seattle, San Fran, LA, or New York if you're a true sushi lover. It's worth the air fare...
Easton Reagin
Best dining experience we’ve had in Aspen in a VERY long time. The food was absolutely AMAZING and the service was IMPECCABLE!!!!!! We did the Omakase Chefs Tasting Menu - totally blown away by everything sent out. We’ll be dining again tonight to do the al a cart menu...and we can’t wait! We hope you guys will stick around for more than a few seasons!
Jayne Perry
Absolutely a fantastic experience. So delicious I had to close my eyes to concentrate on the experience.
Larrel Seltzer
Great! And Daniel is amazing!! He even hand wrote our omakaze list for us! I always forget what i ate and mentioned that and he wrote all of my dishes down!
Extremely disappointing experience here. Food is just ok. Space is a bit generic but trendy. Service is terrible. Pushy, hard sell at every turn. Ended up spending a bomb and needing pizza next door on the way home.
Manuel Sanchez
I have been to several of the best sushi restaurants in the US and in Japan. For its reputation and the price point, I was expecting Nakazawa Aspen to land somewhere in that sphere, and unfortunately it fell short.The sushi was great, but not every piece delivered the freshness and accuracy you may expect.The sake/wine pairing was good, with the wines standing out more than the sake selections.The service was a high point, worthy of a 5 star rating.
Lon Welsh
I would give this six stars if I was able to do so. I’ve been to Japan many times and this is the best Omakase (chefs selection) I have had outside of Japan.Extremely cool atmosphere. Very professional and attentive service but never in the way. And the food was outstanding.
Good ramen, fun friend chicken. Ramen good, glad to have it in Aspen. Thought place was closing? Glad to believe still open. Ramen may need $18/bowl in any, but $28/bowl in Aspen not so bad,
It's called something else but it had a Pop-up Gin-Joo that ends on Jan 30th.The ramen was the best in thing I've eaten in Aspen
I don’t know what’s going on but this place is no longer Nakazawa. None of this information has been updated on Google or the website. We walked in and were seated fully expecting to eat at Nakazawa. It wasn’t until several odd exchanges later that we were told it’s no longer Nakazawa, and instead it’s now a ramen place?? We ate here anyway, and the food isn’t anything to write home about. There was a piece of hair on one of our rolls, and we weren’t offered any of the Japanese whiskey selections that are apparently leftover from Nakazawa. We are supremely still confused with the server’s convoluted explanation of if this place will or won’t become Nakazawa in the future, but at the minimum please update Google and your website it’s now a ramen restaurant with some gentrified sushi rolls you can get at any mod-Japanese restaurant.
Great omakasse dinner at the sushi counter. The somm made a great sake rec to start off the evening. The food was great and the chef was super knowledgeable and friendly. We had a great evening and enjoyed it as much as the NYC restaurant. Highly recommend but bring your wallet (but well worth it).
Sit at the bar. Far and away the most standout dining experience in Aspen. The only negative reviews I’ve read are people wanting to talk about how sophisticated they find themselves (likely east coasters.)Tips: No need to go with an over the top Sake. Ask for the Sake that they recycle and use as their water carafes, or otherwise something very dry.Don’t be above a Japanese lager too.Lastly… Pay no mind to the kemo sabe hats donned by the patrons, it’s simply the equivalent of wearing a whale bone margarita necklace in Vegas.
Absolutely fantastic. Sat the the chefs table and had an incredible experience. I have been to Nobu, Uchi, Sushi Bar, Matsuhisa etc and this is by far the best sushi I have ever had. It is without question the Michelin star experience that you are looking for. Stunning meal, amazing service and a spectacular experience. Not to be missed!!
My wife and I were in town and we decided to give it a shot. We lived in Seattle and New York for years so we're no strangers to high end Omakase style sushi bars.Food - definitely fresh and well prepared, as you would expect from restaurants at this caliber. Their Uni from Hokkaido was not the freshest I've ever had, but considering it's Colorado I'll give it a passing grade. Variety of the fish was good. We had two kinds of uni, bluefin tuna agami and O-Toro, wagyu tartar, and other assorted fish. The chef did a great job handling the sushi and his technique was superb.Why only 2 stars? Portioning and pace. The entire meal felt very rushed. Merely an hour after we sat down the chef told us the meal was complete - my shortest Omakase experience so far. For a $800+ (with alcohol) Omakase dinner for two you don't want to rush your guests. And most importantly, you want to make sure they leave happy and well-fed. Out of all the sushi restaurants that offered Omakase style dinner I've been to on the west or the east coast, I've never left the restaurant hungry. There are both higher and lower end sushi restaurants out there that will make sure you are happy before they finish the Omakase service. Do they charge extra if you want more food than what they typically offer. Maybe. But they definitely offer the options which means they care. And that to me is the number 1 item when it comes to restaurant service and hospitality industry in general. Especially when you pay a few hundred dollars per person for a sushi dinner, it's more about the experience.Will NOT recommend this restaurant unless you must have sushi in Colorado, which I agree this is probably your best option. Fly to Seattle, San Fran, LA, or New York if you're a true sushi lover. It's worth the air fare...
Best dining experience we’ve had in Aspen in a VERY long time. The food was absolutely AMAZING and the service was IMPECCABLE!!!!!! We did the Omakase Chefs Tasting Menu - totally blown away by everything sent out. We’ll be dining again tonight to do the al a cart menu...and we can’t wait! We hope you guys will stick around for more than a few seasons!
Absolutely a fantastic experience. So delicious I had to close my eyes to concentrate on the experience.
Great! And Daniel is amazing!! He even hand wrote our omakaze list for us! I always forget what i ate and mentioned that and he wrote all of my dishes down!
Restaurantji Recommends
The best Japanese in Aspen. Phenomenal.
Average food for the price, pushy service.
Extremely disappointing experience here. Food is just ok. Space is a bit generic but trendy. Service is terrible. Pushy, hard sell at every turn. Ended up spending a bomb and needing pizza next door on the way home.
I have been to several of the best sushi restaurants in the US and in Japan. For its reputation and the price point, I was expecting Nakazawa Aspen to land somewhere in that sphere, and unfortunately it fell short.The sushi was great, but not every piece delivered the freshness and accuracy you may expect.The sake/wine pairing was good, with the wines standing out more than the sake selections.The service was a high point, worthy of a 5 star rating.
I would give this six stars if I was able to do so. I’ve been to Japan many times and this is the best Omakase (chefs selection) I have had outside of Japan.Extremely cool atmosphere. Very professional and attentive service but never in the way. And the food was outstanding.
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