Sushi-Rama

This is my third kaiten sushi restaurant (first was in Portland, second in Longmont), and compared to each of these, Sushi-​Rama had somewhat better and less rudimentary sushi options, a somewhat cute mod vibe, and way higher prices than both. An interesting question: How much cost premium is it worth to be able to visualize your sushi immediately before you choose and eat it? Judging from Sushi-​Rama, probably 50%: that’s how much more you’re being charged for the same sushi in a normal sushibar/​kitchen setting. It’ll probably do well for awhile as it’s a novelty in Denver, but I’m curious to see how many repeat customers they get. I’m also very curious to see the business plan for a place like this, as there are very clear pros and cons to this format. One thing I noticed when I got my bill is that the charges were correlated not with specific sushi I ordered, but with random beers that happen to cost the same. That to me hints at a lack of rigor in the business side of the operation and is one of several things that make be think they are not able to pass on efficiencies to their customers. I could be wrong. But if you know what sushi you want to eat, I recommend you go elsewhere. If you are interested in being tantalized by something you might not have ordered simply as words on a menu, and are not hyperconcerned with strict cost value, the experience you’ll probably have at Sushi-​Rama is genuinely worthwhile and fun.

I went here on a weekend — during a late lunch. I was excited to find a conveyor belt style sushi restaurant in denver. The conveyor belt, is definitely the main highlight of sushirama. The staff was also friendly and the resteraunt was clean and colorful.
The food could have been better however — at least I have tasted better sushi at other places in the city. Many of the pieces of sushi fell apart easily, as well.
They serve alcohol here — however they do NOT serve hot or warm sake — which is what i would have wanted, and usually get when i go out for sushi/​sake. They have a printing in their menu about it, with the hashtag «#sorrybutnotsorry» in regards to them not serving warm sake — to give you an idea how much they care about adding it to their menu. The cheapest beer/​drink i saw on the menu was $ 3. Each plate off the conveyor belt starts at $ 3+ too.

Really fun, fresh, clean casual. Went on a weekday and got seated right away. I will for sure go back!

I was so excited to see that Denver has a Kaiten sushi place. Went in on 4.20.16, Wednesday night, it had a steady stream of people coming in and out. I was dying to try this place because I grew up with conveyer belt sushi places in Hawaii/​Japan. I LOVE the concept of a quick bite of quality sushi with no wait & being able to see all my options. I was disappointed in Sushi Rama but will still be back for some of the menu items, to try other items & to bring friends that have never experienced conveyer belt sushi. This place got a 3 star for sushi quality & flavors & a 4 star for presentation of dishes, EXPERIENCE & FUN vibe. The sushi quality is def mediocre and not as fresh as the décor and ambiance of the restaurant. Love the bright colors and hip and FRESH art but the sushi is def not very fresh. If you’re expecting Sushi Den, then def keep on open mind when grabbing a plate. It was the texture & color of the sashimi esp the tuna & hamachi that made me not think the fish was of quality :(I did enjoy the spicy edamame, shrimp tempura with Poke/​spicy tuna, Chuka ika (really soft, great seaweed, & pickled veggies), soft shell crab with asparagus one,& the hot green tea. I tried a bunch of other plates and was not impressed. I liked the creativity of the chef, but the flavors just weren’t there for me… The presentation is on point but doesn’t taste how it looks. I was not a fan of the fish nigiri (all were disappointing), new style salmon (not my fave), the poke/​tuna was ok)… The one with rice paper was ehhhh… Nothing exciting… Most of our plates were Nothing to rave about.
However I did order 4 of the tempura/​spicy tuna ones with furikake ($ 5). Those were on point and had a great flavor combo. The Chuka ika was made well ($ 4). Soft and so good I could have ordered 2 of them with a bowl of rice.
Parking in the rhino, is always limited, but overall the beautiful art everywhere makes it worth parking further away and walking to this place :)

First time, finally found a sushi place that serves fast made, quality, delicious sushi via conveyor belt. This was a great choice for lunch. Very reasonable prices and great service. Love the Green Tea. This is a must visit. Great place to meet friends and coworkers for lunch. Highly recommend this place. I will be back!

I love this place and the direction that they are going. They will soon be sourcing there fish from next door. I think they should definitely discount the train items from 8:30 — 9:00pm aka around closing. Can we just talk about how I am so excited that they have some sort of train here where you can pick your choice of 2−3pcs. They usta have sushi train in KC while this is way pricer than that I love the concept. I ordered the Tuna Tataki Roll as they were running out of things on the train and we had arrived around 8:30pm with them closing at 9. We grabbed items off of the train which were all good but not as good as the Tuna Tataki Roll. WOW, was that good. I ordered the IMT Pear Cider and it paired wonderfully with the sushi. I look forward to coming back to this place while it is alil pricey I enjoy the concepts. –WLW

It’s about time Denver gets a sushi conveyer belt restaurant. right? right? okay. Anyway, it ain’t bad, it ain’t bad at all. We came during lunch time on Sunday and we were practically the only ones there. Servers were nice and attentive; no complaints.
Sushi was delicious and they had some unique flavors! my favorites were the tempura rolls. they had rolls with toppings including kiwis, strawberries and lemon with jalapeño. I felt full after having about 3 plates. plates can range from having two pieces of sushi on it to four pieces. prices are $ 3-​$ 5 a plate.
Some of these reviews really under-​rate this little joint (but is it a tactic to keep the crowds away, eh?)
Conveyer restaurants aren’t «fine-​dining» they’re like a fast food, casual eatery. That’s what this is: a clean, casual, fun spot with good sushi.

Just had a quick lunch at Sushi-​Rama and I was pleased with the experience.
The ambiance is different, very unique. It’s bright, cozy, and a great use of a small space. There are not a lot of booths. Looks like there might be an upstairs space but I didn’t take a look.
The sushi was okay. There were some better ones. I would highly recommend the spicy Bincho, and the New Style salmon. It is not high quality sushi, but it’s still good, and the spicy Bincho had great flavor. Since it wasn’t too busy the conveyor belt wasn’t on, so we didn’t get to experience that part but it’s a cool concept.
I would give it three stars for food but the fourth star comes from the service. The server was very attentive, friendly, and knowledgeable. He kept our drinks full, and checked on us frequently.
There is no happy hour. So don’t come here if that’s what you’re looking for.
It’s a great, new place in a fun neighborhood. Not too expensive even though some rolls are pricey for the quality. I recommend this place. It’s not a culinary wonder. But it is fun nonetheless.

I have eaten a lot of track sushi and was very excited to hear that one was coming to Denver. However, I was disappointed. The quality of the fish wasn’t great and the sushi was overpriced for track sushi. I also didn’t find the rolls very inspiring.

Spent $ 50 for shitty sushi and the spicy rock shrimp tasted like there was cleaning product in it. Very expensive for what it was but the restaurant concept is brilliant. A shame the quality of food didn’t match the amount of detail and effort put into their brand.

As a person who has never has conveyor belt sushi, I can only compare this joint to other standard sushi spots. And overall, I like it.
1. THE FISH — I always grade fish on three things: quality, value and inspiration. The quality of the Fish at Sushi-​Rama is similar to other places around town in the mid-​range of sushi quality. It’s safe to eat, but it’s not like what you’re going to get at Sasa or Izakaya, and to me that’s totally okay. I’d say it’s similar to Go Fish or some of the other cheaper spots around town. Value is the big pitfall of this place though. They’re charging WAY too much for the level of fish they have. Especially when the nature of the place is that it sits out on the belt for an hour everyday. Bring those prices down. Inspiration wise, there is also some work that could be done here. Some of the rolls were really good. Others were… okay. I can see this getting better with time if the company is willing to develop its menu. Maybe put down a printed survey with the check and see what people liked!
2. THE AMBIANCE — BAM. Nailed it. This place is cute, small and comfortable. The décor is great and I love how they utilized such a tiny space. The wrap-​around sushi bar makes it so the spot doesn’t get too packed too quick, with only a few booth options.
3. THE STAFF — Only one girl was working when I was there and my boyfriend said he recognized her from Sasa. Anyway, she was very sweet and we were happy with our service.
We’ll definitely be back. I hope to see the pricing fixed to match the quality and the types of rolls refined a bit. For such a funky spot, they ought to have a bit more fun with the menu.

I have a weakness for Revolving Sushi places, so I was excited to hear that Five Points/​RiNo was opening up a place and that it was owned by Jeff Osaka.
I came here on a weekday and was happy to see that this place was busy and had a good atmosphere. I liked the pop art of the maki piece as it brings some color to the restaurant.
As for the food, I probably can say the best thing I had was the California Roll. My brother and I tried a variety of nigiri pieces, rolls, and kitchen appetizers and felt they were very lackluster. The selection of fish was limited and we did recalled the same plate of salmon nigiri going round and round the entire hour that we were there.
We ordered the Chuka Ika and the mussels. The salad had maybe 2 – 3 pieces of actual squid and the rest was just seaweed. As for the mussels, there were bland and I don’t recall them really tasting like yellow curry.
The two rolls we did grab from the conveyor belt were the Chrysalis and Pumpkin Dragon were an interesting concept, however each roll had a distinct ingredient that would over-​power the rest of the flavors and turn the bite into a distasteful mess.
We actually ended up ordering the Hama Rama because we both love shishito peppers and it showed good, however the lemons that were placed on top of was super tangy and sour and again ended up overpowering the pepper, and fish.
The thing that gives this restaurant a lower rating is because the service was terrible, our server did not have a welcoming vibe, she dropped off some water and walked away, we had to flag her down just to put in some drink orders. Other servers came up to us and took our appetizer order or when we order the Hama Rama. The other factor that made my dinner experience irritating was that she would keep bumping into our shoulders or elbow every time to grab the plastic cover from the plates. First two times, it’s not a big deal, but every time you clear the area you have to gaze us it starts to get annoying.
My brother and I both agreed that Sushi Rama was alright, we left still hungry and dissatisfied despite spending a decent amount of money here.

I have been anxiously awaiting conveyor belt sushi for Denver! I didn’t care about the sushi being amazing — I wanted the belt cruising by with little plates and good music and some sake with my posse.
So get this — It is all that and more. I was freaking out at how good each roll was!
And the different colored plates that you stack up determines the pricing. The pumpkin roll was my fav.
The music was vibe setting with punk-​surf-​a-​billy when we were there and the service was spot on. Friendly but also left us alone to chat about what to try next.
The mussels were our only hot item we tried and we were literally spooning the broth up on the shells. Yep.
So — to see the medium ratings popping up — I say forget about it and go.
For the people referencing Sushi Sasa or Sushi Den — guess where most of the staff has worked. Duh, better come up with a better comparison.

I’m surprised at the low ratings Sushi-​Rama is receiving. This place has a fun atmosphere with fresh and tasty sushi! This is a great place to come with friends for a meal. I disagree with the reviewer who said don’t bring your kids. There were two families there while we were dining. If your kid is like me and has enjoyed sushi since they could eat solid food, I think this is one of the best options in town for a family… if you can snag a booth or sit upstairs.
I also disagree with the review that said it’s mostly cooked, yes there is tempura, seared tuna and smoked salmon, but most American sushi places have those options. Plus there is also plenty of nigiri with raw salmon and tuna as well as snapper and yellow tail. Additionally, the staff was friendly and helpful and made the experience even more enjoyable.
I am definitely a fan of Sushi-​Rama and I’m looking forward to returning.

Unagi, holy shit. I eat that every where and this is the best I have had in the US.
The décor is fine, do not bring your kids.
The rolls are delicious and well priced. I liked that the rolls were not made out of mayonnaise and bull shit.
Those who gave this place three stars likely have the palate of a two year old. The sushi met expectations.
Staff was attentive and very nice.
Only advice, get a beer tap. Being hipster is fine but I like to drink more than 12 ounces a serving.
Conveyor belt is neat too.
Cheers.

The concept is cute and the décor is fantastic, but when it comes down to it, the sushi is just sub-​par and I totally bought into the hype. The tiny place was totally packed at 8 pm on a Wednesday night and we waited almost half an hour to sit in front of the conveyor belt. If you don’t want to wait, they have a seating area upstairs (sans conveyor belt) where you can just order a la carte. They close at 9 and around 8 – 8:30, they stop putting new plates out onto the conveyor belt, so you just see the same plates nobody wants rotate around the bar over and over again. You can order from the menu if you want specific items that aren’t on the belt anymore, but just a heads up.
Sure, it’s worth visiting once for the conveyor belt gimmick, but if you’re looking to eat good sushi, I’d go somewhere else. The cuts of fish seemed meager and the rice just wasn’t right (fell apart, shaped oddly, too much wasabi in some nigiri, etc.) — reminded me of the mediocrity of Sushi Katsu, but at least Sushi Katsu is all you can eat for a set price.
I do appreciate the service. The manager (I think??) was very courteous and kept checking in with us while we were waiting and told us what groups of people were about to leave. The servers (not sure if I can really call them that) were quick to move the plastic lids out of the way and were quick to keep my water filled.

Three cheers for Sushi-​Rama! I’ll be honest, I thought the experience was going to be kind of hokey and disappointing but my husband really wanted to try it out so I indulged him and ended up highly impressed. The space is bright and fun, the conveyor belt concept means food on your plate within seconds and we loved all the rolls we tried. This is a great quick meal type of place and we can’t wait to go back!

Sushi-​Rama is Da Bomb!!! NOM NOM NOM.
This place is fresh, clean, stylish, and the food is so totally delish…
If you’re like me and you enjoy instant gratification, then revolving sushi will be just the thing for you! Food is always circling, awaiting our reach. And I found the fish and rolls to be super fresh, well flavored, and priced with value in mind.
Sushi-​Rama is being run by a rising star chef in the Denver community. And I can attest to the pursuit of excellence and personal pride Jesus Silva pours into this awesome new Sushi spot. Along with the Jeff Osaka as owner, this sushi place is destined for greatness!
When you walk in you’ll find a small cozy restaurant filled with bright light, happy colors, and a well trained staff who will make your time feel special. The bar seats give you first grabs at the plates of well made sushi and rolls, the booths allow larger parties to squeeze in for goodies and good times. And there’s even an upstairs for table service.
If you’re new to revolving sushi, you will love it! Just grab any plates of fresh fish, or rolls you wish and the server will count your plates at the end of your meal to add up your bill. Simple. Easy. Delish!
We had about one of everything and I must say the pumpkin roll was absolute perfection. I loved the salmon rolls, and soft shell crab was yummmmm. All of the sushi and rolls we had tasted fresh, and had excellent flavors.
Then there’s a fantastic and simple menu of apps, cooked items, and other tasty treats you’ll certainly want to explore–
The crispy spicy shrimp dish is totally out of this world yummmmmmm!
The spicy edamame is great, and the mussels are just so good!
As for the drink menu, it’s well crafted and won’t break the bank. They are offering a nice selection of beer, sake, and hand mixed cocktails that are well priced and matched with their excellent taste to accompany your sushi.
This place is fantastic and I am excited to go again soon and often…

I was lucky enough to be among the first people trying out Sushi Rama this week and had a great experience! I’ve never been to a «conveyor belt» sushi spot and I have to admit that I was skeptic — how was this going to taste? Should I be worried about the quality?
Excellent and no. We had a fun time watching food stuffs saunter by us and everything we tried was delicious. It was interactive and I could see this being a fast lunch spot for me or a fun place to go with friends for an experiential meal.
Here’s how it works:
You enter and are seated at a counter with a moving belt on which various foods are circulating on different color plates (covered with a clear plastic dome). The price of the item is denoted by the color of the plate. (See images)
Want something that’s not on the belt? They’ve got you covered. You can order other food, rolls and drinks from the waitstaff who check in on you.
Excited to have Sushi Rama in the neighborhood!

Must come once
Don’t miss Hama rama roll
be a man and don’t let the charred pepper scare you!