Sushi Ronin fans — and if you’ve eaten there, you’re probably a fan — have something to get excited about: Izakaya Ronin opens in the Industry building on Saturday, Dec. 2.
An izakaya is essentially a Japanese pub. Done well, it should be a casual, comfortable spot in which to grab a drink (or three) and some bites to eat. The experience should be leisurely, with shareable plates arriving at the table throughout the night — maybe some sushi, some noodles, some donburi.
Izakaya Ronin’s upstairs is the tamer version of the traditional izakaya. With warm lighting, a sushi bar and standard tables and seating, it’s a nice, welcoming spot to relax with a Saketini and plate of nigiri.
But go below, and you enter a cooler, subterranean izakaya featuring a red-lit bar and concrete, prison-like walls. This “Izakaya after dark” opens at 9 p.m., and it’s perfect for late-night adventures (and late-night cravings; it serves food until 1:30 a.m.).
Two things to note about Ronin’s downstairs, gritty izakaya. First, there’s ramen on the menu. But it’s not just any ramen; it could be Denver’s best ramen. Chef Corey Baker won a , but this is the first time the ramen makes an appearance on his menu.
Second, the Japanese whiskey selection is incredible. So incredible, that the rarest bottles go for $350 a shot. (They’re only allowed to import one bottle per year, thus the price tag.)
So, yeah, it’s kind of a bucket-list item for the kind of person who makes Japanese whiskey bucket lists.
Izakaya Ronin: 3053 Brighton Blvd., Denver; ; Tues.-Sat. 5-10 p.m. (downstairs Wed.-Sat. 9 p.m.-2 a.m.); opening Dec. 2