The mile high city has not been left out of the national ramen craze: In just the past few years, a dozen or so restaurants dedicated to the Japanese noodle have moved in. One standout is Tycoon Ramen and Sushi Bar, which opened on the busy corner of East Colfax Avenue and Logan Street in late December. Tycoon’s menu boasts salads, sushi, and dishes inspired by the street foods of Japan, Thailand, and China, but my friends and I were there for one reason only: the ramen.

We pondered options such as tonkotsu (pork belly) and lobster but
ultimately decided on the sukiyaki with sliced rib-eye and the veggie-forward miso with tofu. We also ordered two appetizers: Golden tofu arrived crispy on the outside and melty on the inside, too hot to immediately dunk into the sweet and tangy dipping sauce. I’m a vegetarian, but my friends declared the lightly fried chicken with spicy mayo the ideal comfort food. We had eaten nearly a meal’s worth before our ramen even hit the table.

5280 March 2016
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But once it arrived, we found room for the steaming bowls that drew us in the first place. My friends’ heaping servings of savory miso shoyu broth were brimming with beef, scallions, corn, enoki mushrooms, slices of fish cake, ribbons of seaweed, and hard-boiled eggs. My tofu was tender, and a spicy sauce, complete with a bright red dollop of garlic and chiles, added welcome heat to the subtle broth. We chatted and slurped, eating as much as we could before packaging up the rest for lunch the next day. With enough food for two full meals (and bowls ranging from $12 to $19), we know we’ll be back for this ramen deal. 338 E. Colfax Ave.

Our Favorites

Golden Tofu $6

JFC (Japanese Fried Chicken) $6

Sukiyaki Ramen $12

Miso Ramen $12

Chilled Sake $7 to $16