Kumoya Brings Rare-in-Denver Dry-Aged Fish and Other Delicious Japanese Eats to LoHi

Where:

2400 W. 32nd Ave., LoHi

The Draw:

First-rate selection of fresh fish; sushi that strays from the usual

The Drawback:

Occasional hiccups might make you think twice about the price.

Noise Level:

Medium

What To Order:

Miso eggplant, mikan buri, dry-aged fish, any nigiri your server recommends, chicken katsu sandoitchi

When Kumoya Japanese Kitchen opened in LoHi in October 2023, it was intended to evoke a dreamlike state. The word kumoya, after all, means cloud shop or valley in Japanese. “That’s how I feel about nigiri, like the rice ball is a little cloud,” says chef Corey Baker. “The perfect bite is a perfect cloud dissolving in your mouth.”

Baker is no stranger to the sashimi knife. In fact, if you’ve sat at a local high-end sushi bar (such as Sushi Den, Sushi Sasa, or Sushi Hai) in the past 20 years, chances are Baker has been behind it. Prior to Kumoya, he debuted and was a minority partner in LoHi’s Sushi Ronin in 2016. That restaurant was teensy, but it marked a new phase for Baker, who leaned into a chef’s-tasting-menu format. “At Ronin, I spread my wings with omakase, but I was confined by the space,” he says. “I wanted to find a place that would give the experience to more people.”

When Tony P’s closed its Zuni Street location in 2022, Max MacKissock—chief culinary officer of the Culinary Creative Group behind Bar Dough, A5 Steakhouse, and others—tapped Baker to helm Kumoya’s kitchen and help with the restaurant’s design. Baker took advantage of the multiroom space, which has a front area with cushy banquets and a generous sushi bar, a low-lit dining room (anchored by cloudlike lights), and a back bar called Bar Kumo. “With the different rooms, you have a different feeling,” he says, “just like they’re different valleys.”

Given Baker’s pedigree, it’s no surprise that Kumoya’s fish is exquisite. Forget the typical salmon, yellowtail, and tuna options. Baker wants to push diners past culinary mundanity. One evening, I ordered the mikan buri, an orange yellowtail raised in Japan and fed—get this—tangerines and chocolate. Consider it the wagyu of fish, and damn, was it a prize. The first taste was vaguely citrusy, and the bite as a whole was sweet and creamy.

You can dive deep into offerings like black seaperch, emperor fish, and white trevally, but don’t overlook the dry-aged fish, a Japanese food tradition that’s just begun to appear in Denver. A small corner of Kumoya’s many-paged, slightly confusing menu lists these treasures, which trap all the umami into the flesh of the fish, similar to how aged beef deepens in flavor. The result is a rich, extra savory morsel, which I experienced with bites of the five-day-aged kanpachi. Still delicate and clean, the fish’s overarching impression was that of French butter.

Without exception, order the broiled eggplant. For those who’ve tucked into chef Nobu Matsuhisa’s iconic miso black cod—or one of its myriad facsimiles—envision that dish reimagined with eggplant. A cross-section arrives steaklike and topped with a layer of crunchy, toasty rice balls. Use the provided wooden spoon to dig down into the sweet, custardy flesh.

If you’re ever unsure about what to get, lean into the recommendations of your highly informed server, who will undoubtedly mention the hits-every-note sandoitchi: Marvelously squishy milk bread bookends decadent fried chicken and Japanese egg salad for the ultimate sandwich. Our server’s beverage suggestions were pro-level as well and yielded my new favorite wine, a juicy, orange-y Pinot Gris named ES Okay, sold by the glass.

Amid the must-haves, though, there were misses. A truly wonderful spotted prawn ceviche came without a spoon, and thus without a way to enjoy the superb tomato-cucumber water at the bottom of the bowl. A salmon-tartare-avocado roll promised an apple and serrano vinaigrette that delivered zero hints of either. Lastly, and most egregiously, the crab fried rice was easily the most boring $32 dish I’ve ever eaten. It arrived donburi-style in a clay pot designed to meld the ingredients and crisp the bottom layer of rice. We were instructed to mind the piping hot pot, but it was barely warm, much like the rice and cubed veggies held within. Two pieces of rosy snow crab crisscrossed the top and provided the only flavor. And I do mean that: The unseasoned dish tasted like…clouds.

Perhaps not every item meets Baker’s sky-high expectations, but my guess is that after one visit, you’ll be dreaming of a return. And why not? With a sushi menu that changes almost daily, there’s more to discover with each new bite.

Read More: 10 of Denver’s Best Sushi Restaurants

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3 More Must-Try Eggplant Dishes in Denver

Dimestore Delibar

Dimestore Delibar has been slinging dimeroll sandwiches (flattened focaccia rolled up around a delicious mess of fillings) in LoHi since 2020. Get the vegetable muffuletta, which strays from the iconic, cold-cut-loaded sando from New Orleans. In this version, chef and owner Tim Dotson piles roasted eggplant, baba ganoush, crisp cucumber, and greens on a mini homemade pita with the classic’s provolone, giardiniera, and olive tapenade. 1575 Boulder St., Unit A

Hop Alley

The eggplant with garlic sauce—a common item on Chinese American menus—is anything but ho-hum at RiNo’s nine-year-old Hop Alley. There, executive chef Geoff Cox serves flash-fried and then braised chunks of the fruit in a sticky, sweet sauce seasoned with aromatics and chile crisp and garnished with garlic oil, crunchy garlic, and sliced scallions. 3500 Larimer St.

Coperta

At nine-year-old Coperta in North Capitol Hill, culinary director and co-owner Paul Reilly does eggplant justice by turning it into a filling for ravioli. Cooked down and paired with goat cheese, oregano, pistachios, and a touch of dried fruit, this iteration will give those who are unsure about the ingredient a new appreciation for what it can do.