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You may have noticed something missing at some Denver restaurants lately: menus. At these tasting-menu-only restaurants, chefs—not you—decide what you’re having for dinner. Often called “omakase,” which translates to “I leave it up to you” in Japanese, this proliferating practice typically encompasses fancier ingredients, more courses but smaller bites, some sort of foam (there’s always a foam), and a bill higher than rent at your first apartment.
Dinner at the following restaurants will set you back between $75 and $235 per person before tax and tip, assuming you go with the cheapest menu offered and don’t drink anything but water. So yeah, leaving your meal’s fate in the hands of talented chefs doesn’t come cheap. But if you’ve got several hundred dollars burning a hole in your pocket, here are seven tasting-menu restaurants in Denver to consider—along with some insight from Yelp because I didn’t have the budget to visit them all.
Ukiyo
Price: $175
Denver’s newest omakase restaurant is Ukiyo, which opened earlier this month in the subterranean lair (or basement) of Bao Brewhouse. There, chef Phraseuth “Paul” Sananikone creates 18 over-the-top courses twice nightly for a dozen guests at a time. The Lao-Texan chef highlights his own culinary history in dishes like the barbecue-sauce-topped tuna served under a smoke-filled glass; sticky rice with Laotian jerky and papaya salad; and, the best bite of the night, an oyster topped with tamarind paste, fish sauce, and bird’s eye chiles. You’ll also enjoy a trio of progressively fatty tuna nigiri, a play on tartare with wagyu on crispy bread, and $18-a-piece cocktails.
Yelp says: “As a CO native, our food scene has always been sad, but places like this give me hope! Presentation was top notch, 18 courses at a perfect pacing, service was almost Michelin star.” – Amanda A.
Beckon
Price: $180
The OG of Denver’s tasting-menu-only restaurants, Beckon opened in November 2018 to the sort of fanfare you can only rile up when dinner for two costs $500. There was hype and waitlists and drooling foodies anxious to sit in one of 17 seats gazing into the central kitchen, where chef Duncan Holmes and his team still whip up eight-course menus nightly involving dishes like squab, foie gras mousse, and langoustine (a type of miniature lobster). The setting feels more like a dinner party than a restaurant, but only if the dinner parties you’re accustomed to involve gourmet bark bread made from Aspen-sourced flour. The service and extras—blankets if you’re cold! condoms in the bathroom!—are as on-point as the food.
Yelp says: “What a transcendent meal. WOW. I have a new favorite restaurant in Denver.” – Kristie C.
The Wolf’s Tailor
Price: $160 indoor & $185 outdoor
Just three Denver restaurants currently possess Michelin stars, and all three of them are tasting-menu-only spots—Beckon, Brutø, and the Wolf’s Tailor—because apparently Michelin reviewers really hate menus. The latter two come from chef-owner Kelly Whitaker, whose Wolf’s Tailor has intrigued diners since it opened in 2018 with an Italian-Japanese (don’t call it fusion!), zero-waste, house-milled-grain-focused menu. There’s no denying the sort of culinary innovation going on here, which is best experienced in one of the private patio tents, but compared to some of the other spots on this list, you may leave looking for a snack.
Yelp says: “Is it grammatically or rhetorically wrong to say, ‘The Wolf’s Tailor is the cat’s meow’? Is it wrong to say, ‘Our $650 dinner for 2 was “reasonably” priced’?” – David M.
Koko Ni
Price: $125
You’ll get 10 courses of new-to-you bites at Koko Ni—unless you often eat uni tostadas with Iberico ham and Jonah crab tom kha, in which case we need to go to dinner with you more often. The omakase menu from chef de cuisine James Gnizak is predominantly Japanese, with French influences and high-end ingredients (see: uni, Iberico ham, Jonah crab) thrown in for good measure. Expect Instagram-worthy plating, Colorado-grown produce, sustainably sourced seafood, and a fairly bare-bones atmosphere for the price point.
Yelp says: “I really enjoy coursed dinners and have sought them out around Denver. This one had some unique qualities like; local sourcing, a capsaicin removed habanero, sake vermouth, and purposeful interaction with each of the 3 chefs. That said, I do feel like the restaurant as a whole is still establishing its personality.” – Korey S.
The Guest
Price: $225–295
The most expensive tasting menu in town is also the most mysterious. You won’t find a menu for the Guest posted anywhere, and you also won’t find its address. Yes, even the restaurant’s location is a secret, and you don’t find out where it is until you book. That’s quite the leap of faith considering you’re shelling out more than $200 per person, plus another $150 if you want beverage pairings. But if you’re looking for an ultra-exclusive experience you can brag to your frenemies about, the three-hour, 12 to 16 course dinner at the Guest fits the bill.
Yelp says: “The service here is perfect. The plate presentation is TV quality! The 16 course dinner was to die for.” – Steve L.
Brutø
Price: $145–160
When chef Michael Diaz de Leon announced he was leaving Brutø in December, we were a little worried about what would happen to the tiny, Latin America¬–meets-Asia restaurant. This month our fears were alleviated when Top Chef alum Byron Gomez took over the kitchen. According to Brutø’s website, Gomez’s new menu is inspired by the architectural style of brutalism, although we’re not sure how yet (the menu launched this week), and we’re really hoping that he brings his Costa Rican heritage to the menu at some point. The interior design here is a blank canvas for the ultra-creative food, so don’t go in looking for decorating tips so much as six courses that will make your taste buds kick up their heels. For what it’s worth, out of all of Denver’s tasting menu restaurants, Brutø is the one that made 5280’s 2023 Best Restaurants list.
Yelp says: “Food is 5 star, service is 5 star, and ambiance is 4.5 star. Would I pay this much to eat here again? Maybe, but probably not. Is this for everyone? Definitely not. This restaurant is specifically for foodies with deep pockets who seek adventure, cutting edge, and the excitement of witnessing a restaurant in hot pursuit of perfection.” – John L.
Margot
Price: $75–125
You definitely won’t leave hungry after dinner at Margot, which pops up Sunday nights inside Coperta (10 courses) and Monday nights inside Noisette (five courses). Chef Justin Fulton cooks up an on-point contemporary American menu, and while the dishes may not be as out-of-the-box as at similar restaurants, you’ll get fantastic takes on standards like beef tartare, dry-aged duck, and gnocchi with a Parmesan broth. Bonus: Oenophiles will appreciate the thoughtful wine pairings.
Yelp says: “Just amazing! This pop-up is seriously taking food seriously. From the start of the meal to the final, you’re treated as if you have the place to yourself.”– D. Scott C.
