Wellness Sushi Brings Plant-Based Japanese Food to Denver

Sushi seems like the final frontier of vegan cuisine: How can you possibly dupe raw fish? But that’s exactly what chef Steven Lee and his wife, Phoebe, are doing at Congress Park’s four-month-old Wellness Sushi, the Mile High City’s first plant-based Japanese restaurant. At the fast-casual spot, Lee turns konjac (a starchy root vegetable) into battered and fried pseudo-shrimp that crunches like the real thing inside tempura rolls; crowns sushi with razor-thin eggplant that simulates slippery slices of freshwater eel; and tops ramen with soy-based soboro (ground protein). “We’re not just doing it for the [vegans],” says Lee, who is passionate about offering flavor-packed seafood alternatives that are more nutritious and sustainable than their counterparts from the ocean. The growing demand for the tastes and textures of his offerings—which include rolls, onigiri, and aburi oshi (a style of sushi that’s pressed and seared with a blowtorch)—is evidence of his success. In the past three years, the Lees’ business has evolved from a popular mobile concept to a tiny brick-and-mortar in the Golden Triangle to the current outpost on East Colfax Avenue. Don’t miss the hearty Bang Bang Broccoli Don, whose fried florets are glazed with a spicy-sweet sauce, heaped over white rice, and served with miso soup and a ginger-dressing-tossed salad.