Sushi Tora

I had dinner with my friends last night. Sushi and other menus were GREAT!!! The balance of fish and rice were perfect ;) Also, the chefs and the serving staff were super friendly! As a native of Japan, I was pleasantly surprised to have the real taste of sushi in Colorado!

Celebrated my birthday early at Sushi Tora and was pleasantly surprised to see the wonderful Taka in his new role as manager! Immediately knew we were going to have a wonderful dinner! Our meal was outstanding. We look forward to the new changes at Sushi Tora which has been one of our favorite restaurants over many years. Great service, knowledgeable staff, the best sushi, creative, mature. Always reliable and fabulous ambiance for families, friends, or romantic dates.

Wow. We were told 5 minutes for a table & the host even pointed it out to us. Right as we are about to be seated a «reservation» walks in and they seat them instead in make us wait another 15 minutes for a tiny 2-​top for 3 people. Our water takes 15 minutes. And everything else is slow to follow. We note on our «Sushi sheet» and verbalize to our server that there was a SESAME allergy at the table! First roll we get has sesame all over it. They replace it. Second roll is soaked in sesame oil… They replace it. They acted as if they would comp their mistakes and we paid full price. My cousin could have died. Despite the near death experience, one of the servers was sweet and the food was decent.

About twice a year I come to Tora because it is only about twice a year that I come to Boulder. It was the ONLY sushi place in Boulder that I would go to because it was THE BEST.
Now, I will probably never come back. Sad, as I will now have to probably find some other place further down in Denver or not eat sushi in Colorado for the time being.
I feel like this place has switched ownership once again. The familiar faces from about half a year ago aren’t behind the bar anymore. Much has changed. Including the service and food. It seems that our server should’ve had just a little bit more training before her first solo mission. If we get our apps before our drinks, that’s not good. If there are empty plates in front of us for 30 minutes, that too is also really not good.
We got sat at the bar in front of an unfamiliar chef. To claim that you were trained in Japan and have decades of experience in the art, you better have the skills and knowledge to back it up. Sadly, he fell short. He was more interested in trying to teach me about chemical reactions rather than getting our order right. And that too, was short. If you’re to talk chemistry with someone who minored in analytical chemistry, you should REALLY know what you’re talking about. Especially if you are talking down to them.
All this could’ve been overlooked if it wasn’t for one thing. The fish. The reason I kept coming back year after year. I remember the most buttery salmon and hamachi the world had to offer. The reddest tuna that one can put in their mouth. The mackerel that had the perfect balance of vinegar to oil to fish taste. The sweetest, most delectable uni in the state. And now? For lack of a better word, CRAP on a plate. We do what we always did and ask the chef to just make us whatever was good. So he did. Literally everything he made was drenched in some «special» sauce or had 5 different garnish on it. You couldn’t even taste the fish and it left a peculiar after taste. So we told him to stop and just ordered some sashimi and nigiri. It was then that I realized why everything was covered up. The tuna and hamachi had a slight grayish tone to it and tasted… brine-​y? The salmon was wet. Not moist, wet. And mushy. The mackerel was dry. DRY! The ika had this slimy texture to it and tasted like it sat in the back of the fridge for too long. I had to spit that one out. We didn’t even finish the rest of it.
At first I didn’t believe all these bad reviews that I have been reading. Thought that maybe it was just a bunch of people that didn’t really know what sushi was. It was truly sad when I found out for myself. Sad that what was once an amazing sushi restaurant has turned into this. I agree, Tora will not be here much longer. RIP Sushi Tora. RIP.

I would just like to point out that the most recent 5 star review for this place is from a member of their very own management. How do I know this. he recently reached out to me via Unilocal on my terrible experience and «apologizing.» Then what do you know… The same person leaves a 5 star rating with quote «great service»… Well if that not misleading and doesn’t give you a bad taste in your mouth I don’t know know what will…

Unfortunately something happened at what was a GREAT sushi and ramen spot. Nothing’s the same and it’s for the worst. We went last night and ordered all the same pieces we always do, and couldn’t eat more than 3. The sushi was dry, old, really disgusting. The service was fine but did not feel like an authentic sushi restaurant anymore, but a misfit. The music and lack of warmth took away from what used to be a nice ambiance. So sad, this place won’t be here much longer.

Toras time has come and gone, don’t know if new management or just getting stale. Been coming here since 2006 now no better than takeout sushi in anywhere Colorado… last 3 visits the same… bad to no service and average sushi at best… seems they lost their passion… we will move on… damn shame was some of the best sushi on the west coast no less Colorado

I don’t know if something emotionally tolling happened to the staff today, but if it wasn’t, and customer service is something you value, then this spot should be avoided.
I’m actually kinda blown away by how rude people can be. Rule number one in life, and definitely at work is just «don’t be a jerk».

If you want to be abused and humiliated this is a place to go. Horrible service. They actually forgot to place our order and only said that they are sorry after half an hour wait, in a very off handed way. The impression we got was that they didn’t really know what they were doing nor that they really cared much. Of course we walked out and looked for a place that actually knows how to treat their customers.
You would do much better by avoiding this place altogether and stepping into Zoe Mama right next-​door for a great bowl of fantastic duck noodle soup. Much more authentic.

I recently moved to Boulder from San Francisco; I didn’t really do any research before moving here, just packed up and headed for the beautiful Rocky Mountains. I was worried about finding a really, truly, genuinely DELICIOUS sushi place… this concern hit me about halfway through my flight here. Thankfully, a friend introduced me to Sushi Tora the very night I arrived in Boulder, Colorado… and now I can sleep at night :)
I wouldn’t necessarily call myself a sushi expert, but I have consumed sushi probably anywhere around 10 million times so far in my life, and I plan on continuing this sushi obsession. Sushi Tora fulfilled my every need. The menu is expansive, the sushi is delectable, the ramen is to die for, and I would recommend sake and Japanese beer to accompany your feast.
This sushi restaurant is tucked away in a nook right off the West end of Pearl street. Find it, and LOVE it. I know I did.

Disclaimer: I’ve only ever been here on weekends so I’ve never had the sushi.
If you’re looking for an actually decent ramen place in Colorado, this is the place to go (only on weekends). The tonkotsu ramen does not disappoint — rich, flavorful, served with a generous slice of chashu (roasted pork) and other delicious toppings, this is the only place with ramen I’m actually a fan of here. The pork belly buns are also SUPER DELICIOUS but people have caught wind of this so if you don’t come early enough, they might be sold out. The service has been excellent every time I’ve come in with the water always being refilled. Can’t wait for my next visit :)

Ate here for lunch on a Saturday. Great service, amazing food! We got kimchi pork buns which I could seriously eat my weight of. Also got a Tonkasu and Miso ramen, both were bursting with savory goodness. Side of kimchi so so good but a bit salty. Warm towel to wash with before meal was just icing on the cake.

Wow, Sushi Tora has become a shadow of its former self.
Some coworkers and I came here for dinner last night, a Wednesday night. The place was bustling but not insane and we came around 8 so most of the tables were winding down.
It looks like they have changed hands a couple of times and as a result the menu has changed and the service really wasn’t there either.
The exciting array of traditional dishes and interesting fish has gone away. The fish menu was all the usual suspects with four fish specials.
Those specials are what saved this review from a single star. I got the red snapper nigiri and pike mackerel nigiri and both of those were incredible. Everything else I got: Anago, maguro, hamachi new style, was just pretty meh. The cuts were generous and the rice balls for the nigiri were a good size, but the overall dining experience wasn’t there.
We had several incidents where our server outright set dishes in front of the wrong person and a couple folks ended up accidentally eating the wrong dish as a result. If one of us proactively flagged her with «You can put that right here» she’d set the dish in the middle of the table. The order and frequency of the dishes was erratic and nonsensical. There were long periods between food delivery so occasionally we’d have nothing to do but talk and watch one person eat his/​her food, then 10 minutes later a couple of us would be trying to balance 2 or 3 plates.
I used to think this place was bar standard in Boulder for great sushi but now it’s Just Another Sushi Restaurant.

Get the Chirashi bowl, and the mussels!!! Awesome meal!!!
Service was great sushi chefs are personable atmosphere was great!
I’ll be back!!!

Not bad, but not the best sushi I’ve had. I always try to sit at the sushi bar because the sushi chefs usually make special rolls for you as an appetizer of sorts. I was a little bummed out that we didn’t get any special treatment, but ah well, what can you do?
Off the bat, I was surprised by the prices. «Maybe it means the fish is really fresh and delicious,» I thought to myself. So we went ahead and ordered two rolls. They came out looking beautiful, but to my surprise, the taste didn’t blow me away. In fact, they tasted pretty ordinary. So when the bill came, I felt duped. We had just paid top dollar for a meal that looked stunning, but tasted mediocre.

Best ramen in colorado. My girlfriend and I try to make it here sunday mornings before they run out of tonkatsu broth. They only serve ramen saturday lunch and sunday all day, but they run out of tonkatsu broth by 12ish early sunday. So you know its good stuff. But rest assure if you cant make it in time for tonkatsu broth, the spicy shoyu broth is wonderful too. And to add to the total awesomeness… pork buns. O.M.G. the finisher. As if their ramen wasn’t good enough. They have these incredible pork buns. Super tender meat perfectly glazed with fitting garnishes and japanese mayo. This bun is so good it should be illegal. Must eat. Definetly worth the 30 minute drive here.

Ramen was well prepared and soup was very tasty.
Ramen price is ok but kimchi was over priced I think.

Before choosing a Japanese restaurant in Boulder I perused Unilocal like I often do. The picture of the bento box drew me right in.
I called ahead for reservations (I was taking a friend out for a thank you dinner) and was happy to be seated upon arrival though we were a few minutes early. At this point the restaurant was about ¼ full.
Our waitress was friendly though I suspect she may have been new. Our appetizer came right out (yasai tempura– yum and not too hot) and she took our food order shortly thereafter.
As the restaurant filled I noticed it started getting a little louder. I’m not sure if it’s the way the space is built but it became difficult to converse with my friend just across the table.
My friend’s sashimi came out first and his sushi rolls came out shortly thereafter. About 20 minutes post sushi rolls (which just sat on the table while we waited for my food) we pulled our waitress aside to follow-​up on my teriyaki chicken (yes folks, I do go to Japanese restaurants and order teriyaki chicken, quite consistently actually). She noted that it should be ready soon but sometimes it can take a bit longer than the other food and she’d follow-​up on it. I’d say it was another 10 – 15 minutes before my chicken came out. I do want to note that the waitress was apologetic and treated us to a round of hot saki which I thought was very nice.
Once my food did arrive I was happy with the presentation though I would very much have liked if it came with rice. I was super hungry at this point so I just went for it and ended up finishing my chicken before my friend finished his rolls.
The desserts looked fun and I was happy that my friend was game for the banana tempura with chocolate and caramel sauce. When the dessert arrived I was excited as well as disappointed. The chocolate and caramel sauce with powdered sugar were decorative (on the edges of the plate only) whereas I had envisioned them drizzled generously over the banana tempura. The banana tempura tasted great but it was very bland due to the minimal amount of sauce.
Overall I’m happy to have tried a new place. I’m a huge fans of bento boxes so I suspect I will be back sometime soon to give that a try.

I saw this spot listed by Thrillist as one of the must-​go-​to spots for sushi in America and I was surprised. Fresh fish so far from the ocean? Well, I sought to try the place out for myself and it didn’t disappoint.
I came in for lunch and it wasn’t too busy. They have lunch specials here that are pretty well priced. The waitress said the sashimi combo would have fewer pieces of fish, so I went with the chirashi bowl, which is served with rice and in a cute bento box.
Yum — two pieces of octopus, tuna, salmon, tamago (sweet scrambled egg), mackerel, eel, and 1 – 2 other white fish I couldn’t identify. The fish was delicious and the rice had small black mushroom bits in it to give it some flavor! I sat at the sushi bar and watched the sushi chefs work, making the experience more fun.

This is one of my favorite places to get sushi. When I come for lunch, I usually get the chirashi because it’s a large amount of rice and fish for a decent price. The sushi here is fresh (probably the most fresh sushi in town). The nigiri here is really good. I like the fatty tuna because it has a smokey flavor to it. The bento boxes are really good too and offer a lot of variety. I usually like tempura dishes. They do a good job here with tempura and don’t over fry them.
Make sure to come during lunch on the weekends for ramen. It’s absolutely amazing! The pork belly in the ramen is to die for. Also, I recommend the pork buns. They are savory and sweet and are delicious appetizers!