KoKo Ni

I had the most special experience at Koko Ni last night. I drove all the way down to Denver from Fort Collins and had the 10 course tasting menu at the chef's counter and every bite was incredible and well worth the drive. I arrived to the restaurant early at 8pm for an 8:30 reservation to account for time to park, it is quite busy on a Saturday night and mostly street parking which the restaurant called to let me know the day prior. They weren't quite ready for me so they led me to their outdoor patio and gave me a glass of cava while I waited. Once the experience started each dish was well timed and spaced out so I didn't get too full by the end. All of the dishes had so much flavor and complexity. They were all composed so that you could taste each individual flavor without them being muddied together or lost with one ingredient overpowering he rest. They really focus on using seasonal and locally sourced ingredients and the quality of the food and passion the chefs have for the ingredients shows. The customer service was incredible. The front of house staff was so attentive, though I arrived early for my reservation they provided me a glass of cava and checked on me regularly providing me with updates for my seating and apologized for the wait. Once I was seated they helped me pick out wine that would pair well with each half of the menu since I couldn't do the wine pairing since I was driving. Their recommendations were wonderful and went well with all of the food. They were also very knowledgeable about the food and explained the different elements of each dish.Their menu changes about every 6-8 weeks to follow the seasonally available ingredients, but here are some highlights of the menu I experienced:Carrot: beautiful balance of savory and freshness. The addition of marigold to the dish really stood out. Oxtail: both rich and light. I find it challenging to have this balance which such a rich ingredient but they managed to make this dish also feel light. The oxtail is served on their version of an English muffin which could have made the dish feel dense, instead it was perfectly spongy and held the flavors well. Ravioli: I'm not quite sure how to explain this dish other than magical. I could eat this everyday.Foie: I am a sucker for foie gras, this was wonderfully rich and exciting on their French toast. What was unexpected and so exciting was the pine bud syrup that was paired with this. I'm looking forward to returning to see what Chef James has planned for the next menu.

Five stars for Chef James and the team at Koko Ni!!I dined here last Friday as a special treat for my birthday after a long week working in rural CO. I reserved the 10-course tasting menu, with a 7:30 pm seating, and planned around 2 hours for the experience. This was my first tasting-menu experience and I was really excited for Koko Ni's early spring menu! I was seated at the end of the counter with perfect view of the open kitchen preparations and the counter where Chef James was assembling the Garden and dessert courses. My observations were that this team was well oiled, never rested a minute, and every dish was assembled with care and precision. Before making my reservation, I read other reviews complaining about the 'slow service' but I did not see that. I saw chefs and sous chefs hustling to assemble beautiful plates with a focus on consistency, and a room full of diners who ranged from appreciative foodies to over-privileged and over-expectant eaters. All I can say is haters gonna hate, but this team of creative people on a mission to support sustainable producers, to serve the highest quality ingredients, and to come up with inventive ways to tantalize taste buds is above that.I will admit though that 2 hours was not enough for 10 courses, and though I thoroughly enjoyed every bite I had, I had to forfeit my last three plates so I could get to the airport to catch a flight. Here again the team was great, comping my drink and giving me a discount, plus offering to prep a dessert for me to go. I call that fantastic customer service.I will definitely be back.A few final notes:-- Koko Ni is small with seating for maybe 30 or so people - so definitely make a reservation-- Koko Ni is located in the RiNo district (River North) which is a busy and highly trafficked area - street parking is free but tight, so plan time to find a spot-- The experience is expensive, but the restaurant is farm to table, focusing on quality ingredients, supporting sustainable businesses, and paying living wages. Add in Denver rent, and the 22% service charge is worth it. I wish all restaurants could be affordable for all, but these days you truly get what you pay for.

THE DETAILS!!! Bold flavors, warm space, kind staff. Truly such a delicious experience. I'll never get over this 10-course omakase... the sashimi???? The oxtail??? Every dish left me so satisfied. Seasonal and sustainable too! Aside from the food, the drinks are wonderful. I actually ordered a non alcoholic bev, but added vodka and it was unbelievably refreshing and light. I can't recall the name, but it had brioche (yes, the bread), honey, lemon, and yuzu! Can't wait for their next menu. Ya do it and ya do it well!!!

Incredible meal from start to finish! The staff are all passionate about food, friendly and engaging. We had an outstanding dinner, and I will not be surprised when they earn a Michelin star! There were too many dishes to pick a favorite, so from the dust bite to the last you will be moved!

Food:We did the 10 course Omakase tasting. The courses were beautiful in color and fresh. I personally didn't like a big portion of them taste-wise. It was very southwestern influenced which is just not my taste profile. My partner liked a lot more than I did. The sashimi was amazing in a tomato ponzu. The duck was not gamy at all, which is hard to do. But the rest were not to my personal taste. Something about it was not the right acidity or flavor profiles. I really wanted the tortellini to have the lobster inside of the tortellini but instead it was just a tiny little piece on top.Service: Mostly good but it did take a long time to get our drink order in which was a bit surprising/annoying. The cadence afterwards was good though.Ambience and Afterwards:Walking in, we were welcomed by a very strong smell of something like rotten eggs. It was very potent and not a good smell at all. The restaurant is super small! Four 2-4 person tables, one larger table, and 5 bar seats. Very quant and exclusive. One thing that was a little surprising was I went out to the bathroom and no one stopped me to tell me there was a code for the bathroom. This place is so small. There's no way several workers didn't notice I was leaving to the bathroom. I had to turn around and come back to get the code. You should really have the bathroom code on the door out.Additionally after dinner, we both got very very sick immediately following dinner. We are certain this was caused by Koko Ni. Possibly food contamination. Pretty upset for the price of $450 we received this experience. Won't be returning.

What an experience! @kokonidenver has such beautiful presentation, and it tastes even better. Rarely do we get to experience restaurants who care about their food so much, the chefs ‍ present and explain every single dish to the table. Such ambiance too! Nice place to cozy up in Rhino.American Bluefin: ponzu, crispy garlic,spicy greensOysters: beet mignoite, pickledcucamelons, fish crackersTortellini: lobster, brodo, braisedgreensDry Aged Duck: ancho chile, black garlic,ramps, legumesBar Steak: Colorado beef, smokedjus, potatoes, greengarlic

We went on a great date at KoKo NI last night and it was amazing! We did the 10 course Omakase and we could highly recommend it! the servers and host were attentive and friendly! The Chef and the cooks were also very nice and passionate. That was well reflected in the food they presented! Lexis favorite dish from the tasting was the mussel! (She loved the beef bits on it!!!) Mine was the dry aged duck! With a silky smooth carrot and marigold purée. And the plum jus was to die for. The salad was my second favorite dish. It felt like a breath of fresh air. However it was an expensive meal! About 350$ for two tasting menus (no wine pairing), with two cocktails! This tasting menu highlighted high end ingredients all in one. (Such as yellowtail, duck, lobster, truffles) Overall, great experience! We recommend you try it! Dan & Lexi

Amazing food, absolutely fantastic. 10 courseMenu, flavors for days, and the use of local and organic food sources was great. Some of the most memorable bites I've ever had. Nice intimate environment so conversation can be held naturally without yelling over loud music or ambient noise.Only thing keeping this from 5 stars is the service is not great (3 stars, maybe). We were seated 25 minutes late without any real updates, and servers seemed nervous, and often stumbled through what they were trying to describe. They automatically include a service fee, so we weren't able to truly express how we felt about the service.This was one of the most expensive dinners we've had in Denver, and the service did not meet the caliber of the food! I hope they invest in some more seasoned staff.

On a cold Monday night, I met a friend here for grandma dinner at 5pm. We were the only ones for 5pm but then the house was full around 6ish. It was also really cool that the James Beard curator Paul Qui was there.Things to note:1) Prefixed 10 course menu 2) Pre-pay on Tock but for drinks3) No adult liberations but I didn't care bc you know dry January but I wonder why and they had some really good mocktails. Is this BYOB?!!!! No idea - but take me back to Philly where this is a thing4) Japanese/French fusion. But I do not know how much true fusion was happening vs there was some Asian inspired and French inspired dishesThe Food and Service:1) overall - I had a beautiful experience but this wasn't one dish that stood out except for the Filipino inspired oxtail and Coconut Pannacota for dessert, so it wasn't that French or Japanese! 2) not a huge fan of the duck tongue dish bc it was greasy but really enjoyed the duck main3) relaxed atmosphere for a higher end dinner with just a few tables and one larger one for a group of 6-8/104) service was on point throughout the night I liked this new spot - or at least new to me and I live in this neighborhood. If I was to compare this to other fine dining experiences - it's def on par but it does not blow my expectations. I think I need to come back for their Filipino inspired menu bc it seems to be their thing thing and it's one of the very very few Asian inspired fined dining. So come, support all the good people in this kitchen, and happy lunar New Years.

Koko Ni is pure perfection. The food is beyond amazing with an abundance of flavors and uniqueness. The dishes are served with an outstanding presentation and description from the chefs or waiters. I highly recommend Koko Ni as the most amazing culinary experience EVER!!!!!