Bamboo Sushi moved to Denver from its original home in Portland, Oregon in 2016. From humble beginnings, as a fast-casual vendor in Avanti Food & Beverage, it made its way to a brick-and-mortar location in the LoHi neighborhood and has been serving up unique Japanese cuisine since. From ribeyes with yuzu kosho butter to miso-glazed Japanese eggplant and an array of freshly sliced and sustainable fish — Bamboo Sushi offers the best of traditional and modern Japanese cuisine and now, they’re serving brunch.

“Not many people think Sushi when they think brunch,” laughed chef Jared Black. “Most people that have been coming in here are just expecting us to be a regular Sushi restaurant during the day. We wanted to do some different plays on things like fried chicken and waffles, you know, stuff like that.”

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From a play on chicken and waffles with sweet chili glazed chicken over kimchee and a cheddar waffle ($14) to avocado salmon toast ($13), homemade coconut milk yogurt topped with house-made gluten-free granola and seasonal fruit ($11) and even a sushi breakfast roll with bacon, sweet potato and cured egg yolk ($18) — Bamboo Sushi is doing way more than sushi.

“At the end of the day, the food is delicious and as far as incorporating fish into it, we still have the sushi for breakfast if people want that,” said Black.

And like any destination Denver brunch spot, Bamboo has the booze to match the bites. The two-person mimosa ($14) is made with sake and your choice of either freshly squeezed grapefruit juice or orange juice ($18). The bloody mary is topped off with house-pickled vegetables and an octopus tentacle and the Forbidden Punch($10) offers a whirlwind of fruit juice topped with strawberry demerara, Kronan Swedish Punch, Mount Gay Eclipse, Gosling’s 151 and an iced tea cube.

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A sushi joint may not be the first place that comes to mind when you imagine one of the city’s best brunch spots, but Bamboo is trying to change that stigma one dish and sip at a time because you don’t have to love fish, or even sushi for that matter, to enjoy this LoHi eatery.

Bamboo is open for brunch Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., reservations are available here and walk-ins are always welcome. It is open daily from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. at 2715 17th St., Denver. 

All photography by Emma Pion-Berlin