Sushi Katsu may be all-you-can-eat but it’s not a buffet. “Everything is fresh. Everything is made-to-order,” Chang said. “We get in fish every day.” The menu is surprisingly big, which means that a veritable army of chefs are employed in three separate areas corrresponding to the three-part menu that customers fill out.
“When an order comes in, one set of chefs do the sushi,” he said. Meanwhile, others craft 65 varieties of sushi rolls — the most popular include the 911 Roll, Dragon Roll, and Seared Salmon Roll. Still others make appetizers and entrees including gyoza, udon noodles and teriyaki in the kitchen.
“About 70 to 80 percent of our customers like the all-you-can-eat,” Chang said, although an a la carte menu is also available. “Since we took over the business it has been steadily growing — lots of families.” The lunch crowd mainly comes from Aurora but at dinner, Chang said, a diverse group of customers come from all over the metro area.
For Chang, this less profitable, made-to-order approach is a long-term investment in building loyal customers who meet at Sushi Katsu for a good deal on great food, and then tell all their friends.
•
Sushi Katsu rules: The zen of all-you-can-eat
The first rule rule of Sushi Katsu is: choose anything and everything you’d like to eat from the lunch ($13.95) and dinner ($23.95) menu.
Of course there’s sushi — tuna, spicy scallop and seared pepper albacore, and rolls ranging from yellowtail with scallion roll to calamari tempura roll.
The selection includes endless octopus salad, shrimp tempura, salmon teriyaki, BBQ ribs, and chicken yakisoba.
The second rule of Sushi Katsu is: eat everything you order… or else.
It’s not all-you-can-order and pile on your table. You have to eat what you order … yes, including the sushi rice.
The third rule of Sushi Katsu is that it is a doggy bag-free zone. And yes, they do notice if you try and slip a Philadelphia Roll into your jacket pocket.
If you don’t eat it, you pay full price for any Yellow Brick Rolls, chicken curry or fresh water eel nigiri — the single fish-topped sushi units, that you don’t finish.
Other rules specify that you can’t share your all-you-can-eat items with an a la carte person at the same table. Kids under 8 years old are half price.
Luckily, there’s a nightly 2-for-1 beer, sake and wine happy hour to help you recover from the rules.
Sushi Katsu
2222 S. Havana St., Aurora
303-368-8778; denver-sushi.com