This Highland restaurant was one of Yelp's best new restaurants
Yelp released its annual list of top new restaurants across the country, and a Japanese spot in the Highland neighborhood made the list.
DENVER (KDVR) — Yelp released its annual list of top new restaurants across the country, and a Japanese spot in the Highland neighborhood made the list.
Yelp chose its "Best New Restaurants of 2024" by looking at full-service businesses in the restaurant category that opened after Jan. 1, 2023. The restaurant review website then created a list using factors like the total volume and ratings of reviews between Jan. 1, 2023, and Sept. 1, 2024.
Among the list of 25 new restaurants across the country, Denver's Kawa Ni placed 11th.
Kawa Ni named one of best new restaurants in US
This non-traditional Japanese izakaya restaurant opened in 2023 right by Postino, in a repurposed red-brick firehouse. While the establishment is new to Denver, the business stayed in Connecticut for 15 years before heading to the Mile High City, according to its website.
The restaurant, run by James Beard-nominated chef Bill Taibe, is already Michelin-recommended.
“The food offers a fun, slightly Americanized take on Japanese izakaya cuisine, giving us the freedom to create without boundaries,” Taibe told Yelp.
Taibe told Yelp the shaved broccoli salad with ham and burnt honey is the most popular dish on the menu, but he’s particularly proud of the temaki. The restaurant also has raw fish, dumplings, noodle bowls, rice bowls and more.
Here's the full list:
- Mēdüzā Mediterrania, New York City
- Noko Nashville, Nashville, Tennessee
- Meesh Meesh, Louisville, Kentucky
- Kinme Omakase, San Diego
- Burnin’ Shell, Los Angeles
- Wicked Butcher, Dallas
- Course Restaurant, Scottsdale, Arizona
- BoujieMana, San Diego
- Paseo, Anaheim, California
- Little’s Oyster Bar, Houston
- Kawa Ni, Denver
- Gannons Nashville, Nashville
- Rustica Earth Sea and Fire, St. Augustine, Florida
- El Cielo, Honolulu
- Nami, Orlando, Florida
- The Evie, Chicago
- Katami, Houston
- Kappo DC, Washington D.C.
- Sartiano’s, New York City
- Casa Pollastro, Dallas
- Carbonara, Arlington, Virginia
- Love, Makoto, Washington D.C.
- Wolf by Vanderpump at Harveys Lake Tahoe, Stateline, Nevada
- Percy, Boise, Idaho
- Catalina Kitchen + Bar, Charlotte, North Carolina
More details about each restaurant can be found on Yelp's website.
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