New Hibachi Spot Heats Up Denver With Sizzling Plates

On a Monday at 6 p.m., it’s a relatively quiet scene at the storefront located off West Eighth Avenue and Galapagos Street. People are trickling in to place to-go orders, and a couple of diners sit at the tables. Chef and owner Haryati “Ann” Ke greets customers and works behind the counter with two employees. They all take turns prepping meals on the hibachi-style stovetop in the small open kitchen, which is visible to patrons.

Sizzling Hibachi debuted in the space that was formerly home to Jamaican Grill on July 28. The cozy space seats around twelve people and is quaintly decorated with dark-blue walls and shelves displaying Asian figurines, prints and plants. The extensive menu features a variety of appetizers like pan-fried pork gyoza, coconut shrimp eggrolls, bao buns, hibachi and teriyaki dishes, katsu, boba smoothies and more.

The stars, though, are the sizzling plates that start at $10; add-ons like meat, tofu, veggies and cheese can be tacked on for an extra fee. During my visit, the meals took no more than ten minutes to come out, steaming hot and full of flavor. Verdict: They're deserving of the recent hype they've gotten on social media.
“Our most popular dishes are the hibachi combo [with chicken, beef, shrimp, mixed vegetables, rice and yum yum sauce]; the spicy pepper sizzling plate; and the creamy pasta sizzling plate. The sizzle not only makes a show for the presentation, but it also makes it taste better and creamier,” Ke explains. “A lot of people have been asking for the creamy pasta and spicy sizzling plates because they saw it online. And we’ve had a lot of repeat customers tell us how much they love our food.”

According to Ke, the idea for Sizzling Hibachi was inspired by Pepper Lunch, a Tokyo-based chain with more than 500 outposts worldwide including locations in California, Nevada and Texas. Like Sizzling Hibachi, Pepper Lunch serves up sizzling dishes on a steaming hot cast iron plate with options such as its signature Pepper Rice, teriyaki, curry, pasta and more.

“I always travel to Los Angeles and Las Vegas, and my family loves Pepper Lunch. I started to make my own version at home, and one day my son said, ‘You should open a restaurant in Denver,’” Ke recalls. “I thought Denver would love it because there’s nothing like it here. It’s a good concept, especially for winter, when people want to stay warm.”

(Notably, Tasty Pot in Aurora offers a similar dish called sizzling skillets.)
Ke, originally from Indonesia, moved to Denver around 22 years ago. She owns Sizzling Hibachi as well as Tokyo Hibachi and Slammin Chicken in Lakewood, Binge Hot Chicken in Wheat Ridge, and multiple locations of Asuka Ramen and Poke with her husband. “I’m always trying to find new ideas and figure out what I can do next,” she shares.

Ke purchased the building where Sizzling Hibachi is housed because “renting in the restaurant space is super expensive right now.”

As for future plans, she has some ideas in the works, but she needs to find another spot to purchase first.

Sizzling Hibachi is located at 709 West Eighth Avenue and is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. For more information, visit sizzlinghibachi.com.