This New Denver Food Truck Is Serving Hibachi Favorites on Wheels

"My family cooks a lot of good food at home, so I just picked up things along the way from everybody and started putting my own twist on things," says Rico Nieto, who grew up on the west side of Denver and launched his first food truck, Hibachi House, in March. "I've been cooking pretty much my whole life, for my family and for myself," he adds.

Although Nieto enjoyed family meals at home, he relished the occasions when his family went out to eat for special celebrations — particularly at hibachi restaurants. "That was like our favorite food. Every birthday we were having hibachi," he recalls. "We would go out or have them come to the house and cook for the kids. I eventually became friends with all the hibachi chefs, and it's something that fell in line for me."

After eating hibachi food for the past twenty or so years, something finally clicked. "Since it was our favorite, I would mimic it at home and do the recipes, and just finally decided after a long time to follow my dreams and open a food truck," Nieto says. "Last year I got serious and looked into everything. Got the truck built out in Texas and got it sent over. Made sure I had everything locked in with my chefs, all my help and everything. It's a pretty tough thing to run by yourself, so without good help, it probably wouldn't work. ... I've got my brother and one of my good friends that I've known for twenty years — he's my main hibachi chef. My daughter-in-law helps out, so you know, some families and some friends make it all work."

After taking the time to establish the team and fine-tune operations, Nieto officially launched Hibachi House on March 1. "We were supposed to open mid-February and had done a ton of social marketing, but had to postpone because of licensing and everything. So everyone was anticipating the opening, and when it finally happened, it was pretty crazy," he says.
Now, just three months into operations, Nieto has taken the challenge head-on and found joy in learning new things while taking his love of hibachi to the streets. "I've always cooked at home, you know, but running a food truck-slash-mini restaurant is a bit challenging," he says. "But I think I got it."

Hibachi House serves all the classics, including chicken, steak and shrimp served over fried rice and accompanied by grilled vegetables. Nieto says his favorite is the trio. "It's a combination of the steak, chicken and shrimp. You gotta get everything," he explains. "We make our own Yum Yum sauce, our own Diablo sauce, and teriyaki sauce. We also have a ginger teriyaki sauce. In addition to the primary proteins, guests can order various sides such as lobster tails, scallops and spicy or teriyaki noodles.

One item that started as a special for Cinco de Mayo has become a staple on the menu: hibachi tacos. There are also wraps that are drizzled with Yum Yum sauce and filled with fried rice, noodles, veggies and your choice of a single protein or a two-protein combo. Pro tip: Opt for the spicy teriyaki or Diablo sauce if you prefer an extra kick.

The truck currently operates five to six days a week. "We are just taking things day by day and going to see what happens from there," Nieto says. "I'm pretty sure that everyone is familiar with hibachi food. Just come on down and give us a try. We're the best hibachi in town."

For more information, including the truck's schedule, follow it @hibachihouse303 on Instagram.