Sakaba

We have lived all over the world and eaten at some of the finest Japanese restaurants in existence, and happily plonked down a small fortune for the pleasure. The only thing this restaurant had in common with any of them was the small fortune. We went in with rather high expectations given that the restaurant is in the Ritz Carlton Hotel and that online ratings were reasonably high, but we were really disappointed. The first hint of a problem was the menu. I've never been to a high-end Japanese restaurant that didn't have a menu at least three times the size of this one. All of the dishes were very average, and no better than what we can get at a shopping mall Japanese restaurant. The fish they used for the sashimi was, quite frankly, tasteless. Same for the rolls. I have no idea why people dine at this place. On the bright side, our waitress was very pleasant and provided excellent service. Bottom line, if you're looking for great Japanese, look elsewhere, and if you're headed for the Ritz, Carlton Bachelor Gulch, try one of the other excellent restaurants in that establishment.

Highlights:
* One of two Restaurant Dining Options at the Ritz Carlton, Bachelor Gulch, CO
* Good Sushi, Nigiri , Hamachi, Tataki, Black Cod and standard Japanese Dishes with Ritz quality service
* Open only for dinner

There are only two dining options at the Ritz as you have to drive to Beaver Creek or Vail for a greater variety, but fortunately Sakaba is a good option for Japanese fare. We dined on June 18th, their reopening night. Omakase and some dishes were not yet available as one of the former or expected Chefs was not yet working in the restaurant. We sampled about 7 or 8 dishes and they were all pretty good. Spicy Tuna Crispy rice which seems to be a universally found dish these days was very good as was the Miso Black Cod. I was surprised at the pricing of the A5 Wagyu at $58 per ounce, way above the norm, perhaps a misprint.

Both Sakaba and Wild are overseen by Executive Chef Jasper Schneider, a graduate of the French Culinary Institute in New York and a student of Eric Rupert at Le Bernardin. Jasper oversaw restaurant operations in Anguilla, Hawaii, St. Thomas, Turks & Caicos as well as the Ritz In Maryland prior to coming to Colorado in 2018.

The Ritz is a great property, quiet. In winter it has it's own ski lift outside the back door. Tennis courts are a short walk as well as nice hiking trails, great Mountain Views, a pool and some light entertainment. The finest Japanese dining is to be found at Matsuhisa, a Nobu property in Vail, but if you're at the Ritz and want to eat here, Sakaba should not disappoint.

There's a fair wine list with markups around 2-3 times wholesale and retail including cocktails and some Champagnes starting around $110.

Amazing food with a covered and heated outdoor patio. The nicest outdoor patio in Beaver Creek. They allow dogs on the patio. Recommendations by the waiter were spot on - hamachi and crispy rice to start. We had the the lobster roll and spicy tuna roll and the Yuzu tart for dessert which was excellent.

The place is pretty cool aestheticly, and the service was fine, but food is a joke. If you are up from Denver and have been to either Hapa or Sushi Den you will be sorely disappointed...oh yeah and all for 4x the price.

Of course it's the Ritz and all that, but a spade is a spade. Place has strip mall grade sushi.

Bummer.

For the price, it can be beat. At this price point, you expect ambiance and world-class service. Folks in flip flops, t-shirts, and little kids are expected at some resort hotels. But if I'm staying at a residence at the Ritz-Carlton I would have hoped for better. Dinner for two at $500 should have been a better experience.

Salads is ok. 3.5 stars. Food is good but the ambiance/environment is not great. Very loud and the experience doesn't feel special at all.

As a Sakaba regular with my family for over two years, I decided it was finally time to write a review on the AMAZING experience at this wonderful gem after our last visit.

I'll start with the ambience--phenomenal! Casual and intimate there is an indulgent feeling of elegance with fresh sushi and handcrafted cocktails by wonderful bartenders. The servers really take the time to make guests feel comfortable and are very knowledgeable about the menu. They have ALL been truly outstanding!

What a nice surprise to see our favorite bartender Colby is now the manager! Good job management! Nice to see you promoting your shining stars. Colby and Daniel have always been master mixologists-so knowledgeable about cocktails and even remember what we ordered in the past. Now that's the sign of some amazing bartending if you ask me!

This visit had a slightly different feel to it in what can only be described as better-which we didn't think was possible-and the only thing we can put our thumb on is Colby being the new manager. We have always appreciated his attention to detail and the way he makes customers instantly at ease with his charm and knowledge. The whole restaurant seemed to have a new vibe and energy and it really set the tone for a great meal. Our kids are young and while they haven't always enjoyed sushi our visit this time was really outstanding. Our server made sure the kids found things they hadn't tried before and Colby stopped by several times to check on us and add some needed humor when the youngest turned up her nose at the fish.

All in all, another great trip on the books for this happy family and we couldn't recommend Sakaba more! Yes, it's expensive, but it is definitely worth the splurge!!

Back, outdoor room is fantastic and added to the enjoyment of food. Delicious uni, great toro, yummy ramen. Who knows what to expect from a hotel-based, "local" sushi joint but it's outstanding and worth a drive!

The food was very impressive but besides that it was one of the worst services I've ever experienced. They messed up our order and we're not apologetic. Took 20 minutes to just get water and 30 minutes to get drinks. It was a random Thursday night it shouldn't be this bad of service.I would not return and would tell everyone to not go here

We had one of the most delicious and memorable meals of our life here. Yes, it's expensive, so you have to go in knowing that to get this quality of fish flown in daily to the base of a ski mountain and prepared to this level by incredibly talented chefs, you are going to pay a big premium.

But given that context of an expensive, special-occasion meal, Sakaba absolutely blew our minds. Hands down the best sushi we have ever had, and we have enjoyed sushi at many places, from fancy to divey strip-malls, all over the place. The jalapeño hamachi was a particular standout, along with the seared tuna and all of the sauces that went with each fish to complement the flavors perfectly. I wish I could afford to eat here every night.

The service was also perfect and the recommendations for sushi and sake were spot on.