Start with Pop Sushi. It is the one Durango restaurant built around a sushi bar, it posts its hours and its full menu online, and it is open on Mondays. For lunch sushi, or sushi mixed with steak and fusion plates, look at East by Southwest and Rice Monkey. For poke and ramen, Akami.
Four names, and the choice mostly comes down to what time you get hungry. Pop does not open until 4 p.m. The other two will feed you at noon.
Where is the best sushi in Durango?
Pop Sushi, 42 County Road 250, Unit 400. Pop calls itself a sushi bar and lounge. The menu runs from nigiri and sashimi to signature rolls, small plates, ramen and rice bowls. Its site says it sources premium seafood and cooks to time-honored Japanese technique. It is also the one place here where we could confirm a full priced menu and a posted schedule online.
A small tip about the address: Bread's North Shop bakery is at 42 County Road 250 too. So you can buy a loaf at 7 a.m. and eat a spicy tuna roll at the same address at dinner, if you like long days.
East by Southwest, 160 E College Dr. The Downtown Durango Business Improvement District lists it as an Asian fusion restaurant and sushi bar, with sushi, steak and fusion dishes, a mixology lounge, and a wine and sake list. The same listing says the menu has extensive vegetarian and vegan options, which matters in a group.
Rice Monkey, 1050 Main Ave. It describes its approach as a fresh take on Asian food in a fast, casual setting. Think rolls and rice bowls without a long evening commitment. The district's listing shows lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and dinner from 5 to 8:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday.
When is Pop Sushi open, and do you need a reservation?
Pop opens at 4 p.m. every day. It closes at 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 9:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. There is no lunch service, so plan for dinner.
Pop Hour is the happy hour: 4 to 5:30 p.m. daily, stretched to the full 4-to-9 on Mondays. The site never says what it covers, so phone (970) 422-8182 before you plan around it. Monday is still the night to pick.
Pop says it usually does not take reservations for parties of more than eight. A bigger group, or any special request, goes through the phone. Two people on a Friday should still book, then expect a full bar.
Read one line of the menu before you order. Dishes come out in a staggered, random order unless you ask otherwise. A table that wants rolls and small plates together needs to say so on the first pass.
How much does sushi cost in Durango?
Pop's menu lists prices, so here are real ones from its site. Nigiri and sashimi run $10 to $11 for two pieces, and $19 to $22 for five. Classic rolls such as a California, shrimp tempura or spicy salmon are listed at $10 to $14. Signature rolls climb from $14 to $28, with the King Lobster roll at the top. A sushi combo plate is $38, a chirashi bowl is $40, and the chef's 15-piece sashimi plate is $65.
Do the math before you sit down. A $22 roll, a $24 roll and an $11 edamame come to $57 before drinks and tip. The cheaper route is to split one signature roll with a classic roll, or to come for Pop Hour.
We left out prices for East by Southwest and Rice Monkey. Neither restaurant's own site gave us a priced menu to read, and a number from memory is worse than no number. Phone first.
Where can you get sushi for lunch?
Per the downtown district's listings, East by Southwest serves Monday through Saturday from noon to 3 p.m. and again from 4 to 8 p.m., with Sunday dinner only. Rice Monkey serves lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and the listing shows Sunday as temporarily closed. Those listings come from the district rather than the restaurants, so a quick call, East by Southwest at (970) 247-5533, saves a wasted trip.
Rice Monkey sits on Main Avenue, where meters must be paid Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Most cost $1 an hour, or $1.50 in summer, per the district. After 6 p.m. and all weekend they are free.
What if someone in your group does not eat raw fish?
Durango handles this well, and Pop is the best example.
The Pop menu has cooked rolls: shrimp tempura at $12, crunchy asparagus at $12, a veggie crunch roll with asparagus and sun-dried tomato at $14, and a California roll. The small plates cover steam buns, chicken or veggie gyoza, shrimp shumai, karaage chicken and takoyaki. Ramen runs $24 to $25, and rice bowls such as chicken teriyaki or beef hibachi run $24 to $27.
East by Southwest lists vegetarian and vegan options and a steak side to its menu. At Rice Monkey the bowls are the safer pick for a mixed group. Pop's own menu adds that sesame seeds sit in most items, so a table with a sesame or shellfish allergy should say so first.
Is there poke or ramen instead of sushi?
Yes. Akami Poke and Noodle Bar at 309 W College Dr builds customizable poke bowls and noodle soups. You pick a base, a protein, toppings and a sauce. It is a casual stop, closer to a quick weeknight dinner than to a sushi bar.
For packaged sushi, the directory lists a SNOWFOX Sushi kiosk at 3130 Main Ave. SNOWFOX says it rolls sushi fresh daily in grocery stores through on-site franchisees. That is a lunch-in-a-bag option, not a sit-down meal.
What about places that have closed?
Older lists still name Rokko Izakaya on East 2nd Avenue. Google now lists it as permanently closed, so skip it.
West of here, in Cortez, Stonefish Sushi says on its own site that fish arrives fresh every week. Different town. Call it a road-trip meal, not a Tuesday dinner.
How should you plan a sushi night?
Pick the night first. Monday is Pop Hour all evening. Friday and Saturday are the busiest, so book a table and arrive close to 4 p.m. if you do not have one.
Then pick the meal. At lunch you are choosing between East by Southwest and Rice Monkey. At dinner, Pop wins for a pure sushi night, and East by Southwest wins when one person wants steak.
For the full eating map, the best restaurants in Durango guide and the where locals eat guide cover the rest of town. Our restaurant directory lists every place in this guide with contact details.