It’s amazing that even living in a completely landlocked state, it’s still possible to get quality sushi here in Fort Collins. Campus West was often overlooked by us as being too “collegy.” However, several restaurants are changing our minds, most notably Jaws Sushi.  Incredible food, great atmosphere, fantastic service and easy parking make this sushi spot an easy choice for a night out.

There are so many reasons to go to Jaws, unfortunately almost all of those things aren’t allowed when you’re pregnant.  So coming here while Katie was pregnant with Madeleine was torture for her, but we’re making it up for now.

Normally when we go to Jaws we like to sit at the bar, but this night we were with a larger group so we grabbed one of their big tables.  They have seating options to accommodate all sizes of parties, whether its date night or a big group of friends.

Jaws has a great beverage list, including a variety of sake, beers (draft and bottles), speciality cocktails and local wines. Katie always goes for the Yuzu Smash.  Yuzu is a Japanese citrus that’s both sour and bitter (think clementine). Combined with Bulleit Bourbon and shiso leaves, it tastes very fresh and balanced.

Doug always orders a beer and a hot sake (they come in small and large).  They offer a variety of flavors for their hot sake, as well as premium sakes.  Not being much of a sake expert, we usually just go for a large, plain (un-flavored) hot sake.  Its delicious with sushi and somehow works equally well on cold or warm nights.

During the winter, sometimes you get lucky and they have fresh oysters available.  Often times they have kumamoto oysters priced at only $2 each (this is an incredible bargain).  On this night they had two choices, kumamotos ($2/each) and Fanny Bays ($1/each), and these aren’t Happy Hour prices.  As long as they have them available, those are the prices, all the time, making these the best oyster deal in town!

We also ordered their edamame trio. It comes with three flavors: salt, spicy and sesame. Easily large enough to share with four as an appetizer, this is a perfect thing to munch on while you browse the sushi list and mark your choices.

For a $1 you can add soup and salad.  The miso soup is Doug’s favorite (it has these wonderful little mushrooms floating in it) and the salad changes often, though its usually some sort of cucumber base.

Jaws is fantastic about accommodating special requests.  Whether you have certain allegories or simply don’t like something, if you let your server know, they will take care of it.  While Katie was pregnant, they did everything they could to make her experience the best possible: cooking rolls, substitutions, etc.  On this night, we were with someone who’s allergic to all shellfish, so they ensured that everything was prepared separately with no cross-contamination, and plated separately.

We ordered a large variety of nigiri, sashimi, and rolls.  Some of our favorites included: OG Kim K, Jackie Chanco, and the Yellow Tail sashimi.  The portions are very generous (almost too big, but in a good way).  Be advised: read descriptions carefully!  Many of their rolls are very unique and not always what you expect.  Usually this is a positive thing, but occasionally can catch you by surprise.  For example, their Philly Roll uses smoked salmon (instead of raw), so this can either be awesome (if you like smoked salmon) or a bit of a disappointment (if you were expecting raw fish). The Jackie Chanco is NOT just a spicy tuna roll.  Its combined with garlic, sprouts and really crispy friend onions that add an incredible texture to each bite.  Rolls like this is where Jaws really stands out from the crowd.  Combined with incredibly fresh fish, their sushi is without a doubt our favorite in town.

For dessert we ordered a selection of mochi ice cream (pounded sticky rice filled with different flavors of ice cream).  They offer a large variety and we got one of each: vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, mango, red bean (Doug says no thank you) and green tea.  Unfortunately they all got snapped up and eaten before we could get a picture (this is why we are fat…)

Service is attentive, patient and friendly.  We’ve gotten to know several members of the staff and we are always remembered and greeted cheerfully when we come in.  For bonus points, tell your sushi chefs “Kobayashi!” when you’re leaving to sound like a regular.

Every time we eat at Jaws we always remark on what a great experience it was.  Without a doubt, this is one of the best spots for dining out in Fort Collins.  We highly recommend you make the journey to Campus West and give them a try.  Kobayashi!