Makoto

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

Chef Makoto Okuwa Comes to Colorado

Makoto Vail marks a significant milestone for award-winning chef Makoto Okuwa: his first restaurant in Colorado. With more than twenty-five years of experience in traditional Japanese cooking, Chef Okuwa built his reputation on Edomae-style sushi — the precise, Tokyo-rooted tradition of crafting nigiri with carefully seasoned rice and the finest available fish — before expanding his restaurant group to Miami, Washington D.C., Panama City, Mexico City, and São Paulo. Vail is the newest chapter, set inside the Grand Hyatt Vail at the base of one of America's most celebrated ski destinations.

A Menu Rooted in Tradition, Extended by Innovation

The Japanese cuisine at Makoto Vail moves fluidly between classical technique and Chef Okuwa's own inventive sensibility. The sushi and sashimi selection is extensive and precise: fatty tuna in three grades (Maguro, Chu-Toro, Oh-Toro), live Hotate scallop, Hokkaido sea urchin at market price, and A5 Wagyu nigiri from Japan alongside house signatures like Chu-Toro Caviar and Hamachi Crispy Rice with yuzu koshu. Raw preparations such as Toro Tartare with cherry blossom salt and sesame miso, or Truffle Salmon with crystallized soy and citrus, show the kitchen's willingness to reach beyond convention without losing its footing.

Broiled and grilled dishes extend the menu into serious main-course territory: Seabass Sable Fish with ume miso, Colorado Striped Bass finished with shiso butter and wasabi chimichurri, and a premium steak section anchored by a Kombu Cured Wagyu Filet and a 34-ounce Wagyu Tomahawk charcoal-grilled to order. The bar program is equally considered — Japanese-inflected cocktails like the Nagoya Negroni (genmaicha-infused Roku Gin, Campari) and a wine list recognized with the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence in 2024 make the drinks worth as much attention as the food.

Setting and Experience

Dinner is served nightly, with reservations strongly encouraged. Complimentary valet parking is provided for all dining guests — a practical touch that fits the mountain-resort setting without fuss. Whether guests arrive after a day on the slopes or for a dedicated evening out, Makoto Vail delivers the same caliber of Japanese cuisine that has earned Chef Okuwa his international standing, now available for the first time in the Rockies.