Full disclosure, this review is based on my restaurant week experience, which I realize is a more isolated experience. So, take this as you will. Bottom line: some food was good, but the value was a 1/10. It was a $45 prefix, with four courses. So, we thought this seemed like a great value. At the end of the day, the only appropriate serving was the primi pasta course. Everything else was literally on a tasting plate, which was such a joke. And to make matters worse the restaurant did not indicate that it was a tasting menu. Otherwise, we would have known what to expect and either wouldn't have gone or would have had our expectations met. The first course was a measly couple tablespoons of a broccoli Caesar and a single fritter. Like I said, the second course, which was the primi pasta course, was a more adequate serving. The third course, I had the pork loin which was two horribly cut pieces that were dry over a measly couple of spinach leaves and some cannellini beans. My friend had the squash dish which was literally like three pieces of squash in tomato sauce atempting to be a parmigiana. The dessert, which was a vanilla budino that tasted a lot like a deconstructed creme brulee, was a delicious bite, but quite literally just a bite. It was a joke serving it in one of those small cafeteria bowls when it would have been better just to have brought it out on a single spoon. We literally laughed out loud when it was brought to us! We, as customers, felt extremely taken advantage of. Like don't participate in restaurant week if you can't afford to serve normal plates. Restaurant week doesn't mean small tastes. And prefix menus are typically standard size plates. The thing is, the pasta was delicious. Like I said the dessert was delicious. So the restaurant obviously knows how to cook good food. But, I don't trust them. When you take advantage of your customers and quite blatantly try to get away with something, I don't care how good your food is. Why would I come back to a restaurant that seemingly pulled one over on me? Also, the service was really weird. We were there for over 2 hours. And, considering the issue with the food, where it was clear that some of it was probably pre-plated, we shouldn't have had to wait so long for our food and in between courses. The server wasn't super friendly, and the restaurant on the night we went wasn't overly busy. So there was no excuse for the situation. I'm just put off by the whole experience, and even though I'm a proponent of always trying someplace twice, this makes me not want to come back. read more

The food was horrible, pork was tough with no flavor or spices, their winter squash was 1/2 raw the dessert was the best part of the meal and it was just a dollop The 2 of us spent 150$ just food and bottle of Sparkling water.. Servers did their job well Definitely skip if you want Real Italian food read more

Service was great! Super busy on a Friday night which is always good to see. Food was amazing! We ended up getting 3 drinks, 2 appetizers, and 2 large entrees for about $150 which I think is a great nice date night. The drinks were pretty small, but they did taste good. We got: Drink 1: Cardoon: nectarine gin, amaro, pear Drink 2: Autunno Milk Punch: 5 year rum, pineapple, pumpiin spice App 1: Daily baked focaccia App 2: Polenta fritters - very tasty! But only came with 2 so seemed a little small for the price Entree 1: Cavatelli ragu - this was my favorite of the night. Spicy though! Entree 2: Orecchiette - really liked the light flavor of the dish read more

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Service was amazing, we had a great waiter! We went for restaurant week so I'm not sure how the portions or pricing is normally, but we had a great amount of food for the price. Definitely order the broccoli Caesar for a starter! The pappardelle pasta with chicken ragu was amazing, and so was the pork shoulder. We had a bunch of drinks as well- the aperol spritz was delicious. They include a tip/service charge on the bill, so you don't have to tip on top of that unless you want to give more than 23%! read more

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I have passed by Coperta a thousand times and have thought of dining here ever since I moved to Denver - finally did it this week! We stopped by for dinner on Wednesday evening, fairly easy to get a reservation on a weekday. I got the phoney Negroni which was alright. The house focaccia was really good, came with a garlic drizzle which was flavourful - I only wished this was warm bread. For mains, I got the carbonara - it was Parmesan heavy and very less guanciale. I wished it was a little more creamy and less cheesy. My husband got the lobster ravioli which he really liked. It was fresh and flavourful and had a nice punch to it. Our server was very sweet and service was good. I do like this place - probably should try their other pastas. Might be back in the futur read more

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I finally visited Coperta during Denver restaurant week and was truly impressed with my meal and the service here. Firstly $45 for 4 courses seemed more than fair. Each course (except dessert) had two options, one of which was a vegetarian option. Their pasta was cooked perfectly and their chicken ragu was delightful! I am not often a fan of pork dishes but their pork shoulder was by far the best I've tried. I appreciated them changing out the cutlery between each course. The inside was spacious, not too loud and the vibe was very much of a restaurant in southern Italy. What made the evening even more special is all the complimentary dishes they brought us when we let them know we were celebrating a birthday. This included 2 drinks to toast, an off the menu pasta dish and a scoop of birthday ice cream with a candle. I can't recommend this spot enough and especially if you are celebrating a special occasion. Hey do have a 23% automatic fee (in lieu of gratuity) which is steep but they're very up front about it with a sign when you walk in, on the menu itself in big print and on the bill. They're on the in kind app which can help reduce the cost of the visit read more

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Had a late-ish dinner here. It was still bustling. Server was attentive even though he had tables throughout differ areas of the restaurant. Our food came out steadily. The squash was the best thing I've had in a long time. Highly recommend. read more

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We visited this cozy, centrally located Italian spot in Denver on a Saturday evening after booking a reservation online while in town for a conference. I started with a mezcal mocktail and appreciated that the server cheerfully said I could send it back if I didn't like it (I ended up enjoying it!). My partner had a red blend and said it was excellent. We both loved that they offer small and large pasta portions--perfect for lighter appetites. This let us each try a different dish instead of sharing one, and the sizes were spot on. The focaccia bread appetizer had great flavor, though I was hoping it would be served warm rather than cold. For dessert, I tried the cherry panna cotta--normally not my go-to--but it was exceptionally well done and pleasantly surprised me. Overall, wonderful service, great portion flexibility, and a charming atmosphere. We'd happily return next time we're in Denver. read more

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I had a fine time taking myself out to dinner one night on my way home. They do have a decent sized bar for bar seating! I'm always looking for that when solo dining. The food was very good, except for an appetizer, a bruschetta piece (it's literally one piece and a very small one, too). That piece was so oily and hard and I was like, NOPE! Not eating that, lol. The pasta was very good. It's also very, very, very expensive. If you're going all out and doing an app, meal, and dessert, plus a couple drinks -- you'll be looking at $150 a person all-in (give or take depending what you order, of course) meaning your total payout including everything. The value proposition is the hardest hit to my experience. I'm not going to often seek out spending that much for a regular meal. It's good, but I wouldn't say it's $150 per meal good. I've had multi course chef's tastings for that price! But, my pasta was good. My dessert was tasty, too, but it looked like a mess visually! Lol. One might say like something out of school cafeteria! But, the taste was good so I hope they can up their game and work on the appearance, it's also part of the dining out experience, we like to eat with our eyes first. I'm really getting tired of places charging automatic gratuity AND more so, on top of that, charging anything beyond 15% - 18%. Why do you keep upping it? What is the threshold? I swear if it were up to businesses we'd be paying 50% in gratutity on top of $100 for a plate of decent food! I hope everyone knows Denver servers get paid some of the highest rates in the entire country (places like NYC, Chicago, Seattle which are much larger than Denver are getting these high rates while most everyone else makes $2.13 or so per hour, no joke!). And no, the rent is NOT that much higher in Denver. If anyone's lived anywhere else in the most popular parts of any big city, you'd know, any city can have high rent if you live right in the actual city. The rent I paid in Madison, WI wasn't any different when I moved to Denver. WI servers make the $2.13 and Denver servers range around $16 (so I've heard, and this will vary, obviously) so that is 8 times the pay rate hourly and they get to add gratuity, a gratuity in excess of 20% is going too far, IMO. The value prop is a hard sell here. read more

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Cute neighboorhood Italian spot, centrally located in Denver. My experience was alright! The food and service didn't feel memorable, but I'd be willing to give it another try. Maybe it was a sleepy day when I was there. I ordered my favorite Italian dish, Linguine ale Vongole. My friend and I got their Daily Baked Foccacia to share. It was a simple cozy meal. I'm sure lots of locals are regulars here, or least that's the vibe in this part of town. read more

Coperta - Linguine ale Vongole - Italian Near Me - Denver, Colorado

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Firstly, the owners are awesome, they take great care of their customers and care a lot about their food. We visited recently and enjoyed happy hour apps and drinks and a couple of pasta dishes. Our bartenders Sarah served us a tiny 'amuse bouche' of Prosecco to open our pallet and despite the martini being on tap it was delicious. She recommended the mafaldine pasta special which was perfect for fall, but her other recommendation linguine with scallops was way better than I expected! To top it off we got beet penne with brown butter on the house. Another great experience for us! read more

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What a cute spot. Went here for an intimate birthday dinner and our server was fantastic (didn't get her name but receipt says HS). She knew all the ingredients in the items and was very attentive. The food was fresh and the pasta perfectly cooked. The oysters were delicious, fresh, and the cheese and seasoning were delicious. I enjoyed the meal very much! Would come again. The prices were a little steep but thats what you gotta pay to enjoy fresh food. read more

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The best Italian food I have had in denver! Their menu is a rotating menu and the food tastes very authentic. It's a small restaurant, we had a group of 15 of us and they accommodated our reservation. The portions were a little small for two people ( we shared) but omg delicious! Definitely going back! read more

Coperta - Italian Near Me - Denver, Colorado

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Came here on a Wednesday with a 5 pm reservation-- didn't need it but nice to have! My friend and I sat at the bar and our bar tender was incredibly kind and attentive. The food is really mediocre. The HH deals are good but I definitely would not pay full price for anything I ate. The inside was cute and quaint but the food was not worth it to me. Total was around 55 per person and they give themselves a 23% tip ! read more

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The service was wonderful and Christa brought us a complimentary prosecco, which was delicious. The Aperol Spritz was made perfectly. The salad $17, was so good with romaine little gems, fennel, red onion, fried chickpeas, and a tomato jam dressing. The focaccia bread $7, was good and loaded with garlic, olive oil, and herbs, which overwhelmed your mouth with lasting flavors. The eggplant dish $29, had 3 small rounds that were not peeled and covered in melted strong Parmesan cheese. The dish was very rich. The spaghetti was al dente, and the marinara was good. The decor was urban, charming, and comfortable. This restaurant is very expensive, and a 23% service charge is added to the bill to cover the service, back of the house, and a fund for emergency employee resources. I had to give it a 3-star due to the price of the food, which was good but not fantastic. The eggplant was not my favorite. The price does not match what you get. Other reviewers seem to have similar opinions. read more

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Very underwhelming dining experience. I came here for a work dinner with two others. We ordered 4 different pasta dishes, 3 appetizers, and 3 desserts. The ragu, which was recommended by our server as it had been on the menu since day one, was cold and dry. The Gnocchi on the other hand was fantastic and we wished we had ordered a full size of this! We also got one of the special pastas, which was fine, and also the scallop dish which I didn't eat but the table didn't even finish the half order. As for the appetizers, we ordered the brushetta which never came out and I had to ask for it. That was good, but the pork belly porchetta was very tough and filled with gristle. The Prosciutto di Parma was great though! As for the desserts, the donuts and gelati were excellent, but the zucchini torta was lacking. We also were confused how an Italian restaurant didn't offer tiramisu, and was very disappointed that this wasn't on the menu, but I'm not the chef. Our cocktails were wonderful though and I would come back for happy hour. The bartender was rad and even offered to make a custom cocktail. As for the service, our server was a space cadet but the manager did check in on us a few times which I thought was nice. We didn't complain while we were there, but our server definitely forgot to ring in an appetizer and our whole dessert order. We were very nice about everything, but what caused annoyance was the automatic 23% service charge applied to the bill. For 3 people, our bill came to $400. I never have an issue paying for a great meal and service but I definitely will not be back for dinner here again. Absolutely unacceptable to charge an automatic 23% on service unless you're offering top tier hospitality. read more

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I've been twice now and each time I have left underwhelmed. The food is lacking in flavor and simply doesn't provide the value for the price. You can expect to pay $60 for a $20 bottle of wine. We got seated about seven minutes after arrival despite reservation and the service is fine, but they add on a 23% gratuity automatically. Not only that, they add it to the SUBTOTAL so you can pay tax on your tip! They get the job done, but there are better spots to spend your money. read more

Solid Italian restaurant from a James Beard nominated chef, the good food shines through. Everything is satisfying, tasty and worth trying. I like that they source most, if not all, of their meat, dairy and vegetables from local farms and ranches. The full-service bar serves up a phenomenal Negroni -- the best way to start. The Hamachi crudo was tender, and tasty. The rigatoni is a house favorite and probably the most ordered item I see why, it is delicious and meaty. The gnocchi shines. The roast pork and cranberry beans is a classic Italian pairing. I was not impressed by the dessert, Budino, as it was not as creamy as I expected. Service is spot on, with attentive, efficient and friendly servers. Inside the place gives off the sense of a small restaurant in rural Italy. On street parking can be challenging. read more

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Surprisingly low ratings for a restaurant like Coperta. Located in Uptown. The beautiful brick building emits warm feelings of the southern Italian atmosphere. Yesterday's early dinner experience we had on a very warm Monday night was so wonderful where I feel compelled to share our experience. A few minutes before the top of the hour (of 5pm), we were the first customer for the night. Unsure if this place is usually busy on Mondays or not, we had the whole place to ourselves (is what we thought.) We had to retract that inner statement soon after as people gradually showed up and by 6:30pm, the restaurant was 50% its full capacity. I got the impression that some of them were regulars. The gentleman who took us to our table and our waitress, Nicole R were so welcoming. We did receive the "southern hospitality" for sure. As the exterior of the building indicates, the inside is quite the same: the old-fashioned look from the old times. Modern is sometimes is not everything. We were handed several different menus from Monday Meatball menu to main menu to seasonal menu (to the dessert menu at the end.) Nicely sectioned out in separate sheets. We started out our family dinner by getting us the cabbage based salad: Radicchio Salad. This wasn't super impressive (to be frank). Since it contains olives, it was a bit salty and yet it wasn't too bad. They appeared to have used nappa cabbage (I do like nappa so excellent call on that.) The second appetizer was Roasted Koginut Squash from the seasonal menu. This was excellent. The magic ingredient to compliment the squash was probably the whipped ricotta cheese. Delicious! After having two appetizers, we were close to being full. We still need some pasta dish to fully experience this restaurant so based on the suggestion we got from the same gentleman (who greeted us upon arrival), we went with the spaghetti and meatballs (it was meatball Monday. What else would be better than this, right???) we were glad that we got this dish. The this house made meatball dish was just what we needed. It truly filled our stomachs to their 80% capacity. Nicole (just in case) gave us the dessert menu. Upon glancing at it, Calabrian-style Potato Doughnuts caught our attention. Goodness, we wished we had a little room for it but we didn't. We decided to get it at our next visit. Let's not forget to mention: my house Barbera and my daughter's mocktail were a worth a mention as they complimented the entire dinner experience. I couldn't find any reason or whatsoever as to why I couldn't give this place a solid 5-star review. This place indeed checks the box for one of the best Italian restaurants in the Denver area. read more

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Our meal was good, but it wasn't mind-blowing. If it wasn't so expensive, I'd say it was worth going. But the price just didn't match up with the food. read more

Great dinner! Loved that they have small portions of pastas so that we could try different kinds. And we still got the large portion of the ragu because it was amazing. The squid ink tortelloni was not our favorite (a bit too al dente) but the bucatini Americans was super tasty. The baked oysters I could've slurped on all day. Will be back to check out their pasta bar someday! read more

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We had a great time last night for date night at Coperta. My sister gave us a giftcard for Christmas and I had never heard of this place. I feel like it's a hidden gem! We went at 5:30 and the restaurant was empty besides 2 other tables but it smelled delicious inside. It did fill up a little by the time we left. We had the focaccia and the aranacini with prosciutto. The focaccia was hot and yummy. It was delicious! I wish it had been served with olive oil but I really enjoyed it. The Arancini - I can't remember the name on the menu - were huge and just okay. I wanted them to be hotter and more prosciutto flavor. I was hoping for more cheese too. For dinner, we had the Ragu and braised oxtail. The ragu was delicious!! I had a bite of my husbands and it was so tasty and wonderful! I got the braised oxtail, since I've never had it before. I thought it would be a pasta dish - but I was wrong. It was like a semi hard patty ish type dough. The hot grapes were an odd choice, but the Brussels were nice for green on the dish. The oxtail was excellent and the saba sauce was perfection. We also enjoyed a bottle of wine with the meal. I can't remember our servers name but he was great! Knowledgeable and wonderful. read more

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The place is charming and it was a delightful place to meet up with our group. Our group made reservations months ago because we were having 20 attend. The restaurant didn't plan well with that size group. They had a section for 18 and another for 2. It should have been split so a couple would not have felt out of place upon entering. We managed by splitting ourselves. Also, for that size of group another staff person would have been helpful. I don't know if the 23% service fee was on the website, but it was on the menu with an additional space for an additional tip. Beware of that. I have traveled extensively and never saw on a happy hour menu a price per oyster that high. It was $4 per oyster. I asked and was glad I did. Granted it's Denver. BTW, who eats one oyster? It was nice seeing our friends and it gave us an excuse to go to a different location in Denver . We're new to Denver and will return to the area but it will not be to this restaurant read more

We came here to celebrate our engagement and we felt so taken care of! It was very easy to make a reservation on Open Table. The environment is warm and comfortable. Our server was helpful & we had several interactions with other members of the staff that were all positive. We started off with focaccia which was delicious. We also had a beautiful & delicious cauliflower app compliments of the chef. My fiance had the pork loin & I couldn't decide between two pastas so I ordered half portions of both! I was really happy to have both because they were so different. I loved the pork dish for all the flavors and different vegetables on the plate. Overall, this was my favorite dish! We had the cavatelli ragú and a ravioli dish. Both were great! We finished the night with funfetti gelato and cannolis. The cannolis were the perfect size and packed full of flavor. Overall, such a great date night spot at a reasonable price. We will be back! read more

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Beautiful ambience. I absolutely love the rustic Italian vibe. Wine recommendation from my waiter was great. My entrée of clam linguine was good, although not very large for the price $36. Bruschetta left something to be desired. I did appreciate their unique take bruschetta: winter squash. read more

I work at the horseshoe lounge right next door and I've been meaning to stop by for dinner. Tonight I finally pulled the trigger and went by myself. Totally worth it. I had a couple nice glasses of wine by the glass, an app and dinner from the nights special menu along with marinated olives. I'm a north jersey Italian and these are some of the best olives I've ever had. I went with the squash appetizer and the doppio ravioli for dinner. Amazing. Absolutely amazing. And I'm soooo full. Thank you so much and keep it up. No wonder why we get so many people for drinks before dinner, you guys are busy! read more

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Coperta is an Italian restaurant located in the hip area of Uptown where good bars and restaurants can be found without the craziness of downtown. It is also housed in a historic building that is evident the moment you walk into the restaurant. Pretty cool! The food is pretty decent. The focaccia is made daily in the morning and left out throughout the day which is why it is served cold and kind of stale. My girlfriend and I were not aware of this until later so it alarmed us at first. The other dishes we ordered were quite salty but overall decent. I wouldn't say the food was anything special but nothing to write home about. My main issue with Coperta was their pricing. I think for what we received the prices were quite high. But also, the 23% mandatory service charge is what topped it off for me. I understand that running a business is difficult especially after the pandemic, but 23% seems extreme. I would understand a 10% mandatory charge and additional being optional. read more

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Bad: I was very disappointed in two major things. First, we had to get up to go get our server FOUR times - he just didn't check in or make eye contact. He was 15 feet away rolling silverware and chatting with other staff. Very frustrating. Then, they have the nerve to automatically put a 23% gratuity on our 6-person bill. No wonder the server doesn't feel a need to earn his tip. Good: I will say that when the server was present he was friendly and knowledgeable. We liked the drinks they had "on tap" - nice touch. We loved the radicchio salad and the brussel sprouts - both were amazing starters. The pasta mains were all fine but nothing to write home about unfortunately. All of them felt dry and lacking flavor. read more

I chose Coperta for my Thanksgiving dinner. I invited a friend who used to live in Sicily. Our server, Nicole R. said the top three pasta entrees originated in Rome and the other main entrees were from southern Italy and the islands of Sardinia and Sicily. We started the Salumi e Formaggi platter. A good amount of prosciutto, salami, olives, cheeses, house-made mozzarella and fresh hot foccacia bread. A nice spread. Next was their Radicchio salad. Very large and crunchy salad. Ideal for two people. I added an order of Roman street fritters. Crunchy outside and creamy inside with spinach. I ordered a bottle of 2019 Nicosia Contrada Monte Gorna Etna Rosso. A full bodied but lighter red wine. The grapes for this red wine are grown on the southeast flank of Mt Etna, one of the somewhat active volcanoes in Italy. We both ordered pasta dishes, but I forgot to take photos! For dessert, I had the Olive Oil brownie and my friend had the Calabrian Potato Donuts. The brownie was deconstructed. The Donuts were little pillows of yummiest. They add a 23% service charge, so no additional tip is needed. Nicole R kept our water glasses filled and brought new silverware for our pasta dishes. read more

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Really delicious, interesting, creative Italian food perfectly cooked! We especially love the house made focaccia, the Cavatelli Ragu, the Kale Salad, the Suppli Al Telefonica, the Linguine Al Limone, the Heritage Pork Loin, the Pollo Alla Diavola, and the Calabrian Donuts. The atmosphere is casual and the service is excellent. read more

definitely gone downhill. food is ok but prices are really high for what you get. and that's compounded by an automatic 23% service charge. service was not good either. will not be visiting again any time soon read more

I really enjoyed my meal at Coperta. Service was great, food was excellent, wine was delicious. Solid place.

Hands down, Coperta served best meal we ate in Denver. Every dish was made with love. My family with children ate every crumb. Service was helpful & friendly. The ambiance was quaint, decor perfecto. read more

Pricy, food was just alright. Wouldn't go back but wasn't awful. Epitome of "meh". Atmosphere was good

Has a wonderful meal at Little Italy night. Great Chicken Parmesan, Chicken Marsala, The Broccoli roasted with pasta. Don't skip dessert! Great ambience and excellent service. What a gem. read more

quintessential Italian neighborhood joint - I feel like I'm on the hill in St Louis. The serving staff are pro's and the kitchen is firing on all cylinders too. pasta was perfect. Oh - we said to our server "here's our opener, and first course, and wine decision, come back in a bit for mains " and the server said "the chef prefers that make your selections now/together". Really. And I like that . It's evidence of a kitchen led by someone focused on pacing, food, and a complete experience and not shy about putting it out there as such. Sublime evening. Highly recommended. read more

The staff was great, the food just didn't quite hit. It seemed like they were trying out new giant flake salt and didn't quite get the hang of it. Everything too salty and now and again you would crunch into a giant piece of crystal salt. The brownie was also disappointing... dried out, cold, and relatively flavorless aside from the orange marmalade it was served on top of (which was quite good)- husband described it as a $10 cosmic brownie. Overall, would rate the food a 5-5.5/10. read more

I got the same dish as last time based on my review of the ragu cavatelli half portion. Half portion still small and overpriced. I did not enjoy the dish as much as last time; it was average. The homemade noodles had a great texture but the flavor of the sauce unfortunately lacked. Also came without a reservation on a Friday night and got bar seating. Street parking read more

Nice ambiance and the food was great! We started with the bruschetta which was fresh and delicious. Be wary they charge a 22% service gratuity for the table for the tip and wages. I believe that is not the most effective way to pay your employees I would just pay them more in their salary but don't let the service take away from the food! Would come back again read more

Nice ambiance, excellent food. We got the herb and cheese ravioli (mostly I was just delighted to see red currants on a menu, haven't seen those in ages) and the cavatelli ragu. Both were excellent - excellent flavors, the chantarelles and red currants complimented the ravioli. We also got the focaccia and a salad, which were good, though not amazing. Also, surprisingly (and nicely), service was super quick. Between ordering an appetizer and entrees, we were in and out in about an hour, and it was a pretty busy night. Definitely a special place. Hope to visit again and try more. read more