Gaetano's sitting at 3.8 is a crime. I've been here over a dozen times, you don't rack up a streak like that for a mediocre restaurant. Pesto's unreal, steak's unreal, somehow both at once. Ignore anyone camped out in the 1,2,3,4-star section. Those guys are unhappy with everything, one bad breadstick, mad about their refill on diet coke with 5 extra lemons, and they are still 'thinking about it' three weeks later. That's who's dragging this score down. Not the food. I'm on visit thirteen and still going. Get the pesto, get the steak, ignore the guy who's still thinking about it. read more

This is one of my favorite Italian restaurants in Denver, located in the Highlands neighborhood. It's old school (originally opened in the 1930s) serving great authentic Italian food with an interesting history. Back in the 1950s & 60s it had a unique connection to organized crime & was known as a hub for mobsters. This is a lively place with a cool vibe playing music from the 50s, 60s & 70s. I especially enjoyed the Motown sound. Lots of windows, both booths & tables were comfy & cushioned. Jack was our server & he was very friendly & attentive. We arrived for Brunch on a Sunday afternoon & the place was busy. We had Cheese Bread with Marinara, Lasagna & Chicken Parmigiana. Our dishes were delicious! The bread was a meal in its self with a really tasty sauce. The lasagna was very good as well but the parmigiana was even better...crispy flavorful chicken. What tied all this together was the scrumptious red sauce used in everything we ate. It was awesome with a spicy kick. This was an amazing meal & I look forward to trying some of their dishes from the dinner menu like the Lobster Ravioli & the Chicken Marsala. read more

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Absolutely loved this place. Honestly, not sure why the reviews aren't even higher than they are, but to each their own I suppose. The restaurant has a classic old school Italian rat pack throwback vibe. It's fun and lively and a great place to join friends for dinner. Food here is genuinely delicious. I grew up in a big Italian family and have eaten a lot of Italian food over the years. This is exactly the kind of Italian comfort food I was hoping for. Super flavorful and delicious dishes that won't disappoint. We tried the Gnnochi Salsicia, Lobster Ravioli, Tasty Treats and lasagna (always kind of hesitant to try a lasagna or spaghetti) and all of them were amazing. The Lobster Ravioli and Gnnochi were probably the table favorites and were genuinely two of the best dishes I've had at an Italian food spot in a long time. Absolutely plan to make this a regular stop moving forward! read more

We are constantly on the search for good italian food here in Colorado. We had a 5pm reservation and there was a line out the door at 4:55PM. We were seated immediately. Although the other servers were extremely attentive to their customers, ours was not. We had to ask for the bread basket while for everyone around us it was just brought to them. She did not check on us at all during the meal and she passed us 3x after saying she would bring us the check. As for the food...the Palisade peach bruschetta special had next to no taste which was surprising considering the slices of peaches were large. My meatball and chicken parm were very tasty. Great crust on the chicken parm. The spaghetti-awful. The pasta was so overcooked I kept trying it to make sure I was tasting it correctly. After 3 bites I was done. Al dente. It's supposed to be al dente. My husband had the lobster ravioli and it too was not good. We skipped dessert because we didn't want to take a chance on being disappointed with that too. Well that's a one and done. But the space is pretty cool. read more

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Must get the chicken parm!! It's so good and the a huge portion. The burrata is a gorgeous presentation and super tasty. And the peanut butter chocolate pie was to die for. Those are the three things I would recommend if I was telling a friend to go! The drinks are good too and the prices are reasonable. read more

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The restaurant was amazing and beautiful! The food was high quality and delicious. For the price the portions are massive and definitely worth it! Staff is very kind and amazing! read more

Gaetano's - Italian Near Me - Denver, Colorado

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Food was delicious. I Had a veal Parmesan that was out of this world. My wife had a lemon cello sprimp pasta special. That was absolutely amazing. Our server Vanessa was GREAT!!! Will definitely be back read more

Gaetano's - Veal Parmesan - Italian Near Me - Denver, Colorado

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Stopped in for lunch today. Our server Briggs was great. Super friendly and attentive! We ordered calamari for the table that was pretty good, I had the caprese chicken sandwich with fries. I thought it was tasty, I never had one before! Loved the ambiance here, felt like an old timey Italian place :) I'd like to come back for dinner some time for sure read more

Gaetano's - Caprese - Italian Near Me - Denver, Colorado

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We came for lunch on a Wednesday afternoon and this place was hopping! The service was gracious and accommodating of our larger group size -13- of us! So much history in this area of north Denver. The restaurant reminds us of times gone by when a long lunch was not as much of a luxury. It has many well appointed seats, booths, and tables as well as a long bar with generous seats. I had minestrone and a spaghetti with a very tasty meat ball. We then had spumone ice cream for dessert. read more

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Love this place! Good was delicious - old style Italian. Service was impeccable. We absolutely loved our meal. We ordered burrata and tasty treats to start. Fabulous! And chicken parm and salmon for entrees. Dessert was olive oil cake that was made that day. Everything was fabulous! We will be back. read more

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Amazing! We really enjoyed our meal here and plan to return soon. The restaurant itself has a fun ambience and is decorated with pictures from their mob history. Each of the dishes we tried were delicious. -clams aglio e olio: the clams were fresh and plentiful, and the sauce had just enough red pepper to add a kick without being overpowering. -lobster ravioli: the vodka sauce on this dish was incredible. The pesto made it a touch oily, and I would probably order the dish without it in the future. The shrimp were also cooked very well and were large. -chicken Parmesan: the chicken cutlet was huge and perfectly crispy. The pasta on the side, however, was cold as if it had been pulled from the fridge (actually cold, not just room temperature). When we told our server, he took it to the kitchen to reheat quickly. The flavors of the dish were great though. -bread basket: the addition of the focaccia was unique. It had a good flavor but was pretty dry. The service was fast, and our food didn't take too long to come out even though it was busy. I would definitely recommend a reservation during the weekends, as they were completely full during most of our visit. read more

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My family and I stopped in for a quick lunch. We ordered caesar salad (the only great dish), clam aglio & olio, and the mushroom pizza. The aglio was bland and flavorless with cheap, frozen clams that tasted so fishy (and maybe old?). How are you going to charge $25 for overcooked pasta and frozen fishy clams? Ridiculous and a scam. Pizza dough was not even pizza-esque and felt so thin, it was crumbly. Service: 3.5/5 read more

I grew up in North Denver. My grandpa had a barbershop down the street on 41st and Tejon. This restaurant has went through a bunch of changes and owners and it's pretty much a historical site. That's all I could give a credit for because they actually need some known as in the kitchen to teach him how to make Italian food had a meatball sandwich. The meatballs were like cocktail meatballs, really little, not very good. Taste very disappointed in an ad asked for a side of sauce to dip it in well it should come with sauce come on there is no side to it. No chips no fries. Just a meatball sandwich the minestrone soup I've had better. I've was really disappointed in lunch today but another couple that we know and we were like oh my God what the heck is going on the service was OK we asked for the soup to come out first but everything came out at the same time probably won't be back. It's just a historical landmark to have nobody in the kitchen that knows Italian food. read more

I really like the ambiance and vibe of this place but the food was nothing super special. Still if you want Italian with a nice vibe inside I think this place is good. read more

Wow wow wow. Not my first time here- but it has been about two years since I have been. The last time, was not great so I went in having mid-expectations. I was so blown away that I asked our waiter if the kitchen staff had changed. Even the bread tasted different- in a phenomenal way. We shared the antipasto chopped salad- ALSO PHENOMENAL - I had the bolognese- had a kick to it but was GREAT (I'll change my adjective) My sister had the lobster ravioli, my mom had the chicken mala(no clue how to spell) and my dad the eggplant parm- my god. Each tasted better than the next. I won't leave the desert out! The tiramisu & the limoncello cream cake was spectacular! It was crowded and loud but honestly- that was part of the entire experience. Very Italian!!!! Will be back, much sooner this time! read more

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Best Italian spot in Denver hands down. The service was incredible, staff were all so sweet. The drinks were stellar and the food was spectacular. We will absolutely be coming back, I am so glad we found this place. read more

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We went a for my brother's birthday. We all don't live to far and had heard great things. I am so glad we finally made a reservation. The portions are large, the food and restaurant is hot, and the staff were friendly and knowledgeable. We got the Shinto peppers as an appetizer, they were as expected and no surprise spicy one. They brought us a basket of bread that was delicious but don't fill up on the bread. Because the lobster ravioli was delicious. It'll the sauce was light, paring well with the freshly made pasta. It was surrounded by large juicy shrimp. My husband got the bolognese which our waiter warmed us that "if you don't mind a little spice" you will enjoy it. My husband thoroughly enjoyed it - he cleaned the plate. My brother got the fettuccine and said it was good but not the best he has ever had. Because we were there to celebrate a birthday they brought us a tiramisu which was "chefs kiss"! We all decided we would got back to try a few other dishes that caught our eyes. read more

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Been looking forward to visiting here with my family, made a reservation days in advance to prepare. We had 5 guests and reserved a spot at 7:15. We arrived on time, meaning a little before our time and the front was packed with patrons, no where to sit while we wait. We waited 15 min to be seated for our reservation when our table was open the whole time. There was also a point when there were three two tops next to eachother that were open and could have been made into a larger table as well. I asked when we will be seated and hostess said we have to wait for the reservation before us to be seated? Meanwhile the table we were sat at was open the whole time, this logic does not make sense to me as I was a hostess before. We got sat and the service was slow, the waitress took another 10 min before asking our drink order. The food and drinks were great but service was not the best. Also my menu was dirty and I would think a fancy establishment would have the hosts clean the menus while they're standing there or not reuse them. All in all I would go back again but maybe with the mindset that service will be slow. read more

Gaetano's - Empty tables, won't be sat. Our table can can be seen in the far back. - Italian Near Me - Denver, Colorado

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There are restaurants, and then there are places that become part of your family's story. Gaetano's is so much more than a restaurant to us. Gaetanos was a frequent visited restaurant that my grandfather would visit throughout his lifetime. He made it known that this was the only place in Denver that he would order red sauce, because they did it right! He created many memories sitting at the bar with friends, family, and strangers alike. It truly became a home away from home for him and our Italian family. After he passed away in February, our family wanted a way to keep celebrating him. Since then, we've been to Gaetano's around 15 times, gathering around the table or sitting at the way he would've wanted. Every visit feels like honoring his memory while making new memories together. The food is, without question, the best Italian food in Denver. Every single dish is consistently phenomenal, from the pasta to the appetizers and wine, and don't get me started on the dessert! It's the kind of place where you're already thinking about your next meal before you've finished the one in front of you. But what truly sets Gaetano's apart is its people. Amber, Dasha, and Briggs have become such a special part of our experience. They don't just provide amazing service--they make you feel like family. They remember you, genuinely care, and create the kind of welcoming atmosphere that keeps you coming back. They are absolute gems and a huge reason this place has become so meaningful to us. The atmosphere is unlike anywhere else. It's warm, lively, and overflowing with history. If you sit at the bar and get lucky enough to chat with the right people, you'll hear stories about Gaetano's that you couldn't find in any history book. This restaurant has a soul, and you can feel it. We're incredibly grateful to now call ourselves regulars at a place that meant so much to my grandfather and now means so much to us. Thank you for preserving not only incredible Italian food but also a place where families can gather, celebrate, remember, and feel at home. Gaetano's isn't just the best Italian restaurant in Denver--it's a Denver treasure. Five stars will never be enough. read more

gaetano's was a highlight of our trip to denver. our server (i think his name was pete?) was quick, so kind, and personable with his tables. not only that, but every single staff member we crossed was so polite. our drinks were consistently filled, dinner came out quick and fresh, and the vibes of the restaurant were amazing as well. we chose to eat on the patio, which was air conditioned and covered. i absolutely recommend. we will definitely be coming back next time we're in town! read more

Gaetano's - spaghetti and meatballs and fettuccine alfredo with shrimp - Italian Near Me - Denver, Colorado

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Excellent, first time to try it. Had eggplant....wow, so good. If you like Italian this is a must try. read more

We went during the lunch menu time. All the food was pretty good. Drinks too. I really liked the look of the place. Very cool inside. I thought it was a little expensive for the quality of the food. It was all good but I would have expected a little more for the price. They were also a bit understaffed. It took 10 min to get a table cleaned just because of not having enough servers. GF substitutions/options available. I would come back again if I were in the area. read more

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Absolutely one of our favorite restaurants. In 10+ years since we began dining at Gaetano's, We have never had bad service or an impersonal wait staff person. They are eager to please and create a wonderful dining experience. The menu is complete with more choices than we need; always a challenge to decide top 3 and finally our final choice. It doesn't matter. All entrees are fantastic. Enjoy yourself! Or go somewhere else and take a risk over a sure bet. read more

Wow! I had an amazing dinner here with a friend recently. Our reservation was at 515, we showed up around 5 and there was literally a line down the street of people waiting for them to open. We got in quickly and were seated right away thankfully. The server let us know the specials and then brought us our drinks. The bartender here knows how to make a great martini, and they have blue cheese olives, my favorite! I'm not kidding when I say I think the Bruschetta here is the best I have ever had. The pasta and salad were amazing as well. I also love the old school Italian restaurant ambience they have going on, makes me feel like I'm in NYC. Definitely recommend, make sure to make a reservation though! read more

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We had a wonderful dinner at Gaetano's! It's a cool, mobster themed restaurant with a chatty ambiance. Our server, Andrew, was great, very attentive, knowledgeable about the menu, and an overall nice guy to chat with. Our meal was delicious. We ordered the shrimp de jonghe for an appetizer and it was soo good. I recommend dipping the bread in! Then we each had pasta dinners, the creamy Gorgonzola was our favorite. We also got tiramisu for dessert and it was just a perfect ending to our night. Definitely recommend for some yummy Italian food! read more

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We had a friend come in from out of town and another friend recommended this Italian restaurant. We gave it a try for lunch. I loved the ambience. From the photos to the seating to the big beautiful shotgun bar, it's just welcoming and delightful. We had meatballs and cheesy bread, meatball sub, sausage and peppers sandwich, minestrone soup, and a epically hellacious wedge salad. The food was very good. Of the things we tried, my fave was the rich and robust red sauce. I loved it Our server was well educated on the menu and guided us well. Everything was a hit. We will definitely go back. We are currently on a waitlist for a reservation for Valentine's Day dinner. In my experience, this restaurant is underrated.. they could have made changes. But for me, this is the real deal. read more

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Food was amazing. Service was amazing. 10/10. Burrata was amazing. Chicken parm was amazing. Just yummm! Will be back! read more

Gaetano's - Italian Near Me - Denver, Colorado

Our party of 6 was hit with an automatic 25% gratuity. Ask me how much service we got. No amount of good tasting food will take the bad taste out of my mouth from feeling like I've been duped. read more

Went with my wife for a weekday date night. Food and ambiance was top notch. Our waiter was amazing. Definitely going back again.

This has been the best Italian food I've had in a longtime. The flavor of the chicken Marsala was outstanding. The staff were right there when you wanted something. read more

Celebrating a milestone with my friends. We have been here several times and had never been disappointed, this occasion was no different. As usual, the food and service were outstanding. I'm looking forward to my next meal here. read more

Gaetano's - My friends - Italian Near Me - Denver, Colorado

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New Yorkers and Jersey boys and girls will love the food and the old-school Rat Pack vibe. Bolognese (delicious), Eggplant Parm (best so far in Denver, tastes homemade - thick, firm, not mushy, peeled, crispy breadcrumb coating, not drowning in cheese), Chicken Penne in Pesto Cream Sauce (delicious, light). The tomato sauce is wonderful with the right balance of garlic and a little spice. Great prices! read more

Gaetano's absolutely crushed it! The happy hour here is next level. Incredible drinks, amazing food, and the vibe is perfect. Ashley & Amber are an absolute dream team behind the bar -- friendly, attentive, and they make the whole experience feel special. The HH martinis are fantastic, but the real star for me is the HH oysters. Fresh, delicious, and the perfect happy hour treat. If you're anywhere near here, do yourself a favor and stop in read more

It had been many years since I had been to this restaurant. The menu looked good and authentic. My chicken piccata was not good at all. No color, the flour dredge was still flour , not browned , watery sauce , It was very unappealing to look at and there was no flavor. They were very nice and didn't charge us. However , the minestrone soup was equally bad. Oily , tasted too much of pesto and was too spicy. So disappointed. read more

Went last night. Didn't have a reservation so we did take out instead. The lasagne was good, not as good as mine. It was hot in the restaurant. Of course it was hot outside! We ordered a side of garlic bread for $11...It was burnt and I couldn't figure out where the garlic was in the garlic bread. May want to lower the price or make the garlic bread memorable. Because that's the only thing I will remember! read more

Great Italian restaurant in the highlands! Andrew was a very attentive server who provided recommendations right away. We tried the bolognese and rigatoni which both tasted amazing! There was an extensive wine list and recommended pairings with the pasta. Would go back! read more

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Wow what a lucky find. I'm from Scottsdale in for work and Gaetanos popped up on my Facebook. Well everything about this restaurant was well documented. The ambiance was old school and I love old school. The chicken parm was amazing and huge! Loved every bite. Service was on par. I'll be back! read more

Gaetano's - Chicken Parmigiana - Italian Near Me - Denver, Colorado

the food was amazing !! we ordered 4 appetizers, entrees & dessert, it was all so good! BUT i can only give 3 stars because the service was atrocious. it ruined our entire dining experience. we had to ask our waiter for everything, from small plates to share the appetizers, more water, & forgotten beverages. at a point, our waiter tossed our dessert forks on the table instead of handing them to us individually or placing them at one end of the table. our party is truly disappointed with the way we were served, i wouldn't come back because of it. don't know if it was just our waiter or the usual standard. read more

Gaetano's - Gnocchi Salsicia & Funghi - Italian Near Me - Denver, Colorado

My boyfriend and I decided to try this place and it is my new favorite Italian restaurant, possibly favorite new restaurant period! The restaurant is gorgeous and fun! I loved the wall art and classic booths! We had mussels to start and which were delicious! I had the mushroom Gorgonzola rigatoni with gnocchi and it was absolutely fantastic! The house made bread was insanely great and definitely a must for dipping in the delicious sauce! Our waiter Briggs was phenomenal! He suggested the perfect wine and food! He was excited to share about the food and restaurant and definitely set a great night over the top with his hospitality! I cannot wait to go back! read more

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Our family came here for my son's birthday based off of other Yelp recommendations, and we were so pleased with everything. The atmosphere is old style Italian with a warm and welcoming vibe. We were greeted and seated promptly for our 5:30 reservation. We were seated in one of the cool semi-circle booths that made conversation easy with our family and the server. The server was kind, personable, and very attentive the entire time. He made good drink suggestions and let us know about the special. We did not feel rushed for drink or food orders. For food, we ordered the calamari fritti, chicken alfredo, chicken piccata, and chicken marsala. We all very much enjoyed our meals. I personally had the piccata, and it was lovely lemony and buttery with the delicious salty capers for balance - really good! I had a hard time deciding between the many options. We also had tiramisu and cannoli for dessert, and our server lit a candle for my son's birthday. We had a wonderful experience, and this is now on our family's list of must return to restaurants. read more

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