Having never tried Colombian food before my visit to La Chiva, I had no idea what to expect. Everything about this visit was great - the environment, the super friendly staff, the amazing food. Wholeheartedly recommend! read more

Had an early lunch here for the first time and I loved it! For an app I ordered the vegetable empanada, which was amazing! A single one is $3 so definitely worth getting the menu multiple order as will be cheaper since you will crave more than one! Would definitely order these again. They were crisp non greasy and nicely filled. I also ordered the Mahi Mahi meal for $14 and it was very delicate and light. I wasn't sure if I was going to like the sauce it came with so I ordered it on the side. It was a delicate coconut and tomato sauce with small chunks of cooked tomatoes. It was actually very nice and I ate it all. I did order sweet plantains but instead got the savory fried plantains instead, but I just ate them anyways and they were fine. The side order of white rice was nice but the portion was surprisingly small. I was very pleased and will definitely return next time I'm in the area. read more

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This place is awesome, Jorge, is an amazing guy, his family as well, the empanadas are to die for, and the Lomito is on point, arepas... I didn't like them, but you might. Service is superb! read more

Completely smitten with La Chiva. Jorge and his team have knocked it out of the park with their first brick and mortar restaurant and I can't wait to make my way back. Made it here for happy hour (Tuesday-Friday from 4-7 pm) which includes beer, wine, and cocktails. Ordered a glass of house white which was great--next time I'll definitely be trying a hurricane, which my friend gave me a sip of. This drink is completely gorgeous, super refreshing, and featured a new-to-me Colombian spirit called "Tingala" which makes your tongue tingle (in a good way). We also ordered the five for $10 empanadas to share--two beef chipotle, two chicken jalapeno, and one veggie. These empanadas are made with corn flower and are unlike any I've ever tasted before--definitely a little on the lighter side and really delicious. For those with avoiding gluten or with other special diets, this place is awesome for accommodations and have a ton of GF options (including their empanadas and arepas!). Cannot wait to come back and try ALL the food and fresh cocktails! read more

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Went there Friday night with some friends. Authentic Colombian cuisine, and everything we had was delicious. Service was good, and everyone there was super friendly. I recommend the La Chiva Picada platter - it serves two and has a great selection of items. read more

Ambience is perfect! Music, food: ordered aijaco, sancocho, bistek encebollado, empanadas, and arepas! Service was great, too! read more

The food was absolutely delicious! Staff was super friendly and hospitable as well. Must try the empanadas and the juice. An absolute gem in denver. read more

La Chiva - Arepa chorizo - Colombian Near Me - Denver, Colorado

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Overall really delicious food. Everyone was really friendly and welcoming. I wanted an arepa but vegetarian style, which was not on the menu. I asked if it could be done, the server said yes, that it would come with veggies (I asked what kind), he said like onions, peppers, etc. the arepa came out stuffed with rice and beans and zero veggies. I wish I knew this, as that's not an enjoyable meal for me and I would have opted to order something else. My plate also came without plantains on it, which is supposed to be a side. The server told me it doesn't come with platings, but my friend who ordered an arepa had them. Seemed like he was very confused. Everyone else really enjoyed their meal, unfortunately for me it was lacking. read more

Best Colombian food, I really recommend because I'm Colombian and there are a couple "Colombian restaurants" but La Chiva is the best I really felt back in my country. La Chiva i see it like a fancy - gourmet restaurant at the best price you can ever find. The customer service is wonderful and very Colombian stile I love it and really recommend it. Everything is good but I love la picada Don't think twice to come visit La Chiva Colombian food read more

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The empanadas were amazing! The service here sucks and they put a mandatory 18% tip. We had to flag our waitress several times to get drinks and remove dishes read more

We ordered for pick - up and were not disappointed. Our order was ready when we arrived. The food was a little cold but that's the price you pay when you order take out. We had the Empanadas Chiva, Sweet Plantains, Arepas (side), Maracuya Chiva, and Limonada Chiva (w/ pineapple juice). Everything tasted great. I am originally from Miami and growing up my mom loved to go to a neighborhood restaurant that made the best Colombian empanadas, these came pretty darn close. I can't wait to go back! read more

Lo más cercano a la tierrita en Denver. El sancocho, la bandeja y hasta el postre deliciosas. Visito a Luca recurrentemente para traer a más colombianos y al que se antoje de las delicias de nuestra Colombia. read more

La Chiva - Colombian Near Me - Denver, Colorado

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I was really excited to eat in that place since I am from Colombia, so I really wanted to have a good experience eating food from home but at the end everything was AWFUL! Here's the reason: The waitress made a mistake offering us a soup with the wrong price (cheaper), and we didn't even verify the price in the menu since SHE is the waitress, we assumed that the information she gave us was true! But then, when we were paying more than the price we expected to pay, we asked for a reasonable solution because it wasn't our fault! We trusted in the waitress information and of course, we couldn't afford that price! And with the worst costumer service ever, the answer was: "I'm sorry, you need to pay". Even the owner, being Colombian treated us as a thieves and kicked us out of the restaurant in a humiliating way, yelling at us that we could never go back to that place. And I'm pretty sure that we will never come back to that place, even if we had the choice, we wouldn't. I just hope the owner learns about respect no matters the age, skin color or origin of the consumers. I was very disappointed to have such a bad experience with something as special as Colombian food I can also cook anyway read more

This place is terrible understaffed. On top the service is pretty bad. In fact there is a 12Y old who barely speaks English who works there in service... portions are small. Good ok, nothing special. Ambiance is nice but won't be back here again read more

Great experience. They were open for limited seating indoors and had their patio open. The patio is so cozy and quaint. Our waitress was knowledgeable and made great recommendations. We ended up ordering the La Chiba Picada, which was basically a platter of different meats, plantains, yuca and some amazing sauces. Everything was delicious. The chorizo and chicharron were to die for. Could have passed on the ribs that were on there, but overall I think the best way to try a lot of what they have to offer! We'll definitely be back for another date night. read more

La Chiva - La Chiva Picada - Colombian Near Me - Denver, Colorado

I was not impressed with the food see below The beans was like a soup hardly any beans The plantains where not cooked all the way read more

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Delicious food! This place has no wait on a Saturday night and seems to be a hidden gem! We got the sampler board and loved every piece of it!! read more

La Chiva - Sampler Board - Colombian Near Me - Denver, Colorado

Food is 5 stars. We got the meal-for-two board and it did not disappoint. The mango margaritas are strong and fresh. The guava bread pudding is decadent. The only reason I can't give 5 stars was the gaps in service. They weren't too busy so we couldn't sort why we waited so long on things. Maybe short staffed? Either way, will positively go back for the food and hopefully I can update this review to full 5. read more

La Chiva - The meal for two. - Colombian Near Me - Denver, Colorado

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Great empanadas, rellena y chorizo. We ordered the picada and were very satisfied. The staff was very friendly too.

This place has it all! The location is amazing, the team was very welcoming and warm, the menu has the hits on it, and since I'm not a drinker the fresh juices were the cherry on top. I can't wait to return to continue the menu journey I'll have to take (leave no dish un devoured). read more

This is everything I dream about when I'm hungry. Chicharon, ribs, plantains, rice, beans, and a whole bunch of other stuff. Absolutely delicious. My friend went with the empanadas and she loved hers as well. I paired it with a Negra modelo mixed with some sort of sweet alcohol that I could drink all day. Just a really pleasant place with delicious food. I will definitely be back. read more

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First restaurant we visited since moving to Denver and I'm glad we found em. Did take out and everything went super smoothly. Food was delicious and the empanadas were the stand out favorite at the table. I also loved the fried pork belly and blood sausage. Don't miss the fruit juice either. When we did pick up the space looked cute and inviting. Hopefully we get to visit them in earnest some time. Thanks for a lovely meal!!! read more

Food was great! Unfortunately, the service was horrible. We didn't get checked on, not even once. May be due to the automatic 18% service fee. read more

I wish I could be writing a review of the food here--my partner and I were very excited to try it, and it definitely smelled good, but we didn't get that far. After being seated, we waited. And waited. And waited. And waited. After 30+ minutes without so much as a glance from a waiter, we gave up and left. This sort of neglect would have made more sense if the place was packed, but it wasn't. And I'm all for leisure eating, but this was unacceptable. It's a shame too. This place was so promising... read more

First time coming to this restaurant. Brought my family here with me as well. We sat outside looking for a great experience with the food and place but unfortunately it's far from what we got. We asked for 2 drinks. One non alcoholic piña colada and one with alcohol. The server who assisted us mixed up the drinks and guessed which one was which but would not return our drinks to remake it. We had no choice but to stay with it and pay for it. The food was not good at all, the food was hard and cold when I waited more than 30 mins. We do not recommend! Very expensive for no reason. FYI if you order drinks virgin you must be careful if you some type of recovering, some type of kid or any sort. If you get the wrong food, you are stuck paying it. Good luck!!!!! read more

Great food, unique flavor, good service and atmosphere. Reasonable price. Plenty of street parking. read more

La Chiva - Bendeja montenera - Colombian Near Me - Denver, Colorado

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La Chiva has incredible food, actually it's affordable and has a nice atmosphere. Now, why the low rating. Every time we've been over the service has been dismal. Not rude, but incompetent. I feel the wait staff pay absolutely no attention to you. We ordered our food and it took over 45 minutes before we got it. I recommend this place if you have nothing else in your schedule. Update: I was issued a full refund of our meal. I appreciate that gesture. Ultimately, great food and good customer service from management. read more

There is street parking in front of the restaurant. Interesting interior. Server didn't seem to speak fluent english but was friendly. The guava bread pudding was pretty tasty (similar to banana bread pudding). My friend and I shared the meat platter. I don't remember what anything was but I remember not liking the plain plantains, the sweet plantains were good, and all the meat dishes overall were just ok. I wouldn't come back here to try more unfortunately. read more

Overall the food was great, service was okay. Beverage and appetizers were delivered within minutes. The couple BUTS here, are: -The place is extremely hot, there's no ventilation nor air conditioning, considering the 102°F we were experiencing today. I ordered some limes for my beer... when the food arrived we asked for extra ají, we got some orders to go with extra sauce -at this point everything was great- we were able to just not pay attention to the heat inside the restaurant, having a good time with friends, the person who attended us, was polite, asking how the food was, etc. We finished, got up, went to pay, paid, we received the receipt and OH SURPRISE! We got charged for the limes and the extra ají without being told. Not quite sure if the menu makes any reference to this little extra charges but it was pretty shocking seeing the little amount. I'd love if in a future they can state on their menu that EVERYTHING besides water has an extra charge. I HEARTILY UNDERSTAND THAT WE ARE STILL GOING THROUGH A ROUGH PANDEMIC BUT THAT DOESN'T CHANGE THE FACT OF THE HIDDEN EXTRA CHARGES AND NO A/C read more

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I literally have no complaints. The restaurant was adorable, the service was awesome and the food was unbelievable. One of the best restaurants I've been to in a long time. We got the chicken jalapeño empeñadas and la chica picada along with a pina colada and margarita. It was all so delicious. And it was so much food, we had to get a togo box. Seriously impressed with this place. read more

We have wanted to try the restaurant since we saw their food truck. The food was authentic Colombian. My wife and her Tia and I enjoyed dinner tonight. Simple, savory, delicioso! We enjoyed the empanadas, the arepas, the patacones. The Refajo was a perfect way to begin my weekend! Jorge is so nice! We came a second time and was even better! New favorite item is La Chiva Picada. read more

La Chiva - Colombian Near Me - Denver, Colorado

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We ate there twice so far. Food is incredible, juices are the best and they are making real Colombian food. Coming back? For sure. read more

I decided to try La Chiva as I was visiting Denver, and felt and urge to have some good sancocho. It just so happened that as I arrived, a "fútbol" match was on TV, and Colombia was playing. Not surprisingly, if you're familiar with South American culture, the place was packed to the gills. The waitress that received me, very politely and pleasantly, regretfully informed that there wouldn't be any free tables until after the game. However, she offered me the option of takeout, which I gratefully accepted. While I waited for my sancocho, I saw a variety of beautifully arranged typical Colombian dishes: bandeja paisa, patacones montados - it all looked absolutely delicious, very authentic, and the patrons, mostly Colombian, were clearly enjoying the food. When I got to the hotel with my food, I found that my portion of sancocho was quite satisfactory, and loaded with chicken and the appropriate vegetables, authentic and tasty. Somehow to my chargrin, I found that I got white rice and guasacaca instead of the arepa that was supposed to come with the soup, but I can't really judge this harshly, considering how crazy busy they were, and the fact that nevertheless they took good care of me, and managed my order in a reasonable time, considering the circumstances. The rice was vey tasty, and the guasacaca was just delicious. I also ordered a milhoja for dessert, and while it was good, the portion was disappointingly small, and about average in taste. Probably the least satisfactory item was the agua de panela, which was much too diluted for my taste. Agua de panela should taste like panela, not like vaguely brownish lemon-scented water. Under normal circumstances, sitting at the restaurant with a standard crowd, I would rate this review with 4 stars. Given the mad circumstances, how tasty the food was, and the wonderful attitude of the staff, I'm happy to give La Chiva 5 stars. I'll try to go there again next time I'm in Denver, hopefully when some tables are available inside. read more

Very good food, nicely appointed interior, and friendly staff. Also, big portions. Highly recommend!

Our experience was awful. Service extremely slow, food was mediocre,lots items on the menu were not available at 630pm ordered drinks got the wrong ones . Need a lot of polishing to done to be a true Colombian experience. read more

I really wanted to like this place more than I did. I read reviews before I went and they ranged from great (!) to bad (!), but I decided to give La Chiva a try because it had been recommended by a friend. To be fair, maybe I am unfamiliar with Columbian cuisine and was comparing it to other South American cuisine. But what I look for when I go out to dinner: flavor, brightness, plating and just plain yumminess was sadly missing. Even though I called twice to try and make a reservation, no one answered. I left a message requesting a table, but apparently they only listen to their messages after the restaurant closes each night. The reason I mention this is because we had to wait on a table, even though there seemed to be plenty of empty ones available. The restaurant itself is very cute, though we ended up being seated in a "non room" hall between the main restaurant and the bathrooms, at 1 of 3 high top tables. My friend wanted a mojito, so we ordered 2 of those. They came in big water glasses and tasted more like canned orange juice than a mojito. Disappointing. It's also a pet peeve of mine to be served a cocktail in a water glass. NO. Serve cocktails in a pretty cocktail glass! We ordered the platter for 2: La Chiva Picada, which came on a wooden board. It was comprised of Colombian Chorizo, yuca, patacones, rellena, papa criolla, sweet plantains, pork rib, chicharron, and arepa. We received the platter, but no side plates. We nibbled from the platter, which was covered with brown offerings and one leaf of lettuce in the middle. The food was warm at best, the meat rubbery and tasteless. Thank goodness for the 2 sauces we dunked everything in. I had ordered a variety of empanadas to go for my husband. When I asked him if they were good, he said they had barely any filling and seemed all the same, filled with some type of white cheese. Now for the 2 stars: The wait staff was friendly and tried to be accommodating. They brought out the Guava Bread Pudding for dessert with a candle in it for my friend's birthday. Another brown menu item, but sweet this time... Again, not much flavor, but at least my friend got to make a wish! My wish would have been that the food taste better and that we would have been seated in the pretty part of the restaurant. La Chiva, my wish did not come true with you. read more

The service is excellent. The arepa I ate was delicious. I don't give them 5 stars because there was almost no flavor in the juice and the milhoja could have more milk caramel. El servicio aquí es excelente. No les doy 5 estrellas por el jugo y la milhoja. No había ido hace más de un año. Me comí una arepa con queso que estaba deliciosa, unas tajadas, un jugo de mora en leche (estaba muy rendido... casi no se le sentía el sabor-) y una milhoja (a la que le faltó un poco más de arequipe). En general si recomiendo ir a este restaurante, pero ojalá le empiecen a poner un poquito más de pulpa de fruta al vasito de jugo read more

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Reeaaally Colombian food! Really good. It was my first time and I definitely recommend you this place. I'm from Cali Colombia and I know about this food read more

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I'll try to keep this brief - Just GO! I highly recommend checking this place out. This was the absolute best dining experience I've had in recent months. My BFF and I came here for a late lunch. I called 3 days before to make reservations and they were gracious in accommodating our party of 2. They told me they had a party of 10 at the same time so I went into the experience expecting to get slower service. I couldn't have been more wrong. They were attentive and answered all of our questions. The portions were huge and every part of our meal was delicious. I can't wait to come back! read more

So I read about the Chupacabra paletas and wanted to try them and La Chiva was closest and we ordered lunch and what a great surprise: The food arrived hot and was delicious and we will be back. BTW, the mango chili paleta was fantastic! read more