We had the 3 course dinner that was meant for the theatre crowd! The customer service is amazing there! You can tell the manger and staff pay attention to everything! The butter and bread selection they bring around is dangerously delicious! The kalamata olive bread was so yummy. I really enjoyed my tuna appetizer with mango, caviar infused with wasabi, micro greens and edible flowers. The Baja Sea Bass was good but something was missing in it maybe needed a touch more acidity. The carrots on the dish were my favorite part. I made sure my boyfriend got the same dessert because I didn't want to share it! It was a flourless chocolate cake with peanut butter, dulce de leche ice cream, and caramel and chocolate around the plate! That was my favorite part!!! The strawberry basil infused aperol with zodka drink with very tasty as well. read more

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Deserves more than 5 stars. I would pick up a flight and travel back to Denver just to eat here... it's so so good. Co-owned by award winning Chef Jennifer Jasinski... kudos to her talent !! My husband a I chose Rioja for our anniversary dinner because of the reviews we had read. We were not disappointed. Not only was the food delicious but uniquely styled and meticulously plated...each came out looking better than the other. A vegetarians paradise! We had a melon salad...watermelon, honeydew, each cut and scooped differently..heirloom tomato, shishito jam and served with cantaloupe-black pepper sorbet... yes! sorbet for salad... take my word for it.. it's out-of-the-world good. Next was the,Bermuda Triangle....goat cheese, variations of zucchini , puffed farro, ginger pickled blueberries, preserved lemon, pine nut purée... For entree, artichoke tortelloni filled with artichoke mousse... in an outrageously delicious broth.... I could die eating this forever. The service exceptional.. our server brought out another dessert (at no cost) just coz I didn't enjoy the first one that much...how sweet!! Tip: go with a reservation else you'll be waiting a long time.To make a reservation go to their website or open table. cant make a reservation over the phone i called like hundred times and no one answers. read more

Rioja - Amazing food!! - New American Near Me - Denver, Colorado

I have been putting off reviewing this place because I wanted to have the perfect words to describe the experience. After 4 months, I still don't think I have the right words formulated, so I'm just going to try my best and let the photos speak for themself. I came to Rioja with my boss (a gourmand), and two of my colleagues. We opted for the Theater Prix Fixe menu as three of us had flights back to Sacramento the same night. The dinner at Rioja was single-handedly the best decision the four of us have ever made. I started off with the Kanpachi Crudo. It was beautifully presented, and the Kanpachi was flown in the same morning. I'm a huge fan of yellowtail, and this was the perfect light appetizer to tantalize the palette. After our appetizer, we all received a complimentary amuse-bouche. It was this delicious piece of steak. So yummy! We also had rotating bread service throughout our meal, and I definitely recommend the lavender and the goat cheese ones! I had to get the artichoke tortellini as my main entree, as this was highly lauded and even won the coveted James Beard award. The tortellini was freshly made in house, and had goat cheese, white truffles, and artichokes as the filling. The tortellini was served on a bed of the most savory artichoke broth with a hint of truffle. I probably cried a little bit, as this was definitely a highlight. This dish was rich and savory, yet didn't overpower my mouth. Instead, everything blended together perfectly. My colleague also let me taste some of her grilled pork chop, and I was a little jealous that I didn't order it. Pork chop is honestly such a simple dish, but the chefs at Rioja elevated it to be the next level. The savory chop paired perfectly with the mildness of the jam, and the apple pieces were the perfect complement. However, the real star of the pork chop dish was the Morel Mushroom. Cut to look almost like a calamari steak, the mushroom boasted so much earthy flavor and a texture that was comparable to meat. For my dessert, I had the coconut mousse. I was honestly a little doubtful when I ordered it, because I'm not really a coconut person, but this blew me away. There wasn't an overwhelming taste of coconut, but rather delicate hints of it throughout. The mousse was served on top of this amazing fruit sauce (apparently called blackberry coulis), that tasted sweet like Port but also boasted a velvety texture. With each scoop of the fluffy mousse, the velvety fruit sauce, and the crispiness of the wafer - my mouth felt like I was eating the holy trinity. Please, please, please stop by Rioja if you're ever in Denver for a meal that you'll never forget. The prix fixe was only $50 per person, and it was comparable to a Michelin-starred restaurant. Honestly. if Michelin ever stopped by to rate Rioja, I have zero doubts that Rioja would receive at least one star. read more

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Great atmosphere and food. Our server, Su, was lovely and was part of the 5 star review- she was so kind and personable all throughout the evening and wanted to make sure we had a perfect evening. The artichoke tortellini was amazing, definitely recommend as a starter or main dish. I got the octopus and it was very tender and delicious. I do wish they paired it with something else as I didn't care for the beans and grapes with it. Would much rather would have had something like a whipped sweet potato or butternut squash. The entree our table had was the braised short rib and it was a good size piece and cooked very well. This was our first time and we wouldn't hesitate coming back and trying other options. read more

Very good food and service (Briton was a fantastic host). Went in on a Thursday afternoon before it got busy. Many different food options as far as vegan or gluten free goes. Would recommend to anyone as a higher end lunch or dinner spot. read more

Rioja - New American Near Me - Denver, Colorado

The food at Rioja was delicious - the bread biscuit was the highlight out of the bread basket. I had gnocchi which was 5/5, the tortolini was delicious but the broth lacked flavor 4/5. I had the veggie entree which had a soup, rice and taro cake which were 5/5 and then some noodle which was 0/5. Service was pleasant but no chocolate desert and their soup and third pasta option both had meat so it was slightly disappointing. read more

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I love going to that restaurant especially on romantic nights. The food and service are exceptional. Great experience.

Two stars for service and 1 for the ambiance and fudge torte dessert (highly suggest). However, the rest of the meal was very average. The house salad and squid ink pasta had too strong and conflicting flavors, and the angel food cake was too bland. read more

Amazing food, great service.... One of the best meals I've had in Denver. Every item was well thought out and amazingly paired! If you get the opportunity to try this place, I highly recommend it! read more

My friend and I were wandering around Larimer Square and decided to pop into this place for a quick bite. We weren't hungry but felt obligated to eat dinner after traveling all day. We shared the egg yolk ravioli as an appetizer and then shared the scallop entree. The egg yolk ravioli was interesting and while it was good, it was nothing out of this world. I could live without it. The scallops were cooked nicely. It was served with some baby carrots, leafy greens on top and some carrots & barley... also a few spoonfuls of some sort of nutty granola. The staff knew we were splitting the dishes so t was nice of them to split them onto separate plates for us. I had left my driver's license in my purse and only had brought my clutch out to dinner. So that meant no alcoholic beverages for me - boo.... The cocktails seemed crafty and I probably would have enjoyed it but I wasn't able to. Bummer. Nightcap and dessert possibly elsewhere now that we have refreshed at the hotel. read more

Rioja - Half of the scallop entree (3 scallops per order) - New American Near Me - Denver, Colorado

Took my wife for a special dinner and Rioja did not disappoint. We ordered 2 cocktails and the bartender was very helpful and made them exactly the way we liked them. Our waiter was above and beyond with everything. We ordered a mozzarella fruit salad which was super clean tasting and then our waiter suggested cavatelli, just a little spicy but very tasty, and our main entrees were vegetarian four squares (wife) and grilled waygu tri-tip (mine). I am not a fan of cabbage so they substituted it for the coconut cashew rice. Loved everything aside from the the croquettes (part of the 4 squares entree). Forgot to mention the lavender sourdough bread was out of this world. We should have passed on the dessert, ordered the beignets. We were expecting them to be soft and fluffy, but they were dense and bitter. A restaurant we will definitely come back to. Everyone one was super nice and friendly. Definitely a restaurant that should be in the Napa Valley Area. Romantic, quite, and rustic read more

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We received our 1st drink 40 min after we sat down. It was a Monday. They were "out" of the drinks we ordered and we asked which ingredient they're out of, and turns out they have the ingredients, they just ran out of the "batch", and instead of just mixing the drinks, they ask us to order something else. (At this point there was an entire espresso martini spilled in my friends lap, but we'd like to think this was a mistake, and not factor into the rating.) My friend asked our waiter what his entree recommendations were and he basically just read her the entire menu aloud, saying "everything is good". We received our food over an hour after we ordered. My pasta (full serving, not half) was about 8 thick pappardelle noodles, 5 of which were stuck together so didn't cook properly and sauce was not evenly distributed. On the menu they disclose they pay their staff minimum wage and charge guests an additional 5% on top of the evenly distributed tipping system. They also bring the check with a "cash payment" option and "card payment" option. So despite their overpriced drinks and food, they still can't afford to pay the credit card vendors or their staff a "livable wage" so the customers are responsible for that also. Honorable mention for the bread servers and bus staff. They were polite, attentive, efficient and lovely. They should be the ones interacting with the customers, in my opinion. Only reason I added a star. read more

Tried this place while on a trip to Denver .. based on reviews .. did not disappoint! read more

Rioja - Fig Beignets - New American Near Me - Denver, Colorado

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Went with some coworkers for dinner after a conference. Can't remember the names of what we ordered but know that it was all good. What stole the show was the service. From the guy offering up bread non stop to our glasses of water never being empty. Would recommend y'all check this place out if your in the area. read more

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Literally one of my favorite restaurants in Denver. Always the best service, the best cocktails, and the food is creative, unique, presented like art, and so tasty. It's expensive but worth every penny. read more

Rioja - Amazing cocktails and my cute husband with a weird shirt situation lol. - New American Near Me - Denver, Colorado

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Ambiance for a Thursday around 530pm was low-key but engaging. 6/630 it became more lively & so many showing up for their reservation (yes, a Thursday night reservation, highly recommend). Bartender was wonderful, suggested a few wines and let me taste them before making a final decision. He even helped tour through the menu & gave me honest opinions of foods. And ultimately ended up with the 1/2 order of ricotta gnocchi & 1/2 order of the artichoke tortellini. Both absolutely delish, chefs kiss. Gnocchi came first and tortelloni second, but I think they should have come the opposite. Tortelloni first, since it was a light dish in a light broth, and the gnocchi dish second since it felt more of a light version of a comfort food, in that delectable goat cheese cream sauce. Mmm. Regardless, absolutely delish & wish I could get another order of each while writing this. read more

Rioja - ricotta gnocchi | chanterelle and maitake mushrooms, Smokin' Goat cheese sauce. Herb salad, dill vinegar, garlic chips. - New American Near Me - Denver, Colorado

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Not bad, but kind of an average decent meal. I got the halibut and it was a little bland. Hubby got the pasta special, homemade gnocchi, lamb chunks and bits of almond (which didn't go at all, there were catchy hard almonds in it.) appetizer gazpacho was spicy- but lacking in flavor outside of the heat. read more

Absolutely a must visit! This restaurant is tucked in Larimer Square. A local restaurant that you might not notice since it neighbors restaurant giants like Ocean Prime and Capital Grille. But definitely come for a memorable dining experience. Ambiance: It was a Saturday summer night and we got to sit outside, taking in the live music in Larimer Square. People either dressed casually or to the nines. Very romantic appeal. Lots of couples there enjoying a date night. Inside, quite a few large tables. Pretty vibrant, can feel the pace of the staff is set to please. Their cocktails were well prepared and they have an extensive wine menu. Food: We got 4 items that have lasted the rest of time. The house salad was fantastic way to open the appetite. We really want to get their signature board as well but knew it would be too much food. So we got "fresh bacon" which was delectable pork belly over bean purée. I wanted to lick my plate clean! Next time I come back, I am not splitting with my husband! I got the artichoke tortellini (I believe it was their James Beard winning dish). Hands down, best tortellini I've ever had. It was so simple looking but so exquisite tasting. My husband had the grilled wagyu tri tip that I kept stealing bites from. It was delectable and very generously portioned for $36! Service: Our server was great- knew the menu very well. She had every timed perfectly. She split our salad without us asking and didn't put a surcharge. There was a water boy and get this- a bread boy! They had people come by with a fresh assortment of bread to your choosing throughout dinner. I wish this restaurant could move to Phoenix! I would come here all the time and try everything in their menu and look forward to their new seasonal dishes! read more

Rioja - Artichoke Tortelloni - New American Near Me - Denver, Colorado

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Wow, had a great meal here and wonderful service from the bartender Jonathan. I was actually going to a show across the street at comedy works so I was in a hurry and wanted to order and eat quickly. I was super impressed with how Jonathan took care of me even though I was only drinking a San Pelligrino at the bar top. I asked about the Duck or the Octopus for my entree, he replied that they were both excellent but that the restaurant was known for their octopus. I ended up going with the Octopus and WOW am I happy I did. Amazing dish with artichoke, potatoes, and delicious vinaigrette. Octopus was cooked PERFECTLY and came out super quick. Thank you Jonathan and the rest of the Rioja team, super impressed by the food and the service and cant wait to come back again soon. read more

Rioja - Octopus dish - New American Near Me - Denver, Colorado

Don't go here if you're looking for big portions. Don't get me wrong, the food was good but the portions are very small. The help staff (food runner, assistants to the server) I thought were wonderful and more helpful than our actual server. We got the scallop appetizer which is 1 single scallop. Then my boyfriend got the lamb entree which he couldn't stop talking about how good he thought it was. I got a half portion of pasta as I'm used to huge portions back on the east coast. One thing- get the full portion if you go here. read more

I have to admit this restaurant surprised me in a really good way. Our first trip to Colorado, starting in Denver. I made a reservation the day we arrived figuring it was close and menu looked good. Ends up this is a far more haute cuisine restaurant than I expected. Must be a celebration restaurant too - several candle lit desserts when by. I can see why. Each course was gorgeous. The bread basket is not to be missed - lavender sourdough, olive bread, and goat cheese biscuits. Two pasta dishes: cavatelli and chicken cannelloni were both excellent - gorgeous presentation. Pork Chop and Lamb Duet were both excellent. Lamb with Moroccan spices and pork with peaches. Yum. We had the Beignets for dessert - couldn't stop to take pictures; we just devoured them. We were tired after a long trip form the east coast and still our meal was exciting. The staff was knowledgeable and friendly. What a nice experience to introduce us to Denver's food scene. Thanks, Rioja. read more

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Amazing service, it was really fast, the restaurant was absolutely amazing! I have a had a steak which was one of the best foods I'd ever had. The ambience was amazing too each table had its own little lamp which was really nice would come back if it were not for living 50 miles away from it. read more

Rioja - Steak - New American Near Me - Denver, Colorado

Delicious food. Quiet ambience. Pricey but worth it! Close to valet, which can be pricy and closes early, but ideal if you plan to cut out after dinner. Otherwise park on street or in garage and explore the square. read more

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1 of 2 fancy date night dinners while we were on vacation. I had an amazing time here! Wonderful service. The bread choices were delicious, namely the chocolate and focaccia bread. We ordered a tasty soup with pine nuts, which I would gladly get again. Our Cabernet Sauvignon from Spain was quite tasty. I got the octopus, which could've easily gone wrong a few different ways and it didn't! It was cooked just right, great texture, went awesome with this dirty rice cous cous sort of mixture( I'll admit a little salty, but still delicious) that had great texture and it all went well. Highly recommend! read more

chop: soft pork cooked to perfection. Accompanied w a tamarind sauce, rice and asparagus. It was phenomenal! Service was extremely attentive and food was outstanding! They don't need my review but they are getting one anyway! read more

Rioja - Pork chop - New American Near Me - Denver, Colorado

Rioja is serving up excellent food. The seared venison was perfectly cooked, tender and so delicious. It was so good that I decided to get breakfast the next day. The duck and sourdough waffle will be in my dreams until the next time I can get to Denver. Seriously good. Best duck I've had. The sourdough waffle paired with it is the perfect compliment. Can't recommend this place enough. read more

Food was excellent. (Pork chop, Arctic Char, and Artichoke Tortelloni). Cocktails and wine were very good. Service was excellent. The only thing that would have made it better was: I had put in the reservation (via Open Table) about celebrating my wife's birthday, but no one from the restaurant said anything about it. And I didn't remind them or anything. So no dessert or even a Happy Birthday from them. Also the beignets were recommended by our server, but they were just OK. Hence the 4 stars instead of 5. But that was the worst thing that happened. We had a lovely time and would definitely go back! read more

Lamb burger was amazing on fresh made ciabatta and had a watermelon refresher drink yum yum .:: definitely would come back again !! Also John the bartender was really awesome & had good suggestions and attitude .. ambience is nice .. great find ! Make sure to check this place read more

Rioja - Lamb burger was amazing on fresh made ciabatta - New American Near Me - Denver, Colorado

3.5/5 solid stars The food was OK....a bit on the salty side for an upscale restaurant. Ordered: 1) Kanpachi Tiradito: 3.5/5 pretty good but too heavy on the sauce. Presentation is amazing. 2) Georges Bank Scallops: 3.5/5 portion size was super small...it was like the scallops were cut in half since they were not plumped. The "crispy sticky rice" was not crispy and not tasty at all... 3) Chocolate Peanut Butter Torte: 3.5/5 pretty good but we were pretty full by the time the desserts came out. We could barely finish. Ambiance was nice, but the food was not impressive. read more

Great service and our waitress fully understood what needed to be changed on the vegetarian meal in order to make it vegan!! Very helpful, the drinks were delicious and so was the lavender sourdough!! read more

Rioja - Vegetarian four season and lavender sourdough - New American Near Me - Denver, Colorado

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Terrible- from the moment we walked in to the moment we left. We were sat immediately as we had a reservation on a Saturday night about 7pm. The server didn't stop by for well over 5 minutes- when she first appeared she was extremely frazzled so we knew we were in for the long haul. We wanted to order a bottle of wine that would please all of us. Instead of asking what we our tastes were- she insisted on bringing us a taste of the house Albarino. It was terrible. We saw a Sommelier walking around and flagged him down. He was pretty knowledgeable and steered us towards a Cab Franc which we were all pleased with (hence my 2 stars). They were offered a tasting menu which we inquired about- there were 2 tasting menus. One 5 course and one 7 course. We opted for the 7 course as it had more of the dishes we were interested in. We did not opt for the wine pairing (too many whites that weren't appealing). One person in our party was gluten free and couldn't eat cheese. They did let us do 2 of the tastings with her ordering her own customized plates. Good! There was a person serving bread walking around with a nice selection. They had a goat cheese biscuit, lavender bread, olive bread, and one other I couldn't remember. The biscuit was great, lavender not so much- too 'perfumy'. Gluten free asked about bread and they said the kitchen would whip up a 'gluten free' option. First Course: Cauliflower tahini soup- bland, watery, without the garnish inedible. Gluten free ordered the baby pumpkin salad- EXTREMELY well presented and tasted great (only issue is that she had to pick out the 50 tiny croutons that were mixed in). *Now please note we tried to flag down our waitress numerous times but she was so busy the we received no attention. Gluten free bread arrived at this point in time- they were veggie chips and they were delightful. Not too long after the chips arrived another identical set of chips came- they left them on the table anyways. Second course: Tuna Tartare 2 ways. Sashimi and Poke. Both were terrible. Fishy, flavorless, not visually appealing. I ate a bite of each and put my plate to the side. Dishes were swept up by the busser and no one ever came by to say 'hey I saw you didn't eat your second course' Third course: FreshBacon- This was more of a pork belly presentation with pureed beans. Good flavor. Gluten free ordered the 'bacon' without the puree. *still no sign of our waitress Fourth Course- 'award winning' pasta - Artichoke Tortelloni. Decent set of flavors. Definitely not award winning to me by any means. Fifth Course- Scallops. These were actually on point. Cooked perfectly and the sides actually paired well with the protein (unlike the rest of the dishes we've had thus far). *waitress came by to see what Gluten wanted for main course. She ordered the lamb shank. Waitress said it's like Oso Bucco- gluten was not familiar with Oso Bucco and waitress kindly rolled her eyes. Sixth course: Steak. Terrible cut of meat (I believe it was sirloin). Fatty and tough with little flavor. I only ate one of the two small pieces it came with. Gluten got her lamb shank- she was extremely pleased. *waitress came by to see what Gluten wanted for dessert- she pushed the Sorbet which was ordered. Seventh course- Cannoli. Not sure what kind of spin on a cannoli this was but I took one bite and couldn't down anymore. It was the sweetest thing I've ever eaten and not in a good way. Once again the busser scooped up the ENTIRE uneaten plate and left with no follow up. Gluten was delivered her dessert which was presented to her as ice cream. She cannot have dairy and promptly informed the waiter of this issue. He returned with the sorbet- which I ended up eating1/2 of- it was really good. Especially the pear one. 2 times now that she had to bring the allergy to attention. We waited around a bit for our check. She finally came by with it and didn't even ask us how our meal was... :( Not sure why the 'gluten free' chips were on the check- we weren't told there was a cost (it was only $3.00) We paid and the only time she appeared quickly was to pick up the credit card receipts to check her tip. The whole operation seemed extremely haphazard. Staff running around, people delivering food to the wrong tables, no manager in sight asking guests how their dining experience was. We came here due to the amazing reviews and were pretty disappointed overall- for 3 folks spending $400 I would have expected more. I'm sad we didn't get a chance to let our server or manager know about the disappointment. read more

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Hands down the best brunch experience. I started with a good pour of sangria and some warm rosemary goat cheese biscuit. Choosing my bread from a gold platter felt so adventurous! Came the omelette of the day - duck confetti, Brussels sprouts, ans of course eggs, topped with green sauce. Ceramic plate decorated with orange slices, blue berries, and strawberries. Our waitresses were attentive. I enjoyed every bit of my two hour brunch here, (and the bathroom decor). read more

Rioja - Omelette of the Day - New American Near Me - Denver, Colorado

Wonderful dining experience. Glasses of red wine, smoked burrata starter, house salad, and the vegetarian four squares entree. The four squares entree was very unique and delicious. The house salad was so good that on our way out I went to compliment the salad prepper directly. Discovered a new favorite red- Juan Gil Monastrell. The server Justin provided great service and was very attentive. read more

Great food and service! We had the tri tip, arctic char and the breads were so, so delicious.

Thank you to the staff for openly ignoring us and only tending to the white community that was there, which was only two parties, the other parties were my partner and I. The other parties were tended to very fast with a quick pace. While my partner and I sat there completely ignored by all the staff. We were never even given the opportunity to order drinks or an actual meal. So much for that. This was extremely unprofessional. Thanks for the great service! To make matters worse, I'm here for my birthday as well as business. Good to know where not to go from here on out. I would not recommend this place to anyone that is BIPOC or if you look under 40. read more

I'm missing the hype - perhaps our expectations were too high for this James Beard recognized restaurant. The atmosphere itself was lovely. We had two appetizers. The burrata was good but not very exciting - I think we expected something a bit more unique. The "bacon" was very good - pork that "fell apart" - not like your traditional bacon. I was very disappointed in the "tagliatelle." We expected a traditional wider flat noodle. And while I recognize the desire to be unique - this really was more like "spaghetti" and should be called as it will be served. The staff was very kind. I just didn't understand the draw. Sadly I'd send my friends to other places before this one. read more

It really saddens me to give Rioja such a poor review, but we had much higher expectations considering the reputation and were severely disappointed. TL;DR appetizers and pasta were on point, entrees and dessert were not worth it, service was horrible. We came on a Monday night to celebrate a special occasion and ordered drinks, apps, pasta, entrees, and dessert. The salmon crudo and pork belly were phenomenal, as were the artichoke tortelloni and sourdough tagliatelle. Though, the three tortelloni pieces that came with a half order at $12.50 had me questioning whether it was worth it... Then came the entrees of wagyu tri-tip and lamb loin, which were tough and lacking in flavor. At this point we were feeling like we should've gone with the full order of pasta and foregone the entrees. Finally, we decided to give the desserts a try and got the warm fig beignets and flan. Both were subpar and made us regret ordering them, because they took an extra half hour to arrive. All in all, we spent 3 hours at the restaurant. Probably 1 hour actively eating and 2 hours waiting for our food or waiter to take our order. Extremely disappointing service and food quality for the price point. read more

Fantastic food, wine selection, ambience, and service. Perfect for a special occasion.

had a fantastic time! We sat on the patio. Great ambiance. The food was fantastic. Server provided great insights and tips for what to pick. I ordered the vegetarian 4 option platter. read more

Rioja - Vegetarian Four Option - New American Near Me - Denver, Colorado

Love this spot for breakfast/brunch. Great food. Excellent staff. Location in the center of it all.