Rioja, in a most beautiful location in downtown Denver at Larimer Square. It has some innovative dishes with thoughtfulness. For example, they serve you a very small wooden spoon with a single asparagus tip, drizzled with blueberry sauce accompanied by some lightly cooked pomegranate seeds. It looked spectacular, but was a 6 out of 10 on the taste side. This was an encapsulation of my experience here. Everything looked good, service was good. It is really fine dining in Denver. The Chef is innovative, and you can see that the creative effort is there. The dishes presented looked elegant, but my other 3 dinner companions also felt that the food didn't taste up to the presentation. Maybe you can say, that Phil guy is a nit picky dicky, but when I am back in Denver, and I will be, I won't be going to Rioja. It is possible, for other guests, that the appearance will match their palette. read more

By far, the best restaurant in Denver. Chef Jennifer Jasinski is brilliantly creative, and has delivered at a high level for many years. The Mediterranean fare, influenced by local and seasonal products, easily merits a Michelin star. I've had the tasting menu twice (you have to request it) over the past several years, and recently had dinner there with friends. The yuzu halibut is a beautiful piece of leek ash-crusted halibut with whipped brandade, yuzu berjus, and compressed pickled melon. The Liberty Farms duck breast was a home run: perfectly cooked, enveloped in crispy skin, and served with artichoke hearts, Colorado plums, braised cipollini onions, farro verde risotto, and duck jus. It's gratifying to finally have such an exceptionally prepared duck dish, as so many chefs can't get duck right. My only (minor) criticisms are: the tasting menu portions are on the large side, so it's difficult to have room enough to sample the final courses; and, although there is a good geographic assortment of wines (especially from Spain), a few more higher-quality Spanish selections (such as some Godellos, Vall Llach from Priorat, and Bodegas Aalto) would really put Rioja over the top. But this still is one of my favorite restaurants in the US, and an essential dining experience when in Denver. read more

Rioja - Liberty Farms duck breast. One of the best duck dishes I've ever had. - New American Near Me - Denver, Colorado

See all

A friend recommended Rioja and its the best advice we had all year. We had a magical time! Here are the takeaways I can share: The decor and cuisine are beautifully presented with an artful, contemporary flare. We enjoyed sitting at the chef's counter to watch the kitchen staff at work. It was not as comfortable as a private table but we wanted a more engaging experience. So fun! Chatting with the pantry cook throughout the night was a delight. We recommend reserving chef's counter for a fun date night twist to the evening. Wines were very good, and I love that you can order half-glass portions. The Spanish red was excellent as recommended by our waitress who was attentive throughout the meal. My wife also enjoyed her cocktail - too sweet for me but that's how she rolls. I shifted down to the softer and luscious French Pinot noir for my entree to compete the evening. That was the right choice for me after the heavier dry Spanish wine. Fresh bacon appetizer was exquisite and my favorite dish of the night. We also sampled tuna tartare. Loved the watermelon and smoked pepper ingredients but the tuna itself needed more presence. I selected the pork chop, cooked medium, which was among the dishes our friend described. Tasty - I ate the whole thing - and Beautiful presentation, but lacked the oomph I was expecting. This is a mild complaint... my wife had the halibut special and Raved. I sampled the fish and found it very good. I almost wish I had ordered it myself. We agreed Our drinks paired well with the food choices, thanks to the assist from the our waitress. We were sold on the peanut butter/chocolate tort for dessert after watching the pantry chef make about a thousand of them. We devoured nearly the entire thing! They garnish this baby with candied peanuts crafted by hand; I've never had anything like it. I was so into dessert I put away two cups of coffee along the way! Bravo, Rioja! read more

Enjoyed a delicious dinner here. The sangria was very tasty. Had the lamb duet and everything was cooked to perfection. Got dessert-the dog and host cheese beignets and it was just the perfect bite. The waiter was attentive, in fact all staff was impeccable. Overall a wonderful experience. read more

They're open with outdoor seating, but I don't think they really need your business. It's good that they can be so rude and aloof and unaccommodating during a pandemic. They'll be several tables available, but be prepared to stand there with your thumb up your ass. In their defense, Larimer Square is now scumbag central. They're keeping it alive and everyone is crawling out of the woodwork to show up. read more

I had amazing memories of meals here in years past, but these were utterly destroyed tonight. My 'medium rare' lamb was cold, grey, tough, overcooked and completely unappetizing. My husband's shish kabob of supposedly beef and mushrooms was mainly raw purple cabbage, and I winced as he attempted to smile as he crunched through the dish. As soon as we returned to our hotel, he sought solace in salted peanuts he had stashed in his bag. The wine was good, our server friendly. The food was unfortunately unforgettable. read more

Delicious food! The donut of the day and the chicken salad sandwich were both delicious. Great service.

The restaurant was the ideal setting for a date night . Romantic and perfect ambiance. The wait staff was friendly and attentive . The food was incredible presentation and delicious . Had to leave room for the cannolis for dessert . Will definitely be going back . read more

Unbelievable experience. From the moment you walk in the door, they treat you like a VIP. The food is some of the best I've ever had. One of those places where you take a bite and can't help but stop and smile. read more

See all

Nice place, creative food, great location. Chef Jen rocks. I like all of her places.

Fantastic dinner! Service was great and everything was really delicious. Picnic - surprisingly large plate with crackers, olives, cheeses, meats and some salads. Very tasty! Egg yolk ravioli- this was so delicious! We ordered the small (2 ravioli) instead of the large (3 raviolis). They were cooked to perfection. The egg yolk oozed out slowly when we cut into the ravioli. It was a gorgeous dish. Special of the night - duck on risotto- the duck was amazing! And the risotto too! Everything was cooked just right with an even balance between the savory flavor and the slightly sweet jus. Other than the last plate, which took surprisingly long to come out, everything else went very smoothly. We each got a drink (alcoholic/nonalcoholic). Total bill before tip was over $80. Pretty reasonable for the caliber of food that we got to enjoy. Would highly recommend! read more

Rioja - Egg yolk ravioli, small, split into two. This was really good! - New American Near Me - Denver, Colorado

See all

Best lamb burger I have had in a long time. Waiter was wonderful! Gave us champagne and a card to help us celebrate our anniversary!

Family & I exploring Denver (we're from Seattle) entered here for lunch on a whim. SO glad we did--Excellent food & service, charming atmosphere. Almost felt like we'd been whisked away to Spain. You're started with a bread basket (they bake their own)-- the lavendar bread and olive rosemary bread were so good. We next had a house appetizer (forgot what it is called) which was like a chaucuterie platter.. very excellent and fun. Waiter recommended a nice Spanish red wine for me, I loved it. I had the Lamb burger.. yum. SO juicy, yummy, it was unreal, on a fabulous bun. My son had the Hatch Green Chile burger and he loved it as well. Dont even remember what my hubs and DIL ordered, but I know they were really happy with their meals. Loved this place, wish we had come for dinner, where I am sure the entrees are out of this world! read more

We went to this great place last week before going to see the play Cat's which was our first date 34 years ago. The first time we went to Rioja was for lunch last year and I told my wife I wanted to go back for dinner, it was worth the visit. Everything was pleasing from the drinks we had which were a White Russain which my wife said did not taste like what she is accustomed to but was not bad so that's why she did not send it back. I had the Rye so serious that was seriously good. We ordered the Pork Belly which was good, very tender, tasted great and it could have been crispier. My wife ordered the grilled Wagyu tri-tip which she enjoyed she loves sauce so a little more sauce for her would have been great. I ordered the duck and was very pleased. The service was spot on from the moment you walk in till the time you walk out the door. So yes we will be going back to try the Lamb. read more

A friend and We went Friday. The place is great, and service was really good. I would say needs more vegetarian options and the food portions size needs to be improve. i felt like I paid a lot for what I received. I would not recommend anyone or will not go back to this place. The food was very bland, and portion was for appetizer and main entry was same size. The restaurant adds on a 5% Denver Minimum Wage fee, which states on their menu is used to pay their staff the minimum wage. It is not the patron's responsibility to pay for the staff's minimum wage, I provide their wages already in the form of a tip. 5% is extreme and we were very put off by that. They also offer a discount if you pay with cash, which is essentially a penalty if you pay with a credit card. I have seen that is more casual establishments but not somewhere that is aiming to be higher end. Overall experience was very low. We were looking Forword for this place very much but was sadly disappointed. read more

Delicious food! Great for date night or girls night - good noise level for conversation. Staff is very friendly too.

So happy to be here for lunch 2 years later from consistently working downtown and post COVID. I am so thankful quality of food and service remains excellent. My server also made excellent wine and food suggestions based on listening to my preferences. I had the chicken salad sandwich that delivered and then some since everything is freshly made. Everything is "pricey" downtown as people say but Rioja is quality and worth the investment of your taste buds. I want to also point out ambience is important and they deliver on quality music in the background. Not all the other restaurants along Larimar Square understand that and thankfully Rioja does. I always feel special dining here. read more

Small portions for the price. The gnocchi was over cooked. The atmosphere and service were good. We are disappointed.

Awesome! I went with a few friends and we all liked it. Our appetizer was a plate of cheese and meats that was really good. There was so someone roaming around offering an assortment of bread, I ate so many rosemary biscuits that I can barely eat the duck I ordered. That duck was delicious by the way. Everyone else likes their food. We shared a dessert that was amazing, it was some gelato cannoli. Atmosphere and service was excellent ! read more

Rioja was an exciting surprise, it was my first time here, and I loved it. The Foie Gras Trochon was amazing, light and savory, with a nice subtlety. The lamb was perfectly cooked, with excellent risotto and portion was spot on. The beignets were a perfect finishing touch great balance with light sweetness, little savory. Morgan at the bar is spectacular, the Spanish Sour was complex, well balanced and wonderful beginning to the meal!! read more

Rioja - Morgan at the bar was awesome, had the Spanish sour, the drink was perfect! - New American Near Me - Denver, Colorado

See all

Food was fantastic. Our server Sue was also wonderful - gave great guidance on what we should order. She was friendly and professional.

Food- 3 stars, Service- 4 stars The complimentary bread was amazing. The server will come around with a huge tray of different types of bread multiple times and you can just pick what you want! This is dangerous as my sister and I went HAM on the biscuits, that we couldn't finish our meal! We ordered fresh bacon as an app, and for main entrees, we ordered the spice rubbed lamb loin and tuna- octopus duet. I love how the kitchen separated everything we ordered into two dishes because they knew we were sharing. The plating was beautiful! I loved the fresh bacon that I kept asking for more bread to clean the sauce off my plate. I enjoyed the lamb- it was cooked perfectly medium rare and tender and the mint sauce/falafel complimented the lamb perfectly. What fell short was what I was most excited about- the tuna- octopus duet. While the presentation was again beautiful, there was absolutely no flavor! A little seasoning can go a long way for this dish. Both my sister and I each had a different glass of white wine. We're not that picky when it comes to wine but they were both extremely bland! I was surprised that these wines sold even sold at Rioja/recommended by the staff as the wine was comparable to wine found at Trader Joe's. We were happy we didn't order a bottle. For $!3-14/glass, I would expect better selections. read more

Traveling for business in the area, I was searching for a Sunday lunch/brunch place in downtown/LoDo area in Denver. Rioja was one of the top options on Yelp and I decided to give it a try. They have OpenTable reservations, so use that to score points. I arrived at the end of brunch service (around 2PM), but that was not an issue - service was friendly and well paced. The elegant and balanced decor was also a highlight. I had the Eggs in Purgatory, and it was delicious. Perfectly cooked, with roasted tomatoes and lighter than air focaccia bread. Great technique and execution in all components of (what could be) a simple dish. For dessert, I had the dulce de leech donuts. It was a cake style donut, so a bit heavy (would be ideal for sharing). Later I learned the chef is a James Beard award recipient - which makes total sense. Overall a great experience. Highly recommended! read more

Rioja - Dulce de leche donut - New American Near Me - Denver, Colorado

See all

This place is so great! Our server was really helpful and knowledgeable, the environment was romantic, and they have a nice outdoor patio. It was my birthday, and they brought me a little miniature ice cream cone and a card! Everything we ordered was absolutely delicious. read more

So bleepin' good. Made a last minute OpenTable reservation, which worked out really well. I was surprised that for such a popular and highly-touted restaurant, there were empty tables at 7:30pm. I guess, to be fair, the Broncos had just beaten the Steelers and people were likely at bars or at the game. Oh well, it worked out for us. Started by Jennifer Jasinski, a James Beard Foundation award winner, Rioja has a Mediterranean-inspired menu, which all was very creative and delicious-sounding. The restaurant is located in Larimer Square, near the 16th Street Mall, so perhaps you can stop by the bar after doing a bit of shopping. As we got seated, I was incredibly clumsy and spilled a good amount of water on the tablecloth, but a member of the waitstaff came in like a ninja and replaced the tablecloth incredibly quickly. I was very impressed with the speed (and obviously embarrassed about my party foul). This guy was so fast that after he finished replacing the tablecloth, he came around with the huge bread basket, which had some different flavor profiles and textures: sourdough, rosemary, and caramelized onion. The bread was served a little cold, but the seasonings were great, and we would have asked for more, but we didn't want to fill up because the menu sounded so great. As we ordered, we decided to go with a ton of different small plates to start, including the fresh bacon (pork belly with cardamom and curried chickpea puree), saffron linguine with Italian lamb sausage, and the Brassica salad (Brussels sprouts, shaved cauliflower, radicchio, and hazelnut vinaigrette). Holy moly, everything was great, but that saffron linguine was fresh, delicious, chewy, and to top it all off, came with a 63° egg, which just made the texture super rich and delicious. As for the entrees, we got the New Zealand venison, and the Liberty Farms duck breast. Both were excellent, and expertly presented with all the fixings like butternut squash, risotto, and huckleberries. The venison was likely my favorite, as it was a very flavorful cut, and cooked to a perfect medium rare. The dessert though. I've mentioned I don't really have a sweet tooth, but I do like a good chocolate dessert if it's available. We got the "variations of chocolate" dessert, which was hazelnut mousse, milk chocolate mousse, dark chocolate mousse, and painted white chocolate pieces, arranged sort of like a napoleon. It was all accompanied with chocolate ganache, candied hazelnuts and edible gold. You would think it might be a chocolate overload, but I really enjoyed it. So rich, so delicious, with my favorite being the dark chocolate mousse. Goodness, I would come back merely for that dessert, easily. Service, as mentioned before, was fantastic. The waitstaff had great recommendations, were incredibly friendly, and very attentive. As for the prices, they're easily more expensive than most restaurants in Denver, but I can easily say it's worth it. You'll get a quality fine dining experience in a casual, yet trendy atmosphere. There is a reason there are 1300+ reviews, mostly all glowing and positive. Many touted this place as the best restaurant in Denver, and while my repertoire of Denver restaurants is pretty limited, I have a hard time believing otherwise. This should easily be your first stop in Denver, if you're looking for some outstanding food. read more

Rioja - New Zealand venison with butternut squash - New American Near Me - Denver, Colorado

See all

Damn this place is sexy. If you bring a date here and you are not naked by the time you get back to your car you are doing something wrong. Very wrong. I'm sure everyone has already said it, the food/drink/atmosphere is drop dead beautiful and fucking out of this world delicious - the service is undeniably impeccable. Here's where I have my only issue: DON'T RUSH ME .... if my business partner is wining and dining me at ~$300 a sitting, NO I will not leave in 1.5 hours on the dot as suggested. I will sit there and savor every damn bit of it, for every second. I will drool profusely. And I will lather myself in Rioja until we will all ride away on unicorns. Thank you. read more

Three of us came to this Mediterranean-inspired restaurant thanks to the glowing recommendations from fellow Yelpers Dani S. and Riza H.C. Reservation was a must as we were quickly seated on their sunny sidewalk patio. The interior décor was modern, grand, sizable, and composed of a large bar by the entrance, hardwood floors, red brick walls, and white tablecloth on every table. As nice as it was, the noise level inside became quite high as soon as it got crowded. Instead, we were able to enjoy the perfect weather on the sidewalk and opportunity for people watching. We started out with the Artichoke Tortelloni ($11.50) that came with artichoke mousse, white truffle brodo, queso de mano, and chervil. The trio was tasty with refined flavors and light touches of artichoke and soft cheese to intertwine with great external textures that included a firm outer layer that worked its way to a delicate center in one bite. It was marvelous. Thanks to the server's recommendation, my main entrée, the Seared Sea Scallops ($31) arrived with green arugula risotto, taro chips, baby turnips, artichokes, saffron, and lemon puree. The trio of scallops was fresh, plump, tender, and easy to cut single handedly with my fork. This is by far one of the best scallops given its soft texture and fresh flavors. The risotto was also out of this world. The convergence of saffron aroma and soft lemon puree provided the backdrop while refinement centered on the perfect texture of this risotto. The baby turnip, taro chips, and artichokes helped to diversify the textures and added hints of sweetness. Highly recommended. Finally, for dessert we shared an order of the Beignets ($8). These four little beignets were nicely stacked on top of chocolate drizzles, and came with sweet goat cheese and black mission fig embedded. The Beignets were served hot and easy to cut into. The goat cheese was light and fluffy, and the bits of sweet fig added great texture at the center. Every dish was excellent with a mix of complex full and subtle wow factors that coupled with great plating and presentation. Our server also walked around with a huge enticing breadbasket, and I really liked the Wheat Currant and Ginger Bread, the Focaccia, the Goat Cheese Bread, and we made good use of the Lavender Baguette to wipe clean the residuals in the Tortelloni. Service was very friendly, extremely knowledgeable, and responsive. Our water was refilled frequently, and our meal was nicely orchestrated from beginning to finish. The meal was enlightening and innovative. I'd love to eventually return to try their Pork Chop and Black and White Cheesecake. read more

See all

***Rioja serves good food, the service is great and the menu is interesting, but it is a notch below the great restaurants I have tried across the country*** Jennifer Jasinski's Rioja is an interesting restaurant. It is located in a quaint but bustling shopping and dining square in historic lower downtown Denver. It features several seating options including you've-seen-it-before options like an outdoor patio and a casual bar area, but there is also a very elegant, dimly lit white tablecloth dining room surrounded by a great looking brick wall. There is even a chef counter towards the back where you can watch the chefs plate the food. The menu at Rioja (even for lunch) is ambitious--lots of great ingredients as well as interesting flavor combinations and preparations. There are even a few desserts with warm, made to order pastry items. While there is a lot of great things about Rioja, I left not liking it as much as I should have. There were elements of each course that were good and even really good, but the food on a whole just did not hold up well against the great restaurants I've been to in the country. The amuse bouche was a crispy chorizo fritter with a poblano purée and a baby heirloom tomato. This was a good bite and a mix of savory and spicy. They do an assortment of bread and they all sound great--lavender sourdough, goat cheese and rosemary biscuits and wheat rolls with ginger and currants--but most of the flavors / ingredients did not stand out though there were high points (the sweetness of the currants and the crispy crunch of the biscuit). I started with the chilled corn and coconut consommé, which was garnished with baby corn, micro basil, roasted heirloom tomatoes, basil and coconut panna cotta, and crispy coconut. I was expecting the corn to come across more, but it was really all about the coconut in the broth, which gave the dish an unappetizing coconut water like feeling. Some of the garnishes were good. I enjoyed the freshness and fragrance of the micro basil and the roasting of the acidic tomatoes, which gave them a unique flavor and needed contrast to the dish (helping mask the strong coconut broth). My next course was better. It was pork belly and with so many restaurants using this protein, it is hard for this protein to feel special. But the cook on the pork belly here was great. The fat was rendered down well so that you do not have a lot of unappetizing, uncooked fat, but it was still very moist and tender. And there was a nice crispy top that you do not always get with pork belly at restaurants. The garnishes included a very strong madras curry infused fava bean purée. The curry provided a great spice to the dish and it was great to have the fragrance of the cooked pork compete with the fragrance of the curry. The curry though was too familiar and a little generic. I've been to other non-Indian, non-Thai restaurants that have incorporated curry in much better ways leading to a less assertive but still no less impactful flavor. I finished with the artichoke tortelloni filled with a goat cheese and artichoke mousse and garnished with a truffle and artichoke broth, a crispy artichoke chip and some great queso de mano cheese. This was a good dish. Everything went well together. I think the pasta itself could have used more flavor as well as being less cooked (it was a tad too soft). Rioja features several warm desserts so I actually tried two. The first was sweet goat cheese and fig beignets topped with sugar and accompanied by a port wine reduction. The crust on the beignet was not soft or doughnut like; instead, it had more of a tart-esque crust (kind of like the beignets at Saddle Peak Lodge in Calabasas). While the flavor was pleasing, the goat cheese (like a lot of ingredients throughout the meal) did not stand out. I also did not like the heavy use of raw sugar as a garnish. The second dessert was much better. It was croissant pastry filled with plums and then baked. The plums were a great mix of sweet and tart and I liked the contrast of crispy pastry top with a soft pastry center as well as a caramelized crispy bottom. The pastry was more bread-like and did not have the layers or flakiness of croissant pastry, but it was still the kind of freshly baked pastry item you do not see at restaurants often. It was garnished with icy creme fraiche ice cream. Service by the bartender was great (friendly and attentive as well as professional and polite). Prices for lunch are reasonable given this restaurant's upscale nature. Almost everything is below $20 and they have heartier items like sandwiches. Rioja serves decent food and for the prices, it would compete very well in other cities. Unfortunately, I felt the food was not as good as it sounded. Still, it is probably a good option for an upscale meal in Denver. There are several pay parking structures nearby and all of them are expensive. read more

See all

WOW, to the Amazing ARTICHOKE TORTELLONI - This is a must. The artichoke inside the fresh, homemade pasta was turned into an oh-so-flavorful mousse. Maybe it helped that it's artichoke season, but man, I've never had anything like it. The artichoke mousse was smooth, creamy, and very artichoke-y. I don't think it would have been the same if the artichoke were kept in chopped up pieces. This is served in a white truffle 'brodo' (broth), which paired perfectly without overpowering the flavor of the artichoke. Bravo! The BRAISED PORK CHEEKS were another highlight of the meal. Fork tender, juicy, and nice thick pieces of cheeks! Pork cheeks are already rich and moist, so imagine when this is slowly braised to perfection. Served alongside ravioli, stuffed with even more pork cheek, with a light, creamy 'soubise' sauce. All topped with morel mushrooms, asparagus, whipped parmesan, and dill. I tried some of the FINES HERBES GNOCCHI too, and this was one of the best gnocchis I've had. I typically expect a heavy, chewy, piece of dough when think of gnocchi, but this was super light and airy, yet still had that chewy texture. MAGIC! I'd order gnocchi more if all gnocchis were made like this. This was served with butter poached lobster, saffron-fennel compote, asparagus, and lobster nage. I would order this as my main course next time. I got all caught up with the main courses-- but the appetizers here are delightful as well! The FRESH BACON here is amazing. Slow cooked, thick piece of pork belly, seasoned with cardamom, and curried garbanzo bean puree. If you love bacon, I would suggest ordering your own. That top layer of the bacon is perfectly seasoned and has that perfect crispy-crunch! Then you get that buttery, tender, pork belly meat. The garbanzo bean puree matched perfectly with the richness of the bacon. And I'm glad the curry flavor didn't overpower the puree (or the bacon). The RABBIT FLATBREAD is also very tasty. Makes me a little sad every time I think about eating a rabbit, but a little wine helps drown away the sorrow. The flatbread was balanced perfectly-- just enough toppings, the bread was cooked perfectly (I hate when it's soggy or burnt), and the rabbit sausage was so tender. Topped with rabbit sausage, english pea-ramp puree, fava beans, lemon riccota, mozzarella, and pea shoots. This was a nice, healthy-ish appetizer. This chef seems to love bean-based purees, haha. The RIOJA 'PICNIC' is a nice charcuterie plate to share if you'll be sipping on some wine with your meal. A nice variety of artisan meats, pine nut crusted goat cheese, gorgonzola, olives, fennel salad, orange confit, and almonds. The gorgonzola was super pungent, it almost seemed like bleu cheese. I'm not a big fan of bleu, so if you are, you're in for a stinky treat! For Dessert, the VARIATIONS OF CHOCOLATE was my favorite. A trio of dark chocolate mousse, milk chocolate mousse, giaduja mousse, hand painted with white chocolate, chocolate miroir, and candied hazelnuts. Each chocolate mousse had it's own flavor, and the chocolates were so light that I could eat 2 orders. "Guilt-free" I guess, haha. For wines, we ordered two bottles: - 2012 Vino Nobile di Montepulciano: Italian red wine, rich and fruity, woodsy - 2011 Sassetti Livio: Italian red wine, fruity (lemon-y, cherry), with some spice Overall, I had a wonderful dining experience and would definitely return for several menu items! Cheers! read more

See all

Wow, everything about this place impressed me. The service, the ambiance, the wine, the crowd, the food, and the awesome Dyson hand dryers. I'm so glad I got to experience Rioja. Of all the places you could eat along this street, Rioja was the only one that had groups of people waiting outside, and that's a good sign. There was a 45 min wait for the 3 of us, she took my cell # and said she would call when something opened up. We found a spot at the bar and opted to take a seat there. We started with the Fresh Bacon - - what an awesome piece of pork. You could tell they took great care in preparing it. The lavender bread was full of flavor, and so were the goat cheese biscuits, definitely give them a shot. Next up: Hand-Made Mozzarella, which is prepared like a small sandwich of smoked prosciutto, oven dried tomatoes, green olive pistou, and grilled bread. It had the wow factor, but least of all the dishes, yet it's still worth a try. The pasta dishes looked so elegant, the bartender recommended Artichoke Tortellini (goat cheese, artichoke mousse stuffed pasta, artichoke broth, truffle essence, queso de mano cheese, chevril). The broth was fabulous - great to dip your lavender bread in, but the pasta dish itself was magnificent. Like my friend said about this experience: "it's like you want to keep this in your mouth forever, you don't want it to end". I couldn't have said it better myself, one of the best pasta dishes I have ever had. We finished w/ the sweet goat cheese beignets, which were also filled w/ black mission fig and was topped off w/ a ruby port wine reduction and powdered sugar. Definitely a different dish - sweet and salty, but absolutely superb. I washed it all down w/ an excellent glass of '06 Elix Priorat - - an incredible red wine. Our bartender provided us w/ excellent service, he was very attentive even though he was quite busy. Rioja is probably one of the best dinner experiences I have ever had, so many great places here in Denver but I think I am hooked and may go back for a repeat performance. read more

I loved Larimer Square the first time I encountered it about six months back during my last visit to Denver. And I remembered hearing about Rioja back then; I just didn't get a chance to try it. So, I was super psyched when I learned that our group of 14 was headed to Rioja for dinner last night. We were split into two tables, which worked out well since our round table sat six and we could easily hold conversations with the group. (I hate when you are in a group at a long table or round table and cannot speak to people across from you). Neil was our waiter and was excellent... He had personality and checked in on us just enough during the time we spent at the restaurant. Most of us drank wine or champagne which is always a happy start to a meal. The bread selection was phenomenal - I opted for a black olive roll. I know that the others had lavender bread and goat cheese herb rolls. I also had the "Chef Jen's Chopped Salad" and for my entree I went with a full portion (thanks for the honesty, Neil) of the Paella Gnocchi. The salad was just the right size (not too big / not too small), and I learned that the reason it's Market Price is because of the hearts of palm... it was delicious though! The Paella Gnocchi was delicious although I thought the tomato broth lacked flavor. I enjoyed all of the ingredients except for the chicken sausage. I ate around that. We were off to a burlesque show after dinner so we had to pass on dessert, but I would for sure return during a future visit to Denver. You can't go wrong at Rioja! read more

A 4.5 star rating on yelp with over 800 reviews lured me here but I found myself pretty disappointed with the food which was heavy on presentation but low on flavor and execution. On the plus side, the atmosphere was festive and the drinks were pretty good, offering an array of local and international bottle-only beers (no draught) and 1/2 glasses of wine to make course pairing an easy option. I had great and relatively cheap 1/2 glasses of vinho verde ($4) and xarelo ($6), and a not so great pinot noir ($8, again, for 1/2 glass). The mango smoked salmon Lomi Lomi ($9.50), was fair at best. Not-quite-ripe-enough mango carpaccio formed a tube encasing salmon that was richly described but immediately forgettable. The beet salad ($9.50) was an experiment in textures that ultimately failed when the kernels of generously sprinkled "puffed barley" turned out to have a too-hard crunch- even harder than grape nuts cereal. The best thing about the half-order of paella gnocchi ($11) was orange scented chicken sausage; otherwise, the watery/bland broth left me wanting and the pillows of toasted gnocchi were odd and tasteless. I struggled to detect the saffron touted as included-- whatever hint of it was masked by vapidity. I did enjoy the bread course that included goat cheese rosemary mini-biscuits and sourdough with lavender, as well as the servers who were pleasant and attentive without being intrusive. Based upon my experience, Rioja is an example of a restaurant receiving a multitude of undeserved accolades which often accompany a chef's rise to "fame" (most typically secondary to TV appearances). I fell victim to wanting to see what the fuss was about and was sorry I spent my most recent night in Denver sampling the food here. read more

See all

We went to Rioja for our first dinner in Denver and, although we had to make a late reservation, we arrived a little early and they sat us immediately. Everyone dining seemed to be very engaged and the environment is very intimate. Our server took a while to get to us and, when she finally showed up, she had a shadow (a server-in-training, who was a non-entity that night). Although she had a lot of information, the bus boys saved the day. They kept us in the right amount of goat cheese biscuits and water, then cleared plates immediately. The kitchen is somewhat open, so you can see the energy back there, which is high. There is enough going on in the restaurant to keep you entertained, but enough quiet to have a great conversation. I had the duck, which was fine, but what was really amazing (and what my fiancé can't stop talking about) is the deconstructed tiramisu. He orders tiramisu wherever we go and this is his absolute favorite. I would recommend Rioja to anyone, but I would be specific about what to expect. read more

3.5 Stars Had high expectations for Rioja. The Denver yelpers gave high ratings, and even the Denver locals that I met were singing Rioja's praises. It looked promising as I called at 5pm on a Saturday evening, and first available reservations was at 9pm. Rioja is located in the awesome Larimer Square area. Cuisine is Mediterranean fusion. I like the colors and interior, while simple, is very modern. There are glass fixtures throughout, and here's a pic of some on the wall http://static.px.yelp.com/photo/c7Chgt0Kz8HW6xCq1oinkw/l The menu has interesting entrees, and was happy to see that you can get some of the pastas in both full and appetizer (or half) portions. For dinner, I ordered: - "Cup of the Roasted Tomato Bisque, with Petite mozzarella sandwich, micro basil." This was super good, and one of the best tomato bisques I've ever tasted. It wasn't heavy, and tomato flavor wasn't too tangy. Of course, being the cheese lover, I was so happy that the soup was accompanied by a mini grilled cheese. This was so tiny, but tasty. http://static.px.yelp.com/photo/0FQmVcIIq_9CXGfJjlrHcA/l - "Artichoke tortelloni, goat cheese and artichoke mousse stuffed pasta, artichoke broth, truffle essence, queso de mano cheese, chervil" Of course, I had to order this pasta because of the goat cheese and truffle. This didn't disappoint, and all the flavors blended so well together. With so much artichoke in the dish, I was impressed that it wasn't overwhelmingly artichokey. It was really quite light and flavorful. This was a hit, and I usually love dishes with goat cheese! Because I only got the appetizer portion, I was able to finish this without a problem. Pic is a bit dark, but here it is http://static.px.yelp.com/photo/BdUGP1siOHjWPi1jR2q2bA/l Dalane ordered: -"Daily special - Beet salad" D just thought it was ok. She was expecting more beets, and just looked like a handful of beets prepared differently and served on a nice fancy plate. - "Candied Lemon Gnocchi, Butter poached Dungeness crab, fava beans, zucchini, grape tomatoes, tarragon herb salad, Moutere Grove organic olive oil emulsion" D thought this was a bit salty for her taste. Mind you, she usually puts salt (and pepper) on everything, and she didn't have to with this dish. Crab was fresh and quite good. http://static.px.yelp.com/photo/padRm5ger02Qy7FkNl9HCg/l Wine selection was vastly Spanish, but included some Italian, French, and California wines as well. I enjoyed one of their special cocktails - - Red Saint: which consisted of cranberry liqueur, St. Germain, sparkling cava, and lime. This drink was so lovely, and went down way too easily. Exhibited excellent restraint, and limited myself due to the price at $10. Rioja was definitely a unique dining experience. It's a trendy spot, with nice ambiance, and food is somewhat pricey, as we each paid about $45 (without dessert). I found myself still somewhat hungry, but not wanting to order anything else. Not even dessert. Guess I really feeling 'eh' about Rioja. Dalane and I found the cuisine to be confusing, with its Mediterranean flavors, as well as the Spanish influence on most of the dishes. There was no cohesiveness. Despite all of that, we enjoyed our meals, but it wasn't a "OMG, this meal totally knocked my socks off!" Soup and pasta were good, but I really liked my Red Saint drink and the choice of breads (sliced, sourdough, cheese), which was served warm. Service was just OK and not spectacular. Felt like our server wasn't super attentive, nor friendly. BTW, a few work colleagues ate at Rioja a few days after me, and expressed how awesome and excellent the food and service was. I'd be willing to give Rioja another chance the next time I'm in Denver. read more

I've been reading the delish sounding reviews for Rioja about a year now and finally got to see what all the fuss was about during a recent trip to Denver. The fuss starts with the bread. A slice of lavender and a goat cheese roll for this carb addict. Um, yum! I would have been happy eating just their bread for dinner, but the appetizers and entrees proved to be pretty tasty as well. . For appetizers we ordered a bunch for the table- ahi tuna, flat bread pizza, calamari and some very interesting type of bacon. Flat bread pizza and calamari were my faves- oh so good! When scallops are on the menu I tend to order them...and I made no exception at Rioja. While not the best scallops I've had in my lifetime they were pretty good and I loved the side that came with it: hazelnut phyllo, carrot & parsnip puree. I want this to be the side for all my future entrees please. I stuck with a glass of Riesling (pretty good), but I did get a sip of some of the martinis at the table...and next time I'll definitely be ordering one of those! No time for dessert at Rioja (sad), but we did get to drink our dessert while watching a burlesque show soon after. read more

I have been wanting to come here for years. It has been in my "Top 5" bookmarked restaurants for over a year. So, I was excited when I finally made it here during the 2013 Restaurant Week. We were seated fairly quickly, only 5 minutes after our reservation time. They put us way in the back, but I liked the view of the oven, and it was nice not to be as crowded as some tables. The food was great (and I will talk more about that in a bit), but out service was amazing. Our waiter (Jesse) was incredible. He was friendly, attentive, funny, and he knew the menu backwards and forwards. He knew every sauce and every ingredient in every dish. I asked him to remind me what a "nage" was, and he did it without hesitation (a nage is a flavored liquid used for poaching delicate foods, typically seafood, if you are curious). He made helpful suggestions and was very patient with a group of people who tend to agonize over what to choose when so many things look so tempting. They kept serving house sparkling water (yay!) for us throughout the meal. The bread baskets (the size of a shallow laundry basket) that were being carried around contained four different breads. I was particularly fond of the onion bread. For my starter, I selected the Seared Sea Scallops (seared scallops with fresno chili marinated Costa Rican pineapple, sesame soy caramelized eggplant, sake lees vinaigrette, shiso two ways). It was two largish scallops with a nice sear. The pineapple brought some good acidity to the dish, and the sesame soy caramelized eggplant provided more umami depth of flavor than you could imagine. There was a $5 up-charge for this dish, but it was money well spent. For my entrée, I had a very hard time picking a dish. It seemed that every one of them had and ingredient or two that I was less than excited about. The specials of the night were both salmon based (my kryptonite), so they were out. I wasn't sure how much I would enjoy the octopus, and getting a vegetarian dish just seemed like a waste to me (as tasty as they probably were). I wasn't in a duck mood, or a steak mood, etc. etc. etc. I finally settled on the pork belly flatbread. It was good, but not great. It was a small to medium-sized pizza with pork belly, ricotta, orange sauce, and butternut squash. The flavors were soft and sweet, as was the texture. I really did not taste the pork belly, which is a shame, because it would have helped pump up the flavor. Dessert really was a home run. We split the Poached Pears (pears rolled in pistachio fennel pollen brittle, chestnut chocolate cream, vanilla poached red grapes, fennel pollen meringues). This was an incredibly rich, decadent, and creative dessert. There was so much going on. The chocolate cream was potent, and the meringues were gooey. If I could change one thing about the dessert, it would be to halve the amount of accompaniments, and to double-down on the pieces of pear. It was a great way to wrap up a very nice meal. read more

See all

What can I possibly say about Rioja that has not already been said? We went to Rioja for my birthday this year and the meal was spectacular. I could go into a description of everything we ate but again, there's not much more to say. Yes, the Artichoke Tortelloni is a must, the bread basket is amazing, our dishes were superb. However, the one thing I will rave about is my dessert. I had the Crispy Pistachio Mille - Feuille and it was seriously one of the best desserts I've had out. Mille-Feuille (aka a Napoleon) is one of my favorite pastries and this version of it had all my favorite components: an amazing strawberry-vanilla Barvarian cream sandwiched between the perfectly flaky and light pastries, the plate decorated with delicious dried strawberries and candied pistachios. Service was impeccable. Brent now has specific dietary needs that are Doctor prescribed, and the staff went out their way to make sure his dish was prepared in a way that he could eat it and enjoy it. I will definitely return to Rioja. Hopefully sooner rather than later. I'm thinking their brunch is next. read more

Rioja - Crispy Pistachio Mille-Feuille - New American Near Me - Denver, Colorado

There were 6 of us for a birthday celebration and we had a memorable visit and delicious food. The service was terrific, led by Joe, our server, who thoroughly covered the menu and answered our questions. Bread service, starters, entrees, drinks and desserts were all first rate. They brought out 2-bite ice cream cones for the birthday treat, which were so cute and yummy. Some of our faves were the goat cheese tarts, fresh bacon starter, artichoke tortellini and the "Four Square" vegetarian entrée, which changes regularly as we understand. read more

Mmm... it's been several months since dining here and I still can't get the Rioja experience out of my head. It's just *that* good! Came here with a fairly large group (15 or so hungry CM's), which is a pain-in-the-ass for most restaurants. But you'd never know it at Rioja because they handled our group with ease. We were broken up into two smaller tables, but this actually worked in our favor since it's much easier to dine with 5-6 people at once - you don't end up screaming down the table at anyone this way! Wine- superb! The list was extensive and I enjoyed a hearty Shiraz. Others in my group had some fancy pants cocktails and I think there was one who had a Miller Lite. So the selection is there if you like to drink! Food - even better! We all shared some appetizers and yummy bread before our meals came out. I *love* a good beet salad and theirs is no joke! For dinner, I had the quince ravioli. It was very simple, yet delicious. I ordered the half plate, thinking that + a salad would do the trick. Next time, I'll get the full order as the food here is rich, but small. Unfortunately we did not have time for dessert, but I will say that between drinks, appetizers and our meals, we were more than ready to move on to the next destination! But I can only imagine how good they would be if were able to stay longer... Romantic atmosphere, good company, well-prepared food - all of these are inherent to a fabulous dinner equation. If I was to ever come back to Denver with friends or family, this would definitely be somewhere that I'd choose to dine! read more

AMAZING. I don't know any other words to describe it. You know your dinner is going to amazing if your pre-meal breads are amazing. I can never get enough of their crusty lavender bread and their goat cheese biscuit; they are the best breads I've had anywhere. I've had both brunch and dinner at Rioja, and have never been disappointed. For brunch, I recommend Eric's house made doughnuts (filled with raspberry mascarpone), the sugar snap pea soup (a light, creamy, and slightly sweet soup), the chilled plum soup (made with a yogurt curry sauce), and the Rioja benedict (poached eggs on their goat cheese biscuit). I met Chef Eric Dale (of "Eric's house made doughnuts") once as I accidentally sat next to him in his own restaurant. The fact that he ordered his own doughnuts tells me that he thinks it's amazing too. For dinner, I recommend the candied lemon gnocchi (served with crab and asparagus), the seared scallops (served with a coconut risotto cake and mango salad), and the Alaskan halibut (served with a black trumpt mushroom vinaigrette). All entrees were amazing. For dessert, I recommend the hazelnut tortamisu (chocolate cake with espresso-dipped lady fingers and espresso creme anglaise). Mmm... I have a food orgasm every time I'm there. read more