Rioja

After looking at several places to eat, we selected Rioja based on their reviews. We were not disappointed! We sat at the bar and had great service. We ordered the «picnic» as an appetizer — delicious! We followed that with the artichoke pasta and the braised pork cheeks. Honestly, it was one of the best meals I’ve had in a long time! The braised pork melted in your mouth and the tortellini was cooked in an amazing broth. I can’t wait to return!

Innovative menu, fresh ingredients. Everything was melt in your mouth good. One of our favorites was the pork cheeks with pasta, which were tender and tasty. The lamb tenderloin was tender, nicely grilled and flavorful. The knife and fork salad with bib lettuce and other assorted greens was terrific. Also enjoyed the artichoke ravioli, which was stuffed with goat cheese. Great location, right in the heart of Larimer Square.

Amazing place and ambiene. Had to wait for half hour but it was worth it. The food was really good and i was impressed by the variety. The place is a bit pricey but ideal for a date! It will certainly woo your lady.
The beer n wine were good too. They complemented the food. You can trust the opinion of the person serving you if you get confused about ordering the food! I was so full that i couldn’t order deserts but they looked delicious!

I’m not gonna lie — Rioja is very, very expensive. We had a giftcard which made dining at this place possible. We made reservations (highly recommended) and splurged on valet parking ($ 10 + tip). The waitstaff was really nice and even brought us some veggies chips and a sample of something new they were trying while we were waiting for our order. I ordered the braised pork cheeks (delicious and perfectly done) and my husband ordered a lamb stew (that broth was to die for!). For desert we ordered the fig and goat cheese stuffed beignots, which were really good. The tokaji (dessert wine) was also really amazing. This seriously was one of the best meals I’ve ever had. I would come here again, even on my own dime, for a special occasion.

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 purée. 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 purée matched perfectly with the richness of the bacon. And I’m glad the curry flavor didn’t overpower the purée (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 purée, 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!

Maybe it’s because I’m from New York City… Or maybe it’s actually just the food (yea it’s actually just the food). But wow I have never been so underwhelmed. My dad put it best. It was like a restaurant that thinks it is actually better than it is. And on top of that. Our waitress was god awful!!! Its like if you position yourself to be a top notch restaurant you have to have well trained servers… Right?
We ordered a few salads and potato soup as starters. The salads were really uninspired and lackluster and really only the soup was good. But the fact that the soup was the only thing I liked was tragic and at the same time I felt like that soup is something I could get any time.
On to the pastas. we ordered their «award winning» truffle pasta and the octopus pasta. We didn’t even finish the truffle pasta dish because it was overcooked. I mean it’s pasta!!! Hello people if you are going to charge the price you do at least make sure you cook the pasta el dente. Yikes!
Anyways, it was a mediocre meal at best. Won’t be coming here again!

Arguably the best meal I’ve ever had. Bread (service) was fantastic! Pork belly, etc etc etc… Telling you what i ate will not do the meal justice. You have to try it. The flavors, textures and presentations were all A+. If you read the menu and see incredients, it may cause some hesitation, but don’t let it! (Ie lavender bread) No one flavor was overbearing in any dish. Perfect mix of flavors! Staff needs to be a little friendlier. Bus boy brought water and did not greet us. hostess, ehh.
But the food is beyond reproach.

Excellent spanish/​mediterranean tapas place in downtown denver. Had gone here for a friends treat and had made a reservation for 9pm. We were seated promptly. We started off with a bottle of a Tuscany red which was excellent. To start off, you get a selection of freshly baked bread that changes daily I guess. We had a jalapeño-​pepper based foccacia which was amazing as well as a delicious goat cheese flavored bread. Spread butter over it and sprinkle some pink salt and you won’t regret it.
For starters we got the rabbit flatbread, the rioja picnic, garlic and potato soup, octopus farfalle, and the hamachi crudo. Everything was great and the umachi was a wonderful blend of flavors and textures, and was the star of the first round.
For mains, we got the Georges Bank scallops, the veg 4 squares and the Colorado lamb loin. The scallops were out of this world delicious, succulent, perfectly cooked and went superbly with the pepper jam and the saffron vinagerette. I’ve not had such good scallop in a long time. It also came with a flaky spinakopita filled with eggplant which was delicious and paired well with the scallops.
For dessert we ordered the variations of chocolate and the handmade ice cream (pistachio, key lime and strawberry and coconut). The chocolate was great though I felt the white chocolate was a bit too sweet, a little lesser and it would have been great.
Overall, great ambience, excellent service and delicious food. A must try for a date or for any other celebration.

I came into Rioja having low expectations because two days prior, I dined at Stoic & Genuine and thought it was just so-​so. Rioja dining experience was 10x better than Stoic & Genuine, even though they both have the same owner/​chef.
First off, service here was great! Our server was really helpful and gave awesome recommendations. Also, the restaurant provides unlimited, fresh bread! Keep an eye out for the servers carrying a huge basket of bread. Butter up.
In terms of food, everything was delicious. I highly recommend the bacon (it’s actually pork belly, I think) and the artichoke torelloni We also really enjoyed the sesame dessert. It has hints of Asian flavor — what a nice touch! Those were the memorable dishes… I think we had 1 or 2 more dishes on top of that which I don’t remember…

I really liked this place overall but had to give 4 stars because of how SALTY and SMALL some of the dishes were.
Our first bites of the night were from the AMAZING bread basket. The waitress only gave you two pieces but they were all equally delicious. I tried to coax the girl in to leaving the basket, IT WAS THAT GOOD.
The first dish we ordered was the pecorino selection which was 3 different variations of the cheese with a complementary flavor for each one. My favorite was the cheese with the rhubarb jam. A nuttier cheese with a tart yet sweet jam. (This dish also appears on the dessert menu which I thought was very interesting)
Then we had the picnic selection which was assorted cured meats with these thin pieces of focaccia crisp bread. There was also sweet almonds, orange marmalade, and smoked gouda. The radish and onion salad infused with truffles was mouth watering and really cut through the salt on this plate.
The best entrée on the table was the artichoke tortelloni. YOU MUST ORDER THIS! Many people have added photos of the dish but in case you haven’t seen them they are pouches about 3 times the size of an average tortellini. They are creamy on the inside and lay in a delicious chicken broth based sauce.
The steak, tortelloni & vegetarian dishes were good sized portions but the two seafood dishes were not meant to feed grown men. And don’t get me wrong I enjoy salty food, but most of the items had you reaching for your water after a couple bites.

We ended up getting a seat on the patio and it was such a lovely experience. Our server was so attentive and helpful. He was knowledgable with the wine list and suggested a very nice bottle of white wine that we loved. We shared the Rioja picnic appetizer which came with 4 different types of olives, mandarins, salad, 3 types of meats, a light blue cheese, almonds, croquettes, and some crispy flatbreads. Surprisingly it was a lot of food for an appetizer! Love the ambiance and love the décor. I’d like to come back and try their pasta dishes, everything looked amazing.

I travel to Denver a lot, and was told to try this place. I tried it. The menu, for me; was uninspired. In fact, I left after my lacklustre starter.
The service was also not great, and the attitude of the staff really pretentious, yet nonchalant.
I much prefer osteria Marco or mercantile, if you want small plates, good food, good service and an atmosphere to match

I have to say that the food here was fabulous! I would have given them 5 stars had it not been for the initial service and waiting. We had reservations on a Saturday and arrived promptly but had to wait 10 – 15 minutes for a table. I can’t recall the last time I had to wait for a table with a reservation. Anyway, a few minutes after we checked in, an older white couple arrived and they seated them promptly, even though I heard they had a reservation at the same time we did. They were seated in the very front next to the window. I don’t know what that was about, but my friend had wanted to leave after she saw that, especially because we had been there first and had been waiting already. Maybe they don’t want Asians sitting in the front where people can see int? Who knows. The people at the front pretty much ignored us until we were finally seated. Then we were ignored for a while at the table until finally someone came with a menu and water. WTH. Bad start, Rioja.
Luckily the food was delicious because it would have been a shame to have waited and gone through that for nothing. The woman who passed out the bread was unfriendly — hopefully she won’t get promoted to server. The bread was good, but we were wary to get too full on it — you could choose between several choices. I ordered a couple of drinks and neither really did it for me. I guess because they tasted very… neutral…neither sweet nor sour. For dinner, we chose:
–Fresh Bacon — Pork belly on top of curried garbanzo beans. The pork was tender, but what I really liked was the garbanzo beans, which surprised me. It was a very good dish, but I didn’t think it was the best thing I’ve ever eaten, according to other reviews.
–Scallops — OMG — I’ve had scallops many times in my life, but I have to say that these were the best. The way they were seared and simply flavored was just amazing. I have no idea how they did it. And it wasn’t salty at all! I find a lot of good at restaurants to be oversalted, as if to make up for the lack of flavor. I was happy to say this was perfect.
–Artichoke Tortelloni — At first, my friend thought it was a regular dish, but the more she ate it, the more she liked it. I’m not a huge fan of artichoke, but I did like the dish (not as much as my scallops!).
–Triple Chocolate — Great dessert with various chocolate mouses sandwiched in between white chocolate and sitting on top of chocolate syrup. While it wasn’t as memorable as the other food, it was still a good choice for dessert.
We were still not completely full by the end of dinner, but we were at a good place. The food was so good, we were tempted to order another dish just to try it, but we decided to grab a drink elsewhere instead. If I ever visit Denver again, I’d definitely be back. Make sure to get reservations — I made mine at least a few weeks in advance.

Tasting Menu Experience!
Made a reservation on Open Table for 2, 2 days in advance and was able to get a 7pm time slot. When we arrived, we were seated immediately.
We were given drink menus first, then water, then eventually food menus. It feels like there’s a definite order to the service that encourages ordering a drink before knowing what you might have for a meal– and that’s my one and only mild issue. If you have four people and can agree on one wine, getting a bottle is a great option for the table.
Service is very attentive without being pushy. Constant water refills happening without needing to ask, fresh bread baskets roaming at all times to fill an empty plate when requested
We asked about the tasting menus and there were two options, a Five Course, and a Seven Course. When initially mentioning that I wanted the Seven course, but my dining partner did not, it was mentioned that the tasting course would need to have participation of everyone at the table. Some restaurants hold very tightly to this and won’t allow you to waiver for food preparation reasons. However, when asked if my dining partner could do the 5 course ($ 65) while I did the 7 course ($ 85), the server returned from the kitchen to let us know that the chef was in a good mood and willing to accommodate the request, which was ideal since the seafood parts of the 7 course were not of interest to my dining partner.
The tasting menu portions are actually quite large for a tasting menu experience. They all felt like full sides or appetizer portions, even a full plate portion for some of them, rather than smaller tasting portions. The space between plates was about 3 – 8 minutes, so we didn’t feel rushed onto the next dish too quickly, and if we started to crave another course, a bread basket was there to satiate any extended in-​between moments — though, in retrospect, it was probably partaking of the break that made it difficult to finish the last two courses– so keep that in mind.
Everything was wonderful, flavorful, and nicely prepared.
During our meal, we were asked to move to another table in order to accommodate a large group, and we were offered additional desserts or courses in exchange for the table switch. I declined the additional courses as we were already stuffed by the 4^th course, and so our first round of drinks was taken off of the bill instead. At another restaurant, this may have caused a stir and been inconsiderate, but it was all handled kindly, nicely, and we had the opportunity to decline the offer if it didn’t suit us.
If you plan to have an appetizer, entrée, and dessert– see if one of the tasting menus will suit your tastes– it’s a fabulous deal and a great way to try more of the menu! I tried to photo each dish so you could see what the tasting menus look like in food servings…

Rioja lived up to all of my expectations as one of Denver’s best restaurants. We had a nice bottle of wine. The bread was deliciously tender inside upon breaking into the crisp crust. We started with pork belly bathed in a delicious, somewhat tangy green sauce. My husband had the deer. We grew up in Wyoming; we’ve had our fair share of deer (which I don’t really like). He loved it. I had a bite and thought it was actually tender and not as gamey as the Wyoming deer I’ve had. I had the halibut special. The fish was seared nicely and had a delicious wine sauce. We then ended with dessert, variations of chocolate. The plating was all quite creative, but the end result, delicious.
Our server was amazing. The ambiance is nice. Definitely a special-​occasion restaurant!

Rioja
Sourdough Lavender, Goat Cheese Rosemary Biscuit, Ginger Pine Nut Whole Wheat Roll with Salted Butter
French Onion Consommé, Caramelized Onion-​Gruyère Ravioli, Gruyère Lace, Thyme
Mocha Roasted Beets, Pecans, Puffed Wild Rice, Vanilla Coulis, Dried Cherries, Red Shiso, Brebirousse d’Argental Cheese
Braised Lamb Rotolo, Housemade Lamb Belly Sausage, Cassoulet, Pickled Red Onion, Brioche Croûton, Celery Leaf, Carrot
Parmesan Gnocchi, Walnut Cream, Grapes, St. Agur Blue Cheese, Sage, Red Verjus Gastrique
Beignets, Sweet Goat Cheese and Black Mission Fig Filling, Ruby Port Wine Reduction
Pistachio and Pears, Pistachio Financier, Frozen Pistachio Mousse, Marsala Poached Pears, Vanilla Anglaise, Anise-​Marsala Reduction, Fennel Pollen
Highly acclaimed amongst local dining circles, no doubt in part to the James Beargoat d Award bestowed upon Chef Jennifer Jasinski in 2013 as Best Chef Southwest, it was on the recommendation of several including those at Work & Class as well as Racca’s Pizzeria that a reservation was made at Rioja, the painful parking situation and passive service admittedly unexpected while the food itself was every bit as good as the rumors suggest.
Located in upscale Larimer Square, several national chains blending with local restaurants and bars, Rioja is best described as Seasonal Mediterranean in approach and with tasteful decorating, a bar made for mingling plus two rooms adjoined by a central walkway the flow of the space feels brisk while gentle lighting leaves wooden surfaces looking sexy and sleek.
Offering much of the dinner menu at lunch, a similar situation witnessed several days later at Euclid Hall, diners are encouraged to listen to several specials before finalizing their order, the daily venison burger admittedly quite tempting though personal interests tilted more to small plates, others around me seemingly holding the «Chronic» Chicken Sandwich in high regard.
No doubt a place where suits are prominent, «regulars» greeted by waiters by name with amuses served selectively by the kitchen in a fairly obvious and discriminatory way, bread service features several housemade options the with a tiny cheese biscuit and roll of ginger and pine nuts both particularly memorable, though obtaining a second helping was rivaled only by water refills in terms of difficulty to obtain.
Deciding to dine in three courses, a half-​dozen items served with pacing that was thankfully dictated by return of previous plates to the back, round one consisted of an elegant beet salad tinged in mocha with fruit and cheese balancing earth tones while a non-​traditional take on French Onion Soup used ravioli in a clean consomee to replicate the classic in terms of flavor, though certainly not in texture.
As proud of their technique as they are of sourcing — noodles, sauces and sausages all made on site, half-​orders of pasta are a welcome conceit to those of smaller appetites and happy to take full advantage in terms of creating a tasting one would be hard pressed to decide between tender gnocchi dressed in grapes, blue cheese and walnuts or the roll of braised Lamb Belly Sausage atop makeshift «Cassoulet» consisting of Pickled Red Onion, Brioche Crumbles, Celery and Carrot.
Known as a place for desserts, longtime pastry chef Eric Dale’s seasonal variations often amongst the most visually appealing in The Mile High City, «special» tables seem likely to end meals with complimentary Goat Cheese and Fig Beignets that were ordered and found to be pleasant though not «amazing» while the server-​recommended «Pistachio and Pears» more than made up for any disappointment, the $ 10 plate a mix n’ match thrill ride with Pistachio Cake and Mousse each replicating the nut’s flavor perfectly alongside Marsala Poached Pears with light licorice notes well matched to Vanilla Anglaise and Fennel Pollen.

This restaurant is pretty on the inside, could stand to be a bit darker in my opinion.
We had reservations for 7:45 and weren’t seated until almost 8:30. We didn’t leave until 11– not really by choice but because service was a bit on the slow side.
Bang for your buck is reasonable here — we had a nice bottle of Spanish wine, did appetizers, first courses, entrees, dessert and dessert wine for a pretty reasonable amount.
Areas for improvement include:
Timing — from being seated on time to readiness in ordering to food delivery. This just seemed way off — we were ready to order for quite sometime and it took awhile to get our order in.
Cuisine — while it was good, it did not blow me away. The hot pocket thing that came with my scallops reminded me of a hot pocket. It was over salted and no flavors really jumped out. There were also only three medium sized scallops on the dish, these were not the giant diver size, and because of this we could have used a fourth.
There was a lot of bread offered — A LOT. I’m sure some people love this.
Overall it was a fine meal but nothing blew me away. We would try it again sometime, maybe during the summer months to see the menu changes.

Oh my word! This place is awesome! Make a reservation or else you probably won’t get seated.
This restaurant is situated in the cutest part of town, lots of other restaurants, shopping and comedy clubs on the same block.
My meal started with the French onion soup with gruyère chips on top of the ravioli. It was super good, but after trying the butternut squash soup that my sister ordered, that was way better!!! I would order that next time.
We split the special flatbread, which was sausage and mozzarella. Wow! Wow! Wow!
For my dinner, I had the Petulma Chicken dish with cauliflower cheese bake and a salad on the side. The chicken is enormous! Way more than enough, as it was a half chicken. Juicy and delicious!
The service and ambiance are perfect for date night, girls night.
Make a reservation and enjoy!

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 16^th 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 purée), 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.

The Larimer Square area became my immediate favorite in d/​t Denver. Rioja is in this square. How exciting is that?
I love the set up as you walk in. They seem to have used every corner and made it a nook for diners to enjoy their deliciously and artfully prepared meal.
We made a reservation for brunch yesterday and was really impressed with everything. The staff were awesome. The food was presented so well and oh so tasty.
We started with Eric’s House made donuts $ 6. They came in two pieces and was loaded inside with this wonderful Lemon Curd Mascarpone and some Blueberry on the side that you can either add or skip. I skipped. The way it came was enough for me. It was warm. Bite into it and the filling would ooze out and it may be messy for you too like it was for me but it was so good without being too sweet. I will definitely go for this again,
I had the omelette of the day. It was the first time ever I had an omelette without meat that I actually enjoyed. The grilled taste of Brussels sprouts was so earthy that it made me forget about my meat. So that was a revelation :) it came with a side of fruits.
When you dine at Rioja remember to look around and appreciate their nod to its namesake the small town of Rioja in Spain that’s famous for the Rioja DOCA Wines. One side of the wall is all bricks. The space is cozy without being too claustrophobic. White linen tables. Professional staff.
A tip worth listening to: Try their Caf 43. It’s an espresso liqueur 43, coconut milk, whipped cream, chocolate tuile. $ 12. It’s a tall glass of perfection.