Rioja

Rioja is a must-visit when in Denver! Their menu, although fairly small, is varied and truly has something for everyone.

The space is upscale yet comfortable-- you can definitely come here in a t-shirt and jeans or a jacket and tie.

Don't skip the bread service-- I recommend trying all three of their delicious homemade offerings.

I also recommend trying one of their homemade pastas, either in an appetizer or entree portion. Their seafood options are also great, and they have a sustainable seafood program, which is great!

Save room for dessert, they're all delicious!

Rioja was our final meal on our recent trip to Breckenridge and Denver. 3 stars on yelp means the experience was OK, and that's what I would call it. Nothing bad, just nothing outstanding that would make us want to return. the restaurant is nice, with a nice fine dining feeling.

We ordered quite a few dishes. For Appetizers we had the Heirloom Tomato Salad, the Pork Belly, and the Kanpachi Crudo. Of the three dishes, the Tomato salad was probably the best and I almost always like crudos, but this one was pretty bland.

We had two appetizer sized pastas - The Nettle Fagiolini with mint and the Tagliatelle Bolognese. The Fagiolini is a green pasta that looks like a green bean. Interesting but bland. The Tagliatelle was tasty, but came out almost at room temperature so points off for that.

For entrees we had the Braised Short Rib (dry), and the best dish of the night - The Octopus. We both felt the short rib was not good. I enjoyed the octopus more than my wife did.

Bottom line is that perhaps they had a bad night. We don't come to the Denver area enough to ever make a return visit.

At the heart of Larimar Square, this is such an elegant and upscale place to dine. The interior of the restaurant has beautiful rustic walls with gorgeous ambiance, accompanied by modern furnishings and tableware. There's a huge bar and lots of variety of seating both indoor and outdoor.

The menu is mostly French oriented. We started with the delicious artichoke tortellini filled with yummy cheese. For entree I got the Colorado Lamb burger. Visually it was stunning with egg on top, and avocado slices spread on the top piece of the soft toasted brioche. The lamb paddy was cooked so well and had a really good taste. We ended our lunch with some French baguette, which was okay but not the best kind of baguette we had.

The service is good. Very friendly staff. The manager came and checked with all the tables that were dining at that time. Dishes are prepared with a decent wait time. Highly recommended spot in the area.

Artichoke tortellini is very good. Interesting flavor. I wish I could have more. Short ribs with rice is good. Light but enough portion for lunch.

Great service. Nice and clean restaurant. Bathroom is big.

While traveling for work I made a last minute reservation here for my coworkers and I and I am so happy we did! We got so lucky with our service - Britain was top notch. He made sure we tried all the best the restaurant had to offer and then some.

The food was a star but I would be remiss not to compliment the smoothness of their dirty martinis. Yum!

But the fooood. I loved the artichoke tortelloni, the Thai chili pork & grilled octopus and the dessert they brought us was phenomenal. I still can't stop thinking about it. Will recommend this to people I know who live and are traveling to Denver for years to come!

Some of the best food I've ever had. I literally recommend everything. The servers will help you choose and answer any questions you may have about the menu, the restaurant, or the area in general. The place is beautiful and clean and has an upscale vibe to it. Definitely recommend if you're in the area!

This was a very pleasant experience. They were able to accommodate our large 10+ party immediately in the main dining area. This place is roomy and offers signature cocktails, mocktails and wines. The food menu is really small, but I'm assuming it allows for more efficiency. We opted for just drinks and we went to another restaurant.

Service was good The expression martini was good but come on 24 dollars. What the hell?Unfortunately, on this night the food was not that great. We had the tasting menu. Starter of the open faced smoke trout way way too salty. Way. The pasta dish was just entice, but the pasta was not good. Like chewy pieces of tasteless dough. Loved the little mushrooms , the peas. The mint. Lacked other seasoning like salt. Which is weird coming off that salty trout. The venison was fine. Some weird components. Like the bitter green puree. Again this dish totally lacked salt or seasoning in the venison. The chestnut puree was also pretty bland. Didn't add anything . Best thing was the dessert of beignets. Probably too many though! Could eat 2 .

4.5 rounded down to a 4! came here for an anniversary dinner and our waiter was so sweet, kind, and attentive. we got the Indian red lentil soup with butter chicken and IT WAS A 10/10, and we're Indian. It was really amazing, I've never tried anything like that and it was perfectly balanced.

We also got the classic artichoke tortellini, which was also a 10/10.

The octopus dish was 4/5. Well cooked but it could've been more flavorful, and could've had more chorizo puree.

The dessert was a flop. We got the chocolate mousse and the kumquat syrup on top was way too sour, it took away from the richness of the chocolate. Left a weird taste in our mouths and didn't feel like the best way to leave off a meal, hence the 4 stars.

However this was a lovely place, I would 100% come back for the lentil soup and the artichoke tortellini. The house breads were also unique flavors (lavender bread was delicious) and very fresh. I appreciated this restaurant with a cozy yet mature lively vibe. I'd come back for a special occasion.

I came here for my birthday. It was my first time visiting this restaurant, and what a lovely experience! Our server was adorable and explained the menu well. I had the cardamom pork belly appetizer, which melted like butter under my fork. I adored the lavender sourdough bread too. I had the artichoke tortelloni for my main dish. The flavors of all the dishes were exquisite. For dessert, they had a special: raspberry mousse, frangipane, Ruby chocolate, peppercorn marshmallow. Being an adventurous eater I had to try it, and I'm glad I did. But before it came, they brought me a surprise: birthday cake ice cream and a birthday card!

This place is beautiful, fun, and the food is fabulous. Every staff member I interacted with was delightful. Highly recommended and I'll be back to try something new!