Rioja

Great food, great service. Would recommend for date night. Staff is knowledgeable about their wines, a rare find in Denver or the U.S. in general.

Nice restaurant with good atmosphere and surrounding. Good place for dating.

This is a special occasion place only, and you have to know what you're getting before you go. It's very seasonal and ingredient-driven, but many dishes pile a lot of ingredients on top of each other, so you might not like everything. But if you do find a dish you like, it will be really good. Bread is excellent and frequently refilled. Drinks are fantastically expensive, but desserts were all very good. It's a good place to go when you have a big event to celebrate.

The food here is always wonderful and the service is impeccable. Our waiter was very patient with us, answering our questions and making recommendations. I love the fact that some of the dishes have smaller portions; honestly, the smaller portion with Rioja's lovely bread is quite enough food. If you let them know it's your birthday, dessert is comped AND they give you a birthday card signed by the staff. Customer service like that is rare nowadays. Will definitely be back.

A group of 4 of us visiting Denver from California came to Rioja to celebrate a birthday. Our reservation was for 8:45pm, but we weren't shown to our seats for 30 minutes. The most disappointing part of the night was that the restaurant didn't do anything at all for my friend's birthday. We expected at least a small treat as a gesture for choosing to celebrate at a high-end restaurant like Rioja. After spending $400 on food and wine we were surprised not to receive anything on the house.

As for the food, the results were mixed. Most of the appetizers were delicious, in particular the 'bacon pork belly'. However we were extremely disappointed by the entree dishes, in particular the lamb dish. The lamb was covered with a fig sauce which make it extremely sweet and completely took away from the flavor of the lamb. It was one of the sweetest dishes I've had in recent memory and was almost inedible.

Ultimately I could not recommend Rioja due to the poor service and disappointing entrees.

Rioja is the best! The food, service and ambiance are of the highest standard. I am vegan and Chef Tim always prepares amazing options for me. This restaurant is always spot on and fast becoming my favorite dining experience in Denver.

Seriously, one of the best meals I've ever had.
The pork belly/green curry app was AMAZING. The artichoke tortelloni was melt in your mouth yummy, and the wagyu steak I could eat for days.
I think the price of the different courses are great, not too expensive.
Staff was really friendly.

The only thing that could be improved is how close the tables are to each other along the wall.
We could hear the conversations of the diners on both sides of our table as if we were all sharing one long table.
I could eat there everyday.....and I've never said that about any restaurant.

If you're in Denver, you have to try Rioja!!!

I just moved to Denver 5 months ago and I haven’t had a bad meal since. Rioja was on my list because I read about the restaurant and the chef. My friends were visiting from N.J. so I made a reservation a month ago. They said everyone at their hotel was jealous they were going to Rioja for dinner. Now I know why. Our service tonight was impeccable - Tracey was very attentive, knowledgeable and particularly enthusiastic about the menu. Every dish we ordered was phenomenal - fresh, and a mix of flavors that showcased the chef’s culinary talent. Pure excellence. Definitely a favorite!!

Great food, and service was great! I had the milk soaked lamb, and I could taste the dairy! Mhhh. All in all great experience

Absolutely delicious, with stellar service and presentation. The menu is varied and excited, evolving with the seasons. One of my favorites!

Amazing food as always! Our server, Robin, was very helpful with recommendations and provided attentive service. The seafood special was incredible. Best restaurant in Denver!

I am anyway a big fan of Rioja, but this were the best mains ever. We had the lamb and the steak and the composition of flavors was devine.

This is a wonderful restaurant.....my favorite when I visit Denver

Bloody Mary was not good. Did not finish it. Brunch was drlicious.

A very good dinner for a special occasion. Wait staff had lots of good recommendations and food was cooked to perfection.

Rioja has always been an excellent choice for a quality dinner.

Fabulous dinner this past Friday night for five friends/colleagues.

Attractive white-tablecloth room. Adequate distance between tables so we didn’t feel that we were participating in the lives of others. Nor they in ours.

Food itself is great. We broadly sampled the menu. Charcuterie, mussels, salads, chicken and lamb. All amazing.

Efficient, friendly service.

Extensive wine list. Knowledgeable wine staff.

Skipped dessert.

Not expensive for a high-end restaurant.

We’ll be back!

Very attentive wait staff. The menu is not extensive but definitely something for everyone and very high quality. Convenient to the theater.

Rioja is always great!

La comida me encanto y la atencion... de las mejores que he tenido

We ate here after the Colorado Symphony New Year’s Eve concert. This was our first time dining here. The food and service were first-class. I would highly recommend this restaurant.

One of Denver best experiences!

Excellent as always another New Year's Eve. Great food and service.

Dinner on New Years Eve, with friends it was great, the food the service. Difficult to achieve on such a busy night!

One of the servers was unpleasant and cold, the rest of the staff was amazing. The food was great, but we were seated in an area that was a bit cold and loud.

Excellent service. The food was really good by every measure. Overall it was a great experience! We are a table of 3 and we had a total of 4 appetizers, 3 entrees and two desserts. Every dish was delicious. Look forward to dining at Rioja again next time we’re back in Denver.

Very noisy and vulgar guest sat at the table next to us 1/2 way through dinner. Very obnoxious, surprised server didn’t ask him to tone it down and be more respectful.

Vegetarian food was some of the best we have had. Been going there 15 years and best food experience so far

The food was excellent. All very interesting and creative. Atmosphere was fantastic. Lively which I like. Service was top notch. The menu was well priced but the wine list was quite expensive. Just for your information.

Overall I would highly recommend.

The pasta dishes are very well done. Deserved its james beard. Friendly staff that you see again and again

Awesome as usual!

We went to Rioja for my birthday and did the tasting menu with wine pairing. The food was outstanding and the service was excellent. Well worth the money!

Fabulous restaurant. Terrific food,, wine and service. Made our anniversary special.

Everything was excellent: food, presentation, service, and decor.

Offers a la carte and Prix fixe options which are updated frequently. Would be happy to return to many more times.

What amazing service! Our server was so accommodating and the staff service was impeccable.

Great food, amazing presentation!

Would recommend for any date night or special occasion for those who can spend $150+ for 2 people

I live in Texas, but went to Rioja for brunch on a Denver trip over the summer and was blown away! Their crepes and the hash were perfect and I don't say that lightly. Wonderful brunch cocktail assortment as well. Since, I've been wanting to try their dinner and it did not disappoint! The wine, steak, grouper, and picnic impressed. I'm very critical of food this expensive as I cook well on my own, but I'll confidently name Rioja worth it.

Christmas Eve. The room was cold the entire time we ate dinner. Our food was also cold when it arrived.

Christmas Eve