Very original dishes, with very interesting combinations. Very tasty! We had pork belly, tomato soup with mussels, octopus and gnocchi. Can recommend them all.

The only negatives were found in the very high noise level - particularly if you're unlucky enough to sit next to a group of heavy drinkers.

Also sad to say the bathrooms are unisex - meaning my wife had to deal with a rest room that had been visited by lots of nearsighted men. They could at least have seat covers. Airport restrooms had these beat.

Disappointing food. Rioja salad too salty, tomato gnocchi inedible and the usually fabulous artichoke tortellini en brodo was tasteless and dull both tortellini and brodo. Sorry to see Rioja slip so low!!

Rioja is always good. My favorite restaurant in Denver!

Absolutley phenomenal experience with the tasting and wine pairing. Foie Gras was the best I’ve ever had!

This is one of my very favorite restaurants. I have been going here for 10+ years and it has been incredible always. Love this place!

The chicken, duck and pork chop were all excellent. The pizza we ordered for an app was a bit disappointing as were the biscuits, which seemed a bit stale and tasteless. Overall a very good experience!

Great wine selection, good portion sizes and polite and professional staff. It is a little loud but not a big deal.

I have been coming to this restaurant since it opened. Every time the service and food is perfect making for a wonderful dining experience. This time was for my birthday and as usual everything was perfect and then - wait staff handed me a birthday card that much of the staff had signed. Makes one feel just a little bit special. Great evening. And thank you!

Loved it!!!!!!!!!

Freezing cold inside -so uncomfortable. We will never return.

Exquisite food topped by very helpful and attentive staff made the whole evening memorable. The appetizer called "The picnic" is a definite do not miss.......so beautifully presented as well as tasty.

This was my second time there. The food is good but the ambience is not so good. I'm personally not a fan of table seating. Too crowded and noisey. For the price I want quiet, reserved atmosphere.

The food and drinks were excellent. Service was Great!

We always love spending special occasions at Rioja! The service, the bread, the food...it is all outstanding!

This is our go to place for special occasion things or when we went to be sure food is tops

impeccable service
great presentation
quality food

Excellent food as always. Service not quite up to par this time, which is unusual. Love the creative menu.

Excellent experience beginning to end. Knowledgeable server and all around friendly staff. We enjoyed a shared beet salad to begin and then my wife had perfectly prepared scallops while I went for the octopus. Both were outstanding. We love Rioja as a special treat before going to the theater. This visit did not disappoint.

The service was excellent

I've been to Rioja many times...This time service was "off"....Waited 24-30 minutes for drinks....
food came at odd times.....waitress was great...noticed we were vegetarian and had kitchen redo our pizza without meat base....this wasn't my best experience at Rioja...

We travel around the country to experience the fairs of high end restaurants. My complaint of Rioja is my complaint of Denver, they are too laid back. Tasting menus are supposed to be showcasing the chefs talents, presented and explained. That didn't really happen. The dishes were not explained, the wine pairings were not explained. With reservations two months in advance we were initially seated at the worst table in the house. In a 7 course meal there was little that was exceptional, and most seemed to be full entree items rather than small tastes. As if volume could compensate for quality. When you spent almost $300 for a meal for two, you expect a memorable experience. That is not what we received.

Wow! Always impressed. Try thing you you had an bad experience with at other restaurants. This one get them right. The pasta is always a fabulous choice!

Food is always great but I was a little disappointed in the Serrano ham octopus dish I had this time. It was a little on the dry side. Also don’t like that our table was so close to the table next to us that we could all hear each other’s conversations.

Wow! What a great meal! Service was superior, food was amazing. Can’t wait to visit again.

Rioja never disappoints. Lots of good choices on the brunch menu and in the bread basket. I loved the goat cheese and rosemary biscuits and the plate of soft scrambled eggs with arugula, capers, and smoked salmon roulades. The service was wonderful, as always.

Great food!

Service was very very slow, 30 minutes for drinks, hour for food....not worth the money. Food was great but the service was the slowest service I have ever had. There are more bussers and food runners than servers. Fix that.

Delicious!

One of my favorite places to dine! I like to take visiting friends and relatives here and show them downtown.

My husband and I celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary at Rioja. The service was excellent and the food was incredibly delicious. We loved our whole experience at this restaurant. Can’t wait to go back!

Excellent food that seems to have increased in price a good deal since my last visit a couple years ago. Chicken dish magnificent and huge portion (but it was so good I ate it all anyway!). Staff very helpful in making accommodation for lactose intolerance. Overall, an excellent choice for a good, but not inexpensive meal. Only downside was that it became very loud - so a bit hard for those of us with some hearing loss -- hard to converse across the table. Wish we had arranged to sit outside where it is quieter.

Overall it was a great meal.

I can’t get enough of this place. It’s truly one of the only places in this town that leaves me talking about the food for days. A must is the tempura nairagi. I won best dish at the table with this one. What a combination of flavors! Bravo team Rioja, bravo.

Lousy Service from the get go. Slow waitress getting our drinks and food. When the gentleman came around to hand out bread I politely said no thank you to which he gave back some attitude. Then he came back again and asked us if we wanted bread. Terrible Sangria. There is an hour and a half table reserved time in which 50 minutes is spent waiting for food. Did not enjoy my octopus and my date didn’t even finish her soup. Spending $100 for a terrible meal is not my preference on spending a date night.

We had a wonderful dinner at Rioja's. My husband loves very tasty food made with fresh ingredients and Rioja's didn't disappoint. The selections and service were all very good. If you're looking for high quality food, try Rioja's with one exception. Be aware that portions are small for the prices you pay.

Jess gave us outstanding service tonight. She guided us through our culinary experience in the best way possible. The food was amazing! The service was great and the experience overall was great!!!

Just as wonderful on my second visit. I was there about 3 years ago and everything about it was outstanding. Unfortunately I don't live anywhere close to Denver or I would be a regular.

Amazing. I have eaten here once before, years ago, and it’s as good as ever. Did the 5 course tasting, and every course was delicious. Incredible cocktail list, wine list, bread basket...I will eat at Rioja every time I come to Denver. Oh, favorite dish off the night was the pork belly which was delicious, but the curried garbanzo Bean purée and brodo it was served with was the best thing I have eaten all year.

Great food as always. A little snug and cozy with your neighbors in the two top tables.

The food was delicious as expected. Scallops were an unbelievable experience! Great fun!