“ We overall enjoyed our experience at Rioja. We took some family members who were in town. The appetizers and entrees were all delicious! We also really enjoyed the bread service- loved the different options of breads. My only complaint was that the service was pretty slow and they forgot about one persons entree. They did offer complimentary dessert which was appreciated. ”

“ 3 of us went to celebrate a birthday and it was wonderful! The restaurant had great ambiance: it was quite full with people enjoying each other's company, chatting, laughing, but the acoustics are so good that we too could easily chat and hear each other. The wait staff was attentive, but did not hover; our waitress gave us excellent advice when we asked. Rioja has an extensive wine list, and we enjoyed a wonderful red from the Bierzo (Spain) which brought back fond memories of being in the Bierzo region enjoying its great wines, food, and panoramic views. I had a bean stew with kale and chorizo and pork belly; excellent flavor and surprisingly light; the beans cooked to perfection. My companions had the Rioja "picnic" with a lovely selection of cheeses, olives, Spanish ham and sausage, Marcona almonds, and tasty house made pickles and bitter orange marmalade (if they sold jars of that, we would have taken home several. For the main course I had perfectly spiced, tender octopus, and my companions the deer with red cabbage; fabulous. We didn't have desert, eventhough the offerings looked interesting; we chose to just savor the wine till the bottle was empty. They also have vegetarian offerings. We'll be back soon I highly recommend Rioja. ”

“ On our first night in Denver, we ate at Rioja in Laramie Square, and were impressed. The dining area and bar were fabulous in design between the modern art hanging on the dark gray walls and the curtain of Edison lighting draped around the bar area. The restaurant and bar has outdoor seating as well with nouveau wooden tables and metal seating if you want to people watch those walking and hanging around Laramie Square. When we went the street was closed off to traffic, which was nice to see only people walking about as opposed to cars rushing back and forth. The bar was well stocked with an selected array of spirits where the bartenders made excellent cocktails such as the Lion's Tail and the Nude & Notable. The former was made with Old Forester bourbon, St. Elizabeth all spice dram, lime juice, and sage simple - my favorite of the two. The other was made with Union mezcal, Aperol, spiced honey, and lemon juice. The kitchen makes fresh biscuits at the start of the meal that includes whipped butter made from scratch with Himalayan sea salt. Probably my favorite order of the meal was the fresh bacon, comprising tantalizing pork belly, cardamom, and curried garbanzo bean purée that was savory deliciousness. It melted in your mouth and sent my senses into outer space with every bite. The seared venison was addition tasty, served with wild mushrooms, braised red cabbage, bitter greens, and huckleberry venison jus. My wife enjoyed the halibut with its serving of summer vegetables and herbs, Calabrian chile broth, and black olives. Rioja is fabulous. We would return the next time we are in downtown Denver, especially in CBD. ”

“ 5 stars all around at Rioja! I love it when you have a place on your list to try and it ends up exceeding your expectations! My husband and I went here for our anniversary dinner before seeing a show. The service was so great and they gave us a celebratory glass of champagne/ non alcoholic wine for me and were so helpful with what we should order since we've never been there before. I got the artichoke tortelloni because I kept reading about it- get it!! The pork chop was also amazing! We were even torn between the dessert options so they let us try the beignets on top of us ordering one of the other desserts. I already can't wait to go back! ”

“ This experience was enjoyable. Eating out on the sidewalk was very nice; plenty of shade to make sure it was comfortable for guests. The hostess (I didn't get her name but she had long hair and she had a silver streak or add-in to her hair) was very attentive, communicated well, and just seemed to have the whole busy affair quite organized. Impressive. Our server, an older gentleman with a beard, tended to our table well and made sure things were as they should be. He had to come back and confirm what we had ordered because he was relying on memory for our order and he had questions. (My husband had added a couple of extras to his salad). No biggie, everything came out fine after he confirmed. The food was served quickly and accurately and was delicious. I enjoyed my entire meal. I was a little disappointed in the number of beer offerings but I made my way through it. I'd go back but I wouldn't make a special trip to do so. Very nice though and I do recommend going for anyone that is reading this review. ”

“ Best food I've had in Denver. Hands down. Came here on a Sunday night early and we were blown away. The Nude and Notable cocktail is a great way to start the meal, though my friends grabbed wine and loved the selection. We ordered the 4 course menu, as well as the Smorrebrod and the chilled carrot soup as appetizers. Complementary bread accompanied these. We were delighted by all of it. The rosemary biscuit was a favorite, but the olive sourdough and lavender sourdough were also fantastic. For entrees we ordered the artichoke tortellini, Seared Venison, and the octopus. Wow. Every dish was incredible but I think the favorite was the venison. It was the best bite of food I've had in a long time and I will be dreaming of it for many days to come. ”