A perfect family dinner spot. Food is crazy good, as is service. Owner stopped by twice to check on us, and it's clear that this restaurant is his passion. Servers were on top of things and interacted so well with our three daughters. Couldn't recommend more highly. Support this local business! read more

Great food and service! Fresh ingredients and knowledgeable staff . Will continue coming back

We had such an awesome brunch here today. They have a great patio and it's very casual and kid friendly and the food is simply outstanding. We shared the smoke trout Caesar salad which was freshly made with a garlicky light dressing and the trout was delicious and we shared the breakfast pasta which is very similar to a carbonara but much tastier and lighter and the kids had spaghetti and the sauce is light and fresh and delicious. And then we finished it off with a mushroom pizza and a margarita pizza and it is the best crust I've had in Denver so far. I would definitely order everything again but I want to try everything on the menu as you can tell it's made with a great amount of expertise and love. read more

We went here with my teenage kids for a pre-theater holiday meal. My wife and I got entrees the kids got pizzas. The food was good but not spectacular, the entree portions minuscule, and the prices astronomical. The pizzas were good, but absolutely nothing special. Our local pizza joint is just as good if not better. As for the prices, we're talking like $25- 40 for an entree the size of a small appetizer. In case you're wondering, we're normal sized people and normal eaters. I don't need a Olive Garden- sized portion, but I don't want to leave a restaurant hungry, either. And what's with an Italian place that doesn't give you bread to start? Bottom line, mediocre food, Michelin-star prices. Don't bother. read more

First off the service and food was fantastic. The flavors are amazing. I'm taking a star because the portion sizes are laughable. My husband had to go to chick fil a after. We have the celery pasta and there were 5 raviolis and they weren't big raviolis so for $26 I'd expect a little more. We also had the pizza which was amazing. The fried risotto balls were also fantastic. We got the chocolate torte for dessert, it started to get comical, because it was half a tart. It's is one of those places you just laugh when the plates are put down because the portions are so small for what you pay. I just think for being on colfax and a neighborhood restaurant we didn't expect for spend $70 without alcohol and still be hungry when we left. I think if you know what you're getting into you'll love it. read more

Our restaurant experience at Benzina was, overall, a headache. They cannot separate checks...they said their system isn't capable of that. We had a party of 9 and spent 30 minutes calculated the check. The food prices are very high...just be prepared to spend a lot. They have limited menu items and do not offer a Pinot noir by the glass. We ordered the appetizer, Arancini, that cost $5.50 per ball (fried balls of risotto). It was not good....like objectivity, absolutely tasteless. Other than that, the food was fair...just incredibly high in price. We will not be coming back and would not recommend this restaurant. Do not come here if you have more than 4 people in your party. The service was good/nice people....but the food and prices are just not worth it. read more

Fantastic service. Sat at the bar. Had the arrancini balls and a margarita pizza. Good food. Great crust on the pizza. I like my pizza a touch more saucy but still yummy. Will go back to check out their other dishes. The chicken looked amazing. Definitely a pricier spot. read more

Benzina - Italian Near Me - Denver, Colorado

Every time I've come to Benzina, I've been pleasantly surprised. The menu is awesome - you can go simple (pizza) to more interesting (trout caesar, arancini balls, ... basically everything else!). The atmosphere is the perfect mix or casual and upscale for Colfax. Can't wait for bocce ball and live music! read more

Came here on a Saturday evening, called ahead to reserve a table and were seated at a patio table. The owner greeted us and was very attentive to ensure our seats were comfortable and the umbrella blocked the sun. We ordered two arancini, the cauliflower and mushroom pizza. All was delicious and we had plenty to eat with leftovers to bring home. Overall a really lovely visit and will plan to return again soon. read more

Amazing food. Amazing staff and great ambiance. We love their liver moose and mushroom pizza. We just caught the last of their summer menu and we'll be back for the fall flavors. read more

Outstanding! The space is really cool (and will be even more fun when the outside is completed with bocce and other games). The service was impeccable and friendly. And the food was fantastic, not a pizza "joint" but rather a great upscale Italian with the best pizza in Denver (and I've tried them all). This is the real deal. read more

Benzina - Chef's line and coal fired oven. - Italian Near Me - Denver, Colorado

A fantastic new super high styled restaurant just opened in a former muffler shop Very stlish very well done interior, great parking, outdoor seating, great skilled waitstaff, bar and delicious very well prepared food done by well trained chefs. One of the best prepared meals, ambiance, delcious food in years. Will become one of Denvers top white table cloth places in years. read more

Great food but wildly overpriced for the quantity. The "lasagna" was two towers with maybe 3 pieces of eggplant and a round noodle in between each layer. It was tasty but it was also $24. They say it's all family style but I feel like most adults could eat double that quantity themselves. Same with the peach and tomato salad. It was $16 and we had maybe 4 thin slices of peach. All of the flavors were on point but it's definitely more high end dining than it is a neighborhood restaurant. You're not getting out of there without spending $70+ for two people unless you only get entrees. (The clam pizza and mushroom pizza were very good.) Overall we enjoyed our service everyone was very professional and attentive. We just had a hard time inside because it was very noisy so we had to scream to have a conversation. read more

I came here to take my single self out for Valentine's on Super Bowl Sunday, delighted that there was not one television in this Italian owned restaurant. What a gorgeous, open, classy place! The gas station renovation preserved all the architectural character of the 50s with a contemporary mid mod design that exuded class and character. I sat at the bar, in full view of the chefs and the gorgeous pizza oven, and took in the aromas. The staff were lovely, and tended to me just enough but not too much, and the chefs engaging and truly interested in talking about what they were preparing for me. I ordered the root salad and paparedellie--a pasta they make daily from scratch--with wild mushrooms and wild boar. The salad was exquisite, the pasta earthy, complex, and intoxicatingly palate indulging. At the meal's end the chef even brought me a taste of another menu item. It was purely delightful. read more

What a lovely experience! We had several pizzas, salads and starters. The only regret was that there was no room for dessert! I'm ready to do it again. read more

We are SO EXCITED to have a restaurant of this caliber in our neighborhood. All of the pizza and pastas are scratch made and delicious! The service was impeccable! We've found our new ho-to Italian place off E. Colfax! read more

Benzina is AMAZING! Love the food! So good! Love the atmospher. So fun. Great wines and excellent staff! It's not to be missed! I hear they are going to add boccie ball this summer! Can't wait! read more

We had a great dinning experience and split a bunch of items on the menu. They have some great pizzas but also a interesting and flavorful appetizers and entrees. Loved the Arancini and the beef tartare was amazing! The Wild Boar pasta and the Spatchcock Chicken also had wonderful flavors. I would definitely go back. read more

Had the pleasure of dining at the chef's counter the other night while enjoying a delicious meal. The place was packed but our server Ana was super awesome and attentive! Can't wait until next time to try more of the menu read more

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The food was good, when I got the bill and a 23% tip was included and added to that another 2 1/2% kitchen service fee. The tip and service fee were then taxed. The bill for 6 people was $308 and after all the additions the final tally was $418. No where was the tip policy posted. read more

Great addition to Colfax. Service was attentive and we enjoyed a margarita, old fashioned, arancini, smoked trout salad, rock shrimp pasta, pizza, and chocolate tart. The food is high quality and we will be going back for sure. Outdoor seating option is great and the music was loud enough that we didn't feel out of place with our toddler. read more

Benzina - Rock shrimp pasta - Italian Near Me - Denver, Colorado

Friday is our pizza night. We definitely have our Denver favorites. Was hoping to add another to the list. Unfortunately, Benzina did not hit the mark. Started with the arancini. Yikes. Had to go in for a second bite to confirm it was really that bad. We could not even finish it! I think the waiter said it was filled with gorgonzola and blue cheese...wha?! I have no clue how people have enjoyed this dish. Side note - the pizza was good. Nice crust. Flavorful sauce. But for $20 and no leftovers?! read more

So good!!! The food alone was enough to write home about! It was so yummy. However the icing on the cake was the service. Charlie our server was honestly amazing! They were attentive and on top of everything. The manager/owner also came over to check we liked everything. It's nice to be somewhere where they really want you to enjoy the meal and experience! Thank you Benzina, we'll be back! read more

Omg! This place has a very focused and very delicious menu. The service ( shout out to Anna) is better and more professional, warm and hospitable than any place in town. Do yourselves a favor and go! Smoked trout caesar salad, perfect arancini, pizza and a chocolate dessert that was lick the plate delicious. The conversion of an old gas station into a stunning contemporary restaurant makes it all the more fun. Can't wait to go back and try the pasta. We love it! read more

I think this is the best restaurant in the neighborhood and I'm so glad it is here. It is on the pricey side but it is well worth the price. The pasta dishes are amazing and I especially love the appetizers like the arancini, fresh bread, and roasted vegetables. read more

We ate here for a family celebration and had 3 kids in tow. The bocce ball and large outdoor area were great for them to play in. The pizzas and salads were okay - nothing worth a repeat at that price point. The service was friendly, but we had to beg for drink refills. Also, they were not up front about the auto-gratuity since we had a group larger than 6, so we ended up paying for the tip twice (we didn't realize our mistake until afterwards.) All in all, we enjoyed our experience, but we wouldn't go back. read more

Cool space in old gas station. My server, Hannah, was amazing and incredibly knowledgeable. She recommended the Corn Pizza, yes CORN pizza, and it was amazing. The bar is on point, I had a couple of fantastic old fashions. Overall incredible experience with great food, cocktails and service Highly recommend!!! read more

I recently visited for dinner. The pasta was cooked perfectly and the pizza was amazing. It is a thin crust but still is able to hold it own weight (not floppy). I ordered a Mai tai and it was probably the best Mai tai I've ever had. Probably one the best pizza places in Denver. Cute atmosphere and friendly staff. We will definitely be back. read more

Food is fine! Service is good. However, this restaurant will blow out your eardrums. I know restaurateurs these days want the "vibe" for a young crowd. However, when you strain your vocal cords to be heard and there are no sound baffles to facilitate conversation, Benzina is not a place that is attractive to me. Even sitting quietly and not even trying to converse gives me a headache. No food quality is worth this discomfort. We eat out about three times a week. There are many venues that are energetic. Benzina could be a destination venue if they made accommodations to the more genteel diner, if that's the proper characterization. They've been open long enough that they apparently don't care. Take it or leave it. Leave it. read more

Wow, what a wonderful addition to the neighborhood! The food is amazing. All of it. There was nothing I disliked. The arancini is a must (unless you don't like blue cheese, but even then.....), and the pizzas are wonderful, and very well cooked. (Bonus: had a slice as leftovers and they reheat wonderfully). As others have stated, the caesar salad is very good, as is the heirloom tomato salad. Spatchcook chicken was very good, and panna cotta is wonderfully unique. Someone wasn't a fan of the calamari, but I really enjoyed it despite usually being pretty picky about seafood. Do be prepared for a bit of spice in many of the dishes! We liked our first meal so much we went again a few nights later. Both times the owner came by the table to say hello, and was wonderfully attentive. The note some others have made about noise is accurate, but not worth docking stars in my opinion. I hope some sound-proofing helps this new spot blossom, as the food is simply wonderful. read more

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Wow!! Lunch or dinner or drinks-All uniquely delicious-Yes! Yes! Yes! Refined casual atmosphere and friendly staff round out a blissful experience. read more

We finally made it to have dinner, enjoyed it so much we went back the next night. The staff/owner is so welcoming and responsive, it made our experience very nice. The food is absolutely delicious, we haven't eaten anything like this in ages! So flavorful, YUM!! read more

We live in Park Hill (16+ years) and always try new local. We were aware of the renovation of this old service station, but hadn't visited yet. We popped in last minute, after a hike, early on a Saturday evening. They found us a seat at the Chef's table where we watched the meticulous prep and execution of nearly every item on the menu during our visit. We ordered simple for our first visit: the smoked trout Caesar salad and a wood oven pizza to share. Both were unique and delicious - the trout Caesar was especially amazing. When our meal took a bit longer then the staff expected (they had a new caprice salad on menu backing up the line), without a word from us, they offered free desert and comp'd our drinks. The chocolate tort was amazing. The atmosphere was light-hearted, a PH local vibe. The owner, Brad, came to chat with us, in our scrubby hiking gear, welcomed us and told us Benzina's story. We soon learned that the owners of D-Bar (Denver favorite in Uptown) were sitting beside us, clearly enjoying tasting their way through the menu. We saw Senator Hickenlooper on our way out, being seated. In short; we were amazed we hadn't heard more buzz about the food and hometown feel. We will be back, and already have an idea of what to eat first (hint: the pasta is all handmade on site and it looks and smells insane!) read more

We stumbled upon this place by chance while driving through Denver. It is an incredible place to eat and have drinks. The tagliatelle and mushroom pizza were amazing. If you are a local you are very lucky and if you are visiting Denver this place is a must. The owner was present and made sure everything was perfect and checked in on us a few times (saw him outside watering the vegetable and herb plants too). The Benzina Old Fashioned was killer by the way! I recommend this place to everyone. read more

Delicious pizza - some of the best Neapolitan in Denver!! Ordered delivery - sooo yummy

Waitstaff was awesome. Attentive and fast. Pizza is ok but the crust was very large compared to the actual pizza portion. We had two pizzas and a salad and two drinks and the bill was $84 bucks! Wow! I know we have inflation but come on........it's pizza! read more

Lots and lots of room to improve - ya walk in and they give you warm water - salads are amazing - chicken blah and skinny' - wine list - tried 3 out of four all blah - service super friendly- packed due to great marketing but should focus on food not hype read more

Food is good ownership is a nightmare! Management is worst! Just not a fan and don't recommend!

Food is superb. Drinks are superb. Service is superb. A treat every time. An excellent restaurant.