Benzina opened last May and I can't believe it took this long for us to eat here! Colfax is nicknamed the "longest, wickedest street in America." Benzina is wickedly good. Owner Brad Anderson has been a partner in many Denver restaurants, but I remember him from the Rocky Mountain Diner. He converted an old Phillips 66 gas station, built in 1963, into a beautiful mid-century modern Italian restaurant and bar. Benzina translates to "Gasoline," which seems appropriate. Chef Daniele Bolognini, who was born and raised in Italy (and previously was the executive chef at Acorn until it closed), oversees the kitchen. The menu is tightly constructed with 3 appetizers, 2 salads, 2 pastas, 2 meat dishes, 6 pizzas, and 3 dessert options. We shared one item from each category. One of the best meals we have had in Denver. Ever. read more

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The food was delicious and we thought the portion sizes were big! The gluten free pizza crust was much better than a lot of gluten free pizzas. Would go back! read more

BF was still hungry after lunch, and craving pizza. So we called Benzina and ordered a pizza for pickup. They don't have pepperoni, but they have a spicy soppresata with honey. It was delicious!!! Super-thin crust, generous toppings. It was ready much earlier than the 35 minutes we were originally told, so by the time we picked it up, it had cooled off considerably. Still good, though. Service was cheerful and friendly. We'll go back to try a hot pizza :) read more

Benzina - Sopresata pizza - Italian Near Me - Denver, Colorado

I am just going to get to the one main point. OVERPRICED. 1) bread and butter for $8.50. It was some deflated pizza dough-food cost=$.79 cents. 2) steak with twice bake potato for $54.00 The steak was previously frozen. The twice bake potato looked more like a piece of appetizer from TGIF. 3) ordered a "traditional" Old Fashion. No cherry or cherry juice to be found. Glass was half full when it arrived and we had to ask for simple syrup since the Bartender didn't know how to make one. 4) pizza. Don't even get me started on this on. Folks, go to Blue Pan Pizza if you want an expensive pizza that at least taste good. 5) pannicotti was excellent and is what at least put one star on this review. Probably not coming back only because the cost doesn't fit the food that is being served. I have no complaints on the taste of the foods. read more

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I've been wanting to try this place for a while and sadly I was very disappointed. The food itself wasn't too bad, but it was so expensive and I had hardly any pasta for $30! I was expecting leftovers, when instead I had some my friend's pizza (which wasn't too bad). We ordered the Arancini for appetizers and they had a background taste of plastic, which was a bummer because they sounded really good. The biggest issue was our check. Be aware they cannot split separate checks, so if you have a big party you will have to go through all your orders and do the math on the back of the check, which could take a while if you're with a bigger group like us (old school style). Our servers were nice, but busy. They tried to accommodate us, but their system seems outdated. Seems like a cool spot, but I wouldn't come back unfortunately. read more

What a great find. A small white table cloth Italian restaurant in a rehabbed gas station Very different & creative menu. Enjoyed 4 items that were all very good and flavorful. Excellent service also Will be back often. PS. Make a reservation! read more

About 10 days after it opened we had a great meal at Benzina. The space is super cool. Think of a restored 50s diner feel but instead of an airstream its a auto garage, complete with roll up doors and massive overhang. The outdoor space is massive, which has tables dotted throughout. There's also an area with what will become gardens made out of horse troughs and they are building bocce ball courts eventually. To have that kind of space on colfax is pretty cool. Inside there's a surprisingly large space, with plenty of high and low tables, booths, and probably 18 bar top seats. There's a full bar with about 10 beer taps and 6 wine taps and a huge pizza oven in the middle, as well as open kitchen concept. We started with the asparagus salad and smoked trout salad. Thought the asparagus salad was fine but nothing special. The smoked trout salad was superb. We then had the arancini balls at the suggestion of the bartender who also waited in us. We soon realized everyone was ordering them and we eventually understood why. These are the must order item and Benzina. They are to die for. Cheesy saffron risotto fried and served in a black pepper honey. They were incredible. Lastly we had the spicy soppresata pizza and mushroom pizza. The group loved both. I especially liked the soppresata which reminded me of the ones you get in NY which comes with honey. Their crust was very good. The only reason I'm docking this place a star is the noise. Its sooo noisy inside our group had to literally yell at each other to have a convo. It was a mixture of music that was too loud and bad acoustics, which is understandable in a old muffler shop but still, they need to figure out something with the sound issue and turn the music down. Overall, we will definitely be back to Benzina regularly. The food is fantastic and the service was great. The staff were very nice and the space is very cool. read more

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Benzina, yes!! Came here on a Friday night for date night with the hubs, and we were thrilled. Made reservations far in advance, and would probably recommend y'all do the same. We ended up sitting at the bar - something we enjoy at places where you can see some of the action first hand. We also love the ability to ask questions and the staff was incredibly friendly. We came a few months ago so I don't remember all the cocktails we ordered and think the menu has changed since, but my husband really enjoyed his smoky old fashioned and I loved whatever I ordered. Opted out of apps but both had pizza - I went with Clam and he picked Spicy Sopressata. Both were perfection and we're pretty big pizza snobs. Will 100% be coming back. Not the cheapest meal, but worth every penny! read more

The food was amazing! It had good vibes all around and the service was some of the best! We got seated immediately and they were not slow whatsoever. Our waiter was absolutely amazing and super friendly! Highly Recommended! read more

Benzina is our favorite neighborhood spot in the Hale/Park Hill area. It's truly underrated on here and sadly, somehow a bit of a hidden gem, despite being right on Colfax. The inside is a creatively cool refurbishment of a classic gas station, with great outdoor seating next to bocce ball courts and corn hole games. The food and drinks are all fantastic and reasonably priced. Our favorites are the arancini, caprese salad, and meatball and carbonara pizzas. read more

Decided on Benzina for a special family night out that included kids, and four adults. It was delightful on all levels. Fantastic food. Adults had some of their wonderful pizzas -- in particular the mushroom, and the carbonara, as well as salads that were every bit as tasty -- the Benzina Caprese and the Summer Salad. Whoa. Every single bite was wonderful... and was eaten! The kids had both pizza -- that they scarfed down as well. The youngers had the kids homemade buttered noodles -- that the adults vied for bites to share! On top of all that, once kids were done eating, they went outside to play the outdoor games that are set up while the adults finished our food and drinks. How fun is that??? My husband and I are already planning our return trip -- just for the two of us -- to check out some other tasty options we saw! read more

Amazing food, amazing service. Can't recommend highly enough. Go to Benzina, run, don't walk!!

I've always had amazing service here and the food is divine. The owner is very nice as well!

I think you always need to start with the ambience and to some degree this does not disappoint. Repurposing a muffler shop - genius and good sustainability practice. I liked the retro decor and I am a sucker for Slim Aarons so one of his famous prints enlarged was total thumbs up. There is indoor and bar seating plus outdoor seating with enclosed tent plus plenty of outdoor seating for warmer days/nights. Unfortunately when there is all cinder block and concrete, the noise is a problem . It would be nice if they put up some noise dampers. Staff was super nice and attentive without being bothersome. Now to the good stuff - food. The cocktails looked good (I watched other people drinking them) and a fairly decent wine/beer menu. I ordered a Melvin IPA draft - yum. They serve cold water - big plus!!!!! I liked that the menu was small. We ordered calamari which was soft, tender and perfectly lightly coated. There was some umami sauce underneath that I could have done without. The runner made sure to point on that is was topped with watercress which was funny since it was more of a garnish and not worth pointing out. Then came the spicy soppressata ... I hate saying this, but the crust was flat and needed more salt when making the crust. It was not the worst pizza, but by far not the best. I always recommend you visit and use my review merely as a guide. My husband said he probably would not go back, but I would go back to try their pasta. read more

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What a wonderful and fun spot to eat. Ignore the surroundings and immerse yourself into the friendly service along with the great food. Get the bread, it does not disappoint. read more

Benzina is closing. While I feel bad about their dream ending, I have to say that while the food was great, the service was terrible. Our server did not give a darn that my daughter was celebrating my birthday, my arrival in Denver, and celebrating my recovery from an illness, and paid no attention to us, and did nothing to enhance the experience. We would gladly pay 40 dollars for pizza IF served with a million dollar attitude! read more

Fun and chic addition to East Colfax. I've driven by this former service station and wondered what would become of the space - never would I ever have imagined pizza and wine. Snagged a reservation last Thursday and shared a good portion of the menu with a good friend: arancini, salad, pizza, dessert. Plus cocktails and wine. My fave by far was the clam pizza and the chocolate dessert. I would eat either one again in a heartbeat. I wasn't a huge fan of the trout Caesar salad, but that just means more for some other customer in the future. Service was so lovely and I appreciate the many check-ins from the front of house. And yes, I will be back to support a new neighborhood business! read more

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Wonderful neighborhood gem with excellent food and staff. A lovely atmosphere for a summer evening. We will be back!

We recently moved here and have fallen in love with this place. The staff treat people so well. The trout was especially good. All three of us had it, and truly enjoyed it. read more

We had dinner at Benzina Sunday evening. It was excellent! We started with the caprese salad, smoked trout caesar salad, and arancini. All were fantastic. Two of us shared a great pizza and the other 3 each had the pork chop. Everything was so delicious! Brad, the owner, stopped by, sat and chatted for several minutes. He is ideal as an owner: involved, interested in what his customers have to say, cheerful, attentive. We will definitely be back! But yes, as others have said, make a reservation. Busy fun cool place! read more

Food, great. Flavors, great. Cocktails, great. Ambiance, good. Service, ok. Gah; I had such high hopes. And I want to be grumpy, but it's hard not to be when the food is good, but the service just doesn't match what it's supposed to be. I would describe this as "upscale pizza"; pasta choices are limited if that's what you're hoping for. Denver doesn't have great authentic choices for pizza, but this is a place I'd come back to for a decent pizza and a glass of Italian wine. read more

Reinforcing everything I read. Ambiance is cool. Food is solid. Cauliflower, mushroom pizza, wine. It's pricey for what it is. Service was friendly but kinda casual for what you're paying. Almost $60 each to split a cauliflower app, and a pizza with one glass of wine? It's a bit much. So you're left thinking, it was good but when will I want to go back? read more

Based on the food alone, this place would get 5 stars. The flavors were incredible as was the use of fresh ingredients. I removed 1 star due to the noise. The ambience is interesting as it is a converted muffler shop, but unfortunately the noise and echo are so bad many of us could not hear the persons sitting across from us. I removed another 1 star due to the combination of high prices and small portions. A Caprese salad appetizer was $18 and very small, entrees were high 20's to 30's and also very small. I don't need to gorge myself, but I also don't like leaving a restaurant hungry after a very expensive bill. I removed a final 1 star as for a group of six they added 25% gratuity to our bill. (22.5% for server, 2.5% back of house). This was too much for very mediocre service. Not sure we will go there again. read more

Exceeded expectations in every aspect. Most impressed with the staff, both front and back of house. Very friendly attentive and knowledgeable. Food was excellent. Highly recommend for those looking for a pleasant night out. read more

Cute little spot off Colfax that's probably even nicer when it's warm enough to be outside. The pizzas were phenomenal. We didn't have a reservation so we sat at the bar and got to watch them make the pizzas which was a fun treat. Only gripe is that there weren't very many options for folks with dietary restrictions (e.g., plant-based, GF, etc.). read more

We sat at the bar and had amazing service! The drinks were delicious and the the arancini was delicious!!

Blackberry gin and tonic was amazeballs. Actually all varieties of old fashions also very good. Had tasty gluten free pizza and brussel sprouts, not gf, and bread with dip appetizer. All delish. Atmosphere was modern but welcoming. read more

Benzina - Blackberry apple gin and tonic. - Italian Near Me - Denver, Colorado

The Tagliatelle pasta with squid was just amazing. Cooked and served in a butter sauce with hints of several herbs I can't recall...and I don't see their menu. It was a really savory and citrus flavor that wasn't too strong or too weak. Perfection. Our table tried a couple of the pizzas as well and they were meh...not worth getting again. Still...5 stars...just for the Tagliatelle pasta alone. Can't wait to try a few more of their specialties at another time. read more

Totally wonderful! Best pasta in town. Top notch service - always exciting too. Keep this fabulous Denver icon supported. read more

I want to love this place so badly. The service and management is great. The ambiance is awesome. The regular pizza is fantastic. But I'm reviewing this as a gluten free person - and I have to say, on numerous tries, that the gluten free pizza crust is terrible. It's clearly premade, it's chewy and bland, and it completely detracts from the gorgeous toppings. The menu is small enough that this is a problem - there are few other dishes to try as a main course. If the crust were better, this place would be four or five stars. read more

I was really excited for this place, but unfortunately, just did not deliver. The food, the service just wasn't up to the price point.

Food was amazing. We were able to taste the layers of flavors. A little bit salty but very tasty. Service was to the point. Every time we change from salad, to the entries or dessert the waiter changed plates and silverware. Very attentive. Also, having a waiter that informs every dish and knows exactly the ingredients gives the confidence that the dishes are great. They have eating the food they serve!!!! Ambiance was perfect nice music from the 80's and 90's but not overwhelming the place. A lot of families and little ones enjoining their food. Loved it!!! Great coffee and dessert. Next time I will take pictures. read more

I ate dinner here with a friend earlier this evening. I wanted to try this place for a while when I lived in Aurora. I thought that it was a brilliant idea to convert this place from a gas station or muffler shop to a pizzeria. Another reviewer commented on the noise situation with this place and I agree with her. The only drawback for me was the noise level. It does get noisy in here so heads up with this factor. However, I do not recommend getting takeout. Dine in for the experience of a great location with great staff. All of the staff was wonderful here. Different staff members checked on us during our visit. Our waiter was personable and explained various things on the menu very well. I love how the menu is small. Sometimes when there are too many things to chose from, it can make for being undecided on what to order. We ordered two arancini for an appetizer. It was surprisingly good. I love the honey drizzle on top with spices. For our entrees we ordered two pizzas, one meatball and one sopresatta. They were both very good. I love how they don't burn the crust. It's nice and soft. Some pizzerias make their pizzas where the crust is hard. Not this one. We also ordered a few beers as well. I ordered the Weldwerks Italian Pilsner and my friend ordered an Odell sour beer. I loved my beer and my friend enjoyed hers as well. For dessert we ordered a chocolate tarte served with a homemade cream. This dessert was fantastic! If you like chocolate with salted caramel, you're in for a treat. I also like how they don't overdo it with the portions here. Appetizer and dessert were just the right size. As for the interior, it's clean and decorated nicely. I love how they have a bar area to dine at and enjoy cocktails and another bar top area at the chef's station to dine at. It's impressive how they made good use of this space. I absolutely love when a business makes good use of an older building without having to demolish it to put something else up. I recommend reservations for this place. I also recommend requesting a booth. I liked our booth next to the bar area with great view of outside. Also, for when the weather is cooler, they have a nice outdoor seating area with two bocci ball courts next to it. It was too hot to sit outside this evening. I believe they also have cornhole their as well. My friend loved this place so much that she plans on returning sometime in the near future. I would like to return as well but not anytime soon as the distance from my home is a little further than my friend's. This was well worth the trip though! I recommend Benzina for good quality Italian food and beverages. Looking forward to my next visit! read more

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This place has good food but it really needs to do something about its outdoor dining area. It's basically in a shaded parking lot abutting a road where cars are going 50mph+. It's unpleasant and difficult to have a conversation. Building an enclosed outdoor area with walls to shield the noise from the urban highway would make this a much more pleasant dining experience. read more

Made a reservation last night (12/13/23) for 8pm via open table. I arrived at 8:08pm. After a few minutes a grey haired man came to the host station to ask if I had a reservation. When it was confirmed he told me the kitchen closed at 8:10pm. It took me a second to process due to them taking my 8pm reservation. It was awkward. I was with a date. It has an open kitchen and you could clearly see the cooks still preparing food. I want to believe this was a genuine interaction but it's hard not to clearly see them turning my date and myself away due to being people of color. I figured I would be kind and show the respect that I would want for myself. I smiled and said no problem and my date and I went to another restaurant and had an amazing evening. After processing this situation I would like to caution people before supporting a restaurant that racially profiles their patrons. This wasn't the first nor will be the last time this will happen in my life. Just want to spread awareness read more

Quality vs quantity. If you're someone who wants a heaping bowl of pasta with tomato sauce then move on bec this isn't the place for you! If you're a foodie who travels to experience the brilliance & wonders of these amazing chefs then this is a MUST visit. My husband & I are stoked we now have this jewel near us. As he said this is a uniquely fabulous experience...we're dining at a renovated muffler shop, eating eccellente Italian cuisine while listening to Earth Wind & Fire - a definite future Michelin star Resto. Caesar with smoked trout I can get addicted to this one. pappardelle with oxtail, squash, pecorino and smoked garlic you have to fall in love with this pasta. Carbonara Neapolitan pizza (prosciutto, creme fraiche, onion & unusually applied egg yolk the bomb! vanilla panna cotta - honey & saba winner in my book Overall No question we're returning & soon!!! read more

Just returning home from our first meal at Benzina. Small group-we tried several items on the menu. The good: Ingredients are fresh, look savory on the plate and come in a range of colors from yellow saffron to green brussel sprouts to pale green apples. Medium to good flavors. The oxtail pasta tended toward bland. Once can taste the oxtail has been lovingly slow cooked and is tasty. The squash and carrots were just meh. Carrots were a little hard which wrecked the texture of the dish. Disappointing parts: Not sure why diners were herded into the bar when the entire restaurant was open. Despite having a reservation we were seated at a high top and in the bar. Plastic seats. Not a great move. Wait time for food...no one in the place and we waited and waited and still the food was cold. The portions are incredibly small-the presentation looked like diet food. Clinical almost. A word on prices. They are flat out too high. Suggestions: Go there have a cocktail and order a snack-the arancini would be fine. Check out the menu and the people. Look at the food coming out of the kitchen. Order a pizza Outlook All the pieces of a successful restaurant are in place. Skilled cooks, airy feel, access to good quality ingredients and a cozy bar. One can expect to see some tweaking of provisions, portions and prices. And the identity will take shape: pizza casual? artisanal Italian? Little plates. read more

Great experience at Benzina! I had seem them featured in several publications and was excited to give it a try. We made a reservation for an early-ish dinner on a Wednesday and I was initially worried when I arrived and was one of very few diners, but by the time we left, most of the seats were filled! The staff was all super friendly and welcoming and I can say this confidently as I would say most people working made an effort to come over and check on us to ensure we had everything we needed. Our waiter was especially knowledgeable about both the wine and food menu and came ready with suggestions based on our preferences. He sold us on the cauliflower which is not something I would usually order, but it was fantastic- a very unique dish. We also got the fall salad which was incredible with the fresh veggies and citrus dressing as well as the carbonara pizza which was also great. We sat at the pizza kitchen counter and it was fun to see the food being prepared right in front of us. Excited to return when I have an opportunity to play bocce! read more

Benzina - Cauliflower - Italian Near Me - Denver, Colorado

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Wow. Just....wow. Benzina makes an art out of elevating simple to simply decadent. It's an old service station. It's a really simple space. But they manage to fill it with tables and booths incredibly well, and somehow we happened to get the best seat in the joint, in a little two-top booth in a quiet corner. Speaking of quiet, other reviewers have mentioned noise, saying it's extremely loud - we did not find that the case at all. Noise level was really great - energetic but not overbearing or intrusive. We could talk amongst ourselves easily and without strain. Hunter was our server, and he was absolutely fantastic. Fun guy, jokes, attentive and not overbearing. He had good recommendations on the menu - which is extremely easy with a menu like Benzina's. Trout Salad: Good! Though I don't LOVE smoked trout, but that's on me. Almost served as like, little lettuce cups with a piece of trout in them, made it easy and fun to eat with your hands. Arancini Balls: Whoa..... Not overly salty, but still very savory and complemented perfectly with the dipping sauce. Just wildly good. Great mouthfeel, good cheesiness without being all salt. Spicy Soppressata Pizza: It's a pepperoni pizza, don't worry. Not really spicy, but as with most Neapolitan pizzas the story is in the crust. It's incredible. Perfectly "chewy" while still being perfectly cooked. It's just so hard to describe but really really great. the Soppressata is great, sauce was awesome, and the topping ratio was perfect. Sausage PIzza: It's a white pizza, and has really great flavor with the sausage and some green onions. Again, all on top of a phenomenal crust. We also did a bottle of house wine which is from grapes grown in Italy by the former owner of Snooze, but vinted in Denver. It was a really great "average" wine to go with our meal. It's not over the top crazy good, but it's solid and a perfect accompaniment to super elevated pizza. Then came time for dessert. And...oh my god. The chocolate tort was unbelievable. Perfect salt content in the crust, amazing chocolate flavor - sweet and savory without being saccharine or cloying. And then the Panacotta....I have never tasted anything so creamy and delicious. I swear to god these two desserts are among the top 10 desserts I've ever had in my life. I don't really rank inside 10, so that's the only cut they can make, but it was just amazing. Benzina is a fairly casual place with really really incredible elements, it's WELL worth the stop. Delicious and near-perfect. I absolutely cannot wait to go back. read more

We really had an incredible experience at this restaurant this evening. Just a random Wednesday. The service and food were impeccable. The owner came to check on on several times and you can tell he cares. This restaurant is a VERY welcome addition to the neighborhood. Is it cheap? No. You will pay for the experience. Is it worth it? Yes. read more