Had a wonderful dinner tonight. Our server Amby was great! Brandon stopped by our table, checked in…read morewith us, and sent a bucatini pasta on the house which added to our experience. The whole team was very accommodating and the vibe was on point.

Easily one of my favorite places in Denver. You need to go with a big group so you can try…read moreeverything. Here's some of the best things we got: Lemon bucatini is a must. The pasta was el Dante and it was the perfect mix of lemon. Mushroom aranchini was delicious. I was doubtful but it was easily one of the best. Corsican frites could be over looked but they were a crowd pleaser. I could've done without the rigatoni, nothing special about it. I also could've done without the mussels, they were a little fishy but my friends loved them. The service was amazing. It was my friends birthday and the waiter brought over espresso martini shots with a candle and a cake. Everything came out super quick but timed well.

Love their tapas and the big warm bread baskets…read more The service is very patient and kind. The ambiance is great for a date night or to sit at the bar.

We originally came here for our wedding welcome party, and it was very accommodating during Covid…read more We came here again for my birthday dinner, and the food ended up just being okay. The paella marisco had a strong seafood taste which was unfortunate and no saffron flavor. Mussels also had a strong seafood taste and small, so they were probably frozen. The patas bravas, bacon wrapped dates, charcuterie and cheese, and albondigas were fine nothing special. The burnt basque cheesecake could have used a strawberry sauce. Service was good, and food was actually quick for the most part. For the price and okay food, I would probably go to a different Spanish tapas place in town.

Great service. Instagram-worthy, you get a great view, the decor is artistic, and the food has a…read morebeautiful presentation. Food is something to enjoy for its flavor, but it is not a place to get a big plate for your money; it's more of an experience for you and your date night. Recommended if you want know about food more a taste experience.

I'm mad. Not at them... at myself…read more I lived in Denver for over five years and just now made it to El Five, and now I understand why it's such a staple. The menu was recently refreshed and it shows. The mushroom paella was loaded and perfectly cooked, the burrata was a solid start, and the Turkish pizza with halloumi was a surprise standout. The poached cod was also great, especially the sauce. The drinks were just as strong. The L5 margarita with salt foam was really good, and even the frosé, which I usually skip, worked perfectly here. The vibe is a big part of it. The downtown views are hard to beat and the patio is easily one of the better ones in the city. Inside also feels intentional and well designed. Service was excellent. Avery was our server and it was her first day, which you wouldn't have guessed. Carl and Mark also made the experience feel smooth and welcoming. For dessert, the Lisbon chocolate cake and Turkish kunefe were both great. The Basque cheesecake and lobster salad also stood out and had those memorable bites that stick with you. Overall, a really strong experience and definitely a place worth making a reservation for.

Went to Mantra Cafe for a late lunch after hearing a coworker mention the naan tika tacos. I…read moreusually stick to the same few places, but this ended up being a nice change from the usual downtown spots. The tacos came out fresh and had a good mix of flavor without being too spicy. Service was easygoing and the cashier answered a couple questions about the menu without making me feel rushed. My food took around ten minutes, which seemed reasonable since they were getting a steady lunch crowd. The place has a casual atmosphere where people actually sit and relax for a while instead of eating and leaving right away.

My first encounter with this restaurant was 7-8 months ago as a quick takeout. As I was quite…read moreimpressed with the quality of the food I had back then I had been looking forward to experiencing it again. This time I go to dine in. Since my adult daughter and I were going to be there for a little celebration I made the reservation through the restaurant's website requesting to be seated at a 4-person table. Unfortunately upon arrival the restaurant not only did not even check to see if they had us on the reservation list they also didn't allow us to sit at a 4-person table. The restaurant wasn't busy at all on a Monday night so they simply treated us like a "walk-in" guest. Mmm...what's the purpose of the reservation link on their website if they don't value it?? They took us to one of the smaller two-person tables. After sitting there for 5 minutes or so perusing the menu, we kindly asked one of the workers if we could move to the bar seating that overlooks the busy Broadway. This was the game changer. The elevated seats and the tabletop made the ambience feel more like a special occasion. Thank goodness...this was the only bummer part of our dinner. The rest, fortunately, went quite well! Food: It looks like another Indian/Nepali restaurant at first but in my personal experience, this one ranks the best or top tier for their authenticity. The below is directly copied/pasted from the electronic recipe of ours: -PANI-PURI (Vegan/DF) $8.00 -Ice Tea $3.00 -Masala Chai $4.00 -COCONUT CURRY WHITE FISH. (DF/GF)$20.00 (Medium heat) -KHATTI MITTHI BHINDI (VEGAN/ GF) $15.00 (Medium heat) -WHOLE WHEAT BREAD $3.00 Pani-puri came out after our two main dishes although Pana-Puri is more of an appetizer (lol). Tho two main dishes were cooked in a medium heat and yet they were extremely doable even for someone like me who is not much of a "heat" person. My daughter is not a big fan of naan bread so as she is way more versed in the very cuisine (she had just come back from India spending a month to be trained to be a yoga instructor with a certification) she suggested we get the thin wheat bread. This bread went efficiently well with our two mains. Both iced teas were a great accompaniment to our whole meal. And again, how authentic everything tasted and how meticulously everything was cooked and prepared, it was something we couldn't ask for better quality. A bit of a disappointment with the whole reservation situation and yet the quality of the food broke even at the end. Service was good to decent although it wasn't exceptional but our basic needs were met.

Bruto is always such a memorable and enjoyable experience. This is a food Laboratory at its finest…read more Fine food, fine wine, fine service, fine ambience, fine, fine fine. Always exceptional food, beautiful presentation, with sustainable practices, this is the place to celebrate a special occasion. The current menu, which runs through June, is the final menu by the current chef and it highlights Costa Rican cuisine. The chef and staff have gone to great lengths to showcase this Latin American dining experience. The Barramundi was by far my favorite on the menu, although that is relative among the 7-course meal. Everything we tried was knock your socks off delicious. I love the quiet dining room, with a chance to visit with others sitting near you at the chef's counter. Their fermentation program is second to none. One thing that always makes a meal memorable is the service. The Bruto team takes care of everything and knows just about everything food or drink wise. Again, I counted the kitchen staff: The ration is 1 to 2, meaning you will feel like a VIP with the personal interaction. It's not fake either; these young men and women want you to have an enjoyable and memorable time. What an impressive restaurant and food laboratory where they are always pushing themselves for tasting excellence. Bruto = passionate knowledgeable people

Note that my partner and I dined at Beckon a month prior. We opted for the multi course menu…read more Friendly staff. Well coordinated. But the food was just ok. For $650 (with one alcohol pairing), it could have been better. The only dish that stood out to both of us was the barracuda fish. Everything else was just ok.

Step into the sleek, intimate charm of @ototoden in Denver's Old South Pearl Street Shopping…read moreDistrict. They're now offering a delicious lunch. As the relaxed counterpart to Sushi Den and Izakaya Den, Oto offers a more casual yet equally elevated dining experience, where the focus is on traditional pub-style Japanese cuisine. Explore a curated selection of sake, Japanese beers, and thoughtfully crafted cocktails that perfectly complement the savory menu. In Japanese, Ototo means "younger brother." The name is a perfect, playful nod to the restaurant's hierarchy and family dynamic on South Pearl Street. Bonus treat: The South Pearl Street Farmers' Market runs on Sundays from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM, typically from early May through mid-November. Lunch Hours : Sunday: 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM (Lunch/Brunch) Monday & Tuesday: CLOSED

Ototo used to be one of my top recommended restaurants to friends and people visiting Denver. It's…read morean easy reservation. The food is good. In general, it's been a laid back, go-to place to get a meal that will be much better than average for the price. I've been many times since before and after COVID, and it was one of my favorite repeatable spots in Denver. However, the crew totally dropped the ball with our visit today. My wife ordered a tonkatsu ramen and got a chicken tonkatsu set instead (chicken cutlet, not bowl of ramen). To not make it weird, we just let that one be for the greater good of the table because it was our anniversary, grandparents were visiting, and we are here often. Our hamachi kama (one of my favorite dishes in the entire city, normally something I'd highly recommend on this review) was never sent to the kitchen, leaving us waiting for over an hour with two young kids at the table who had finished 40 minutes before. I watched the staff's confusion from my seat, even after we had been told that it was on its way. It was never even started, and it was obvious. That stuff happens, but it's hard to hide what happened in an open kitchen where you can hear what people are saying. But then after they had the "oh crap" moment, it wasn't even expedited. It was gonna take so long that it wasn't worth getting, so two people had to leave our not-busy lunch without getting the main thing we brought them to Ototo for. We were asked to wait for the dish, waited 15 more minutes, and it was not even close to ready. And while I appreciated the apology, the manager initially just tried to "take the dish off the bill," a dish we never received. So he basically tried to do nothing because no restaurant would charge for something that never came out. After I pointed this out, they took off part of the check, but that attempt at nothing under the guise of a comp was crazy. I've easily spent thousands at Ototo over the years. I've sent tons of people to Kizaki, Temaki Den, and the others. This will probably be the last time I go to Ototo. If you read some of the recent bad reviews, something is not working here anymore. I hope the otherwise amazing service at the other Dens can find its way back to Ototo.

So we found out about this Michelin star gem when we arched the Netflix series, Next Gen Chef, one…read moreof the contestants works or worked there and put some interest in our heads... glad we visited on our recent trip to CO. It is a very relaxed vibe, order at the counter. No reservation needed. We liked the food so much we went there for dinner 2 days in a row! Service 10/10 Food 10/10 Vibes 10/10 Handmade focaccia 100/10

Been coming for the last 5 years or so & it has nosedived immensely over the years. Today, 2/3/26…read morewill be our last visit. As someone else stated, their cacio e pepe is soooo over peppered, over salted & gritty. Apps on happy hour were just ok. Drinks are just ok & not worth $9 (mind blowing that Italian gin + tonic would go for more w/o HH). That Marsala dish had almost zero marsala cream which is crazy work if you're gonna call it a Marsala. Breaded chicken added onto any dish w/no seasoning in the breading?! Just odd. Advised cashier who took order one dish we'd like to split & was told "oh yah, we can just get you a spoon for that" instead of simply typing into your POS 'SPLIT' so your guest is not sitting there waiting for new share plates & oh yah, a second go around for kitchen staff to bring a spoon. Work smarter, not harder. What really did it over the top this dining "experience" for me & my family was the male bartender. Let's just sidebar for a moment too--where's the personality & humor in 'hospitality' nowadays?! Apparently, my mums joke about "filling it to the top" went right over this guys head because he decided to be flat out rude to us after dropping apps even going as far as to mock me saying "tHaNk YoU" in a condescending, nasty way & then throwing a serving spoon down...WOAH. Who knows if he was conversing with his coworker about our table specifically but all 3 of us heard him talking about "just non industry people" which is soooo comical because my husband was a chef for 14 years but go off, fam! Not to mention I worked FOH in Las Vegas for a decade. & look guys, I know what you're gonna say! Well, you do it yourself then if you can do it better & do you know what?! We usually do haha but this place is sentimental for my mother who was happy to go because it reminded her of her late husband (my dad, who passed 3 years ago). The crazy part that's worth writing is I think us humans have forgotten that everyone is struggling with this & that & we are all just trying our best to get by. This used to be my favorite part about working in a restaurant: giving your guest a POSITIVE, UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCE to escape life's struggles. Somewhere where you can go & spend your hard earned dollars & FEEL GOOD ABOUT IT but also to forget said struggles of your day or even your life! Antywayssss, 3 years later, no way this restaurant is being recommended for a Michelin Star nowadays. Go somewhere else for housemade pasta.

We went in for an event that was being hosted at Bar AC. Paul was manning the bar and did an…read moreexcellent job. He efficiently handled the bar area even though there were a ton of us. There was ample seating with an array of types. The bathroom is just around the corner. We did order food to the bar. Both tapas were delicious. We really enjoyed the avocado toast. The lamb Albondigas were also excellent.

Recently stayed at the hotel and stopped at this place for a nightcap. It is a quaint space…read moreconnected to the Meridian offering a full bar and appetizer menu. The prices are typical for what you would pay downtown however they do have a free pool table patrons are able to use. We were there on a Friday and almost the entire place was empty so it seems to be a very transitional spot for tourists.