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1431 Larimer St. Denver, CO 80202

303-820-2282 

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15 User reviews Write A Review

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  • European Other
    Sun 10am-10pm, Mon-Tue 5pm-10pm, Wed-Thu 11:30am-10pm, Fri 11:30am-11pm, Sat 10am-11pm
    $$, $$$
  • All Major Credit Cards
    Patio/Sidewalk Dining, Takeout, Private Party, Wheelchair Accessible, Business Dining
    Brunch, Dinner, Lunch
  • Full bar
    Accepted, Highly Recommended
    Street, Valet
Description

Rioja opened in late 2004 to unprecedented fanfare -- fawned over by the press, loved up on the foodie message boards, packed from the start almost every night of the week. And it's just gotten better from there. The fare coming out of chef/owner Jennifer Jasinski's open kitchen is a jumble of Mediterranean, Spanish and loose, fusion-y concepts with handmade pastas and excellent sauces. The room is comfortable, casual and perfectly geared for the skittish Larimer Square foot traffic, full of folks who might stop in for a quick drink but wind up lingering over dinner.







Back to TopAwards | Visit the Best Of Website

  • 2011 | Best Free Bread

    We try our very best not to fill up on bread before dinner comes, but that's no easy task at Rioja. The restaurant's given serious thought to its complimentary carbohydrate accompaniment, so it doesn't serve you stale chunks of ciabatta. Our mouths start watering as soon as we spot the employee charged with bread service, lugging a beautiful basket of crumbly goat-cheese biscuits and thick slices of baguette, full of fat olives that imbue the slices with just a hint of brine, all exquisite... More »

  • 2011 | Best Local Cookbook

    The hardback cover, a photo of Jennifer Jasinski's braised artichoke and white-truffle tortelloni -- a recipe that has made grown men break down in tears faster than negotiations between PETA and the Pork Board -- is the first stunning glimpse into The Perfect Bite, Jasinski's self-published cookbook comprising 76 Rioja recipes, including the chef's signature tasting menu, and page after page of glorious photography. Every recipe, insists Jasinski, was tested three times -- by... More »

  • 2010 | Best Expense-Account Dinner

    Everything about Rioja radiates perfection, from the flavors and flourishes on the plate to the wine list and waitstaff -- which is precisely the kind of faultless experience you should expect when you're celebrating an anniversary, bar mitzvah, time off for good behavior or an extra five hours of furlough. If you're part of the precious few still flush with a no-holds-barred expense account, you may as well uncork a Billecart-Salmon Brut Rose Champagne for $185 before moving on to a... More »

  • 2007 | Best Picnic on the Patio

    Chef/co-owner Jen Jasinski has put up many impressive menus at Rioja. But with all her housemade pastas, salads, Colorado lamb dishes and an ever-changing pork-heavy, Mediterranean board, there's always been one delicious constant: the Rioja "picnic." Combining Spanish chorizo, air-dried duck breast, shaved speck, Italian gorgonzola and assorted olives, nuts and condiments, this plate truly has something for everyone. And if you enjoy your picnic on Rioja's small, pleasant patio on busy... More »

  • 2006 | BEST DINNER UNDER $25

    Rioja is not a cheap restaurant, by any means, but it offers two of the best meals in the city for under twenty bucks each. The first is the Rioja picnic. Just $14.50 buys you a big plate filled with everything necessary to make an antipasto freak smile: Spanish chorizo; shaved, dried duck breast; speck; a little goat cheese; a little gorgonzola; olives and nuts; a bit of truffled fennel salad -- as well as really good bread (you can choose from three kinds, and if you ask nicely, the server... More »

  • 2005 | Best Dinner for Two for $50

    Chef Jennifer Jasinski has hit the triple bull with her powerhouse new eatery in Larimer Square. One, she's got a great location -- smack in the middle of the hottest restaurant neighborhood in town, which she's made even hotter. Two, the space (some of which was once part of Josephina's, some nonexistent) is a great upscale-casual dining room that's fun to hang out in, no matter how much cash you're dropping. And three, both the menu and the kitchen executing it are top-notch, turning out... More »

  • 2005 | Best Handmade Pasta

    In a lot of ways, Rioja is a dream restaurant -- the sort that chefs fantasize about, with a great location, a solid crew of experienced veterans and a menu that allows that crew to improvise upon favorite dishes night after night. For chef Jennifer Jasinski, that means doing pasta -- lots of pasta. Lots of beautifully executed, expertly balanced plates of handmade pasta presented daily to a crowd that seems to love them all without reservation. From the fat, pot-bellied pansoti stuffed with... More »

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People Who Like Rioja

Back to TopMenu
Dinner Menu
Starters
$14.50
Flatbread
whole wheat pizza dough, parmesan mornay sauce, asparagus, 30 month aged prosciutto di parma, organic sunny side up egg, tarragon mustard vinaigrette
$9.50
Mango, Grilled Endive, Mozzarella
fresh bufula mozzarella, balsamic marinated grilled red endive, guanciale, mango, basil mango coulis
$9.50
Fresh Bacon
cardamom spiced kurobuta pork belly, madras curry scented garbanzo bean purée
$13.50
Thai Scallops
lemongrass panna cotta, compressed pineapple, plantain tuile, coconut kaffir lime purée, thai red curry vinaigrette
$9.50
Fritto Misto
crispy calamari and baby artichokes, marinated castelvetrano olive-fava beans-piquillo peppers, valbreso feta crema
$13.50
Tuna Sashimi And Tuna Tartare
marinated apple and fennel, anise vinaigrette, crispy apple chips
$16.50
Rioja “picnic”
a trio of artisan meats, warm pine nut crusted goat cheese, italian mountain gorgonzola, olives, truffle fennel salad, orange confit, almonds
$14.50
Artisan Cheese Quartet
torta peghera: apple chips, fior di noce: walnuts and castelvetrano olive, blu di lanzo: orange marmalade, buche du poitou: pear jam
Soup & Salads
$8.00
Asparagus And Spring Garlic Soup
lemon crème fraîche, crispy spring garlic
$9.50
Avocado Citrus Salad
blood oranges, grilled king trumpet mushrooms, haystack farms goat cheese, watercress, red belgian endive, orange verjus vinaigrette
$8.00
Rioja House Salad
baby arugula, medjool dates, gorgonzola, toasted almond vinaigrette
$6.00
Hand Selected Young Greens
extra virgin olive oil, 25 year old balsamic vinegar
$9.50
Greek Salad
cucumber carpaccio, tomato gelée, valbreso feta mousse, kalamata olives, roasted red peppers, dehydrated onion, oregano vinaigrette
Chef Jen’s Handmade Pastas
Pastas Are Available As An Entrée Or An Appetizer Course
$18.50
$9.50
Porcini Gnocchi
tapioca flour gnocchi, fresh hawaiian hearts of palm, romanesco, balsamic duck fat confit onions, lemon zest, porcini olive oil emulsion
$24.00
Hazelnut Ravioli
ricotta and queso de mano mousse stuffed pasta, foie gras terrine, pickled rhubarb, watercress, toasted hazelnuts, moscato beurre blanc
$18.50
$11.50
Artichoke Tortelloni
goat cheese and artichoke mousse stuffed pasta, artichoke broth, truffle essence, queso de mano cheese, chervil
$24.00
Smoked Pork Tenderloin With Spring Risotto
carnaroli rice with english peas, pea mascarpone mousse, sugar snap pea-nasturtium salad, lemon yuzu vinaigrette
Entrees
$24.00
Pan Roasted Petaluma Chicken
grilled artichokes, fingerling potato salad; black truffle crème fraîche and arugula, fines herbs pan jus
$24.00
Tasman King Salmon
grilled fillet, beet cured salmon, vodka glazed golden beets, creamed spinach, vodka beet coulis, caraway tuile
$18.50
Vegetarian Four Squares
a tasting of four seasonal dishes
$28.00
Seared Bigeye Tuna
sunchokes two ways: roasted and velouté, sautéed green apples, green apple olive oil emulsion, parsley coulis
$26.00
Colorado Lamb Two Ways
grilled t-bone, house made lamb merguez sausage, crisp couscous pillow, caramelized fennel, tomato coulis, preserved lemon yogurt
$32.00
Seared Liberty Farms Pekin Duck Breast
lemon mascarpone polenta, almond honey haricot vert, gooseberries, cherries, cocoa nib demi sauce
$24.00
Seared Wild Striped Bass
bouchot mussels, poached artichoke hearts, cured black olive pearl pasta, tomato pepper ribbon, saffron orange nage
$29.00
Grilled Filet Of Beef
cannellini bean purée, tarragon-mustard marinated fava and garbanzo beans, oven dried tomatoes, bone marrow compound butter, bordelaise sauce
Desserts
$8.00
Poached Pears
rolled in pistachio fennel pollen brittle, chestnut chocolate cream, vanilla poached red grapes, fennel pollen meringues
$8.00
Pb&j
chilled peanut butter crème squares, white grape jelly, peanut tuile, grape sorbet
$8.00
Beignets
sweet goat cheese and black mission fig filled pastries, ruby port wine reduction
$8.00
Hazelnut Tortamisu
chocolate cake, hazelnut mascarpone cream, espresso dipped lady fingers, gianduja chocolate, espresso crème anglaise
$8.00
Lemon-yuzu Sabayon Tart
pine nut cornmeal crust, lemon confit, pine nut brittle ice cream, lemoncello granita
$8.00
“whopper” Torte
crispy malted shortbread crust, chocolate flan, caramel mousse, malted anglaise
$8.00
Hand Made Ice Creams And Sorbets
lace cookie “plate” choose three ice creams or sorbets
$14.50
Artisan Cheese Quartet
torta peghera: apple chips, fior di noce: walnuts and castelvetrano olive, blu di lanzo: orange marmalade, buche du poitou: pear jam

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