Rioja sits on Larimer Street between 14th and 15th, in the heart of Historic Larimer Square. Chef and owner Jennifer Jasinski runs the kitchen while general manager and owner Beth Gruitch leads the front of house, building a menu of Mediterranean-inspired cooking shaped by local and seasonal Colorado ingredients.
The room centers on a copper-topped bar and an exhibition kitchen, with decor kept deliberately simple to keep the focus on the food. Regulars mention the artichoke tortellini, lamb dishes, biscuits, and brunch beignets, alongside a wine list built around Spanish bottles with selections from elsewhere filling in the gaps.
Jasinski won the James Beard Foundation's Best Chef Southwest award in 2013, after finalist and semifinalist nods in 2010, 2011, and 2012, and returned as an Outstanding Chef semifinalist in 2016. Westword named Rioja among Denver's best restaurants in 2025.
The room centers on a copper-topped bar and an exhibition kitchen, with decor kept deliberately simple to keep the focus on the food. Regulars mention the artichoke tortellini, lamb dishes, biscuits, and brunch beignets, alongside a wine list built around Spanish bottles with selections from elsewhere filling in the gaps.
Jasinski won the James Beard Foundation's Best Chef Southwest award in 2013, after finalist and semifinalist nods in 2010, 2011, and 2012, and returned as an Outstanding Chef semifinalist in 2016. Westword named Rioja among Denver's best restaurants in 2025.