Pros: One of the bar backs was very friendly and helped show my girlfriend to a separate restroom as the line for the restrooms was extremely long. The design of the place is very nice and all of the light fixtures appeared unique and created a very nice atmosphere. We somewhat enjoyed the burrata appetizer. There was a very nice balsamic reduction along with it and the bread was extremely tasty.
Cons: We spent 5 minutes waiting at the host stand for a host to arrive to greet us and no one was at the desk at all. Multiple parties arrived before a host greeted us. The table was not bussed and had what appeared to be Parmesan cheese spread out on a portion of the table The waiter was genuinely not friendly and seemed genuinely upset that I would not be drinking that night. He only introduced himself after myself and my girlfriend ordered the two most expensive dishes on the menu. Not when he first met us. Not when she ordered drinks. Not when I ordered appetizers. For the bone in braised short rib the sauce was far too salty for my liking. The candle on the table while it started off as a nice aesthetic choice the free dripping candle wax onto the table and splattering into food made it grow old very quickly.
Conclusion: I would not visit again. Its strongest point for me is the aesthetic of the restaurant but that is not what I personally look for. If that interests you I would definitely visit.
Side notes: it is very dimly lit and all of the food does look better in person than in the photos I will attach. Also they add to every bill a 2% surcharge for the kitchen workers to have a livable wage and a 3% surcharge to provide benefits for their employees. My meal totaled $177 for two people.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 1
Liz Martens
Had a pretty terrible Valentine’s Day experience here. We ate here once before and really enjoyed it so we decided to come back for Valentine’s Day. While our server, Troy, was good, the food was lackluster for a $100 a person pre-fixe menu. First off, they ran out of stuff, which I understand but if it was pre-fixe reservations made way ahead of time you would think they would order enough stock. The bone marrow was out so we were offered 4 oysters instead which were good. The burrata course was simply, not burrata as there was no creamy center. It was just mozzarella which was disappointing. Then we got to the salad course. My beets were good but my partner got the winter salad which was supposed to come with squash and a vinaigrette. Instead they brought out dry lettuce with just pine nuts on it. The waiter was pretty upset so they brought us ahi tuna instead which was kind, but again it should’ve been easy to make a simple salad the first time. I’m assuming they ran out and hoped we wouldn’t notice. The lobster pasta was simply not good at all like the time before I had it. There were four tiny pieces of smashed up, chewy lobster (photos below) and way too many peppers that were inedible spicy. The short rib was fine but the gnocchi was overcooked. The cherry on top was our card getting ran for the wrong bill and then they ran us again for a higher bill, which is improper practice. They should’ve honored what they already ran the first time, simply because it was their fault. After paying, the manager obviously knew we had a terrible experience and tried to bring us out shots, which we denied. We had an 8:45 reservation and service was terribly slow so we didn’t leave until almost 11:30. They should have comped some of our $400 bill for all the mess ups. Unfortunately, I would not return to Jovanina’s again.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 3
Andrew
Food & ambience was great, the waiter on the other hand was very rude. When I asked him for suggestions, he told me to “order my own food.” Not once during our stay did he ask how our meal was or even offer a refill on our drinks.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Pesto Pasta, Lobster Diavolo
Picknikki
The shell pasta plate was not good at all. Lack a lot of flavor. Not worth $35 The short rib was delicious.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Mark Mead
We’ve been coming here for a few years now. The food is getting worse by the visit. Think they’re catering to Avs / Nuggets crowd. They now play loud music. Lobster Diavolo was very average, and the pork chop dry and overcooked. Too many other spots in Denver to keep coming back.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 4
joshua fitzgerald
Just not what i expected. Elk in the bolognese must have been off that evening.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
Marcy Patel
I want to love this restaurant. It’s adorable inside and our server was so wonderful. I had the small shells and it was so heavy on the sun dried tomatoes that’s all I could taste and the kale on top just didn’t work. The texture was hard to chew and just wasn’t good. My friend got the pesto pasta and it had no flavor and was a bit mushy. Other friends had the elk bolognese and liked it. For $34 for pasta it just wasn’t worth it. Then there is a kitchen fee and it just starts becoming such an expensive dinner.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Btobey
Attempted to dine here and the female host and male restaurant manager were so off putting that we decided to leave after finally being seated. We didn’t have a reservation and the way they handled our request for a table came across like we were a major inconvenience. Their style of communication and how they addressed us set the tone for a very uncomfortable/ unwelcoming dining experience that we chose to sadly not continue .
Service: 1
Kaitlin Porter
Hopefully they treat their employees better in the future!
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Ryan O'Hara
Can’t support a restaurant that treats their workers so poorly.
I was there for my first time super excited for the food. But the whole experience was a fiasco. We sat at the bar an the blonde guy bartender made our night a fiasco… no follow up with drink. No asking how the food was. No nothing. Expensive restaurant with $5 dollar service. No thank you. Save yourself from this place.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 1
Bob Smith
Unfortunately this was disappointing. The cheese appetizers were great (burrata, etc). The Caesar salad had roasted lettuce, which some may like, but doesn't do it for me. And the buttermilk chicken parm was pretty mediocre (the meat itself had an odd texture). Beware, you are charged a 5% surcharge for "employee benefits" .
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Briana Butler
I’ve been here a few times now and really enjoy the ambiance and food quality however I think they could benefit from some dividers because when it’s busy inside the music + people talking can be extremely loud and takes away from the “gentle & relaxing” environment. The staff is always nice and we’re usually able to sit at the bar even when we don’t have a reservation. I’d definitely come back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Lobster Diavolo
Maddy Szilagyi
Not sure why this place doesn’t get really good reviews. I enjoyed dinner with my boyfriend celebrating our 1 year anniversary. I asked for the private nook in the basement and that’s exactly the spot we sat in! The table and chairs felt like a cheap outdoor furniture. We were given glasses of champagne for the occasion which was so nice and it was a really nice area to sit in for a romantic dinner. We got the bread to start which was so unique and delicious! The caesar salad was warm which was a surprise but still really good. I got the margherita pizza and my bf got the chicken parm. The chicken parm was SOO good. I was so impressed! The pizza was good but had way too much basil on the top of it. I wouldn’t call it a margherita. Overall I was really impressed (other than the prices ?) very expensive but nice for a special occasion. I would definitely come back! Loved the whole experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ben Sigal
This is a tale of two dinners. Had it just been my dinner, this would have been 5 stars all the way. Unfortunately, that was not the case.
My wife, who has celiac, loved her peach salad, but absolutely disliked their version of a gf pizza. By the time service got back to us for a check in, I was already done with my meal. They did make it up to us with free dessert, but we do wish she had been able to try the gf pasta.
I can say the elk bolognese, the pumpkin cheesecake, and the bone marrow appetizer were all out of this world. As mentioned, my wife started with the peach salad and she thought it was delicious and a unique interpretation of the dish. The drinks were also fabulous, though they took way too long to get when we were sitting right next to the bar.
All in all, a great meal, and we will be back to see if we can bump it up to a five all the way around.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Rosemary Smoked Bone Marrow, Elk Bolognese
Pros:
One of the bar backs was very friendly and helped show my girlfriend to a separate restroom as the line for the restrooms was extremely long.
The design of the place is very nice and all of the light fixtures appeared unique and created a very nice atmosphere.
We somewhat enjoyed the burrata appetizer. There was a very nice balsamic reduction along with it and the bread was extremely tasty.
Cons:
We spent 5 minutes waiting at the host stand for a host to arrive to greet us and no one was at the desk at all. Multiple parties arrived before a host greeted us.
The table was not bussed and had what appeared to be Parmesan cheese spread out on a portion of the table
The waiter was genuinely not friendly and seemed genuinely upset that I would not be drinking that night. He only introduced himself after myself and my girlfriend ordered the two most expensive dishes on the menu. Not when he first met us. Not when she ordered drinks. Not when I ordered appetizers.
For the bone in braised short rib the sauce was far too salty for my liking.
The candle on the table while it started off as a nice aesthetic choice the free dripping candle wax onto the table and splattering into food made it grow old very quickly.
Conclusion: I would not visit again. Its strongest point for me is the aesthetic of the restaurant but that is not what I personally look for. If that interests you I would definitely visit.
Side notes: it is very dimly lit and all of the food does look better in person than in the photos I will attach. Also they add to every bill a 2% surcharge for the kitchen workers to have a livable wage and a 3% surcharge to provide benefits for their employees. My meal totaled $177 for two people.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 1
Had a pretty terrible Valentine’s Day experience here. We ate here once before and really enjoyed it so we decided to come back for Valentine’s Day. While our server, Troy, was good, the food was lackluster for a $100 a person pre-fixe menu. First off, they ran out of stuff, which I understand but if it was pre-fixe reservations made way ahead of time you would think they would order enough stock. The bone marrow was out so we were offered 4 oysters instead which were good. The burrata course was simply, not burrata as there was no creamy center. It was just mozzarella which was disappointing. Then we got to the salad course. My beets were good but my partner got the winter salad which was supposed to come with squash and a vinaigrette. Instead they brought out dry lettuce with just pine nuts on it. The waiter was pretty upset so they brought us ahi tuna instead which was kind, but again it should’ve been easy to make a simple salad the first time. I’m assuming they ran out and hoped we wouldn’t notice. The lobster pasta was simply not good at all like the time before I had it. There were four tiny pieces of smashed up, chewy lobster (photos below) and way too many peppers that were inedible spicy. The short rib was fine but the gnocchi was overcooked. The cherry on top was our card getting ran for the wrong bill and then they ran us again for a higher bill, which is improper practice. They should’ve honored what they already ran the first time, simply because it was their fault. After paying, the manager obviously knew we had a terrible experience and tried to bring us out shots, which we denied. We had an 8:45 reservation and service was terribly slow so we didn’t leave until almost 11:30. They should have comped some of our $400 bill for all the mess ups. Unfortunately, I would not return to Jovanina’s again.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 3
Food & ambience was great, the waiter on the other hand was very rude. When I asked him for suggestions, he told me to “order my own food.” Not once during our stay did he ask how our meal was or even offer a refill on our drinks.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Pesto Pasta, Lobster Diavolo
The shell pasta plate was not good at all. Lack a lot of flavor. Not worth $35
The short rib was delicious.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
We’ve been coming here for a few years now. The food is getting worse by the visit. Think they’re catering to Avs / Nuggets crowd. They now play loud music. Lobster Diavolo was very average, and the pork chop dry and overcooked. Too many other spots in Denver to keep coming back.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 4
Just not what i expected. Elk in the bolognese must have been off that evening.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
I want to love this restaurant. It’s adorable inside and our server was so wonderful. I had the small shells and it was so heavy on the sun dried tomatoes that’s all I could taste and the kale on top just didn’t work. The texture was hard to chew and just wasn’t good. My friend got the pesto pasta and it had no flavor and was a bit mushy. Other friends had the elk bolognese and liked it. For $34 for pasta it just wasn’t worth it. Then there is a kitchen fee and it just starts becoming such an expensive dinner.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Attempted to dine here and the female host and male restaurant manager were so off putting that we decided to leave after finally being seated. We didn’t have a reservation and the way they handled our request for a table came across like we were a major inconvenience. Their style of communication and how they addressed us set the tone for a very uncomfortable/ unwelcoming dining experience that we chose to sadly not continue .
Service: 1
Hopefully they treat their employees better in the future!
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Can’t support a restaurant that treats their workers so poorly.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Restaurantji Recommends
I was there for my first time super excited for the food. But the whole experience was a fiasco. We sat at the bar an the blonde guy bartender made our night a fiasco… no follow up with drink. No asking how the food was. No nothing. Expensive restaurant with $5 dollar service. No thank you. Save yourself from this place.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 1
Unfortunately this was disappointing. The cheese appetizers were great (burrata, etc). The Caesar salad had roasted lettuce, which some may like, but doesn't do it for me. And the buttermilk chicken parm was pretty mediocre (the meat itself had an odd texture). Beware, you are charged a 5% surcharge for "employee benefits" .
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
I’ve been here a few times now and really enjoy the ambiance and food quality however I think they could benefit from some dividers because when it’s busy inside the music + people talking can be extremely loud and takes away from the “gentle & relaxing” environment. The staff is always nice and we’re usually able to sit at the bar even when we don’t have a reservation. I’d definitely come back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Lobster Diavolo
Not sure why this place doesn’t get really good reviews. I enjoyed dinner with my boyfriend celebrating our 1 year anniversary. I asked for the private nook in the basement and that’s exactly the spot we sat in! The table and chairs felt like a cheap outdoor furniture. We were given glasses of champagne for the occasion which was so nice and it was a really nice area to sit in for a romantic dinner. We got the bread to start which was so unique and delicious! The caesar salad was warm which was a surprise but still really good. I got the margherita pizza and my bf got the chicken parm. The chicken parm was SOO good. I was so impressed! The pizza was good but had way too much basil on the top of it. I wouldn’t call it a margherita. Overall I was really impressed (other than the prices ?) very expensive but nice for a special occasion. I would definitely come back! Loved the whole experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This is a tale of two dinners. Had it just been my dinner, this would have been 5 stars all the way. Unfortunately, that was not the case.
My wife, who has celiac, loved her peach salad, but absolutely disliked their version of a gf pizza. By the time service got back to us for a check in, I was already done with my meal. They did make it up to us with free dessert, but we do wish she had been able to try the gf pasta.
I can say the elk bolognese, the pumpkin cheesecake, and the bone marrow appetizer were all out of this world. As mentioned, my wife started with the peach salad and she thought it was delicious and a unique interpretation of the dish. The drinks were also fabulous, though they took way too long to get when we were sitting right next to the bar.
All in all, a great meal, and we will be back to see if we can bump it up to a five all the way around.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Rosemary Smoked Bone Marrow, Elk Bolognese
Loading...