You can find the most authentic Italian in Denver at Lo Stella Ristorante - their pasta recipes have been passed down for generations! We dined at Lo Stella for dinner over the weekend and had such a fabulous time - from the ambience, to the staff, to the food - this is one of our favorite restaurants in Colorado.

We arrived at Lo Stella and were seated in the front of the house by the windows and the bar. The restaurant's aesthetic is intimate & relaxed - somewhere you definitely want to come & stay awhile.

The staff of Lo Stella speaks volumes of the family-owned & operated restaurant. Owner Alessandro was in town & he led us through our meal; there was something so special in hearing him speak of his grandmother and grandfather's recipes and then getting to try them in real time. We could feel Alessandro's passion for Lo Stella and that passion translates into the staff. Bartender Luca was vivacious & a stellar mixologist. Server Brian was attentive and quick on the restaurant floor making sure everyone had what they needed.

We started off our meal with presecco & white wine. The wine Alessandro chose for us was the Tua Rita Perlato del Bosco Toscana Vermentino White.

The wine had aromas of tropical fruit and white flowers and was crisp and refreshing in taste - amazing for pairing with light pasta & seafood.

For Antipasti (Italian appetizers) we had the Bison Carpaccio, Polpo croccante con vellutata di Ceci, & Insalata di Farro.

The Bison Carpaccio was made with bison, mixed herbs & toasted nuts.

The flavorful blend of bison was an elegant starter - the meat was sliced super thin and melted in our mouths. The bison had a mild sweetness to it while the herbs and sauce brought forth brightness & tang.

The Polpo croccante con vellutata di Ceci is made with fresh and crispy octopus tentacle with garbanzo bean puree.

This appetizer blew us away - the grilled octopus was meaty & succulent with a slightly smoky flavor while the puree was nutty and creamy in taste. The delightfully chewy texture of the octopus complimented the fluffy garbanzo bean puree perfectly.

The Insalata di farro is made with whole-grain wheat farro, olives, tomatoes and basil.

The Insalata di farro was light and fresh - a great summer antipasti. The farro's flavor was nutty with a chewy texture that was enveloped in the mild salty, sweetness of the olives.

For our main pasta dishes we had the Tagliatelle della "Nonna Laura", the Ravioli di Pesce in Crema di Gamberi & Spaghetti alle Vongole.

The Tagliatelle della "Nonna Laura" is homemade tagliatelle made with Alessandro's grandmother's - Nonna Laura’s - Bolognese sauce. We had fresh parmesan to top.

The Bolognese was authentic & beautiful in taste - a generous amount of ground beef graced the rich red sauce that had just a touch of tomato. The tagliatelle pasta had the taste and texture you can only get from freshly made pasta.

The Ravioli di Pesce in Crema di Gamberi is homemade Fish Ravioli with Lo Stella's creamy shrimp sauce recipe that has been used since 1940.

WOW WOW WOW - this is hands down the best ravioli the three of us have ever had! The raviolis were filled with rich sea bass that had our mouths watering. The delicate raviolis paired wonderfully well with the tasty shrimp sauce and married the flavors of savory & sweet. Each ravioli was coated in velvety sauce and went spectacularly with the crispness of our white wine.

The Spaghetti alle Vongole is made with spaghetti noodles & clams.

The Spaghetti alle Vongole had flavors of fresh, delicious clams with the unmistakable tang of the sea. The briny juices from the clams brought out the flavor of the garlic broth on the spaghetti. Maddie was obsessed with the Spaghetti alle Vongole, it's her favorite take on pasta.

For dessert we had Espresso Martinis that Luca made for us.

The Espresso martinis were made with espresso, Kahlua and Baileys - deliciously smooth and gave us that glorious caffeine buzz.

We shared parting shots of grapa with Alessandro to end our meal - saluti!

HUGE thanks to Alessandro, Luca, Brian & Lo Stella Ristorante for hosting us! You have made regulars out of us and we will see you all again very soon!

Check it out babes and let them know that denv.her. sent you! xx

Lo Stella Ristorante

Service options: Dine-in · Curbside pickup · No delivery
Address: 1135 Bannock St, Denver, CO 80204
Menu: lostelladenver.com
Phone: (303) 825-1995
Reservations: opentable.com