This authentic Italian restaurant quickly earned its spot as one of my favorites over the weekend...

Gaetano's Italian Restaurant - located in the Highlands - has been serving authentic Italian cuisine for over 70 years with classics such as pasta, pizza, & cocktails. We arrived at Gaetano's, and we were seated in the main dining room, in a booth. The restaurant was decked out for Halloween and the space gave off old Italian vibes with burgundy upholstered seating & dark ambient lighting.

Our server, Diego was a pleasure and made sure we had everything we needed throughout our meal. Owner, Ron was fantastic; he shared his passion for food & the restaurant business with us and shed some light on Gaetano's robust history in Denver. Gaetano’s was once owned by the notorious Colorado Smaldone family. Learning about Gaetano's past made it a really engaging & fun dining experience.

Mixologist, Amber was behind the bar providing personality & fabulous cocktails. For cocktails we had the Watermelon Margarita, The Lucky Larcen, the Stoli Pineapple Martini, and Limoncello shots.

The Lucky Larcen was made with vodka, fresh lemon, lime, St. Germaine, and fresh basil. This was a refreshing Italian-style mojito that we'll definitely be ordering again in the future; so tasty.

The Stoli Pineapple Martini was made with pineapple infused vodka & a dash of sugar. This martini was my favorite drink of the night - the pineapple vodka made for a deliciously crisp & frothy cocktail.

A meal at Gaetano's wouldn’t be complete without Ron’s Limoncello that he makes in-house. We tried the lemon and the grapefruit - both were fabulous.

For Antipasti we had Burrata, Calamari Fritti, Lobster Bisque, & freshly baked focaccia bread for the table.

The Burrata was made with burrata cheese, prosciutto, balsamic, and grilled ciabatta.

The burrata was insanely creamy & ultra fresh, spreading on the ciabatta with a fluffy smoothness that melted in our mouths.

The Calamari Fritti was made with breaded calamari, cherry peppers, and house-made marinara sauce.

The calamari was coated in a delicately puffy batter that was fried to a golden brown. The sweet batter enhanced the natural taste of the tender calamari.

The Lobster Bisque was piping hot and flavorful - perfect for a chilly night.

For Pasta Primi we had the Creamy Gorgonzola Rigatoni and the Spaghetti and Meatballs.

The Creamy Gorgonzola Rigatoni was made with rigatoni tossed with sauteed mushrooms in a creamy gorgonzola sauce, served with grilled chicken.

The creamy gorgonzola was beautifully rich with a smooth texture that made for the perfect pasta sauce (it generously coated each piece of rigatoni). We indulged in each bite of this dish; it was our favorite of the night.

The Spaghetti and Meatballs was made with homemade meatballs with veal, pork, and ground beef with marinara sauce & spaghetti.

Gaetano's marinara had that droolworthy intense tomato flavor that I expect from a classic Italian spaghetti. The homemade meatball was juicy & smothered in sauce.

The Grilled Chicken Salad was made with grilled chicken breast, romaine lettuce, and tossed with vinaigrette - healthy and hearty.

For dessert we had the Tiramisu & Cannolis (both must orders).

The Tiramisu was elegant & had creamy rich layers of espresso-soaked ladyfingers, cocoa & lightly sweetened mascarpone. Each bite was sinfully smooth & fluffy.

The cannolis' deep-fried dough was filled with a sweet ricotta cheese filling and kissed on each side with tiny chocolate chips.

What a freaking meal! Huge thanks to Gaetano's, Ron, Diego, Amber, & Larry Herz for hosting us!

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

Gaetano's Italian Restaurant

Service options: Dine-in · Curbside pickup · Delivery
Address: 3760 Tejon St, Denver, CO 80211
Menu: gaetanositalian.com
Reservations: gaetanositalian.com
Phone: (303) 455-9852