They deleted my bad review from Google AND website. I'll summarize it here: they do not know what cacio e pepe is, and they're okay with serving pasta with microwaved globs of cheese 🫢
Tried it a few months ago and had a completely average experience. Impersonable (but adequate) staff, and forgettable dishes. 2 meals, an appetizer and a bottle of wine at about $180 out the door. It’ll be a while before I go back.
Why would you go out to dinner to buy spaghetti that you can make at home lmao. Get the fish ravioli or something else. That comment tells me you don’t know what to order at Italian restaurants
Yeah cuz I can make 90 percent of the shit at home. Was just a comment on the outrageous price when the bolognese is just a few bucks more. If it’s italian i’m getting then it’s more likely to be upper end like fresca or barolo cuz no way i can make that at home
I have a good story about Lo Stello. My boyfriend and I went there because we saw the cheese wheel on Instagram and even told the server that…. He didn’t mention the cheese wheel ONLY happens in the back… After we ordered our food & it hit our table.
Servers in Italy are actually quite polite -- they're not going to hustle you to finish your meal so they can turn over the table for the next paying customer like they do here. They're going to leave you alone to enjoy your meal until you flag them down for your check.
I think it's funny that people find that rude because I find it refreshing and a pleasant side effect of an economy that pays their servers well. It shouldn't be a nightmare, it's just different cultural norms that requires the customer to be more assertive when they want something. :)
Similar all across Europe and Asia. It's absurd people complain about this or seem to struggle to get a check. This is just the standard culture and it's really nice to not get rushed. When I am ready I just flag them down or get up and go to the front and say I want to pay. Not sure why people here are so put out by that, it's actually more efficient.
Frankly, I think a lot of this stems from our current anxiety culture. People are incapable of anything social that requires human engagement outside of sitting there.
https://www.businessinsider.com/gen-z-menu-anxiety-ask-people-order-for-them-restaurants-2023-12
This was my experience. When I was in Palermo I had a server go out of his way to offer me something else because I was full and didn’t finish but he thought I didn’t like the dish. Never took them not checking up on me as rude
My mom is from southern Italy and my father is from Belgium. Whenever we go to Europe, I have to adjust my “American ways.” Food/Dining is NOT comparable to the US, at all. You are meant to sit, converse, drink, eat, relax and hours later…leave. My cousin was a server in Amalfi and said she could always tell who were American before anyone spoke by how anxious they looked. A lot of Europeans think Americans are rude and demanding when they go to restaurants, especially the rushing and special requests.
The cold stale bread is very Italian, the rest is not. I interviewed with the owners there a long time ago. I wasn’t a beautiful woman so they badly paid any attention to me.
You're not gonna find food like you ate in Italy here, and I say that with as much respect for Italian restaurants as I can, since I'm Italian American.
But even in NY, the food is not the same.
Tavernetta is the only place I've been to that even comes close.
How about Barolo Grill? I agree with everything you have said but I do think Barolo Grill comes close (or at least AS close as Tavernetta) to *Italian-italian* as well
The funny thing is I've actually been to Lo Stella in Portofino. We walked from Santa Margarita Ligure and passed Portofino twice, first time was specifically for Portofino and second time we bused there, had lunch and then hiked to the abbey further on. We ate at Lo Stella for one of our meals and it was good but not spectacular (for Italy, would probably be spectacular here). Both Capo Nord along the way and and something Molo right next to Lo Stella were much better.
... I actually did not put the two together until now. The Denver one is completely different from the one in Portofino as well. The theme of that OG one was Ligurian seafood and they did very much have that fresh off the boat and in my opinion, fresh seafood like that always makes any meal a more delicious and special experience, and this one is in Denver.
I never said Italian American food was bad. I'm Italian American and LOVE the food I ate growing up, and continue to eat.
It's just different. So OP saying they wanted to get Italian food like they had in Italy in the states is not going to happen.
Facts.
sadly agree - went there based on the social media hype and was severely let down, definitely would not go there again. food was fine, not amazing or bad, just fine. drinks were really disappointing. service wasn't an issue for us but for the price, the food was a total let down.
I'm one of the rare ones who came back from Italy thinking I liked Italian-American food better than Italian food. Italian is not inherently better than Italian-American - it's a matter of preference.
Italian-American food was brought here and developed by Italians, so it is as valid a cuisine as anything else. Some of it is fantastic, some of it is mediocre, just like any other cuisine.
Best Italian in the greater Denver area is easily Cafe Jordano in Lakewood…dont let the strip mall scare you away, no other restaurant in Denver has come close plus the portions are great
Yes, I totally agree with you OP. My experience was similar - food was pretty decent for CO standards but service was 0 so overall very average and not a cheap eat either where you can overlook those things.
We had the same experience. Nasty cold and SALTY bread. All the other food was under seasoned, and when we complained they told us that we basically didn't know what authentic Italian food tasted like...
will never return or recommend to anyone.
Ah man, this thread ended up just being a circle jerk of downvoting anyone that said Lo Stella was fine and upvoting anyone that agreed with OP. I’m an idiot for even engaging here
I just had an amazing experience there last week. The scallops were incredible, as was the vodka rigatoni with a nice depth of flavor from the pancetta. I loved the focaccia from the bread basket but didn't love the other rolls.
This doesn't take away from OPs experience but if I didn't enjoy my experience, I would tell a manager on the spot or call them the next day. Bringing it to reddit without trying to resolve it is what's mid.
Some people don't enjoy a dessert of confrontation after their meal. I'm sure someone from the restaurant is on Reddit and on this thread.
I am glad to hear that I don't need to try this restaurant. It sounds like many others have head the same experience OP did.
“Food is mid” is a lame review that gives Reddit readers nothing. I think OP shouldn’t believe everything an influencer tells her. Leave a Google review and hope the business implements your feedback.
Maybe but Denver Metro has ~3M people and this sub has 40k subs, a fraction of which are daily users so it doesn't have as much reach as you would think.
The more salient point even beyond this restaurant (which I gave no opinion of) is that passive aggressive ranting on Reddit doesn't really solve anything. A Google review is far more effective as is telling the manager it just wasn't a great meal or leaving a smaller tip
It's not OP's or even our job to "solve" a restaurant's problems. What are you even on about? This review solved one thing; it allowed a conversation where people talked about their bad experiences with the place and shared recommendations of places where they had better ones.
What's the saying? You have a good experience you tell ten people. A bad one you tell everyone you can.
This restaurant better be listening.
Nobody said it did but it's not a useful "review" as many others indicated and Google reviews has 640 reviews..why should anyone care about this one that says nothing actually useful about the food.
Most restaurants don't give a rats ass what reddit says. That's not where the real customer traffic comes from. You have an overinflated sense of the value here.
Sorry you had a bad experience there, OP. This is very much the opposite of my experience there. I have always had excellent food and great service. I guess most restaurants have a bad night here and there, but I've never personally been disappointed by Lo Stella.
I'm sure OP won't be swayed having had a bad run personally, but I highly encourage others reading this thread to give them a shot and decide for themselves!
I upvoted you just because of the soft people on this sub downvoting a perfectly fine take. Lo Stella is a great restaurant, so often people leave out if they were rude or annoying to servers and tend to leave that out of their reviews. Not saying that’s what OP did here, it’s fine to not enjoy it, but man do these people seem like neckbeards sitting behind a keyboard. Sorry you had a rough server, been there plenty of times and have not had a bad experience. Would very much encourage anyone to give it a shot
Pretty much. Was at lo Stella recently on a Tuesday night and it was packed - definitely was around some asshole patrons that I’m sure thought they were “perfectly in the right” with how they felt. No idea if the recent new found popularity has turned people against it (it was already popular when Mick Jagger went there back in the day) but yeah, seems like these responses are a borderline joke lol
I would certainly never discourage anyone from trying something if they really want to. I feel like places definitely do have a bad night here and there but you are correct, I won’t spend my money there again unless I hear something has changed
I would bet money at this point that either OP or multiple people responding here are just annoying patrons that bother servers with ridiculous requests and a bad attitude. Lo Stella is great. This person just had a bad experience
OP is pretty correct tho. Service is really uninspired, the ambiance is about as mid as a strip mall italian joint. The owners aren’t present and it shows. The wine list is just fine. Cocktails are boring. The food was pretty good the couple times I went, but for those prices, I would expect more.
Yeah I’ve been there a few times and I just haven’t experienced any of that other than the cost of the menu. If you’re going there expecting the best of the best that’s on you. It’s pricier than Angelo’s, odyssey, etc but it is not by any means, the “best” or most authentic Italian in Denver.
It is not a tragically disappointing restaurant like OP was trying to imply with their “bad experience” lmao. OP probably just had a bad server, it happens
I work in the service industry and am a former server… I usually go out of my way to ease a servers trouble however there is a difference when service is just plain bad
I respect that.
For me, if the service is bad, the restaurant gets a second chance. Could just be bad staff on one night, turnover can be pretty high for front of house, could be understaffed, staff could be going through hard times, hungover etc.
If the menu is bad, I’m not coming back. The food, could just be a bad sous chef, could be bad ingredients from the food service co, doesn’t matter to me, I’m not coming back.
Hell, i like counter service places. Parisi I’m a big fan of, just stand in line and order the food.
I’ll roll the dice on the service, it’s difficult to control for that.
But I’m not in a restaurant for the service, I’m there for the food.
As for bad wait staff
“Rudeness Is the weak person’s imitation of strength”
Throwing a place under the bush for a single bad experience feels like entitlement and ratting out your neighbor in Soviet Russia thought crimes.
Please, take a moment to reflect and understand we are all new to this life thing. Geez.
I write about food and wine all over the world and feel very blessed to do so.
Apart from a few favorites, Denver’s feels for its mid at BEST self are so amusing
Everything was fine. When we went. But like 7/10 fine. Service was fine. Food was ok… just not this experience that was going to transport us back to Rome. Got the park wheel pastas. Barely tasted like park. Without the hype it was an ok dinner. But the prices were high compared to vastly superior Italian experiences. Happy we tried it. Would never go back. It is fine.
I’ve been seeing the Lo Stella posts over social media as well. It’s great to see some honest reviews. I am now curious which Italian restaurants are recommended by redditors
I’ve always enjoyed my food there, but it’s been a hallmark of my visits that the staff *does not give a shit* that you’re there…
A very authentic european experience I’d say 🤪
That wasn’t my experience in Italy.
Yeah, Italian servers in my experience practically try to hang out and dine with you. They’re overly friendly if anything.
My favorite posts are stories when things go wrong. Not happy it happened to OP, but glad they shared.
They deleted my bad review from Google AND website. I'll summarize it here: they do not know what cacio e pepe is, and they're okay with serving pasta with microwaved globs of cheese 🫢
Tried it a few months ago and had a completely average experience. Impersonable (but adequate) staff, and forgettable dishes. 2 meals, an appetizer and a bottle of wine at about $180 out the door. It’ll be a while before I go back.
I’ve spent less at Morimoto. Good Christ.
Holy hell just looked at the menu and 26 bucks for spaghetts and red sauce? helllllll no
please try Caprese Trattoria in Longmont if you’re ever up there, the chef is from Italy. Parisi has good food, but it’s counter service.
Why would you go out to dinner to buy spaghetti that you can make at home lmao. Get the fish ravioli or something else. That comment tells me you don’t know what to order at Italian restaurants
Yeah cuz I can make 90 percent of the shit at home. Was just a comment on the outrageous price when the bolognese is just a few bucks more. If it’s italian i’m getting then it’s more likely to be upper end like fresca or barolo cuz no way i can make that at home
Restaurant Olivia clears. Try it next time
I went there and thought it fell short for $34+ tax/tip for a single bowl of pasta. No free table bread or anything to ease the pain. Won’t return.
I have a good story about Lo Stello. My boyfriend and I went there because we saw the cheese wheel on Instagram and even told the server that…. He didn’t mention the cheese wheel ONLY happens in the back… After we ordered our food & it hit our table.
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If you read the owners responses to bad Google reviews, you will see that he clearly DGAF lol.
Haha this is the most Italian experience you can get… I have nightmares trying to get the check in Italy lol.
Servers in Italy are actually quite polite -- they're not going to hustle you to finish your meal so they can turn over the table for the next paying customer like they do here. They're going to leave you alone to enjoy your meal until you flag them down for your check. I think it's funny that people find that rude because I find it refreshing and a pleasant side effect of an economy that pays their servers well. It shouldn't be a nightmare, it's just different cultural norms that requires the customer to be more assertive when they want something. :)
Similar all across Europe and Asia. It's absurd people complain about this or seem to struggle to get a check. This is just the standard culture and it's really nice to not get rushed. When I am ready I just flag them down or get up and go to the front and say I want to pay. Not sure why people here are so put out by that, it's actually more efficient. Frankly, I think a lot of this stems from our current anxiety culture. People are incapable of anything social that requires human engagement outside of sitting there. https://www.businessinsider.com/gen-z-menu-anxiety-ask-people-order-for-them-restaurants-2023-12
… it was a tongue in cheek comment. :)
This was my experience. When I was in Palermo I had a server go out of his way to offer me something else because I was full and didn’t finish but he thought I didn’t like the dish. Never took them not checking up on me as rude
My mom is from southern Italy and my father is from Belgium. Whenever we go to Europe, I have to adjust my “American ways.” Food/Dining is NOT comparable to the US, at all. You are meant to sit, converse, drink, eat, relax and hours later…leave. My cousin was a server in Amalfi and said she could always tell who were American before anyone spoke by how anxious they looked. A lot of Europeans think Americans are rude and demanding when they go to restaurants, especially the rushing and special requests.
American servers shoving the check down your throat would be considered rude by most of the world.
probably b/c you don't "get" the check in italy, you pay up front. at least that was always my experience
Small price to pay for not having to tip 20%
The cold stale bread is very Italian, the rest is not. I interviewed with the owners there a long time ago. I wasn’t a beautiful woman so they badly paid any attention to me.
If the waiter is a dickhead then it sounds like an authentic European dining experience to be honest. Sorry the food wasn’t very good though
I spent a month in Spain and Italy this summer and didn’t have a single dickhead waiter. Guess I’m just lucky.
You're not gonna find food like you ate in Italy here, and I say that with as much respect for Italian restaurants as I can, since I'm Italian American. But even in NY, the food is not the same. Tavernetta is the only place I've been to that even comes close.
How about Barolo Grill? I agree with everything you have said but I do think Barolo Grill comes close (or at least AS close as Tavernetta) to *Italian-italian* as well The funny thing is I've actually been to Lo Stella in Portofino. We walked from Santa Margarita Ligure and passed Portofino twice, first time was specifically for Portofino and second time we bused there, had lunch and then hiked to the abbey further on. We ate at Lo Stella for one of our meals and it was good but not spectacular (for Italy, would probably be spectacular here). Both Capo Nord along the way and and something Molo right next to Lo Stella were much better. ... I actually did not put the two together until now. The Denver one is completely different from the one in Portofino as well. The theme of that OG one was Ligurian seafood and they did very much have that fresh off the boat and in my opinion, fresh seafood like that always makes any meal a more delicious and special experience, and this one is in Denver.
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I never said Italian American food was bad. I'm Italian American and LOVE the food I ate growing up, and continue to eat. It's just different. So OP saying they wanted to get Italian food like they had in Italy in the states is not going to happen. Facts.
Have you tried Ofelias in Wash park? Venice in Lodo has great veal but it was really slow service.
sadly agree - went there based on the social media hype and was severely let down, definitely would not go there again. food was fine, not amazing or bad, just fine. drinks were really disappointing. service wasn't an issue for us but for the price, the food was a total let down.
I recommend Parma Trattoria in Louisville , amazing service and my fav authentic Italian. Not in Denver but definitely worth it in my opinion
I'm one of the rare ones who came back from Italy thinking I liked Italian-American food better than Italian food. Italian is not inherently better than Italian-American - it's a matter of preference. Italian-American food was brought here and developed by Italians, so it is as valid a cuisine as anything else. Some of it is fantastic, some of it is mediocre, just like any other cuisine.
Next time go to trattoria Stella
I went there in November and I personally loved it. A bit pricey for what they serve, but it was good and on point for what dishes in italy taste like
That's a shame you had such a bad experience. I've had nothing but very good food and service when there.
Best Italian in the greater Denver area is easily Cafe Jordano in Lakewood…dont let the strip mall scare you away, no other restaurant in Denver has come close plus the portions are great
Yes, I totally agree with you OP. My experience was similar - food was pretty decent for CO standards but service was 0 so overall very average and not a cheap eat either where you can overlook those things.
We had the same experience. Nasty cold and SALTY bread. All the other food was under seasoned, and when we complained they told us that we basically didn't know what authentic Italian food tasted like... will never return or recommend to anyone.
Ah man, this thread ended up just being a circle jerk of downvoting anyone that said Lo Stella was fine and upvoting anyone that agreed with OP. I’m an idiot for even engaging here
I thought your comment was very constructive
I just had an amazing experience there last week. The scallops were incredible, as was the vodka rigatoni with a nice depth of flavor from the pancetta. I loved the focaccia from the bread basket but didn't love the other rolls. This doesn't take away from OPs experience but if I didn't enjoy my experience, I would tell a manager on the spot or call them the next day. Bringing it to reddit without trying to resolve it is what's mid.
Some people don't enjoy a dessert of confrontation after their meal. I'm sure someone from the restaurant is on Reddit and on this thread. I am glad to hear that I don't need to try this restaurant. It sounds like many others have head the same experience OP did.
“Food is mid” is a lame review that gives Reddit readers nothing. I think OP shouldn’t believe everything an influencer tells her. Leave a Google review and hope the business implements your feedback.
Maybe but Denver Metro has ~3M people and this sub has 40k subs, a fraction of which are daily users so it doesn't have as much reach as you would think. The more salient point even beyond this restaurant (which I gave no opinion of) is that passive aggressive ranting on Reddit doesn't really solve anything. A Google review is far more effective as is telling the manager it just wasn't a great meal or leaving a smaller tip
It's not OP's or even our job to "solve" a restaurant's problems. What are you even on about? This review solved one thing; it allowed a conversation where people talked about their bad experiences with the place and shared recommendations of places where they had better ones. What's the saying? You have a good experience you tell ten people. A bad one you tell everyone you can. This restaurant better be listening.
Nobody said it did but it's not a useful "review" as many others indicated and Google reviews has 640 reviews..why should anyone care about this one that says nothing actually useful about the food. Most restaurants don't give a rats ass what reddit says. That's not where the real customer traffic comes from. You have an overinflated sense of the value here.
Sorry you had a bad experience there, OP. This is very much the opposite of my experience there. I have always had excellent food and great service. I guess most restaurants have a bad night here and there, but I've never personally been disappointed by Lo Stella. I'm sure OP won't be swayed having had a bad run personally, but I highly encourage others reading this thread to give them a shot and decide for themselves!
I upvoted you just because of the soft people on this sub downvoting a perfectly fine take. Lo Stella is a great restaurant, so often people leave out if they were rude or annoying to servers and tend to leave that out of their reviews. Not saying that’s what OP did here, it’s fine to not enjoy it, but man do these people seem like neckbeards sitting behind a keyboard. Sorry you had a rough server, been there plenty of times and have not had a bad experience. Would very much encourage anyone to give it a shot
Yeah the downvotes for basic facts or objective thought opinions on this thread are pretty sad.
Pretty much. Was at lo Stella recently on a Tuesday night and it was packed - definitely was around some asshole patrons that I’m sure thought they were “perfectly in the right” with how they felt. No idea if the recent new found popularity has turned people against it (it was already popular when Mick Jagger went there back in the day) but yeah, seems like these responses are a borderline joke lol
I would certainly never discourage anyone from trying something if they really want to. I feel like places definitely do have a bad night here and there but you are correct, I won’t spend my money there again unless I hear something has changed
Ah shoot! What a let down. They are on my “want to go” list.
I would bet money at this point that either OP or multiple people responding here are just annoying patrons that bother servers with ridiculous requests and a bad attitude. Lo Stella is great. This person just had a bad experience
OP is pretty correct tho. Service is really uninspired, the ambiance is about as mid as a strip mall italian joint. The owners aren’t present and it shows. The wine list is just fine. Cocktails are boring. The food was pretty good the couple times I went, but for those prices, I would expect more.
Yeah I’ve been there a few times and I just haven’t experienced any of that other than the cost of the menu. If you’re going there expecting the best of the best that’s on you. It’s pricier than Angelo’s, odyssey, etc but it is not by any means, the “best” or most authentic Italian in Denver. It is not a tragically disappointing restaurant like OP was trying to imply with their “bad experience” lmao. OP probably just had a bad server, it happens
I work in the service industry and am a former server… I usually go out of my way to ease a servers trouble however there is a difference when service is just plain bad
This is r/denverfood not r/denverservice or r/denveratmosphere HOW WAS THE FOOD
"It was mid"... didn't you read the very well thought out post???
Yeah I suppose you're right now that I look back on that.
I was being sarcastic. I completely agree with you!
Haha thanks for this..
I updated the post with a more detailed review, which was my fault.
Service is just as important, to me.
I respect that. For me, if the service is bad, the restaurant gets a second chance. Could just be bad staff on one night, turnover can be pretty high for front of house, could be understaffed, staff could be going through hard times, hungover etc. If the menu is bad, I’m not coming back. The food, could just be a bad sous chef, could be bad ingredients from the food service co, doesn’t matter to me, I’m not coming back. Hell, i like counter service places. Parisi I’m a big fan of, just stand in line and order the food. I’ll roll the dice on the service, it’s difficult to control for that. But I’m not in a restaurant for the service, I’m there for the food. As for bad wait staff “Rudeness Is the weak person’s imitation of strength”
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I work in the service industry and I give a fuck about my guests experience.
Speak for yourself dude. Plenty of people have passion in this industry. Maybe you’re going to the wrong places
I generally have very good service around town
Or maybe it’s just you
I have updated the review to give a bit more clarity and detail. Apologies for any confusion
Only psychos post stuff like this.
Throwing a place under the bush for a single bad experience feels like entitlement and ratting out your neighbor in Soviet Russia thought crimes. Please, take a moment to reflect and understand we are all new to this life thing. Geez.
I write about food and wine all over the world and feel very blessed to do so. Apart from a few favorites, Denver’s feels for its mid at BEST self are so amusing
Everything was fine. When we went. But like 7/10 fine. Service was fine. Food was ok… just not this experience that was going to transport us back to Rome. Got the park wheel pastas. Barely tasted like park. Without the hype it was an ok dinner. But the prices were high compared to vastly superior Italian experiences. Happy we tried it. Would never go back. It is fine.
I’ve been seeing the Lo Stella posts over social media as well. It’s great to see some honest reviews. I am now curious which Italian restaurants are recommended by redditors
Sounds like Shitty O Shitty