Alto Restaurant

As far as I know this place just closed. No detail beyond that but that’s what their website says.

The Alto closed as of Mon. June 29

Incredible, unique food, fantatastic wine, and all around great atmosphere. Took my visiting parents here for a night out and they were raving about Alto and Denver. The live blues/​jazz band was energetic and had a great beat, a nice backdrop to dinner. The décor is eclectic and urban, and all around feels more like a place you would find in Chicago, and I love that. Wearing a nice cocktail dress would not be out of place, nor would a nice pair of jeans and a «saturday night» top. Not something I would splurge for every weekend, but a great place to take visiting friends, family, or just have a different change of pace.

You should never judge a book by its cover. I learned that in first grade, and it still holds true today. Alto seems to attract customers who walk by the restaurant and thought the décor was too pretty to pass up. Resist that urge! The food really is not that great. The menu consists of mundane items like «Penne Pasta,» «½ Roasted Chicken,» or «Spinach Lasagna.» I can order these items at Applebee’s and it won’t cost $ 20 for the entrée and $ 7 for parking. I usually remember what dishes I order at restaurants, but for the life of me, I cannot remember what I had at Alto. That just shows that the food really was not memorable. So remember, don’t judge a book by its cover. Unless it’s Catcher in the Rye, I still think that book is as boring or weird as its cover.
1 star off: boring food
1 star off: boring desserts
1 star off: boring music

I’ve walked by Alto so many times and have glanced in the windows with great curiosity and interest. So when a date suggested we try a place I’ve not yet been, I excitedly thought of Alto. Unfortunately, I now have no desire to return.
We arrived just before 7:30 on a Friday evening and were seated in the middle room. I was disappointed to hear a band playing on the stage because the music was too loud and distracting, making conversation difficult.
My companion and I attempted to order wine but were told the restaurant was «out of» our first 4 selections. Really? On a Friday night! The server attributed this to a busy Thursday night.
I ordered angel hair pomodorini with rock shrimp as my entrée. My date opted for penne pasta with spicy Italian sausage. The angel hair dish was flavorless. Then I had to wait more than 10 minutes for the server to return to ask for parmesan cheese. I expected freshly grated at tableside but was given a small bowl of chunky sliced cheese. The dish was a huge disappointment. My date enjoyed his penne pasta dish; sausage was spicy and the dish sufficiently tasty.
Once the band stopped playing (thankfully), restaurant workers began hustling about to remove tables and chairs from the dining area. Apparently, Alto turns into a nightclub at dark. Servers hoisted tables and chairs above their heads and paraded by the table, which was utterly annoying and distracting
I rate the service and server as sub-​par. He was friendly but had a goofy demeanor, unable to read cues to stop talking or to excuse himself from the table. And yet, not particularly attentive.
Feeling generous, I give Alto 2 stars on 3 critical areas — food, service, atmosphere. My high hopes were dashed in disappointment.

The host was fun and chatty, and we got seated straightaway for an early Thursday dinner. We sat in the middle room, with white tablecloths, high ceilings, exposed timber/​brick, etc. The bathrooms were on the other end of the spectrum, dim and metal and warehousey. The décor was nice, just a little erratic.
We got happy hour extended past the bar to our table in the main dining area, a nice perk. The server was nice, albeit a little slow (it took them a very long time to bring us one beer and the cold stone for our wine).
The bread («airy» rosemary) was all right, the oil with pepper flakes was a good dipper, but the first basket of bread was not nearly enough. Two of our table split a salad with goat cheese, and it went away quickly.
For main courses, I had the penne pasta with chicken instead of sausage, and the flavor was excellent. Two others had the vanilla crusted scallops, sounding too good to pass up, and they didn’t disappoint. Rounding out the table was an order of angel hair pasta with shrimp (rock shrimp), satisfying but nothing extraordinary. Portions were good without being too much.
Prices were what you would expect. There was live jazz in the dining room, a nice compliment to your meal.

We decided to try this restaurant because I had a
gift certificate. I knew nothing of it prior to arrival other than the address.
The greeter was friendly. The place was empty on a Tuesday evening, downtown, at 6:30pm. The salad was the best part. I did enjoy the music. Our server was a professional and a credit to her profession. The food was boring and rather pricey for what we ordered. Volcano cake desert was rich, but not anything «special». The wine list is limited, especially if you want to order by the glass.
There are too many other choices out there to consider returning anytime soon.

Yawn.
My girlfriends and I decided on alto for restaurant week and I just thought it was boring. The place was definitely cool and I liked the live music but I thought the food and service was just so-​so.
Started off with a glass of wine at the bar while waiting for my group to arrive. The bartendar was not friendly at all so I was immediately turned off by the place. Once we were sat the server told us that there were 30 bottles of wine for $ 30 so my friend selected a bottle. After we put our order in we were told that the 5280 menu also came with a complimentry glass of wine — well, that would have been nice to know BEFORE we ordered the bottle.
I selected their mixed green salad, salmon, and the pear dessert. Everything was good, don’t get me wrong, but it was just boring. I feel like alot of 5280 menus have salmon, red meat, and chicken. B-​o-​r-​i-​ng. I want to be dazzled. Bring on something awesome that’s going to get me to come back.

My first ever restaurant week stop was at Alto. A place I’d always walked and driven by and always wanted to try, but never had.
Upon entering, it has a very urban chic décor to it, if slightly uncoordinated. The walls (in the main dining room at least) don’t match the tables, chairs, or the faux window fixtures they have. It is, however, pretty inside.
We started with a pair of cocktails at the bar before we went to sit down. She had something too sweet, I had something without enough booze. $ 19 for a Martini and a specialty cocktail. A little high-​priced for my taste, but hey, it was my birthday! (and the ladyfriend was paying.)
The hosts, a guy who’d been there for a while and a new girl, were very gracious and friendly, and even took our coats when we sat down and did the whole coat check thing. I was just happy cos I’ve never actually used a coat check anywhere.
The waiter was a touch slow in getting to us, but it looked like they only had three servers on so that might be why. He was a little slow getting us bread as well (but it was worth the wait.) The bread was amazing, and they had a delightful olive oil, roasted garlic, red pepper flake and balsamic mixture for dipping (the preferred method to eat bread.) So that was super good, even though it didn’t arrive until well into our salad.
I had a salad, she had soup, and they forgot the soup spoon, and it took a couple of minutes before we were able to flag someone down to get her one, but eventually the server did come by. The salad was excellent, with varied greens and some raspberry type of dressing that was good. Her onion soup wasn’t as good as I’d hoped (or as she hoped it seemed,) but the brioche croûton made up for it.
My main course was a Braised shortrib with a horseradish cream sauce (that I don’t recall seeing anywhere on there) with glazed carrots. Overall it was a little bland, but incredibly tender. I could’ve used a bit more seasoning. It also had some sauteed red bliss potatoes that I wish were cooked a little longer, but they were fine. They added a little bit of substance to the dish and complemented the rib well. Her roasted half of cornish game hen was delicious but hard to manage — it’s just tough pulling meat off a whole or half chicken, let’s face it – but it was seasoned perfectly.
A free glass of house cab (chard for her) went reasonably well with the meals. But the wines weren’t spectacular, though that’s expected as they’re regular house wines. I had another glass with dessert and our server, Matt, was kind enough not to charge us for it. Whether that was because of recognition of him being a bit slow, or he just wanted to be nice I’m not sure — but it was appreciated.
Dessert was the 2^nd highlight of the meal (after the bread.) We tried one of each, a Profiterole and a pear/​cinnamon/​ice cream/​red wine/​honey concoction that was tasty, but it’s hard to beat the profiterole when it comes to a nice sweet dessert.
Overall the service was okay, not great, but not bad. People were friendly, atmosphere was fun (especially with the live jazz!) and the food didn’t wow us but was satisfying.
Due to the high prices it’s probably not somewhere I’m going to frequent, especially when I can get larger portions at lower prices of more «wowing» food at Vita in the Highlands, or other places downtown — but it was worth a stop to check it out.
So while I probably won’t be back any time soon, it was a worthwhile stop for restaurant week and excellent to check out a new restaurant. While it’s not my favorite, it’s good to be able to check it off the list.

Food: 4.25 stars
Service: 3 stars
Décor: 1 star
Music: 4 stars
Have driven by a million times so decided to give it a shot Sunday night. Will say the food we ordered was great– salmon and ravioli– though was hoping for something off the regular menu and din’t realize only a small menu is served Sunday. Service was OK– took a while to get someone to come seat us even though they weren’t busy. Jazz music on Sun night was a nice touch. What I can’t figure out is this place’s décor– it’s a little schizophrenic. seems with the exposed brick walls it’s trying to be warm and cozy but those flower arrangements and huge lights remind me of some trying-​to-​be cool LA restaurant in the 80s. Yikes. Just a weird mix of décor, kind of gave me the heebies.

A great experience, very cool place!
First — the space is very well done. The stage for live musicians adds a great touch
Second — the food was spectacular! In particular, the crab cakes were out of this world — very meaty! Also, the gorgonzola fondue was wonderful
Third — some fun drinks on the menu! My friend ordered an absinthe drink that was partially on fire — always a plus.
Only minor drawback was that service was at times spotty. The person was very friendly, but sometimes didn’t seem to have complete knowledge of the menu, or would be gone for an extended period.
Be aware that it’s pricey — it ran us about $ 130/​couple with drinks and tip.
We had no trouble getting a reservation w/​OpenTable.
I would definitely return!

I finally met fellow Unilocalers, who were very lovely, here. I enjoyed the upscale atmosphere and visual appeal. I had a very nice house Chardonnay and the Thin Crust Pizza. The pizza was wondeful, almost like a salad (Balsamic Glaze on arugula) on pizza crust. The only issue, and it could have been a misunderstanding (because I arrived very late) was that our section wasn’t serviced by a cocktail waitress. Not a big deal, because we were right next to the bar, but would have been nice. I will be returning though to explore more of the menu.

Per Tiffany’s suggestion, Lily has graciously volunteered to give her take on the place. So, without further ado, a review of Alto from the perspective of my 9-​month old daughter:
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Hmm. Perhaps I should type.
Mom had a tough time finding parking and used some four-​letter words I’m sure to repeat as soon as I’m able to talk, but we did wind up getting a good street spot and finding the restaurant quite easily.
The seating was especially comfortable at the back of the restaurant; It’s really too bad that not everyone gets to sit on laps on a regular basis, because between Mom, Jess, and Mary Jo, I was quite happy with how I was positioned.
As far as the food goes, I was a big fan of the bread. Mmmmm, bread. I could eat bread for days. Mom attempted to give me some gorgonzola cheese, but I’d rather just stick with eating my socks, thanks. Oh, and my hands — they’re tasty. Ooh, and other people’s hands — also quite delicious.
The bathroom was quite clean and spacious. As they didn’t have a changing table (a swank bar in downtown without a changing table? YEESH), Mom had to get creative, but it worked out just fine. I’m sure the other ladies that came in the bathroom while we were in there truly appreciated the rousing rendition of the Alphabet song Mom was singing.
Mom seemed pretty happy with the other adults sitting with us, so that’s good. I’m happy when she’s happy. She got a kick out of the cranky band guy trying to bring in his equipment, and she only felt bad for a moment when she told the Project Angel Heart lady that the sign outside Alto read «Project Angle Heart,» so that’s cool.
Would I go back? Ehhhhhh, maybe in about 21 years or so. Mom says she would, though. She said something about wanting to bathe in the gorgonzola fondue. Yay baths!

Well, once again, what can I say that my fellow Unilocalers haven’t already so eloquently conveyed?
The ambiance was terrific, and the live jazzy music is a great touch.
Tips for the wallet savvy drinker: The happy hour here is great, but miss that window and you should expect to drink at twice the happy hour rates. Again, not a big problem if you’re not a total lush.
Thanks again to Alto for being gracious hosts to our little Unilocal party!

Alto was gracious enough to allow some Unilocalers (including myself) hang out and enjoy the ambience last evening and I must say, the people working at this establishment are super nice! The bartenders, in particular, were very personable and did everything possible to make my evening a pleasant one.
I also sampled some delightful appetizers as well. They make small appetizer pizzas that are very good. One had apples on it and the blend of fruit and cheese was perfect.
If you aren’t worried about some slightly pricey drinks and dining, Alto is definitely worth a try. They were even setting up some live music as I left for my poker night, so there’s entertainment as well.
Awesome.

My wife and I were among a crowd of Unilocalers treated to a glimpse of this very nice dining experience. Very attentive, professional, and courteous staff, nice room, good food, good drinks, and the night we were there, great jazz. Thanks for the hospitality afforded us. Good call Tiffany, thanks.
I sampled something beyond my comfort range to order which was a pizza that had blue cheese, arugula, apples, and truffle oil. It was very tasty with only a hint of sweetness from the apples offset by the pungency of the blue cheese. Ah yes, a warm delicious salad on good bread.
Checking the prices on the menu, I could see how people might complain about the prices but for money no object thinkers, this place has the goods.
Great event, glad to have at least met a lot of the people I read a lot from and hopefully we’ll have other chances to hang out and share.

Alto was the venue for our Unilocal Welcome Tiffany to Denver event. I was started off on the right foot with a cocktail created specifically for Unilocal; strawberry vodka and lemonade. (I think this will become my new summer time drink.) I too sampled the food and fell in love with the blue cheese, apple, and arugula pizza (drizzled with truffle oil). As I was leaving I complemented the manager, Greg Goldfogel, mentioning that pizza. He said it was not on the menu but when I come back to Alto to tell my wait person to get Greg and then ask for the Unilocal pizza. Also as mentioned by Jessica B, the Gorgonzola Fondue was very tasty. I will be going back to eat dinner and to listen to their live jazz and blues music.
Thank you Alto for taking care of the Unilocal team and thank you Tiffany for hosting this event. Unilocal Denver rocks!!!

Part of the reason I love living in Denver is that it has both the small town/​big city feel. Alto is definitely a big city sort of place for me. Everything is so sophisticated and lovely, from the service to the atmosphere to the food.
The interior has lots of exposed brick and interesting paintings, with wine bottles lining quite a bit of the wall space. They also have live music nightly, mostly, if not exclusively, jazz. Everyone that works there is super friendly, especially Jon the bartender who took awesome care of our party last night.
We had a few different pizzas and appetizers, including the Gorgonzola fondue others have mentioned and it was all so delicious I’ll definitely go back for dinner.
Although people mention that the place is pricey, I think here you are definitely getting what you pay for. Besides that they have great deals for happy hour, which normally lasts until 6.

My best friend was in town from Kansas visiting for the weekend, and I wanted to take her out for some fine Italian food. I had heard good things about Alto, and live jazz and upscale Italian sounded like a perfect way to start out our night. I was pretty disappointed, and wished we had gone to Rioja instead.
The cocktails and wine were pretty pricey… I’m not quite comfortable spending $ 12 for a cosmo and $ 13 for a margarita, unless they are Biggie Size… which these were not. My friend ordered the brazil 75, which was fruity and refreshing… and gone in 3 sips… not worth $ 12 in my opinion. The saving grace of the meal was our appetizer, the gorgonzola fondue that came with toasted bread, fingerling potatoes, and pears for dipping. You can never go wrong with a pot o’ cheese.
My friend ordered the polenta ravioli, which was pretty good. A very different dish, with cranberries and pine nuts. The best bites included the goat cheese on top, which was disappointedly scarce. I had the braised buffalo short ribs, which melted in my mouth… so tender. I was disappointed that there was only one small piece of meat. Overall, the food was delicious but not spectacular.
Our server was inattentive and seemed distracted. She usually showed up 5 minutes after we needed something.
The live music started right when we were paying, but the few minutes I heard seemed pretty good.
Overall, the food and drinks were fair and definitely not worth the price. Like I said before, if you are in that area and looking to spend a couple of bucks on a nice dinner… go to Rioja.

We went to Alto for the purpose of seeing a live band. Denver lacks upscale live music venues (unless you feel that Quixote’s is upscale) so I was optimistic to experience Alto.
It had to have been one of the slowest Friday nights I’ve ever seen in a LoDO bar, which worries me that Alto may be doing something wrong. I know if that were my business, I’d be seriously re-​evaluating what I was doing.
Alto is a restaurant first and a bar/​venue second. I only had the spinach salad, which despite the small portion was delicious. My friends continue to swear the the crab cakes were the best they’ve ever had, but I didn’t try them. The drink menu is pricey and I observed several patrons experiencing «sticker shock» when they opened it, but as Denver grows up into a real city, they should expect to pay $ 12+ for a good martini.
As for a music venue, it seemed difficult for the band to balance ambient music for diners early in the evening with entertainment later in the evening. Alto will have a difficult time filling slots with bands that can master both. However, I wish them the best of luck because Denver needs this type of venue. Support local live music and pay Alto a visit!