Trattoria Stella

I have to admit I loved this place — ambiance, service, and quality of food were all top notch.
However, I have to throw a mini-​wrench in the gears when it comes to portions; I ordered the Spaghetti Bolognese ($ 15.00) with the house-​made egg spaghetti and, when the server brought the plate, my eyes bugged out of my head. Did I order from the children’s menu? I must have, because the potion on my plate looked like it would barely satisfy an 11-​year old. Absolutely brutal, but very tasty, as was the bread they provided at the beginning of the meal.
Earlier we almost went to an Italian restaurant down the way with inflated prices, but took a chance with Stella and was surprised to see such a modestly-​priced menu — well, there’s a reason for that, and it’s a small, small one.
However, overall I am giving it four stars because it was quality. If the spaghetti was not made in house I may have complained about the portion because, friends, this was not a dinner portion — this would barely count as lunch.
My advice is to definitely check it out but don’t come hungry — you’ll only leave wanting more, which, as an East Coast native, is a cardinal sin at an Italian restaurant.

We have been eating at Trattoria Stella for years… and it remains as one of our favorite restaurants in Denver! In fact, we travel from Highlands Ranch regularly to dine in the Highlands at this atmospheric and friendly restaurant with a great menu. We started dining at Stellas when our children were still living with us. Our daughter is now married with family, our son (age 40) now brings his girlfriends here to eat!

Stella is one of my favorite date places in town. Their food is really good. The restaurant in itself is a wonderful little house and the service has always been good!

I am so mad that I went here on my last night in Denver! We were down the block and were trying to find a place walking distance from our Airbnb and saw this place.
WOW. This meal was not only the best meal I had the whole trip, but maybe even the best Italian meal I’ve had in a long time. And that’s saying a lot, considering I grew up and lived in an Italian neighborhood in NYC for 30 years.
From the bison meatballs and the fried green tomatoes for an appetizer (omg) to the asparagus and fresh pasta to the deserts (dont even get me started on the bread pudding) it was amazing from front to back.
Very impressed with this place. If I ever come back to Denver, I’ll be sure to stop by here for an amazing meal. Good job, Stella!

As good as it gets in Colorado. Some of the best Italian food I’ve had in Colorado, or anywhere for that mater!
We were at the art museum a few weeks ago and found this place on Unilocal.It was close and we were starving.
We will certainly be back the next chance we get.
Lovely little place, friendly waitress who made excellent recommendations. Freshly made pasta, fresh delicious bread, and amazing Bolognese.

Very cute place off 32^nd. I love the atmosphere, the service was great and the food was out of this world! Mybonly complaint is i couldnt get enough and i cleaned my plate. Im soo coming back here, It was a great choice for my bday dinner!

My family and I just attempted go for dinner here and were turned away due to lack of wheel chair access.
For those of you who have not seen this place there is a giant handicap wheel chair ramp up the front of their building.
The doorway was blocked by a 2 top table.
Basically, if you hate handicap people and support the discrimination of people in wheel chairs then you will love this Italian inspired cuisine.

We came mid afternoon on a Saturday and we were able to sit right away. Service was prompt and attentive. The food was excellent. At this time of day they don’t have the full dinner menu but that is a small trade off for coming at a less hectic time.
It will certainly be added to the rotation.

The food is the star of the show at this place (so good; so very very good) but the service was also outstanding and the enclosed porch is cozy and great for people watching. I had a daily special and it was fantastic, my date had the bloognese and it was delicious, although different than I’m used to. The chocolate chip Kahlua bread pudding is awesome! Nothing we had could be describe as standard Italian fare, it was all unique and very good versions of the standards.

Nice little find! We were actually planning on going to Chipotle up the street for dinner, but had a hard time finding parking. After a few trips around the block, we found a parking spot that happened to be in front of Trattoria Stella. The food smelled great, and it looked like a nice place for dinner so we decided to give it a try.
The restaurant is intimate, with an «indoor» and «outdoor» section. This moreso just refers to the covered patio portion. We split one of the entrees and had the bruscheta that was on special that evening, then topped it off with vanilla cheesecake.
As some of the other Unilocalers mentioned, you need to request bread, it’s not brought out automatically (originally I thought maybe our server just forgot). We also had to follow up and ask for butter as well.
The food was pretty good. I was hoping they had an eggplant entrée, or more vegetarian options, but the server told us they only have eggplant as a specialty sometimes.
There were no real complaints. Our server was very friendly and I liked my dinner. I would like to try this place again.

Mom’s really do know best! My parents went there for their anniversary and Mom recommended it to me. I had the 32^nd Street Pasta and my friend ordered the Spaghetti Bolognese. Both were excellent. I can’t wait to go back and try more!

Love this place, it never misses!

Found this place through my brother and it was great! Waitstaff were very friendly and helpful. I had pesto gnocchi with shrimp and it was excellent. Gotta have sour cream apple pie. Sounds weird but it was heavenly! Will be back.

We love love LOVE Stella. Between my boyfriend and I we’ve tried probably 7 – 8 dishes on the menu and have never been disappointed. The only thing I don’t like about Stella is having to choose only one thing to eat. On top of the food, the service is always fantastic and welcoming, and the ambiance is both cozy and upscale. Prices are also completely reasonable and portions are a great size. We keep trying new places around Denver and almost every time the consensus is «we should have just gone to Stella.»

Thank you Unilocal for another successful dinner on my Denver trip so far! I got lucky as hell last trip with locals and now found another gem to come back too!
I would give this place less stars (just for the parking situation) but i’m not! Not to mention I had to walk two blocks in 20 degree weather to get there… but onto the food:
Truffle fondue appetizer: ehhh kind of wish I opted for the pork belly app instead. This was good. But barely tasted any truffle oil and thought the green apple pairing with the fondue was a little off. It was too savory and garlicky to pair with any fresh fruit. Even at that the fondue was pretty tasty but maybe a french bread and more truffle would help.
32^nd street pasta: AMAAAAZING. The shrimp was plentiful and juicy! Cooked perfectly. I hate when seafood pasta has the shrimp/​scallops overcooked and can barely absorb the flavor from the sauce. The lemon olive oil sauce was soooo delicious and spicy! The overall presentation of this dish was impressive.
Loved their desert menu-​I want to come back to try that pumpkin bread pudding.mmm. Tiramisu was great and very creamy.
I loved the interior of this restaurant. It was very homely and relaxing. Great chic date-​night spot for sure. The servers were inviting and very attentive without being overbearing. Love this neighborhood it’s located in too. The highlands is becoming one of my favorite spots to check out when i’m in town!

This place is always great! The food is fresh and delicious. Service is good, no matter how busy they are they are attentive.
Love the 32^nd pasta.
Good value, very reasonably priced.

Wonderful little Italian restaurant with fantastic food. Tables can be a teensy bit cramped, but the food is incredible and atmosphere is warm and cozy. If you like spice — the spaghetti arrabbiata was ¹⁰⁄₁₀.
There can be a wait on weekends, but there is a great little bar next door (Prost) to get a drink and the hostess will call when the table is ready. Points for giving guests 5 – 10 mins to get there and finish up their drinks. Will definitely go back!

Great food and great prices.
Ambience is cozy and romantic. There is patio seating as well. If you have long legs, I’d avoid the seating toward the back of the restaurant as it can be a little cramped.
I’ve been here probably half a dozen times and enjoyed most of the items I’ve tried on the regular menu as well as the specials. I especially recommend the bison meatballs as an appetizer. And the desserts… most of them have blown my mind!
The service is outstanding as well. Can’t remember having anything other than a good experience.
I recommend arriving shortly after they open; it’s a small restaurant, and I don’t believe they take reservations, and they begin to run out of tables within a short time after opening.

Pro Tip #1– These folks take call-​ahead reservations! We called at 6:30 and asked for a 7:00 seating on a beautiful Saturday night. We arrived on time and were seated immediately at an awesome four-​top on the 2^nd level of the patio. Amazing!
Pro Tip #2– The very 1^st time you see your wait person, say «Bread please.» As others have said, for some weird reason they don’t bring it automatically.
There must be tens of thousands of Italian restaurants across the country and this one stands out for quality and value. What a pleasure it is to have a fine Italian meal without taking out a second mortgage,
Our party of four began with the daily special bruschetta. As you can see from my picture it was unique and delicious and the focaccia was warm. The toppings were not evenly distributed which was a bit annoying if you are sharing.
Note that the wine list is small but gets the job done. I was sipping on a very pleasant Malbec.
I passed on a salad as I knew my entrée was going to be heavy and filling. What entrée was that you ask? Stella Crack! It’s otherwise known as Creamy Sausage Rigate and goes for $ 12.95. The sausage is very spicy so be prepared. The rigate was not overcooked and the overall dish knocked my socks off. It’s a heavy dish so if you are going for it make sure you are hungry. The other members of my party were also very pleased with their choices.
Our waiter for the evening was OK. He was personable but not as attentive as we would have liked.
This was a solid four star experience for me. I especially enjoyed the outside patio.

First things first, do yourself a favor and start with the Fontina Truffle Fonduta. They give you a very generous serving of the most delicious cheese ever served with fruit and warm bread. When your plate runs out of bread they will bring you more so you can mop up every last morsel of the ooey gooey cheese.
This place is a perfect date location. The 2 tops out on the patio are adorable and what is more romantic than Italian food and wine? The homey setting makes the place feel really cozy and intimate.
As for the food, I was blown away. The prices were very reasonable and the specials all looked so good. I had a ravioli with a honey sage sauce and it was so unique and delicious.
So happy we took the time to try this place!

God I love this place. From their huge outdoor patio, which is tiered and covered, looking out on 32^nd, it’s hard to have a bad experience here.
We’ve been several times and the service is great, the wine selection is (relatively) cheap and good, and the food is out of this world. Definitely get the fondue appetizer.
For entrees, I’ve tried a few different things but the Shrimp pesto gnocchi has to be the pick. The gnocchis are cooked slightly crispy and the pesto is unreal. Even if you aren’t into seafood, I’d recommend picking around the shrimp. So, so good.

This place was amazing!!! I am always looking for a restaurant that has unique food but tastes awesome. I had some sort of French Toast Sandwich that was the best French Toast I have ever had.
I don’t live close but I will definitely be back.