DiFranco’s

Wednesday Date Night is awesome! My boyfriend and I got 2 salads, 2 entrees, 2 cannolis, and a bottle of wine for $ 50! Good food, great deal, and awesome customer service.

Not used to writing bad reviews, but I’ve been here a few times for lunch and food was spot on, but this trip was a quick pick-​up for dinner and I couldn’t be more disappointed. I order the lasagne ($ 15 may I add) expecting it to be a big hunk in’ slice of deliciousness… wrong! The slice of lasagne pasta was the size of my palm, with nothing but sauce. The $ 12 quinoa salad, a joke, and pack your utensils and be prepared to cut your own food and chicken breast. So disappointed!
Only saving grace is the super friendly manager who was nice enough to listen to my feedback. Next time definitely will go the sandwich route like in the past.

I visit DiFranco’s 2 – 3 times per month for lunch. I love the food. Unfortunately, I had a really bad experience with their delivery service this weekend.
My fiancé and I had family in town from New York and we promised them a delicious Italian dinner that even they would be impressed with. We planned to eat at the restaurant, but after a full day of touring the front range with the folks and with a storm rolling in, we decided to have the food delivered. Big mistake :(
DiFranco’s offers delivery service through GrubHub, so we placed our order on the GH website and received an order confirmation. Woo! Shortly after, we received a phone call from the restaurant. We were told that the delivery menu on GrubHub states that a side salad comes with all sandwiches, but that was a mistake and this was only included for in-​house orders. We ordered 4 sandwiches and were expecting 4 side salads. They would not honor the menu.
Oh well, we offered to pay for 4 field green salads at full price. DiFranco’s told us that we would have to contact GrubHub to make these changes to our order. Well, that’s not very convenient, but ok. We call GrubHub, explain the situation and the GH representative tells us that he will call DiFranco’s to confirm order and price adjustment while we are on the phone. GH puts us on hold, calls DiFranco’s, switches the line to us to let us know the price adjustment ($ 6 per salad x4), we agree, GH switches the line back to DiFranco’s to confirm, then comes back to us to let us know our salads have been added to the order. Phew! Ok we’re all set! GrubHub was very easy to work with.
Fast forward to the food! Delivery arrives with no salad :(We call DiFranco’s to let them know and they tell us they never received notice of an order adjustment. Well, that sounds a little suspicious. We remind them of the conversation we had about an hour ago when they called us about the incorrect menu. All of a sudden, they «just received» the order adjustment and will «send it out immediately». Guys, we’re not idiots. Just say you forgot the salads and have somebody bring them over. We were 4 blocks from the restaurant. Time of order — time order received was over 2 hours. Not the impression I was trying to make with the in-​laws.
The food is good, but at this price point, I’m expecting better service. For starters, how can you not know what’s on your delivery menu? And as a follow up, why wouldn’t you try to make the situation right after finding out it was your mistake to begin with? Finally, we were willing to pay an extra $ 24 for something stated as free on the menu, but had to jump through hoops just to receive it. Sorry, but I just don’t have the patience for that.

Yet another 5 star rating on our dinner last night.
The duck ravioli (one of the most decadent dishes we have ever eaten) was the highlight, followed closely by the lasagna (the best we have ever tasted).
Our aspiring chef son (21) was truly inspired by your offerings.
Another perfect Italian dinner from DiFranco’s…nice work!

The food is amazing each time I’ve eaten here. It is down the street from me and I liked that it was a take out place with great quality and authentic food with great class. Even though I had take out, the quality was still amazing. I’m glad I’m just a few blocks away! Definitely will be a repeat customer from now on.

Amazing kale caesar with added chicken. The chicken was moist, freshly cooked, and very well seasoned. My wife got the eggplant parm sandwich which was amazing. The sauce is the real star, anything you get with the marinara will be amazing. Excellent service too. Highly recommended as a lunch spot.

Staff was super friendly, food was delicious and I will be back next time I am in town.

Yum! We visited DiFranco’s for a quick lunch while exploring Denver. The restaurant had a trendy environment while still feeling relaxed like a mom and pop. We started with the dipping oil and freshly baked bread. After tasting how amazing the bread was, I knew we were in store for a delicious entrée. I ordered the Spaghetti with a good sized meatball. The portions were perfect for lunch and still full of flavor. We topped our lunch off with chocolate chip cannolis, which is definitely a must have when visiting!

Went here for lunch on a Saturday and it delivered a pretty solid experience. Pretty basic menu but from our two dishes I would imagine it is all very solid. We ordered the chicken and eggplant parm sandwiches and they were both nestled under fresh baked bread which was great. The sauce was nice but could have been a tad thicker. The filling of each sandwich had fresh herbs and nice cheese pairing. Overall they were very good I just think that $ 11.50 was a bit steep for something that was very good but not mind blowing or huge quantity.
Would come back to try the fresh pasta and desserts as well.

Best Italian food I’ve ever had!
I had fettuccine alfredo that was so good I almost licked the plate. My partner had a chicken parm sandwich that blew his mind. The chocolate chip cannoli was the perfect dessert– the ricotta was just the right size, just the right balance of ricotta and chocolate.
The service was great, also. I really liked Lexi; she was very funny, very cool, and all around fun to be around.
This place is the full package; we will be back with reinforcements.

This is a cute lunch spot with really friendly service. A friend and I came here to catch up. The grilled eggplant, pesto and fresh mozzarella cheese sandwich with a salad sounded awesome for me. My friend went with the vodka cream sauce pasta special of the day.
My meal was solid and tasty. I like my eggplant a little softer but that was my only drawback to an otherwise good meal. The side salad was perfectly dressed. I didn’t try a bit of my friends dish but her only comment was that is was very very salty.
We closed the meal out with several cookies and the raspberry truffle. The truffle was the best and we both agreed the cookies tasted stale.
The pasta looked gorgeous and I would come back to either try it for lunch or to go.

I first sampled Ryan’s tomato vodka sauce when he had a market stand at Denver Urban Homestead several years ago. Expanding into their own storefront space has taken their food offerings to a whole new level. The chicken parm sandwich I had for lunch at their place yesterday was absolutely perfect: a crispy baguette filled end to end with perfectly cooked chicken, and just the right amount of sauce to make the sandwich slightly messy (nothing wrong with a little sauce on your fingers!). The green side salad was light and delicious. Can’t believe I walked out without buying some of the fresh take-​home pasta from their deli case, but will grab some next time! Well done!

Great fast casual Italian restaurant near downtown. While the space is small it feels very homey and the service adds to that vibe. While you order at the counter the staff were very prompt at refilling my water and making sure everything was good.
I ordered the penne which comes with a prosciutto vodka sauce and pecorino cheese. The pasta was delicious, great sauce to complement the pasta. The size of the meal was great, enough to fill me up but not have to worry about carrying a takeout box home with me. I think the prices are fair given the great service and anyways I prefer this sort of place over an upscale fancy Italian restaurant any day. The desserts display looked amazing but sadly I was too full to have any, def next time!

The pasta is fresh, but the rest of the food is just ok. Eggplant parm is just sliced, roasted eggplant slices in sauce with mozzarella on top. It’s very oily and not appetizing. The burrata with toast was actually served with soggy bread. Garlic bread is not authentic at all, which explains why it’s only $ 1. I ordered delivery on grub hub, and it was a 60 minute wait. It arrived at the expected time, but it wasn’t worth the wait.

This is a great small shop for a quick bite for lunch. If you plan on driving here, make sure to ask about the free parking. We paid at a meter, then saw a sign at the door that there is free parking available. When you get inside the restaurant, you order first at the counter then seat yourself. It’s a fast casual type of restaurant. I saw on the Unilocal reviews that there were seafood options, but unfortunately those are out of season at the moment. So I settled with the potato gnocchi. The sauce it comes with has meat in it, so I requested the basil pesto sauce instead. I was glad I did too because the sauce wasn’t as heavy as the creamier sauces they offer. For $ 15.5, the price was kind of steep for a lunch, considering the medium portion size and only getting a slice of bread to go with the pasta. Maybe if it came with a side or a side salad, the price would be better for lunch. However, the flavor was delicious, and I believe the gnocchi is made in house.

Amazing… over and over again!
Best Carbonara I’ve had outside of Florence, Italy. Truly top notch Italian… one of our best restaurant discoveries of the decade!

I’m not from Denver, but I have a feeling this place is a hidden gem. Went for lunch before hitting up the museum campus. Staff was incredibly friendly & the food was DELICIOUS! I had the arugula salad with chicken; my lunch mate had spaghetti & meatballs. Everything was very fresh. Pasta is made in house daily & the garlic bread was the best we’ve ever had (warning: must love garlic). Definitely recommend this place!

The food is 5 stars– really, really good. You can see the staff in the back cranking out your meal like it was handmade in a home kitchen. Awesome people there. The prices are very reasonable.
Only problem are the hours. When you close at 8 you miss out on a huge portion of business to people that work later or can’t make an 8pm cutoff. They often turn people away at 7:40pm on which I understand, but can be frustrating for someone coming all the way there with their appetites set on DiFranco’s to just be turned away.

Stopped in here with a girlfriend for a glass of wine and the owner Ryan brought us out the house burrata to try… there are no words! Would absolutely recommend this place for a quick drink and snack in the Capitol Hill area. I can’t wait to go back!

One of the best salads. EVER… Must try the quinoa salad: kale, arugula, roasted beets, pumpkin seeds, balsamic vinaigrette, chicken breast…
Located on Lincoln on the street level of the Beauvallon building, this place is a gem — and apparently I’m late to the party as it’s been around for about 4 years… Fast-​casual boutique Italian restaurant…
Was greeted very warmly, then kindly informed of the new winter menu and offered water while I was deciding… Salad was amazing, then a brief time later, an employee came by to see how everything tasted– something that never happens in fast-​casual!
Bravo!

This is a great place. It’s a tiny fast/​casual restaurant. People listed it as a deli, but I don’t see that. I had a lovely italian sausage sandwich on a lovely bread. There was something sweet, and the pepper was grilled or something. My friend had squash pasta, it was amazing.
THe service was great, prices were a tiny high, but mostly fair.

Drove around the block twice to find a spot. Fed the meter 2 bucks. Got the baby out amidst the icy sidewalk only to find a place that doesn’t have highchairs… Seriously?!?
Hard to try anything or rest when no where to put an 11 month old

This is my happy place.
Perfect portions, Boulder Natural Chicken (!!!), local produce, and wonderfully happy, kind, helpful employees. Lately I’ve been all about Macaroni Monday (Penne Pasta + Choice of Sauce + Italian Field Greens Salad for $ 13)…and I’m not even a little sorry (but maybe my waistline is).

The sweet potato ravioli is decadent!
The place is modern and cozy, the staff super chill and helpful.
Definitely worth multiple return trips… The wine selection was legit, but all but one was bottle-​only.

Best spaghetti I’ve had in years! Came to visit Denver from Atlanta, GA and fell in love with the food at DiFranco’s. The service was awesomely amazing Lisa (I believe that was her name) took our order and checked on us and gave us history of the restaurant. I know that was a run on sentence, but that’s the only way to describe my happiness with DiFranco’s. I will be coming back every visit to Colorado! Luz and Kelly made amazing food. These chefs are special. The ambience and fee of DiFranco’s is the vibe I want when I open my first restaurant. DiFranco’s can teach a lot of restaurants a lesson on how to be excellent in customer service!
Eric Williams
P.S.
will be launching in January and I will be writing a piece on my experience and Colorado and DiFranco’s is a big part of my article for the launch of my site!

Really liked the homey feel of the little eatery underneath The Beauvallon, can park the car in the garage if there’s space!
DiFranco’s must know their pasta, there’s a fresh case of freshly made pastas (in various shapes and colors!) on display by the counter; as well as homemade desserts (which I deeply regret not getting any…)
But they seem to be better at making bread! I just remember enjoying the toast that came with the pasta dish as well as the additional order of garlic bread more than the seasonal pumpkin/​squash gnocchi (shaped and colored like baby carrots, very cute) with Bolognese Ragu (tasty sauce!). Also had a salad and it was fresh and crisp.
To keep up with the luxurious Beauvallon plaza, DiFranco’s is pretty high tech when it comes to ordering: all on a tablet! The bathroom is equipped with fancy hand soap, I loved it!
3.5 stars for the first visit, hope to raise the rating once I try their dessert!

Hands down — best spaghetti with red sauce I’ve had in Denver. The pasta is made in house and it’s evident in the quality of the noodles and how they are prepared in the sauce before plating the beautiful authentic Italian dish. The flavor is just so spot on, and the plate is a perfect proportion. I was almost sad to see the dish go, because it was savory, robust flavor that just kept on going — but I realized I had reached my limit and one more bite, my pants would’ve busted open.
It is a casual joint perfect for a lunch meet up or fast and easy dinner. You order at the counter and await for your food to be brought out to you. Every dish boasts seasonal ingredients sourced from local farms. The owner, from what I’d imagine a deeply rooted Italian family, uses his grandmother’s recipes for some of the dishes and it shines through every simple but perfect plate.
They even have a suggested wine pairing for some of the dishes from one of my favorite local wineries, Bonacquisti!

Stopped by DiFranco’s for dinner with the family last night and I was not disappointed at all! The atmosphere was nice, casual, but with food like you’d find at a fine dining restaurant — the best of both worlds (especially with two small kids). We ordered the watermelon salad, spaghetti and meatball, some extra meatballs on the side, and the seasonal raviolli. The spaghetti was fresh and cooked perfectly and the meatballs (and accompanying red sauce) were probably some of the best I’ve ever had. My son couldn’t stop eating his portion (even though it was a little spicy for his taste, he kept saying, «this is so good»). The seasonal ravioli was amazing too. We got a tiramisu to go and it was also probably one of the best tiramisus I’ve had in a really long time — really nice balance of flavor. I can’t say enough good things about the food — it was delicious!
The service, too, was top notch. Even though you order at the counter, the workers check on you to see if everything tastes okay and to fill your water or to see if you need a refill on your drink. I could tell that the place fills up fast so I might make a reservation next time. I plan on coming back very soon!

Just went out on a date night at DiFranco’s. What a great deal! Every Wednesday $ 50 buys you and your dining partner a couple of simple fresh salads served with a tasty light EVOO dressing. That’s followed up with your choice of 2 of their ½ dozen or so great homemade pasta dishes or paninis and then you also get a couple of cannolis for dessert. Each couple also receives a very serviceable bottle of red barbera or white chardonnay/​sauvignon blanc wine. And all for $ 50.
So that’s the background info. Now to the «rest of the story:»
The over-​sized black-​and-​white pix on the wall are of Ryan DiFranco’s family. And even though I was there with the world’s most beautiful and understanding woman (hi there, sweetheart. .. are we having fun yet?;), since I have to be truthful in my reviews I’m forced (?) to say that Ryan’s grandmother was a total, complete, amazing Sicilian hottie-​and-​a-​half, back in what looks to be the 60s. There she is half life-​size, bikini-​clad on a dock, holding a. .. wait for it. .. ya ready (?). .. fish. Hmmm.
Now I know that doesn’t seem like the setting for a smokin’ babe who’s gotta now be in her 80s or more if she’s still alive, but I can only hope that one day when we’re back for more of that wonderful homemade pasta (the recipes for which were grandma’s very own), we’ll have the pleasure of getting to meet Mrs. DiFranco up close and personal. I’m positive she’s still as elegant, as beautiful, and most importantly, as good a cook as you’ve ever met.
So here’s to famiglia DiFranco. They’re a gorgeous talented lot, and Mrs. D’s grandson sure can cook like his grandmother.
Arrivederci, and sign me,
David «Mangia bene» M