Alteño — Restaurant in Denver

We loved Johnny Curiel's more casual place in Lower Highlands, Alma Fonda Fina, but were eager to try this more upscale spot in Cherry Creek North. It took months to get a reservation and then my friend had an issue and we had to reschedule, so we've been waiting four and one half months for this dinner.

OMG! Worth every minute of the wait. Ten stars! Twenty stars!! Thirty stars!!! Pretty close to the best meal I've ever had. Amazing. Astounding. I'll savor this for the rest of my life.

The restaurant occupies the north lobby space in the Clayton Hotel, Cherry Creek North. It has been completely transformed from the previous tenant and is gorgeous, welcoming, and comfortable.

The staff was extremely gracious, totally knowledgeable about the menu and the concept, and very efficient. The kitchen was quick and the staff never lost their calm efficiency, although the restaurant became very crowded by 6:00 p.m.

The server suggested sharing one item from each of the four sections of the menu and that's what we did.

We started with the Baked Hokkaido Scallops in serrano butter, citrus salsa negra, fresh lime, and scallions. These absolutely melted in our mouths. Perfectly cooked and extremely tender with a nice amount of heat.

Next was the Enchilada Suiza with roasted, skin-on chicken, salsa tomatillo, queso Oaxaca, and pickled red onion. Very flavorful.

The server particularly recommended the Pan de Elote and she was right. This is jalapeño cornbread with huitlacoche butter, smoked honey, and black truffle (cooked to order). My friend's favorite. Absolutely perfect texture, great flavor, amazing compound butter.

Finally, we had the Lubina Rayanada. Pacific striped bass, caper and olive broth, roasted tomatillos, and butter rice. The perfect portion, delicious sauce, exquisite fish, and unctuous rice. A great conclusion to the meal.

We were stuffed, so we didn't consider dessert. I'm sure we missed out on something great. We can't wait to return. This place is...

Having been twice for a full dinner, and a few times for happy hour drinks+snacks, Alteño has set a new standard for what we look for in a restaurant in Denver. Service, food, and locale - all are beyond amazing!

From a warm and hospitable welcome at the door, to the personable engagement and exceptional attention to detail of the entire staff throughout our dinners, an elevated service makes every moment of the experience here unforgettable (thank you Fiona and Ryan & everyone!!)

The atmosphere is just as warm and inviting as the staff - and even when at full capacity (which is almost always the case!) the tables still feel well spaced and intimate, as the lighting and decor play beautifully into the experience.

Now, most importantly the food... It's so far beyond any words that I can only recommend you try it for yourself - you can't go wrong with anything, but if you're unsure, you'll receive genuine suggestions and input in a heartbeat. Personally, I don't think I will ever come here and not order the scallops... they're just too great.

Other standouts for us so far have been the corn bread, the sweet potato (yes, it's THAT good), and the sea bass. But really every single dish displays a ton of thought, and is prepared with the love and care of someone who wants to invite their guests to a place at 'their table'. Delicious through and through, with a real personality and identity.

Plates are inviting and colorful, nothing feels over-engineered or overcomplicated - though you will still find incredible technique used to elevate carefully selected ingredients to absolute perfection.

In short, even right next to the many great restaurants of Cherry Creek, Alteño immediately cemented itself as our newest favorite - and will likely remain that for...

We had dinner Friday night , our server Fiona absolutely fantastic service, most of these modern Mexican restaurants service is through the roof, the mezcal margarita was really good but the jamaica was terrible I think when you are charging $17.00 per margarita its got to be real good and the jamaica had a funky weird taste not good at all , the bosal iberico is hard to find I enjoyed it .The oysters were good nothing special, cochinita had all the flavors and spicy level was really good but the tortilla fell apart it took some of the greatness of the taco, the costra taco was amazing all the flavors combine with the onions were well balanced, the gringa was ok but pastor had a cinnamon after taste and I was not impress I consider myself a carne al pastor aficionado and this dish while bringing some memories of al pastor in Mexico fell short of expectations, the barbacoa meat was real tender and flavorful but the consome with garbanzo beans had pickles of some sort that made it different not in a good way, if it just was consome and garbanzo it would have been amazing and the sides just grab some fresh cilantro, onions and that cabbage with oregano and that is all you need simplicity is better the meat is the star. I was surprise on the bill it was very reasonable under $200 and we left a $60 tip , would I come back? I will because the have a great mezcal selection and service...