CAMELIA Modern Mexican Cuisine — Restaurant in Denver

This new restaurant is bringing Mexican fine dining to Denver. CAMELIA, Modern Mexican Cuisine blew us away over the weekend and we’re already planning our next visit.

We arrived at CAMELIA and sat in the main dining room. The restaurant was gorgeous - think Latin American royalty. The bar was surrounded by royal blue velvet chairs & gold geometric shelves hung from the ceiling. There was a wall of greenery adorned with gold wings. The dining room tables were made of thick polished wood and had dark velvet chairs flanking them.

The staff at CAMELIA were exceptional. Owner Camelia & Manager Alberto were gracious and welcoming; Alberto ensured our meal ran smoothly. Christian is one of our favorite Mixologists in Denver and he was whipping up magic behind the bar. Our server Victor was kind-hearted and had great recommendations.

CAMELIA came to play with some dazzling cocktails. The Camelia was made with Reposado, raspberry rose shrub, & Naranja rose prosecco. A smoke bubble was delicately placed atop the champagne glass - lovely.

The Smoke on the Water was made with Mezcal, Genepy, rhum agricole, and lime - served in a coup glass in a smoke filled cloche. This was my favorite cocktail of the evening - smooth & fresh.

Ross had the non-alcoholic Citrus Cooler made with Seed Lip Grove, pineapple, lemon, mint, simple, foam, & Topo Chico.

For Apertivos we had Guacamole and the Ceviche.

The Guacamole was made with avocado, queso fresco, pomegranate, cilantro and we added Rib Eye Chicharrón. The Rib Eye Chicharrón was simultaneously tender and crispy and paired beautifully with the creamy cool guacamole.

The Callo de Hacha Ceviche was made with Leche de tigre, red onions, & baby radishes. This is the most authentic ceviche I’ve had in Denver. The ceviche had generous pieces of fish throughout and was seasoned with citrus and spices that added solid heat to each delicious bite.

The Chips & Salsa were great.

For Entrees we had the Enmolada Rosa and the NY strip.

The Enmolada Rosa was made with pink mole, braised chicken, jocoque, queso fresco, & handmade corn tortillas. This was our favorite dish of the night! The enmoladas were drenched in savory pink mole and filled with tender chicken - so freaking tasty and a must order.

The A La Carta 10oz Prime NY Strip. The NY strip had a robust meaty flavor.

The Truffle Mac & Cheese was made with shell pasta, parmesan, breadcrumbs, & salsa macha. Hello cheesy goodness - the truffle mac & cheese was rich and the salsa macha chile oil added a subtle smokey heat that didn’t overpower the parmesan.

For Dessert we had the Churro Cart & the Mexican Chocolate Cake.

The Churro Cart came with chocolate, lechera, & strawberry jam to dip the churros in. We loved the presentation here; the cart was so cute and the warm fresh churros were perfectly coated in cinnamon sugar.

The Mexican Chocolate Cake was made with Cacao Tinitario and flambéed tableside. Who doesn’t love a dessert with flair? This dessert was decadent...

I was so excited to try this new modern Mexican cuisine spot! My date and I started with the guayabita cocktail that has cachaca liquor in it. It was a little sweet for my liking but my date enjoyed it and took mine. I ordered the camelia, a rose prosecco pink drink with raspberry that comes with a smoke(?) filled bubble that was cute to pop before drinking. They serve complimentary full tortilla chips with a refried bean dip topped with cheese, then three small salsa that are green, orange and red. For an appetizer we ordered the charbroiled oysters that were TO DIE FOR. BEST OYSTERS I'VE EVER HAD. Seriously, delicious. 100% recommended. I ordered the Enmolada Rosa which was a braised chicken dish with pink mole. The plating was gorgeous but similar to a basic chicken mole dish. For the price I wish there was one more ingredient to add a pop of flavor or spice. My date ordered the Baja Pasta which was yummy however I think the description is a little misleading. It says it comes with a jalapeno cream sauce but it was so much a sauce but a spicy-ish Mac and cheese dish. My date and I agreed that we wish it wasn't so cheesy. I'm realizing now we didn't order anything the waiter himself recommended, which is something we usually do. I'd definitely be back to try what he tried to sell us. Lastly, we ordered dessert and a show. The Mexican chocolate cake comes out on a marvel cart with a chocolate dome covering it. The waiter then lights tin cups of melted chocolate on fire and pours it over the dome, igniting the whole thing on fire and eventually collapsing revealing the cake itself. The cake was moist and delicious with a chocolate mousse on top of it and chocolate covered berries surrounding it. I highly recommend and thought it was definitely worth the price. The food was 4/5, I think certain items could use a little tweaking to make it that 5/5. Our waiter was wondering and attentive along with the food runners. Our entrees did take a little long to come out and I would say the food was warm but not hot. Also there was a few times the staff looked confused as to where there were walking the food to. Which worked out cause we saw a lot of good looking dishes! Atmosphere 5/5 this place was clean and...

The first time I went here I left with a very good impression. Unfortunately, my second visit was remarkably underwhelming.

I feel they value the image and instagrammability of the restaurant more so than the culinary experience.

We were seated 20 mins after our reservation (that's fine, i get it happens), it took a while after placing our drink orders to receive them and a little longer to have our food orders be taken (also fine, it was a busy night). The guacamole and ceviche was thoroughly enjoyed. We had the octopus and two orders of lamb racks. Octopus was good but I wouldn't get it again. For that price point, it should be better than how I can make it at home. The lamb racks were the most disappointing. They were small and overcooked (grey center), we sent both racks back to the kitchen, they offered to send another out but by that point it was 9:45p. We declined.

My disappointment came in the form of their customer service and food quality control. As an ex-chef, if I sent out a dish that did not meet my standard expectations, the customer should not be charged for that dish. We were charged for one of the lamb racks because they justified we had eaten more of the lamb than what they would feel comfortable compensating for. They were small, two bites of the lamb is about 50% of the lamb. As were talking to our waiter about it, the floor manager came by and whispered to just comp the bill. That gesture was insulting. It's not about the money, it's about how you care for your diners and their experience. We can pay for what we ate. If there's any take-away from this review, please take an inventory of your priority as a restaurant, and level up the quality control of the dishes that leaves the window.

There was also vomit in the urinal and men's toilet. Not their fault necessarily, but not the cherry on top you'd want after that...