The Regular

When did this restaurant open? As much as I want to stay on top of everything when it comes to restaurants, sometimes I fail to notice something. Whatever the case might be, I got to know this restaurant a few months ago. And today on September 22, 2024 to be exact, I had a pleasure of trying their food. And the experience was exquisitely delightful from ambience to service to food to drink to dessert. So without further ado, let me walk you through tonight's dining experience.Location: Conveniently located on Market Street. Being surrounded by other contenders, this place in the middle of the block being walkable to other places and attractions. Parking is always a challenge in downtown but for a great food, it's worth the effort and money.Ambience: Contemporary, modern with a velvety twist. Dimmed lights create a dark cocktail lounge feel. For a foodie like me, it might be hard to take photos of your food and drinks but hey, ask your friend/family to shine some light on whatever you are snapping a photo of while taking a picture (instead of using your flash to minimize unnecessary brightness.) This is a Peruvian/Latin restaurant but that is only reflected on the dishes they serve. Its generic interior concept creates an untraditional atmosphere which I liked. The kind of music they were playing in the background was a bit unmatched (alternative); this is simply my personal opinion; I have nothing against alternative music in any way.Service: Rachel M assisted us for the night. We appreciated her exceptional professionalism. She knew our allergies (which I specified when I made the reservation.) She ensured that none of them would be included in the food that we'd consume tonight. Her attention to detail was top notch.Drinks: A great selection of both red and white wines. Cocktail menu also have a good selection. Although not on the menu, the bar can easily whip up some mocktails based on your likings (my daughter told our waitress what she liked and they made such a wonderful mocktail to suit her palette) so just simply tell them what you want, they will do the magic to make it for you.Foods: For shareable small plates, it has two sections: cold and hot. It's always fun to order a few to several appetizer to start your night so that's what we did. We got Peruvian Ceviche, Grilled Peruvian Corn, Mushroom Medley and Gnocchi. Honesty and frankness are important to me. My daughter and I personally didn't care for the Grilled Peruvian Corn but the other three dishes were quite delightful. The Ceviche was nothing like the many ceviches I've eaten at different restaurants in the past. It's got some kick in it but whatever they put in this untraditional marinate is a next level dish. This accolade also goes to the Mushroom as well. It's mostly shiitake mushroom. The magic is the mascarpone cream. This white pepper form is the interesting twist that I've never seen. Each gnocchi piece was large (larger than any gnocchi) I've ever seen. This dish is very light in seasoning especially salt. My kind of dish for sure. They also have large plates (we didn't order any tonight.)Dessert: We concluded our dinner by having the Red Beet Ice Cream. Hold on hold on, you don't have to like beets to be able to enjoy this ice cream as it DOES NOT taste like it at all. This ice cream's sweetness is JUST right. Its portion, for the price of $10, is a bit small and yet you'll not be disappointed with this bright red ice cream. To me, it's between ice cream and sorbet. This is a light dessert. a perfect thing to order if you don't want to feel like being stuffed with guilt; in a way, it nicely concludes your exclusive meal experience with a little touch of sweetness. This is also a must item off the menu. We, of course, split one and it disappeared in the matter of 30 seconds (this is not an exaggeration.) Order two if you must.This was a wonderful dinner experience where we were treated to a quality dinner at a high-end feel restaurant with attentive service. Will we go back here again? Of course we will.

The food and drinks were good with the exception of the pasta, but the delivery was severely lacking. To start, we had to ask for different waters because there was clearly a hint of sparkling water in our drinks that really threw them off. The food was extremely slow to come with the truffle pasta coming literally more than an hour after we ordered. We had obligations so we had to ask them to box it instead of eating at the table. (It's a nearly $40 pasta.) The steak tartare came with like five potato chips. Upon recognizing that I could use some more chips, the waiter offered to bring more, and then came back to tell me they ran out. 20% gratuity is added on automatically. Yikes.It was clearly a bad night for them, but I would recommend the steak tartare and oysters if you decide to come.

This place has potential, but it's nowhere near there yet. To its credit, the flavors were adventurous and the quality of ingredients was high. But the problem is that the execution of the food and service was lacking. Among the appetizers, just about everything was overcooked. I've had Peruvian corn before in Peru. It's normally delicious and has a great crunchy texture; it's typically miles better than our typical corn in the U.S. Here, it was overcooked, mushy and served as part of a dish that was very under-salted and ultimately flavorless. The cauliflower had good flavors, but again, it was overcooked to the point of practically turning into mush. It was a very unpleasant texture, and then the chef just threw potato chips on top to try to give it some crunch, but it was an afterthought and couldn't save a poorly prepared dish. We were looking forward to the potato appetizer because potatoes came from the Peruvian/Bolivian region and can be outstanding there. Again, the flavor was good, but again, the potatoes were overcooked and turned practically into mush. Considering how poorly cooked everything else was, I was astonished at how incredibly well-prepared my main course duck was. Duck breast is notoriously difficult to cook, as the line between undercooked and overcooked is very thin. I've ordered duck many times in my life, including at at another restaurant the day before, and I can say that I've never had duck breast that was cooked this well, It was absolutely perfect. The problem is that, this time, the flavor AND texture were off on the rice accompanying the dish. It was cilantro rice. Cilanto is great, but it's also a strong flavor. Instead of using cilantro to accompany the rice, the cilantro was overused and completely overpowered the rice, which -- AGAIN -- was overcooked and turned into mush. On top of this, the service was underwhelming. The wait staff was pleasant, but they weren't on top of things. We waited forever to place our order, we got dirty utensils and they wouldn't refill our water until we had to ask for it. We'll try the place again in a few months because I do believe there's potential here, but right now there simply were too many mistakes, especially at a $300 price point for a dinner for two with only one drink.

Holy moly. I'm absolutely blown away by everything The Regular has to offer. From the service, to the ambiance, the music and of course the food and drinks, this place DELIVERS. We were lucky enough to celebrate our anniversary here and they made it so special with a card and dessert. The regular is elevated dining with a relaxed but modern ambiance. Cute furniture, warm lighting, beautiful rugs (so cozy)! One of our new favorite spots. Cam was our server and he was incredible! We ordered oysters off HH (ended up ordering 14 - HA!) and French fries which had shaved parm and the most amazing dipping sauces. Both were so delicious and loved how the oysters came dressed with such a flavorful parsley and thyme sauce and pickled shallots. For dinner we ordered the mussels (similar toppings to the oysters - an incredible sauce that was spicy!!) and the ceviche which was also amazing and spicy - the corn in there added so much texture. Both were served cold and without bread / chips! We also got the mushrooms and the special of the day - the ribeye with the lobster sauce. OMG. These two were incredddddibbbllllee. The flavor... sooooo flavorful and buttery and absolutely delicious. The lobster butter sauce was made w brown butter and it was everything and the ribeye was perfectly cooked to medium rare. The mushrooms were light and creamy at the same time (don't ask me how?!)! Okay I'm soooo full by now but.. They let us choose dessert so we went with the sphere and it was beautifully constructed and had the most amazing different textures. The yuzu margaritas were also incredible! Everything here was presented beautifully and came out quickly! I wish there were more places like this in Denver! They have a new HH menu: Wed - Sunday 3:30-6:30 PM with incredible drinks and bites to choose from. You don't want to miss this spot if you're downtown! What a treat to get to meet the Chef and co-owner Brian and his wife Sydney (also co- owner). Such a beautiful couple that are so passionate about what they're doing. Come out and support them! You'll be so happy you did! We can't wait to come back!

We came here for a date night, and now that the place has been open for about a year, we figured that the opening pains were all ironed out. Unfortunately, while the chef has good talent, and the atmosphere is elegant and posh, the service does not match. When you're automatically adding 20% tip, this is not acceptable. Our waitress didn't ask about food allergies or tolerances and didn't know which dishes had diary in it. When someone from the kitchen came out to confirm what dishes had diary, his response was "I would chance it", how completely ignorant. Our waitress also never checked in after each course to find out if we needed anything. It was clear she hasn't tasted the dishes or wines, this is basic training for servers. During our meal, we had to ask for serving utensils, dishes to be changed between courses, and dishes cleared. The drinks came to much slower than the food. All of this should be flowing smoothly given they have been open for a year, and were maybe 1/3 full. Their wine and spirits selections are not great. They said they have women-owned, minority-owned and other small-batch selections. Unfortunately this does not equate to the quality of established brands and experienced producers. The food:We were hoping to start with the happy hour oysters, but they were only available in the lounge. How about making them available in the restaurant?We ordered the oysters off the menu but while they looked beautiful, the pairing just drowned out the actual oyster. The scallops were delicious, and with three large ones a pretty big portion. The cauliflower was another hit, and again a pretty large portion for sharing. The gnocchi were delicious and could be an entree for those who like more European-style portions. Finally, the Colorado bass was meh. It was dry, bland, and as a main did not have sides and there was nothing to order. All in all, while the food was good, the service needs a major overhaul if this place will charge these prices and add a mandatory service charge.

Hands down one of the best dining experiences I've ever had in my life. 100% best oysters I've ever had. Come in from 3:30-6:30 and they're $2 a piece! The happy hour is fantastic. Wonderful ambience and service. Rachel, our server was so welcoming, friendly, and knowledgeable. Would ask for her every time. We had the gnocchi, truffle pasta, lobster skewer special, and the steak tartare. Ended with the sphere dessert. Everything was incredible and was full of flavors we had never tried before. Don't miss out on place!

Very good experience at the Regular. The food is well presented, balanced and tasty. From the moment you walk in, there are fresh cut flowers in eye-catching and striking arrangements--you know the Regular is a class act. I had a special tasting menu. The ceviche was fresh, perfectly seasoned. The papa a la huancaina (potato) was spicy, tender, delicious. Gnocchi with leeks was tender, well cooked. Half Peking Duck had a crispy skin, after aging for some time-- also well prepared and worth the effort. Inside seating is comfortable with well appointed tables. Service was acceptable. Ordering from the bar proved a challenge, as my before dinner drink took well over 35 minutes to which I cancelled it and just ordered wine. Parking problematic, given the location understandable.

Food:Honestly, everything we got was truly incredible. The balance of the flavor profiles, the acidity, and the spice was truly perfection. The cocktails were amazing as well. I will say, everything was severely overpriced though. We spent almost $300 and had to stop at fast food afterwards to be filled.(1) Filet: cooked to perfection. Amazing accompaniments. Beautiful flavor profile. But Im almost certain our filet was not 6oz. Looked more like 4oz and was $68(2) Civeche appetizer. Fresh. Beautiful flavors. Be warned though -- fairly spicy. About 2-3oz of fish for $34(3) Side of mushrooms. Broth was incredible. About 1-2oz of mushrooms for $14(4) Side of purée potatoes. Bigger portion. Buttery deliciousness. $14(5) Brioche Buns. Tiny tiny portion. 4 mini biscuits. Beautiful cook. Delicious whipped butter. $10Cocktails were each $19 but super refinedService:Upscale, attentive, but not overbearingAmbience:Beautiful decor, chairs were comfy, clean and classyOverall -- we loved the food and drinks but I honestly will not be back because everything was overpriced. We love going to fancy places and are happy paying for it, but this was just a notch over what I'm willing to pay for the portion. I truly wish them the best though because the food was immaculate.

Super nice, very fancy, and I love what they're going after. I met one of the owners (the wife) who was working the floor having conversation with her guests. Great to see this kind of engagement and a personality that says "welcome to my home" . I have nothing bad to say about our dining experience. We were a party of seven. We had a reservation and were met and seated upon arrival. They have an extensive specialty drink menu, and the bar/lounge is at the front where I like it. Unlike places like Capital Grill the bar is in the back, so you typically walk in, stand at the hostess booth and wait to be seated. What I wanted to do here was have "an experience", perhaps arrive around thirty minutes prior, take our time cruising the drink menu and enjoying some conversation prior to being seated for dinner. This really would have been a problem for a larger party like ours because of the lack of lounge seating. You have to mostly sit at the bar. Glad we arrived when our reservation was ready. The service was good and the food even better. I get it, have a small menu and prepare the food correctly. Do go to their website as the menu changes often. They do not have a problem posting prices on the website. The small issue I had for a Saturday night was there were no potatoes to be served that evening. Huh? I believe the husband is one of the Chefs. I truly want to tip my hat to the kitchen. I don't believe anyone had a bad meal. Nor do I believe he would ever send something to the floor that wasn't inspected or subpar below Chefs standards.This is a fancy place and great for impressing a date or new business associate. They will be wowed! For pricing, it is like shopping for a Harley Davidson. The saying goes, "If you have to ask how much, then you probably can't afford it". Bottom line recommendations to the house, add some more seating in the bar area, encourage pre dinner drinks, turn dinner into a dining experience!! Lastly, I do like the dining room. Small but they sit the parties far enough apart, so you don't feel you're sitting too close to others. I highly recommend The Regular! Take your time and turn it into a class act dining experience.

Absolutely a must! Came for happy hour which is great. We can't wait to come back for a full dinner. Beautiful restaurant, bartenders were nice and the few snacks we had were just so delicious and pretty!