Trattoria Stella

Doesn't Recommend

Denverpete

Joined 5 years ago

Flies and dirt make this a disgusting place. My wife and I used to go to this restaurant regularly until we sat near the kitchen (which is visible from the dining area) and saw our waitress handling food after money, improperly handling glasses, dipping food in a sauce container and eating it, etc. The restaurant is filthy. The furniture, the floor, the salt shakers, my silverware, the glasses and dishes are all in need of a serious cleaning. The flies are out of control in the summer and constantly land on you and the table. One of the most serious problems we experienced was that my wife ordered a meal without the nuts that come on it, explaining her very serious allergy to nuts. We witnessed our waitress scrape off the nuts and whip cream from her meal and add more whip cream. My wife is extremely allergic to nuts and she can not eat food that has touched nuts in any way. This lax and careless attitude is typical of how they run this restaurant. I have no idea why this restaurant is so popular when it is so dirty and disgusting. I would not eat anything from here without inspecting the restaurant first.

Recommends

ligerguy

Joined 6 years ago

Good, but overated, like my review. OK the bad - this place is overated, as the food is not that great. However, it is probably my favorite restaraunt in the Highlands due to the atmosphere and outdoor seating. Expect not too pay that much and get a decent meal. This is a place to have some good times!

Recommends

MsPriss812

Joined 5 years ago

My absolute favorite!. This is my absolute favorite! From the fresh pasta to the even fresher ingrediants. Yes it is small but its cozy. AWESOME date place! Tomato basil spagetti is my favorite!

Recommends

ahoppi

Joined 5 years ago

thoroughly enjoyed it!. Wow, I'm glad I tried the restaurant before reading some of the bad reviews because it was one of the best meals and the best service I've experienced in a while! The waitress that served us was helpful, friendly, knowedgeable and attentive. It was a busy Friday night but we didn't wait long and our party of four was very, very pleased - so pleased we're going back in a few weeks. We sat inside on a cool night but even though the place is small it wasn't a bother to be close to other tables - just a touch noisy, but that's to be expected. Everything we had was great, and we all tried every dish, but mine was voted the best - the creamy/tomatoey/sausage sauce on pasta - can't recall the name but it was out of this world! and the desserts were wonderful too!

Recommends

dbrjsn

Joined 5 years ago

GREAT!. Great food and service! Walked in at 6:30 on a Friday night and got a table for two with no problem. Cozy atmosphere. Didn't notice closeness of tables, perhaps because of my charming companion! Friendly servers. Extensive menu, and both our dinners were great. Looking forward to returning and bringing out of town guests. Forget Maggianos!

Recommends

kudvas

Joined 5 years ago

What problems?. I had read the recent bad reviews on Stella's and decided to pass on it when my girlfriend wanted pasta. We went to Magianno's and there was a 2 hour wait so I decided to just drive by Stella's to see if we could get in. We got a parking spot right in front which is unheard of and then had no wait for a table for 2 at 7:30 PM on Saturday night.

We started with the carrot salad with gorgonzola dressing which was very nice. She had the 32nd st pasta and I had the sausage in tomato vodka cream sauce. Both were amazing. We finished with the sour cream apple pie which was the perfect balance between sweet and tart. I have never had a bad dessert there.

The service was prompt and cordial and we never waited for anything longer than a few minutes. I am not sure what happened that deserved the bad reviews but it seems like they have fixed whatever problems they may have had. I would recommend this place to anyone who wants great pasta at reasonable prices (our total tab, with a beer and glass of wine, came to $54).

Doesn't Recommend

forster

Joined 6 years ago

Don't bother. This was a huge disappointment. Just don't waste your money. If you want to have a great experience, try Cafe Star (amazingly it's owned by the same people). It's just that the service is SO terrible at Stella's. The review about the overweight blond woman was absolutely accurate. Just don't waste your money or time by going to Stella's. Food has gone downhill and the service is the worst in the industry.

Doesn't Recommend

foodieindenver

Joined 6 years ago

Used to be my favorite restaurant...so sad. For the last 5 years, Stella's had been my favorite restaurant, and my family and friends would dine here weekly. I have told everyone I know about this place, and have recommended it to at least 100 people. The creamy-sausage pasta is addictive, the atmosphere is quaint and unpretentious, and the service WAS so warm and pleasant. This all ended last week. I had some family in town and everyone was so excited to go to Stella's again...until we got there. We were greeted by the most unpleasant woman to have ever worked in the industry, especially at our favorite restaurant. She was rude, aggressive, and very confrontational. Personally I had never seen her working there, but she certainly seemed as if she owned the place and didn't care what anyone thought. When she took our appetizer order a member of our party had asked about the roasted garlic. She snapped at the woman, speaking to her as if she were a child, indicating that it had been off the menu for 2 years, but we had it 1 month ago during lunch!!! Then, while listing off the specials, a member of our party quietly repeated the words 'meat sauce' to her husband (who hadn't heard her clearly), and the waitress completely stopped speaking and stared-down the woman for over 30 seconds, making everyone VERY uncomfortable. That same woman in our party didn't even order an entree because she was scared that the waitress would taint it. The rest of our meal was just as unpleasant. The antics continued until we left, it was non-stop discomfort. This was simply the worst experience I have ever had. It ruined our meal, plain and simple. I don't think I will visit Stella's again, and I certainly will never recommend it to anyone. The food will remain wonderful, but not at the price of sitting at the mercy of this woman. If you do visit Stella's, please be wise and call ahead and make sure that the blond woman (who is probably in her early 40's and a bit overweight) is not working. You will thank me.

Recommends

tjkahle

Joined 6 years ago

perfectio!. Stella Trattoria is one of the finest Italian restaurant Denver, CO has to offer. Great food, inviting staff and an atmosphere not much different from your own home, in fact its location is a remodeled home. From their Tomato Vodka, 32nd St Pasta and mouth watering desserts Stella's is truly a unique taste of Italy only a connoisseur of delicious food and warm atmosphere could appreciate.

I have written this short blurb only out of curiosity for other Italian restaurants in Denver and stumbled upon two very sad and distasteful reviews posted recently of Stella's that made a warm, rich and fruitful bottle of wine seem cheap!

Simply put, Stella's is in a class of its own. From the menu to the staff to the atmosphere, Stella's can't be beat. Try it out sometime and please, when dinning, stay off your cell phone. Those with you want to spend time with you.

Doesn't Recommend

slk97

Joined 6 years ago

If you love flies with your pasta....... We used to like this restaruant when it was clean - the tables and floors are scary dirty. We used to enjoy the friendly hard working staff. We didn't enjoy the new found self importance there. Check out their cell phone policy. Let's see.....Attitude, dirt, and marginal food....and several fabulous restaurants within walking distance....life is good....