Dino's Italian Food

Shannon M.

Joined 6 months ago

Dinos has been around a long time. You might ask why. It's not fancy (we already know the decor is "funky"), its not gourmet, its not introducing new dishes with a variety of eclectic sauces, and it doesn't show up on hot new "chef run" restaurants.

We like it because its so unpretentious and the food is simple and delicious. The service is friendly (if you aren't high maintenance), the food arrives quickly, the price is reasonable, and kids and friends can both be happy. Loud music doesn't blare in your ear and you don't have to pretend that you understand the nuances of the food. with every bite. It's not rocket science but its better than what I can cook.

There is a silent majority of people who don't enjoy cooking, don't enjoy cleaning up after a birthday party, and don't want to pay a lot for dishes that look like edible flower arrangements. They also don't have time for putting big dinners together (sorry Cake Boss). This is a place I would happily take my co-workers to lunch or my Mom and Dad to.

I don't want to waste a lot of time or money to wait in a long line, scream at each other over dinner, or be $100 poorer at the end of the experience. I just want to be happy with my food and family and Dinos provides that place. And I think the pizza is still awesome!!

Doesn't Recommend

Bob Bayto

Joined 2 years ago

To bad its went to hell !. I have been going to Dinos for 30 years and in the last year it has went to hell.The Pizza has no taste to it and the sand witches are not even close to what they were at one time.The service is always good and the place is still clean but the food sucks!!!

Doesn't Recommend

NoelinCO

Joined 2 years ago

Chef Boy-R-Dee is better. My wife and I visited Dino's on a Saturday night. The decor is like others have described: stuck in the 70's. The hostess was not particularly outgoing but we were seated quickly. The menu was ordinary, service was curt but quick at first.

My salad consisted of a few light green pieces of lettuce and a few carrot shreds on a small plastic plate. No tomato, no other vegetables that one expects. The Italian dressing came from a bottle, was not homemade. The bread we received was cheap, very bland, and COLD.

I cook Italian food at home using recipes straight from Italy, so I have an idea of how the food is supposed to taste. My wife had a pizza and thought it was OK (she grew up in New York). She remarked that she wouldn't order the pizza again. It didn't look like anything I'd had in Italy.

I ordered pasta with marinara. The pasta was indeed homemade but didn't have much flavor. The sauce... The sauce tasted like a cross between Chef Boy-R-Dee and Ragu. It was very sweet, had almost no tomato flavor, zero garlic, few herbs. It was terrible, worse than you'd find in a middle school cafeteria. The sauce probably came right out of a can into the pot and onto my plate. It was so bad that I left 2/3 of the pasta on the plate.

After receiving the main course, we couldn't get the waitress to return. We waited for ~20 minutes and got her attention by waving to her. She walked up with the bill in her hand and didn't ask us how the food was, if we wanted dessert, etc. Maybe she heard my remarks about the food.

Anyone who wants real Italian food should look elsewhere. Better yet, get some real recipes from the internet, buy quality ingredients, and make it at home. It will be money better spent than dining at Dino's.

Recommends

jcwarren

Joined 2 years ago

Good basic non-fancy Italian. Retro-atmosphere. Affordable. Been going to Dino's since the early 90's. My ex is half Italian, and she turned me on to it. They have a fairly pedestrian menu... It's not "Pagliacci's". But it's also not going to cost you 80 bucks for a dinner for two. I love their pizza!. It's worth waiting almost half an hour for one! Decor - who cares! I'd rather they spend the money on the food. The Dino's special sandwich is also really good!

Recommends

chella71

Joined 4 years ago

good italian for the price. I like eating here. Everything is made from scratch, the noodles, sauce, pies, even the ice cream. It's a good deal.

Doesn't Recommend

ricerca

Joined 4 years ago

White Trash Night Out. No salt used in cooking the pasta or the sauce. Absolutely BLAND. Just as the other's said, salad of tasteless iceberg lettuce.

It is a cultural experience seeing the last vestiges of Denver westside white trash enjoy their family favorite. The experience is absolutely genuine.

Pizza is palatable enough to pull you through

Recommends

pastazia

Joined 5 years ago

My Favorite Pizza!. I've been going to Dino's almost all my life and they have my absolute favorite pizza! I also love their loaves of Italian bread. In fact, we ordered about 12 of these loaves of bread for my daughter's wedding last year, and everyone kept asking us where we got it.

As much as I love their pizza, I can't say I'm a big fan of their spaghetti (sorry, Dino's). I come from a big Italian family and we are very picky about spaghetti sauce.

I do love the restaurant, though. The waitresses, the pies they sell, their Sangria, and the friendly neighborhood atmosphere of the place itself make it one of my favorite places to dine. Thanks, Dino's, for all the great years of pizza!

Doesn't Recommend

chryslinn

Joined 4 years ago

Awful food. This was the worst italian food i have had in a restaurant ever. I told the waitress that the pizza tasted bad...undercooked...toppings were awful...She said "really? Thats ok." Then walked away and had another waitress bring our check. The homemade noodles were ok....but the sauce...and sausage was bland. Would not recommend this place to anyone.

Recommends

bellagioia

Joined 5 years ago

Family Classic. Dino's is a classic! My family and I all love Dino's it is my grandfathers favorite restaurant! I love the pizza and my absolute favorite is the dino special sub with extra dressing!

Doesn't Recommend

terricotx

Joined 5 years ago

Stay away!. Food is terrible. We are there in November 2008 and ordered homemade noodles. The "salad" that came with dinner was lettuce with a couple of carrot shreds, and tasteless viniagrette dressing. The sauce on the noodles was watery and totally tasteless. The service was tepid. The decor is old and dingy. I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone.