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Known for its huge portions, Carmines is a popular restaurant for groups. Meals are served family-style, which means on platters and meant to be shared. The menu is standard Italian: pastas, some seafood, veal and chicken. The restaurant is warm and cosy and offers year-round, outside dining thanks to portable heaters and plastic awnings. Reservations are suggested, but expect a wait regardless.
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This is a national restaurant chain that doesn’t feel like a chain because each chef is empowered with the autonomy to create and cultivate a distinctive taste. The food is traditional Italian, not traditional Italian American, so you won’t find a lot of spaghetti or tomato sauces on the menu. You will find rotisserie chicken, wood-fired pizza and daily specials unique to each restaurant. Breads are hand-made and baked fresh on site.
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If this doesn’t feel like Italy, it sure feel’s like New York’s Little Italy. Pagliacci’s opened in 1946 and is owned and operated by the founding family. This is a place to eat and enjoy. The restaurant is unpretentious, the food traditional old world. The minestrone soup and seven- layer lasagna are house specialities. The menu includes a few combination plates for those who can’t choose between pasta dishes. Try the chicken cacciatore or linguine and clams.
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Panzano frequently is cited as one of the best all-around restaurants in Denver. The cuisine is northern Italian and the experience is fine dining. You won’t find heaping platters of spaghetti with red sauce. The delicate pasta entrees are prepared with exquisite cheese or reduction sauces. Start with a wood-fired pizza. The menu takes advantage of fresh local vegetables, and includes a lot of seafood and beef entrees. The restaurant, inside the Hotel Monaco, has an open kitchen that provides a lively atmosphere.
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