Abrusci’s Cherry Creek

Great dinner, and the General Manager was very gracious.

My fiancé and I love Abrusci’s this is our go-​to date night spot. We are creatures of habit and always order the same (I forget the name, but it’s the pasta and sausage dish). The best part is their gluten-​free menu which is great for me. We always have good service and the food is always great!

This place is great! I went for HH with the girls and we sat in the bar area. The bartender was excellent and very great service, his name escapes me however. We had 6 people show up at different times and he put a table together for us so we could enjoy the HH specials. We ordered most of the HH appetizers and they were so good! This place is spot on with that stuff and makes me want to try them for dinner. I’ll just have to convince my love to go! Easy Peasy!

My wife and I enjoyed a pleasant evening on a cold night. We had a few glasses of wine from the adequate and reasonable menu. We split a very good Caesar salad. Our main courses were veal Marsala and Clams with Linguine. The veal was tender and plentiful. The Clams and Linguine was good and loaded with clams. The Clam dish included mostly chopped clams but also had whole clams. The bread and roasted garlic dip was tasty. We skipped desert. While there, we found out that they are starting a monthly wine dinner with a set menu My wife and I plan on being a part of that.

I initially liked the space, but still think garden level dining is odd. Good bar area with comfy high top seating and a separate, «fancier» dining area. While nicer, it still felt casual, which I like. What I didn’t like was that the staff hung out at the bar station and chatted/​gossiped while not serving. It was awkward and unprofessional. Our waiter was nice, but seemed to lead the chat fest when he left us. Also, there was no background music… a little something would have helped the ambience.
The calamari was nice, but I got the fish special and I was not a fan. It should be noted that the fish was topped with bacon and blue cheese, neither of which I love, so not sure why I ordered it. It did solidify that cheese and fish is not a good combo. My hub had the Chicken Saltimbocca and it was pretty tasty.
While a 2.5 star experience, I rounded up because my wine seemed like a large pour and that is the way to my heart. Also, although I am not gluten free, I appreciate the many GF options available. While I doubt we would return, if we did, I would try a different entrée and hope for more professional behavior from the staff.

Well, if there’s no Olive Garden around I guess this is an option.
The service was very friendly. A bit slow, but friendly. The waitress put in the wrong dish, however the Marsala I got was better choice than what I ordered. Though, the Marsala was nothing to brag about, was just Marsala.
Everything was just so so. Bread wasn’t warm, appetiser was ok, wife’s pasta was mediocre. Atmosphere felt a little on the cheap side. I know it’s nit picky, but not a fan of drop ceilings when I’m not at some deli.
Overall there’s better.

Man… on a roll now. This makes the second weekend in a row that we tried someplace «new» and it was a huge FAIL.
This is in the old Campo di Fiore spot. They changed the lighting to some really ugly overhead things that cast a yellowish light.
Lots of kids at 8:00 Friday night. Of course, it’s Cherry Creek so at least 75% were obnoxious spoiled brats ruling their parents… sad.
Aaanyway, very nice people trying to keep up. Each of the random assortment of staffers who came by were quite nice. Too bad the overall service was so terrible.
We had a grilled Mahi special. Served on mashed potatoes and cous cous… yup…not kidding. Oh, as if you don’t already know… when your «special» of the day grilled fish shows-​up with some unnamed slime laid across it… run.
My Linguine and clams (white) was quite good. Of course, it would take real effort to screw-​up that dish. But is was good.
Sorry…pass. Just keep walking.

The food was bland, even the bread was very dry and tasteless. My family and I stopped in and we were all very hungry, but all three of us were disappointed with the meal. It’s one of those places that tries to make up the flavorless food with extra large portions. Keep looking!

I stopped in late on Memorial Day with a friend, and fortunately, the kitchen was still open… or at least the wonderful bartender made sure at least one person was still in the back of the house to cook for us. We got there right at 9, so we were cutting it close as the kitchen closes at 9.
Anyway, it was worth it. We ordered the spinach salad to split along with the spicy linguini with clams (one of my favorite Italian dishes) and the Steve’s Rigatoni and Sausage. The salad was very good, the pasta dishes were both really good with the baked rigatoni being excellent! We followed this up with the Flourless Chocolate Cake. Oh, and we had some wine too… cause like you can’t go to an Italian restaurant and not have wine, right? Their list is decent, and the bartender was a blast to hang out with even after everyone else had left.
So overall, they have great service, very good food, and you get to get some exercise walking down the steps to get here… sweet!

On a nice warm winter Friday, my friends and I decided to give this place a try for their happy hour and I gotta say I was pleasantly surprised.
Food: had some of the $ 5 appetizers, including mussels and fried ravioli, portions were good for $ 5 and it was tasty. I like they did a different sauce (pesto and spicy red) with it rather than just the normal wine sauce. Some of us ordered dinner, the portions were huge and the food all tasted great too.
Drinks: Yummy signature drinks for $ 5 also during happy hour. Half price on wine by the glass and cheap beer too. We had 4 different drinks at the table and everyone loved their drink.
Service: great service. We were sitting on the patio and ended up fitting 6 people on a 4 top but there were no complaints at all. Super accommodating waitress giving us an extra 5 min to put in our last order for HH since some people arrived a bit later.
Overall it was a pretty good experience, definitely a place we can go back to during the summer time.

GLUTEN FREE heaven!
It’s so hard to find a GOOD gluten free restaurant that cares about cross contamination and providing a delicious dish! We love this place. Ask for Molly if you aren’t afraid of a little teasing :)

I was pleasantly surprised by my visit here and wish I had the option of giving them 3.5 stars because our service was so good. I wish I could remember the name of our server to give her props. My husband and I went out to dinner with another couple for Go Out for Girl Scouts night and was happy to find a place in Cherry Creek that was participating. We went on the early side (6-​ish) and found the restaurant fairly empty. We were able to grab a table by the window where we watched the start of a big winter storm.
The food evoked mixed reviews from the table. I had a caesar and thought it was decent, but nothing earth shattering. My husband had a mixed greens salad and thought his lettuce was bitter and limp. We all liked of our entrees, which were pastas in various forms. Our favorite was the Steve’s Rigatoni and Sausage with the added cheese. We all loved our cocktails, my favorite being the Limoncello martini. My guess is that this would be a great place to come for Happy Hour, which only takes place in the bar area. You can check out their menu and drink list for HH on their site. We did not order desserts out of fullness, but they looked fantastic.
Overall, a great, cozy spot for a date night in Cherry Creek. We will definitely be back!

Went for my fiancé’s birthday January 1^st. I made a reservation through open table, and specifically asked not to be seated near a bussing station as it was my fiancé’s birthday and I wanted it to be somewhat romantic.
We get there and we are seated at the two-​top closest to the bussing station next to the banquet room full of a family with babies and children. Great. Romance at it’s finest. The only other table for two was next to the bathrooms so we opted to stay seated where we were, although there were at least eight, four-​top tables open.
We started off with the antipasto platter which was larger than I expected for $ 12. We ended up taking about ¾ of it home since we wanted to save room for dinner.
I ordered the chicken marsala ($ 18), and Michael ordered Steve’s rigatoni with sausage ($ 16). I don’t have any recollection of how either tasted… so… yeah.
For Michael’s birthday dessert he ordered the chocolate «pâté» which translated into thin slices of chocolate with a truffle consistency covered in marshmallow and caramel sauce. He really liked it. I thought it was just okay. I ordered a cannoli which I thought was the best thing of the night, and it only cost $ 1.25. I think they are the cheapest cannolis I have ever encountered.
With tax and tip our meal came to around $ 75. I didn’t think it was worth it given the ambiance. The food quality was okay, but I never think it’s okay to pay $ 16 for pasta that is not housemade.
Appetizers and cannoli are where it’s at.

Today I called and made a reservation for dinner, and mentioned that my Groupon expired, the Hostess was so friendly and accommodating that she is honoring the paid amount of the voucher! How awesome is that and I told her I was going to enjoy an early Birthday dinner with a friend, she said she would make sure I received a birthday dessert as well. That is why I love this restaurant so much and the fact they have a gluten free menu for my friend makes this a FIVE star Cherry Creek favorite.
Manga!!!

Abrusci’s is in the old Campo de’ Fiori location. Although it doesn’t *quite* live up to Campo’s standards (they were our favorite!!), Abrusci’s is definitely worth a second and third visit.
Pros:
–Prices are relatively affordable (depending on what you order). For a nice, upscale restaurant with a nice ambiance, our dinner for two was only $ 37… no drinks or appetizers though.
–Parking is free in the adjacent lot after 7pm!
–Try the hazelnut chocolate-​filled ravioli for dessert… yum!
Cons:
–Can’t really think of any other than it’s not as good as Campo… kind of a sore spot.
–Oh yeah, so everyone seems to be RAVING about the penne sausage… we ordered it, and it was okay… not AMAZING… but not terrible. Not sure what all the fuss is about.

*Ask for MOLLY when you go to this restaurant*
I am giving it 5 stars for the service. If you go to Abrusci’s you have to ask to sit in Molly’s section. She completely made the meal! She was funny, very smart about all of the wines and was honest and helpful about the menu (especially the gluten free stuff and how it differed from the regular menu items).
It is rare to find a server that is the whole package and not just someone who takes the order but really guides you through the process. My server Molly did that and more. She was amazing. I will definitely be back. Not just for the gluten free menu (which is reason enough to go there) but to have a great experience like we did last night. I wish all servers were as friendly, easy going, smart about the menu and funny as she was. Abrusci’s is lucky to have someone like her working there. She made the whole night!

I came here once during the Cherry Creek Arts Festival for a glass of wine and liked the look. So last night when we were looking for a spot for my birthday dinner, I back-​seated another Italian spot in favor of trying something new.
Since it’s a restaurant, let’s get to the food, shall we? Bread on the table when we were seated. When the server arrived, he placed a plate of garlic paste and drizzled olive oil over it. Our first taste, I was not impressed. The paste was bland and the olive oil tasted stale. But it’s just bread. To make up for it, we chose bruschetta for an appetizer, and this was much better! Piled high with the tomato mix, very fresh, and drizzled with a balsamic reduction. This was truly enjoyable. We each ordered a cocktail to begin with. I ordered an old fashioned, and was disappointed for a second time. Not made correctly, it was a Maker’s and soda with a cherry. For dinner, I had penne with Italian sausage, my mom had scallops with orzo, my uncle had the vegetarian lasagna, and my aunt had a pasta with Gorgonzola cream sauce. I’m not a seafood fan but I did take a taste of the scallops, and they were very fresh and served on a slice of bacon. My pasta was excellent. The sauce was perfect, and it was tossed lightly with pasta, instead of being smothered over it. The amount of meat was extremely generous, but not very spicy (contrary to the menu’s description). Regardless, it was one of the best pasta dishes I’ve had. I also had a Cesar salad, and the dressing was perfect, with an almost undetectable taste of anchovies at the end. This place knows how not to overdo it with the sauces and flavors. For dessert, we tried a cannoli and the mimosa cake. The latter is NOT to be missed! Sweet sonova monkey spank, I don’t even like sweets and that was amazing!
Now the downside: Our server was not very good. He took too long to get to the table for everything, and seemed a little unsure about both the drink and food menus. He didn’t pay too much attention to us, and I had to make an effort to get him to bring us the wine that we wanted for our dinner. For a place like this as slow as it was on a Monday night, I really feel a managers «table touch» would have been nice. And both my uncle and myself were disappointed with our pre-​dinner cocktails.
So there you have it, the good, the bad, and the ugly. (OK, I forgot to mention the ugly, there wasn’t much. The ambiance here is nice, but the patio could be a little more enticing.) All in all, the food was fantastic, and worth coming back for, so I’m giving them four stars. I’d come back, but I would hope for better service, especially when there were at least three servers that I saw and a total of 5 tables.

3.5 stars, if I could.
Abrusci’s is a pleasant place and the food is good — not great, but good. There were a handful of vegetarian options on the menu. The two that caught my eye were the eggplant parmagiana and the spinach lasanga. Several people at the table ordered the eggplant; I got the lasanga. Of the two, the eggplant was definitely better. Neither was fantastic.
There is delicious bread with a yummy whipped garlic spread. Service was reasonably good, considering that we had a huge party of over twenty (20) people, all in town to celebrate a wedding.
It’s not something I’ll ever crave nor would I seek out this restaurant on my own devices. That said, it is a nice, casual, slightly upscale place in a nice part of town. You could do worse. But you could also do better.

Love. love. love.
Visited Abrusci’s on a whim while trying to find an Italian dinner that wasn’t our usual Maggianos. Service was good, not great (Our server had ZERO wine suggestions as she «didn’t like wine») But the food spoke for itself.
Great atmosphere for a date night and reasonably priced too. We will be returning soon!

OK kids… this is what Cherry Creek needed. It’s a nice, semi upscale Italian joint that it’s very reasonably priced. It’s cute, the staff is friendly and the food is good and little different.
My wife and I went to the CC Abruscis on Monday afternoon for lunch. I will say that we were mainly the only ones in there except for staff. Given, they have been open a little over a month and have been doing lunches for a mere two weeks…
side note: I don’t get it. If you want to push your lunches, why wouldn’t you start them right away when you’re preparing for dinner service. Many people told me they hadn’t been there for lunch because they thought it was dinner only.
Back on the farm… we sat at the bar (as always) and were served bread right away with the mashed roasted garlic and herb concoction. It is delightful and if the would have let me, I would have covered my body in it. I ordered a very simple sausage sandwich and Cathy ordered a 4 Cheese and Tomato sandwich.
My sausage sandwich was very good. It’s nothing more than a traditional sausage sandwich. It’s served with provolone and a green chili strip and that’s about it. It was served with an incredible pasta salad that was basil heavy and home made potato chips dusted in herbs. The sausage was of high quality and gave prominent fennel notes.
Cathy’s sandwich was good but a little bready. It’s served on two gigantic pieces of bread. When I say huge… I mean huge. Make a fist stick out you thumb and pink finger. See the distance between the two? That’s how big just the top piece was. Besides that, the sandwich was very good and full of flavor… even for me who wouldn’t eat a sandwich with no meat.
I loath Cherry Creek and it’s people so I don’t know how often we will be going back. However, if in Cherry Creek it would be one of my first choices.