Opus Restaurant

We stopped in for happy hour on a not so busy workday and had a thoroughly fantastic time.
We sat at the bar and it felt like we had the bartender’s personal attention. He gave us wonderful recommendations on drinks and even a bit of history on the featured wines. I had the Kung fu girl Riesling & the girlfriend had a couple of their classic Martini. I also got the Deviled Eggs platter (smoked trout & caviar, truffled, blt) and liked it a lot.
The service was wonderful and food was awesome. We left on a high note. This is definitely on the must return list.

I’ve been a fan of Opus since it used to be in old Littleton. The new location is ok, but what remains is exceptional food and tremendous service. I went early on a Saturday evening and found the staff to be extremely friendly, attentive and timely. The meal was just wonderful. The only thing that was less than perfect was a limited dessert options. Cheese cake and Crème Brûlée.
Although we loved the meal we decided to have dessert elsewhere.

It’s good. We went in with a group 8. They were just about empty. The 2 service staff started to hit on one of the women we went with. One even asked her out while we were having dessert, it made it quite awkward.

Really great service with wonderful atmosphere. Can be a bit loud inside when crouded. There is a great patio outside but it is on Josephine street. The food was all wonderful. All of the salads were great. The scallops are a must and the wine list is amazing!

I had a great experience here! Good food, awesome ambience, and very polite service.
I came here for a birthday dinner for two. The atmosphere is awesome — there was a person playing acoustic guitar softly in the background.
We ordered the crab cakes, the beef tenderloin, and the sea scallops. The server had really good intentions, but it could be that he was a little new? He didn’t bring out the bread basket until we asked about it when our appetizer came, but he brought it right away when we asked.
The crab cakes had a very silky texture, and the two sauces were very tasty. The beef was cooked really well, to the perfect temperature, and a generous portion as well. The sea scallops were also cooked perfectly, in my opinion. The polenta on that dish was absolutely fantastic. The mascarpone in it made it sooo creamy dreamy delicious.
Thanks for a great dinner!

Very good dinner with interesting, unexpected flavors. My girlfriend and I were particularly surprised by the grilled watermelon with mint pesto. Also, the aged mozzarella cubes and diced heirloom tomatoes made for the best caprese salad either of us have ever had.
The chef added an amuse-​bouche to warm up our palates:
a ball of warm, whipped goat cheese rolled in almond slivers and skewered to a crustless disc of toast of the same diameter. The whole piece was drizzled in a light honey.

Excellent food and service would compare steak and crab cakes to any steakhouse in Denver and Opus wins. Would be 5 stars but ambiance is awkward. Look at deals on travel zoo and other sites.

We dined at Opus last Saturday evening. The accoustical guitarist was excellent, providing pleasant back ground music.
The quality of the food and its preparation were matched only by the chef’s creativity. We were each brought a half deviled egg topped with truffle, a fresh mint and a delicate liquid. The bread was fresh baked, accompanied by three flavorful butters that the chef composes. I started with the tartare, which was in a wide mouth sealed jar. When opened the infused applewood smoke wafted making the experience even more delectable. The entrée was salmon, which I requested rare and it was by being seared. A sauce topped the salmon with delicate carrots and asparagus underneith.
The service was just right.
This is my favorite fine dining restaurant in Denver.

We had a party of 12 there last night for a family birthday celebration. The food items were fresh and had separate flavors to easily distinguish in the mixture of ingredients. Really enjoyed the Quinoa salad. Drink menu had many choices. Staff worked as a team and were professional and friendly, even with a 6 year old and a finicky gluten free teenager at our table.
Our entrees took longer than expected, but I suspect on a Monday night staffing was kept at a minimum. Maybe it was only the chef back there. As a business owner myself, I am sympathetic to labor costs and we resorted to spending more time at the table together.

We went in a little after lunch, and were seated quickly. Very friendly, professional staff. Ordered a pear cocktail. Amazing. Pork croquette. Amazing. Rosemary Chicken and mushroom risotto. Amazing. Brie and pear panini. Amazing.

I saved my 100^th review for this restaurant because I just celebrated my 2^nd year wedding anniversary to my husband here, and it was both of our first time visiting Denver. We came in on June 21, 2015, and we were instantly greeted by the (FREE!) valet guy. Upon walking in, they had a sign wishing us happy anniversary, which was a nice personalized touch. We were the only diners in the restaurant apart from another older couple, who were also celebrating their anniversary! I did not mind the emptiness of the restaurant, because it felt like the whole restaurant was our private dining room. The service was awesome as well! Now, onto the food: my husband and I are both foodies, and wanted a chef’s tasting menu for the special occasion. We both had the chef’s 7-​course tasting menu with wine pairing (I don’t remember the name of the wines):
1. Amuse Bouche: Brussell sprout with a piece of bacon
I loved the elegant presentation, and although it was a small bite-​size, it was packed with flavor! I’m not much of a brussell sprout fan, but this tasted so good I wanted more
2. Soup: Roasted Potato-​Sage Vichyssoise, with crisp prosciutto
This was okay; meaning, not terrible, but as I write this review and try to remember everything, I don’t really remember anything that was outstanding or memorable about this dish. I think this was one of those courses where I liked the wine better than the food
3. Appetizer: Roasted Duck Breast with cider sauce and red wine braised cabbage
I loved the flavor of the meat. I don’t eat duck regularly, so this felt like a nice treat
4. Salad: Vanilla-​port poached pear, baby arugula, candied walnuts, and fried brie with a honey-​rhubarb vinaigrette
As a former vegetarian/​vegan, I always appreciate a well-​constructed salad with multiple notes of flavor. Arugula is one of my favorite greens for a salad (more than romaine and spinach), and the walnuts and pear together didn’t over-​sweeten the salad. Fried brie was amazing! I also really liked the rose colored wine it was paired with
5. Main Course 1: Sumac dusted Sea Scallops with pomegranate molasses and fava bean purée
I wish I had more of this! Again, elegant presentation and a small scallop packed with flavor!
6. Main Course 2: iron skillet Beef Tenderloin with roasted beet beef jus and braised kale
Fantastic. What a main course should be.
7. Dessert: we were supposed to have a vanilla bean Crème Brulee with seasonal berries, but they were out, so instead the chef created a three item dessert of a peanut butter cheesecake, deconstructed tiramisu, and green tea crusted berry tart
Honestly, by the time we got to the finale, we were both so stuffed (and buzzed!) we had a hard time finishing it. While it was generous of them to give us three separate desserts, we would’ve been satisfied with just one My husband is not a fan of dessert in general, so he didn’t really help me in finishing it. He took one bite of the peanut butter cheesecake and that’s it. I, on the other hand, happen to LOVE sweets and all things sugar, so I ended up finishing it, but it took a little longer than expected, haha!
Overall, I give this place 5 stars for the fantastic food, appropriate and friendly service, and romantic ambience. I would definitely visit again if I’m celebrating a special occasion in Denver.

Came here with my family for brunch to celebrate my brother coming home from serving a tour. I personally would have treated him to a McDonald’s hashbrown, but was glad I got to benefit from getting to come here! The breakfast foods ranged from savory to sweet and everything in between! I loved it and plan to come back the very second I get the opportunity to!

Louisa and I ventured out for fine dining this evening. Woohoo is right. She says we’d been to Opus before. My recollection is that we dined there, as a part of a marketing focus group, perhaps ten years ago, but I don’t recall the name being Opus.
This evening’s dining experience was at the top of the chart. Mark’s service and the food presentation were great and the entrée, even better. We each chose a variation of coriander dusted Pacific Salmon: mushroom fried rice, vegetables, white clam sauce, mine straight from the menu. If you know us, or have read my other reviews, you know that Louisa chooses a ‘different’ diet or lifestyle. They were very open to accommodating her version of the Pacific Salmon entrée. Dining on their patio was pleasant and surprisingly, the traffic on Josephine was barely noticeable.
The atmosphere is elegant, but in a very comfortable way. If Louisa is right, we were there ten years ago. Regardless, I don’t expect to wait that long again. We made reservations, though I don’t know how important that is. Enjoy Opus when you can.

Just the name «Opus» sounds elegant and fancy, and this place is. But not overly so to a point of snootyness or pretentiousness. I did make a reservation just to be sure though. I’m entertaining a business potential client and wanted to make a good impression. Turns out this time my client is a female, since usually I have male clients. So I won’t be in my professional yet flirty mode, but be in my lets be friends and bond mode. This place I think will be good for that.
I dress appropriately for an upscale dinner but still professionally. My client is on time and we are seated. I like the interior, well thought out but not over stated. Our server is very professional and not like those chain restaurant servers with all the per rehearsed upsells and perkyness. There is a full bar. We order wine. If my client were a guy, we’d probably be having Scotch or something that older executive type guys like. Friendly conversation ensues.
Looking over the appetizers, I see one of my fave thing s to eat, Crab Cakes! Chesapeake crab cakes, eggplant, garlic white bean purée, smoked tomato coulis ($ 13.00). My client say how about the Scallops? Describes as Sumac dusted sea scallops, fava bean purée, salt poached ramps, pomegranate molasses ($ 18.00), that sounded good. We sip our wine and talk. The appetizers arrive. The portions are not huge, but appropriate. The crab cakes are divine! The crab flavor comes through and the texture in my mouth is wonderful. My dining partner likes them as well. The scallops are executed perfectly, not over cooked and not raw either. Tender to the fork and tongue, they were exquisite!
For entrees, I had the mustard brushed Sea Bass: braised kale, sweet potato apple gratin, and lime sauce ($ 34.00) and my client, she had the grilled Duck Breast: German cabbage, mushroom risotto, served with maple cider duck jus. ($ 39.00) When our food arrived, I mentioned that duck was one of my fave things to eat. She extends a morsel of the duck breast on a fork over to me. OK, do I take the fork with my hand or let her feed me? OK, leaning over, I let her place the duck morsel in my mouth. She smiles. Wow, that was tasty, plus I think we just did a bonding thing! My entrée of sea bass was nice. Not as nice as the duck, but this is suppose to be business, not a foodie tasting experiment.
My dinner went well. Service was on point and professional. Prices are what you might expect in a higher end dining establishment and the food quality was superb. My client seemed happy and connections were made. Dinner was a success. I’d use this restaurant again.

That was terrible! Ha! So yummy. I forgot to take pics of everything before we ate it but it was delish in every way! So good we ordered a cheese platter to go so we can eat the lunch tomorrow. Anthony was 5***** in his approach. Great knowledge in everything from wine to cheese to how everything is prepared. Can’t up wrong with him at your side. We will be back.

I hate to do this, but I really didn’t feel like Opus was worth the price.
We ordered the vegetarian tasting menu. The first course, a salad with chickpeas, was delicious. My husband isn’t a salad person, and even he enjoyed this salad. I’ve only seen him eat one other salad in my life, so this is really saying something.
The rest of our courses really left a lot to be desired. Our second course was an artichoke soup. It was creamy and good but I felt that it lacked much flavor. I’m not sure if artichoke, alone, is a strong enough flavor for a soup.
Our third course was beets in a balsamic drizzle. I believe the beets were raw, and neither my husband nor I were excited about the beets. We ate them, because we were paying a lot of money for the beets, but I would have preferred to save those calories.
The entrée was Shiitake mushrooms. Mushrooms have SO much potential, but I really wasn’t impressed by this dish. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but the combination of flavors wasn’t appealing for my husband or me.
Our dessert was good. I had a lemon tart, which was really more like a lemon custard. My husband had crème brûlée. Both were delicious and not too sweet, which is a common complaint of mine when ordering dessert. I prefer a dessert that isn’t so saccharine that it gives me a stomachache.
The service was outstanding. Incredibly professional and we were well taken care of throughout the night. However, I felt that the décor left a lot to be desired. It seemed dated and in need of renovations. White linens covered most of the tables, and honestly, looked cheap. There was a table in the center of the dining room (and it felt like a Hosses style dining room) that was supposed to act as «décor» as it was covered in wine bottles and a piece of artwork, but it was mostly empty and the art was arranged on the table haphazardly. The color on the walls remind me of the color I’ve seen in the lobbies of many Comfort Inns. While we were there, we were the only patrons under the age of 50. The décor, and the other guests, indicate that their main clientele is the 50+ crowd.
Overall, meal was just okay and CERTAINLY not worth the $ 200 we spent (that total INCLUDES a Groupon deal that gave us $ 25 off). I will not be back. It’s not worth the money, even with a Groupon.

I had never been here before but after hearing of their «five for five» happy hour, I decided it was too good to pass up. The happy hour starts at 3pm and goes until 8pm and features several signature drinks, white and red wine for five bucks! Also included in this deal are their burgers.
Rick was our very friendly server at the bar. We tried three of the signature drinks and all were all delicious but my favorite was the Denver Donkey (their version of a moscow mule). I had the bacon burger which was equally tasty and when our bill came, I was delighted!
You can’t get a deal like this anywhere in Denver so take advantage and be sure to tip your server what your meal was worth, not what you were charged! :)

Went to Opus for lunch with a TravelZoo Voucher. Made reservations online and called ahead of time to let them know I would be a little late. No problem and they let me know they have a complimentary parking lot on the side of the restaurant. I loved that since one of my pet peeves is paying for parking and the Cherry Creek area is a pain in finding parking.
Were greeted by Chris, the General Manager and our server was Rick. They were both very friendly, helpful and professional.
Got a table by the window and we selected wines to go with our meals. We decided on the lunch prix fixe menu which is $ 25 per person, but was included in the price of our voucher – yea!
I decided on the mixed greens (English peas, white balsamic vinaigrette and radishes). For the main course, the pan seared scallops with beets and tapenade vinaigrette and for dessert, the crème brûlée with passion fruit, berries and meringues.
My daughter chose the artichoke bisque with black truffle pearls and artichoke cream (so yummy and creamy!!!), the beef shoulder steak with roasted asparagus, lemon yogurt and peanuts and the lemon tart verrine with vanilla cream, lemon curd and almond shortbread.
Everything was extremely well done, well presented and absolutely delicious!
Even without the voucher, this would be a great meal at a very good price!

Interesting that this restaurant that almost always looks virtually empty when I pass by garners many 5 star marks, unfortunately punctuated with 1 or 2 star reviews which effectively bring down its rating to under 4 stars. So this presents something of a conundrum. (Isn’t that a cool word. .. «conundrum»?:).
Well, I think I may have figured it out.
The place has bad parking, even for Cherry Creek. And its ambiance seems geared to the older crowd. Add on that they seem to rely heavily on the coupon discounts (and you can count me in as one of the users ’cause the prices are a bit steep), plus it may need a change in the front-​of-​the-​house staff, and I think they’ve created a business model that’s not now aimed at success.
That said, the food we had there last night (the Kitchen Tasting Menu with a Groupon that made it affordable), was incredibly good. So good, we asked the server (sweet Amy) to please tell the chef how much we enjoyed the meal, and identified some of the dishes that totally blew our socks off – like, for example, the seared scallop served on thinly sliced cucumber with smoked oysters and a light vinaigrette sauce with capers (!) It was mind-​gasmically fantastic.
At the end of our meal, the sous chef came out and treated us to a little after-​party 2^nd dessert bite for free which was really nice. He seemed like a hard-​working and very talented guy. And the service, at least for us, was also excellent.
Bottom line: I’m gonna do the right thing and give the restaurant the 5 star review it deserves for last night, but I’m putting a little asterisk here to humbly suggest to the owners that they may need to adjust the front-​of-​the-​house staff, lower their prices just a little, and cut back on the coupon approach.
Just a suggestion from a very satisfied patron who wants you to succeed.

The best brunch I have had in a loooooong time. From start to finish this was five star.
They started us off with a complimentary beignet. There were hints of cinnamon and vanilla in a warm, comforting start to our meal.
I ordered the Spanish Breakfast Sandwich and it was delicious. The chorizo was a thinly sliced, flavorful sausage. It was a welcome change from the usual ground chorizo you see. The fried eggs were perfectly over easy. Even though I was full I kept eating until it was completely gone.
The pork belly hash was divine. Succulent and flavorful. I want more.
My daughter had the a la carte pancake and side of fruit. The pancake was one one the best I have had since she was born. Having sampled many of her pancakes through the years, this one put the others to shame. This was not your average, mass-​produced pancake batter. Someone put some love into this and it showed.
The sides of fruit and bacon could have easily been average and unmentionable, but they weren’t. The fruit arrangement was gorgeous. The bacon was great. But then again, bacon is almost always great.
Thank you, Opus. Your staff was exceedingly friendly and the food was superb.

As the big baller, shot caller that I am, I decided to do what big ballers, shot callers do. They dine at fine dining establishments, so naturally that’s what I did.
Alright, that’s my attempt at faking it til’ I’m making it. I’m not a fancy person and I’m normally not one to drop a lot of cash money on a meal at an upscale restaurant. However, I’m glad I broke out of my mold and enjoyed an extravagantly nice 3-​course meal at Opus last weekend with my husband. Admittedly, we did feel like we were the kids sitting at the kids table in the joint, but it was enjoyable nonetheless.
Before I launch into recounting our experience, I’ll provide the following breakdown:
Food — 5*
Service — 4*
Ambiance — 3*
Food:
Beginning with the Chef’s amuse bouche to our starters to our main courses and finishing with dessert, each dish was really quite phenomenal. Admittedly, I may have rolled my eyes when I was told my pork belly starter was «Paired with foam,» but damn those air bubbles were tasty! My pork loin entrée was accompanied by the most deliciously seasoned smashed potato — I did not foresee myself singing the praises of a potato, but here I am. Really, my compliments to the chef because everything was just so, so good.
Service:
Everyone at Opus was friendly and when I say, «everyone,» I mean everyone. I think every person working that Friday night came to our table at some point throughout the evening. We were greeted by our server and soon after someone else was bringing us bread (two types, both delicious) or filling our wine glasses or clearing our silverware or checking in on us. We were definitely taken care of, but perhaps there were a few too many cooks in the kitchen (or servers in the dining room in this case) buzzing about.
Ambiance:
I think the atmosphere is lacking and it’s no fault of Opus’, but more the space itself. Due to low ceilings and poor lighting, we kind of felt like the restaurant itself was in a daylight basement. I think the small touch of adding candles to the tables could make a big difference in the mood and setting. Also, the floors remind me of a gymnasium or something… cover that thing up because big ballers don’t like the look of that.
If you feel like splurging on a lovely meal and a glass of wine or two, I suggest you put on your fancy pants and give Opus a try. For what it lacks in feng shui, it makes up for in flavor.

Our night was pretty magical. I invited my girl friend here to celebrate her birthday, turned out we were the only reservation that afternoon, and the only customers that night (well, at least until 7:30pm, maybe more showed up afterwards), probably due to the rain and the Rockies game. But we didn’t mind it a bit, it felt like having the entire restaurant to ourselves! And I’m not worried for the restaurant because I know Opus is one of those high ranking classy restaurants in Denver, and for a good reason!
I’d been to the same location before, dined at Aria, but thought that was only OK. Maybe I shouldn’t have expected too much from lunch. So glad Opus is taking over (even though I know the two are sister restaurants anyway).
Our server of the night was polite, helpful, and a joy to talk to. I think his name is Josiah (maybe of different spelling). He first answered all of our questions about the menu and then offered to have the chef create something vegetarian just for my friend! Provided they were slow that night but still, he didn’t have to offer, so I thought the gesture was very nice!
After the amazing Chef’s amuse bouche (Korean Pear gazpacho with fennel oil, in a cute little wine glass! which was incredibly refreshing, you’d think you’re drinking a pear smoothie at the same time you know you’re not because of a few savory notes and the fragrant fennel oil) and the bread plate (focaccia with olive oil, hawaiian sea salt, compound butter), we were already half full. I would’ve only had once piece of bread if I knew what was coming!
For appetizer, I chose the «pureed fennel soup» for I couldn’t get enouh of the fennel scent! And it was the creamiest cream-​free soup I’ve ever tasted. There’s nothing not to love about this soup, you get all the same texture as a cream based soup but you definitely won’t get stuffed, I cleaned my plate pretty well, lol. My friend had the «parmiganno gnocchi, truffle honey, poached apple, nuts» dish and it was quite a hearty appetizer. We were told the gnocchi didn’t have starch in it (not made with potatoes) and I’m here to tell you, that’s the way to eat gnocchi! Again, you don’t get too filled up and the «pasta» doesn’t have that annoying tang note to it with the abscence of the spuds.
My entrée was beautiful: popcorn sea scallops, sweet corn tomato sauté, neuske’s bacon. Those jumbo scallops were huge, each one is almost half the size of my palm! I didn’t think the popcorn added too much to the dish, too ironic it’s named after it. The sauce/​broth was delicious, I think I cleaned that plate off very well too, hee hee. My friend’s vegetarian special that the chef created just for her was seared polenta cakes topped with fresh veggies and dollops of cream, it’s just as beautiful and she loved it!
I can’t believe we still had dessert coming! I packed half of my oatmeal pie but ate the butterscotch and whipped cream mixture which tasted like heaven! Despite how full I was, I reached over to my friend’s dark chocolate ganache, peanut butter, candied peanut, vanilla ice cream and had a taste of everything, just as indulgent.
I hope when I come back for brunch next tim the experience will be just as amazing! Highly recommended!

We went for Sunday Brunch using a $ 12
coupon for $ 42 worth of food. It was located on Josephine St/​E 2^nd Ave in the Cherry Creek North neighborhood of Denver. There was street and public lot parking. There were about
7 – 8 parties having brunch.
The server was very knowledgeable about the menu and made a few recommendations.
We were brought a complimentary beignet. It was rolled in powdered sugar and not too sweet.
My husband ordered a Bloody Mary ($ 10). He could not taste or feel the alcohol. It came with a skewer of a green bean, pickle, and green olive.
Our entrees came shortly after the Bloody Mary. My husband ordered the Bernaise Omlete ($ 17) which had slices of tenderloin, shallot, tarragon and parmigianno inside an omlete. The entrée came with a small triangle of layered cheesy potatoes. It was like scalloped potatoes. Yummy!
I ordered the Benedict of Monte Cristo ($ 15) which was a small toasted ham and cheese sandwich topped with two poached eggs and covered with hollandaise sauce. It also came with the cheddar potatoes. There were 2 fresh raspberries on the plate on top of a raspberry sauce as garnish. The presentation of both entrees was beautiful. I would order this again.
Food was good, but pricey. I don’t know if we would be back without a coupon.