Wanted to try it, as my husband and I do love wine a lot, and the concept of small plates, and wine flights. Â I guess we just bombed out with our particular server. Â He just wasn't "on", at all, from the get-go. Â Didn't know anything about the rose' flight (I wanted to make sure it was dry, not sweet pink stuff), then, the kiss of death for us: Â my husband ordered the pinot noir flight, and the server brought the shiraz/syrah flight, and when questioned, took the info. card back and said "Oh, yeah, I poured you the pinot, just gave you the wrong info. card". Â One sip, and we knew he had lied to us. Â No way to pretend an Aussie shiraz is an Oregon Pinot.
Went further downhill when I ordered two small plates, and, before my husband could place his order, the server turned on his heel and left. Â When he returned, my husband ordered one item, and when it came out, sure enough, it was NOT what he had ordered.
It is QUITE loud, even at half-full on a Saturday eve.  Not much going on décor-wise.
Won't go back. Â Wine Experience in Southlands Mall Aurora has this place beat, hands down.
Quaint, small wine bar in Park Meadows area trying very hard to be hip. Â Small seating area inside and fenced in patio area out front. Â Only one bathroom stall for the women's room, yikes! Â I was there for an event sponsored by Uncorked Denver, so I don't know if the quality of the wine and the food would be the same on a normal night. Â Wine was varied and interesting and was paired well with the appetizers. Â The pork belly app was divine. Â Event itself was disorganized and impacted my overall impression of the place.
Review Source:A very good experience with my lady on a Sunday afternoon. Started with appetizer, then went for the brunch for two. Timing between courses was good, food was well prepared and at the right temperature. Wine selections were numerous and varied; our two samplers were fine for a long afternoon. Staff were attentive and knew when to hold back during private moments.
Review Source:The absolute worst customer service and scallops. I decided to bring a few of my Denver based team here for wine and tapas. The wine selection was decent, but the service terrible. We had about $200 in wine and had some snacks. The seared scallops were way too salty (3 per order). Tasted like they poured a whole bottle of salt on it. We each tasted it and agreed. We sent it back and the manager challenged my palate, stating that the last customer liked it (mistake #1). They re-made it and it was horrible again. Â Again the manager challenged us and had poor attitude (mistake #2). When the bill came they had charged us for it (mistake #3). I asked him to remove that charge and he refuses, stating that we had eaten off of both plates - duh, we tried it and it was bad (mistake #4). In any event I paid for it, because at this point I just wanted to leave as "the customer was wrong." Â I will never bring a colleague, friend, or anyone here again. If you are in the area and want impeccable wine, seafood and service - go to Shanahans. Don't waste your time here.
Review Source:About 10 of us went in for happy hour and sat in the back wine cellar room. Very nice and food was tasty. We all had multiple wine flights - TOTES GET IT ;)
- Pear & Gorgonzola Pizza
- Pizza Bianco
- Margherita Pizza
- Salsiccia Pizza
- Sinful Experience Cheese & Cured Meat Plate
- FONDUE DESSERT
I met one of my friends here for light munchies and vino at about 8 PM on a Friday. Â The tables and bar were both packed and we had to wait about 10-15 minutes for a table to open up. Â I was immediately impressed with the classy atmosphere and immediate, continual attention paid to us by everyone at Cru. Â From the greeter to the bartender and finally our waiter, we were very well taken care of for the entirety of our visit. Â
We split a cheese sampler (which was a lot of food for the price) and a dessert. Â Both were superb. Â All of the wines we tried (by the glass) were fabulous. Â Our waiter, Ryan, recommended an excellent dessert wine to accompany our chocolate fantasy.
I'll be back again and again. Â Glad to have Cru in the neighborhood!
Wine, mussels, and bread, Oh my! In my book, this is a five star combination every time. The Shiraz-Syrah wine flight was great. I love sampling wines and can never decide on a favorite. They are all so good! Don't ask me to choose!
The mussels came out in this huge, cast iron pot (literally a 5 inch deep pot, not a skillet). I tried to be dainty and use the little fork to pull each individual mussel out of its shell. I knew I was enjoying myself when I put the fork down and started slurping those mussels right out of the shell. Elbow deep in mussel shell, Oh my!
Then, there was the bread. There is nothing like dipping bread into the mussel broth and letting it absorb all those juices. My taste buds are still dancing!
Great ambiance, great wine, and great food! Bottom line, Cru is my kind of place!
Great little place!
Great wine selection, and the appetizer Tuna Tartar (with avocado, raw tuna, etc) was excellent!! Fantastic service also. When I accidentally dropped my wine glass, the waiters came rushing out to wipe the table, got me a new glass of wine, new plate of food, and brought a red wine stain remover for my husband's white shirt :)
I'd rather give this a 3.5 star review. Â But where I live my two "local" wine bar choices are Cru Wine Bar or Indulge. Â Although I prefer to patronize non-chain places, Cru simply offers better value than Indulge.
Most recent visit was during Restaurant Week. Â So here's what I had:
-- petite filet - nicely done
-- chocolate lava cake - should've been a touch warmer, but was otherwise good
-- saffron balls. Â Ummmm. Â Can I say "tasteless disaster?" Â Seriously, these must have been missing some flavor. Â The taste was your basic cardboard. Â The "lamb" was a miniscule piece in the center of the cardboard.
Had the Latin flight (all Malbecs which I enjoy) and the Cabs flight. Â Tastings were good size. Â Service was fine but not remarkable.
While I'm rereading this it seems like this is a mediocre place. Â It's not. Â The appetizer needed to be better. Â Again, IMO, if you want more than a glass of wine, come to Cru. Â Indulge just isn't cutting it for me.
We went to Cru for Denver Restaurant week with a group of 9 people. They only serve the restaurant week menu during restaurant week-which a few people in my group found frustrating. The website advertising Cru for restaurant week stated there would be bottles of wine for 26.40 and 52.80. They only had one bottle of wine for 26.40-which was a sparkling rose. Not a big hit with my group. The happy hour at Cru is not very good 3.00 off flights and glasses. The problem is they don't a glass of wine that is less than 10.00 a glass pre happy hour price and most of them are around 15.00 a glass and 16.00 for a flight. Really not enough of a range of prices. I had the pinot noir flight at the happy hour price of 13.00(16.00 regular price). Way overpriced for the quality of pinot. Most of the people had the spinach & gruyere tart for the appetizer-which was absolutely fabulous! The highlight of the whole meal. Â The beet salad got a mediocre reception as did the saffron risotto balls. If you go for restaurant week I would avoid the steak for the main course. Not really seasoned and very small portions. The people who ordered the salmon and pork chops were happy with their main course. No one had the chicken so I can't give any feedback on that choice. The bread pudding for dessert was also not a success. It was too dry and the caramel tasted burnt. I sent mine back and got the cheesecake. The server was very nice and didn't have a problem when I sent back the bread pudding. The cheesecake was very dense but tasty and the chocolate cake was very good. Overall some really good food and some really bad food, small portions on the main course and okay desserts. Not enough of a price range on the wine and advertised bottles of wine for 26.40 didn't really exist. Very good service but I doubt I'll be going to Cru Wine bar for restaurant week next year or for happy hour.
Review Source:After taking the light rail from downtown Denver to Park Meadows mall for  the President's Day Sales, Cru was a great stop to relax before heading back on the light rail to Denver.  We had the wine flights, a roasted tomato soup with grilled cheese sandwich, a cheese flight with apples, grapes and pears.  At first I was just going to have a nibble of my husband's sandwich, but it was so delicious I ate half of it.  Cru was a great way to end the day.
Review Source:Came here after work to meet (2) friends of mine on Friday after a long work week. Â Since it's at Park Meadows Mall (next to Macy's) make sure you understand that you will be parking far unless you have the money to "Valet" Â I enjoyed the the set up of the wine bar with a wall shelved with many different red/white wine. Â We sat up at the bar & the woman behind the counter was quiet pleasant however she was not very informational when it came to wine..and might I add, perhaps the owner should make sure to hire staff that has a wine background. Â Thats what I was very unhappy about my whole experience at Cru. Â
The pricing for the flights were a little higher than usual but I enjoyed the Pinot Noir Flight (which consisted of (3) 2 oz glasses of 3 different wines. Â When asked the lady behind the counter whether they were based on light, medium and full bodied-her answer was oh i'm not sure but definitely by price, with the last one being the most expensive. Any wine lover, knows it's not the price that matters it's the experience of enjoying great wine..and having someone whom serves it should know these little over-seen questions. Â Toward the end of the night, it got pretty busy and while trying to cater to all the new walk-ins, she ignored us 3 at the end. When leaving, though she apologized for not being as attentive to us, ,,,,highly is not good service. Â I hope the Cru downtown had experience wine connoisseurs or employees that have more background.
Absolutely Lame, Â I just called to make a reservation for 8:00 and the hostess said "we close at 9:00. Â I said I don't want a reservation for 9, I would like it for 8. Â She said "The kitchen closes at 8:30." Â I said forget it. Â I will not be an inconvenience EVER at this restaurant.
Review Source:Okay...first review of the short Turkey Day trip. Â And while I ate turkey here, if it wasn't for the beginning of the meal, this would be rated as a turkey.
Started off promising...a nice flight of sparklers with the best being a Veuve Cliquot Brut. Â We had ordered the 3 course Thanksgiving menu and the first course was a lovely butternut squash ravioli.
Next up was a typical Thanksgiving plate of Turkey, veggies, potatoes and a few odds and ends. Â I expressed an interest in another flight of wine, to go with the entree, and the Server (who announced he was Executive Chef/Manager) said he'd be right back.
I started to eat my meal...Turkey a bit dry...veggies okay...potatoes a bit overdone...no second flight yet...
Conversation going well...meal still mediocre...almost finished...no second flight yet...
Meal finished...completely mediocre...finally Server/GM/Chef comes over and says: "Oh; I forgot you wanted more wine". Â Uh, you are a wine bar and you forgot I wanted more wine? Â Are you curious why this Cru is rated lower than the LoDo Cru because, Sparky, I think we have your answer. Â
The Server/Chef/GM gave us a a complimentary glass of Australian dessert wine...nice gesture but not exactly a great match with molten lava chocolate cake. Â Plus it didn't make up for the fact that I ate my meal, at a wine bar, with no wine.
They should probably only get one star but the presence of my lovely friend and great conversation makes me a wee charitable today :)
Stopped by Cru Wine Bar in Larimer Square with some work friends to say farewell to a departing colleague. Â This has to be about my 100th visit to this place. Â The ambiance is perfect, especially in the evening hours. Â The wine selection is excellent and most of the waiters have a very deep knowledge of wine and can make very good recommendations based your stated preferences. Â The easily overlooked downstairs area is great for groups. Â This is hands down the best wine bar in Denver and has been for years.
Review Source:Cru is an awesome place to wind down an evening. Â Order a wine flight, and then if you're not too lightweight ;), pick one from the flight and have a full glass (they're generous). Â Then, have another flight. Â
We also did a dessert fondue plate, which really, you can't get wrong!
I hope to go back there another time for a meal, and will be happy to comment more then!
Cru is in an excellent location, tucked in on the S. side of Park Meadows, in the outdoor "village," near Brooks Brothers. Decor is open and simple, featuring painted wine labels on one wall; lots of natural light at sunset. Â I sampled a Champagne flight featuring three excellent California and Italian champagnes; a chicken & shrimp potsticker, and chocolate fondue featuring pineapple, strawberries, pound cake and banana slices. Â Food was good, the staff friendly, the prices reasonable. This is a great place to relax while waiting for a table at a nearby restaurant, or meeting up with friends. The design of the space made it just slightly on the noisy side as it filled up, reducing the rating by one star. In sum, Cru is an excellent, adult addition to the mall and I will go back.
Review Source:I enjoy trying different wines here through their Flights. The place is rather small. The service is fine. But the appetizers we've had there so far were just inedible. I felt we were force-fed because they were very overpriced and didn't want to send them back or just leave them uneaten. Won't be going back. They need to improve their food menu.
Review Source:Ah, life does throw you a happy ending every now and again. Â Six or eight weeks ago, I stopped by Cru after lunchtime while I was eating in the area. Â I was hoping to speak with the manager about my poor experiences and have it righted. Â I caught Greg at a quiet time and told him what had happened recently and he was terrific. Â He offered to host Tim and I for dinner. Â With busy schedules, we just went on Friday night and had a 100% delightful evening. Â It was freezing outside, but the mood lighting and tea lights everywhere made it warm and cozy. Â I adore side-by -side seating for romantic dining and they have several great mini couches that are perfect for this. Â The mood was set. Â We both ordered the 3-course Prix Fixe menu($26.50). Â 3 choices for each course and we started with a tasty cheese plate and fried calamari. Â We thought both were perfect to start. Â They make the most delectable flatbread...PERFECT with cheese. Â For entrees, we had the scallops with risotto and the chicken marsala. Â Really liked the scallops but the chicken was too thick and dried out. Â Sauce was okay but the dish was so-so overall. Â For dessert, we opted for the 2-person chocolate fondue with fresh fruit and pound cake. Â Lovely when I'm cozying up to my honey on a cold night. Â Greg was incredibly gracious and welcoming and our server balanced being attentive with giving us our privacy. Â So thrilled to have things remedied so nicely. Â Cru at Park Meadows is back on the go-to list!
Review Source:I had almost an identical experience to Amy R's....
Met up with some friends after work and each of us ordered a wine flight and we also got a couple of appetizers to share with the table. Â I really had no complaints at that time....the fried brie was DELISH, the truffled fondue was excellent also, and who doesn't love wine? Â Which is why this place got 2 stars....
My serious annoyance with this place came after we had already finished up and paid for our drinks and appetizers.
We were just sitting there chatting, deciding where to go next, and the manager came over to check on us. Â Maybe I'm being a bit cynical, but it didn't feel like a "how was everything?" visit, but more like a "you already paid, why are you still here?" visit. Â THEN he tells us that we simply must return sometime for their great 1/2 price Happy Hour which goes until 6pm. Â Ummmm, we ordered at 5:30--does that mean we should have gotten everything 1/2 price?? Â His response--"Oops! Â Well sometimes we just lose track of time. Â We'll take care of you next time you come in." Â WTF? Â Are you kidding me? Â Not that there will ever be a next time, but what are we supposed to do--come in another time and say "uhhh yeah, some dude whose name we don't know said he would take care of us."
LAME. Â I should have known better than to eat in a mall parking lot.
I love this place. I've been four times now. Apart from the wine flights and the happy service, the food is excellent. I seriously dream about the fondue. I am a cheese snob and the way they finish it off with truffle oil and mix multiple cheeses is amazing. I love that the flights are always changing so you can taste something different every time you go too. I highly recommend it.
Review Source:I've eaten at the Cru on Larimer a couple of times so I went to Cru knowing I would get a great dinner. For appetizers we had the fried brie (genius!) with grapes. Probably the most delicious appetizer ever. Â I had the Poached Salmon with the Seared Shrimp. It had couscous a medley of vegetables and a nice sauce. My friend got the Seared Kobe Beef which was also excellent. We finished the evening with the Volcano chocolate cake which was amazing. I will go back.
Review Source:I have been to Cru twice. The first time was just about a year ago and I had a WONDERFUL time with a great friend. Â We ordered two flights of wine and a flight of cheeses and a couple of appetizers. Â One of the appetizers was inedible and we sent it back and got something else. Â Everything else was AMAZING! Â
On my second trip I went with another friend when we snuck away for a glass of wine in the middle of the afternoon. Â We walked in and looked around... no one. No one ever came to help us. After 5 or 6 minutes we walked out.
I went again with the same friend I went with the first time and had another beautiful experience. Â The woman I have gone with has extensive wine experience and so I leave it to her to order the expensive bottle of wine after we have our flight. Â We again ordered two flights of cheese and honestly could not have been happier. Â We spent about 3 hours there just catching up and enjoying the wine and cheese.
I can't wait to go back!
Cru has done an excellent job of recreating it's very popular Larimer wine bar for us SouthEast Denver Folk.
In the new "Vistas" at Park Meadows, Cru has Pole Position, located right next to the $7 Valet, and the Mall Parking Lot; the entry way to the 10 or so upscale eateries.
Tracy A is spot on in her observations; no Recession at the Vistas.
Monday night, between Christmas and New Year's, no less, and the parking lot is filled with Porche Cayenne's and Beemers.
Cru had about 10 patrons -- not bad for a 9pm Monday Night, and for a bar without large screen TV's with Monday Night Football -- actually, this is the Anti - Football Crowd, people here are talking Fashion and Net Worth, asking their life partners if they would prefer the $14 Glass of Seghesio or the $22 Glass of Fransican.
Although we only stopped for a glass of wine, they do have an array of small plates which we plan on trying during HH, as the Recession did hit further down E470.
Cru Wine Bar has opened a second Colorado location in the new addition at Park Meadows. Very nice place, with low lights and a warm, cozy vibe. It closely resembles their LoDo spot, but it's bigger, with a lovely private room in the back seating 8-10.
Our service was good, and the wine list offered a nice range of choices. We enjoyed the Chef's Choice cheese flight as an app. Some of us had Malbec, and some a flight of California Chardonnays -- all tasty. The pizzas were good, served on individual pans, with fresh, tasty ingredients.
Apparently the folks around Park Meadows haven't heard about the Great Recession of 2008: The parking lots were so packed that we had to use the valet so we'd be on time to meet our friends ($7, not validated by Cru).
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