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  5. Cherry Creek
Shells and Sauce, Denver, CO

Shells and Sauce

4.6
4.6
2768 Reviews
$30 and under
Italian
General Manager, Oscar Venegas and Executive Chef Marcus Jimenez are serving authentic Italian American food in the heart of Congress Park. Shells and Sauce brings Old Country taste to a cozy neighborhood restaurant. If you’re craving home-made lasagna, meat or fish, Shells and Sauce has a variety of savory appetizers and entrees to chose from. We also boast an extensive wine list to pair with anything you choose, and we offer delicious desserts to top off your evening. Whether you sit on our rooftop or in our main dining room to watch our open kitchen, Shells and Sauce is a great place to entertain friends or family in an inviting setting. Step into our kitchen and let us share our passion for food!

Make a reservation

2 people

7:00 PM


Booked 12 times today

Additional information

  • Dining style

    Casual Dining

  • Cuisines

    Italian, American, Comfort Food

  • Hours of operation

    Dinner Tue–Thu 3:00 pm–8:30 pm Fri, Sat 3:00 pm–9:00 pm

  • Phone number

    (303) 377-2091

  • Payment options

    AMEX, Discover, MasterCard, Visa

  • Dress code

    Casual Dress

  • Executive chef

    Marcus Jimenez

  • Catering

    We cater all events. You are welcome to pick up the food or have it delivered from our Catering Menu. We have catered all occasions; from small birthday parties to President Obamas Tour and Media when running for his second term.

  • Private party facilities

    We do private events events from 10-130 guests. We have two floors. Our first floor seats 70 our second floor seats 60. There is a bar on each floor. The second floor is perfect for everything from Wedding Dinners to Corporate Parties. The second floor can be used Privately or Semi Private with Food and Beverage Minimums.

  • Neighborhood

    Cherry Creek

  • Cross street

    12th and Elizabeth.

  • Parking details

    Easy to find parking on the street, or park in our lot behind the restaurant.

  • Public transit

    Bus #10 & 12

  • Additional

    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Counter Seating, Delivery, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, High Tea, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, View, Wheelchair Access, Wine

What 2,768 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.6
4.6 based on recent ratings
  • 4.6Food
  • 4.6Service
  • 4.3Ambience
  • 4.5Value

NoiseModerate

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  1. robert

    Denver

    26 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    26 reviews

    Dined 2 days ago

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Terrific! Love the longtime staff, it’s like seeing family
  2. SarahS

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 6 days ago

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Great Italian place in Denver! We were spoiled living on the east coast with all the authentic Italian cuisine and it’s been hard to find here. We don’t have to look anymore! Shells and Sauce is a must try spot
  3. LisaV

    Denver

    11 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    11 reviews

    Dined on March 12, 2023

    overall4food5service5ambience4
    A little chaotic and loud when waiting for our table but once we got to our table (during restaurant week), we had a great table, great food and excellent service.
  4. OpenTable Diner

    Denver

    13 reviews

    vip
    3.0

    13 reviews

    Dined on March 12, 2023

    overall3food4service2ambience3
    Arrived early but no table so came back and then waited 25 minutes past reservation, service was very very slow throughout dinning, food was great especially the pasta and GF dishes, but the special pork loin was dry and tough
  5. aliceh

    Denver

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on March 12, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Food and service was exceptional. Had a great table upstairs.
  6. MariaM

    Denver

    4 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on March 11, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience3
    And this is why restaurant week is wonderful. Found our new favorite Italian restaurant. The menu is exciting and authentic; the food fresh and tasty. Wish it were in our neighborhood but it is worth the drive. Definitely will be back…. and back again.
  7. PriscillaS

    Denver

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on March 11, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience3
    First time here, great food and service. Very crowded though.
  8. SmartyPants

    Denver

    12 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    12 reviews

    Dined on March 11, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Food was fantastic as always! Jamie our server was the best, we were a bunch of noisy and indecisive women and he took good care of us. Food came quickly and portions were nice, a few of us will have lunch tomorrow!
  9. OpenTable Diner

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on March 10, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    They took great care of us, as always!
  10. ImThatGuy

    Denver

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on March 9, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience4
    Shells and Sauce might be the best Italian I’ve ever had. Everything was so delicious and portions felt perfectly sized. Only down part of the night was I wanted to order a special and they were all out (but I can’t blame them for making such a good-sounding special).
  11. MoniqueF

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on March 9, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Absolutely loved our experience start to finish. The food was incredible!! I can’t wait to go back and try something else! Our waiter was friendly and attentive-
  12. AnnaU

    Denver

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on March 9, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    We had the crab cakes that were amazing! They were a great size not your usual one bite appetizer. Delicious. Filet Mignon stroganoff was also a very large portion. Great flavors. We shared desserts. Cheesecake was the best! We will definitely be going back. So nice to have a great night out with delicious food!! Hard to find these days and reasonably priced.
  13. Yummy

    Denver

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on March 7, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Quaint family owned business food was amazing. In and out under 1 hour. Well worth the money
  14. OpenTable Diner

    Louisville

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on March 4, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    We came to Denver for a weekend and this place is by far the best place we ate at. The service was great, food amazing.. we will definitely be back!
  15. OpenTable Diner

    Denver

    3 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on March 1, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience4
    Fabulous food and service!! Went back twice in a week! Highly recommend.
  16. AndreaC

    Denver

    14 reviews

    5.0

    14 reviews

    Dined on February 26, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Wonderful, happy and noisy Italian eatery. Very accommodating staff, excellent service and food is wonderful. Everyone here was having a good time, laughing, etc. Do have reservations!
  17. Lisa

    Denver

    10 reviews

    5.0

    10 reviews

    Dined on February 25, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience4
    Arrived and our table was ready early, thus we were able to enjoy a happy hour cocktail while waiting for friends to arrive. Great friendly service!
  18. OpenTable Diner

    Denver

    4 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on February 19, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Excellent as always!
  19. Jackie

    Denver

    8 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    8 reviews

    Dined on February 15, 2023

    overall5food5service4ambience4
    We love shells and sauce! Our food was delish and drinks outstanding. Our server was excellent as well. My only issue is that we waited 15 minutes after our reservation jus to be addressed by someone for a table- I was worried no one was going to approach us at all! We stood at the front waiting and waiting. Luckily I flagged someone down to get us seated. It would be nice if shells and sauce had a dedicated host for this reason. The food and service is excellent otherwise.
  20. Mike

    Denver

    20 reviews

    5.0

    20 reviews

    Dined on February 14, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Came for Valentine’s Day with my wife and daughter. Our server was friendly and attentive, the busser was on top of all our finished dishes, and the food was spectacular! This is my my wife’s favorite restaurant and we come as often as we can, living far away.
  21. PaigeM

    Denver

    2 reviews

    4.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on February 12, 2023

    overall4food2service3ambience4
    We’ve been many times and this night the service and food were not great. Food came out cold and no taste. Sent it back and manager made a special dish that was supposed to be comped by the restaurant. Our bill was wrong and just did not like our experience.
  22. OpenTable Diner

    Denver

    1 review

    vip
    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on February 11, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Awesome from start to finish!
  23. robert

    Denver

    27 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    27 reviews

    Dined on January 29, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Wonderful food and service — my only regret is I forgot my leftovers, oh well I’ll have to go back
  24. OpenTable Diner

    Denver

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on January 28, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Maria is AMAZING! We make it a point to ask for her section every time!
  25. DavidG

    Denver

    29 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    29 reviews

    Dined on January 22, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience4
    We love this restaurant. The food and service are always consistently great!
  26. HilaryE

    Denver

    15 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    15 reviews

    Dined on January 22, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    This was our first time to Shells & Sauce and we definitely be back! The neighborhood location is so fun; the funky building with the best upstairs seating all adds to the experience. The staff and server were absolutely fantastic; they all made us feel comfortable and at home. The food! Homemade, authentic Italian comfort food. The margarita flatbread was the perfect starters; my husband had the lasagna and loved it; I had the veggie piccata which was light and delightful! We had a wonderful time!
  27. OpenTable Diner

    Denver

    8 reviews

    5.0

    8 reviews

    Dined on January 21, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    There was four of us and we sat upstairs. the service was fantastic! All the meals and appetizer was great. One thing we love about coming here is the food is always consistently delicious which is hard to find these days. Thanks for a great meal and fabulous service.
  28. OpenTable Diner

    Denver

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined on January 18, 2023

    overall3food4service4ambience2
    Our waiter was very kind, however it took him a very long time to get to us because it seemed like he had a large section. Manager was going around telling tables that their time was up and so it felt a little rushed.
  29. TheScotts

    Denver

    3 reviews

    3.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on January 8, 2023

    overall3food4service4ambience3
    Parking is a disaster on a Saturday night. Ambience is cozy but crowded. The mob at the door encroached on our dining space many times and let the frigid air in ceaselessly. This is a pipular place! We were served quickly but other tables had terrible waits. Poor acoustics for conversation, pretty loud. Service was friendly and prompt enough. The restaurant is a really small, packed space. Reminded me of NYC neighborhood dining. As or the food,the gnocchi are tender pillows as they should be but the sauce is too heavy. The picatta with angel hair pasta had a light, refreshing sauce but the veal was tough. The spaghetti with meatballs was pleasing. The fried cheese curds were perfect. If I were local I’d go again. We enjoyed our meal and are thankful we had reservations!
  30. FoodieWannabe

    Denver

    11 reviews

    5.0

    11 reviews

    Dined on January 6, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience4
    I have always loved this place and it didn’t disappoint me this time. The food and service was absolutely impeccable as usual. I only gave 4 stars for ambiance as the tables are super close together resulting in a higher noise level BUT…having so many tables close together allows them to serve more people and shorten wait times so it’s a good trade-off.
  31. OpenTable Diner

    Denver

    4 reviews

    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on January 6, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Awesome experience and great food!!
  32. CynthiaJ

    Denver

    10 reviews

    3.0

    10 reviews

    Dined on January 4, 2023

    overall3food5service3ambience4
    Getting through the confusion of entering the restaurant and speaking with the host, even with a reservation, was the only problem we had. Once seated our server was wonderful and the food was delicious.
  33. OpenTable Diner

    Denver

    6 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    6 reviews

    Dined on January 4, 2023

    overall4food2service5ambience5
    We have visited this restaurant many times and it seems to us the food quality has deteriorated. I ordered the chicken pigsty’s and the sauce was tasteless and was congealed on the plate. The same for another guest who ordered the Genoa. We sat upstairs so perhaps the food got chilled on the way up. Our waitress was pleasant and we enjoyed the table bread.
  34. adults

    Denver

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on January 4, 2023

    overall5food5service4ambience4
    Our food was great. We also got good service on a short-staffed-but-busy dinner rush. We will be back; there are like six more things on the menu I need to try. And the specials sounded divine, too.
  35. Tony

    Denver

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on December 31, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience3
    It was good. The staff were very on the spot. We would come back
  36. KayT

    Denver

    6 reviews

    5.0

    6 reviews

    Dined on December 30, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience4
    We have enthusiastically recommended Shells and Sauce to friends because the food is phenomenal and the wait staff is friendly and efficient.
  37. Rachel

    Denver

    10 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    10 reviews

    Dined on December 30, 2022

    overall4food5service5ambience1
    Was so sad to see the updates on the main floor at shells & sauce - one of the main things I always loved about the restaurant was the ambiance (lighting, tables, noise level). The new booths and harsh lighting have completely changed the vibe of the restaurant. Frankly, it kind of looks like a diner inside now, instead of a classic Italian spot. The service and food was just as good as ever, so that’s a win.
  38. Nicolab

    Denver

    5 reviews

    1.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on December 29, 2022

    overall1food1service1ambience1
    Terrible experience… food was absolutely terrible unfortunately- ordered a pasta dish that was supposed to have a vodka sauce and it came with a runny/watery tomato sauce. My daughter ordered an Alfredo sauce penne dish - it was a watery butter sauce! I don’t understand how an Italian rests can’t serve a dime vodka or Alfredo sauce pasta?
  39. AmyH

    Denver

    5 reviews

    4.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on December 29, 2022

    overall4food5service5ambience4
    Great place, great location. Was a bit noisy, but that's to be expected with the holidays. Good food and no trouble with our reservation. I would go back!
  40. OpenTable Diner

    Denver

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on December 28, 2022

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Great dining experience! Really good food and our waiter was awesome and always super helpful and kept us in the loop about everything. Definitely will come back.

Safety precautions

  • Cleaning & sanitizing

    • Surfaces sanitized between seatings
    • Digital, disposable or sanitized menu provided
    • Sealed or wrapped utensils used
    • Common areas deep-cleaned daily
    • Sanitizer or wipes provided for customers
    • Contactless payment available
  • Physical distancing

    • Limited number of seated diners
    • Distancing maintained in common areas
    • Extra space between tables
  • Protective equipment

    • Waitstaff wear masks
    • Diners must wear masks unless eating or drinking
  • Screening

    • Sick staff prohibited in the workplace

FAQs

Shells and Sauce does offer delivery in partnership with Postmates. Shells and Sauce also offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (303) 377-2091.

Shells and Sauce is rated 4.6 stars by 2768 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people

7:00 PM


Booked 12 times today
Google Map for Shells and Sauce

2600 E. 12th Ave, Denver, CO 80206

Additional information

  • Cross street

    12th and Elizabeth.

  • Neighborhood

    Cherry Creek

  • Hours of operation

    Dinner Tue–Thu 3:00 pm–8:30 pm Fri, Sat 3:00 pm–9:00 pm

  • Cuisines

    Italian, American, Comfort Food

  • Dining style

    Casual Dining

  • Dress code

    Casual Dress

  • Parking details

    Easy to find parking on the street, or park in our lot behind the restaurant.

  • Public transit

    Bus #10 & 12

  • Payment options

    AMEX, Discover, MasterCard, Visa

  • Executive chef

    Marcus Jimenez

  • Additional

    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Counter Seating, Delivery, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, High Tea, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, View, Wheelchair Access, Wine

  • Phone number

    (303) 377-2091

  • Catering

    We cater all events. You are welcome to pick up the food or have it delivered from our Catering Menu. We have catered all occasions; from small birthday parties to President Obamas Tour and Media when running for his second term.

  • Private party facilities

    We do private events events from 10-130 guests. We have two floors. Our first floor seats 70 our second floor seats 60. There is a bar on each floor. The second floor is perfect for everything from Wedding Dinners to Corporate Parties. The second floor can be used Privately or Semi Private with Food and Beverage Minimums.

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