What: Amerigo Delicatus Restaurant & Market
Where: 2449 Larimer Street Denver, CO 80205
When: Happy Hour is available Tuesday through Saturday from 3:00-6:00 pm.
Don’t Miss: 2 for 1 house wines, $5 cocktails and the $1 bruschetta. Try the sausage, goat cheese, or capresi bruschetta. For an American twist, the BLT bruschetta doesn’t disappoint.
A small Italian restaurant on North Larimer might serve the best happy hour in Denver. Amerigo Delicatus Restaurant & Market opened in August 2012 and received rave reviews for their back-to-basic cooking and fresh pastas. Since then, owners Iain and Anna Chisholm have added a weekend brunch and a Tuesday ‘Cheap Date Night’ that includes appetizers, entrees, dessert and wine for two people for $52.80.
The goat cheese bruschetta
But the best addition is happy hour.
Cue the Bruschetta Bar. Amerigo offers a changing menu of ten different bruschetta, all at $1 a piece Each bite of toasty perfection is an amazing value. I tried each of these concoctions and could not pick a favorite. The roasted garlic and tomato was simple and classically delicious, while the spicy sausage and pecorino blew my mind. The capocollo was silky, salty and melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness. And although the club bruschetta was a tad underwhelming, the goat cheese with pine nuts and basil pesto more than made up for it. Chef Iain also adds a few surprises, like the BLT and deviled egg bruschetta. At this price, this was the cheapest trip to Italy imaginable!
Amerigo also offers wonderful top-shelf cocktails for $5.00 and two-for-one bottled beers and glasses of house wine. The house red is an approachable California blend and at $6.00 for two glasses, a serious steal! Beer drinkers will be satisfied with local offerings like Great Divide’s Colette and Odell’s Easy Street. Be on the lookout for an expanded bar in the next few weeks, with new cocktails for summer.
Make sure to plan to spend a little more time at Amerigo because unlike most restaurants, where happy hour is only offered in the bar or lounge, you can enjoy your discounted wine throughout Amerigo’s 20-seat dining room. It’s a comfortable space, with murals from owner Iain Chisholm’s sister and Coco Chisholm. There are high-top community tables and the overall vibe is friendly. 
If you’re lucky enough and it’s a warm evening, snag one of the two outdoor tables on the small front patio. In the afternoon the patio is shaded, perfect for our hot summer evenings. The restaurant is also only a few blocks from Coors Field and would make a great pre-game tradition.
Clearly, it is easy to see why Amerigo is such a gem. However despite its plethora of accolades (like being named one of Denver’s best new restaurants), few have caught on to the epic experience of the bruschetta bar. The best part? If you haven’t filled up on $1.00 bruschetta, stay for dinner. Salads are only $5.00 and Chisholm’s homemade pastas will set you back a mere $13.00. Now that’s living the good life, Italian style! Amerigo does happy hour right, so check it out and tell them 303 Magazine sent you!