From RiNo to LoHi and Berkeley, Denver has no shortage of incredible Italian eateries and now, another is opening in LoDo. Headed by a husband-and-wife team, Jovanina’s Broken Italian is slated to open with a heavy emphasis on handmade pasta, wood-fired entrees and shareable plates.

READ: 10 Best Denver Restaurants for Italian Food

This is the first joint venture of Jake and Jennifer Linzinmeir. Jennifer owns The Red Lion in Vail while Jake ran Excelsior Café in Telluride. Their new collaboration (inspired by Jennifer’s Sicilian roots and Jakes Italian culinary experience) is expected to open as an Italian inspired restaurant in Denver’s LoDo neighborhood before the end of the month (pending inspections). And while Jake has worked at three-star Michelin Ristorante Le Calandre in Italy, the duo is also bringing in chef Ben Halley to create a menu that they believe will win hearts.

Guests can expect small plates like ember-roasted carrots with avocado, crunchy seeds and feta, coal roasted beets with house-made yogurt, smoked olive oil, sunchoke chips and sunflower sprouts and roasted kabocha squash toast with fresh ricotta. In addition, Jovanina’s will serve handmade pasta and entrees with everything from sweet sausage to beef burgers topped with taleggio cheese, crispy prosciutto and roasted red pepper jam and a wood roasted half chicken with eggplant steak and overnight roasted onions. Essentially, if you’re a fan of big flavor and Italian eats, this place is worth adding to your bucket list.

And the bites aren’t the only thing worth looking out for. Headed by bar vets Sean Keipper and General Manager Tom Hughes, the beverage program showcases riffs on old-school cocktail classics like a barrel-aged Oaxaca Old Fashioned with Blue Agave Reposado, mezcal, orange and chocolate bitters and the Colorado Choke Cherry Fizz with Wheatley vodka, Clear Creek Canyon chokecherries, St. Germain and soda.

Though Jovanina’s is expecting to open before the end of October, the team has not announced an official opening date.

The new space is located at 1520 Blake Street. It will be open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday to Friday and for dinner from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday, with brunch coming soon. Check out the site here for more information.

Photo courtesy of Jovaninas