Ultreia

Denver's Most Convivial Table

The first thing you notice at Ultreia is the room itself: voices lifting under a ninety-foot ceiling, the clink of gin-tonic ice, century-old stone underfoot. This is the Great Hall of Denver's restored 1914 Union Station, and Jennifer Jasinski has set her Iberian bar inside it without being swallowed by the grandeur. Jasinski — James Beard Best Chef: Southwest in 2013, the chef behind Rioja and Stoic & Genuine — built Ultreia around the shared-plate pintxos and tapas of Spain and Portugal, and around the idea that eating with your hands at a bar is a social act rather than a casual one.

Ultreia is the pilgrim's word from the Camino de Santiago: the call forward, the next step. Jasinski uses it for a kitchen that keeps Spanish, Portuguese, Basque and Galician cooking as separate traditions instead of one blurred "tapas" menu. Plan on roughly $45 to $75 a person, less if you arrive for the daily happy hour from three to six.

The Pintxos and Tapas Kitchen

More than half the menu is bare-hands food, the skewered Basque bites meant to be eaten standing. Order the gildas first: anchovy, green olive and guindilla pepper on a pick, briny and gone in two bites. Then the croquetas de jamón, whose béchamel centre is the test of any Iberian kitchen and which Ultreia passes. The jamón ibérico de bellota and the pan con tomate need no improvement, and the patatas bravas arrive crisp and honest.

Larger raciones extend the meal: paella runs two days a week and is worth planning around, and the Feast and Chef's Table formats feed a group generously for the money. The gin-tonic list is the most serious in Colorado, Spanish and Galician gins matched to specific tonics and botanicals. None of it is gimmick. It is the real aperitivo programme, poured with care.

The Union Station Setting

The Great Hall reopened in 2014 after its restoration to 1914 grandeur: soaring ceilings, the century-old chandelier, hard stone that throws sound upward and keeps the buzz at the tables warm rather than deafening. Ultreia's own corner is lit low and close within all that volume, so a table for two reads as intimate and a table for eight reads as a party. Arriving off the Amtrak platform straight into the room is one of the best dining entrances in the Mountain West.

Why It Works for a Team Dinner

A team dinner needs a format that flattens hierarchy, and shared plates do it better than plated courses. At Ultreia the pintxos keep moving, there are no wrong orders, and the gin-tonics make a natural opening act while people settle in. The room impresses without intimidating, and the bill stays serious without punishing. Tell them the headcount a week ahead and ask for the Feast.

Not For

Not for a hushed, candle-lit date: the Great Hall runs loud by design, and conversation rides on the buzz, so couples who want silence and a private corner should look to a smaller room. Skip it, too, if you dislike eating in motion — the format is shared plates passed around, not a plated three-course meal you can settle into.

Frequently Asked

Is Ultreia worth it? Yes, especially for a group. Jennifer Jasinski, James Beard Best Chef: Southwest in 2013, runs a genuinely Iberian kitchen — gildas, croquetas de jamón, jamón ibérico de bellota — inside the most beautiful interior in Colorado. At $45 to $75 a person it is honest value for the setting and the cooking, and the gin-tonic list alone rewards the trip.

How do reservations work at Ultreia? Walk-in seats at the bar are often available, which suits a solo pintxos run or a spontaneous two. For anything from six people up, book ahead, and reserve the Feast or Chef's Table format about a week out so the kitchen can plan. Paella runs only two days a week, so call to confirm the day if it's a must-order.

What should I order at Ultreia? Start with the gildas and the croquetas de jamón, then add pan con tomate and a plate of jamón ibérico de bellota. Build outward with patatas bravas and a racione or two, and time your visit to a paella day if you can. Pair the lot with a Spanish gin-tonic; the list is the most serious in Denver.

Is Ultreia good for a team dinner? It is the best in Colorado for one. Shared plates flatten the table's hierarchy, the constant pass of pintxos keeps everyone talking, and the Great Hall impresses clients without intimidating junior staff. Reserve the Feast a week ahead for groups of six or more, and let the gin-tonics open the evening while people arrive.

What is the dress code at Ultreia? Casual to smart casual, no jacket required. This is a Union Station bar with a railway-hall crowd, so neat everyday clothes are right at home, and you can dress up for a birthday without standing out. Comfortable enough for a post-work team, polished enough for a date that wants a little occasion to it.

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