For decades, the green chile Denver diners knew from La Loma meant a drive to the city. It is now on the menu in Larimer County. Savina's Mexican Kitchen, the name La Loma took in 2025, has opened its third restaurant at 1455 Rocky Mountain Avenue in Loveland's Centerra area, joining locations in downtown Denver and Castle Rock.

Fifty years of one family's recipes

The restaurant's history starts in 1973, when Savina Mendoza and her two daughters opened a Mexican restaurant in a small brick house in Denver. Her Hatch green chile built a following; by the restaurant's own account she tasted it herself every day.

In 1981, Sonny Brinkerhoff moved the restaurant into three former coal miners' houses he owned on West 26th Avenue, and the two became partners in 1982. That building, the house on the hill, was La Loma's home for more than three decades. Sonny's son William and grandson Mark Brinkerhoff later grew the business; Mark is now CEO of Brinkerhoff Hospitality. In 2016 the restaurant moved downtown, across from the Brown Palace Hotel. In 2025 it took its founder's name, keeping the same operators, recipes and many of the same staff. Her portrait hangs near the entrance at every location.

What the Loveland restaurant looks like

Brinkerhoff Hospitality designed the Loveland building around Spanish Colonial architecture. Its features, according to the restaurant:

  • A fully open kitchen, so diners can watch the cooks at work.
  • A horseshoe bar built around a tequila aging barrel.
  • An enclosed patio that opens up in warmer months.
  • Private and semi-private dining rooms for birthdays, graduations, business dinners and other events.

On the menu

The core of the menu is the same at all three locations: the Hatch green chile, mini chile rellenos rolled by hand every day, and fresh tortillas, with margaritas made from freshly squeezed citrus. Full dinner and catering menus are posted on the restaurant's website.

Hours and reservations

  • Sunday through Thursday: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
  • Friday and Saturday: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
  • Happy hour: Monday through Friday, 3 to 6 p.m.

Reservations are taken through Resy, and the Loveland page also handles event bookings and catering requests.

Getting there

The restaurant is at 1455 Rocky Mountain Ave. in Loveland, in the Centerra area.

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