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The New Neighborhood Spot News: One fellow RiNo resident is looking forward to having a new go-to eatery nearby: "Enjoyed our dinner in this wonderfully spruced up space! The menu was full of creative and daring combinations, but we most fell in love with their pierogies! Yum. Great drink list and friendly staff as well. Thankful they are in our neighborhood!" [Google+]
The Creative Kitchen News: Another online reviewer is raving about the breadth and innovation of the menu at Rebel, saying: "Head cheese, kimchi croquette, crab corn dog, pig skull fixin's, delicious cauliflower with plantains? I love this place like a cat loves ripping the spine out of a rabbit. It is so, so good! I can't think of another restaurant in Denver exploring the mouth landscape like Rebel does. They take chances, use more of the animal than most, and make you say 'goddamn' again and again. Do not miss a chance to try this spot, you will not be disappointed. Plus, the wallpaper in the women's restroom is rad and the water vessels are the perfect amount of creepy + lovable." [Yelp]
The Overpriced and Overhyped News: Some reviews ding the new restaurant for being overpriced and overhyped: "I was challenged to embark on an exploration but found that the food was hipsterly overpriced and the portions were tiny and the taste bland. The price is not worth the fake hype." [Yelp]
The Hit or Miss News: Food critic William Porter seemed overall pleased with his dining experience at Rebel, but was not wowed by one menu item in particular: "An excellent watermelon-tomato salad featured prime red watermelon chunks and some of the best heirloom tomatoes I have had all season. It was dressed with a zippy cilantro vinaigrette, chile threads that resembled elongated saffron, and griddled cotija cheese with the texture of firm tofu. Far less successful was a starter billed as 'DIY potato salad.' It arrived with a heap of roasted fingerling potatoes, surrounded by small piles of kimchi, charred scallion, a soy-soaked boiled egg, corn and a batch of a mustard-mayo sauce." [Denver Post]
The Raw News: The kitchen at Rebel sure likes its raw seafood: "Lasiy's favorite on the menu — raw pink snapper with herbal, floral and fragrant components of herb jus, olive oil, cucumber, green tobiko (flying fish roe) and a dash of sea salt. One diner said it was like 'eating a lilipad.'" [Westword]
The Top of the Town News: Amongst the many restaurants that opened this summer in Denver, Rebel is a standout: "Rebel Is Denver's Hottest Summer Debut." [Zagat]
The Hipster News: Perhaps diners with preexisting heart conditions should sit this one out: "Not for me. Might be for you. LOUD heavy metal music. Increased my blood pressure, didn't make for an atmosphere conducive to any conversation. Cocktail menu tries too hard to be hipster and is unnecessarily confusing." [Yelp]
The Self Proclaimed News: Sometimes to truly understand a restaurant concept, you have to understand where its originators are coming from: "Self proclaimed as a 'local watering hole but on hipster steroids,' the restaurant emphasizes a communal and playful atmosphere." [303 Magazine]