Angelo's Restaurant in Denver

Angelo's, a Denver institution on E. 6th Ave., has been serving down-home Italian food for more than 30 years. The family-run restaurant could use some remodeling from its dated decor, but Angelo's doesn't need to change a thing in terms of its thin-crust pizza.

Angelo's menu features lasagna, pasta dishes, and gourmet pizza. While the lasagna tends to be mediocre, the pizza shines as Angelo's forte. The kitchen sink pizza comes with sausage, pepporoni, green peppers and everything else besides the kitchen sink.

The wine list features a respectable selection of Italian wines for less than $20 a bottle. Our party ordered a bottle of Montepulciano, a light red wine, which went down smoothly. Other standbys such as Chianti round out the wine list.

The vinyl booths and worn linoleum floors show their age, and the plastic patio furniture is not the most comfortable. The shabby chic ambience, however, does not detract from the food, and probably keeps the prices down on the menu.

The only other negative is the seat-yourself service. The wait staff can take some time before they figure out where you're sitting, which can be frustrating if you're in a hurry. Parking can also be a bit of a challenge because Angelo's does not have a parking lot so you have to find street parking.