A new Mexican restaurant with Colorado roots since the 70s is bringing its Hatch green chile, hand-rolled mini rellenos, fresh tortillas, and other family recipes to Northern Colorado.
Savina’s Mexican Kitchen, located at 1455 Rocky Mountain Ave. in Centerra in Loveland, opened Friday after two years of planning and remodeling, said Brinkerhoff Hospitality CEO Mark Brinkerhoff. The restaurant serves a variety of Tex-Mex plates originally crafted by restaurant founder Savina Mendoza, like Grandma Savina’s Green Chile, enchiladas, several kinds of tacos and meats, and more.
“Our fajitas are cooked on a wood-fired grill. It’s super traditional Tex-Mex that way,” Brinkerhoff said. The mesquite and applewood aroma from the wood-fired grill could be smelled throughout the restaurant.
Cocktails like sangria, micheladas and a special margarita, which Brinkerhoff called his favorite, round out the menu, but the large horseshoe bar takes center stage in the restaurant. A hard-to-miss barrel-aged tequila hangs above it.
“Everything is made from scratch daily,” Brinkerhoff said.
Mark Polintan, VP of Culinary for Brinkerhoff Hospitality, works on the wood-fired grill at Savina’s Mexican Kitchen Thursday in Loveland (Will Costello / Loveland Reporter Herald).
Another notable feature is an enclosed patio with windows that can open during the warmer months. There are several details inspired by Spanish and Mexican culture throughout the restaurant, like brick and stone walls, deep red accents, painted western landscapes, and furniture from Guadalajara, Mexico, said Deanna Price, Brinkerhoff Hospitality vice president of brand development.
“It’s just authentic to us, and we love the character and the feel that it brings,” Brinkerhoff said.
Savina’s Mexican Kitchen started in 1973 when Savina Mendoza opened a Mexican restaurant, La Loma, in north Denver, and then in 1981, current CEO Mark Brinkerhoff’s grandfather and Mexican food enthusiast, Sonny Brinkerhoff, partnered with Mendoza to open another restaurant nearby.
“They were too close to a school and couldn’t serve margaritas,” Brinkerhoff said.
From there, Brinkerhoff’s father, William, got involved in the family’s restaurant business and then Mark joined his dad in 2010.
In 2025, the restaurant changed its name to Savina’s Mexican Kitchen to honor her work; her portrait also greets every guest as they walk in.
“We’ve had people who have worked with us since Savina ran it in 1981 … We’ve been doing it for a long time,” Brinkerhoff said.
The company prides itself on training staff to cater to the guest experience, which includes learning how to read each customer, Price said.
“If you’re a group of girlfriends on a really fun night out, the server is going to be more interactive with you, and I think that’s something that’s more and more difficult to find now,” Price said.
The Loveland project started about two years ago, and the location at Centerra solidified bringing Savina’s Mexican Kitchen to Northern Colorado, Brinkerhoff said. Savina’s Mexican Kitchen added 90 to 100 jobs, he added.
“We loved this location and this place in particular,” Brinkerhoff said. “Centerra is a great area. … With everything that’s going on with Avenue South, it’s good to be (out here).”
The company, which owns several restaurants outside of Savina’s, tries to dip into underserved dining communities, Price said, adding that she thinks Loveland is in a period of growth.
“When we get to be a part of that, it’s always really exciting because I think we offer something local to the state, but also really different from what everyone else is doing,” she said.
The restaurant’s manager, Berthoud resident Mickayla Vialpando, agreed that it was a good time to open a restaurant in the Centerra area because of all the new businesses also opening soon.
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“That’s always been my … issue was the Mexican food wasn’t the same (in Northern Colorado) as Denver, especially the green chile,” she said. “I think that’s going to be a favorite, along with our mini chile rellenos. You can’t go wrong.”
Brinkerhoff hopes guests come into the Loveland restaurant for the same reasons they come into the other locations: regular dinners and lunches; business meetings; celebrations like anniversaries and birthdays; and everything in between, he said.
“That’s been fun with these restaurants and getting to know our guests for so long … (Savina’s Mexican Kitchen) just becomes part of their memories,” Brinkerhoff said.
To celebrate the opening, the restaurant invited guests on Veterans Day to honor those who served, including founder Sonny Brinkerhoff, a World War II veteran who served as a pilot, Mark Brinkerhoff said. On Thursday, guests were invited to see the completed restaurant, try signature dishes, and celebrate before the opening.
The restaurant officially opened Friday at 11 a.m. and its regular hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday to Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. The restaurant offers happy hour from 3 to 6 p.m. on weekdays. More information is available online, https://savinasmexicankitchen.com/locations/loveland/.
Mark Brinkerhoff stands next to a portrait of Grandma Savina Mendoza, the namesake of his new restaurant, Savina’s Mexican Kitchen, in Loveland on Thursday. Mendoza was the mother of the original owner of the restaurant’s first location, which is still open. (Will Costello / Loveland Reporter Herald).
Dining and Cooking