A Mexican restaurant chain that officially dates back to the early 1980s in Denver opened a new location in east Loveland in mid-November of 2026. Savina’s Mexican Kitchen, an offshoot of La Loma, opened in the remodeled former Pinocchio’s.
How Long Did the Former Pinocchio’s Sit Empty in Loveland?
It was in the spring of 2024 that Pinocchio’s officially closed, near Chili’s off Rocky Mountain Avenue, just north of Eisenhower. About a year later, it was announced that Savina’s Mexican Kitchen had bought the building and would be moving in. After over a year of remodeling that Pinocchio’s, Savina’s announced their opening date: November 13, 2026.
Savina’s is a sister-restaurant chain of La Loma, the first of which opened in Denver in 1981; but the family restaurant dates back to 1973. When the owners of La Loma, Renee and William Binkerhoff, divorced, the company was split into two – La Loma and Savina’s Mexican Kitchen. Savina Mendoza was the originator of the restaurant that would become La Loma…