Pit Fiend Barbecue — Restaurant in Denver

I'm very fussy about barbecue and it's been hard to find good barbecue in Denver. I've finally found a couple of places that I think are pretty good, but Pit Fiend blows them away. This is the best barbecue I've ever tasted. These guys are fantastic.

Karl Fallenius started Owlbear Barbecue in this space several years ago and produced an excellent product, using live-fire, all-wood cooking with two custom smokers made, I believe, from industrial propane tanks. Unfortunately, between the pandemic and rising costs, he ended up exhausted by the food industry and Owlbear closed in January 2022.

Fortunately, several of Karl's staffers took over the property and the custom smokers, reopening as Pit Fiend on May 20, 2022, maintaining and improving the product, and doubling down on the Dungeons and Dragons theme. Thank you, guys!

I ordered a variety of items. The beef brisket and pork belly were the best I have ever tasted: melt-in-your-mouth tender and extremely flavorful. The mac & cheese was also very creamy with a nicely crunchy topping and a rich flavor. Those were my favorites.

The ribs were fall-off-the-bone tender and again, had a deep flavor. The pit beans were also very good, nicely-cooked and tasty. The cole slaw was refreshing. The pulled lamb was very rich and satisfying. The pulled pork was good, but it was a bit dry for my taste. The cornbread muffins were tasty, but a little overbaked.

Sauce is really not necessary with a product this special, but six sauces are provided and they all compliment the meats well.

This is a very tiny space with very limited seating. A lot of the business is takeout, but Our Mutual Friend brewery has a large facility right next door and is happy to seat BBQ lovers if you buy a beer. Pit Fiend sits at the back of a large parking lot, but none of the assigned parking spots seems to be for their business, so street parking is required. This is a busy neighborhood and that can be challenging, but if you have to walk a bit, the results are...

It's all five stars as far as food, service and atmosphere (whatever to atmosphere, it's a BBQ joint so atmosphere fits the expectation).

So, why the 3 star rating?

I'm rating the business here, and I am rarely successful at being able to patronize this business. All I want is to purchase the amazingly delicious BBQ these peeps are putting out...

First time I tried, it was a Wednesday and they're not open on Wednesday. In fact, they're only open Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Okay, business decision that I don't agree with but it's your bidniz..

Second attempt was last Friday. The line was almost out the door (love to see that!), besides, there's not a ton of line space. It's a relatively small operation. Line moved quick, food was quick, service met expectations, and most importantly the food was oh so delicious! I had the beef brisket and potato salad and it was scrumptious!!

Today is also Friday, so I'm getting all jazzed up to munch some more 'que for lunch... Low and behold, they are closed until 2/26 for renovations!!???

Didn't appear to be any renovations in progress or even started. Whatever, maybe you're renovating your method(s), or something in back not readily observable, but you were closed the last four days. Renovate when closed, so that you can do business on the few days a week you actually offer your product.

If you had an unavoidable situation arise (like a flood, or it's a party weekend), I totally understand... Please update the interwebs so your customers don't trek over to be heart and...

We heard great things about Pit Fiend (on Reddit…ugh) and finally had a chance to try it today. From the recs, I expected out of this world bbq and unfortunately, it was very much of this world. It was just alright, almost indistinguishable from any basic bbq joint in the area.

The brisket didn’t melt in my mouth despite the fact that I got the fattier end, and it was probably the most aggressively seasoned brisket I’ve ever had. In fact, a lot of their meats/menu leaned quite salty without complementing the meat or smoke. The brisket wasn’t as juicy either despite the fattier end. It was tender but almost had a dry mouthfeel. Hope y’all step up the brisket game cuz that was not it.

A couple of highlights though was their pulled lamb—absolutely thrilled that they offered lamb and that it’s quite tasty—and that they had vegan options which is quite rare for a bbq place (so go them!) However both vegan options (jackfruit and mushrooms) were still quite salty. The running theme was just salt and smoke through out the entire platter.

I am glad that RiNo has a BBQ joint but not sure if we’re gonna want to fight the crowds/lack of parking spaces in that area...