The Small Batch Smokehouse — Restaurant in Denver

So I went to order food around 5pm on a Thursday. My man wanted to try a different place and looked at reviews online before hand. Everything seemed good food looked good as well. When we arrived parking is a bit tight but it wasn’t busy at all. There was only two people working. It smelled really good and options of food and drinks seemed perfect. We ordered a Margarita for myself while we waited and you can’t go wrong with a good margarita so 5stars on that. As far as food we ordered all the sides the collard greens, curry slaw and potato salad, red beans and rice. We also ordered the Shrimp and okra gumbo, Mac and cheese, and creole fries. As far as meats we ordered the smoked wings, tenders for one of my children, the brisket plate, and the ribs. Now before we left we tried the fries they seemed good as well as the rib and smoked wings. 10min from the house everything leaked in the bag and we almost lost all the food. Make sure they double bag any order that is over $150.00. When it came time to eat the greens seemed not all the way cooked. The slaw needed a lot of help. The potato salad needed to be thicker it was way to watery. The seafood gumbo was ok but after the third bite it was not good. The red beans and rice could have had a better touch of seasoning. The jerk sauce was good and so was the vinegar pepper sauce. The Mac and cheese was a no go for real it had no flavor and looked deceiving like it would be good but one bite from me and my kids it was in the trash. Now I’m from the south Louisiana to be exact and I expected better. The ribs after one rib I didn’t want any more. Something was definitely off. Now I’m not trying to down play the restaurant and the owner but things could have been a lot better compared to hype from the other reviews. The poor girl was struggling to change a cartridge for ink and took almost 10min to make the one margarita. The guy in the back seemed to be working really hard on our order as well so kudos to him. My man told me to call and complain and get a refund but I figured supporting a business that looks like my people would be ok and I don’t like to complain especially coming from someone that works in a restaurant. I don’t think we will ever be back. But hey try at your own risk and maybe the environment and food will be better. P.S it is very small on the...

We stopped in for a late lunch, and let me just say, what a treat! The atmosphere was upbeat and welcoming, and we even got to meet the owner/chef, who was incredibly friendly.

Now, the food. WOW. We ordered the Jerk Wings and the Smoked Jerk Chicken dinner plate with southern collard greens and Louisiana rice and beans. From the very first bite, you could taste that deep smokiness woven right into the chicken. The seasoning was perfectly balanced, bold enough to stand out, but not overwhelming. The heat didn’t smack you in the face, it crept in slowly, in the best way possible. And the skin on the chicken? Perfection. The southern collard greens. Hands down, 100/10. I honestly could’ve ordered an extra side of them and been perfectly happy. (Was also my first time having collard greens)

All in all, the food & vibes made it an awesome experience. We’ll definitely be back when...

Disclaimer: did not order any jerk dishes, only barbecue. This place has potential. The staff was polite and provided good service. We ordered mostly BBQ: brisket, ribs, rib tips, fried okra. We also got the lemonade and it was so good we got more to go.

The meat had good flavor, the brisket was juicy and tender, thought it does seem the fat had not fully rendered. The BBQ sauce was very good.

However, the ribs had a texture like they had been blasted in a 400 degree oven for 20 mins. Dry and tough. I had to rip the meat off the bone or nibble on it. The rib tips were bone dry to the point of being crunchy, and the okra was just ok.

I truly believe if this place keeps its seasoning strategy but starts smoking their BBQ cuts properly at low temp for a long time, it has the potential to be a great barbecue spot. They've got the seasoning down, now they need to up the...