Rivers Edge BBQ — Restaurant in Estes Park

We have been longtime fans of Smokin' Dave's down the street, as far as Estes Park BBQ goes. But based on our recent visits to Dave's, their quality control has slipped. So for our money at the moment, Rivers Edge absolutely blows Dave's out of the water if you're in a BBQ mood, and in particular a Texas BBQ mood. And while it's just a food truck in a parking lot, on a beautiful day in Estes (and there are plenty of those in summer and fall) Rivers Edge offers picnic tables and chairs on the riverbank. Of course takeout is a prime option as well. We tried the brisket sandwich and the brisket grilled cheese, and guess what? There are plenty of BBQ places in Texas that wish they could prepare brisket as perfectly as these folks do. Both sandwiches were served without sauce on them, but sauce was provided on the side. The grilled cheese was so cheesy and the brisket so tender and moist that sauce was for sure just an optional item in our view. It was great without, but a touch of the sweet tangy sauce was a positive. The sandwich was a bit more substantial and the sauce perhaps more a necessity, but again it was needed only sparingly due to the quality of the beef. Bun was very fresh as well. Sides we sampled were BBQ beans and waffle fries. Neither was a grand prize winner but both played well with the main dishes. I will say if you order the BBQ beans don't expect a sweet baked beans style item that many BBQ joints serve. This is savory and well spiced and if you like pinto beans well worth trying. Service was with a smile and our order was compiled perfectly. So based on our experience, this should be your #1 choice for BBQ in Estes....

I wish I had taken pictures. The area was beautiful which made up for everything else but not enough to ever go back. I’ve had BBQ in Texas and many other places and this…was not it. There was a load of fat in my Pulled Pork sandwich which made my stomach upset through the day, the fries were not seasoned, didn’t even taste like there was salt, the beans were decent. My finances coleslaw was questionable to the point he didn’t eat it. It was a bed of shredded cabbage with a glob of sauce? I don’t even know what the sauce was, it looked like mayonnaise but when he went to mix it, it was a strange color and tacky like glue. Extremely disappointing spending almost $40 on unseasoned food with an inedible side. I looked through the pictures of other people’s coleslaw with their plates so I’m genuinely confused and concerned as to what she served as “coleslaw”. Honestly you’re better off going to a chain place like Dickeys than here. I love supporting local businesses but also don’t appreciate getting served by someone who seems like they’d rather be anywhere else than there and doesn’t make people feel welcomed. I’m sorry, but I’d also rather be honest than have other’s be lead on. The bbq sauce was decent but definitely not enough to cover up the lack of flavor...

Hi just to answer your question, no I didn't ask for more sauce but I shouldn't have to. It was a very tiny container and it was the same amount of my side of beans I got which was a toddler amount if you can even count it as that... When I say this I'm not trying to be rude. That's what it looked like. You're the first out of dozens of bbq places I've been at where the meat and baked beans are completely flavorless and where the meat did not get mixed with the sauce or at least given enough sauce. I'd appreciate if you actually listened to your customers and take some criticism. I will however say that the meat was tender so I'll give you that.

Review: The food was completely flavorless. I got a pulled pork sandwhich with a very tiny container that didnt have enough sauce for the sandwhich. I also found it weird that I had to pour the bbq sauce on my sandwich myself. Im used to bbq places mixing the meat with the sauce or at least giving me enough sauce. The bbq sauce was the only thing that had mild flavor. The fries were fine. The baked beans were completely flavorless.. it was so flavorless it was strange. Not really gonna bother again...