Smokin Yard's BBQ — Restaurant in Idaho Springs

TLDR: Decent food, casual setting.

We (party of 2) arrived at about 5:15pm. Right inside the door we found the ordering counter. We placed our orders, received a number to place on a table of our choosing, and proceeded to sit at said table of choosing. Lucky for us, a table had just cleared out, but otherwise the place was packed. At the table was condiments, including three BBQ sauces: a tangy one, a sweet one, and a spicy chipotle. It’s also possible to order more items on a separate bill once sat down.

We started with a three meat two sides platter. We elected to have the brisket, pulled pork (shortened to just pork on the menu), and St Louis Ribs. We chose a side salad and fried pickles for our two sides. We also ordered a beer and a sweet tea. The total came out to about 40 bucks after tax and before tip.

The brisket was by far the best meat on the platter. It was tender, juicy, and just fatty enough. The pulled pork was disappointing. Its texture resembled clumps of wet seaweed, or a wet mop maybe. It was not seasoned and thus required a healthy dousing of BBQ sauce. The ribs were also underwhelming; they were a little dry and overcooked. The side salad was refreshing and the fried dill pickles were perfectly crispy and flavorful, made even better by the cup of ranch provided. The white bread slices (optional but free of charge) were about what you’d expect. While eating, we decided to add a side of chili. The chili was on the more watery side but contained lots of flavor and ingredients. Finally, for desert, we picked the slice of pecan pie with an added scoop of ice cream ontop. It was quite sweet but very tasty. Definitely don’t forego the ice cream; it’s only an extra buck. On a side note, the sweet tea came with free refills.

All in all our meal totaled about 60 dollars after tip and tax. Was it good? Sure. Would I come back? Probably not. I expected better barbecue from what I had read online. Maybe caught them...

Honestly, my experience with BBQ in Colorado has been overall pretty lackluster. I'm from Kansas so the bar is generally pretty high, that being said..

Had the babyback ribs, brisket and hot links. A friend got the burnt ends. I also had fries and the potato salad.

The potato salad was fine, I'd give it like a solid 5/10. Hot links were pretty good but nothing special, 6/10. The ribs were dry, the brisket was incredibly dry, the burnt ends also very dry. Now, I usually have a little bit of understanding for this due to altitude and this stuff having to be batch made, but it was pretty bad even by those standards.

Fine, stuff dries out, we get it, did it at least have good flavor? Nah. Not really. I don't think they use any actual rub on any of their meat. I didn't detect anything but perhaps a bit of salt and pepper leaving the sauces to do 99% of the flavor heavy lifting. The sauces were pretty decent, but pretty standard fare for a BBQ restaurant.

Some people prefer their meat bland and the sauce to do all the work, I personally don't and think it's relying on sauce to cover up problems rather than using it to enhance an already very good dish.

Overall, the ribs, brisket and burnt ends all get the same rating from me. 3/10, they were dry, bland and frankly while edible, were pretty disappointing.

The inside, idk it's a BBQ joint I don't expect much but it's a bit small, seating feels awkward and close quarters, the bathroom is extremely bare minimum and dirty, I'm still giving you a 4 on atmosphere because again, it's a small BBQ joint.

I'm not sure if it was just an off day food wise or what, but at those prices, go to Smokin Dave's or something. I personally have access to a smoker and generally just prefer to do my own at home but, definitely for the price id expect more out...

Ordered the half rack of St. Louis ribs and fries with sweet tea to drink. They served me plenty of food. The fries were great, and the ribs were flavorful. UNFORTUNATELY most of the ribs were just too tough to enjoy. What I could eat was very good. It was nice that they had sweet tea out here in Colorado. The owner/manager was nice and inquired about my meal when I had finished. The lady who brought my meal to the table never willingly came back to see if I needed anything else. Which brings me to the TIP. When you order at this restaurant, you pay up front, and they present your bill with a suggested amount of tip. How do I know what kind of service I'll have at my table before I have even sat down? How will the food taste? I'll tip for good service. I'll tip for great service. I'll tip for exceptional service. I'll tip for a sever who is just having a bad day. I'll not tip for no service or just to help the restaurant pay their employees. Tipping has gone way too far in the wrong direction. Pay your staff a living wage. Raise your prices if you have to. If your food is good and a good value, people will...