Owlbear was a highlight during my first visit to Denver! I did not know that I was going to find such good bbq, but I'm not mad about it. I got the fatty brisket (4/5), ribs (3.5/5), and mac and cheese (5/5). Personally would pass on the ribs next time, but the brisket was really good! The mac and cheese... wow. It's different than what you expect, but it's so good. However, the best part of my meal were the pickles. THE PICKLES!!!! They were perfectly crisp and whatever they brine it in, it's perfect. I enjoyed both bbq sauces that were available and it was a perfect compliment to all of the items I got. Loved that the spot was so inclusive and clearly showed that they cared about social issues. Everyone was very nice and helpful during my ordering process as well!
Marie M.
Went on a Friday afternoon and after living in Austin for 7 years was pleasantly surprised by the classic Texas style counter to place my order. They only had a few items left so I did the pulled pork sandwich. It was perfect, good amount of flavor and not too fatty. Looking forward to going earlier in the day next time, before the brisket sells out! Seating available outside or you can bring your food next door and grab a beer from the brewery that shares the strip mall.
Cait N.
We were visiting Denver with the family and decided to try Owlbear. We saw the sign that said open until sold out and knew then that we HAD to try it out. Holy cow (well I guess pig, technically). This place is SOOO freakin' good. I am from VA and we have a BBQ joint on almost every corner so finding something different is hard to come by. This is hands down the best BBQ my husband and I have EVER had. & don't even get me started on the Mac & Cheese. This place is pricier than what I am used to for BBQ, however, it was worth every single penny paid. I really wish I lived in Denver, CO for the sole purpose of having easy access to Owlbear. Y'all keep on doin what you're doin because you're killing it!
Nikita S.
I would've taken a photo but I inhaled this amazing barbecue! The brisket is very very on point here, and I feel like it's one of the more difficult meats to get just right. The Mac n cheese is amazing and has a baked top, the coleslaw was really good too. I would for sure come back.
John S.
Everyone loved the food. Jackfruit is a solid veggie option. Sides of cucumber salad and mac&cheese are super yummy. Brisket is awesome. Great tailgate spot.
Itzik H.
I am not too aware of the bbq scene in Denver but I did enjoy the item I got here at Owlbear BBQ. I ordered the potato salad, Mac & cheese, pork belly, and pork ribs to share with my wife. Sides: both tasted good. I enjoyed how the potato salad had great herb flavor and less focus on a mayo based profile. The Mac & cheese tasted good but I would have preferred for it to be warmer than a warm tray. The hindered the gooey taste. Meat: foxes more on a dry rub based vis a thick sauce base like Kansas style bbq, I thought the rub had great flavor and the ribs were cooked perfectly. The pork belly was a tad over cooked for my liking and tasted like pork tenderloin over the juicy meaty consistency that pork belly is typically. Overall, I thought this was good. Is it award winning, prob not. But good taste, friendly people and a good patio environment with the bar right next to it. I think 4 out of 5 is perfect for owl bear bbq
Not Your F.
Pretty small, kinda feels empty when you walk in. Depending who's behind the counter you can get friendly or gritty costumer experience. However it is the best bbq in Denver. I went one early afternoon and asked for some burnt ends, at first was met with "I don't know if I have any" and then they pulled out a tray of brisket ends ready to be cut up just for me. The cheeseburger is also top 5 in the city. Sides are fine, lemonade is decent.
Walton Yeung
Great meats and an amazing Mac & Cheese! Brisket was tender and I got a bit of that delicious burnt ends. In particular went really well with their sweet BBQ sauce, which had a great brown sugar base. Mac & cheese came highly recommended and I can see why! Their mix of cheese includs a strong cheese though, so it's definitely something to be aware of.
Jennifer B.
I get why this place is beloved among foodies. The rub here is Texas hill country style in as much as it's course-ground black pepper based, but it's also infused with "black magic" (which I'm pretty sure is Chinese Five Spice). This gives the meat a vaguely char siu porkiness without the sticky-sweet. We came at about 12:15 on a Saturday and had the full menu from which to choose, so we got the brisket (fatty and lean), pork belly, spareribs, mac and cheese, pinto beans, and cucumber salad. The brisket is super moist and easily some of the best in Denver. The ribs are likewise very good. The most unique item is the pork belly, which is where the asian-que mashup really shines. I preferred the brisket, my husband preferred the pork belly - truly a house divided over here. The pinto beans were actually my favorite side - creamy and black peppery without any of the cloying sweetness typical of beans served with bbq. The cucumber salad is the soy-vinegar-black sesame variety that will feel familiar to Japanese food fans. The mac and cheese didn't do much for me, but my daughter liked it so that's still a win IMO. As for the sauces, I came up in the hill country style so don't usually partake, which is why the tangy edged out the sweet for me. Seating is extremely limited but luckily the folks at OMF are happy to sell you a beer while you eat. Parking, as you can imagine, is a dog. Still totally worth a trip.
Kolby G.
Fatty Brisket - 5/5 Pork Belly - 5/5 Spare Ribs - 5/5 This place is absolutely legit. The bark on all their meats is jam packed with flavor. The Pork Belly is indescribable. Salty, sweet, just a perfect umami. The staff is equally amazing. This is a must stop when in Denver, hands down. I'm not a big fan of sauce on Bbq, but man, their sweet sauce is super tasty.
In town for business. Asked about the best BBQ in town and this was the place I was directed to. Food was excellent. I had the brisket and mac&chz. Top notch! Great service. Fast. One worker finished his shift and walked out to check on me as he was headed to his car. Thanked me for coming to their restaurant. He didn't have to do that. He went out of his way to thank me for ordering a $15 meal. That was impressive. Try Owlbear! You won't be disappointed
Caleb M.
4.5 Both the ribs and brisket were nice, and I actually found I enjoyed the ribs slightly more (which I wasn't expecting going in). Was no more or less expensive than BBQ usually is, though the menu felt more minimalistic than a lot of other places. Not really any seating inside, so plan to get it to-go or munch on your stuff at the Brewery next door.
Tom DeGerlia
Owlbear is the best bbq in the Denver area. Get there early before they run out! Truly one of the very best Denver has to offer. I recently bought a whole brisket - 5.5lbs of pure heaven. Awesome swag too. Thank you to the whole Owlbear crew for working 24/7 to put Denver on the barbecue map.
Mark D
I've eaten here twice. First time the food was good, second time it was great. The reason I can't give 5 stars is because of the BBQ sauce. It's different. It tasted okay at first but had a weird flavor/texture, almost like there's coffee grounds in it. But based on the meat alone this has been the best BBQ I've had in Denver.
Amy D.
On the Denver Eater 38 list (as of Sept 2021). They close early when they sell out of items, so come earlier if possible! Their online ordering was down when I went (late September 2021), but they accept phone orders if you order over 5lbs. I came in around 3:30pm on a Friday, and they had almost everything available at the time. Luckily, I was able to grab their last mac n cheese, but unluckily, they forgot to place our pork belly order in the bag. We called them back afterwards and they very nicely gave us a refund. We tried: -Brisket (Half lb/$15, Delicious, and some of the best brisket I've had in a while! We got a mixture of moist and lean brisket, and both were really good, but of course I preferred the moist brisket. Their brisket was seasoned well, and super juicy/tender- a must try! -Spareribs (Half lb/$10, Solid spareribs, and very meaty. They were just at the fall off the bone stage, and flavorful. -Mac n Cheese (Small/$6), Cucumber Salad (Small/$4), Complimentary Pickles, Onions, Pickled Onions [ I saw the glowing reviews for their mac n cheese, and I think my expectations were too high. Their mac n cheese is more of the dry style, and it wasn't quite cheesy or gooey enough for me. The cucumber salad was just ok, and it had too much tang from the vinegar. I appreciated that they didn't skimp on the complimentary pickles, onions, and pickled onions! This was close to a 5 star rating for me, but I wasn't a fan of their BBQ sauces. They had a Tangy version and Sweet version, but both were too tangy for my preference. I would come back to try their pork belly, and hopefully catch their beef rib at some point (they only offer it occasionally). Indoor seating was available, but I didn't see outdoor seating. The most difficult part about coming here will be the parking- they share a small lot, but I'm not sure if the lot actually had public parking spots. Street parking in that area was extremely difficult to find since there are a ton of other restaurants/breweries/etc nearby. Bring a friend so one person can double park while the other runs in to grab your order!
Owlbear was a highlight during my first visit to Denver! I did not know that I was going to find such good bbq, but I'm not mad about it. I got the fatty brisket (4/5), ribs (3.5/5), and mac and cheese (5/5). Personally would pass on the ribs next time, but the brisket was really good! The mac and cheese... wow. It's different than what you expect, but it's so good. However, the best part of my meal were the pickles. THE PICKLES!!!! They were perfectly crisp and whatever they brine it in, it's perfect. I enjoyed both bbq sauces that were available and it was a perfect compliment to all of the items I got. Loved that the spot was so inclusive and clearly showed that they cared about social issues. Everyone was very nice and helpful during my ordering process as well!
Went on a Friday afternoon and after living in Austin for 7 years was pleasantly surprised by the classic Texas style counter to place my order. They only had a few items left so I did the pulled pork sandwich. It was perfect, good amount of flavor and not too fatty. Looking forward to going earlier in the day next time, before the brisket sells out! Seating available outside or you can bring your food next door and grab a beer from the brewery that shares the strip mall.
We were visiting Denver with the family and decided to try Owlbear. We saw the sign that said open until sold out and knew then that we HAD to try it out. Holy cow (well I guess pig, technically). This place is SOOO freakin' good. I am from VA and we have a BBQ joint on almost every corner so finding something different is hard to come by. This is hands down the best BBQ my husband and I have EVER had. & don't even get me started on the Mac & Cheese. This place is pricier than what I am used to for BBQ, however, it was worth every single penny paid. I really wish I lived in Denver, CO for the sole purpose of having easy access to Owlbear. Y'all keep on doin what you're doin because you're killing it!
I would've taken a photo but I inhaled this amazing barbecue! The brisket is very very on point here, and I feel like it's one of the more difficult meats to get just right. The Mac n cheese is amazing and has a baked top, the coleslaw was really good too. I would for sure come back.
Everyone loved the food. Jackfruit is a solid veggie option. Sides of cucumber salad and mac&cheese are super yummy. Brisket is awesome. Great tailgate spot.
I am not too aware of the bbq scene in Denver but I did enjoy the item I got here at Owlbear BBQ. I ordered the potato salad, Mac & cheese, pork belly, and pork ribs to share with my wife. Sides: both tasted good. I enjoyed how the potato salad had great herb flavor and less focus on a mayo based profile. The Mac & cheese tasted good but I would have preferred for it to be warmer than a warm tray. The hindered the gooey taste. Meat: foxes more on a dry rub based vis a thick sauce base like Kansas style bbq, I thought the rub had great flavor and the ribs were cooked perfectly. The pork belly was a tad over cooked for my liking and tasted like pork tenderloin over the juicy meaty consistency that pork belly is typically. Overall, I thought this was good. Is it award winning, prob not. But good taste, friendly people and a good patio environment with the bar right next to it. I think 4 out of 5 is perfect for owl bear bbq
Pretty small, kinda feels empty when you walk in. Depending who's behind the counter you can get friendly or gritty costumer experience. However it is the best bbq in Denver. I went one early afternoon and asked for some burnt ends, at first was met with "I don't know if I have any" and then they pulled out a tray of brisket ends ready to be cut up just for me. The cheeseburger is also top 5 in the city. Sides are fine, lemonade is decent.
Great meats and an amazing Mac & Cheese! Brisket was tender and I got a bit of that delicious burnt ends. In particular went really well with their sweet BBQ sauce, which had a great brown sugar base. Mac & cheese came highly recommended and I can see why! Their mix of cheese includs a strong cheese though, so it's definitely something to be aware of.
I get why this place is beloved among foodies. The rub here is Texas hill country style in as much as it's course-ground black pepper based, but it's also infused with "black magic" (which I'm pretty sure is Chinese Five Spice). This gives the meat a vaguely char siu porkiness without the sticky-sweet. We came at about 12:15 on a Saturday and had the full menu from which to choose, so we got the brisket (fatty and lean), pork belly, spareribs, mac and cheese, pinto beans, and cucumber salad. The brisket is super moist and easily some of the best in Denver. The ribs are likewise very good. The most unique item is the pork belly, which is where the asian-que mashup really shines. I preferred the brisket, my husband preferred the pork belly - truly a house divided over here. The pinto beans were actually my favorite side - creamy and black peppery without any of the cloying sweetness typical of beans served with bbq. The cucumber salad is the soy-vinegar-black sesame variety that will feel familiar to Japanese food fans. The mac and cheese didn't do much for me, but my daughter liked it so that's still a win IMO. As for the sauces, I came up in the hill country style so don't usually partake, which is why the tangy edged out the sweet for me. Seating is extremely limited but luckily the folks at OMF are happy to sell you a beer while you eat. Parking, as you can imagine, is a dog. Still totally worth a trip.
Fatty Brisket - 5/5 Pork Belly - 5/5 Spare Ribs - 5/5 This place is absolutely legit. The bark on all their meats is jam packed with flavor. The Pork Belly is indescribable. Salty, sweet, just a perfect umami. The staff is equally amazing. This is a must stop when in Denver, hands down. I'm not a big fan of sauce on Bbq, but man, their sweet sauce is super tasty.
Restaurantji Recommends
In town for business. Asked about the best BBQ in town and this was the place I was directed to. Food was excellent. I had the brisket and mac&chz. Top notch! Great service. Fast. One worker finished his shift and walked out to check on me as he was headed to his car. Thanked me for coming to their restaurant. He didn't have to do that. He went out of his way to thank me for ordering a $15 meal. That was impressive. Try Owlbear! You won't be disappointed
4.5 Both the ribs and brisket were nice, and I actually found I enjoyed the ribs slightly more (which I wasn't expecting going in). Was no more or less expensive than BBQ usually is, though the menu felt more minimalistic than a lot of other places. Not really any seating inside, so plan to get it to-go or munch on your stuff at the Brewery next door.
Owlbear is the best bbq in the Denver area. Get there early before they run out! Truly one of the very best Denver has to offer. I recently bought a whole brisket - 5.5lbs of pure heaven. Awesome swag too. Thank you to the whole Owlbear crew for working 24/7 to put Denver on the barbecue map.
I've eaten here twice. First time the food was good, second time it was great. The reason I can't give 5 stars is because of the BBQ sauce. It's different. It tasted okay at first but had a weird flavor/texture, almost like there's coffee grounds in it. But based on the meat alone this has been the best BBQ I've had in Denver.
On the Denver Eater 38 list (as of Sept 2021). They close early when they sell out of items, so come earlier if possible! Their online ordering was down when I went (late September 2021), but they accept phone orders if you order over 5lbs. I came in around 3:30pm on a Friday, and they had almost everything available at the time. Luckily, I was able to grab their last mac n cheese, but unluckily, they forgot to place our pork belly order in the bag. We called them back afterwards and they very nicely gave us a refund. We tried: -Brisket (Half lb/$15, Delicious, and some of the best brisket I've had in a while! We got a mixture of moist and lean brisket, and both were really good, but of course I preferred the moist brisket. Their brisket was seasoned well, and super juicy/tender- a must try! -Spareribs (Half lb/$10, Solid spareribs, and very meaty. They were just at the fall off the bone stage, and flavorful. -Mac n Cheese (Small/$6), Cucumber Salad (Small/$4), Complimentary Pickles, Onions, Pickled Onions [ I saw the glowing reviews for their mac n cheese, and I think my expectations were too high. Their mac n cheese is more of the dry style, and it wasn't quite cheesy or gooey enough for me. The cucumber salad was just ok, and it had too much tang from the vinegar. I appreciated that they didn't skimp on the complimentary pickles, onions, and pickled onions! This was close to a 5 star rating for me, but I wasn't a fan of their BBQ sauces. They had a Tangy version and Sweet version, but both were too tangy for my preference. I would come back to try their pork belly, and hopefully catch their beef rib at some point (they only offer it occasionally). Indoor seating was available, but I didn't see outdoor seating. The most difficult part about coming here will be the parking- they share a small lot, but I'm not sure if the lot actually had public parking spots. Street parking in that area was extremely difficult to find since there are a ton of other restaurants/breweries/etc nearby. Bring a friend so one person can double park while the other runs in to grab your order!