Best BBQ in Colorado Springs: Where to Go and What to Skip
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Best BBQ in Colorado Springs: My Honest Ranking
Short version first: my top pick is Front Range Barbeque, with Bird Dog BBQ a close second. I’m Italian, raised in New Mexico, living on the west side of Colorado Springs for over 20 years, and I’ve eaten at just about every BBQ joint in town over that time, including the ones that closed before anyone noticed. I’m not a food critic. I want good meat, a fair price, and a place where I don’t have to act like I’m at a fancy dinner.
A quick note on how I put this together: the places ranked below are ones I’ve personally eaten at, in my own order. The addresses, hours, and the two extra names near the bottom I haven’t tried myself are pulled from Visit Colorado Springs’ own restaurant guide and recent local reviews, researched for this update, not a personal visit. I’ll tell you plainly which is which as we go.
- Best overall: Front Range Barbeque, temporarily on Academy Blvd while its Old Colorado City spot is rebuilt.
- Best for a crowd: Bird Dog BBQ, Oklahoma-style, three locations, no phone orders.
- Best quick lunch: Rudy’s, open at 7 a.m., by-the-pound counter.
- Best for catching it fresh: The Chuckwagon 719, Thursday through Sunday until they sell out.
- Best for families and first responders: Mission BBQ, clean, consistent, honors military and first responders.
Front Range Barbeque, My Number One Pick
I’ll just say it: Front Range BBQ is the best barbecue in Colorado Springs, and it’s not close. It’s been a west-side staple for years, originally tucked into Old Colorado City on West Colorado Avenue. The vibe is funky, casual, and welcoming, live music some nights, cold beer, food worth driving back for.
Order the burnt ends, cut from smoked brisket, grilled and hit with their sweet and spicy sauce. Limited availability, so don’t hesitate if you see them on the board. The St. Louis style ribs are rotisserie-smoked with a dry rub, served naked with sauce on the side, exactly how it should be done. They’re good enough to not need it, the real test of any BBQ place.
Price band: the Frontier Combo (half slab plus two meats) runs around $38; individual plates run $20-26. Important note for 2026: their original Old Colorado City location is closed for renovations. They’ve moved to a temporary spot on Academy Boulevard, doing catering and takeout, with a small dine-in space planned for May or June. Worth the drive even for takeout.
Bird Dog BBQ, The People’s Champion
Bird Dog has been voted best BBQ in Colorado Springs basically every year since 2007. They do Oklahoma-style, oak-smoked meats, strip mall looks, food that speaks for itself. The meat sampler plate is the move for a first visit, a little of everything so you can figure out what you like. Fried okra is legit, slaw is creamy and tangy, baked beans have real depth, and their sauces are gluten-free and made in-house.
Where: the original Stetson Hills spot, a west-side location on Centennial Blvd (my usual), and a newer one in Fountain. One thing to know: they don’t take phone orders, you walk in and order, which keeps the line moving. Price band: $15-20 per person, reasonable for the quality.
Rudy’s “Country Store” and Bar-B-Q, Texas-Style Done Right
Rudy’s is a Texas chain, but I don’t hold that against them. Their South 31st Street location, right off the highway near Old Colorado City, puts out solid, no-frills Texas barbecue. Indoor picnic tables, paper-lined trays, meat by the pound, no pretense.
Get the moist brisket, tender and smoky, cuts with a fork. The jalapeno cheddar sausage has a good snap and real flavor, and the creamed corn is one of the better sides in town. The regular (not moist) brisket can be hit or miss, always ask for moist. They open at 7 a.m. daily, unusual for BBQ, and good if you’re grabbing meat for a weekend cookout.
The Chuckwagon 719, The New Kid Worth Watching
This one’s newer, a food truck in 2023 that opened a brick-and-mortar on Omaha Blvd in 2024. They’re doing authentic Texas-style BBQ the right way, smoking fresh and selling until they run out. They’re open Thursday through Sunday, noon until sold out, usually 3 or 4 p.m. Show up at 5 on a Saturday expecting dinner and you’re out of luck, but that’s the sign of a pitmaster who isn’t reheating yesterday’s brisket. Get there early.
Mission BBQ, Solid Food, Great Cause
Mission BBQ on Interquest Parkway is a chain, and I don’t normally get excited about chains, but credit where it’s due. The pulled pork is juicy and well-seasoned, the ribs are solid, the coleslaw is some of the best in town, fries are hot and crispy. They honor military, police, fire, and first responders, which fits a military town like the Springs. Clean, family-friendly, staff always on point, 4.5+ stars and they earn it.
Smokey D’s, Food Truck BBQ with Soul
Smokey D’s runs more on the food truck and catering side, with spots on Beacon Street and North Academy. Not a sit-down restaurant, but worth tracking down. The pork belly burnt ends are rich and full of smoke flavor, the pulled pork and chicken sandwiches are loaded, and the loaded nachos are a solid BBQ-with-a-twist move. They also do full-service catering. Check their hours before you go, food truck schedules move around.
Two More Worth Knowing (I Haven’t Eaten at Either Yet)
Two names keep turning up in local roundups and reviews that I haven’t personally tried: Otis’s BBQ on South 8th Street, a small spot reviewers say is well-seasoned enough that you don’t need the sauce, and BC’s Barbecue on Montebello Square Drive, known for pulled pork and a house sauce people keep coming back for. Both are on my list to try. Until I do, I’m not ranking them, just passing along what I’ve read.
A Note on Chain BBQ
The Springs has a few chain BBQ spots, Dickey’s and Famous Dave’s among them. They’re fine in a pinch, Dickey’s has good fried okra and a solid sauce selection, Famous Dave’s has a huge menu and a potato soup people like. I’ll always point you to the local spots first, the quality is more consistent and you’re supporting people who live here and actually care what’s on your plate.
One more tip: be careful ordering BBQ through delivery apps. It doesn’t travel well. Ribs that sit in a container for 30 minutes don’t taste like they did at the restaurant. Eat it at the spot or pick it up yourself if you can.
What I Look For in Good BBQ
After twenty-plus years of eating BBQ around the Springs, here’s what I’ve come to value:
- Fresh-smoked meat, period. Smoked that morning tastes different than smoked two days ago and reheated. The best spots smoke fresh and sell until they’re out.
- The meat should stand on its own. Sauce should be an enhancement, not a cover-up. A place that drowns everything in sauce before it hits your plate is a red flag.
- Casual atmosphere. I don’t need linen napkins with my pulled pork. Paper towels, a cold beer, a table that’s easy to sit at.
- Fair prices. Meat costs money, I’m not looking for a $5 plate, but I don’t want steakhouse prices for brisket either. $15-25 for a plate with two sides is the sweet spot.
- Homemade sides. Mac and cheese from a bag doesn’t cut it. The sides tell you how much a place actually cares.
Final Thoughts on Colorado Springs BBQ
The BBQ scene here has gotten better over the years. When I first moved to the Springs, options were limited. Now there are local pitmasters putting out food that can hang with anything I’ve had in Texas or Kansas City. Front Range is still my top pick even with the temporary move, Bird Dog is a close second, and if you haven’t tried The Chuckwagon 719 yet, put it on your list before it gets too crowded.
If you’re visiting the Springs for the first time, grab some BBQ, then go hit one of the hiking trails nearby. Nothing beats a full stomach of brisket and a walk through Garden of the Gods. That’s a perfect Colorado Springs day.
Got a favorite BBQ spot I missed? Think I’m wrong about any of these? Let me know in the comments.
BBQ overnight base
Smoke takes time. Stay close if you are stacking lunch and a second stop.