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    JKQ BBQ

    4.2 (99 reviews)
    ModerateBarbeque, Bars
    Closed 11:30 am - 7:30 pm

    JKQ BBQ Photos

    Business Info

    JKQ BBQ ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - JKQ BBQ

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    Ismael S.

    The food was amazing, you can see the smoker outside getting all the meats ready for the day (loved seeing that in the morning before our dinner that night). It was a busy day due to Lou Bunch Day so the waitresses were very transparent and let us know that food may take a while (it didn't take too long, but we were starving so it felt like a while). But we ordered some of their signature drinks and they were DELICIOUS, my sister had one with Fresh OJ and that one was AMAZING...would recommend this place as there's not too many restaurants outside the casinos.

    Pit master cocktail, shrimp po' boy, cowboy bites, brisket fries, orange crush cocktail
    Sydney E.

    Black hawk is a nearby favorite destination. However, over the years I have noticed that the dining options have gotten more sparse and expensive. By chance- while on a birthday trip walking to and from casinos, my husband and I noticed JKQ. This BBQ joint is inside a historic building called "Crook's Palace" which is also super fun. We decided to look up the menu and reviews. Everything seemed pretty solid, so we decided to dine here. We sat at the bar and were taken care of by Sarah. She was friendly and attentive and can make one mean cocktail. The drink specials are also a deal not to pass up, as they are reasonable, but also unique and delicious. If you love barbecue and Whiskey, the pit master is something to enjoy! On top of this cocktail leave a lasting impression, the other drinks we ordered had fresh squeezed juices and house made brines (including pickle infused spirits). Not only were the drink specials we ordered amazing, but also the food specials. We had the cowboy bites and shrimp po' boy off the specials menu and also ordered brisket fries. Everything was a generous portion, and the food was flavorful and balanced. The barbecue sauce option is limited, but the sauce options overall are not. The poblano mayo was definitely my favorite contrast to the appetizers. The Brisket that we had was Smokey and tender. Our meal was so good we came back for lunch the next day. If you're in the area and can't find a simple, reasonable, tasty meal option, please come check out JKQ. You will not be disappointed!

    Brian B.

    Some of the worst bbq I've ever had. I tend to have bbq once a week at a minimum and I also smoke meats on occasion. As you can see in the pictures none of the meat has a smoke ring. Is it even smoked? Doesn't taste like it. Brisket is grey, flavorless and dry. Tastes more like a pot roast. Pulled pork is dry, flavorless and also no smoke flavor or ring. Coleslaw tasted like mayo and nothing else. Fries were good. Bbq sauce is also not my favorite but with decent meat it would be ok. Sauce on its own is very tomato based and almost tastes like marinara. I am honestly worried that I will be sick to my stomach in awhile. Maybe this meat was to be thrown out since I arrived at 11:30am. It seemed like this was yesterday's leftovers. When we arrived they said they had no ribs. Next people who sat down ordered ribs. Maybe the ribs would have been better? Not likely. My wife's motherload burger was dry and flavorless. I couldn't eat even half of this. Normally, I would complain but I just let it slide since I'd rather a small business not lose money on something like this. With all that said try Smokin Yards in Idaho springs instead. If you can't leave Blackhawk maybe try the ribs or the piggy wings?

    Pulled pork sandwich with fries.

    The food and staff was amazing. I had the pulled pork sandwich and fried curds it was so good. Best place I've been to eat in Colorado. I really enjoyed the food. The restaurant was clean and on the other side of the restaurant is a bar area you can eat at. They have t-shirts you can buy. We were to full to have desert but they did look amazing. I would definitely recommend this place it was amazing.

    Apps - Burnt end nachos, corn ribs, cheese curds.
    Jackie L.

    Support your local bbq joint! When in Blackhawk/Central City we like try a new spot not in a casino and I have to say, Crook's Palace (on the signage and what to search on maps) aka JKQ bbq, was amazing!! Old timey, original bar from 1880-Something, super clean and well restored. Love the wallpaper and barstools. Cocktails hit the spot - had a Tincup w lime, specialty on the menu and my mom enjoyed an orange crush. Summer sippers for sure, strong af but don't worry, we had a DD Our server was attentive of us, the music, and was hustling around with a big smile. We just had snacks, but will be back for a meal sometime. The burnt end nachos, corn ribs, and cheese curds were the perfect combo for our Sunday funday appetizer lineup. Stop in next time you're in the area, worth it!

    Ribs, chicken Caesar salad, brisket, and pulled pork.
    Chloe

    I am very glad my house is near from JKQ BBQ. Price is also acceptable and their food made me so happy! And all the meat did not contain much fat so that is a really good point too. I tried several menus and ribs are the best. And you should try the mixed sauce of normal one and the hot one! The food I bought last time replaced my meals three times!

    PBR on draft
    Dale Z.

    My girlfriend had planned our dining experience here, and told me that I should like the place. Wow, that was definitely the understatement of the year. Even though she was unable to attend at the time we had planned, I went ahead and stayed the course getting here shortly after they opened on a Saturday. I wound up seated in the bar area and pretty much had it to myself. I liked being out at the picturesque bar, and I received excellent service. This is an old historic building, and I like that it still looks like it is, albeit a very well-kept one. I started with an ice cold PBR on draft which soon lead to a second. I went with the sampler platter, selecting the ribs and the brisket. The brisket was super tender, very flavorful, and not at all dry. The ribs were, in my amateur opinion, competition level. Honestly, the meat pulled off the bone with just the right resistance and there was so much flavor going on. There were two sauces to choose from. The sweeter one was not exactly my cup of tea. It had some interesting flavors, including what I think I may have been some warming spices. However, the hot was exactly what I am looking for in a barbecue sauce, and I enjoyed it thoroughly and put it on pretty much everything. For my sides, I went with the macaroni and cheese, and the baked beans. The macaroni and cheese was a straightforward penne pasta with cheese sauce, and was just fine. The beans were a little odd. At first, I did not particularly care for them because they were on the sweeter side. Also there were four kinds of beans in there: black, white, kidney, and traditional baked beans. There were no discernible vegetables hiding in there, and the liquid was mostly clear. I liked it more after a few bites, and after I put a splash of the hot barbecue sauce in there I really enjoyed it. The Texas toast was exceptional. It was thoroughly toasted and buttered on one side, while the other side was left plain. This made for a nice contrast. The owner (an owner?), Joe stopped by. At first, I assumed he was the pitmaster, but it turns out that he does pretty much everything, aside from being the person who basically got this all up and running. I had a thoroughly good time discussing barbecue, food truck culture, difficult customers, and life in general. I enjoyed the place so much, that I came back again for lunch again the next day. And this is not something that I would usually do. This day, I went ahead and got the pork belly burnt and nachos. The little cubes of lacquered pork belly were just amazing. The chips and the cheese and everything else that went on the nachos were pretty good as well. I also went ahead and had an order of the piggy wings, and they were quite nice. I also sampled some of the pulled pork off my girlfriends plate, and it was quite good. The PBR keg had kicked on this fine Sunday, so I went ahead and tried some of the bottled beers, all of which were icy cold.

    Paola M.

    Ordered the BBQ Sampler, with the ribs and Brisket, food wasn't my favorite, ribs were very fatty and not very flavorful. But beer was very cheap $4/5 dollars. Sitting outside would have been better than sitting inside. The dessert menu was very confusing and the server wasn't very helpful. I did appreciate the server for giving a big pitcher of cold water on this super hot day . So thank you !

    Menu as of 27May2023
    Amber M.

    The place has not only survived the pandemic, but evolved and grown despite it. They've moved to the old Crook's Palace building in Black Hawk and, as such, are functioning as one of the few non-casino businesses in town. It's a breath of fresh air. They've experienced growing pains, and were a little hard to track down over the past few years, with variable hours at their old location and sporadic event appearances. The most important thing is that they did indeed survive and the food is just as excellent as always. The new spot is beautiful with easy parking. They do close a little early, but just plan ahead and you'll be fine. Everything I've had has been delicious, but I'll give a shout out to the cheese curds because I'm a sucker for fried cheese. It's not the sort of place you go to for the salad (though there is one on the menu and I haven't tried it, so prove me wrong), but it's all very tasty and there's no lack of protein to choose from. Recommended.

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    1 year ago

    Great loaded tots! And also the lamb sandwich. Great service too. Enjoyed the nice ambiance

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    9 months ago

    This was okay bbq. Will get the job done. Building was nice and had live music the night we went .

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    11 months ago

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    2 years ago

    Service good! Ambiance good with a band in the bar area. Meat was good; side dishes so so!

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    The Buffet - Salad station

    The Buffet

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    As buffets go, nowadays, this is definitely one of the better options. I've read a lot of comments…read moreabout the food being bad, moldy, or tasteless, and that was not our experience at all. The service was fast for removing our plates, and in some cases, maybe even a little too fast! The food is refilled quickly, and the fresher options are out there. It is true you only get one serving of crab and lobster but that is unfortunately just the way things are now with buffets. It is not unique to a specific buffet. When we come back to Blackhawk in one buffet, this is the one we will be going to.

    The Buffet at the Monarch Casino is awesome! From the service to the food to the atmosphere, they…read moregot it all down! The price is a bit steep at ~$60/person for dinner on the weekends, but the quality and variety of food is decent for the price. First off, the queen of the buffet, or any buffet in my opinion, are the lobster tail and snow crab. When you pay, 2 redemption coupons are handed per person; one for a lobster tail and one for 2 snow crab clusters. Although this may seem like it is not much, it really is plenty of food unless the plan is to only eat lobster and snow crab (please refer to attached picture). The pho station is ok and the prime rib was very salty, but other than those two, everything else tasted great. Service is top notch. Our server checked in on us and cleaned up our discarded lobster/crab remains very quickly and frequently. Make sure to tip your servers even at buffets!

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    Nice view of the outdoors

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    The Smokehouse BBQ - Cubano Sandwich with baked beans Sweet tea

    The Smokehouse BBQ

    4.1(491 reviews)
    17.6 mi
    $$

    Hands down the best bbq we have ever had. Definitely worth a stop or its own trip- we never miss…read moregoing here!

    Excellent BBQ, sauces, sides AND margaritas!…read more We're here in WP for three weeks. This is our second visit to The Smokehouse in the last 10 days. The first time we were disappointed upon arrival when they were out of burnt ends. We're from KCMO and we judge a town's BBQ by their burnt ends. Nonetheless, the brisket, sauces and sides were enough to warrant a second visit. Oh, and that house margarita...chef's kiss! Just what a tired ass mom needs after a long day of "hey moms." On the second visit, I went early at 4PM and ordered carryout. AND a margarita while I waited! The margarita is simple, the perfect size and made with all fresh ingredients. It rivals more notable ones around town. This time, they had ALL the burnt ends and boy, were they worth the wait! I got a one meat platter with burnt ends, collards and Mac n cheese. My husband got a two meat platter with burnt ends, brisket, beans and slaw. We got KC and Texas sauces (they have 5 or 6 to choose from, all inspired by different BBQ regions in the US). Both platters came with cornbread which is the only thing that needs some work IMHO. It's small, dry and not worthy of the calories. But EVERYTHING else was soooo good! Fatty, juicy, flavorful meats. Balanced sauces. And delicious sides! The Mac, collards and beans get an A+, the slaw is a solid B. Service was great on both visits. Friendly, efficient and fast! One thing to note is they have an adorable patio. I've not eaten out there yet but it's well maintained with lots of flowers and good coverage from the sun. Might have to check it out on our third visit!

    Photos
    The Smokehouse BBQ - Dining room

    Dining room

    The Smokehouse BBQ - Burnt end sandwich

    Burnt end sandwich

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    Sauces for every taste

    JKQ BBQ - bbq - Updated May 2026

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