Russell's Smokehouse

Easy spot for BBQ and a Bourbon drink. The st Louis ribs come in huge amounts. Go half rack unless you are ready to unbutton the jeans. Staff is active and engaged. Chat with Shane at the bar, nice guy from TX. The hostess heard me ask about next door and ask me to come check out Green Russels. That’s an entirely different adventure. Drinks are good. The decor is woodsy with large plank floors and painted walls. An homage to the dark Rendezvous Memphis. . Don’t skip desert - peach cobbler. No ice cream. Keep it sweet bourbons and delish.

Inspired BBQ & craft cocktails star at chef Frank Bonanno's Southern-Gothic underground haunt.

Fantastic food and an amazing atmosphere. It is a tragedy that they will be closing their doors at the end of the year. Get reservations now while you still can!

Great BBQ in a very cool underground setting. Beef tips, pulled pork, and brisket were all delicious and well seasoned. Their mustard bbq sauce is one of my favorites. They also have a large and well curated whiskey list with well made old fashioned's and Manhattens. The speakeasy next door is a must visit as well!

Pleasant BBQ restaurant with well prepared food. Serving cocktails of a highly recomendable neighbor speakeasy bar, The Green Russell

I ordered the lunch special of brisket sandwich with coleslaw and Parmesan steak fries. The brisket was very tender and the homemade sauces were yummy. Good value and nice atmosphere.

Best bar be que in town. Doesn't need sauce but their suaces are good.

Wonderful service, atmosphere, and food! The Low Hanging Cherries drink is exceptional

Everything about this place was outstanding! My pulled pork was melt-in-your-mouth tender & beyond savory. The southern style green beans were the best in Denver. The pot-likker the beans were served in was out of this world - lots of pork belly drippings with onions soaked in a wine reduction! Impossibly good. I could go on, but you get the point. This is now my favorite smokehouse restaurant in Denver!

This place was amazing. Great food, wide selection of smoked meats ranging from brisket to pulled pork and good southern style sides. And I'm from Virginia, familiar with North Carolina barbecue and the southern approach to vegetables (add bacon and cook it all day), so I think I can speak on barbecue. The family got a few sampler platters so we could try the selection of chicken, brisket, pulled pork and ribs, and all were excellent. Flavorful and tender. The place is a bit strange -- understairs, as it were -- but comfortable and welcoming.

Visited 4/11/2021 Go eat and drink here if you visit Denver! I cannot recommend this place enough. EXCELLENT service from Chris. The manager, Jennifer, was friendly and told me a little about the decor, theme, and history of the place. I had the fried chicken, mac and cheese and coleslaw, and it was DELICIOUS (compliments to the chefs). Make sure you get the cherry pie, too. Best I have ever tasted! I will visit this place again next time I'm in Denver.

Cozy downstairs atmosphere and the piano player was a nice addition. Service was friendly and attentive. I had the smoked salmon which was incredibly juicy and tender - maybe the best salmon I’ve had in my life. Love their business model - proof of vaccination required, 22% gratuity automatically added to bill (that’s split amongst the house), and a $20 reservation deposit (which is subtracted from your bill).

Best BBQ we have ever had! Better that Tennessee BBQ! Loved the atmosphere, so relaxed. Great drinks and awesome sauces! Our waiter Trevor was amazing and even gave us a history lesson on the neighborhood and hints of fun things to do. Such a wonderful experience!

Almost like a secret location down the stairs to the basement. Everyone is always so friendly and helpful. Bartender is great!! Ribs are excellent! Love the brisket and burnt ends. Love the cornbread too. Excellent drinks and cocktails and They make a lot of home made items. Always loves everything. Will keep on coming back. We always stop by on the way to seeing a show. Short walkable distance from DPAC.

Amazing food and service, cocktails a bit pricey for size but well made. Please keep in note that your tip is included in your bill and adds on an extra percentage i believe. It goes to support every worker in the restaurant so its worth it to help support the community but the food is well worth the price. Outside seating so reserve a table if you want to sit near a gas lamp or firepit

I have been for a business dinner and a birthday, both times were phenomenal. Tonight our server was Taylor, she made us feel very special for our birthday dinner and was super sweet and attentive the whole time. You really can’t go wrong here, the brisket is so juicy and really doesn’t need sauce but they do have 3 kinds. The sausage plate is incredible, the pickles are made in house! Making reservations is easy, if you call the number and dial for reservations you get a real person. you do have to put down a card number in case of no show, $10 a head, when you go, it’s taken off the bill or you can ask it go back in the card.

Went here over the past weekend and ordered a brisket sandwich. It was delicious! I subbed the fries for collard greens and was given a very generous portion. Staff was super friendly and attentive. I sat near the live pianist. Loved the atmosphere. This place is fantastic!

We planned a 35 person corporate dinner party at Russell’s Smokehouse for guests attending a conference in Denver. They went above and beyond to accommodate all of our needs from extra guests to dietary restrictions- they handled it all with ease! We were in awe at the service and incredible food. Alice and “Captain” are incredible and I am so grateful! I HIGHLY recommend them for any occasion but especially for the OUTSTANDING private room service. You will not be disappointed!

We had our wedding rehearsal dinner here over Labor Day weekend. The back room was absolutely perfect for our group and was so cute and cozy! The food was so delicious, every single thing! Alice was our server and she was so fun and did such an amazing job taking care of all of us! Thanks for the great experience!

I found this place by complete chance on a trip to Denver. The staff was very nice considering i tried a little of everything on the menu. The Pulled pork was very tasty and well as the ribs. The brisket had perfect coloring, was not dry at all and had a great oak smoke taste. The Chicken sausage was some of the best i have ever tried (def hand made). The slaw was a mayo base that i normally don't like (i hate mayo) but i liked it surprisingly. Mac and cheese was very good and spicy! You must try the fried jalapenos as a app with the cheese sauce (amazing). They have a mustard sauce and vinegar base as well as Spicy Vin base(my fav) that were all good. The burn end sliders were a good and for only $2 on happy hour they are a MUST. I enjoyed this as had enough food to eat the next day. Last but not least REALLY GOOD Sweat tea!!! Like we have back in South Carolina. I was very impressed!

Yesterday, we arrived in Denver for the first time and, after an early start and a full day of meetings today, we decided we'd like to find somewhere decent to eat some quality, local food. So glad we found Russell's. Being from the UK, this was only our second visit to a BBQ place, so we had to ask our waiter for advice. In the end, I had sliced, deep fried jalapenos to start, followed by burnt ends with a side of collard greens and, for pudding, a slice of pecan pie. It was all super tasty. I've already recommended it to someone at the hotel we're staying at.

Pleasant underground smokehouse. Almost hidden but a worthy find. The food was amazing. Tired the sunday chicken special. Perfectly cooked fried chicken with a double crust outside. The mashed potatoes were creamy and delicious. The staff was super nice and very helpful. Must try.

The food here is incredible maybe some of the best ribs I have ever had. They could improve the cornbread and the service. While I was in a larger party and there seemed to be only one waitress we felt somewhat abondoned. The BBQ made up for it.

This place gives off speakeasy vibes, had to walk down a staircase and through a hallway into a room beside the dining area, and wait to be seated. The food was delicious, the staff wasn't extremely attentive but they got the job done.

I stumbled across this place on my eay to another resturant and after looking at the menu decided to give it a shot. The service was good at the bar, lots of Bourbon options, and the food was great. Great smoked meat but over smoked. The BBQ sauces were really tasty and had just the right amount of spice. I will certainly go back!!

Russel's has an amazing atmosphere, with a speakeasy vibe. if I was in my 20s or early 30s this would have been a great hangout. now about the food. for a smokehouse I expected smoked meats, but my beef ribs tasted baked or boiled with zero smoke flavor, and they were fairly tough (I make beef ribs in my smoker at home and mine are way way way better). the smoked mac & cheese had almost no smoke flavor, the brisket had no smoke flavor and was a little dry and over cooked, and the smoked chicken was dry but tasted okay. the mashed potatoes were a little thick but delicious, and the pulled pork was great and actually tasted a little smokey. overall I was disappointed in the food, especially with a name like Russel's Smokehouse, I expected a smokey flavor to my food. a meal for 2 with 1 appetizer and no alcoholic drinks was around $100. || Atmosphere A++ || Food C+ || Service A || Overall not worth it for the price.

Came right after a Broncos game and expected there to be a long wait and mediocre food. Turns out the food was actually great and the family meal fed us 4 with a variety of stuff. Apparently they only had one waiter and yet they still got everyone's food out quickly. Atmosphere is cool too. Definitely made our night! Only downside was the huge price. I recommend the pork ribs and the sour cream potatoes. The sausage and brisket was okay and the only thing I didn't like was the chicken but I was able to fill myself despite that.

Most of the food was tasty, very large portions! However, service was lacking in our recent visit. We were excited to try out a variety of items during restaurant week with three courses. The first course came out quickly, we were about 2/3 done when the entree was served. Since we were at a small two top table, had to juggle dishes to get room for all the plates. Then our drinks arrived. About halfway through the entree, our dessert (pie) came. The waiter did say he could bring back the pie later, but we again made room... finally getting first course dishes cleared. (One personal note, I would have liked a wipe or some way to clean hands when eating the ribs. Ribs had great smoke, highly recommend! ) When we finally were ready for dessert, one entree dish was cleared and the other sat in the middle of the table. I wanted a clean fork for dessert, but no one stopped by. We ate dessert staring at cold fries and cornbread. The pie was the only disappointing food, two peach slices in a soggy crust slapped on the plate. At that point, I was feeling pushed out the door and ready to leave. (There were tables with no customers, it was not being pushed to eat fast because there were people waiting). For a $150 dinner for two, left disappointed wanting a better experience... recomend clearing plates between courses and allowing some time to enjoy the great drinks!

I thought this place will exceed my expectations but I was wrong. The beef ribs were chewy and so hard to eat. The Mac and cheese and the hot sauce were the best thing in the restaurant. I gotta mention that the staff were amazing.

April 2022 We had to show ID and proof of COVID vaccination. Service was good. The server was nice and personal. I ordered ribs and pork belly. Taste was merely ok. Outside of Ribs were really dry and hard, but inside was flavorful. A few pork belly slices were hard , not tender at all. I really liked the mustard sauce for the ribs and the waiter brought me some blue cheese. For the price that I paid and what I received I was not thoroughly impressed.

Great presentation going in the door. Right in the heart of the shopping district with a chic appeal below street level. Service was on par, food left much to be desired. We probably have unrealistic expectations coming from Atlanta, but collards of mostly stems, cornbread from a box mix, and brisket doused in Velveeta wasn't fooling me. The cheese puff app however would be your best bet, it was hot off the stove with great flavor and sauce choices.

Came here on a Tuesday night around 6 and we were seated right away. Loved the cool speakeasy vibe. The hostess mentioned them adding some charge to our bill and I didn't think too much of it until our bill came and then there was this huge 22% added on. The food was fantastic. We started with the bacon cheddar bombs which were tasty, especially with that dipping sauce. Then my daughter shared the burger and the turkey sandwich. Both items were delicious, the burger was juicy and flavorful, the turkey sandwich was also very tasty. The fries are shoestring which I don't prefer but these had a fantastic flavor, some seasoning that made them excellent and I ate every fry. The downside was that the service was very lacking. We were seated and left there for a long time before the hostess asked if we had been helped yet and when we said no the hostess took our order. Someone else brought out our food, but no one returned to check on how our food was. We were missing the coleslaw that should have come with our meals and yet no one checked on us so we just let the lack of coleslaw go. Someone came to refill our water but then there wasn't anyone to ask if we wanted dessert (which we did but didn't order because it took so long) and to give us our bill. So add in pretty bad service with a whopping 22% added onto our bill and we were not thrilled. So while the food was excellent, the service and experience was not great overall.

Russell's Smokehouse was had a really interesting vibe, once inside they have a dining room and a cocktail area to get drinks, their soft drinks are house made. I was in the dining room with family, we had dinner here before going to a show at the Buell Theatre. Overall, the food was decent. I will try something else if I return. I was a little disappointed with the meat in my mac and cheese, as it was dry. We were all disappointed with the service. Our waiter wasn't very attentive and checked on us maybe once. Someone at our table asked for some butter for the bread (the roles were really dry), but it never made it to the table. We also didn't get any info on their sauces, the tables around us all were told what type of sauces there were and their flavor. Unfortunately, if I'm looking for barbecue I will be going somewhere else.

Ordered from UberEats, the Mac and cheese and mashed potatoes were good, but I got the combo plate with sliced brisket and pulled pork, both which were mostly fat! Like at least 50% of it.

We were excited to give this place a try in advance of a trip to the theater as a family as we truly enjoy BBQ. The place has a great location in Larimer Square down in the basement of one of the buildings. The ambiance was pretty nice though 2 of our 5 chairs were broken and had to be swapped out when we sat down. As most everything can be made right with great food, I have one word that subs up our meal - meh. Split the rib combo and the bbq combo with my daughter and we agreed on the following: - Chicken - great, juicy and solid flavoring - baby back ribs - very good with solid smoke flavoring and decent moisture - brisket - no flavor but very juicy and tender - beef rib - nice flavor, chewy - spare ribs - dry and sinewy - pulled pork - dry, dry, dry with limited flavor. Even sloughing on sauce could not cure this - sides were very sub par. The sprouts and collared greens were nearly inedible and the asparagus was flavorless. The slaw was pretty good though. One of the fry sides comes with exactly 4 fries. Service was fine with a nice enough server that earned a nice tip despite the food product. Too many nice places in this area with quality food for me to go back.

Went there this evening with my sister and was unfortunately disappointed. The information posted on their website is wholly untrue and inaccurate; therefore misleading. For example, the website advertises that they offer Happy Hour, but they no longer do. Additionally, they indicate that they offer burnt ends, but they do not. When asked about this, we were told: Well, it's not a real smokehouse since we do not have a smoker due to the restaurant being underground. The macaroni and cheese was not seasoned nor creamy. The braised collard greens were underwhelming and did not taste much better than canned greens. The grits were undercooked and crunchy, but also soupy. The pork belly was crunchy, similar to bacon; not juicy or tender...I think it was fried (sigh). I can now understand why they automatically charge everyone a 22% CHP tip. I should have left as soon as we were told that the website is not updated to reject the truth.

If you are searching for excellent drinks then this is your place but the food is overpriced garbage. I ended up aging for brisket that was mostly fat, so I barely ate, and a side of grits that has the consistency of chunky baby food. At least I was lucky by not eating, my other half ended up hugging the toilet as a result of food poisoning. The restaurant randomly smelled like an overflowing grease trap and when questioned about the issue, the waiter mentioned they were having plumbing issues. So due your self a favor and stay away from this place for everything but drinks unless you want a really light wallet and a waistline to match!

I normally don't leave negative reviews...but this place was garbage! Worst/dry brisket I've ever had and it wasn't cheap. Not to mention they have a "Creating Happy People" charge on your bill which is a 22%auto gratuity....if you don't pay attention to your bill you will end up tipping on top of that....should have gone to Cru or Rioja...realistically McDonald's would have been better...sorry..not sorry. At least the dogs enjoyed the brisket when we got home

The food was good, but the service just took forever. Seated at 8, but had to flag down multiple servers to put in a food order, at which point it was ~9:15? There were 3 servers in the area that seemed to have completely forgotten about us. The tip is included, which is great provided everything works. Really strange as I've been to the Green Russell next door which was incredible every time.

My fiance and I went here a few weeks a go and experienced horrible service. They didn't tell us while sitting they include such a high tip in the bill. Regardless we wouldn't have minded if the service was good but it was horrible. It first started with us getting seated in the back which it was a cool atmosphere but they totally forgot about us. The first server ended her shift and I'm guessing didn't tell the next server how many tables she had because we ended up waiting for a good fifteen minutes for someone to take our drink orders my fiance had to get up a few times to find someone, which by the way at this time there were literally only two other parties in the whole restaurant extremely slow hour. I got a burger that was still red and cold in the middle so we sent it back with the manager and again no communication between this lady and the server she never explained to him what had happened because when she delivered to our table he had asked her what happened....mind you this was a while to get our burger. Then we were priced with the hefty bill that was extremely not worth it. I have complete understanding for restaurants as most of my work I do is being a server or working in restaurants. Especially when there slammed. These people literally had maybe 3 tables filled the whole time while we were there. We most certainly will not being going back here and not recommending it to any of our friends or family. Super dissatisfied and disappointed.