Bird Dog BBQ

Came in with my southern wife on a whim and her exact words were «we now have a BBQ joint.» Loved the pulled pork, shotgun spud, and fried okra. Just like home. And the give 10% military discount.

Awesome food. Much better prices than any other BBQ place around. Very friendly staff. Clean building. Peaceful environment. Worth the three drive minute drive off the I-​25. Will be back… A lot.

I was really disappointed with our family’s meal here tonight. The service was great. Friendly people. However, the food was not so good. The pulled pork and brisket was dry, bland and served cold. The sausages were way over-​cooked. Sides were good though. The kids were wishing they had just ordered corn on the cob and French fries. Would have been cheaper too.

Ok-​the food here is always good and fresh, I have no problem with it. The service tonight was ridiculous!
It appeared that two people at the front were new and there was one experienced person.
My date ordered a pork porkhouse burger, and the girl plating it used brisket. When the «experienced» guy realized this he took the brisket off the bun and have her the pork to pull. Then he instructed the girl to prepare the sandwich incorrectly while he took my order. After my date repeated what he ordered (a total of 4 times), the guy finally fixed it. In the meantime my order was missing a component, but I didn’t clarify because by now I was frustrated.
The cashier charged us for an extra side and then didn’t know how to correct it.
The dining room was dirty (it was 6:30-between lunch and dinner) and the condiment bottles were empty.
It took them so long to make our order, with all of the screw ups, that a line to the door built up behind us. Since that appeared to be the dinner rush-​these folks were in for a long night.
I’m hoping this crummy service was just a fluke and that these people figure it out. I might just continue to go to a closer bbq place from now on.

I’m from Memphis, TN and I KNOW barbq. I’ve lived in CO for a year and a half, and this is the first time I’ve put some south in my mouth without visiting home. Tender, perfectly cooked, not too fatty pulled pork with just the right amount of smoke. Slaw in the sandwich and sauce on top (that’s Memphis style, y’all!) my kids and I agreed it was every bit as good as Corky’s or Central BarBQ back home (actually BETTER than Central BarBQ!) potato salad was good, french fries were good and hot. Didn’t try the beans, but I will next time (which will be soon).

Delicious! We first went to Colorado Smokehouse but found it closed at 6 pm, so were very pleased to enjoy a great meal at Bir Dog despite its low rating on Unilocal.
We had the General pulled pork sandwich and the Doghouse with brisket. The BBQ on the brisket was excellent, as was the tabletop spicy sauce we added to the pork. Sides included baked beans, potato salad, cob corn, and fried okra. All were good, although the okra wasn’t quite that of Southern Hospitality (fka Bourbon Brothers) in N Colorado Springs.
With two drinks, the bill was $ 32, but portion sizes were ample enough for us to take leftovers for a second meal.
Bird Dog has our recommendation, and we look forward to a return visit!

Everyone told me this is the best bbq place in the local area. Impossible. The meat is dry and flavorless. I tried the brisket and pulled pork. Both were hard to chew and swallow. I left feeling like I had just ingested a brick of flavorless crap. The staff was friendly but not helpful. Sweet tea tasted like it came out of a can. The potato salad was alright. Not coming back. I’d rather have dickey’s than this. And that’s saying something.

Not the best BBQ but the Turkey is pretty good. The rest seems kinda dry. The staff is polite and the inside is nice. The prices are too high for what you get and the portion sizes are small. Not my first choice for BBQ but if a friend wants to go there for lunch, I’ll tag along.

Prices, not good but not the worst I’ve come across. Unfortunately the same can be said of the BBQ, I’ve had worse but not by much. Many say this is the best BBQ in the springs. No offense, but you’re all wrong, sorry being from the south I’m not sure what Colorado BBQ is, the best I can figure out is its a poorly executed cross between Texas and KC. Biggest error in BBQ made at this mediocre establishment is shredding the brisket, stop and think about this for a moment, the brisket is naturally prone to becoming dry is not properly prepared. That being the case, why would you shred the stuff, increasing the surface area allowing moisture to escape more readily. Last thing before I step down from my soap box (I hope these guys actually read their reviews), fix your menu! It’s downright confusing, the plates you have listed have 2 prices that have to be added together, I didn’t come for a mathematics lesson, get your crap together.

Just terrible. After multiple referrals and wanting to try something new for Mother’s Day we wasted our money on this «bbq». Thirty bucks on bland brisket and turkey, dry fries, unmelted cheese on a tiny baked potato with no butter, disgusting coleslaw, and three spice dry rubbed ribs just didn’t cut it. Even the pickles suck. It’s hard to have terrible pickles so you know there is something wrong. Save some time and just go to Colorado Smokehouse– so much better. Never going here ever again. EVER AGAIN.

Average bbq. Place smells awesome when you walk in. The pork ribs I got were dry and over cooked. Brisket looked awesome in the case. Turned out they shred it and it ends up tasting like pot roast with absolutely no smoke flavor. The only reason they get 3 stars is because of their sauces. They were the saving grace.

Careful of the somewhat deceptive pricing — if you’re not careful looking at the menu, you may not realize how expensive the place really is. A little pricey for the quality you get and… you should ask the person serving how much things really cost before completing your order. You may find yourself asking, «how did this cost that much?»
The way this place makes money is the «lunch deal» sandwich thing offered at a lower cost (not available on weekends, of course). But the true cost of a real BBQ meal is much, much higher and exposes the shortcomings of the preparation.

Menus should be available to those not in the counter line and/​or posted in a more convenient place but are not, so you’re left squinting at a wall menu directly over the two food-​counter style employees (and anyone else in line) waiting for you to hurry up and order already.
Not sure if it’s an «Oklahoma» thing or what, but the first thing you might notice is that this place commits a cardinal sin against brisket. Instead of slicing the brisket — as it should be — it is treated like pulled pork. Huh? Pulled apart fork-​style and stringy.
While this is perfectly fine with pork (a much more moist and completely different type of meat) when pull-​style is done with beef brisket, it ends up dry, chewy, and mealy. Exactly what experienced. One should never treat brisket like pulled pork. Completely different animals… both literally and in culinary preparation, and not worth the markup here to boot. Anyone who really knows & loves BBQ knows you DO NOT prepare brisket this way.
Potato salad was roughly equivalent to King Soopers/​Kroger brand. Good and passable, but nothing you couldn’t either do better yourself or get without the markup at the grocery store.
On the plus side, the baked beans had a nice, sweet flavor and were done well. Fried okra good, and not easy to find in these parts.
Next the pork spareribs. While they definitely had a smoky flavor, it was very clear that the ribs were completely overcooked. Rib meat should have at least a gentle tug against the bone, and not be completely mush when you eat it, and fall off like zombie flesh. It was clear that these were left in the smoker/​warmer/​oven for far too long, and lost their sense of having a ‘meat’ texture.
Kosher pickle instead of a proper dil pickle with the BBQ. Also, red onion instead of traditionally white onion. Just things to be aware of. While the BBQ options in Colorado Springs are scant at best, there are better places to go than here.

I ordered the ribs today and they were cold. The end piece was like trying to chew tree bark. The okra was the only good thing. I’m done with this place. I’ll make my own or go to Rudy’s.

Great local BBQ joint on the Mesa. Average prices for the style, service had been quick and friendly every time. Different lunch special each weekday for $ 8. Skip the chain food and give this place a try!

By far the best BBQ in all of the Springs, and that includes my visits to Colorado Smokehouse and Rudy’s. The portions are well balanced by taste and price. What really makes the BBQ even better are the sides. Sides make the BBQ taste even better between bites. The Peach Cobbler is delish and the XXX Hot sauce is full of flavor and makes eating here worth every bit.

Love this place. Brisket and sauces are amazing, but just a heads up: the brisket is shredded. I happen to like it shredded, but I know some people are weird about that. Also, both cobblers are soooo good. I could easily plow through the family portion it’s that good. Definitely nice to have something besides a drive thru in the area.

Husband and I are here and set up is typical. I got the brisket with fried okra and fries (don’t judge! Lol) husband got the ribs with corn and beans. Brisket was DRY. No good without the BBQ sauce on the table and even the sauce isn’t that great. Tries and okra were good. Not over done or too greasy. I tried the ribs and was not in love. They were too peppery but the were cooked good very moist just not a fan of the flavor. Probably will find another place to satisfy our BBQ needs.

Good bbq, great service from the guys working and a nice change of pace from all the fast food in the area. I’m a southern girl so I can be critical about my bbq, but no complaints from an owner of 2 sweet bird dogs!

Average BBQ 3/​5, but the fact that it’s such a nice change from all of the fast food chains around the Mesa Ridge area definitely warrants a ⁴⁄₅.

Great customer service! I’m super picky with my food and they let me try anything and everything I wanted! They were all very nice and it was lunch time so it was a little busy. The service is fast but kind of weird because they put two plates on one tray. It can get confusing if you aren’t paying attention.
The food is delicious. The I had the smokehouse sandwich and it was delicious. The guy said they don’t use the sauce because they want you to taste the meat not the sauce. I guess it’s a little dry in that aspect but it’s not gross. The sauces are good. Their sides are fresh and good. There is plenty of seating even during lunch time. I would recommend it. The food and customer service are amazing!