GQue BBQ Lone Tree

GQue BBQ opened its Park Meadows location in 2019 as the third spot from founder Jason Ganahl, who moved to Colorado in 2007 and spent the next decade winning Kansas City Barbeque Society Grand Champion titles on the competition circuit before opening his first restaurant. Same-day hickory-smoked black Angus brisket, baby back ribs, pulled pork, turkey, sausage, chicken, and rotating weekly specials. Small-batch sides and house-made ice cream. The competition pedigree shows up in the bark on the brisket and the smoke ring on the ribs, both of which are visibly several notches above the Texas Roadhouse-tier barbecue most chain places serve.

The brisket is mixed in reviews, and the honest assessment is that consistency varies by the cut and the day. Get there early in the meal service window (open is 11am) and the brisket point is reliably excellent; come at 7pm on a Sunday and you may get a leaner, drier slice from the back of the run. The ribs are the safer bet across all hours, and the pulled pork is the third-place go-to. Wings on Tuesdays are a sleeper deal that doesn't get talked about enough.

The drawback is the room. The Park Meadows mall location is a strip-mall storefront with food-court energy, fluorescent lighting, and counter service. There's no atmosphere to speak of, no patio worth mentioning, no bar program of note. This is a place to order takeout or sit down for 30 minutes, eat well, and leave. If you want a barbecue dinner with beers and sides for two hours, drive into town to Post Oak or one of the Denver heavyweights instead.