Overall Rating and is it worth a visit: 7.5/10. Maybe, especially with a younger family looking for affordable BBQ and a chill setting, but nothing special overall. They have an average floor for the quality across their smoked meats, but also a lower ceiling than the majority of their Colorado counterparts across all their offerings as well. That said, it was packed when I walked in mid-afternoon, leaving me to find a spot in the bar seating area. As soon as you walk in, there is a light, enjoyable smell of hickory smoke that is not too overpowering and lingers lightly and pleasantly in the air. Functioning more grill/restaurant than a traditional BBQ joint, they have a wide menu with plenty of alternative dishes such as burgers, sandwiches, and even some salad options for your meat-wary friends or family members. Service was solid, and it has a laid-back, local hangout vibe to it, which makes for a chill and casual spot to visit. While the BBQ isn’t winning any awards from me, they make up for it with a welcoming and warm environment at an affordable price

Date Visited: 4/5/2025

Address: 4360 St Cloud Dr, Loveland, CO 80538

Day of the Week: Saturday

Time of Day: 1:15 PM. Open at 11:00 AM

Owner: Eric & Shannon Nordhagen

Website: https://nordysbbq.com/

Number of Years in Business: Opened in 2008

Number of People in Line: The Place was to capacity, with a 20-minute wait for tables, but open seating at the bar. Easily over 125+

Regional Style of BBQ: Texas Style

Total Cost: $59.55 with tip. Ordered “The Feast for 1” + 1/4lb of brisket and 1 Hazer Tag IPA. The feast came with St Louis-style spare Ribs, 1/2 a roasted chicken, Carolina pulled pork, and smoked sausage. Came with three sides of Mac & Cheese, Pasta Slaw, and Fried Okra, plus cornbread tossed in

Type of Wood: Hickory

Type of Smoker: Unsure, maybe gas or electric, as the only smoker outside I saw was attached to a trailer and appeared propane-powered. Looked like electric smokers from what I could see into the kitchen

Type of Seasoning: No signature style I noticed, but sauced everything

Best Dish: Pulled Pork

Best Sauce: Didn’t try or review

Best Side: Corn Bread

Interior Description: More restaurant style than traditional BBQ spot, in that you check in with the host and order at your table, or you grab an open chair or table in the bar area and place it there. Large spot with plenty of seating, that has more of a sports bar meets BBQ vibe, with professional sports jerseys, beer signs, and racing hoods lining the walls. Leaning more toward traditional BBQ aesthetic, on the flip side, there was an iced tea station, along with wooden luxury vinyl floors and a modern wooden ceiling and walls that were clearly from a custom design. It’s a clean, organized, and family-friendly spot

Pro Tip: Get here early, as I was shocked to see there was a wait when I rolled in and was lucky to find the one open seat at the bar

Brisket

0/10 Ranking: 7.75/10

Seasoning: Salt, pepper, potentially more, but was sauced so couldn’t fully tell

Description: Minimal bark or smoke flavor coming through, and had about a 1/4 inch of red ring to it, which they then unfortunately, poured BBQ sauce over and sprinkled it with pepper on top (that was a new one and not in a good way, even as a pepper lover). That said, it was tender and juicy for each bite, but also nothing special overall. Skip for the next time, but if you do order it, ask for it without the sauce, as it takes over the entire flavor profile otherwise and drowns out the others

St Louis Style Spare Ribs 

0/10 Ranking: 7.5/10

Seasoning: Salt, pepper, potentially others

Description: These were some of the leanest and skinniest ribs I’ve ever had, so it admittedly didn’t start off great and didn’t get much better from there. In terms of tenderness, they were a little tough and slightly chewy and seemed to have more of a grilled than smoked taste to them. Similar to the brisket, these were lathered in sauce and really didn’t have anything special to them, as they tasted like someone grilled them on their home setup. Skip em

Pulled Pork

0/10 Ranking: 8/10

Seasoning: Unsure

Description: Very juicy pulled pork, with a little smokiness to it, and also covered in sauce similar to the other meats, and then served on garlic toast. One of the better meats here, but not typical Texas Style with the saucing and hickory, and leans more midwestern KC sweet over savory. May order this one again, but probably better as a sandwich option

Sausage 

0/10 Ranking: 7.5/10

Description: Almost tasted and looked like ring bologna vs a sausage. Had a light snap to the casing and a creamy interior texture. With basically no smoke flavor coming through, it’s not worth getting again unless you’re craving a taste of childhood with the ring bologna nostalgia

Chicken

0/10 Ranking: 7.75 to 8/10

Description: Tastes like roasted chicken vs smoked, so be prepared for that. The order came with 1/2 a chicken, and while the skin was crispy and had good flavor to it, the interior chicken was dry and pretty bland and tasteless. 50/50 on skipping for next time, especially with it not really being a true BBQ/smoked chicken

Sides – Mac & Cheese

0/10 Ranking: 7.75 to 8/10

Description: Creamy and cooked a little past al dente, it did have good overall flavor, but also nothing noteworthy or unique about it. Could flip a coin on ordering again

Sides – Pasta Slaw

0/10 Ranking: 7.75 to 8/10

Description: This one was a new one that I hadn’t come across before, so I had to try it out of curiosity. To the name, it’s coleslaw mixed with pasta, with the cabbage staying crunchy and having a light sweetness and acidity balance to it, but it might be a little too heavy on the mayo. The pasta was a slightly weird addition and partner to this dish, that my brain and taste buds couldn’t quite figure out what to do with, and left me confused on whether I enjoyed it or not, but I will probably try it again

Sides – Fried Okra

0/10 Ranking: 7.75 to 8/10

Description: Light breading to them in addition to being well fried, but had no real seasoning to each bite, and desperately needed salt or a sauce to dip them into. That said, they were cooked really well, as they still had a light bite and structure to them without being mushy, but also not the best I’ve had in Colorado. I’m a sucker for okra, so I would probably get them again and request some sauce

Sides – Corn Bread

0/10 Ranking: 8.5/10

Description: Best side I had, and it was included at no cost, so even better. The cornbread was sweet and had a nice light crunch to the top of the muffin. The interior was warm and moist, but without being undercooked and doughy, making for an enjoyable bite each time. Overall, really tasty and one of the better cornbreads I’ve had in a while, would get again

Interior & Menu Photos: