Riot BBQ, the Denver smokehouse known for selling out brisket nights, has quietly slid into Sedalia, taking over the food program at the Wide Open Saloon with a trimmed-down menu built around the venue’s concert season. The move turns the live music hotspot into a one-stop night out, where you can grab dinner and catch a show without ever leaving your barstool. Riot’s crew soft-launched in early May and hosted an invite-only preview dinner last Friday, rolling out a Sedalia lineup that leans on shareable, late-night plates instead of the full smokehouse spread offered at the original Denver location.
Riot Takes The Kitchen At Wide Open
The partnership traces back to January, when Riot first teamed up with the Wide Open Saloon as the main food vendor during the National Western Stock Show. That temporary setup clicked, and it has since evolved into a full-time arrangement. As reported by Westword, Riot officially soft-launched at the Sedalia venue on May 1 and followed it up with the invite-only preview dinner last Friday.
What's On The Sedalia Menu
Wide Open chief operating officer Leah Hills said, “We’re building something that feels complete, a place where guests can come for dinner, stay for the music, and spend the entire evening here,” a quote noted by Westword. The Sedalia menu sticks to Riot’s smokehouse DNA, with smoked wings, loaded brisket nachos with cheese, a brisket cheesesteak, and a double-patty smash burger among the options listed by The Denver Post. It is all built for sharing and late-night service rather than lingering, full-service dinners.
From Overland To Cherry Creek
Riot’s quick growth is no accident. The original Riot BBQ smokehouse opened in Denver’s Overland neighborhood in June 2025 and rapidly built a reputation for selling out nights. The team then spun off a poultry-focused sibling, Chicken Riot, in Cherry Creek this spring. That rise is detailed in local coverage by 5280 and BusinessDen, both of which point to co-owners Chef Manny Barella and Pitmaster Patrick Klaiber as the operation’s driving forces.
What This Means For Sedalia
The matchup gives Sedalia a heftier dining anchor just as the Wide Open Saloon ramps up its summer schedule. According to The Denver Post, many of the venue’s summer concerts are free and now come with a built-in food option. The saloon’s event calendar also lists weekend bands and ticketed shows that stand to benefit from the upgraded kitchen. For Denver-area diners, it is another example of a hit neighborhood concept stretching into the metro’s edges to meet growing demand for low-key, live-music dining.
