Spanky’s Urban Roadhouse

I wish I could give this place zero stars. I only write a review based off of what the servers and staff can actually control. Who cares about parking or waits if the service and food are worth it, which is not the case here. I came for lunch today at 1 and the place was not packed for the amount of servers working. The hostess was rude and none of the tables bused. I sat down after ony waiting about 10 minutes but only because everyone was ignoring the front. I sat down and waited 20 minutes before I could even find a server to flag down and I was ready to order. No one seemed to know who had what tables. I put in my order for the donut burger and a beer and didn’t have water or utensils. People were looking around wondering why half of the tables were empty but still had dirty plates and dishes on them. I received my order 50 minutes later and it was wrong. He had put in a different burger than the one I had ordered and he was walking away before he had even set it down and I had to stop him to tell him it was wrong. He said, «oh, I thought you meant something else. I will have to go put your order back in». Still didnt have water and he didnt even offer another drinks or something in the mean time while the order was being put in. Waited another 35+ minutes for my cold and soggy donut burger. The bottom of the burger was completely soggy and I was unable to eat it, the meat was completely overdone, the fries were cold. I just wanted to get up and leave. I flagged him down for the check and he proceeded to say, «I took off the original burger off the bill»…well I didnt order it or eat it so yes, it should not reflect on my bill. The food was terrible, service was a nightmare, I am so angry I even had to pay for this. So many dining options in Denver so shame on you Spanky’s.

I’ve been here a few times for brunch and have been decently fed. BEC sandwich is delicious. The croissant is soft and flaky. The raspberry jam on the sandwich gives it a sweet kick. The hash browns were fantastic & tasted homemade. Love coming here the morning/​afternoon after a long night out.

After having been a weekly customer for two years, today was the worst experience we’ve ever had.
Not only were we not greeted or sat for 5−10min in a nearly empty restaurant, but our server did not arrive for 15 minutes. The frustrating part was that 3 servers were talking in a booth together, would make eye contact with us, and continue chatting while rolling silverware while we waited unhelped.
Someone else came by, took a drink order and never returned. A third server came and took our order. When the food arrived, both dishes were wrong — then server #2 returned to take our order again.
Our drinks weren’t refilled once, the third member of our party who came a few minutes after us was never offered a drink or water.
Once our food was finished and bussed, we waited 21 minutes for the check.
We stopped a server whom my friend and I had had many times before and expressed our anxiety and discouragement. She briefly explained the confusion behind why we’d been ignored by our «3» servers, but returned with the check in full.
It was almost insulting that the servers admitted they ruined our experience from start to finish, yet didn’t have the courtesy to comp a single part of our tab.
Unfortunately, this will be our last visit to Urban Roadhouse after having been patrons for 2 years and giving the restaurant thousands of dollars. Please don’t allow another guest to feel this way — unwanted, ignored, and disrespected.

If I could put 6 stars I would! The atmosphere is great and the food is even better. It’s very mellow and has reasonable prices for the quality of the food. They also have no trouble making replacements for your dietary restrictions. For example, if you’re vegetarian, you can easily substitute portobellos for meat. I highly recommend going there!

The food is great for the most part. They have some unusual ingredients in menu items that can either make or break the meal, but the bottomless mimosas are great (and fairly priced). The key point of my visit every time is the service I receive. Michelle is the best effing server ever and has catered to my many personalities on weekend brunches (exhausted, hungover, sick, and perfectly normal me). She is always so personable and does whatever she can to make my time there as good as it can be, even in the midst of a chaotic brunch.

Have always had a positive experience here, both with the food and the service. Lively; but never had to wait for a table. Highly recommend the short rib enchiladas. Very underrated.

Geez… What is it with the 3 star ratings? Ridiculous. Downright goofy.
This place is a terrific find. The food is creative, fresh and tasty. Best restaurant within a 5 mile radius and that’s saying something. Even the music is hip yet understated. Try the hangover helper or the green eggs and ham (a whole package of fresh fresh basil). If April is in the house, make sure to get in her section. She rocks. Definitely the best brunch south of Colfax. This is 5 star food with a 6 star vibe.

This is the real deal! Comfortable, great food, awesome service and hip atmosphere! The roadhouse steak was delicious. It was spicy, yet subtle and the sweet spices nicely balanced with the spicyness. The steak and frites was outstanding. As a traditional French recipe, the dish exhibited mouthwatering sweet and savory spices over a tender steak and well-​cut fries. Finished off with the Haystack dessert #todiefor! I definitely would suggest this restaurant to anyone looking for a good bite to eat.

If they ever get rid of Taylor the bartender, I’m never coming back. The man exudes charisma and excellence. As a bartender, he shows nothing but knowledge and concern for the customer. There is no spankys without Taylor.

The food is very good, and they recently renovated the restaurant which really made the atmosphere a lot more universal. My big complaint is mainly with the service; it’s not consistent at all. Living down the street from Spanky’s, I end up there pretty frequently either to grabs drinks, breakfast, or dinner with friends. Every time the service is just kind of slow and absent minded almost. They seem to turn tables quickly and have a mostly college clientele– maybe this is why the attention to service isn’t exactly prime. Nevertheless, great food and would recommend if you’re in the area.

This review is only for the atmosphere and drinks. I didn’t get any food but hope to come back to try some.
They had a pretty decent happy hour but I opted for the Herradura (my favorite) that was being promoted. I don’t like the margaritas with all the syrups but they did a great job with this one keep that light and allowing the taste of the tequila to come through. I was very impressed, actually.
As for the place itself, it sort of reminds me of a place I’d find in the 70s (think: retro /​hipster but nice). I was actually impressed at how nice it was inside, it was a bit smaller than I thought, and it had a fair amount of TV’s if you want to watch a game. The crowd in the evening seemed to be mostly business people. Being so close to the university, it was crazy not to see any college students but apparently that’s just the case.
I found myself a nice watering hole for when I’m in that part of town!

Very different from the Spanky’s I knew in college, but that’s a good thing! It’s all cleaned up, with a good menu and good food, and there seems to be an upgrade in the types of alcohol served. The patio is open year round, and although we worried about being cold it was perfectly fine for hanging out in November. Parking is still tough in this area, that won’t change. I enjoyed coming here and will probably come back again.

I have lived in the DU area off and on for 7 years, so I know the Urban Roadhouse use to be called Spanky’s. I never ate at Spanky’s I assumed it was a total college hangout with food that you enjoy if you drunk or hungover. When they did the remodel or someone bought Spanky’s, I’m not sure what happened but… The remodel really helped the appearance of the place and made it look like this could place with descent food. I never really wanted to give it a try but my boyfriend as wanted to he ate there with his dad and said it was pretty good. I decided to cave and eat there twice! The first time was pretty good, got a descent sandwich nothing I would rave about, the service was rather lacking the dude totally forgot about us throughout the night, which was annoying. Tonight we decided to go again, everything was okay, I decided tonight not to go back again though, the food is overpriced. I got a salad and everything was on the side I had to put the salad together. When your paying 14 bucks you don’t assume you have to put your food together and the make the salad yourself. My boyfriends sandwich lacked meat, two slices and it had no flavor. The bill was 40 bucks and I felt like we ate at Chili’s and were paying as if we ate at the Ritz Carlton of restaurants. Get your shit together!

Great food, love the place… Breakfast burrito is the greatest thing on earth… Green chili is best in Colorado! Bottomless mimosas… Do I need say more?

I came here for brunch and it was not good at all. I felt bad saying anything so I just didn’t eat my food. My daughters eggs were burnt so she didn’t touch them. I will just not come back in the future. I’m a little shocked at the prices considering it wasn’t good.

The food is good but pricey. Main problem is they don’t have reliable internet or accessible outlets for you to charge your computer/​phone. This is a University area and people have homework to do. The internet did not work and the only outlet was behind the bar… I went somewhere else. If they changed these problems I would dine their regularly for breakfast

Awesome Bloody Mary bar. Great breakfast! Yummy Irish eggs Benedict. Great service too.

50 – 50 burger is amazing. All the food we have tried is fantastic since new menu was introduced. I just wish they had late happy hour.

Spanky’s was practically my second home during my third quarter of grad school at DU, and even though I’ve since graduated, I still drop in for a drink or a burger from time to time. I’ve tried just about everything on the menu, and think they do a great job of putting their own gourmet twist on pub staples. The mixed drinks are really good (especially the Roadhouse Tea), and they have a good selection of beers on tap. There’s something for everyone here!

Great atmosphere and service! Awesome happy hour from 3 to 6. Also fish fry’s every Fri/​sat

I’ve eaten here once before, and the first time, the food was good. The second time however, the kitchen screwed up in a big way — they delivered undercooked chicken wings. They were cooked on the outside but raw inside, and I sincerely hope none of us get salmonella poisoning. Really disappointing. The eggless egg rolls were really good, though. I just can’t get over the chicken! The staff were very apologetic and took care of it immediately, and I appreciate that. I’m just worried that it happened in the first place!

I’m giving this restaurant a four star rating just because it surpassed my expectations. The menu has healthy options such as the Cobb salad w/​protein options including steak and chicken. The burgers look amazing as well if you’re opting for a «manwich». The waitress and bartender are very pleasant which makes for a nice atmosphere on top of the modern interior.

My husband and I live in the area, and wanted to try Spanky’s for dinner last night. We had looked at the menu and were excited to try something new! As soon as we walked in, we were both hit with this stench that was sickening. It smelled foul, like soured spoiled milk or like the place Had been mopped with something soured. We looked at each other and decided that we would sit outside on the tented patio, hoping it wouldn’t stink out there. No luck. It stunk. So bad. It’s just sour in there. We sat for a few minutes and both couldn’t take it, so we got up and left before the waiter could take our drink order (he was late) then walked to Illegal Pete’s. So disappointing, the menu looks great.

My office ordered take out from Spanky’s and I ordered the Roasted Herb Chicken Salad. I really enjoyed the dressing and fixings and definitely appreciate that it seems the chicken truly is roasted and pulled from a whole chicken (rather than a roasted chicken breast, or similar). The Amaze-​balls appetizer was also VERY good.
However, there was a lot of fat in the chicken which turned my stomach. I ended up having to inspect each piece of chicken and clean it of fat before eating. In addition, it was clear that the granny smith apples on my salad were not fresh cut, but pre-​cut and soaked in a citrus acid of some sort.
It was good, but I guess I expected better attention to detail.

So the quest is not much to write home about but the burgers and fries are good.
However it has the best Monte Cristo in Colorado!

The new Spanky’s is warm and inviting and cozy! Nice upgrade to the old booths and awful wooden splintery benches on the patio. Great lighting inside and out– nice redo!
The food. It used to be Spanky’s had great burgers. Now they are a little fancy! I had a peanut butter and jelly bacon burger. Good flavor combo! The sauteed kale side was delicious, while the corn on the cob side was a little rubbery. Still, fabulous options for sides!
We tried the Happy Hour Hummus appetizer and it was just meh, however the portion was HUGE!
Saw a few of the old shakes going by– so yeah, I will be back. Similar but different from the old Spanky’s. For the better, I think!

We were actually headed to Jelly another favorite in the area… but the wait was too long for us today. I have had several good meals in the past from the dinner menu but today was a first with my 12 year old son.
The resturant was nearly empty but like the dinner menu the breakfast menu had so many good things that it took us a while to debate and decide what to order.
My son had the pork scramble and devoured it. I had the lemon curd pancakes… which my son assisted me with finishing.
Every bit as good as Jelly without the hipster vibe. (Not that I don’t enjoy hipsters).
The service was good, it did take the kitchen a little longer than expected to put out a breakfast plate… but not horrible.
All in all I probably saved a few calories… no donut holes. If you are sitting outside of Jelly with a long wait… looking this way and wondering if you should try it. I say go for it!

Normally, I would probably give this spot 4 stars, but I’m boosting it to five because of the turn around since a complete renovation. This place was totally revamped, it used to have a sign that read SPANKY’S in big bold letters and reminded me of a crappy diner. I ate their once before the renovation, it was okay, but as I said the venue scared me off a bit.
A couple of months ago, they closed down for a bit and turned everything around. Now, I believe it’s still called Spanky’s Urban Road house, but the sign concentrates on the «Urban Roadhouse» part which looks much more classy. The bar is a great spot to watch games, lot’s of TVs that you can see from every seat in the house. They have a covered patio area that is good so families can visit during a big game and not be subjected to whatever madness may ensue in the bar area.
Now the food, I just had breakfast in here the other day and I have to say it was pretty excellent. I will be going back for lunch/​dinner at some point soon. Anyone who spends time in the DU neighborhood should check this place out. For some reason everyone seems to only go to Illegal Pete’s to have a drink around there, and Urban Roadhouse is a nice change.