Barque Smokehouse

The brisket is fantastic! The southern fried chicken could use some extra spice for a bit more heat, but otherwise has great flavour.

Chose this restaurant based off of the Unilocal reviews and my friend’s Google search. We were looking for food our first night in Toronto and this spot was close to our place. The service was amazing from the time we were greeted and seated at the bar until it was time to leave. The food was AMAZING and the price was reasonable (based on the taste and quality I would expect it to be more). I also appreciate that they served sparkling water which tasted great as well. When I’m back in Toronto I’ll definitely be coming back!

This Roncey staple has been a place that I was hoping to try for a long time. I haven’t been to a Southern BBQ restaurant in Toronto before aside from chains (Montana’s, I’m looking at you.).
Firstly, I don’t believe they take reservations on weekends during dinner time on OpenTable so I expected a wait in any case. We arrived around 7:30 on a Saturday and were told that it would be 1 hour. We strolled around and grabbed an ice cream at Eds Real Scoop. After 30 minutes, we were pleasantly surprised with a phone call stating that we had a table on the patio.
We were greeted with the nicest waitress (we tipped 20% just because she was so nice!). She told us about how everything worked, gave me a great beer recommendation (Belle Gueule Lager for the summer night). The patio had a great ambiance to it with lights hung around, which would make for a cute date place. We had complementary BBQ flavoured popcorn that was waiting for us. It was a nice snack, pretty flavourful in certain sections — while a little bland in places with less flavouring. A cute gesture nonetheless.
We decided to start with their sweet heat wings and a small arugula/​tangerine salad. Their wings were really good — flavourful with a small kick and tender meat. One of my favourites of the night. Salad was good — nothing too fancy, exactly as it sounds topped with a vinaigrette. Given this is a meal of all meats, it was a welcomed starter.
In terms of our main, we ordered a half rack of ribs (their classic sauce), 7oz of brisket and 7oz of pulled pork. It came with a honey mustard and BBQ sauce on the side to spread our meats with (with a brush). The brisket and the pulled pork were good — BBQed pretty well but definitely needed the sauces to give it that extra kick. The ribs were very well seasoned, I expected it to fall off the bone but it was a little less tender than that. However it was still delicious. It was more than enough for the two of us for dinner — we probably could have gotten the smaller servings of pulled pork and brisket.
Overall, I’d recommend the wings the most. The rest are staples to southern BBQ and it’s worth trying. Barques does what it does well — but after a while it was definitely a whole lot of meat to handle. It was kind of the same taste over and over. The bill came out to $ 70 for two people (including a beer). It was a reasonable meal for the amount of food that we got.
If you would like a restaurant with a great atmosphere and serving great Southern BBQ, this would be a great place. Really good to bring a big group or come here as a date. Roncey also is just such a cute neighbourhood to stroll around in before or after your meal.

This is the best bbq I have ever had thus far. The 12 hour brisket was super tasty unlike anywhere else I’ve ever tasted before. The classic rack o’bama seasoning for the ribs was of the chart. The smoked chicken was good and the complimentary spiced popcorn was a nice addition to munch on while we waited. This place is so good that I get a friend to send me by post the bbq sauce. Only thing is I wish we had a place that good in Vancouver. It’s a shame when you discover a place like this and than you go back to your own city and find every joint serving ribs pails in comparison. The barque team needs to take note and realize if you ventured out west your business would smoke the competition pun intended.

Friday evening rolls around and we’re craving something different than the standard sushi and Thai in our area — we’ve been wanting to try out Barque for a while and finally made an executive decision to make it happen.
Thought about making a quick reservation but there was nothing available so we did take out (and when I went to pick it up, it confirmed there was NOTHING available — the place was packed!)
We had the ribs with the sweet heat sauce — the ribs were really nice and I’d like to try them again but with the barque sauce they make in-​house. We also had the brisket — which I thought would be better but maybe it’s because I spent so much time in Texas that makes me so picky about brisket. Next time I’d like to try the pulled pork in exchange for brisket. And as sides we did the mac & cheese and potato salad. Both I absolutely loved. They even put a little bag of tasty popcorn in, which we consumer the following day.
Definitely a place to try!

Best mac and cheese, wings and beef brisket ever!
Good service fast and best popcorn!

Barque Smokehouse brings a true Southern smoked meat house right into the heart of Toronto’s west end. This is a place that warrants return trips in order to enjoy all that they have to offer. The sampler platter is a great way to start for your first visit, to help you discover your favourite cuts and seasonings.
Great service, a lively atmosphere and a prototypical west end décor make Barque one of the barbecue places in town. The prices are nothing to scoff at but the food and experience is well worth the price. There are a lot of great hole in the wall type smokehouses hidden around the city, but it’s not hard to see why Barque is a popular spot.
Make sure to make a reservation in advance as this place is very busy. I will definitely be back some time!

Came here for weekend brunch with a friend and loved it. I will be back to try the dinner menu!
The host and servers were friendly, despite the rush. A couple ahead of us in line seemed upset at the wait (1 hourish) but it was prime brunchtime on one of the brunchiest streets, so I couldn’t really complain. We didn’t have to wait too long before we got a seat at the bar.
We ordered coffee, smoked duck pancakes and brie apple ginger french toast. The duck pancakes were my favourite, and normally I don’t even like pancakes that much. I got them because everyone around me seemed to be eating them and I didn’t want to miss out. Pancake peer pressure. They deserve all the praise they’ve been getting though… the combo of smoked duck + goat cheese + blueberry is perfect. Get them!

Big fan of the pulled pork here. The meat is flavourful, juicy and has a great smokey taste.
They offer a great brunch menu. Who doesn’t want to start the day off with BBQ?
They have a shop about two doors down with helpful staff that sell the restaurants runs and sauces.

I have always wanted to try this place and was excited to finally go yesterday. I like sitting at the bar when I go to restaurants because I find the service is better and it’s nice to chat with the bartender too. The bartender had the personality of a piece of gum stuck to the bottom of my shoe and didn’t make us feel welcome at all.
While waiting for our dinner the staff proceeded to put on a kids cartoon movie on the TV above the bar and the music that was playing sounded like it was for an aroma therapy session at a spa. Needless to say the vibe and atmosphere was like a funeral home which I found disappointing.
When the food came is was lukewarm and the ribs required me to use a knife to cut through which I found odd because good smoked ribs should fall off the bones.
After receiving a bill for $ 90 for a mediocre meal and terrible atmosphere I couldn’t get out of there fast enough. Needless to say I won’t be going back and would not recommend this place to anyone.
Try Canyon Creek on Front street they have the best ribs in town and the bartender Chis is amazing and makes your dining experience a great one.

The ribs are good. The brunch is good. The fries and the BBQ sauce are good too. This place is goooood!
I don’t think it’s value for money though. I think for what you get, it’s actually quite expensive. That puts me off. The service is friendly enough and they cater to children which is awesome. It’s a treat rather than a go to though.

I came here just the past Saturday and this go around was for dinner which is the real deal. The last time I came was for lunch and the two services really don’t compare to each other at all so I’m having to update my review based on the most recent experience.
This place needs reservations far in advance and is hard to get into for a reason. Their meat servings are pretty impressive and for being in the competitive market of Parkdale/​Roncy and old things becoming new again, Barque has really established itself with a fine product in an almost born again area. There was a time when this stretch of Roncesvalles was just not as diverse but these days there’s all sorts of food variety and Barque adds that much more to as I’d now probably consider them an anchor in the area when it comes to great dining.
While their bundle offerings like the Smoker’s Choice (they would ask that if this is ordered that all at the table order it) and the Meet Meat platter don’t allow for any types of substitutions while seeming a bit inflexible it’s easy to understand. This place pumps out lots of food and for as busy as it may be or become you can customize your own orders which is what we ended up doing since both bundle type platter services had items that not everyone wanted necessarily. No worries, a la carte it is…
I had started with the smoked wings which came as a starter and my wife had wanted her mac and cheese as a starter as opposed to as side. The mac and cheese was fine but for 10 bucks didn’t really seem to be worth it. The smoked wings while good were nicely spiced but I had them with a side of their version of chipotle which was hot but I did enjoy the sauce. I can see how others would find it rather hot and their scale had it at two peppers. Salad King pepper scale this it NOT.
There was about 6 wings or so, 12 bucks so that’s about 2 bucks a piece. Not bad but hey, I’m sort of a fried chicken lover so I can say I’ve had better. Besides the starters which weren’t that impressive you have to get to the meat and potatoes well in this case the meat.
The meat we ordered was a full rack of ribs «Barque Rack O’Bama» as they were called which is rubbed, smoked and double basted. These ribs are the real deal. While I pride myself on being able to make good ribs as well these are truly worth the wait and probably the best ribs I’ve had in a while besides my own that I make at home. I have to say with the right amount of time, technique and ingredients these ribs are absolutely worthy of being 30 bucks a full rack. To me, at that price for what they are, that is a steal!
I had also ordered 2×7 oz (ounces? we are in Canada yo!) orders of beef brisket. The brisket was so flavorful, not too fatty and cooked to my liking. The meat was not red but it sure wasn’t overcooked either. With the sauce on top these were sliced beef heaven on a platter. That and the ribs on top??? Quite the plate. The entire plate of full rack of ribs and 2 large orders of brisket works out to be 56 bucks (30 + 13 + 13) to me is totally worth it. This is enough meat for my wife, myself and my late night hunger.
While I had started with a St. Ambroise Pale Ale I later switched to the bacon rimmed medium spicy Caesars and I have to say that drink not only goes well with what we were eating but they were made well.
The bottom line is that to say Barque knows what they are doing would be an understatement. They make good BBQ and they have a good variety of choices but the ribs and brisket are great. I wasn’t too much in the mood to try some of the other offerings although I like chorizo and they had pork etc but these two items IMO are key.
The next time we return (and we will be back I don’t doubt it) whatever we order will be built around those two key menu items (ribs and brisket).

I went here this past weekend with a date and had a fantastic time! The environment is cozy but still interesting.
I highly recommend the caramelized squash as a side, however their menu changes all the time so if you’re not quick you could miss it!
The meat on everything we ordered was extremely tender. Brisket to die for!
My only complaint is that I ordered a ¹⁄₃ of hot and sweet ribs and they were way too hot. Even my date agreed it was all heat and no sweet — too much to really enjoy them properly.

This place is delicious. When I’m craving smoked meat or ribs this place comes to mind. Dry rub ribs, beef brisket… It’s all very delicious.
Very hyped up so the wait is long and can be more than an hour at times, and even then you’ve got a seat at the bar. The sides are very mediocre but the meat is amazingly delicious and top notch. Do not waste valuable tummy real estate on the sides.
I get delivery from them, which is a more favourable, less stressful experience.

I’ve been to Barque a couple of times for dinner but this review will reflect the brunch. Had brunch on a Saturday and was glad to make reservations online as I would expect the place to be busy busy on a weekend (which was the case as there were several large parties).
Service was prompt and the waitress was great but our food took a while to get to the table (around 25 – 30 minutes or so). My boyfriend ordered the smoked duck pancakes and I got the Barque benedict with brisket. The smoked duck pancakes were huge and delicious; the smoked duck added a savory component to the dish which really complemented the sweetness of the maple syrup and the blueberries. The benedict was good as well, but it would have been better if there were more brisket on the dish (I had around 3 – 4 slices). The star of the benedict was not the brisket but surprisingly the cornbread. Just thinking about it I would be able to eat the cornbread on it’s own. The salad that was paired with the benedict was a nice touch as I got my greens/​veggies.
Brunch was decent but I would come back for the bbq for dinner.

Had a half rack BBQ ribs (dry rub) plus winter slaw (carrots and other root vegetables) to help push down all the BBQ I devoured (also sampled my friends’ beef brisket and original-​style, sauce-​basted ribs).
Pro tip: I liked the taste of the dry rub more, but it can be kind of dry. I asked for BBQ sauce on the side, which came quite in handy.
Ditto for the beef brisket — it was quite dry, and if I were to go back, I’d recommend ordering the ribs or anything else over it. One of my friends preferred the wings, though I found the spicy-​sweet heat was a bit more on the spicy than the sweet side.
Our main server was really nice and attentive, filled our water (flat or carbonated, both are free) constantly, and was overall friendly. The bussers, however, were way too eager to clear our table — our popcorn was taken away completely full while we were still eating it, and I was asked multiple times if I was finished with my plate even while the slaw was still half full and a couple ribs still on the plate… I was still chewing when trying to tell them I’m still working on it.
Overall, I’d say it’s OK to come here if you happen to be nearby but otherwise nothing particularly calling me back anytime soon.

Three letters: WOW. I love barbecue, and these guys knows how to make the good stuff. And I never thought one could make a upscale barbecue restaurant without it being tacky, but these guys succeeded in doing so.
Everything is executed so perfectly. The meat is delicious, moist and tender. And the sides are out of this world.
The seasoned popcorn served just right as we sat down was a nice bonus touch. Sounds weird, but it was perfect!
Really, I love my experience there and I will go back without any second thoughts next time I’m in Toronto.
If you like meat, go there. Don’t overthink it. You’ll thank me later.

Ate here with 3 friends with the total coming to $ 75 with tip. Great place if you are looking for ribs, which I would say is their specialty. Half rack is about $ 16 with a choice of 3 different flavours. Full rack is approx. $ 30: I would say good for 2 people who are of average stature. It will be tempting but the fries are not a good order as they are overly salty. Wings are good but don’t think it’s $ 12 good. Draft beer is $ 8.
Make reservation please.
Go for: ribs, ribs, and ribs
Don’t go for: everything else is a toss up

A very complex (in a good way) breakfast (brunch), which will keep you full for the rest of the day. This isn’t your traditional bacon /​ham diner that serves 24 hour breakfast that has grease spilling off the plate.
The food is as delicious as the menu suggests. My only complaint is that they don’t have just plain bacon and eggs. I was informed that they would accommodate my provincial request, but I opted to allow my palate enjoy the moment.
I’ll have to run the next few days and bike everyday until my next meal here, as I think I over indulged.

Man oh man, Barque delivered big at brunch. Crazy that on a warm Saturday morning, when I worried we would be lining up forever, a table was available instantaneously… on the patio to boot! A fortuitous sign really. The brunch we experienced was in a few words ‘the bomb dot com’.
And I don’t throw that phrase around frivolously. It was awesome. To start, they offer you complimentary sparkling or still water for the table (and really, who doesn’t? But anyway…). I also ordered the Hugo cocktail, which was the mimosas’s distant cousin. I enjoyed the dry cocktail, composed of sparkling wine, elderflower cordial and muddled mint. It was a pleasant sip while chatting and watching people go by Roncy.
Now, the real hero of that brunch was the food, namely the Smoked Duck Pancakes. Hngggg… They were everything I didn’t know I craved for breakfast. The trio of pancakes were lovely and fluffy, topped with shredded duck, delicious blueberry compote and airy goat’s cheese (?!). Do like I did: spear a little of everything and dip it in maple syrup. Heaven.
The only caveat was that my duck was inconsistently cooked (over and just right on the same plate). Other than that, it was excellent.
My bf went right for the Eggs Benedict, as he is wont to do. The eggs were poached beautifully, with runny yolks and all, crowning Barque brisket. Their twist was substituting cornbread for English muffins. I liked the texture of the dense bread on the plate, but do prefer softer English muffins to sop up all that yolk. The side hash and salad were nice additions to round out the plate.
Overall, great meal, excellent service and atmosphere. I’d be back for brunch, lunch, dinner, elevensies… Whatever! Barque’s good, and they’ve earned their place on my brunch roster.