Big Crow

Me thinks not. I like the concept, it’s so beautifully rustic, but it was a bit chilly, the food was a wee bit greasy, and the coolness factor may be better served fresh in the summer.

AMAZING! Is all I can say. Excellent service Ryan, you blew it out of the park! and amazing atmosphere. Small and quaint not fancy décor but it makes up on the quality of the food. When I find places like this, I feel like I hit the lotto. I’m a big time foodie.

It’s like a hidden gem! It is behind the Rose and sons restaurant in Dupont. A narrow entrance at the side of the restaurant. A very unique restaurant, nice ambience, friendly staff. I love their trout and their baby back ribs!

It’s an inviting oasis of BBQ’d meat at the end of a dirty ally. Very fun relaxed environment, and the food is pretty good. Not the best ribs i’ve ever had, but not bad. It’s pretty good quality with absolutely zero pretentiousness, unless your interpretation of pretentious is chill hipsters and tattooed wait staff.

The appetizer salmon poke is delicious. The frito is not bad but can make at home. The steak and lobster and ribs not bad. It is a little pricey though. Good experience. I would come back.

This restaurant is extremely easy to miss if you don’t know what you’re looking for. It is tucked behind Rose & Sons and you have to walk down a narrow alley before you reach the entrance. It is also recommended that you make a reservation (at least for dinner).
The rustic interior of the restaurant felt cozy and inviting. Eating as a group of four allowed us to order quite a few dishes to share:
— red pine salmon poke — delicious and chock full of peanuts
— chilli garlic broccoli — perfectly grilled and the chilli sauce actually has heat!
— smoked country beef verscht — the apricot glaze was yummy but the beef was so-​so
— baby back ribs — the ribs were excellent but we had mixed feelings about the sage pear pesto. It complimented well with the ribs but the pear could have been cut into smaller pieces or pureed because the bigger cuts made for an awkward eating experience.
— cornbread — doused in maple syrup? delicious!
Overall, everything was great. I wouldn’t order the verscht again but I recommend everything else. The server was friendly but hard to track down when it got busy.

Reviews made us visit this place after shopping around Cumberland/​Bloor West.
First of all I was quite disappointed with the service. Yes, we did not make a reservation but it was a Monday night and we didn’t think it would be busy. The hostess/​waitress and I did not start off on a good foot. I felt a little annoyance from her that we came to the restaurant without reservation. Our server/​hostess took our order once we were finally seated, but never followed up how our dinner was. We had a difficult time getting our server’s attention throughout our stay at this restaurant. I would understand if it was crazy busy but it wasn’t for a Monday night. We had another waiter get us our water, condiments and finally our bill.
Secondly the food was disappointing. My bf and I ordered the popular ribs and was very disappointed. The ribs were very dry and burnt and could not really enjoy the flavour. One end of the ribs was not as dry as the other end but for the cost we were not impressed. There was a bit of a weird gassy aftertaste as well. We also ordered the beans and coleslaw. We were weirded out by the cheap hotdog pieces in the beans. Our 2^nd side (coleslaw) we ordered never came.
Sadly wouldn’t try this place again. Very trendy spot. And we fell for it.

I love this place. Everything about it — the food is amazing and the ambience is so cozy (it’s a heated cabin with picnic tables, also a bit hidden). Came here for a work Christmas party yesterday and the food was delicious. I don’t say this often either! We were fortunate to try a bit of everything as we ordered tons of dishes. The rainbow trout was superb and cooked perfectly, I would definitely get that again. The baby back ribs were to die for. The chinatown miami ribs were awesome too. The only thing that could have improved was the service — every time our server brought us a dish she told us what it was very quickly and quietly. I’ll definitely come here again though!

It’s a nice, cozy, heated wood cabin-​like structure located down a short alleyway. Very unassuming store front, I would have easily walked past it if my friend wasn’t waiting outside.
A few must try food items:
It was a three way tie for the
Baby back ribs — smoky, delectable and perfect for sharing.
The reuben sandwich — huge slices of meat, soft bread, the grainy mustard ties all the flavours together
The dirty bird — so tender and flavourful
A couple a nods:
The frito pie — basically your Taco Bell fries supreme toppings on Fritos. It’s disgustingly satisfying but it’s also $ 11. I would order it again. I would also make it at home before a Netflix binge session.
The broccoli — got a nice kick to it and a nice change from all the meat entrees
A couple of no-​nos
Ketchup chips — it’s Covered Bridge ketchup chips and served in a bag for $ 11. Not worth the money.
Baked beans — nothing fancy here. Could definitely do without it.
It’s nice to go with a group of 5 – 6 so you can try a few dishes.
Cocktails were delicious too. I tried a few of them and you can’t go wrong with any. It all depends what you’re in the mood for. They range between $ 10 – 14

Been there around 10 times during my year in Toronto. I left the city 3 weeks ago and I already miss the place. The atmosphere is amazing. Be careful if you don’t like crowded and noisy place. That place is definitely like that even on the week days. I love it though. Started last winter and Brent there almost every month since. The staff is always helpful and try to be as nice as possible even when it’s really busy. Let’s talk about the food now. What can I say? Good quality and always the right flavors. Loved the sauerkraut last winter, the pork belly and green dandelions this summer and the smoked country beef and apricot glaze lately. Super seasonal as always.
As good for a couple than a bunch of friends.
Why 4 stars and not 5? A little too expensive but that’s what you get when you have a trendy/​meaty place right?
Thumbs up.
I will pass by again if I come back to Toronto.

The waiter was a wee bit hard on the upsell and the prices seem high for sitting out in a backyard shed — but the food was good and we were decently sated for the money.
The corn bread was solid, but the chicken was really good: sour pickled brined chicken with salsa verde. One of the juiciest birds I’ve had in a while.

It’s very rare that my husband would exclaim «This is amazing» for a restaurant, but that’s what he said about the Trout and its side tomatoes.
We came here on a weekend day evening. Although I made a reservation (easy, online) for 5:30, we were the first ones there. Filled up quickly around 630pm.
Love the atmosphere in here, tucked away behind Rose & Sons. You walk the narrow alleyway, and your nose smells the wonderful smokey scent into a covered area with picnic tables and heaters.
The wood burning bbq and smoker is at the back, which also keeps the place warm. It’s interesting how you can’t smell all the food, it’s well ventilated.
We ordered 3 entrees and 2 sides for the two of us. If you’re planning on having dessert too, I would remove one entrée.
The Grilled Trout (must!), Corn Bread side (very good, but spicy, ask to put the chilli sauce on the side if you can’t take it), Coleslaw side (a must if you’re having bbq), the Smoked Beef Verscht (a beef sausage, it wasn’t amazing, but was good), and The Chinatown Miami Ribs (beef short ribs, similar to Kalbi. Good but not unique enough).
I definitely want to come back and try everything else on the menu. Great for groups to share. Not really children friendly. I didn’t see any high chairs. This is a must for anyone that likes bbq.

I had a dinner here for a large party & it was perfect.
It takes a minute to get the swing of ordering portions intended to be shared… food is *wonderful* — FYI the caesar salad might seem like a boring order but it’s one of the best I’ve had. The $ 130 60oz steak was a little lighter than 60oz but still good.
Ambiance is fantastic, music not too loud, perfect place for a group of people.
Only losing a star because our server was a little out to lunch (forgot orders, difficult to track down)

Best BBQ in the city! Great atmosphere and even better food. Was my first time here and would definitely say it won’t be my last. Nothing like this in the city, and the food is incredibly creative and delicious.

There are no words to describe this place. No words. It is so good. Just come here immediately and bask in the glory of the greatest BBQ hole in the wall joint north of Texas.
Don’t mess with Texas, or the Big Crow.

I absolutely LOVE this restaurant. Unfortunately, I do not have any pictures since I came here during 9−10pm for a late dinner. The place is a bit hard to find since you have to take a narrow path to get in. I was getting annoyed since I kept missing the entrance. It was such a tease especially when I could smell the charcoal and food being grilled. What I love about this place is the patio style dinner. It is the best feeling to enjoy the fresh air and feast on delicious BBQ with your friends.
We had a big group and ordered a lot. The ones that stood out were the Perth Pork Belly, Baby Back Ribs and J. W Bird. All three dishes were delicious. My favorite was the Perth Pork Belly by far. It just melts in your mouth and you just want more! The two dishes that I did not feel were great were the BBQ Chopped Pork and Smoked Country Beef Verschi. I really did not like the taste of the BBQ Chopped Pork and the Smoked Country Beef Verschi was too salty for my taste.
The drinks here are very good and worth looking into (⁴⁄₅). To be honest, I had no idea what my friend ordered but she was really good at it!
Overall, I really enjoyed the place. I would give it a solid 4.5 and definitely come back!

Delicious! I’m not a huge BBQ fan… I know I know… My problem is the meat being smothered in sauce which often for me is too sweet or tart or just too much…
I went with my husband and parents after spending the afternoon at high park. I called ahead and made reservations for 5:45. The girl on the phone was very pleasant and accommodating, as well as the staff when we arrived. We were advised that the service is family style and for 4 people, generally 8 dishes will be enough for us. But that seemed like alot. So we opted for full rack ribs, jw bird, Ceasar salad and 2 potato salads. That was more than enough for us and we had left overs.
I thoroughly enjoyed the ribs here as it was perfectly seasoned and the topped with a delicious walnut pesto. The chicken was also really great as I usually don’t go for the chicken when I’m out, but this time I did. Again it was nicely seasoned. The salsa verde and walnut pesto added a fresh taste to an otherwise heavy dish. It was a great combination and something I’d definitely be back for. Both also came with a few peices of bread to soak up all the juices! Nice touch!
The potato salad was okay, I liked the asparagus in it. The ceasar salad was creamy and very tastey — comes with a few peices of anchovies on top, so if its not your taste, make sure to ask for without it.
We left there feeling full but not stuffed. My husband and parents also enjoyed the food and we’ll be back.
Next time I want to try the trout.

*FYI to access the restaurant you have to go through the narrow walkway next to rose and sons, and its in the backyard.
The washroom is down a narrow stairs with railing on only one side.
The seating is communal style with picnic tables and benches.
It was very dark inside and we asked for a bench closer to the entrance for some more (natural) lighting.
The covering was on today, so we didn’t get to enjoy the skylight which was a bummer.

I’m giving this 3 stars instead of two because I have a glimmer of hope my experience at Big Crow was an anomaly. I was really excited to come here for a friend’s birthday after reading the Unilocal reviews — it looks like camp! They have a s’mores ice cream sandwich! It’s as Canadiana as Roots cabin socks, what’s not to love I thought? (The standard hipster over-​priced pomposity?)
Well, when you come with parties over a certain number of people, they make you get a 3-​course prix fixe meal of THEIR choosing, not yours. That sucks. I read the menu ahead of time and picked out what I wanted to try out of anticipation, but was forced to have the eggs and belly bacon meal with a hello dolly for $ 25 a head. I definitely would not have ordered that had I been given a choice. The food was alright. The cornbread really stood out, but everything else you’d be better of making at your own campsite with a tin of beans. I get the mandatory 18% gratuity, but the mandatory meal selection? Please.

Big crow came highly recommended by a coworker of mine and I was stoked to try it out.
This place is a bit off the beaten path and it’s literally a shed in a back alley.
I liked the cabin look of the restaurant but was not really impressed that we were sat so close to the kitchen even tho we were the only two ppl there.
Our server was super knowledgable and did not hesitate to make lots of recommendations.
I got a Hanky Panky cocktail special which I originally thought was $ 7 but was actually $ 14 how is this a special price? Lol
We got the Shrimp Diablo as an appetizer. This is probably the best shrimp dish I had in a while.
We had a full rack of ribs as our main which was tasty but not the best in Toronto as they dare advertise.
Overall the food was good but overpriced.

My best buddy and I were nowhere near this restaurant, minding my own business drinking martinis on a patio trying to decide where to go for dinner.
A Pepper Play:
EW: I’m getting a bit hungry, and a lot tipsy. Where should we go?
BB: I know where we’re going.
EW: Would you like to tell me?
BB: No. Cheque please!
Apparently he’d seen a video showcasing their brisket earlier that day, and into a taxi we got and up to Dupont. We could smell the place before we could see it, and admittedly I had to wash my hair from their smoker when I got home, but it was all worth it.
We had their sashimi nachos, pork and beans, ribs, potato salad and some beef salami-​like dish. We still have a fridge full of leftovers, and I can’t wait to get home and go for round two. To pair with all of these meaty treats they have a cocktail list full of whimsy, including grown up twists on Purple Jesus and coke and red wine sangria.
Look at the photos to understand how awesome the ambiance is. Think outdoor sugar shack, only prettier.