Was expecting much better. Ribs dry and mediocre. Brisket decent. Chicken rubbery and undercooked. Beef ribs dry and chewy. Service mixed. Felt very rushed. Overrated. read more

If I could give a zero star rating I would. Did a takeout order of the sampler and got the brisket and ribs (or should I say rib). For the four of us it came out to be $72 total. We got 4 slices of brisket and 1 rib with possibly the largest bone I have ever seen with no meat. I heard nothing but great things about this place. Guess you have to eat in to get any meat. Definitely will not be going back here again. read more

Went for lunch, the rib was dry, chicken wing is tender but just tossed with sauce, nothing special, and portion is small.

The star of the show here is obviously the barbeque itself, and on that level, they ace it. Among the group we dined with, we had nearly every meat on the menu (save the Stout Sausage), and they were excellent, juicy, fall-off-the-bone, well-spiced. A few at our table questioned whether everything had to have the spice-rub all over it, and to be fair, it did show up on nearly all the items (including the fries), but I didn't find it overdone, and personally rather liked it. The salads and sides were good, but not as stellar as the meat. The one stand-out was the Caesar with candied bacon. The waitstaff were great, friendly, accommodating, and fast. I probably would've joined a lot of my fellow reviewers with a 5-star rating, except for the hostess and what I think may have been the manager. Both of them had a sour expression from the beginning of our time there to our exit and seemed put out by just about everything going on around them (not just us). I don't need you to smile like a fool, or for that matter, crack a smile at all, I understand how hectic things can get in a popular restaurant, but please make an effort to make your patrons feel welcome, instead of making them feel like they're putting you out in some way. read more

A sassy rib A neoliberal salad A hungover brisket Fun fact: Thanks God I rented a car that day and dropped by this gem, otherwise meh too far Sad fact: Please open a more downtown core location. Dry brisket. Winners: Watermelon salad with goat cheese. Popcorn complimentary. The Bbq sauces and portions. read more

Most of us, went with the sampler for one which allows you to choose 3 meats, and 2 sides. My sister and her partner were apparently feeling agreeable and opted instead for the sampler for two (3 meats, 3 sides). We started the evening with a few appetizers to share, so throughout the evening here is what was sampled: Smoked Dry Rub Wings Really meaty, juicy, substantial wings, with a delicious dry rub that had a perfect amount of heat. Smoked Miami Beef Ribs Gorgeous. The ribs were not fatty, but rather, perfectly rendered and satisfyingly chewy. I loved the sweet and sticky glaze. Brisket Burnt Ends with Ginger Onion Fried Rice Probably the best dish of the whole night. The burnt ends were meltingly tender, and coated in a deeply aromatic, sweet glaze. What was really interesting was the large rice "cake" that had been fried to crispy perfection and positioned to catch any meaty juices from above. I loved all of the contrasting textures going on- tender, rich meat, supple popping rice grains, crispy fried edges, and a delicious chew from the caramelized exterior. Addictive doesn't even begin to describe this dish. Merguez Sausage, Sweet Baby Back Ribs, Brisket Wow, that sausage had the most incredible spicy flavour, and a satisfying "snap" in the casing. It was just bursting with juiciness, without tasting greasy or fatty. While I really loved the heat level, most of my family found it a bit too much for them. The ribs were beautiful as well. Tender, smokey, and just the right amount of resistance on the bone. With a nice balance of sweet and acid, the sweet sauce was just perfect. The brisket was another clear winner. It was perfectly seasoned, and while delicious on its own, was really special with a smear of the mustard based sauce. read more

Awesome food. One of the best brunch spots in the city. Service is great and the drinks are fantastic. Always order the Caesar, the bacon rim is a game changer Dinner, ribs are a must. Don't get anything else, you'll have run envy if you do. Five out of five experience! read more

I went, I meat, I survived. But seriously it's really quite good, if you're not a big meat eater stay clear as this place was designed for us carnivores from the ground up! read more

Took 30 minutes to get our food - not the speed you should have with barbecue, where the food is smoked and roasted in advance. Been to plenty great barbecue places in New York and MA, usually 10 minutes is a long wait - this was triple that. Brisket was tough and dry, and they waited 25 minutes to tell us they were out of fried chicken (2 hours after open). Set your expectations low. Expensive, bad food, poor service. read more

Delicious. Affordale. Enjoyable environment. Kudos to Jascha and his team for a serving up a great evening on their patio. We gladly ordered multiple courses of perfectly cooked ribs. Make sure to try the delicious pecan pie! read more

Service was great, and food was awesome. The smoked asparagus was delicious, and the chicken was remarkable. Wish I had been able to justify eating the brisket and/or ribs that day, but the sauces, the sides, and the atmosphere were amazing. read more

Overview: great smoke BBQ sauce, good atmosphere, dry meats Came here on a saturday night. They were fully booked so joined the waiting list and killed time at their sister restaurant a couple of units down Barbeque Bar. The staff here were great and the host seated us right in front of the big screen for they jays game as requested! Ordered half rack of ribs (barque rack O'bama sauce), 7oz brisket, and the fennel sausage. The sauce is a true smokehouse sauce, smoke with a tang and kick. Ribs were good, I found a bit more dry than other places but the sauce makes up for it. The brisket and the sausage were dry, and therefore would not oder again. The brisket was also cut thicker than most smoke houses. Finished off with the pecan per with the cinnamon gelato. Could have had a bowl of the gelato alone and been happy. Overall ribs were good but I don't think I'll be coming back. Hogtown smoke and stack have just as good ribs and other fixings to choose from. read more

Barque Smokehouse - Half rack of ribs, 7oz brisket, and fennel sausage. $16, $13, $5 - Barbeque Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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OMG! We took a friend, who's a serious carnivore, to Barque for his birthday. It was the perfect choice! The restaurant was great at accommodating our large group of 20. They did a set menu for $35 each which was plenty of food and created a great feel for the event as large platters of delicious food was brought out for sharing throughout the night. Everyone commented how great the food and evening was and best of all the birthday bloke was happy as he wandered about chatting while drinking a caesar rimmed with honey and bacon bits! Take your meat eating man! He'll love it. Plus, I talked this place up so much after I'd been that even my vegetarian friends want to go. Seriously. read more

I've been here twice and made reservations both times a month in advance. I would recommend making reservations ahead of time and definitely not close to closing time as I've noticed they tend to run out of the more popular items. Smoked Wings (Dry Rub) - I am a huge fan of the dry rub! juicy wings and great rub. I also tried the sweet heat and wasn't a big fan. Definitely go for the dry rub. Sampler for Two - I've had the brisket, italian sausage, chicken thighs and baby back ribs. I would highly recommend the brisket and baby back ribs. Both were amazing. The chicken thighs were also very juicy and fell off the bone. Only thing that was average was the italian sausage, it was just okay. The sides were pretty standard. I enjoyed the fries and thought they were the best side dish they had to offer. Smoked asparagus and smoked cauliflower were also delicious. read more

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. read more

Barque Smokehouse - Barbeque Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Came for the ribs on a Sunday afternoon for a birthday dinner. We tried three kinds of ribs, classic, sriracha and dry rub. The classic was everyone's favorite. For starters we had the pulled pork poutine and brisket nachos and both were big hits. For sides, the Cuban corn was absolutely delicious, so were the mac and cheese and hush puppies. The place has a great cozy vibe and the staff are absolutely amazing and accommodating. Will come back for the brisket next time! read more

I'd give Barque 5 stars except service was sloooooow (at least during our Saturday brunch), which is sort of puzzling since by its nature, smoked food would have to be largely made ahead of time. Though each dish has made to order side dishes, the smoked centrepiece should already be ready to go. Service was friendly, and the wait for our table was only 10 minutes, but boy oh boy did it take a while for our food to arrive. Though my own pulled pork breakfast burrito was surprisingly on the bland side, my wife's brisket sandwich was simply divine. I may have to convert to a full-time brisketarian after that sandwich. The side dishes were nice, the atmosphere nice and on the rustic side, and the smell of woodsmoke permeating the air (and the neighbourhood, it would seem) just can't be beat. Here's hoping we're on an upward trend for authentic BBQ restaurants in TO. read more

Omg I love barque. I have a special place in my heart...err actually in my stomach, for meat, but I still can't believe how good barque can make meat taste. I love the smoky flavour that they seem to be able to impart in anything. For starters, I swear the popcorn they serve to snack on before the meal must have crack in it. You can't go wrong with ordering the BBQ platter and while all the meats and sides are good, my favourite meats are the ribs and brisket. Beware that the ribs aren't the super soft fall-off-the-bone kind, but they are rubbed with herbs and spices that I have never anywhere else tasted on ribs and have a really nice smokey flavour. I recommend the smoked asparagus side for something very yummy and different. For brunch I really enjoyed the duck and blueberry pancakes, the sweet and salty went really well together. No complaints about service, it's an average, busy restaurant. read more

We visited for dinner. My Roncy pal raves about the brunch. First off, I really have to commend their staff for their professionalism and doing the utmost to give us the best experience possible. Knowing how busy they typically get for dinner, especially on a Friday night, I called ahead and made a reservation. Despite being late, they not only held my reservation but also saved me a seat on the patio, removed from all the racket of inside. My friend who has a few years of food service management under her belt was very impressed with the way their staff handled everything under pressure. So full marks for service. Bonus points for the bucket of seasoned popcorn ready at the table. I had a Half a rack of Sweet Heat Baby Back Ribs with sides of Squash & Brussel Sprouts and Creamy Smoked Cauliflower. The sides came in little cast iron skillets. The ribs were so perfectly succulent with such a well-balanced flavour profile and a great wood smoke undertone. My only disappointment was not ordering the Full Rack. Every table has a brush used for rubbing on two of their signature sauces. I didn't think the ribs needed anything extra. My friend had the Pan-Seared Pacific Halibut with a smoked paprika emulsion and candied sweet potato. The plate had a beautiful presentation. She said it was a tad under seasoned but generally well done. She also ordered a Homemade Pecan Pie with Cinnamon Gelato, which couldn't possibly be bad. I would say, going by the food alone, Barque is the best smokehouse in Toronto. read more

We arrived and were promptly seated at the bar, it was a packed house! Service was quick and friendly. I split the sample platter for two with my girlfriend which we selected the brisket, chicken, and baby back ribs.... Brisket was tender and flavorful but definitely not as juicy as I've had, and it was all cut up. Serve it either pulled or let me pull it apart with my fork! Chicken was only OK. The sauce and glazing were good but definitely under-marinated. The meat wasn't very tasty. Ribs were tasty, again wasn't as flavorful as I've had in the past. Sides we got the cauliflower, penne, and roasted asparagus...Why was everything cold? That being said the penne and asparagus tasted awesome, always good add pancetta to pasta! The cauliflower was good too but the sauce was way too watery and runny. Overall food 3.5, round up to a four for service. read more

Place is awesome. Not much more to add. Food rocked across the board. I guess I could nitpick to explain the 4 star instead of 5 star - sausage was amazing but it's one of those things so rich you cannot each half of one, never mind a whole one. The table shared it though so it was fine but they should really serve it that way. The ribs were great but weren't "fall off the bone". I would almost prefer that to some fall off the bone I've had that didn't taste this good, but the texture I guess was better. Everything else was amazing. The fact we walked away from a BBQ place talking about the sides which were mainly vegetables speaks volumes. The corn, the fries, omg. So good. I think that's because we are fans of BBQ but not super hardcore, so that much meat and sauce tends to get really rich by the end of the meal, so what starts as a flavor explosion ends up with a "ooook I'm done with that", which is natural and in no way a hit on this place. Whereas the veggies were great beginning to end. Also you didn't get a huge stack of them like you do meat so they stand out a bit when your belly hurts at the end. Anyway. I digress. A must-visit in Toronto. Just be prepared to WAIT if you don't get reservations. Oh and patio chairs have an additional cushion on them that made them incredibly comfortable. Some of the most comfortable ever. But the bees on the patio. Ugh. So bad they have fly swatters out at tables. What can ya do? read more

Chose this restaurant based off of the Yelp 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! read more

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I am famous for being the fussiest customer. That's because I was born to and worked in the industry and I am awesome cook (toot toot). Barque blow my socks off! I did not have a single complaint. The beer was fresh. I had my first glass of 'tap' wine and it was surprisingly good. We were there on Sunday lunch so we were limited to the brunch menu. We share the brisket sandwich and the fried chicken sandwich. Ed instantly regretted giving me half his chicken sandwich. I love dill sauce and it was a great combo on this sandwich I am a finger eater so I deconstructed my brisket sandwich and found the meat to be far more tender this way (didn't have to chew through the red cabbage. I am not a fan) I would highly recommend Barque to all fussy eaters. I will be back to compare their smoked wings to mine! read more

First off, I don't know what people are talking about - my boyfriend and I went there for Sunday brunch and had GREAT service. Our waiter was super helpful, pleasant, and friendly. My boyfriend and I were looking for a new brunch place and happened upon Barque by accident. One sniff and we were in. Being from the South, I was personally SUPER excited that their whiskey selection was mainly bourbon (sorry Canadians, rye isn't as good...), and quickly ordered a mint julep to go with my brunch. Delish! It's been so long...haha. Anyways, my boyfriend got the hash skillet with smoked brisket, fried egg, potatoes cooked in bacon, and peppers in your own personal mini cast iron. Lovely. He is also a huge hot sauce fan, and when he asked about getting some for his food, the waiter told him that they only had the one they made in house(YES!), with smoked scotch bonnet peppers and mango. 'Nuff said. I got the savory pancake and OH MAN...SO GOOD. Smoked duck LEG (yay dark meat!) on three perfectly fluffy pancakes with blueberry compote and chevre. Heavenly. I was sort of wary of getting a savory pancake, or even pancakes since I'm usually not a big fan, but I'm seriously glad I did. No idea how I finished it. I think my boyfriend did actually. Have we gushed about this place to all of our friends? Yes. Was our meal a bit pricey? Yes, but the quality was totally worth it, especially when it's more average than higher-than average. Will we be back for lunch, dinner, brunch, or perhaps all of these? Yes. read more

I love Barque. I only wish it wasnt so full and packed all the time. We had to order takeout. But hey it was worth the drive to roncessvalle and just like they instructed.. we reheated the food in our oven for 30 minutes and it was SOOO good. We had a sampler for 2 with pork ribs, beef of some sort and our sides were fries, kick ass kale and an awesome cesar salad. The food tastes fresh. The meat was juicy and succulent. We litteralyl chowed down like carnivores. The only thing... i feel like we coulda had more! Maybe we were just overlly hungry but i wanted another rack of ribs when I was done. I cant wait to come back and try this place for actual sit-in dining. MMMMM yummy meat! read more

I highly recommend starting with the dry rub smoked wings. We ordered 1lb; literally devoured it. So we ordered another 1lb; devoured that too. We then ordered another 1lb (LOL); devoured that. In a Nutshell, BEST WINGS I ever had! So tasty and the dry rub is beyond perfection! ALL this while we are waiting for our order: Sampler for Two - MEATS: brisket, 2 beef ribs, 2 competition chicken thighs or (barque rack 'o bama). Let me say; Every element on that dish was PERFECTION! Brisket, melting in your mouth. Beef ribs, meat melting off the bone, big YUM factor right there. Chicken Thighs, so juicy and tender. Sides were good too but we were already stuffed! NOT STUFFED enough for the pecan pie and cinnamon ice cream and let me just say WOW WOW WOW! OFF THE CHARTS!!! Will definitely be going back...for repeat read more

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!! read more

If you're coming here for brunch, definitely come before Noon and don't bring a big group- 4 ppl should be max. Any more and you'd have to wait more than an hour- which is what happened to the 5 of us on a Sunday. That definitely marred our experience a little. I loved my Smoked Duck Pancakes on Blueberry compote with chevre cheese- it was a great balance of sweet and savory. But my friends who had the egg benedict with brisket thought it was just OK. Great space, friendly service, but LONG waits for brunch read more

This place has an awesome brunch menu! I need to go back to try all the options - I hadn't been so excited ordering in a long time. I settled on the smoked brisket Benedict on corn bread. It sounded great but execution was a little off. Brisket needed to be more tender and the potatoes were on the greasy side. The french toast though is really out of this world I'll be back to give this place a 2nd try: pulled pork scrambled eggs, chorizo skillet and pork bely breakfast tacos are on the list! read more

Dinner service for Sunday Family Dinner starts at 5p so if you walk by there just before 5p, there would be plenty of people out front. That's because the doors have not opened yet. Waitress says 5p is the busiest time to eat there, so that probably means later you arrive, likelier you get a seat. Sunday family dinner is a lot of food. The cocktail drinks are great. The waitress, so nice, helpful and unpretentious. Reading the article in the bathroom about how it came about was cool too. read more

Barque's has become an institution in the Toronto BBQ scene. I first visit this place about 2 years ago and I have been back several times since then. Whether it be dinner, lunch, brunch they never fail to impress. I did find their brisket a little dry for my liking though but the ribs and other meats are quite smokey and flavourful. I wouldn't say they are particular strong in any one thing but they do everything consistently well. There has been a slew of new barbecue joints that have opened in this great city in the recent years but Barque's still remains one of my favourites. I do caution that you should make a reservation before your visit. This place is quite tight and they do fill up fast. The seats aren't exactly the most comfortable as well. You will be rubbing elbows with your neighbours. read more

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. read more

So far just had their chicken wings and poutine for take-out. Wow. One of the best wings I've ever had! The sweet heat was tasty with a little bite and the chipotle was spicy enough to satisfy yet nor so much as to verge into painful. Will definitely go again, and maybe for sit down. I've taken one star away because their online ordering system, on my iPhone, always froze just after choosing what I wanted and going to pay. You should look into your mobile site, guys. read more

I've been to Barque quite a few times now, and love it every single time. We normally stand the long wait times for the well worth waiting for food. We normally get an order of the Sampler for one (with some extra meat) or two (depending on how hungry we are) and some sides. The beef brisket is the absolute bomb. Definitely order this, same as the baby back ribs. Normally get the Cuban corn and some grilled veggies/ on the side. If the wait wasn't as long this would get 5 stars. PS: try their signature drinks! read more

Had brunch here on a Sunday morning around 10:30am. No wait for a table. I was impressed. First of all, who doesn't like brunch. I ordered fried egg skillet and my girlfriend had the barque benedict. Both highly recommended. The egg skillet has chorizo sausage in it and is heavy and greasy, just the what I expected for a hangover cure. You get a choice of brisket or smoked salmon with the benedict. We went for the brisket. It was delicious but could have used a bit more hollandaise. Both come with a leafy green salad which does a decent job of convincing you you're not eating 1000 calories. Coffee is served in neat old mugs that came from the 80s and 90s. They have weird books on the shelves on how to cook with microwaves. The whole restaurant smells like a cast iron frying pan. The only downside was the coffee was meh... but what did I expect? read more

I've been keeping a meaty eye on Barque for some time now. I had been thwarted by late nights and torrential downpours, but a beautiful Sunday afternoon invited me, three of my fellow yelpers and our appetites. The result? This is the best place for BBQ in Toronto. It feels homemade but tastes better. The room is well decorated and feels cozy and comfortable even if you score the rear seats by their smoker. Although if you do, don't be dismayed, these are the best seats in the house for food-minded folks. You not only get to watch the prep for tomorrow's servings, but the staff is more than happy to chat with you, and even share some techniques or recipes. It's a great family joint or for groups of 4-8, although you may want to try calling in advance if you are 4 or more, as this place is righteously popular. My fellow yelper, Tara E, has done a respectable rundown of what you can expect to eat and the general cost, so I won't bother with duplicating those details, but I will add that since my visit I have sent several friends to Barque and received reviews so glowing, they might be radioactive. read more

Very good, and very busy...we didn't have reservations and waited nearly 90 minutes for a table on a Monday night. We ordered two barbecue samplers for two and everything was delicious. In terms of sides, the fries, spaetzle and Cuban corn was fantastic. it would've been nice if the bar area was not reserved for dinner and was available for drinks while you waited, but we found a nearby establishment to suit our needs and waited there. It was well worth the wait. If I find myself in this area again I'll make an effort to stop in. read more

Since so many have reviewed at great length, I'll keep it short and simple: I'll be back for the dry-rubbed pork ribs. They were great. Unfortunately, not much else hit it out of the park. The caesar salad wasn't bad, but needed lemon desperately - and servers are few and far between here, though both nice and hard-working. The cuban corn was just a charred corn cob with a rather tasteless and messy sauce smeared on it. The beef ribs weren't all that, and the brisket was less enjoyable again. Reasonable value; almost acceptable service. But go for the pork ribs - they alone move this review from 2 to 3 stars. read more

Went on Saturday night and waited for about an hour which was ok because they have a bar two doors down that you can hang in while you are waiting! It's called the Butcher Bar! Had the sampler for one which includes your choice of 3 meats and 2 sides...I picked Pork Rack o'rama ribs Chicken thigh Coleslaw Fries He got... Beef brisket Sausage Rack o'rama ribs Potato salad Collard greens Everything was delicious...the ribs were ahhhhhMazing! The pork was tender and the brisket was the best we have had in awhile! Overall the meats were on point...the sides were so-so but the whole experience from the service, food to the atmosphere I'd say a 10! read more

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Formation music video came out today and I went out to Barque, can this day get any better ! Great service , large portions. Upscale bbq joint with a rustic feel. I love the fact that they take your jacket when you arrive. We ordered the platter for 2 .I also ordered desert cause it was bae's birthday the swiss role cake it was ok. I will be back to try the bread pudding. Its great for date night , dinner with friends , 1st date all sorts of occasions its that kind of place. Cant wait to try the bar a few doors down next time read more

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