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    Northern Smokes

    4.2 (56 reviews)
    Closed 12:00 pm - 9:00 PM

    Order Northern Smokes Takeout or Delivery

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    NORTHERN SMOKES ATMOSPHERE

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    Ian L.

    For all the hype this place has received, it was just okay. The meat was decent, but I could easily find equal quality or better BBQ at so many places in Toronto. The poutine looked bad, which just hurt my soul. The staff was rude to customers when they asked for meat quantities that they didn't serve. And the service was slow, and I know I got a platter, but it was slow even for that.

    Sample platter 3
    Michael S.

    This halal BBQ restaurant definitely lives up to the Michelin guide reputation its been given. It was busy when we arrived Friday evening for dinner - you first order at the front then find a table for them to bring out your food. Definitely bring your friends, and order a family or sampler platter - I can't obviously vouch for absolutely everything on the menu, but the stuff I tried was all delicious, perfectly seasoned, and was a massive portion. I can't imagine a better first impression. Service is definitely "meh" (had to ask multiple times for water and sharing plates), but the food is undeniably delicious. We got the sampler platter 3 (serves 3 easily, four as a stretch), and a brisket sandwich to share amongst myself, missus, my brother and mother. The sampler platter came with two sides, so we picked Mac and cheese, and the mashed potatoes. The sides were both delicious, but the main stars of the show (brisket, Korean short ribs and pork ribs) were the star attraction - the reason why folks would come from far and wide to visit this restaurant. The ambiance is very minimal - almost grungy. The one single-stall bathroom can feel like it's overheating because of a lack of a/c or ventilation in the overall restaurant. Normally in the main restaurant this would be concerning too, but given the openness to the back grill and a large fan, you don't end up getting too much of the residual heat inside - or the "BBQ smell" that you'd normally associate with BBQ places. Anyway it's along old Kingston road. There's a small parking lot that serves the whole plaza that northern smokes is located in - the lot can get quite busy if all of the businesses are open, but we arrived when there were only a handful of businesses still open on a Friday evening.

    Angus Brisket, Beef Back Ribs, Beef Sausage, Jerk Chicken, Coleslaw, Mac and Cheese, and Mashed Potatoes.

    We ordered some Angus Brisket, Jerk Chicken, Beef Back Ribs, and a Beef Sausage. Everything was fantastic. Definitely reminiscent of Texas BBQ with rich smokey flavors, deep pink colors, and that delicious char. Service was friendly and the wait for our food to come out wasn't too bad, about 20 minutes. 100% would recommend.

    Michelle K.

    My partner and I specifically drove to this place after seeing all of the wonderful reviews and videos on ig. It's located in a tight plaza with limited parking on the weekend. We had to circle around a few times before getting a spot. As I walked in, I noticed 3 empty tables but they all got reserved signs on it so I opted for takeout. We got the meat plate, the brisket plate with two sides (mac and cornbread), and a pound of the beef back ribs. It was around 1pm when I visited but they already sold out of the burnt ends and the montreal style smoked brisket. I've never had smoked meat like this before but did find the price quite high totalling around 100. Maybe it is just standard pricing. They told me that it would take about 45 minutes for my order to be ready and it took around 30 minutes before they called me. My partner and I hung around the plaza and walked across the street since we didn't want to lose our parking spot before needing to go back to pick up the food. Food thoughts: - Brisket was a bit dry and tough, not sure if we just got the drier cut or not. The barbecue sauce slathered on top made it much better - the meat plate was good to try and sample multiple items, I really liked the pulled pork!! It was juicy and flavourful. The korean short ribs was only okay - beef ribs were pretty good but a bit tough - mac was decent but the cornbread was amazing!! Best cornbread ive ever had. I would go back to just buy it Overall, a decent place with good food. They are constantly busy so that is a sign.

    Sampler tray 2
    mike d.

    Great bbq smoked meats. Simple place with seating and great meats! Had a good experience there will come back. Service is good too, helped my box up the food I couldn't finish.

    Chris C.

    I'm always looking to try new places and I remembered my cousin telling me about Northern Smokes a few months ago so off I went. It's located in a small plaza in the Highland Creek area, near Old Kingston Rd and Military Trail. There's nothing special about its appearance, other than having almost all the window shades closed. It wasn't a very attractive look. I actually thought they were closed. The interior was just as sparse, with one wall covered in framed basketball pictures. Ordering is done at the cashier counter and they bring it to your table on paper plates, along with a roll of paper towels. I wasn't too starved so I opted for their burger (8oz) with fries and a drink for $15.00. It was a good sized burger, with decent flavour, but a tad bit overcooked for my liking. The thin fries were good. Oddly though, I don't know why it took around 30 minutes to prepare. That's a bit long for such a simple order. Their Halal menu had beef brisket, beef ribs, chicken, wings, sausages, fries, and more. Flavours included smoked, BBQ, jerk, peri peri, Korean, tandoori, and more. The table next to me had a BBQ platter with several meats that looked and smelled good. Maybe I'll come back to try something like that. Food: 3.5 Ambiance and Service 3.0

    Burger
    Ali B.

    Loved this place ! My wife and I were in the area and had heard about Northern Smokes a few times by others. We decided to go there as we were in the mood for some bbq and smoked meat. I'm so glad we tried this restaurant. The interior is nice and spacious and the food is absolutely amazing. The flavour on the meat is just immaculate. We ended up getting the meat platter, a burger and loaded fries. Everything was stunning. The service was also speedy and efficient. everyone was very nice. I'll be coming back soon!

    Family platter
    Shigei H.

    The Northern Smokes is located in quite an unnoticeable neighbourhood, our friend saw some good reviews and brought us here. This place is obviously popular as there was a queue just when the restaurant opened at noon. As we brought our fur baby, we couldn't eat in and they set up a table under the tree for our group which was really nice. The servers were polite and friendly and made us feel welcome! We ordered a family platter with some side dishes. The portion was quite generous, the meat was nicely done, juicy, tender and delicious, it's worth the trip. I would want to visit again and I won't hesitate to recommend this place.

    Shabbir S.

    Went there after getting high recommendation about their briskets and ribs, but unfortunately it didn't meet our expectations. We had briskets plates, it was too blunt, and korean short ribs. Though it's the standard items, they mentioned it will take 45 minutes, and actually it did!

    Sampler Platter #1
    Twain S.

    My wife and I were out one weekend and looking for a bite to eat, so we googled to see what's in the area. We love good food and headed over after seeing other positive reviews. The building may look small on the outside but was full of flavor inside. We walked inside and saw 2 guys enjoying a table full of meat. We chose the sample platter 1 and were not disappointed. Finger licking good is what came after. Highly recommended for carnivores. It says serves 3-4 but my wife and I didn't leave much left for the kids.

    Sample platter #1 from Uber Eats
    Dyna D.

    This is an Uber Eats delivery review. So until I actually go there in person and dine in/take out myself, I'll leave my review at 4 stars. Honestly, Northern Smokes has been perfection for me. I maayyyyy not be the greatest person to listen to when it comes to this review, as I have only ever tried one other BBQ place. But what I can tell you, is that Northern Smokes was delicious! I had ordered the sample plater #1 from Uber Eats and it was roughly around the $80 mark if I remember, but I had also gotten an extra side, since the 2 it comes with wasn't enough for that night. Everything was excellent. The brisket had to be my favourite and it was superrrr tender and juicy. The brisket could fall apart from you just looking at it, that's how tender it was. Another favourite was the chicken, great flavour and so, so, so moist! Here's the thing that 'might' put people off from Northern Smokes, and it's how much of a 'spicy punch' the meats have. Me personally, I don't mind .... But I have met some people who find the littlest of spice inedible. I think the only thing I didn't really like too much was the coleslaw, but that's a me thing, since I tend to like my coleslaw on the sweeter side. And also the tri tip, but I'm really, really not a fan of tri tip. My husband said it was great though. I'm already planning to go in person and visit Northern Smokes because I have been dreaming of their BBQ ever since that night I had ordered in. I highly recommend this place if you're looking for tender and super punch you in the face flavourful meats!

    RIBS. BEANS. COLESLAW.

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    9 months ago

    Real Texas bbq in scarbaria is wild. You don't find this kind Of Brisket in the city. Just a handful of places.

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    3 years ago

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    1 year ago

    Solid authentic Bbq. Hands down one of the best. They use offset smokers where you can smell it from a block away.

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

    No salat, tomato, onion etc in the beef and chicken burger. Chicken was not well done. Burger bun was soggy because of too many sauces.

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    3 years ago

    Omg. Best brisket . Awesome menu too: hard to choose between Apple chipotle or regular brisket. Burnt ends are brilliant too

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    4 years ago

    Great smoke meat I would definitely recommend. The staff is friendly and food seems fresh

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    3 years ago

    Not worth the price. I was really looking forward to this place with all the Instagram and was very disappointed.

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    Good Brothers BBQ - Mini Beef (自然牛肥瘦小串)

    Good Brothers BBQ

    4.2(28 reviews)
    23.3 kmChinatown, Downtown Core

    I came here a couple days ago after a Chinatown festival around 10 PM, it was pretty busy. We had…read moreto wait about 10 minutes to be seated. They gave us the table directly in front of the counter where the cashier stays, so I requested a different table which we then had to wait another 10 to 15 minutes for. This is not at all a complaint as it was requested. The service was good but most of the servers didn't really speak English, which I guess is to be expected in Chinatown. I don't have any complaints about that. The food took about 10-15 minutes once ordered. We ordered the Grilled Squid, Grilled Oysters, Beef Ribs, Chicken Thigh Skewers, Bean Curd Rolls w/ Cilantro, Grilled Eggplant and Cauliflower. Pretty much everything was over flavoured and lots of MSG. The beef ribs were quite good. Not the best I've had but good. The chicken skewers were fine. The oysters tasted pretty decent but I only had a couple bites of one because I'm not a huge fan of oysters. The bean curd rolls were fine but they could have been better if they took the time to put just cilantro leaves in there not the whole stems, which made them take forever to chew. The grilled eggplant was good only because I love eggplant, there was waaay too much seasoning for the thin piece of eggplant. The cauliflower was my favourite but again, the seasoning should be toned down. The Grilled Squid we both took one bite of and could immediately tell it was either not fresh or not good quality so we didn't eat it. They removed it from the bill as requested which we appreciated. They had free self serve slushies which was a cute touch. Overall the staff and service was good but the food was below average, which was disappointing given the restaurant's rating.

    Overall it was pretty good. My favorite dishes were was the mini lamb skewers, red sausages, and…read morevermicelli noodles. I liked the seasoning that they use and everything was very flavorful. I do wish the clam dish had more clams but instead it had a lot of vermicelli noodles inside. The food was a bit too oily, I know that bbq places tend to be on the oilier side but even the fried rice had a lot of oil. The enoki mushroom were very dry and not worth the price so wouldn't recommend that. The interior was really nice and giving street food in China vibes. The staff was pretty kind being us water refills and checking in.

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    Good Brothers BBQ
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    Gyubee Japanese Grill - Dundas

    Gyubee Japanese Grill - Dundas

    4.2(357 reviews)
    22.5 kmDowntown Core
    $$$

    We have enjoyed both Japanese and Korean bbq places around the world and loved our experience at…read moreGyubee. There's no reservation system but they do have a waitlist on Yelp which gets you in line (highly recommended). First to know is you can't pay with credit card here--there's an ATM in the front of the restaurant. As far as the restaurant goes, it was fantastic from start to finish. Our table of 4 was seated and serviced by 1 main staff member, Lydia, who talked us through the whole menu and ordering system, recommended some great starts and then kept us frequently updated all throughout dinner. She checked up on us along with her assistants who were also bringing items and servicing the table. The food quality was excellent with juicy and flavorful cuts of beef along with the shrimp, pork, veggies, side dishes/ponchon, and rice--it kept coming consistently. Grill changes were frequent as well. The atmosphere is lively and there are a lot of servers so you aren't trying get someone's attention all the time. But it doesn't feel too cramped at the same time. As it is AYCE, everyone in our group left full of course and enjoyed each course. I liked the almond tofu at the end! ----TL;DR---- Pros: great selection of meats, quality was top notch, huge portions of course as it is AYCE, service was prompt and all staff were really friendly. Cons: no reservations so need to be on a waitlist. The no credit card system is a bit of an inconvenience. Bottom Line: we loved it--definitely would go back again and enjoy more of their selections! You have to try them if you like meat and AYCE!

    Gyubee Japanese Grill is a spot that makes the dining experience feel interactive and social, with…read moreJapanese style BBQ where you cook the meats right at the table. We walked into a lively, casual space that works especially well for groups, celebrations, or any meal where you want to take your time and enjoy the experience. The energy in the room is high, with the sound of grilling and conversation filling the space, and the table setup encourages a longer, more relaxed pace than a typical restaurant meal. The biggest highlight is the meat selection. The quality is consistently strong, with different cuts and marinades that give each plate its own flavor. The miso steak is one of the standout items, with a really good balance of savory, slightly sweet, and rich flavors. The marinated meats are where Gyubee really shines, coming seasoned well and developing a great char from grilling at the table. We worked through a range of options including kalbi, hanger steak, and sausage, mixing and matching as we went. The fun part is being able to control the cooking yourself, whether you prefer a lighter sear or a deeper grilled flavor, and the grill setup makes it easy to cook at your own pace. The sides and extras are also better than what we usually expect from an all you can eat BBQ spot. The sushi was surprisingly enjoyable, with smaller portions that made it easy to try different rolls without filling up too quickly. The bibimbap is another good addition, especially when paired with the grilled meats. Takoyaki and other sides helped break up the meal and added variety beyond just ordering meat after meat. The spread is broad enough that you can build a well rounded meal without feeling like you are stuck in a single category. Service was a strong part of the experience. Even with the restaurant being busy, the staff were attentive and checked in regularly to make sure we had what we needed. They kept the table moving, helped with ordering, and made the process feel smooth despite the constant flow of guests. The wait can be the biggest challenge, especially during dinner hours, but the service once seated helped make up for it. The staff also handled the high turnover of tables well, keeping the pace steady without making us feel rushed. Gyubee is one of those places where the experience is just as important as the food. The combination of grilling at the table, quality meats, good sides, and a fun group atmosphere makes it a great choice for a longer meal with friends or family. It is worth planning ahead for the wait because the meal itself delivers the kind of relaxed, interactive dining experience that makes you want to come back. The format encourages you to slow down, cook at your own pace, and enjoy the meal as a shared activity rather than just a quick dinner.

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    Gyubee Japanese Grill - Dundas - Miso Soup , Miso steak , Garlic Beef Brisket, Miso Brisket

    Miso Soup , Miso steak , Garlic Beef Brisket, Miso Brisket

    Gyubee Japanese Grill - Dundas - I go almost once a week, its sooooo good! Service is always great

    I go almost once a week, its sooooo good! Service is always great

    Gyubee Japanese Grill - Dundas - Beef Menu Dec 2024

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    Beach Hill Smokehouse

    Beach Hill Smokehouse

    4.2(173 reviews)
    15.2 kmUpper Beach
    $$

    Best bbq in the city! Been going to Beach Hill throughout the years and I'm always impressed by the…read morequality and tastiness of their meats. My favourite is the burnt ends, which has a sweet smoky taste to them. But other offerings are great too, from the really tender brisket, to the glistening pork belly, the creamy potato salad, and a peach cobbler that grandma would approve. If you're in the mood for a no-frills-all-thrills texas bbq, Beach Hill is then place to go.

    Really disappointing experience…read more I placed a $200+ Uber Eats order for myself and guests on a Friday night, expecting a reliable dinner from a BBQ restaurant. Instead, I waited over an hour with no update. When I finally called the restaurant to check on the order, I was casually told that it had been cancelled because they ran out of food. The problem is that no one bothered to notify me. No message in the app, no call -- nothing. I was simply left waiting for over an hour for an order they apparently already knew they couldn't fulfill. What made it worse was the attitude on the phone. The person I spoke with was rude and dismissive, with no apology or attempt to make the situation right. Now I'm told the refund could take up to 10 business days to return to my credit card. Running out of food happens. Ignoring a $200+ order for over an hour on a Friday night and then being rude to the customer is unacceptable. Plenty of better BBQ options in the city -- I won't be ordering from here again.

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    Beach Hill Smokehouse - Seating area and tvs

    Seating area and tvs

    Beach Hill Smokehouse - Bbq

    Bbq

    Beach Hill Smokehouse - Storefront

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    Benny’s Barbecue - Texas Trinity

    Benny’s Barbecue

    4.2(38 reviews)
    20.1 kmYonge and Eglinton, Mount Pleasant and Davisville

    I really like Benny's barbecue. I've been there twice this week. I have never had barbecue turkey…read morebefore. Here I had it in a sandwich. It was moist, smoky and delicious. It served that soft round sweet bun reminiscent of Chick-fil-A. The brisket barbecue beans are exactly that. Barbecue beans, with a slight spice to it and some big chunks of brisket. Yum! The brisket sandwich is also excellent. They asked if I wanted it in slices or chopped and I had it chopped and loved it. The barbecue sauce is more in the ketchup beside, but that's fine. Coleslaw is OK. The serving of cornbread is small for the price. They don't serve barbecue chicken, which I found surprising but I love the brisket and the turkey and will be going back for more! And the guys working, they are very friendly.

    Bbq spot in an alley north of Yonge and Eglinton. One server was really nice, one was just there to…read morework lol which isn't a bad thing. We had the tray for one each. My ribs were tender but not enough flavor. The brisket wasn't tough but wasn't super tender either, the fatty part was the best. Again not enough flavor. This came with a sausage, I got the jalapeño cheese which was delicious and dense. The best part of the tray was the mac n cheese. There is bbq sauce at each table which helped add more flavor to the meat. The pace is pretty big with a limited amount of seating inside. But they have a patio area as well.

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    Chao Lay

    Chao Lay

    3.8(5 reviews)
    23.9 kmWychwood

    We stopped by this restaurant because they had a gluten free and dairy free Tom Yum Soup but we…read morewere not impressed. The ambiance is really casual and nothing too fancy. The service was ok. I felt like it took a really long time to get our orders. My husband ordered the Pad Khi Mao Spicy Noodles with no spice, shrimp and chicken and he enjoyed his dish. He said it tasted really good but the portion size was small and he was still hungry afterwards. I ordered the XL Tom Yum Soup and it would definitely not serve 3-4 people as a full meal as advertised. It was almost equivalent to a large bowl at my favourite restaurant for Tom Yum Soup and it was $10 more expensive. The soup also tasted extra tangy or sour. I did not love the soup and it didn't settle my upset stomach. I would give the soup 3 out of 5 stars. Would we return? It is not likely we would return to this restaurant. We have lots of other Thai restaurants we prefer.

    I was glad to find this restaurant so close by. I ordered out through uber eat, I was annoyed that…read morethey stopped enroute for 15 minutes as I was only 10 away. I paid for 7 spring rolls because the website only gave me that choice but received 2 in my order. They were very tasty at least. The pad Thai was okay but I like it a bit saucier as I found it somewhat dry. The mango salad would've been better had it had more dressing on it. It was a bit expensive but I would try it again but maybe take out next time. I would rate it a 3 out of 5 because I paid more for 7 spring rolls and only received 2.

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    Chao Lay
    Chao Lay
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    Northern Smokes - halal - Updated August 2026

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