Beach Hill Smokehouse: A Texas-style BBQ joint…inside a Toronto housing co-op???

So, we’re hanging out at Beach Hill Smokehouse, this brand-new BBQ joint that just opened up in the east end. This place is a short walk from Main St Station, or an even shorter walk from the Danforth GO Station, in case you wanna come in from Oshawa or something. And you might wanna do that, if you love beef brisket, bro! Lemme tell ya, this might not be the best Texas-style BBQ joint I’ve been to, but it’s the most authentic Texas-style BBQ experience you’ll get in Toronto. All that’s missing is some good ol’ country music…

But when it comes to the menu, there’s very little they don’t have: beef brisket, turkey, pork ribs, chicken, beef ribs (only on Thursdays and Saturdays) and all the sides like beans, coleslaw, potato salad and mac ‘n cheese. They might be sold out of some stuff sometimes—but not by 2 p.m., like that other place in town. These guys keep on smokin’ throughout the day, which means they might not have ribs at 6:30, but they’ll have ‘em again at 7 (which explains why I didn’t get any ribs).

Instead I went with the Lockhart, their take on a traditional Texas BBQ sandwich. You’ve got both sausage and brisket on a bun, with some pickles, onions and raw jalapenos from the condiment bar. There’s a nice, fresh bun here, packed with chewy, tender brisket and a nice juicy snap from the hot link.  Not too bad for 10 bucks! And then I added another hot link on the side, along with some mac ‘n cheese, cuz you never turn your back on mac ‘n cheese, Stampede Bro!!!

Like I said, this is the real-deal Texas-style meal. The prices even reflect the fact that BBQ is meant to be working man’s food, which is what you’ll find down south. (And yeah, they’re at the bottom of the Main-Gerard Housing Co-Op, not in the middle of Queen St W or something.) We’re talking 7 bucks for a half chicken, 9 bucks for ribs, 11 bucks for brisket. All the food you see here plus a bottled water and a couple bucks for the tip jar, and I’m going home completely not-hungry for just 25 bones, bro!!!

But yeah, like most good Texas BBQ joints, you’re gonna hafta wait in line. The food’s at the back counter, and the line goes right through the middle of the room, so at least you’re probably not waiting outside. At 6 p.m. on a Friday, that line was a good 35-40 minutes long…but that’s still nothing compared to when I went to Franklin BBQ down in Austin!