the stockyards

th3hungrycat june 4, 2012 barbecue the stockyards 699 st. clair avenue west wychwood barbecue   i finally made it to the stockyards ! that knocks my list of must-try restaurants to about 300? we arrived around quarter to six and the place was busier than usual because of grid to ‘s burger week . while you don’t have to arrive a whole hour early, you will want to arrive well before six if you want to nab a spot in this cozy joint.  it is bar top seating only, with no more than room for 25. the menu is simple: burgers,ribsor chicken.  unfortunately, theribsand smoke chicken only make appearances on tuesdays, fridays and sundays – so mark it down on your calendars. we opted for the 16 oz. iced tea ($2) and limemade ($3.25) which could almost pass for mojito – almost.  both were light and refreshing. the fried chicken dinner ($14) is sufficient enough for 2, though you may not want to share.  in essence, a half-chicken coated in buttermilk with a side of fresh slaw and a mountainous ma

where's the beef?. or chicken or pork for that matter? when there yesterday, my friend and i were informed by a surly waitress that the bbq items (both chicken and ribs) had sold out. when asked if this shortage was common, we were told that it happens every day it is offered -- within two hours of becoming available for the day. is there a chicken and pork shortage in the gta that i'm unaware of? or is poor service and food shortage a tactical approach to creating artificial "hype" and a reason to come back. "you need to get there early, if you want the ribs." i felt like i was at a club, empty inside, with a fake line outside. to me, this shortage just signals poor planning and poor management. coupled with atrocious service, this place is truly a winner. we settled on a burger and the fried chicken. the food was tasty enough, though i'm not sure i could tell the difference between stockyards, kfc, or popeye's chicken in a blind taste test. the kicker: people who arrived after us were served ribs. perhaps they ordered ahead? perhaps they knew the right people? regardless, the experience left a bad taste in our mouths... there are so many amazing restaurants in toronto. unless theribsare to die for (we wouldn't know), i would recommend saving yourself some time and money, and going somewhere else.

when you plan a visit to the stockyards, you should also plan a visit to the gym. stockyards is comfort food done right--their menu is home to burgers, sandwiches, ribs, and chicken, with no expense spared on flavour. it's a modest joint, only seating 20 people at a time even though they could easily fill a much larger venue – especially on tuesdays, fridays, and sundays when they serve their notorious bbqribsand chicken. stockyards is owned by tom davis, who's perfected the art of smoking meat. his chicken, for example, is marinated with garlic, cumin, and buttermilk for 24 hours before being smoked (in his homemade wood smoker) for seven hours to create his signature southern style chicken.

sublime!!! absolutely one of the best restaurant i've ever been in toronto!! we were a group of 4 and we went after running the scotiabank half-marathon, what's better than bbq and fried chicken to refuel ourselves??? we ordered, fried chicken with fires, fried chicken with waffle and maple syrup, the dirty thirty burger and sausage and waffles. after living for 6 years in the south of the us, the stockyards is the best soul food in toronto. the sausage gravy was so decadent and flavorful. the burger patty (they only make 30 per day of this special order, they have other burgers) was filled with cheese and the addition of perfectly crisp thick bacon was the best choice i ever made :d. the burger literally explodes in your mouth, an explosion of taste!! the fried chicken was very crispy as well as juicy and tender. we were able to buy a full rack of bbqribsto bring home!!!
service was impeccable and lisa 9the host/manager) was so nice with us, she is such a great person!!! i can't wait to go back!

green chili pimento burger. yup, so good!! the service is great too we managed to get there just before the rush, so we didn't have to wait, but wowza, it gets busy in there!! i want to try theribsnext!!

tear down the wall. can't blame a place for being too packed or busy i guess but it's the one thing pretty much everyone complains about as well as the staggered bbq menu days
people come forribsand smoked chicken on the odd days and looking really pissed off when they were informed that they were sold out or not on the menu that day. actually happened to me and my brother 2 years ago when they ran out ofribsbut we murdered the rest of the menu.
i honestly think they thought we were critics cuz they gave us a free bigmac style burger cut in half to share. (it was the only thing we didn't actually order) all of the food was very good and the cooks were very confident and banged out 50 covers in front of us while we feasted. i have my own smokers and charcoal bbqs and know good bbq
they use a lot of smoke on the meat and some might find it strong because its not slathered in sauce but thats what they're going for here. the smoked chicken is my favorite and my bro likes theribsbut try anything cuz it's all done right. and the beautiful brown lady at the front taking orders and expediting and waiting tables and taking calls and etc etc is a freakin machine who doesn't stop moving to keep the wheels turning smith and fast
check it out for sure


-----24 dec, 2011-----

they ran out ofribsso we had the rest if the menu pretty much. smoked chicken was perfect, not too smokey. pulled pork had tons of flavour. fried chicken was juicy and had flavour beyond the skin. coke came in glass bottles not fountain swill. no fancy furniture or decor, this place lets the food and friendly service speak for itself and i would go back soon again and often.

theribsain't slows but they may be as close you'll find in toronto. smoked chicken is off the hook, always juicy and flavourful - you'll be smelling smoke on your fingers for hours after you've ripped apart that bird. and the burgers are simple, sloppy, and sumptuous. stockyards will stick to ya ribs!

am i entitled to eat here?..... worst customer service i've ever had. i walked in at 2:50pm on a sunday with 2 friends and after getting glared at by all the hipster/artsy types (as if we were non-members trying to sneak in some club)
a large/loud lady at the cash asked if i needed help. i said yes i'd like to order some takeout (as every seat was taken and the place is about the size of a jacuzzi washroom). she barked back with (didn't you see the sign?! we close at 3-5pm!
i did notice a small piece of paper on the door saying the hours but the place was rammed full and i noticed food coming out as i entered and i told her that, she barked back that they stop taking orders at 2:45.
at this point i said (ok ok i guess i'm not eating here) another strong glare from the big lady and i could feel the pretentious stares at our backs as we walked out the door like dogs with our tails tucked after being scolded.

i emailed the owner and he apologized but even if they gave me 100$ gift card i will never go back there. this place received way too much cred way too fast and it got to their heads. i'm not lying at all when i say they workers act as if it is a priveledge to eat their food. they've become too used to turning people away and running out of their small batch chicken andribsand boldly telling customers "were sold out" "you're too late".

well you know there's thousands of other joints down the street that will happily accept my buisness and don't close their doors when they feel like it, cause they need that revenue.

if you want pretentious, hipster, higher than thou food this would have to be the #1 place in toronto

they had a good pull to get them on off the bone and the bark on the meat was good and i liked the seasoned taste though a couple of theribson one end where burnt

we arrived early saturday evening hoping to beat the crowd and to get a taste of their renowned ribs. to our dismay, while scanning the menu, we discovered that theribsare only served on tuesdays, fridays, and sundays at 5pm. thank goodness for their healthy selection of " griddlesmashedburgers" and a fried chicken dinner. if you're looking for a place to sit comfortably, you might want to opt for take out. there is only barstool seating . one side facing the open kitchen and the other along side of a wall. they cleverly remembered the coat/purse hooks under the table. bonus points.
the chicken dinner ($15) came with a healthy serving of 4 pieces, crispy shoestring fries, vinegary coleslaw, ketchup, and a vinegary hotsauce (i would have preferred sriracha). the chicken had a nice light, crispy batter. it was moist and not greasy. the only drawback was that it was room temperature. when i looked at the assembly line in the kitchen, it was obvious that they fried the chicken pieces in huge batches. very necessary for efficiency but i probably got the oldest pieces of that batch.
moving on, the beast style burger ($14) we ordered comes with two patties ( with their "secret sauce"), and dressed with caramelized onions, lettuce, cheese and pickles. the fresh and freshly grilled bun yielded into a mouthful of carnivore delight. you can taste what a difference it makes when quality ingredients are used.
i ended up having to take two pieces of chicken and a mound of fries home as the portion was plenty for one person. however i ended up picking at it during the drive home. wasn't quite sure if the smell of grease from my clothes and hair or from the takeout box was making me hungry again.
will definitely be back again on a day they serve ribs.

some of my favourite bbq in the city. 
if you want brunch there, go on sunday. the saturday brunch menu is smaller. burgers,ribsand sandwiches are all fantastic. 
sometimes they have porchetta on the menu, sometimes they don't. if they do, get it. it's messy, meaty and delicious, with the right consistency.

order the homemade ice tea or limeade. both are fantastic and come with fun straws.

love this place! always busy, and rightly so. burgers are excellent, and the fried chicken some of the best in toronto. they change up the menu every so often but i've never been disappointed here. staff is super friendly, but expect to wait for a seat as it's a very small place. take-out is popular with the locals too. i haven't tried theribsyet but judging by everything else, they should be spectacular. this is my favorite burger joint in the city.

the stockyards has gained the reputation of being one of the best places in toronto for fried chicken. it is a modest size restaurant offering comfort food on st.clair west. i came here for dinner on a thursday to try out theirribsand chicken combo. however, i completely forgot that they only serve bbqribsthree days a week (tues, fri and sat). the reason for this is because "the smoking process of their wood fired cooker takes up to 18 hrs".  eventually, i opted for the popular stockyards fried chicken dinner ($14.00). the dinner came with four pieces of buttermilk marinated chicken and served with fries, coleslaw and hot sauce. the buttermilk that the chicken was marinated in made the chicken quite tender. overall, all four pieces of fried chicken were succulent, moist, and tasted delicious when dipped into the provided hot sauce. i also liked the shoestring fries which wasn't overly oily.  the stockyards' decor is pretty minimalistic with an open kitchen concept. if you're lucky enough to be seated in the bar area facing the kitchen; you can watch the chefs make your food. as for their service, i thought that it was quick and efficient. my friend and i were quickly seated, and our waitress took our food and drink orders. occasionally, she came back from time to time to our seated area and asked how we were doing.  i am not super big on the idea of getting brunch but i have heard a great deal about their fried chicken and waffles combo. so it's definitely on my list to try out in the future.

food -->  amazing southern goodness - skip the burgers and go for southern staples like fried chickenservice--> friendly, efficient take out - check their twitter feed for new menu items and notices that they have run out of their more popular itemsoverall--> this place never disappoints, grab some chicken andribsand head to your nearest park (or couch!)

arguably the best place for fried chicken in toronto. their fried chicken is properly made, and should not be compared to any fast food place. definitely a must to try as it is one their signature items. also, on a few select days each week, stockyards offers half-rack and full-rack ribs, which are smoked in-house for several hours the same morning. fantasticribswhich are also a must-have.