the stockyards

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 the ribs are to die for (we wouldn't know), i would recommend saving yourself sometimeand money, and going somewhere else.

never again. when they are crowded, your order is subject to a mistake. i sat at counter today with family and seen very poor process when they are busy, never get the brisket, its not fresh and then steamed to bring back too life. they have none of the process in us barbecue house. hamburger should be cut in half. fried chicken cooked two different ways and never timed. once dropped in basket, nexttimeright in grease, its hit or miss on flavor. bill was 60.00, with hotdog for son! but they never gave me a check. grossly understaffed and overcrowded. quality of food not worth it, and comparison to us cue not realistic. when they are under pressure the food suffers. just go across the street to mcdonalds for burger.

friendly service. had the dirty bird dish from the sunday menu. chicken was moist inside and crunchy outside. waffle was fluffy and fresh. gravy, egg and canadian bacon hit all the right spots. everything was seasoned perfectly. worth the wait for a table. would go back nexttimei'm in toronto.

for our 32nd burger review, we travelled to the west end of the city to visit one of "toronto's most underrated burger joints" the city has to offer. doing some research about where we were going to eat at for this month didn't really take anytimeat all. our minds were made up and the stockyards was the next on the list. we had heard about this place a few times over the last few months, but it was the location that was a bit of a challenge for us. basically, mark and i weren't familiar with the st. clair west area, so we really didn't know what to expect, and this was going to be a new adventure for the both of us. we arrived shortly after 2pm on a day in early january and there was already a small group of people dining in the restaurant. when we entered, we were quickly given a choice of where we would like to sit. we grabbed a couple of stools up along a bar they had against one of their walls. the space was fairly small, yet big enough to fit a few hungry customers. given by my first impression, i could tell this place was a neighbourhood go-to hangout. but of course, this day in particular attracted to burger enthusiasts to its shop to try some delicious homemade creations. and i came with an empty stomach. upon arriving, mark and i had given the menu a quick glance and saw only a few burgers to choose from. but they weren't your typical original cheeseburger or signature hamburger. these were creations made by the kitchen staff at the stockyards, prepared fresh daily. all of the burgers sounded very interesting to try and i was going over them one by one in my head before the waiter returned to ask for our order.

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 atimeeven though they could easily fill a much larger venue – especially on tuesdays, fridays, and sundays when they serve their notorious bbq ribs and 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.

2017/02/11
i had bookmarked the stockyards a while ago, based on something that i had read somewhere about good burgers, and today we had an opportunity to check it out at lunchtime. the first thing i noticed when we entered is that it is not a big restaurant. about a third of the restaurant is occupied by an open kitchen, and the remaining areas only have counter and stool seating. i am not fond of stools, but it's about the food, right? the restaurant was relatively full, but there were two seats together at the end of the main counter in front of the kitchen. when it is busy, you are sitting and eating elbow to elbow with someone. it did feel a bit cramped at times.

we looked over the menu briefly. we notice that the people sitting beside us had chicken and waffles that looked pretty good, so swmbo's decision was made. she chose the 2 piece ($14) instead of the 4 piece ($17), which turned out to be more than enough for lunch. the chicken is marinated in buttermilk, and then deep fried, giving it a pretty crispy exterior. the thicker of her two pieces could have used a bit moretimein the fryer; it was probably cooked all the way, but she did leave a couple of small bites.

i was trying to decide between a pulled pork sandwich and a burger, so i asked our server. she asked me if i had ever had one of their burgers, to which i replied no, and she suggested i try that first. i chose the green chili pimento cheese burger and added fries. i watched the cook prepare the burger. first he sprinkled salt on the flat top grill, then he dropped a ball of hamburger meat on top of the salt. he used a hand press to squash the meat to a uniform thickness. once it was cooked on one side, he flipped it over and added a large dollop of a thick, white sauce that must have been the jalapeño, cheddar and mayo mixture. when done, that was placed inside a grilled bun with butter lettuce, and served in a cast iron skillet, with a pile of fries. this was a pretty good burger. the fries were also pretty good too.

so overall some mixed results, but still a good outing. i would go back if someone i know wanted to give it a try.

another restaurant featured on diners, drive ins and dives that is a great place for burgers and fried chicken. it's not spacious so you're better off taking it too go but once you're in and having a goodtimethen you're all good.

the owner is a great guy and the rest of the staff are friendly too. expect good recommendations but be warned everything is good.

we were curious enough to drive there to try out a burger made famous on the show which had beef bone marrow and butter. unfortunately that burger was discontinued.

but no complaints as the other dishes were great. try their fried chicken as it's really good. we also had the green chilli pimento burger and the dirty thirty.

the stockyards is a place not to be missed.

umm i dunno what the big hype is...food is blend with a ton of salt nd grease....waste oftimend money avoid it nd just head to popeyes. ordered the fried chicken nd beef brisket

one of the best food spots in toronto. i literally eat here or grab takeout from here every singletimei'm in the neighborhood. it's that good.

i've been wanting to try stockyards' fried chicken for the longesttimeand so last saturday my boyfriend and i went there for lunch. we were worried that we wouldn't be able to find parking... 4 pieces of buttermilk marinated chicken served with fries, coleslaw and hot sauce. we both ordered the fried chicken dinner and they came out pretty fast. the pieces of chicken were huge and they had a nice golden brown crust. the skin and the batter were super crispy on the outside and the meat was very juicy and tender on the inside.

love this place! it's my new neighbourhood haunt. 

have been more than a few times for the excellent burgers but this was my firsttimetrying their brunch. 

it was not over rated!  i had their chicken and waffles. the chicken was tender and crispy and not dry! bonus points for the wicked sweet chilli syrup. that stuff is amazing.  

staff are friendly however sunday brunch is almost always busy so if you want to grab a seat, make sure to go early. we showed up at 10:30 and still had to wait about 20 minutes to get seating.  if you can have a seat at the bar facing the kitchen and you can see everyone's meals being made. 

don’t miss out on big portions, delicious dishes and great service.
and don’t you dare miss out on chicken & waffles!

for years, i’ve heard raving reviews about the stockyards’ fried chicken from both friends and the internet. with a location in st. clair w, only 18 seats and notoriously long lines, i took mytimeto plan a visit. ahead of us inline was a group for 5 and two sets of couples. we were on a tight schedule and could only afford a 20 minute wait. luckily, 20 minutes was all we needed

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 their ribs and chicken combo. however, i completely forgot that they only serve bbq ribs three 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 fromtimetotimeto 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.

thirdtimeis definitely a charm.... this would be a third review from me. given that my wife could have chosen any location to be treated to for her birthday she chose the stockyards. as usual, it was busy but we waited for a short time. we ordered our old standbys: the pimento chili cheeseburger and chicken and waffles. it was amazing. no surprise. the pimento burger was tasty with that real beef burger taste and the chili and pimento cheese topping was a kick to the taste buds. the accompanying fries were seasoned perfectly with their own spice blend. the chicken pieces were deep fried to perfection and the meat was moist and juicy. and that sauce goes so well with the hot crispy skin. i dare you not to break off a piece of waffle and eat it with your hands like a mini tortilla with some chicken and skin as the filling. i think it would be more of an insult to use utensils to eat this chicken and should be eaten with the hands and fingers. do not be discouraged by the wait or the limited space and seating for once you get served that food, all will be focused on the food.


-----12 may, 2014-----

secondtimehere and it did not disappoint. thistimewe arrived during that small window oftimewhere it was not crowded at the door and some diners were just finishing, so the wait was not too bad. my wife was craving the green chile burger and i ordered the 4 piece fried chicken dinner. her burger was just as tasty as the secondtimearound. with one bite, i could taste the flavour of the beef burger. the chicken pieces that came with my order were huge and cooked perfectly. when drizzled with hot sauce, the flavour combo is complete. the small amount of coleslaw was ok and really did not add to the dish. the fries were good and they give you a lot. however, with the calibre of food they serve, that should extend that calibre to the sides. my only recommendation would be to serve less fries but make them as remarkable. with amount of food given with the mains, the extra fries will not be missed. worth the wait... nexttimeit will be the porchetta sandwich....


-----29 mar, 2014-----

finally got the opportunity to eat here after seeing it on diners, drive-in & dives and reading several reviews. small place with stool & counter seating arrangement. extremely busy when we went and decided to wait for 30-40 minutes until we were seated. my wife ordered the green chile pimento cheese burger & i had their signature brunch special, fried chicken and waffles. the service was fast and the food was definitely worth the wait. the burger had just the right amount of heat from the smoked jalapeños and the pimento cheese was tasty. the burger was cooked medium rare but could have been on the grill for another minute. the
fried chicken was cooked perfectly and heavily drizzled with an thyme infused syrup that played well with the savory coating from the chicken. it may have been crowded and the wait was long, but the food and service more than made up for it. reasonably priced for extremely good diner food done well, i would be going here again and would recommend to anyone.

just finished work and the wifey took me to the stockyards for breakfast. breakfast of champions is the fried chicken & waffles. can't go wrong with that.


-----03 aug, 2013-----

awesome food! customer service could be better! they shouldn't take #'s to reserve seats, not fair for people who are already waiting to be seated especially when the waittimeis 30 to 40 mins. first come first seated. we live in the neighborhood and come here often but when you see the host trying to call to tell a customer they have seats available, as a regular you feel your business is not valued. they have 20 seats for dining in so to take calls to reserve seats is not great at all. the food is always great not to forget that.