Sourdough Saloon — Restaurant in Dawson City

I was in Dawson City for a small wedding on August 14th (yes, I'm super slow doing my reviews but better late than never they say) & one of the planned activities was the Sour Toe Shot.

Unfortunately, the captain was not in that night. However, the staff made accommodations & allowed us time for each wedding guest to get the opportunity to do the acclaimed shot! But our only option was the Yukon Jack whiskey... which was perfectly acceptable.

I was a bit worried about shooting straight whiskey, honestly. But it turns out I shouldn't have been. It is DELICIOUS & doesn't "burn" at all like I expected it to. It's more a sweet taste, like a liqueur (I'll post a picture of the bottle).

The toe is a bit "gnarly," though. It's black. And it doesn't look like a toe (it kinda looks like a dried up cat turd). But whatever, when in Rome....(or Dawson City)....

I'm really glad I did the shot. It's a part of the whole Dawson City experience. I would recommend taking the time to do it! AND you get a certificate you can take home & frame.

PS. Aug 14, 2024, we paid $16 per shot of Yukon Jack + the experience.

We did not dine at this location, so I can't comment on the food. I already had my rental car parked at this location as I was staying at...

We did the ‘Sourtoe Challenge’ during the last week of December. We went with certain expectations that were far from met. First off, the last week of December is especially quiet in this bar and in the city in general. The ‘Captain’, who usually conducts the ceremony, is also away in warmer parts of the world during this time. This means you will be one of the very few people at the bar doing it - so already a pretty underwhelming vibe. Joanna was the server that did the ‘ceremony’ for us and I can’t think of how she could have made it a more underwhelming experience. You walk up to her table with a drink where she drops a toe in your glass. She then robotically reads out the rules and watches you drink your drink and sends you off with a certificate once you’re done. No smile, no story, no cheer, no captain’s hat, nothing. Sounds like a great way to kill a ‘tradition’ that’s lasted almost half a century. So if you go down there to do the sourtoe challenge in the winter, try to do it with someone who looks like they like their job - they might not be ‘the captain’, but they might want to make sure you have a good experience when you have made your way up there and paid the $8 fee to have a dead toe in your drink in the name...

I would give them a 0 if I could! I have never been treated so rudely in all my life! All of the staff was rude! One night a group of us went in for toe shots 45 minutes before they were supposed to be done and were told we could not do it. Our tour guide made special reservations for the next night. We all ordered drinks anyway, but before we could finish, they took the drinks and literally pushed some of the people out the door and locked the door. We showed up early the next night but they took other parties before us. We waited an hour. The toe shots were 16.75 and the captain had a tip jar. When it came time to pay the bill, they added a group gratuity, and we weren't even allowed to sit with our group. We were on another level . When I went to pay the bill, I questioned the forced gratuity. I was literally verbally attacked by 2 of the servers. They said my behavior was unacceptable. They said they were doing us a favor, that we shouldn't be able to do shots without ordering food. There are no signs saying that, and other reviews mention just getting drinks and a toe shot. Unless you want to be treated like dirt by people who are supposed to be serving you, AVOID this place at all costs...and believe me it...