Transit Smokehouse & BBQ — Restaurant in Edmonton

It’s hard to write this … I SO badly wanted to love my experience.

First I have to say that Sarah was our server & she beautifully represents the “new” Transit. Her passion for the history, her work & her work environment, including telling us about how amazing Ray, the owner is, is infectious & we truly felt her love for the restaurant & that the Transit is her family.

I struggle to share a tough review because I can see the vision for the restaurant, but I feel like it fell short. Some minor tweaks would make all the difference.

First, I wasn’t a big fan of the smokehouse theme. It was neat in theory, but I think the newly renovated dining room blends itself well to a classy, candlelit experience. Maybe for lunch, having it similar to an old school burger & milkshake joint would be just the key to really make this place a family favourite. Maybe incorporating both so you catch the fine diners & the burger people. I feel as though the building & its history just needs to be highlighted more than it is.

Every menu item should incorporate the history, either in name or in creativity. I feel like this place could be a gem, just like in the good ol Klondike Days! I’d also love to see more attention given to the restaurant/hotel’s ghostly inhabitants. Have some ghost stories in the menu or in a little book on the table.

The food was less flavourful than I had hoped. I think they are off to a good start but just need to create a full flavour profile for each item. Additionally, offering a 3 or 4 course meal would help narrow down the decision making process. We shared 4 meats (1/3 lb) between 4 people. I’d recommend that for 2 people, 3 at most.

The cornbread was good but having it as a mini loaf (or horse shoe) would have been great. Mac & Cheese was good but could have used some sharper cheddar. More seasoning on the warm potato salad would have taken it to a new level. Offering a chili as a side would be phenomenal.

The place was clean & inviting & the live music was so awesome. We even got a Happy Birthday song for our friend.

A pub night would be amazing! Heck, maybe people can dance too! This place has so much potential & charm it’s just beneath the surface of greatness, I can see its potential.

The food was good, and we did leave satisfied. Maybe this is my own fault, for expecting something different. I’d definitely go back to try it again though because Sarah just made it better & I think she’s the heart of the place, even if she doesn’t want to befriend the ghosts! :)

If you ever have “Dinner & some ghosts night” with a 4 course meal & 30 minutes upstairs, guided, you’d be making a smal fortune! I’d be in for sure!

I’d loved to see the Transit be reimagined (again) but with all the things that made it a success from 1908 until now.

FYI, I’m a business & marketing consultant & I’d LOVE, LOVE to help in any way I can!...

Well, a year later and the food isn't any better. No need to go into detail but brisket is dry with very little flavour and it was the best between it and the ribs, pork and chicken.

On top of that the service has gone downhill and the place is more dive looking than the first time. The men's bathroom is getting to be really worn looking and my wife refused to use the ladies as it was not just worn, it was also dirty. Judging from the very large number of poor reviews over that past 8 months I can see we aren't the only ones getting lousy service and very over priced, poor food.

Review from a year ago in 2022

So, I had been following the saga of the renovation and opening delays on this restaurant for a long time. I really feel for all the hoops the new owners had to go through. I figured after two years of trying to get open this place would have the food absolutely aced. I was therefore kind of surprised to read so many negative comments on some of the early reviews. Figured we would let it run a while before giving it a try.

I took my wife and we went and tried the transit a couple of days ago. First off, the much vaunted renovations don't show. Most of it looks like it barely got a coat of paint. However, for your typical Texas style BBQ, that is an appropriate look. I have been in a bunch of Texas BBQ shacks and don't remember a single one that looked new or modern.

It is Texas Q. The rub is strictly salt and pepper, same on all meats. What is different is they smoke with oak, no Mesquite. There is no sauce added during the cook or when served but they have a good selection on the side. The beans are top notch. Home made, smokey and great texture. Next best was the dill pickle. Their coleslaw is not edible. Chopped real fine, soggy with vinegar as the only flavour. At 6 bucks per side for 3 ounce servings the prices for sides are WAY out of line. On top of that a soda is $4.50.

We ordered the 1/3 pound of Ribs, Pulled Pork and Brisket sampler plate. The meat was cooked properly, as in not over cooked or dry, but if you closed your eyes you would not be able to tell brisket, from pulled pork or the ribs. There is very little flavour from the rub and no smoke flavour to speak of. The meat is plenty edible but it is really mediocre BBQ. Even the stuff served at Montana's has far better BBQ flavour.

A relatively light lunch for 2 of 1/3 pound of each of ribs, pulled pork and brisket split between 2 was 70 bucks with only two sides for one and no sides for the other. I was really hoping this place would be spectacular and I would love to see a locally owned place be successful.

I hope these guys refine their technique quickly. I did give them some polite but pretty detailed feedback because if they keep serving this kind of mediocre food at these prices they aren't going...

My husband and I hired Ray and his team to cater our wedding back in September 2023. We were very excited as we had had great experiences at the restaurant. Unfortunately a few weeks prior to our event Ray fell ill and was unable to attend our event to oversee his staff. Prior to our wedding he called me to make the arrangements that were to be communicated to the team and we assumed everything was going to go as expected. Boy were we wrong. There was so much wrong with our catering that I can hardly say anything positive, and believe me, I tried. The food was cold, many of our guests did not receive sides as they ran out, and we were promised gluten free options and none were provided - just to name a few things. The catering staff were not dressed in a manner that respected our event, one of the staff walked across the dance floor during the father/daughter dance and I heard from many of our guests that the manner in which they were speaking was not respectful of the environment they were in. After the event I contacted Ray. He informed me that he was still unwell and as soon as he returned he would follow up with me. Many weeks went by with no communication so I followed up. I was informed that he was still away and I would hear soon. I waited two months before reaching out again and when I did I received no response. Finally, I followed up in December and received a response apologizing and asking how we can make it right. I believe the only reason I received a response was because I indicated in my email that I would leave a negative review letting people know of our experience. I responded with how we would like to rectify the situation on December 27. I have not received a response so I felt as though it was my responsibility to let everyone know that if you use the catering services of this restaurant and things go wrong, you will likely not see any compensation nor will you get a response...