Hyde Smokehouse & Bar — Restaurant in North Grenville

I had high hopes for this restaurant based on the glowing reviews, but unfortunately, this turned out to be one of the most disappointing dining experiences we’ve had. I want to acknowledge that this could have been an isolated incident, but still, our experience demonstrates a disregard for customer satisfaction.

We were greeted by friendly, welcoming staff, which initially created a positive impression. The restaurant was gradually getting busier, and it was clear that the two staff members on duty were doing their best to keep up, which I appreciated. However, the experience went downhill from there.

I ordered an espresso martini, which was underwhelming. It was watery, with weak coffee flavor, and the portion size was surprisingly small for the $16 price tag. The glass likely held 5 ounces, but I doubt I received even 2.5 ounces. It also lacked the thick foam topping you’d expect from a well-made espresso martini.

For our main courses, my husband ordered the ribeye, and I ordered the brisket, specifying that I wanted the point cut. My husband’s ribeye was well-seasoned, cooked properly, and tasted great, but it was the thinnest 12-ounce steak I’ve ever seen—it looked like something you’d get in the mess hall. Despite this, the flavor was excellent. My brisket, on the other hand, was a major disappointment. While the smoky flavor was well-balanced and delicious, the meat itself was extremely dry. Instead of the point cut I requested, I was served 95% flat with a tiny piece of point. The point pieces were narrow, indicating they were from the furthest end, which likely contributed to their dryness. The flat cut, unless specifically requested, is typically reserved for braising or being sliced thin for sandwiches—not part of a fine meal, especially when the point was specifically requested. I brought the brisket home, intending to try simmering it to make it more palatable.

On a brighter note, the cornbread was absolutely delicious, and they truly mastered the maple butter—it was the highlight of the meal. My husband’s grilled zucchini was my favorite part of the meal; it was perfectly done. However, his garlic mashed “rustic” potatoes left much to be desired. They contained firm, unmashed chunks of potato the size of a chicken egg. When we mentioned this, we were told, “It’s rustic.” The Caesar salad was okay—generous with the cheese, which was appreciated, but otherwise unremarkable. The mac and cheese, however, was the most horrible I’ve ever had. Based on the reviews, it seems people generally love it, so it must have been an off night, but the flavor was incredibly off-putting—almost vile.

We had saved up for this evening out, expecting it to be a special Valentine’s Day meal, and it was disheartening to leave hungry and disappointed. At a time when dining out is a luxury for many, restaurants need to be mindful of their customers' experience rather than focusing solely on the bottom line. If they cannot accommodate specific requests for cuts of meat, the prices should reflect that limitation. I’ve never had my request for a specific brisket cut refused elsewhere. For example, Meatings in Orleans offers far superior brisket in terms of marbling, juiciness, and a willingness to accommodate customer requests.

While the staff were friendly and the flavors of some items had potential, the overall experience fell far short of expectations. I hope the restaurant takes feedback like this to heart and makes...

I was pretty excited to learn there was a smokehouse fairly close to where I live (Osgoode). So, in true fashion. I order as wackload of food. I had wings with their in-house hot sauce, full rack of ribs, pulled pork, brisket, 2 orders of beans, coleslaw, fries and 2 orders of Mac n cheese. It wasn’t cheap at almost $140. So I figured I was getting a lot of food. Nope, it was a big bag but a little on the light side. Let me break it down: The brisket meal for $27 was 3 pieces of brisket and a side of Mac n cheese. The brisket was just ok, a little on the dry side but for $27 I was expecting much more. So definitely not worth it. The pulled pork was pretty good. Had a good smoke. No complaints there. But again for relatively the same price as the brisket I expect more. It’s supposed to be a meal. If you aren’t going to give much meat and it’s a meal then at least give meat, fries and a side with corn bread for almost $30. You get a little meat and a side. Ribs were pretty good, again no complaints. Had a nice rub on it, good smoke flavour and the house bbq sauce is pretty good. Again you get 1 side. Online it said $39 but when I paid it was $45 so gotta update prices online. Wings were good, had a nice Cajun dusting. The sauce was great. Aunt Nickey’s suicide sauce. Great flavour and a good amount of heat. However, it said smoked and then baked. Tasted just deep fried. Either way still good. But if you don’t like Cajun then ask to not have that dusting. Baked beans were home made and really good Mac n cheese was pretty good. No complaints Fries were good. Had a Cajun dusting but again if you don’t like Cajun ask for them not to be dusted. Soul slaw was a little different. It was pickled. It wasn’t bad but not what I was expecting. My wife didn’t care for it but I didn’t mind it. However, pickled stuff isn’t for everyone. Over all it was pretty good but to be completely honest, I don’t think it was fair value for...

If you want to find something that has a small town feel but big city taste this gem is the place. We arrived and were greeted with a high energy, friendly, smiling hostess. She had our table all ready for us inside(as we made reservations), but as the weather changed we asked to see the outside patio and maybe switch and we were told to go ahead out and check it out. It’s cute, nothing fancy but quaint. We sat outside and ordered some yummy cocktails. The Cesare was like a mini appetizer with some tasty olives, salami and Pepperoncini. We opted for the share 3 meat and 2 sides. We picked the smoked brisket, ribs, and pulled pork. Our sides were Mac and cheese and beans and added fries. Let me tell you the BEANS were so delicious. I highly recommend dipping the fries (which were fried to perfection)in the sauce of the beans. The meats were smoked well, full of flavour and had a yummy bbq sauce to dip. Everything was on point. We ordered dessert and again everything was so spectacular. I had the churros and they were made perfectly served on cut board with lots of sugar and Carmel to dip into it was so yummy. Another person had the strawberry rhubarb homemade pie - locally made. It was delicious. Another person in our group had a pecan cheesecake that was very rich with caramel sauce and yummy pecans. Again top notch. For quaint small town this place tastes service an atmosphere five or five. I will tell ya- the cost of everything is very priced-in fact I would say under priced but we all loved that! It was so nice to be able to have a cocktail meal and dessert and not feel like I paid my mortgage payment. Energy/food/Service - run don’t walk! Great job Hyde Smokehouse. I did not take any pics as we wanted to completely present and man...