Breakwall BBQ & Smokehouse — Restaurant in Toronto

Today I visited this place for the first time while walking nearby with my child. The smell of grilled meat caught our attention, and my child really wanted something smoky like shashlik. I asked if they had anything like that, and the staff recommended the beef steak, saying it was tender and had a smoky flavour. I also ordered the pork for my child, which was also supposed to be smoky.

When the food arrived, the beef was indeed tender, but it was completely burned around the edges. I had to peel off the blackened layer. There were only two very small pieces of meat, and half the plate was just fat, which I don’t eat. The meat was soft, yes, but had absolutely no smoky aroma at all. I smelled it multiple times, trying to find that BBQ scent, but there was nothing—it felt like it was just steamed in the oven. I was disappointed.

My child’s pork had a slight smoky smell, but still very weak—not like real BBQ that has a rich, delicious aroma.

When the waitress asked if everything was okay, I just said “okay,” but when I paid the bill, I told her honestly that I liked the Greek salad, but the meat didn’t have any smoky flavour, which was disappointing. I said it kindly, just as small feedback. She didn’t respond. I explained, “It’s just my little feedback,” and then she replied that the meat had been slow-cooked for hours in the oven. But what was I supposed to say to that? That it must smell smoky because of that? I’m simply being honest—it didn’t smell smoky at all.

This makes me wonder—when you ask customers if everything was okay, do you actually want to hear their answer, or are you just being polite? If you’re not open to honest feedback, maybe don’t ask. I speak with respect, calmly and kindly. But I believe in giving real feedback when asked.

I still paid and left an 18% tip, which I thought was fair. But maybe it wasn’t enough, because I received an unfriendly look and not even a simple “goodbye” or “have a nice day.” Meanwhile, the tables next to me—other customers who seemed local—were warmly thanked and wished a good day. If no one got a goodbye, I wouldn’t mention it. But everyone else did, except me.

So it feels like the service depends on how much you tip or how satisfied you are. But if you work in hospitality, please treat every guest with the same respect, not only those who praise everything or leave large tips. Everyone deserves basic kindness.

Thank you for...

Great food and great time while we were in the area! Service was great and staff were very polite. We definitely had a great time and would come back to try other items on their menu!

We decided to walk over here from History venue (around 10min or so). We had made a reservation prior and also called ahead when we were running late. The employee that picked up the phone was very communicative and was very nice, even though we ran late. She was glad we called to say we were running late and was very polite!

They have an indoor and outdoor (with heat lamps) dine-in area. They also serve take out as well if you want to stop by for food. We reserved a table ahead and they sat us in the first floor. You can tell there are locals that stop by as the staff all know the regulars that stop by. It's a very friendly and welcoming experience. Staff was constantly checking up on us to ensure we had everything we need.

We ordered the calamari, brisket plate, penne pasta, and classic burger. The calamari was decent in side and came with a salad. It was one of the better calamari we've had! The brisket plate came with really delicious brisket that was smoked for 16 hours. Seasoning was just right and was really delicious. We ordered it with the hand cut fries as the sides. The penne pasta came with grilled salmon in a cream sauce. The dish came with garlic bread and grated parmesan which made for a pretty heavy meal (ask to hold the extra cheese if you want to go a tad lighter). It was really filling and could be packed away to go. The burger was good. We ordered it with an extra topping of avocado which was basically half of an avocado (which is a lot more than you'd normally get). We appreciated the option of adding their pulled pork or brisket for additional price. Overall, everything was tasty!

Edit: We went back recently and got the Brisket Sandwich, Garden Salad, Chicken Wings and Mussels and everything was still as delicious and consistent! Worth trying those...

We visited last weekend and had a great experience. We hadn't been before so split the "indecisive platter" between two of us with a starter of poutine and a Greek salad. side Firstly, the food came out in a flash (as they had been cooking it for many hours, I imagine it was just waiting to be eaten, and I don't mean it was sitting out). The poutine was unlike any other (I credit them with having actual meat gravy and not just "brown and water") and I would return just for that. The platter was great just to get an idea of what to get in future, as the whole menu looked so good. We both loved the brisket, it was smooth like butter and we just let it melt in our mouths. The ribs were tasty and fell off the bone (a tad dry at the tops, which isn't unexpected for that part of the meat, but the extra sauce on the platter helped). The pulled pork was quite good and the sausage had some interesting ingredients (that you could see) and was also very good. By the end, I struggled to fit some salad in, but happily brought it home. I think it actually got better with a few hours for the house dressing to marinate. The salad was great because the olives were pitted and the cherry tomatoes were removed of seeds, so it wasn't soggy, and the staff did the extra "little added" work so the customer wouldn't have to/deal with a soggy salad. Our waitress was a lovely lady with beautiful tattoo sleeves (I apologize, I didn't catch her name), but her attentiveness was fairly on point. She engaged the perfect amount - was attentive when we needed, engaged in the perfect amount of small talk, and was polite enough to compliment my tattoos as well (we had similar styles and hers are lovely!). The restaurant was in the shade by our 4pm arrival, so while the sun was toasty, we got a bit of a chill as the time passed (nothing to fault the restaurant for though, just maybe bring a sweater, as it's close to the water). We will definitely return as they've now set a high bar. Would...