Golden Horseshoe Barbecue — Restaurant in Toronto

I walked into Golden Horseshoe Barbecue with high hopes, but my experience quickly turned into a big disappointment. Before I even left the restaurant, I noticed that my ginger ale was missing. I had already paid for it, but they forgot to give it to me. When I got back to the car, I also discovered that the $73 beef rib was absent from my bag.

I had to return to the counter to address this issue, and when I did, the atmosphere was awkward and unpleasant. The staff seemed more annoyed by my inquiry than concerned about the oversight, looking around as if they had no idea what had happened. When I initially asked why I didn’t receive half of my order, one staff member stated that this wasn’t even my order, looking confused. With three people working behind the counter—one cutting the food, one taking cash, and another plating—none of them seemed to know what was going on.

This lack of accountability and service was shocking, and there was no apology offered in front of the giant lineup, making me feel very uncomfortable and unwelcome. It truly felt like they were trying to shortchange me, and their indifference left a bitter taste in my mouth. I've had better service at McDonald's. I am deeply disappointed and unlikely to return. This shameful experience needs to be addressed, and after this experience, I didn't really enjoy the food.

"One thing I found particularly off-putting was the food handling practices. The person who cuts and serves the food also touches the refrigerated door and handle without changing their gloves. That’s pretty unappetizing and raises concerns about hygiene. It's something the management should definitely address for the sake of customer health.

I appreciate your prompt response to my review regarding the oversight with my recent order. While I understand mistakes can happen, I was taken aback by the characterization of my inquiry as hostile or aggressive.

As a customer who invested a significant amount of money in your establishment, I believe it is entirely reasonable to seek clarification when an order is incomplete. My intention was not to cast blame but rather to address a legitimate concern. It’s disheartening to encounter a lack of professionalism in the response, which only amplifies the frustration of the situation.

Every customer has the right to voice their concerns without being labeled negatively. It’s essential to foster an environment where feedback is welcomed and addressed constructively. I hope future interactions can reflect this understanding, ensuring that all customers feel valued and heard. Which in this case didn't occur with your follow up, especially, shameful. Sure! Here’s the version as you originally stated it:

"You should be embarrassed for defending your incompetent staff. I am blaming the situation on my reaction, which is not consistent with what really happened. You're forgetting that you're here to serve the customer, and that's the reason why you're in business. Keep that up, and you'll see how long you last, in case you didn't notice im a top receiver on Google a d alway remain calm and proffetional. But I never hold back my opinion, especially when it's due to negligence. Your attempt to downplay this and blame me is...

This is a tough one to write, mainly because I wanted to love this place! The story about the inception during COVID days to pop-ups to the brick and mortar that exists today is a lesson in learning, passion, perseverance and patience! In short order, here are the ups and the downs. First the sides, because that's how they take your order. Potato and beans salad, mac 'n' cheese and esquites were flavourful and delicious, we would order these again, without question! Coleslaw is exactly what was expected, which is a great thing, cabbage and radish and other ingredients to make a simple oil and vinegar based slaw, the seasoning was on point, loved it! The cornbread did not live up to expectations. It was under seasoned, no real distinctive sweetness, corn taste, saltiness or spicy enhancements. To be frank, it was bland. The Texas toast was not necessary and not toasted, maybe lightly which made it feel more stale than toasted.

The meats. The order was ribs, brisket, pork belly burnt ends and a link of sausage. Simple and to the point, sausage (made in house) was delicious and perhaps a touch high in salt, just a touch, but really enjoyed it! The pork ribs were outstanding, truly and definitely something worth a return visit. The rub had a great balance of salt, spice and sweetness, delicious! The pork belly burnt ends were tasty, very tasty, except two of the three pieces were all fat. I ate a piece of the fat and it was very good, but it was a small piece and rich enough that a small piece was enough. The rest of that piece and the second were tossed at meal end. Finally the brisket, if scoring out of 10, its a 6.5 to 7.5. Tender, maybe. Tasty, not really, no pepper, no salt and very little smoke flavour. That pink smoke ring was noticeably absent. (See picture)

The service was outstanding, the atmosphere is great! Having smokers out back make it legitimate Texas BBQ and for all the trouble they went through with the city to get this done, kudos to Golden Horseshoe for their incredible efforts.

I will go back, BBQ is finicky and always a challenge. Ambient temperatures dropped over the last few days, line ups started to lessen recently and perhaps variables have an effect. For the ups I mentioned a return visit is...

Had to try twice to get food here. After lining up for an hour the first time they ran out of everything about 5 people in front of me. It should have been obvious that me and all the people me were never going to be able to order but they just let us wait like idiots. Not the greatest feeling to be told to there’s no food left at 2:30pm and then zero acknowledgement of our waiting, just “buh bye”. You’re not selling food out of your backyard anymore - this is a storefront now. Plenty of other bbq restaurants always have food available, and certainly have enough for dinner customers. “Come buy your dinner now” they say - who is off buying dinner before 2:30pm?? Most of us have jobs until at least 4. Whatever. I chalked it up to opening kinks they’re working out.

Happened to have a day off work again so I returned at ~1:30 another day. Waited a good 20min. Service is “relaxed”. When I ordered my half pound of ribs the guy puts 3 on the scale and says “that’s 0.6lbs, should I take some off?” 3 ribs is 0.5lbs for $15? Are you kidding me? I ordered 0.5lbs of burnt pork belly ends too and I guess it may have been enough for one hungry person. Added a drink, side and a dessert and it was over $60. The food was good but no exceptional and not worth the price and the wait. The side was probably the best value.

I don’t understand running a restaurant where they close when they run out before 4 almost every day. Do they pay staff by the hour, a flat fee? Is it a surprise every day how much they’re gonna make? And you’re telling me this restaurant is gonna survive once hype dies down? They make a fixed amount every day so their profits are fixed with expenses that are going to increase. Plenty of other decent bbq places I can walk right in, order at any time, and get a solid full or half rack for less money with less hassle. These guys definitely have main character syndrome fueled by hipster bloggers - I wish you well cause they’re gonna be your only customers soon until they move on.

Sad. I had hoped for a...