Whiskey Six BBQ (reservation only www.whiskeysixbbq.com) — Restaurant in Vancouver

I rarely ever write reviews for anywhere, but I feel it is appropriate to write one about this establishment. I do not mean any disrespect toward the owner, workers or restaurant itself, but I was quite disappointed in my dining experience. I want to start off by saying, I did not have a reservation (sign outside said reservations only) and I was still allowed to dine in, so I appreciate that.

I ordered the smokehouse burger, it was under my impression that the burger would come with a side of fries, when I received my order it was just the burger, which is fine as the price was reasonable. However the burger itself I found a few issues with. The burger is advertised to be served on a potato bun, which it was not. from experience making potato buns they are more dense bun with a distinct texture, rather typical grocery store bun that was spongy (also not toasted which i found surprising). The patty itself was litterally a "store bought" frozen patty, it looked generic and not made in house. This caught me off guard as you would expect a BBQ restaurant to make the patty in house. I had added extra cheese (smoked cheddar) and bacon to the burger. The cheddar was (in my opinion) not smoked or of quality, and the bacon was generic aswell, again I feel as a BBQ restaurant you one would expect to get a house made brined or smoked bacon, or something to make it its own and not generic like maple leaf bacon. I also added a side of "house made" hot sauce, which litterally tasted like franks red hot, which is fine if it is infact house made, but how is it unique if it tastes the exact same?

I want to re-state I am not writing this to disrespect the restaurant, chefs, or owner, but as a chef I would not feel proud of serving a burger of this quality. With all due respect this burger was equivalent to a cheap frozen patty you would eat at a picnic.

After ordering a can of beer and the burger with no side the total was just over $24 before tip, I could justify this price if the quality or individuality was there, but it was just lacking. I did not complain as I feel as a chef, that is not appropriate. I work in the industry I understand the stress.

My sole purpose for this review is hopefully the chef or owner will listen to my feedback and maybe make a few changes with the quality and originality. I was looking to dine in at whiskey six for quite some time now, and I was just let down.

I truly wish all the best, for this restaurant and that it is successfully for years to come.

Thank you again for letting me dine in without a...

We were a little early for dinner arriving just before 5 pm. We ordered the pulled pork plate with Mac & Cheese and Cole Slaw. We also ordered a half rack of ribs with potato salad and fries.

The service was prompt, but we started out being the only people there. When we left there were two others who were dining in.

My wife and I shared our plates, so we both had half of the servings.

For the sides, the fries were well done and had good flavor. My wife enjoyed the Mac & Cheese. I thought it was a little dry and not that flavorful. The coleslaw and potato salad were good, but nothing to really remark on. Both meals came with bread and a pickle slice. The bread was just a small average piece of white bread. The pickle slice was smallish, but had a nice crisp crunch and unique tangy flavor. I would have enjoyed more of the pickle.

But the sides were not why we were there. The name implies Bar B Que and that was the main draw.

I honestly, was disappointed in the pulled pork when I tried it by itself. It was dry and had very little flavor. I see in some other reviews that sometimes extra sauce is provided. None was offered, and I did not think to ask. I did make an open face sandwich with the bread, pork and coleslaw. The pork was overwhelmed with the coleslaw instead of complemented by it.

The ribs had a nice smoky flavor. They were covered in a sauce that was not too sweet, nor did it have too much of a vinegar taste. It was well balanced and flavorful. The ribs, however, did not fall off the bones as I would expect. I would say they were cooked to doneness, but at too high a temperature and for too short of a time. Just not as tender as I would expect for a "traditional" BBQ.

I would come back some time and try the brisket, sausage and chicken. Maybe those are more their signature and not the pork. Maybe Wednesday is just not the best day to eat at Whiskey Six.

I thought the portion sizes were good. I was not over stuffed, nor was I hungry when I left.

I originally decided to give this review two stars, but I think I can be quite tough with my BBQ expectations. I toyed with four, as I did not try all their selections, but decided to go with three. Once the pandemic is less of a factor, I would be willing to try...

Lovely decor and friendly staff were about the only redeeming attributes. The business is essentially modeled as perhaps a fancier Memphis Blues. Upon arrival at 6:50pm, informed that they were out of burgers and the ribs would be a 50 minute wait. This would have been acceptable if other dishes could have been brought out while we waited--but they were not. Drink orders were also a fail: either $12 for a 2 oz mixed drink (on Renfrew Street? Uh.. no.), cans, or 2 different beers on tap. Oh, except that one. Or that one. Oh sorry, we are also out of that one. The exasperation at the lack of stock was obvious on the servers face, who was clearly fielding the same questions from other patrons. We asked for the bread that was offered while we waited for supper, none appeared. At 7:55 (only a 65 minute wait with only water and 1 beer!) our meal (?) appears: tiny portions of pretty low quality product--but attractively presented on tin cafeteria trays! The "baked beans" were just canned navy beans swimming in tomato paste, the "coleslaw" primarily for decoration. The ribs and pulled pork lacked any real flavour or pizzazz. On the upside, the brisket did have a lovely smokey flavour. Unfortunately, portion size was not our friend with the brisket, either. All in all, this restaurant has a lot of potential....but more work needs to be done towards planning for the dinner rush, portion size vs cost, and quality of product presented. Looks aren't everything. Sorry,...