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    The Lancaster Smokehouse

    4.2 (236 reviews)
    ModerateSmokehouse
    Open 11:30 am - 8:00 pm

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    Pig Tail with sweet potato fries and collard greens
    Jerry L.

    Was luckily able to get a seat on the patio with walk in as reservations were full for the day. I ordered the pig tail with sides of sweet potato fries and collard greens. The pig tails had a good barbecue flavor to them and nice char. The sweet potato fries paired perfectly with their mayo, however there was no notice that the mayo would be an extra price.

    Three meat platter: beef brisket, ribs, and pulled pork with brusells and fries
    Stephen C.

    Update: Back three years later, and it just wasn't like how it used to be Food: Had the three meat platter to share. The quantity of food is still the same, with the plate filled with enough meat and sides for two people to share. However, the quality has went downhill (maybe it was a one-off situation because we visited on a holiday). The brisket was served at room temperature and almost cold, and the pull pork was quite dry without dipping it into barbeque sauce. The ribs were decent, being nice and tender and everything was sauced well. It was just a bit disappointing that the flavour wasn't deep and the food wasn't hot. Service: The staff were super friendly and helpful, and checked in when we needed their attention, no issue there. Atmosphere: The place was very large yet quite empty, perhaps because it just opened on a holiday and people were celebrating with family and friends.

    5 meats + 4 sides + cornbread platter
    Rachel L.

    We ordered the 5 meat + 4 sides platter for four adults, and we had a lot of leftovers. We ordered two portions of the ribs (since it came in 3's) but there were easily 8 ribs altogether. The sides were really good! My favourite was the mac & cheese. They ran out of sweet potato fries. Super sad to hear they got rid of the onion rings (a lot of ppl recommended this). The platter was $70 - a great deal for all the food we got!

    Pulled Pork Platter + 2 sides & Corn Bread
    Alaleh P.

    They're following COVID-19 protocols to the fullest and tables are spaced 6 ft apart. We enjoyed large portion of delicious food with great service!

    5 meat platter (brisket x2, ribs x2, pulled pork) (sides: fries & tater totes)
    Isabelle C.

    Came here for the first time and I tried the 5 meat platter. I highly recommend ordering the beef brisket as it was very tender. I also really liked their cornbread. The ribs, pulled pork, and sides were just okay. Service was also okay and the restaurant was pretty spacious.

    3 meat platter...$26
    Denise C.

    After a long drive from Toronto to check out St. Jacobs for our semi annual visit (complete with apple fritters of course), my friend brought up this smokehouse nearby. We werent sure what the expect but when someone says (in a previous review) they needed takeout boxes, we were intrigued but skeptical. Since we had just ploughed through a half a dozen of apple fritters, we weren't super hungry so we decided to share a platter. The price difference between a 2 meater and a 3 meater is only$2, so that was a no brainer. We weren't sure how big the platters would be but since we've been to Adamson we definitely didn't think it'd be enough. We added on the rib ends just in case... We were stunned by how much food they had!! Two full chicken wings, six ribs and a solid pile of brisket. The onions rings were quite sad....we think they forget to double fry them. The coleslaw got a pass but the rib ends were...much less than stellar. The texture was similar to that of sweet and sour pork in Chinese restaurants. Noooo thank you. Service was great and we can see why the place was quite packed on a Thursday at lunch time. Portions really ARE huge!! Great value for sure but it doesn't overtake any of the Toronto smokehouse (namely Cherry St BBQ or Adamson). If you're hungry and looking for decent grub for a good amount of food - make sure to stop in! PT, decent 4/5th outing....after St. Jacobs of course.

    Curb side
    Owen R.

    Nice spot for lunch w daughter Enjoyed the brisket; nice portion and sauce BBQ chicken was ok: wish they used breast/white meat

    Pulled pork, Mac n cheese, curly fries
    Neo V.

    Amazing place! Anything you pick on the menu will be perfect The hot fried chicken is really good. The Jambalaya is good not authentic (blackened) but very good. The Desserts are also very tasty and individually packed in small foil containers, good idea. The only complaint (and valid) (this is why I didn't give a five star) is we went on Saturday before Father's Day and they ran out of Beef Brisket (we were really looking forward to it) to me that's not right. From being in Buisness for many years restaurant owners know that certain holidays are busier than others. The waiter explained they cooked so many briskets but the online takeout orders took them all. Go people coming to eat in the restaurant that isn't fair. We reserved over a week in advanced. we were not happy.

    Small curly fries, it's HUGE!
    Shannon C.

    Yumyumyum! Great service, good portions, and restaurant is following strict covid19 protocols to make you feel safe. We ordered and paid online and did curb side pickup! Very safe, never had to enter the restaurant, just parked on the curb side pick up lot and called, pop open your trunk and they'll do the rest! Order was still hot when we got home. Super tasty, would definitely be back to try more of their stuff!

    Ribs, Brisket and a craft beer!
    Todd C.

    I've known the owner Chris since his days of serving BBQ out of the red BBQ shed at his house, followed by Hog Tails and finally here at Lancaster Smokehouse. One thing that always rings true no matter where he is serving food up: if Chris is serving it you are probably getting the best version of that dish available. Ribs, brisket, sausage, heck even the side dishes are delicious. Ridiculously good! Chris has travelled extensively on the BBQ circuit and has perfected his craft by going up against the best. Today I had the two meat platter for lunch with ribs and brisket. The brisket is so moist and delicious with a dark bark, it doesn't get any better. As I was enjoying the ribs, I kept thinking about those somewhat misinformed posts about ribs "falling off the bone." Texas ribs don't fall off the bones, they have texture and need a proper bite to release the goods. As usual, Lancaster delivers the perfect version. If you are in the Kitchener area and crave proper BBQ, you must stop by this place. My absolute highest recommendation...

    3 meats 2 sides: ribs, chicken and brisket + mac & cheese + sweet potato fries.
    Kevin C.

    A local and authentic southern restaurant. It's a bit far so you definitely need a car. The meats are delicious and barbequed just right to my taste. The sides were also excellent. One thing I can tell you is that you will be FULL after Lancaster. I highly recommend ordering their "Platters" since you get to try all types of meats they offer, as well as yummy sides. 3 Meats 2 Sides is the best in terms of value and food portions. You'd think that you save more by ordering 5 meats or 4 meats. The problem is, they only increase the portion of sides (notice they say LARGE sides), the meat portion doesn't change. They also add a bunch of cornbreads which no one can finish. If you think by ordering more meats and splitting it among a group of friends you'd get more value, then you're wrong. I usually get 3 meats 2 sides and pack it home for next day's lunch. If you order 2 meats you might be able to finish it in 1 go if you're a big eater. In terms of meat, I recommend beaf briskets (must get) + chicken + ribs/wings. For sides, definitely get the mac & cheese (very rich taste). The onion rings are gigantic and tastes good, but the dough is too thick for me (it's like eating a donut per onion ring and it stuffs you). I always get the sweet potato fries. I come to Lancaster when I would like to feast and celebrate. You can pack home whatever you don't finish to-go and it'll still taste amazing once you heat it up again (you won't get tired of it!) It's a hidden gem in Waterloo and not many people know of it due to its remote location from Campus. My only regret is that I haven't visited the place earlier. It's definitely one of the go-to places whenever I come to Waterloo. 5/5 for food quality and its meat.

    Gary M.

    Deep with Waterloo is the Lancaster Smokehouse. Last nite (Dec 28/18) the places was very busy but it didn't take us long to get a table. We ordered the rib-tips as a appetizer along with a Caesar Salad (I was charged $0.50 for a small container of Caesar Salad Dressing)! This is based on a $9.00 Caesar for a pile of lettuce! The rib tips were batted & deep fried. They were ALL batter it appeared. At the bottom of the bowl was a pool of grease. So we didn't finish them & they had virtually no taste We split a platter. Our was 3 Meats, 2 Sides & one corn bread. The meat was pulled pork (excellent), beef brisket (super fatty & didn't eat much of it) & andouille sausage ( 2 huge chunks of grizzle) that turned me off & we didn't finish. Sides were beer battered onion rings which were good but they didn't remove the outer skin so I couldn't eat em! The other was coleslaw which had no taste. Note; the beef ribs were very good! Listen folks, this was mediocre food from an otherwise very dirty restaurant (the floors were black with filth). I really doubt I'd go here again. One highlight that I'd like to add is our server "Laurel" was a solid, polite server.

    Me
    Alfred D.

    Lancaster Smokehouse has a reputation as one of the best restaurants in Waterloo/Kitchener. A lot of new students don't really know about it since it is pretty far if you're commuting. I've been here a few times now and it is one of the best places to eat smoked barbecue in Ontario. I could see myself coming from Toronto just to eat here. This place is really popular and gets pretty busy on evenings and weekends. On Friday and Saturday nights there is a 45 minute wait time sometimes. The menu has a large variety of meats but I'd suggest you get a platter to try the different meats. The first time I came here I thought I could finish the 3 meat platter myself and boy was I wrong. Usually, me and my friends either share a 5 meat platter, or if it's just me and another person a 3 meat platter is enough (or you can just take the rest in a take-away box). My favourite meat here is the beef brisket - it is just so tender. Next would have to be the pulled pork - same thing, really tender and smokey flavour. I'm not too much of a fan of the ribs because they are really tough. I like ribs that just fall off the bone but I kind of find myself gnawing on rib for a bit haha. The sides are okay, I had the mac n cheese which seemed a bit bland but you don't come here for the mac! All in all, a great place, very reasonable prices and tasty meat.

    Two meat platter with two sides and cornbread.

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    2 years ago

    Portions are huge. Waitress outstanding. Brisket was very delicious. We will definitely return.

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    6 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Good food at an all right price good atmosphere and staff were pleasant and friendly. Half decent price.

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    Crowsfoot Smokehaus

    Crowsfoot Smokehaus

    3.3
    (15 reviews)
    7.0 km

    Good place if you are looking for smoked meat!…read more The brisket (that's the main thing I came for, and ordered 2 portions, an extra $6 per portion) was just ok a little dry! The fries were excellent, rosemary and the sweet fries! The fried chicken(which was pieces of chicken, I think was chicken thighs). The pulled pork was good as well. It's a huge place with a lot of seating and outside patio as well. Great service but only one person taking orders! A little odd! I would definitely come back again!

    April 16/2022: Dinner with friends for this review…read more Simply put...this was a mediocre meal with a queen size price tag! I'm finding restaurants are downsizing portion sizes & upsizing pricing. Even charging for items that were once free such as condiments, sauces, etc. We ordered two appetizers to start. The burnt ends spatzle & cheese as well as the German beer & cheese dip. Both were good but not great as I'd hoped. There seemed to be little flavour from the dishes. My main was the pulled pork sandwich with fries. Also had a side of jalapeños corn bread. The sandwich was good but once again was missing the "umph" that I was looking for. The corn bread was simply beyond dry & close to uneatable. I'd of asked for some butter but that would have been an up-charge, I'm sure. All in all, a bit disappointing as I was expecting some extreme flavour from this place! Our server "Anna" was very polite & did a good job. I don't think this is a redo.

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    Sticky toffee pudding
    Sticky toffee pudding
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    Menu
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    Barque Smokehouse

    Barque Smokehouse

    3.9
    (559 reviews)
    85.4 km
    $$

    Absolutely loved this place! Especially the gluten free chicken tenders and the different dipping…read moresauces on the brisket. Oh, and the fries were so good! This place is definitely rave-worthy. Pros: - Very very very tasty food - Plenty of gluten free options - Plenty of seating Cons: - Food took a while to arrive when it was busy - Parking nearby was a bit difficult (though doable on side streets)

    Barque is a laid back local smokehouse restaurant on Roncy…read more Food (4/5) - it's a smaller menu of starters, mains and sides... all southern smokehouse themed. - Smoked Beef Brisket - thought it was very average. Expected it to be much more moist fall off bone-like but it was more like a roast beef cut you might find at a buffet. Brisket Jus was not bad. - Side Jambalaya - this was a tasty version of jambalaya with flavourful sausage, chicken, onions in a simmered sauce. - Pimento Mac N' Cheese - nice cheesy mix of mac and cheese with a ketchup panko topping. Service (3.5/5) - was a bit slow and had to flag the server couple times. Maybe because was out on the side patio. Atmosphere (3.5/5) - it's a bit of a rustic feel overall, dark and dim inside and outdoor patio has rustic patio furniture and tables. Overhead rollable patio cover and heaters to support colder weather and rainy days. Overall (3.5/5) - found it ok overall. Thought the facilities and service might be a bit more premium based on the prices. Yes the prices are premium for the portion sizes imo... although they build the gratuity into the prices.

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    Barque Smokehouse
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    Brisket

    The Lancaster Smokehouse - smokehouse - Updated August 2026

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