I like a restaurant that is both good food and an interesting experience. The Transit Smokehouse is that, an historic location, that showcases vintage pieces as part of the atmosphere. Free parking in a lot outside. Service was warm and attentive. This is a place with a lot of atmosphere. Inside is big with high ceilings and comfy, roomy booths. read more

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Went here with a friend for supper. I really like the atmosphere here. Great historic building and I love the orginal wooden floors. It is a nice comfortable place to relax and fill up on some good eats. We started with two beers, and we went with the three meat platter with four sides. For the meats we went with Beef Brisket, pulled pork, and the St. Louis Style ribs. For sides we went with the garlic mashed potatoes, and the mac and cheese beans and corn. Staff were friendly and prompt. Meat platter came out and it was all excellent. Ribs were tender and flavourful, with a great smoky flavour. The pulled pork was tasty. However, our favourite was the smoked beef brisket. Tender and flaked with a knife. We enjoyed the mashed potatoes that were creamy and had a hint of garlic in them. Beans were tasty sweetend with molasses. Corn was my favourte side. It is really sweet and had a touch of cream. The only thing that wasn't quite up to par was the mac and cheese. It lacked flavour . All in all a great meal with lots of leftovers. This is a good place to get a nice filling meal, relax, and possible take some home. read more

Transit Smokehouse & BBQ - Meat platter with sides. - Barbeque Near Me - Edmonton, Alberta

I hope this counts, cause I ordered take out. I ordered the maple whiskey chicken wings that were fantastic!! Got a side of sweet potato fries, , so yummy!! They're famous coleslaw, that I couldn't stop eating it!!! My order was prepared, perfectly, I will definitely be back for a full meal, including the great ribs they serve, from what I hear!! I will reserve the 5 star rating until I head back with some friends to try this out in person in sit down dining!!! read more

Parking available in a lot just east of the main building. Pretty sure it is free. Live band was playing Sunday at 6PM which was very fun. Wasn't too loud to have table conversation. Place is really cool and old-fashioned. If you ask for iced tea they remind you they make real tea and sweeten it - it was really good! Like a light peach tea that wasn't too sweet. Friend tried to order a beer but they didn't have several of the ones on the menu. Not a huge deal as they had many choices. We tried the nachos this time and added chicken. Added chicken for $6 but definitely not $6 worth of chicken on it. Chips were very small and got soggy after about an hour of grazing. Comes with raw onion, jalapenos, tiny bits of raw tomato and red peppers, olives. They didn't have sticky toffee pudding OR smoked ice cream which was super disappointing as the whole reason we came was for the smoked ice cream. Server was very kind and brought us the house BBQ sauces to try and make sure our drinks stayed full. read more

Transit Smokehouse & BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Edmonton, Alberta

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Could use a little colour. Seats fairly uncomfortable. Coleslaw not great but brisket and garlic mashed spuds quite good. Bathrooms could use a good scrubbing. read more

We live on the north side and love to support local. So we really liked the idea of turning the transit into a smokehouse. So we went there ordered the $45 "3 meat platter to share" and a double fry. It took 45 minutes to get our food (all they have to do is cook the fries) but finally the food came out and the tiny portion they brought was saddening to say the least. 2 little slivers of brisket. 4 ribs that we had to gnaw the meat off like dogs (nothing came off the bone). Ribs had no flavour. Brisket and pulled pork we ok of the 2 bites worth they brought out anyway. Inside the restaurant is still the same grungy place, I didn't dare go in the bathroom. People were nice that worked there even tho they failed on every other front. Will I go back? Definitely not! Better off going up the road to burger king for actual portion of food with some flavour. read more

Transit Smokehouse & BBQ - $45 3 meat platter to share and sweet potato fries. - Barbeque Near Me - Edmonton, Alberta

We had a birthday to celebrate and we wanted some good BBQ ribs, my neighborhood group recommended the Transit Smokehouse so we decided to give it a try. I think they have invested a lot in the building but still a bit to go, especially at the main entrance. Let's say that they are a great work in process. The atmosphere was good, they had live music and we had a good time. Our server was attentive but I wish she was a bit more honest. We told her that we wanted to try the ribs but if they didn't have some we could either wait until they were ready or try something different. Anyways, let me explain: we ordered the Sampling Platter! It was a great recommendation, we ordered 3 meats to try, you can get , or full pound per meat and we got the full pound of each, the Beef Brisket was to die for, so well cooked, great flavor and moist, this one was the birthday boy favorite. The Smoked Pulled Pork had so good flavor! I really enjoyed the house BBQ sauce, ask for a bun if you like, it was baked perfectly, and the no so favorites, the Ribs (Slow Cooked St.Louis Cut Ribs), unfortunately, they were not ready, the bone was hard to remove, the meat was still attached to the bone. I'm sure they taste delicious when they are properly cooked. Even the server was intrigued when we asked for a knife to try the ribs. Now, let's talk about the sides! The server recommend getting the family size of the sides and we did it, but now that I know I wouldn't go for the family size for all the sides Baked Beans, too sweet for my taste. Definitely just get the individual size and upgrade if you like them. Creamy Garlic Mashed, believe them, they have lots of garlic. same as the beans, get the individual size. Lattice Cut Fries, delicious! Definitely go for the family size same as the Mac n' Cheese, soo yummy! I will order them again. I wish them all the best as this place has good potential to be great. read more

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Great atmosphere, good music. Relaxing, no rush We had BBQ tonight, chicken , pulled pork, and, brisket with the 1776 bourbon, flight of beer, the chicken skins (mind blown), baked beans , dirty rice . Lemon lavender cheese cakes, and chocolate cake. It was all amazing ! Including the welcoming staff. Can't wait to go back read more

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Service was excellent, restaurant was old style but clean and interesting. French onion soup ok Meat platter ( 4 meats/ 2/3 lb): brisket excellent , ribs excellent , chicken was dry, andouille sausage ok. Sides: sweet corn good , beans good , garlic mashed excellent, coleslaw, jalapeño cornbread, very dry, old, tried a second piece of cornbread-same/not good. Returned both pieces to waitress, taken off bill. Homemade sauces (5) were excellent. We loved Carolina. Lots of leftovers, ordered too much but wanted to try a bit of everything. Would return for the brisket, ribs, garlic mashed otherwise keep exploring in Edmonton for good bbq. read more

So incredibly beautiful food. Ray and his staff make you feel like you are at someone's home. Seriously best BBQ smokehouse in Western Canada read more

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Seriously disappointing. The meat was ok, but the portions felt small for the price. The sauces were mediocre, the corn bread was greasy and dry (not really sure how they managed that!?), and the beans were... crunchy! Baked beans are NOT supposed to be crunchy! On top of it all, the service was slow, and nothing has really been done to update the decor. It's not retro, or old-school, it's just old and run down. The old Transit hotel building could have a lot of character, but it need way more love and attention. Sorry to say, but I won't be back. read more

Adding a photo from a dine-in visit. I've been back twice and it's now my go-to spot for a nice night out with my spouse. Music is excellent and food is outstanding. read more

Transit Smokehouse & BBQ - Daiquiri (fantastic) and water (just fine) :) - Barbeque Near Me - Edmonton, Alberta

Amazing food! Great service! Went with friends for dinner and meal was amazing very filling loved the French onion soup and the ribs were so tender fall off the bone the coleslaw was awesome as well as the sweet corn read more

My husband and I hired Ray and his team to cater our wedding back in September 2023. We were very excited as we had had great experiences at the restaurant. Unfortunately a few weeks prior to our event Ray fell ill and was unable to attend our event to oversee his staff. Prior to our wedding he called me to make the arrangements that were to be communicated to the team and we assumed everything was going to go as expected. Boy were we wrong. There was so much wrong with our catering that I can hardly say anything positive, and believe me, I tried. The food was cold, many of our guests did not receive sides as they ran out, and we were promised gluten free options and none were provided - just to name a few things. The catering staff were not dressed in a manner that respected our event, one of the staff walked across the dance floor during the father/daughter dance and I heard from many of our guests that the manner in which they were speaking was not respectful of the environment they were in. After the event I contacted Ray. He informed me that he was still unwell and as soon as he returned he would follow up with me. Many weeks went by with no communication so I followed up. I was informed that he was still away and I would hear soon. I waited two months before reaching out again and when I did I received no response. Finally, I followed up in December and received a response apologizing and asking how we can make it right. I believe the only reason I received a response was because I indicated in my email that I would leave a negative review letting people know of our experience. I responded with how we would like to rectify the situation on December 27. I have not received a response so I felt as though it was my responsibility to let everyone know that if you use the catering services of this restaurant and things go wrong, you will likely not see any compensation nor will you get a response from the owner. read more

What's cool place. The owner (I presume) was really funny and the waitress amazing. Simple bbq menu in a great room with old school blues music playing. Prices were fair and an overall great experience. Lots of beers, whiskeys and wine on offer. Many homemade sauces to choose from as well. A real Northside gem. read more

Transit Smokehouse & BBQ - St Louis ribs with slaw and pickles. - Barbeque Near Me - Edmonton, Alberta

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Shared a 3 meat platter of 2/3lb portions among 4 adults. (Read a review where a person complained of tiny portions....the meat is sold by weight...you get what you order. Tried the brisket, pulled pork and ribs. What was really nice was that all the meat was served unsauced. There were 4 sauces available, 2 of which were sugar free!! This was the most low carb BBQ ever. Yay for me. We will be back. We also ordered the warm potato salad. It's warm boiled potato salad with a couple slivers of purple onion, tossed with some champagne vinegar and mustard seeds. Another nice low sugar option (for a starch). The first third was disappointing because it tasted like plain boiled potato but it turned out the potatoes were a little unevenly dressed because my second helping of potatoes (family style eating) was much more flavorful. We finished off with the smoked blueberry ice cream which has three scoops and was very nice to share. I would be happy to eat the same meal there again. read more

Well, a year later and the food isn't any better. No need to go into detail but brisket is dry with very little flavour and it was the best between it and the ribs, pork and chicken. On top of that the service has gone downhill and the place is more dive looking than the first time. The men's bathroom is getting to be really worn looking and my wife refused to use the ladies as it was not just worn, it was also dirty. Judging from the very large number of poor reviews over that past 8 months I can see we aren't the only ones getting lousy service and very over priced, poor food. Review from a year ago in 2022 So, I had been following the saga of the renovation and opening delays on this restaurant for a long time. I really feel for all the hoops the new owners had to go through. I figured after two years of trying to get open this place would have the food absolutely aced. I was therefore kind of surprised to read so many negative comments on some of the early reviews. Figured we would let it run a while before giving it a try. I took my wife and we went and tried the transit a couple of days ago. First off, the much vaunted renovations don't show. Most of it looks like it barely got a coat of paint. However, for your typical Texas style BBQ, that is an appropriate look. I have been in a bunch of Texas BBQ shacks and don't remember a single one that looked new or modern. It is Texas Q. The rub is strictly salt and pepper, same on all meats. What is different is they smoke with oak, no Mesquite. There is no sauce added during the cook or when served but they have a good selection on the side. The beans are top notch. Home made, smokey and great texture. Next best was the dill pickle. Their coleslaw is not edible. Chopped real fine, soggy with vinegar as the only flavour. At 6 bucks per side for 3 ounce servings the prices for sides are WAY out of line. On top of that a soda is $4.50. We ordered the 1/3 pound of Ribs, Pulled Pork and Brisket sampler plate. The meat was cooked properly, as in not over cooked or dry, but if you closed your eyes you would not be able to tell brisket, from pulled pork or the ribs. There is very little flavour from the rub and no smoke flavour to speak of. The meat is plenty edible but it is really mediocre BBQ. Even the stuff served at Montana's has far better BBQ flavour. A relatively light lunch for 2 of 1/3 pound of each of ribs, pulled pork and brisket split between 2 was 70 bucks with only two sides for one and no sides for the other. I was really hoping this place would be spectacular and I would love to see a locally owned place be successful. I hope these guys refine their technique quickly. I did give them some polite but pretty detailed feedback because if they keep serving this kind of mediocre food at these prices they aren't going to last long. Food: 2 Service: 1 Atmosphere: 1 read more

Great food and excellent service. Very homey feel inside with beautiful interior. Staff and owner are super friendly. Was so good I bought a gift card for one of by business partners. The meat is cooked absolutely perfectly and they really know the science behind it. read more

Stopped by for blues and bbq the other night (Harpdog was amazing!) and the food was so good we came by again today for lunch. Very fun atmosphere. Food portions are more than reasonable. Sauces are delicious. Sides are incredible. Looking forward to coming back again and again! read more

Transit Smokehouse & BBQ - Smoked chicken, coleslaw, cornbread, Mac and cheese, warm potato salad, baked beans, pulled pork. - Barbeque Near Me - Edmonton, Alberta

Great service, not great food. Unfortunate since it's such an historic place obviously trying to elevate the neighbourhood.

Checked this place out and it was very good. My son and I shared the chicken and got waffle fries and mac & cheese as a side. I love that they do their food family style. The food was good super juicy and flavourful and not too smoky, I find that a lot of these barbeque places overdo the smoke a little. They have an OK selection of beer including one beer for my favourite brewery Sea Change. The atmosphere was very cool, it's a very old building and I love that they left as much of the original stuff as possible. They have also put up some past educational things around the restaurant so you can see what this area of Edmonton look like back in the day. The only thing that I thought was a little weird is they have hung a toilet seat from the ceiling to show people where the bathroom is, to each their own when it comes to design I guess lol. I can't remember our waitresses name but she was amazing and very good with my little boy. The owner and the chef also came to our table to check on us which was ok but when we are in eating a meal with family the last thing I want is for a whole pile of people to come to my table to ask me how everything is and try to get us to review and tell friends etc. etc. etc. Last thing and I forgot to input it in the food part but my favourite part are the different sauces that they bring to the table especially the cherry chipotle barbeque sauce, absolutely amazing. read more

it's nice to find a good gluten free (celiac) safe bbq restaurant. we had the brisket and st.louis ribs. It was fantastic to see gluten free inhouse bbq flavours ranging from sweet to spicy. My favourite combination was kansas City with a squirt of Carolina bbq sauce. we will definitely be going back again. read more

Wonderful friendly service and great welcome from Ray. Food was fabulous. Brisket and corn were my favorite. Lovely evening . Ambiance was A cool blast from past. Will return read more

Really good barbecue and great selection of beer. The owner took a risk to redo the entire businesses. It is a funky little place on the North side of Edmonton. I loved it. Go out and support them. read more

Transit Smokehouse & BBQ - Tap selection. I had the prairie fairy sour from Sea Change, it was great. Love seeing a local business, support a local business. - Barbeque Near Me - Edmonton, Alberta

Delicious smoked meat, local craft beer, friendly service, and my favourite, blueberry smoked ice cream!

A literal hidden gem walked in an the manager greeted us. Amazing service like you were invited to someone's house for dinner. Awesome bbq we had the platter with sausage and brisket and beans and Mac and cheese on the side. It was delicious the meat was tender and so many sauces. I think our favourite was the smoked ice cream for dessert we shared one because my husband never eats dessert he said it was the best dessert he's had. Great place I would recommend to everyone. read more

Transit Smokehouse & BBQ - Platter brisket and sausage, coleslaw, beans and Mac and cheese. - Barbeque Near Me - Edmonton, Alberta

Sept 9, 2023 we attended the Bevan/ Parks wedding catered by Transit Smokehouse. I cannot tell you how embarrassed I felt for the newlyweds as tables were called to receive their meal. As people at tables around us began coming back we were hearing that they were running out of food.The table beside us came back saying there was no salad left, the table behind us said the mashed potatoes were gone. I thought this must be a misunderstanding , perhaps they didn't wait for the pans to be replaced. We were finally called to go, at this time about half of the tables had been called. When we arrived at the food tables we were told they had run out of mashed potatoes and salad, and had forgot to bring the buns. How could they possibly be this short of food? We were served cold Mac and cheese,cold corn and cold BBQ meats. I have to wonder what all the remaining guests were served.This was the first time I've ever been to a catered event were there was not enough food for the guests,very disappointing. R.Clark read more

Went today for our first time. We had the platter with 3 meat. We had brisket, chicken, pork with coleslaw and cornbread for sides. Everything was really good and tasty. I think the brisket was the best I've ever had. All the sauces are homemade and really nice. We had the smoked ice cream for desert which was really creamy and flavourful and the perfect amount of sweetness (I can't stand ice cream that's packed full of sugar). I've been to many bbq places and love smoked meat. The food was just great and we'll be back!! read more

Sadly, this was very disappointing for our party of 4. Not at all what we were hoping for. The meat was ok but the garlic mashed potatoes were terrible, not sure what the taste was but they were not edible. The macaroni and cheese had no flavor and the cornbread was burnt and dry. read more

Delicious St Louis style ribs and Brisket. A good whisky list as well. Great people and service. Live music is fun but not overwhelmingly loud the way it so often is. A great experience. read more

Very disappointed this is not a true smokehouse. No smoker anywhere. Ribs were grissle and pur fat. BBQ sauce is not incorporated into the meat. The brisket was done to perfection. You had to purchase side dishes separately. Bakedbeans were nice. Coleslaw disgusting and old. Very expensive lunch. Our server was trying to sell us everything. Clean decor. No music as they advertise. read more

I ordered takeout. The food was delicious, the servers were polite; a minor mistake was made on my order, but the staff responded appropriately by offering to replace the missing items, and I consider the graceful handling of such situations a positive quality. I do think it's important for prospective customers to be aware that the chili on the menu is not entree-size. Nearly all other items clearly indicate portion size, but I was surprised to only receive a cup and a half of chili given the dollar value of the order. I will note that, when entering the restaurant, I smelt the building before I smelt the food; this might have affected my opinion more if I were dining in, but it's a historic location, so it's to be expected that the aging structure introduces some unavoidable inconveniences. read more

Need to have a team meeting? Come use the private dinning room for Alberta-only craft beer and nachos. The food here is very good. The brisket is smoked and is excellent. So much so, I've gotten take out to have at home. The Nachos and the Chili are amazing too. But the best is the dessert, the ginger spice cake with caramel sauce. Given this place is in the Transit Hotel, there is a lot of history going on in this place. It is almost a living museum from times gone by. The Transit gives a shout out to that with nothing but Alberta-based microbrew beers on tap. I hope they are able to make enough money to renovate the washrooms though. Washrooms can make or break a business. But I guess they had a lot of permitting issues with the City of Edmonton and the bureaucracy not moving fast enough, gave wrong information, which cost them more start up money. Are you a whiskey connoiseur? Transit will even get you your own personnal bottle and store it in the safe in the wine room. read more

We enjoyed the lunch special! For the price of 16.99! We were blown over by the three sliders , one of shredded pork, one fall of the bone chicken and one of sliced brisket. A choice of one side each and the choices were plenty. The sliders came on a platter loaded with huge portions of tender smoked juicy meats bathed in sauces. Our sides we selected were sweet potato fries, fresh sliced and a full potato worth.The other had the mashed garlic potatoes, creamy and smokey with bacon bits or smoked chips of meat in them with a smell of garlic. I have had sliders before but these were so full of meat, and the buns so soft and fresh. I started to eat without taking a pic! We enjoyed the presentation of their sauces with a description of each sauce and degree of heat. We all took home plenty to eat for a couple of days.My only regret was no room for their smoked blueberry ice cream.Looking back, we were met at the door with a smile and comfortable greetings with service so kind and pleasant with consideration for time.We were not rushed ,and enjoyed our hosts location of splendid Edmonton history and remembering the good ole' days. read more

Amazing! We ordered the Sampling platter of ribs, brisket & pulled pork. Everything was delicious! More than enough meats for 6 adults. I look forward to eating in the restaurant. read more

Came in for lunch on a Tuesday. Service was good but the pulled pork wasn't ready, the ribs were dry as well as the brisket. Leftovers from the weekend? I don't know. When I used the washroom, one of the toilets was out of order and water was running nonstop in one of the urinals. Prior to this, the owner had come in and had some polite conversation with me. He didn't do a walk through which I would have done if I had owned the place. When I mentioned the water running to the cook, she said that they knew about it and didn't seem to care. I won't be back. read more

It was a fun way to celebrate Father's Day. Thank you to the owner and staff for taking great care of us. The food was great, and the prices VERY reasonable! I will be back - more options to try! read more

We drove in from Grande Prairie and had the greatest meal here. The brisket was the best we have found in Canada. The side were excellent. The cream corn was delicious. The dinning room has a historic feel to it and interesting. Meal was very reasonably priced and lots of free parking. Service was excellent. read more

Legendary. Staff was amazing and the food was legit. Huge portions and it was hard to stop eating.

Went here last evening for dinner. We were very disappointed, especially after reading the great reviews. After ordering we waited almost an hour for our meal to arrive. We were actually asked how our meal was before we even received it. Service was poor. When the meal came it was barely warm. When we told them how disappointed we were offered free desert which we did not want. They apologized and offered nothing more. After I told them I would be happier with a discount, they took $4 off of our bill. That's $4 off of an $85 dollar bill. Not impressed at all. I will not go back and will certainly not recommend this place to anyone else. The food was okay, but if you want a return customer the least you could do is make it worth our while to come back and try again. read more