Buckstop

The worst experience ever ! Food was cold and old, my rib must have been cooked days ago. Then microwaved … We made the mistake of sitting near the kitchen where they were blaring crappy punk music … Really hated it there… I will never go back again

Anyone who has had real bbq would be greatly disappointed with this place. The brisket was very thinly sliced and dry and rubbery. The fat had not rendered properly and did not melt in your mouth at all. The pork and beef ribs were ok. The chicken was ok. Most notably, not a single piece of meat had a smoke ring or a taste of smoke, which leads me to wonder why this place is called a bbq restaurant? I didn’t see or smell a smoker. When you walk into a real southern bbq spot, you should be overwhelmed with the smell of smoke. This just smells like a dive bar.
The sides: Fries were tasty. Coleslaw was crisp and tasted right. The beans were noticeably undercooked. It’s kind of ridiculous for a bbq place to send out undercooked beans. They make a batch of like 40 lbs a day I assume. Did no one in the kitchen bother to taste the beans and notice they were hard? The mac and cheese was good.
Oh and they have a semi open kitchen, which is a bad idea when your kitchen is an absolute pigsty like theirs was. I saw dirty dishes everywhere, messy countertops, grease fucking everywhere, it was really disgusting.
To their credit, the service was fast and friendly.

Love this place! It’s my neighbourhood burger stop with great food and wonderful service. I highly recommend the venison burger or the smoked brisket sandwich. They are open late which is a life saver on week days when every kitchen closes at 10pm. This is where I take friends and family when they are visiting Vancouver and everyone always wants to come back for more.

This review is from a Texan in Vancouver. We have a particular viewpoint but since I’m not a full blown disciple of any one branch of the BBQ religion I will try to give the best information possible.
The staff was very helpful and attentive. My wife has all kinds of weird food allergies and the staff were polite and worked hard to work around her issues.
The food was good. We had the sampler plate with pulled pork, pork ribs, and brisket. Brisket and pulled pork were very good. I found the pork ribs a little dry. Also had the cornbread and honey butter. The cornbread was a little burned on one side, but still good with the honey butter. The Dijon Aioli Slaw was excellent.
I would recommend the place to anyone looking for some BBQ in the West End.

We came here late night when barely anything else in the area was still open and/​or serving food. It was a delightful little hole in the wall with excellent food and strong drinks. Atmosphere was nice, service was excellent. Boom Shaka lacka

We had a Social Shopper voucher for the American BBQ Feast for 2 valued at $ 59 for the price of $ 28.
The restaurant is very narrow with a bar at the front. Seating is a bit tight but I loved the ambiance with the dim lighting. Service was alright even though we were using a Social Shopper.
On Friday nights, they have select pints for $ 5. We chose the Phillips Blue Buck Ale since we like lighter beers. I noticed that they ended up charging us $ 6 (their regular price) but I didn’t want to fuss about the $ 1 difference since we were already using a Social Shopper voucher.
The American Feast for 2 comes with all of the following items I’ll mention. First were the Fried Dill Pickles which was served with a cajun aioli. These were lightly battered and had a nice crunch. I did find them a little too sour but they were good when eaten between the meats.
Next up were the Hush Puppies and Corn Bread which were served with a honey butter. These were still warm and I quite enjoyed the hush puppies as they were not too dense.
The main platter of the American Feast for 2 is more than enough food for two. This included two Smoked Chicken Legs and Thighs which had a nice barbecue flavour to it, but the meat was a little dry. In the middle was the Pulled Pork Sandwich featuring a Portuguese bun filled with a ton of pulled pork and sauce. It was odd that only one burger came and that it wasn’t cut in half for sharing. S and I really enjoyed the burger though as it was very flavourful and the meat was moist. However, the sauce was very wet so the bun became soggy. On the far right were St. Louis Pork Ribs. The meat was extremely tender and fell right off the bone. Flavourwise, it was rather bland. It needed the help of the homemade BBQ sauce to make it right. For sides, my favourite were the Kennebec Fries. They were not the crispiest, but when dipped in their homemade ketchup, they were amazing! The ketchup had a bit of an onion flavour to it. The Navy Beans reminded me of chili as they were smokey and not your boring canned ketchup beans. Not bad, but again, they were rather dry. The Dijon Aioli Slaw was underwhelming and we didn’t end up finishing it.
Overall, we were quite happy with Buckstop. There are some hits and misses but overall we didn’t have too many complaints. Plus I really enjoyed their homemade sauces and most of their meats were tender. Nice spot on Denman to grab drinks and Southern food. Will revisit to try other items.
Pros:
— Most meats were tender
— Awesome homemade sauces!
Cons:
— Pork ribs fell short in flavour
— Seating is narrow and a bit tight
Price Range: $ 20−30/person
1: Terrible 2: Poor 3: Average 4: Good 5: Excellent
Food: 4 Service: 3 Ambiance: 3 Parking: 2.5 Overall: 3.5

Holly smokes this place has some delicious home cooking! Macaroni and cheese is a must! Smoked pulled pork, frites, and corn bread… YUM. Try a pitcher of the Apple Pie Rye ‘N’ Ginger!

Great for a casual drink and snack at the bar or sit down romantic meal. Favourites are the cocktails, pork ribs and deep fried pickles. Staff are super friendly and they play great music!
Have also had the pulled pork roll takeout with sides which was a very generous serving.
The lighting is maybe slightly too dim at the back tables away from the street.

Buckstop is a small bbq joint. There was almost no room to stand as we entered so it took a while before we acknowledged even though we made a reservation and did not have to stand in line. There were only two servers running the show and one occasionally had to be at the bar mixing drinks, hence he didn’t see us.
The atmosphere was a bit dark but cozy. It gives off a pub like feel.
We were given the menu as we got seated and was told that the American bbq feast for two was lots of food but just in case we needed more we can have look. I took the opportunity to check out the drinks menu and Apple Pie n Rye caught my eye. So that’s what I ordered.
We first got the deep fried pickles with chipotle mayo. We were warned to wait for 40 seconds before digging into this as it’s piping hot. This was interesting and quite tasty. I did find the pickles to be a bit on the sour side.
About 15 – 20 minutes later, the rest of our food came. It consists of Hush puppies and corn bread with some honey butter. The other platter had bbq ribs, bbq chicken, pulled pork sandwich, beans, fries and coleslaw. On the side were some bbq sauce and ketchup. We both enjoyed the corn bread (with or without the honey butter). The Hush puppies tasted better with the honey butter. Without it, it would be a tad bit dry. I find the ribs to be tasteless and in need of the bbq sauce, but even then the bbq sauce didn’t provide enough of a kick to it. There were fall off the bone so that’s a plus. The chicken was ok. I’d prefer it to be juicier. Weirdly, there was only one pulled pork sandwich. I’d expect it to be two or at least cut in half to share. I did find this to be phenomenal. Best pulled pork I’ve had. The brioche bun was delicious on its own. The sides: The beans which were said to have bacon in them had no bacony taste to me, but they were good. The coleslaw tastes so much better when it’s mixed so don’t forget to mix the top with the saucy bottom before eating. The fries were yummy. Crisp and had a hickory taste. You can also choose to dip them in the ketchup which has an onion aroma to it.
We enjoyed our time here but did felt a bit rushed but this may be because it’s such a small place didn’t want to risk having a line-​up. I’d definitely come back for some burgers as I enjoyed the sandwich more than the meat items.

Stopped by on a Friday night with a Social Shopper voucher for the American BBQ Feast for 2. It did not disappoint. It included fried dill pickles, a pulled pork sandwich, smoked chicken leg, ribs, navy beans, fries, hush puppies and cornbread with honey butter. It was the first time I tried a fried dill pickle and was pleasantly surprised… could not eat one every day or week but it was okay. There was a lot of smokey flavour added to most of the dishes which at the end was a little overpowering. The ketchup and bbq sauce are made in house and both are quite exceptional. The ribs and pulled pork were cooked to perfection and love it when the rib meat comes away so easily from the bone.
The service was great and bad… the person (female with glasses) who ended up serving us was great, very attentive and pleasant. The initial person (male) who served us appeared out of touch with his surroundings and did not want to be there working.
They had $ 5 beer specials and nice to see a good variety of beers including an ESB and an IPA.
The room is rather unique and narrow with a bar at the front and very narrow tables along one wall. I could see this place filling up with its Denman Street frontage and I could see it being very popular in the warmer months.
It was a very positive food experience and nice to see other options for bbq in Vancouver.

It was the boyfriend’s birthday so I thought I’d treat him to some delicious BBQ at Buckstop. We had a reservation for 6:30 but we were hungry so we thought maybe we’d stop by an hour earlier. the line was out the door so we went for a drink and came back at 6:30. We were promptly seated and couldn’t wait to shove our faces. We ordered deep fried pickles to start and had the ½ size platter. The pickles were great, lightly battered. The platter was great — the meat was tender and deliciously seasoned. But to be honest, what stole to show for me was their corn bread and maple butter. If it was socially accepted, I would just order the corn bread by the loaf and maple butter by the pound and just dive in.

My husband and I visited this place as I got a social shopper coupon. The guy who seems like a manager or owner was really nice.
Even though we made a reservation, they did not have a table reserved for us and told us to seat anywhere we want so we sat by the window to watch people walking on the street. No problem for us.
The lady server was not rude but not great, but she became nicer after I made a payment. The bill was $ 24 after they applied $ 28 social shopper and I paid $ 10 tips to her. Maybe people with coupons are not genorous about tips so she has a bias? Not sure.
I think this place is great for drinking spot to hang out with friends. We enjoyed our 2 kinds of beer and they have lots of appetizers for drinkers. If you like snacking when drinking beer!
As a person who lived in Louisiana, I would not come back this place ONLY for BBQ. Beans. too thick and not enough liquid. Meat was tender but lack of flavor. It seems like they boil BBQ meat for a while and smoke them not long enough.
However, I will re-​visit the place for drinks!

Very disappointed with the food here. I ordered a platter to share with a friend, apparently it was enough for 3 – 4 people. For a bbq meat joint there wasn’t much meat on our platter!
As for the price, you’ll pay the same as the other bbq joints in Vancouver but get half the amount. I think this place was trying to be more upscale and kind of confused its self.

We dropped in for a late night bite, after a horrendous boat cruise… wow seriously bad. In any case my friend wanted some grub so we stopped in. Great customer service here. Really friendly people that enjoy what they do. We ordered the trio with the chicken, brisket and beef rib. My friend also had the corn bread with honey butter and navy beans. This is a perfect portion and I like that you can choose the meats you want.
The food is filling, the beans need a bit of a kick but otherwise the plate is good but I get it. The meat marinade is so flavorful that it would be overkill. Also Saturday is sangria special day, and this is good stuff too. They even had the special price at 1am! Oh and it’s open late, great neighbourhood addition, fresh food, it is a go to for me.

When we wandered in to this place I had no expectations. I’d never heard of it and we had decided to walk along Denman to find somewhere to eat. I love Deer so I was drawn to their logo and we walked in.
Greeted and seated, we were ready to role. The menu lends itself beautifully to sharing and it has a southern vibe. Cornbread, BBQed Chicken, Deep Fried Pickles, you get the drift. I was disappointed only because they had these delicious sounding cheese balls on the menu that when I went to order them was told they had been discontinued. No matter, we ordered a share of BBQ chicken, Hush Puppies, Corn Bread and Deep Fried Pickles. All of which were DELICIOUS. The BBQ chicken was immense. So much flavour. A hint of Orange, and lots of BBQ spice. We both licked our fingers. The hushpuppies are like crack. Served with cinnamon butter — just please, you’re killing me. Even our server egged us on when we left one behind. I ‘manned up’ and demolished it, though there was no applause.
Great little spot that’s small and cute and unsuspecting, and utterly scrumptious. Definitely a great place to visit and I’d even recommend it as a date spot.

I am so excited that there is a southern BBQ place in Westend. About time!!! No more walking all the way to Gastown. The ambiance is quite nice. It’s not a huge space but nice and cozy. Food is amazing in general not to mention BBQ. They also have section of nice whiskies and bourbon. Service was decent. The server was funny and friendly. Very chill place. However, washroom doors were malfunctioning. Couldn’t lock them. Need to be fixed!!!

By itself, and if you want a more livelier place, this is a good combo of bar action plus food.
Compared to Memphis though, BS sure costs too much for similar food, pulled pork and beef brisket.
So the only difference is that nice bar here.
Date worthy.
Metered parking all around though free parking on side, Haro St.

My girlfriend and I have been to Buckstop twice, both times the food was good… both times we have had an odd experience with one of the waitresses.
The food was better the first time, we got their meat platter for two setup and that was amazing, every cut was perfect the meat was tender and wonderfully prepared and I couldn’t have been happier. The second time I got a pulled pork sandwich and it was dry, I had to get extra BBQ sauce (which our waitress forgot to bring but meh) but my girlfriend’s dish was good.
The reason they get two stars (which might not be fair, their food is certainly 4) is the waitress that we had was just so abrasive and short… which sucks because she gives off a manager vibe (she is the one who wears dark maroon coloured lipstick… I am sure she changes her style but both times I have been there that was her lipstick choice). I don’t feel welcome, and that sucks.
One final note, as others have noted the portions on entre items is a little small for the price. Even something like a side salad would make it look like a more complete meal.
Overall, I might go back but I am going to dread it because I really just want good customer service.

On our prowl for good Brisket, we found ourselves here. Small place, but they take reservations. I would advise you do so!
The beers on tap are great. I had a lovely, hoppy beer that night with my meal. The four of us decided to share the Half-​Stop. I’m not fond of pickles, but everyone else at the table sure was. So, an order of deep fried pickles was placed.
The deep fried pickles came with a interesting house-​made sauce. I can tell that everyone thoroughly enjoyed the deep fried pickles.
Next, came our Half-​Stop. It was surprisingly generous, with a side of cornbread and hush puppies. Small dishes of beans, coleslaw and fries accompanied the Half-​Stop on the board. There were enough Beef Ribs, Pork Ribs, Smoked Chicken, Pulled Pork and Brisket to go around. My hubby and I dove right into the Brisket — our favourite! We were not disappointed! The Brisket was juicy and tender, with some fat on it, enough for flavour. We managed to have a piece each, but I reckon we’ll be back for more! The Ribs were also very well done and flavourful. Pulled Pork tasted great. I missed out in the chicken, but I was told it was just as good.
The cornbread and hush puppies came with a house-​made butter. Together, they were to die for. They were so good, we had to have more!
Overall, the food was a delight! I think we’ve found our new favourite Downtown BBQ house, for now. Hoorah!

I got a social shopper deal for Buckstop and went with my boyfriend one evening. We got there right as they opened and sat by the window. The server was friendly and all our food came out in a timely fashion! I got the sangria that had a whiskey in it and it was delicious! We had some ribs, a smoked chicken leg, pulled pork, fried dill pickles and hush puppies. Everything was tasty! The deal is definitely worth getting if it comes up again, great value! We were beyond stuffed!
I do prefer Memphis Blues but Buckstop has that dive feel. I’d definitely go back for drinks and snacks with friends!