Harkness & Co. Butchers

Premium, top quality grass-​fed and organic meats, as well as a plethora of other things to delight the senses (meat pies, farm fresh eggs, local cheeses, experimental BBQ sauces, etc.). The staff are super friendly and all have a great sense of humour. Prices are in line with what you would expect to pay for top quality meats. Try the sausages. and the sandwiches. Any kind. You will not be disappointed.

This might well be the best damned butcher in Vancouver. The smoked pork chops were the best pork chops I’ve ever eaten! The sausages! The steak! I can’t rave enough about this place. The staff were Fantastic, the parking is great, a+++

Fantastic selection of quality meat from knowledgeable staff. It’s all sourced from drug free, free range farms and the prices for what you are getting are reasonable.
The sausages are great and the banter is even better.

Awesome staff, sausage and products. Keep up the good work guys!
My favourite sausage is the spinach and feta.

A great local spot to get your meat. Their variety of freshly-​made sausages are consistently amazing (and well priced), and for everything else they will cut what you want if they don’t already have it. A perfect stop before a barbecue.

This place is easily the best butcher I’ve ever been to. The staff is top notch and the quality of their food exceeds expectations.

Sitting in a coffee shop, therefore, taking the time to clear out some of the drafts that have been sitting in my inbox for 4 months of local reviews in attempt to reduce my list one at a time (I have over 60 drafts).
I am really impressed by their selections of sausage meets, some of which are gluten free. Very generous in size and organic. Clean establishment, helpful staff, good selections and very accommodating hours. Off the beaten path, however, worth it.

Love this place.
First of all their sausage is top notch. Fresh, made on site and a great arrangement of meats and flavours. Perfect for the BBQ.
Their cuts of meat almost always come from local producers and while not all organic– the meat comes from hormone and antibotic free farms. You can definitely taste the difference.
They are always willing to cut you a new piece of meat if they don’t have any in stock — whether its beef or chicken breasts, if they have it they will get it for you.
They have smoked fresh bones for dogs– which are revelation — I like to feed my dog fresh bones but hate the idea of blood and other nastiness being dragged around the inside of my home. with smoked bones all of the blood has been heated off but the bone still remain «uncooked» — excellent for fido.
they have a nice selection of specialty condiments and some cured meats and cheeses along with a small but useful section of produce. Great if you need just an onion or potato to finish your dish.
Patrick and his crew are friendly and helpful. Support local! never buy from a supermarket chain again! Have confidence that your meat is fresh and no-​one has changed the «packaged on» date.

This place is a gem! ! I am a regular customer. Their products are grain fed, organic and whatever else goodness they can be. Besides of meats they now have a few more items (such as organic eggs, local cheese, some produce, seasoning, jams, condiments, etc). Staff is helpful and friendly, and whoever writes on their board has an awesome sense if humor! We are always curious to see what we’ll find next (random things like «last year we sold more ground beef than Microsoft thanks to you», or «everything is grain fed. Except for the buns»). I love supporting this local gem!

I just consumed all the applewood smoked bacon I bought for the dinner recipe tonight.
It smelled so good, I nipped a little edge, then the other edge, then ate all four crisp delicious strips. So this is why folks eat bacon. Now I have to convert!

Harkness is a just like a classic old school butcher shop, with a focus on great quality. They always have a variety of interesting sausage flavours. And the staff is always friendly and helpful.

The staff is great, they are what a neighborhood business should be. They appreciate your business, have great products, have good knowledge and you just leave feeling good that you spent your money.
It’s right down the street from work so we would buy meat last year and bbq, now they have sandwichs which are amazing.
I had to edit this. They carry Avalon milk… if you love chocolate milk than you have to try it.

I feel so lucky to have found Harkness.
The butchers are helpful, easy going and obviously care a great deal about carrying quality, hormone free meats and poultry.
Their selection of homemade sausages is top notch.
I highly recommend trying the cheesy/​herb infused links.
The best part is they only cost approx. $ 2/​piece, so you can go wild and try them all!
They have homemade sandwiches (pulled pork… mmmmmm), eggs, bones for making stocks, delicious daily creations and treats for your lucky pup.
All in all, they definitely deserve to be checked out.
Bön appetite!

I give credits to Julia, one of the owners from Urban Digs Farm whom I’ve met at a seminar — Mindful meats. At the seminar held at The River Market in New Westminster, she explained the importance of eating happy healthy meats and why it’s important to us as consumers and the economy. Without going off the tangent she raved about Patrick and his baby — the Harkness Butcher shop. In my head I said to myself *must try, and must try soon*.
The opportunity finally came today for me to pay this place a visit because I am looking for bacon, Applewood smoked bacon to be exact (trying out a bacon cheddar scone recipe from Thomas Keller’s bake book — Bouchon Bakery). I went in and learned that Patrick was not in. There were two guys in there: one at the front and the other one at the back working away. The gentleman who helped me was polite, friendly, and helpful. I asked for 350g of bacon. The bill came to $ 9.97 I was shocked. My jaw dropped. Without revealing too much of my emotions, I paid and left quickly. Holy smokes, $ 10 for less than a pound of bacon is VERY steep. I thought to myself these bacon better be f*cking good.
After I got home, I left the bacon to temper in room temperature. Recently I read a FB tip that if you rinse your bacon with water, this could prevent shrinkage by up to 50%. So I did exactly that. Yes, I had less shrinkage. The ‘myth’ is true. OK. Back to bacon.
After taking the bacon slices out of the butcher paper I was truly impressed by their beauty. I have never encountered bacon as intact. For all my past experiences the bacon slices were soft and limpy but Harkness’ bacon is firm and holds shape really well (and it’s not because they were thicker). After cooking them, I admired them with pure lust. I had a bite and I was SOLD. These bacon tastes like pork belly. This is a compliment. Seriously. All the other times bacon tasted like bacon, they don’t resemble the taste of pork belly which is essentially where the cut is from. I felt I was eating «real food». This is a powerful life changing event for me. I feel like I found a place that I can trust to nourish me. I am completely fine paying $ 10 for less than a pound of bacon. The quality is incomparable. I believe quality overrides quantity. I rather have a small piece of real healthy ethically raised/​butchered meat than a big slab of the same but caged and tortured. As a consumer the difference in quality and taste is night and day. I am sold. I believe eating meat should be a treat, not something (like a slab) you have everyday.
I heart you Harkness. I heart you.

Harking from days of old, this butcher you can trust.
Patrick (owner) develops relationships with small ranchers around BC and sources quality, ethically, sustainably raised animals for the shop. Without middlemen, you pay only for the skill and care of the farmers and Harkness. OK and a truck driver. At least until cow & pig teleportation becomes widespread.
The relationship building also applies to their customers. The staff and Patrick are personable, friendly, helpful and talkative. You won’t feel like just a number like you can at Granville Island, drowning in a raging sea of tourists & customers.
Grass-​fed beef can be deeper & «beefier» than grain-​fed, mass-​produced, «holding pen» cattle. Similar to free-​range chicken, which has a different texture and flavor. And without hormones and antibiotics you can imagine this is the way meat was meant to be sustainably raised and enjoyed.
Prices can be a bit higher than chain butchers like Safe-​On/​Safeway/​Costco/​etc., but on par with Whole Foods and Urban Fare. And none of these butchers compete with the quality of meats available at Harkness. My first buying experience was stewing beef which was surprisingly inexpensive for the quality (free-​range, grass-​fed/​finished, mom/​pop farm raised cattle 80 km west of 100 Mile House @ $ 15.75/kg or $ 7/​lb.).
In my early university days quantity was more important than quality. I’m glad those days are over and I’m lucky enough to enjoy/​appreciate quality in reasonable portions. I’ll be revisiting Harkness without a second thought.

The fellas that work here are awesome. Super helpful and generally pleasant. Great service.
The cuts are excellent quality and grass fed. Very reasonable price point.
Highly recommended.

Oh Harkness if only I had more stars to give you!
By far the best butcher I’ve ever found, the guys are rad and smart about what they do, the quality of meat is mouthwatering and the spot itself is rad and filled with lots of delicatessen-​like treats.
If you care about what you are putting into your body, you really need to be getting your meat here. The guys source their products solely from local, ethical organizations and do all the butchering in-​house. They also have lots of grass fed and lean meat options for those eating Paleo or cleanly. On the other hand their stuffed chicken breasts feature all of the cheeses and flavouring anyone can enjoy. They also sell my favourite steak rub and balsamic reduction for a fraction of the price I’ve found it elsewhere.
If you haven’t eaten their meat I challenge you to put it up against any other you can find — if your experience is anything like mine you will probably end up disgusted with what you’ve been putting in your body previously and become a convert for life!

Took a sausage making and bacon making class here taught by Patrick, the owner. An excellent experience. Mmmm bacon!
I have also shopped here from time to time as I live nearby and I have always been impressed with the selection but more importantly the quality of the food they carry.
Very knowledgable staff and great service.

Nov 19, 2013
I continue to appreciate these guys more and more.
If you get a chance try some stuffed poultry… selection varies and rarely does it disappoint.
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Local, no drug ethically sourced meat. Perfect.
Pat and the boys at Harkness are friendly and accomodating.
Its nice to support local while supporting good eating.
Great selection of housemade sausages and meat a plenty.
Summer bbq’ing with their burger and bun deal is always a good way to go.
Keep up the good work guys and welcome to the hood.

I’m really happy and excited with Pat and his shop! I’ve bought chicken a few times and the quality of the meats and in house made sausages have been great. It’s all free range and organic so the cost reflects that, but I think the price is fair for what you’re buying. Admittedly, I have not bought a lot of meat in the past few years since moving into the area as there has not been a good butcher handy, so I’m not the best guy to ask about what’s a good price.
Anyway, owner is super friendly, the chicken sausages are so much better than I’m used to in my brunch spots, it’s hard to even call them the same product. You really can taste and feel the texture difference of small shop made product compared to a factory of mass production.
No jokes, no witty comments in this review. Just a hope the business does well and you check him out!