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1
Backwoods Smokehouse – CLOSED
Joining Hudson Kitchen in the annals of food-scene false starts in 2014 was Red Sauce, which opened in February and crashed by September. Now, instead of enjoying cheap negronis and muffulettas the size of your face, diners can pull up to a spot on that great front patio and sample a southern-fried menu of meat. Start with an IPA-based Michelada and a fried potato and brisket Hot Mess, move on to the chicken and waffles (buttermilk-fried chicken and smashed taters in a waffle cone) and round off the meal (and your gut) with house-made Bolshevik Bastard stout ice cream.
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2
Electric Mud
Around the corner from the Grand Electric mother ship, Electric Mud does stellar BBQ served up with a side of bourbon cocktails and an unapologetically trashy atmosphere. But there’s some southern hospitality at play here: a recently added awning shades diners from the Parkdale sun while they mow down pork ribs, fried chicken and slaw-topped pulled pork sandwiches. If that doesn’t already sound like a hell of a hootenanny, house pints go for $2.50 on Mondays (seriously).
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3
Caplansky’s – CLOSED
Barbecue might be the trendiest way to inhale huge amounts of animal protein right now, but Zane Caplansky’s temple to Jewish deli meats remains a Toronto institution. Piled-high brisket and smoked meat sandwiches and shareable deli platters aside, the side patio, shaded by a robin’s-egg-blue awning, is a great place to relax with a pint (ideally, the Deli King, a dark lager custom-brewed by Barley Days with the same spices used for brining briskets).
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4
Old School
Want BBQ after the bar? Or BBQ for breakfast? Old School is the 24/7 barbecue joint Dundas West didn’t know it desperately needed. The corner spot at Palmerston, which enjoyed a year as celeb-magnet Hudson Kitchen, is now a mix of squeaky-clean retro malt shop and neon-lit night spot. Hudson’s handsome side patio is still intact, only now you can munch on blueberry griddle cakes at brunch or brisket and ribs round the clock.
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5
Estia
If you’ve got a date you want to impress or an expense account you want to drain, look no further than Charles Khabouth and Hanif Harji’s recently opened steak house, which marries old-money Yorkville luxury and Japanese flair with a cosmopolitan twist. Yuzu-soaked hamachi and whole branzino are tempting options, but the menu of steaks is jaw-dropping: Alberta and Iowa prime, Australian wagyu and A5 kobe from Japan’s Miyazaki Prefecture.
The best 5 meat lovers’ patios
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