Golden Horseshoe Barbecue is one of those little hidden gems that I love discovering. Located at 657 Dupont Street, this relatively new addition to Toronto’s dining scene started as a pop up after Covid. Chef Andrew Golden, who won Best Young Chef and a Bib Gourman by Michelin just after our visit, together with his partner Kris Hansen, has taken that original concept and created something quite special, with a focus on authentic, Central Texas style barbecue and nostalgic comfort food.
The restaurant is housed in a former historic bank, and we were fortunate enough to get a tour of the building and the operation behind the scenes. The space has a definite Texas ambiance, with a simple industrial design, cool cowboy photographs and retro signs. It is casual and unpretentious, which is exactly what you want from a serious barbecue joint. There is also a nice little patio out back, weather permitting, close to where all the smoking action takes place.
And speaking of smokers, they took us outside to see not one, not two, but three of them. They use no gas or electricity for the cooking. The meats are all slowly cooked over wood burning smokers, and this is certainly not a nine to five operation. Even while you are sleeping, someone is there doing the prep and tending to the meats as they slowly cook.
The menu is all about barbecue, and we were treated like honoured guests. We tried the juicy smoked brisket with its beautiful smoky bark, ribs, turkey, chicken, sausage and pulled pork. The meats are given the time they need, allowing the smoke and quality of the meat to do the talking rather than relying on unnecessary embellishment.
We were also privileged to try several off menu dishes, and there were some real standouts. A ginormous 70 oz. Porterhouse steak arrived at the table, beautifully cooked and full of flavour. We also had an excellent fish crudo and some amazing hush puppies served in a tartar and Parmesan sauce. Quite frankly, all three deserve to become permanent fixtures on the menu.
The rest of the menu is filled with the kind of nostalgic comfort food that makes barbecue so much fun. The fried potatoes were amazing, and both the coleslaw and potato salad were excellent. I particularly enjoyed the Mexican style corn salad. I somehow missed the mac and cheese and charro beans, so those are already on my list for next time.
Then there is the baking.
Chef Golden’s mother, Doris, is the baker, and she is seriously talented. She could open her own bakery. Her cornbread was some of the best I have ever eaten. It was that good. And her banana pudding can easily hold its own against the famous version at Magnolia Bakery. We were also treated to an off menu sticky toffee pudding that was first rate.
What also stood out to me was the hospitality. From the moment we arrived, everyone was warm, friendly and genuinely welcoming. Behind the casual atmosphere is a very well run operation. It was also probably the cleanest barbecue restaurant I have ever seen, particularly impressive when you consider the amount of smoking, cooking and prep happening behind the scenes.
It is pretty impressive to see what this young team of twenty somethings has managed to create. There is a tremendous amount of work involved in doing barbecue properly, particularly when you are tending wood burning smokers for hours on end, and their commitment shows in the food.
Golden Horseshoe Barbecue is open Wednesday through Sunday for lunch and dinner from 11:30 a.m. until 8 p.m. A liquor licence was currently in the works when we visited, check their website to see the latest updates. They also offer delivery, large orders and catering. You can even take some of the experience home with you, as they sell their meats as well as two delicious house barbecue sauces.
Golden Horseshoe may still be a little under the radar, but I have a feeling that won’t last for long. Chef Andrew Golden, Kris Hansen and their young team are doing a superb job of barbecue and have created a place that feels relaxed, genuine and very Toronto.
Definitely worth seeking out.
Recommended.
Happy dining,
Shanea
09/19/2026
