I’m a software developer, so I’m used to giving estimates. I’m used to my estimates being wrong. It turns out that Barque Smokehouse has the same problem.

We showed up at 7pm knowing that they were pretty busy. We had called earlier to make a reservation and couldn’t get one, so we weren’t surprised to end up on a waiting list. It started off well, because they took my cell phone number and said they’d call when a spot at the bar was available. I like it when a restaurant will call you to let you know they’re ready. The failure started with the initial estimate: 1.5 hours. It was going to be a long wait, but we thought 8:30 would be reasonable. We went up the street to drink at The Dizzy which is pleasant.

At 8:30, I called back. The new estimate was “about 20 to 25 more minutes.” At 9:00, I called back. The new estimate was “about 20 to 25 minutes.” At this point, our optimism crushed, we decided to stay at the Dizzy and eat. Barque finally called back at 9:30pm, but we gave up our spot on the waiting list.

So in the end, we expected an hour and half wait–we got two and half hours. We might try Barque again at some point, but we won’t be trying their waiting list.

Barque Smokehouse
299 Roncesvalles Ave
Toronto, ON
M6R 2M3
P: (416) 532-7700

Might as well roll the dice