Last Thursday I stumbled across a new restaurant in Toronto, Barton Snacks. It all started after attending a party at the Drake Hotel for Sailor Jerry and Stella Artois. After a long night of drinking my girlfriend and I decided it was time to leave and go look for somewhere to eat. We walked for about a block and found a place called “Barton Snacks”. Trying to decide if we were going to take the first steps in, another couple came outside so we asked them how the food was. Their response, “Great food, get the cobb dogg, good people”. We decided to give it a shot and entered.

Barton Snacks is located at 1120 Queen St. West (about a block east of the Drake Hotel). The shop was created by Katherine Lehto and is her second establishment to open within the last few months. The original Barton Snacks opened in June this year at 15 Barton Ave and, from what I’ve read online, appears to be more focussed on the Ice Cream business. This one has been in operation for about a month now and serves up all kinds of late night munchies from tacos to hot dogs. The most expensive item on the menu is the Jerk Pork Sandwich at $7.

The guy behind the counter (sorry, forgot his name) was super friendly on our first visit and we shared stories about travelling around the world for food. He is responsible for coming up with the recipes and other than Katherine they have one other person helping put the food together. On the recommendation of the people outside, we decided to have the Cobb Dog (a hot dog with a cobb salad on top – $4.50) and the Jerk Pork Sandwich (served on coco bread with coleslaw – $7).

Here is a blurry shot of the menu with Katherine at the counter:

Barton Snacks Menu

We had to travel a bit to get home and eat our food, but here are some shots of what we ordered:

Cobb Dog – Blue Cheese, Bacon & Lettuce ($4.50)

I think they screwed up with the cobb dog because we did not taste any bacon or blue cheese and there was tomato on it. Fortunately we are not picky eaters and quickly devoured it. The meat in the hot dog itself is full of delicious flavour (not like the ones from the street vendors) and the sauces still went nicely with this. I actually think this was the donair dog minus the onions. My only complaint would be that it might be nice if the bun was toasted or had a little less bread because the meat got lost in all the bread a little.

Jerk Pork Sandwich on Coco Bread w/ Coleslaw – $7

I was really happy to find a place doing this kind of Jerk Pork sandwich in Toronto. I used to travel up to a place called Negril in Markham at Steeles and Middlefield to get a similar style sandwich, but now that I no longer work in Markham and have to travel from downtown Toronto, these trips are very rare. When we first opened the sandwich and looked at the jerk pork we both thought it was going to be a little dry. Fortunately we couldn’t have been more wrong! The pork was cooked perfectly and the bun and coleslaw were both delicious as well! The only complaint we had was my girlfriend found the hot sauce to be quite hot and her mouth was on fire after. I thought it was good, but I am also more accustomed to eating spicy foods. Overall this sandwich was delicious!

We enjoyed our meals so much that when we were in the area again the next night for the Snoop Lion Incarnated after party we decided to head back again at the end of the night. This time we wanted to try the tacos so we opted for the fish tacos which were that day’s special. Again, we ordered another hot dog (this time the donair dog) and jerk pork sandwich because we loved it so much the first time.

Fish Tacos (I believe they were either 2 for $6 or 2 for $7)

Donair Dog at Barton Snacks ($4)

Jerk Pork Sandwich ($7)

The fish tacos were full of delicious flavours with some ginger and green onion in them. Not as gourmet as some other fish tacos around the city, but good, delicious food! The donair dog was very similar to the cobb dog from the previous night which again led me to believe they may have been the same, but still tasty. The jerk pork sandwich was also pretty much the same as last night, though the bun seemed thinner (may have just been toasted longer or something), but our portion was even bigger! While they call themselves a snack shop, most of these menu items are sufficient as a meal, especially if you are not a huge eater.

VALUE

Incredible value! They use great quality ingredients and don’t charge an arm and a leg like many places. Also, the portions are quite huge for the price!

SERVICE

Amazing, everyone behind the counter was super friendly on both visits. As the people who first told us about the place said, “Great people”!

OVERALL

The fact that I went back twice within 2 days should say a lot about my feelings on this place. I think they have a great concept and the people working there seem awesome from what I’ve seen so far! I will definitely be going back again for the jerk pork sandwich as that is my favourite thing I’ve tried there so far. I am very curious to explore some of the other options on the menu.

SCORE: 8.5/10

BARTON SNACKS CONTACT INFO

Website: N/A
Twitter: @bartonsnacks
Address: 1120 Queen St. W (Map) – Location reviewed here, 15 Barton St. (Map)
Phone Number: 647-351-5444
Hours: N/A