📍 Beach1 Smokehouse – 50 Mosley St, Wasaga Beach, ON L9Z 2K3
🌍 Country: United States of America  
🔥 Must-try dish: Beef Brisket
🪑 Seating: Indoor and outdoor seating.
👍 The high: The Beef Brisket is tender and smokey with a crunchy exterior from the grill. 
👎 The low: It’s a bit of a trek from Toronto, but worth every kilometre.

Wasaga Beach isn’t exactly known as a food destination, but that didn’t stop us from making the drive for some Texas-style barbecue on a Saturday afternoon. After a recent trip through the Lone Star State, we had the confidence and the cravings to compare.

While Beach1 Smokehouse borrows techniques from the South, it’s a proudly Canadian operation. Tucked just a few blocks from the beach, the space feels like a retro diner, with both indoor and outdoor seating. The décor is minimal, but that’s fine because the focus here is the food.

Despite meats being smoked and seasoned for hours in advance, everything is assembled to order in the open kitchen by the owner himself. He takes the time to chat with each group, assess preferences, and curate the perfect platter of the good stuff. Plates arrive gradually, and once they do, it’s game time.

Beef Brisket
The undisputed standout. Smoked for six hours, the brisket falls apart tender with an irresistible grilled crust. The smoky, fiery flavour lingers, and it’s easily the star of the show. If you’re only getting one thing, this is it.

Pork Ribs
Criminally underrated. Lightly sauced, these ribs are so tender the meat practically falls off the bone. One isn’t enough. Go for the full rack. You’ll thank yourself later.

Pork Sausage
Surprisingly the best seasoned item of the day. Slightly spicy with a rich, savoury finish, it paired beautifully with the rest of the meats. Served in a bun, but honestly, the sausage is good enough to stand alone.

Foot Long Hot Dog
Think: baseball game meets and “Dumb and Dumber”. Oversized, nostalgic, and fun. The massive wiener and equally long bun take effort to tackle, but it’s a solid choice for hot dog lovers.

These four items make up the tour de force of Beach1 Smokehouse. To wash it all down, there’s a wide selection of sodas and milkshakes. Bonus: everything can be packed up easily, so over ordering isn’t a risk, it’s part of the fun.

Yes, it’s a small, mostly solo operation. No, there aren’t as many sides as your typical Texas joint. But none of that takes away from the experience. It’s about the meat. Still, the fresh cut fries are well seasoned and perfect for scooping up sauce, while the tangy coleslaw works as a refreshing palate cleanser between bites.

Big kudos to the owner, who welcomed us warmly, walked us through the menu, set up a table for our spread, and explained each dish while manning the grill. Legend.

So, if you’re ever in the area or even if you’re not, make the drive to Wasaga Beach. Your barbecue cravings will thank you.

Eat with you soon,

Mandrea Bike
(Mat & Andrea)