Blue Sage Gourmet Eatery

This place has one of the best pulled pork sandwiches you will ever taste, they have coke in the glass bottles which is a nice touch. Only negative is that the debit machine is always down so bring cash.

I ate here a while ago because Unilocal led me here. but honestly, I was underwhelmed. The food did not make an impact on me or make me think «I have to come back here.» It was just average. I like my ribs tender, and these weren’t. Also, my friend and I were the only people in the restaurant, which is quite dingy. I am worried about the longevity of this place, even though it has good reviews, as it was dinner time. The owner was very talkative and made recommendations but didn’t have most of the things on the menu in-​house since he said he was changing the menu.
Overall, I won’t return or recommend, though the food wasn’t horrible.
NB: I’ve had my share of BBQ in Nashville, so my standards are pretty high.

Wow! This is great food. I read the reviews before coming in and I didn’t expect the best or the worst. The restaurant, in my opinion is not located in the best spot and the décor of the restaurant is nothing to write home about but I don’t care cuz I’m here for the food.
I came with a work buddy of mine. The owner of the restaurant served us — nice guy who knows his barbecue. I think he was surprised how much I knew about barbecue as I do my own smoking at home. He suggested I order the ribs which I did. My friend ordered the pulled pork sandwich.
We waited about 10 minutes for the food. When the food came out the portions were good and the food smelled great. My friend indicated the pulled pork melted in her mouth but the sauce was too tangy for her taste (too much vinegar?). I guess this is a personal preference thing. As for my ribs, they were spare ribs, not St. Louis cut. You don’t see that too often but I ended up enjoying them more this way. The ribs had a rub on them and a little bit of sauce — not too much rub or sauce to appease everybody’s personal preferences. I have to say the ribs were the BEST I have ever had. I have been to other reputable BBQ joints including: The Stockyards, Barque and others around the province including NY state but I have to admit Blue Sage were the best I have ever had.
I defenitely will be going back to try other items on the menu including the beef brisket. All I can say is you gotta check it out!
NOTE: I find barbecue food is a tough food to rate as people have their preferences such as: dry rub, sauced, type of sauce, fall off the bone or not, grilled, smoked, boiled, etc. You might not enjoy the ribs here if you are expecting the stuff you get at Swiss Chalet, Montanas or cookie cutter restaurants. What I can say for sure is this food is «smoked» — aka. proper barbecue.

Went with a bunch of guys from work as we heard this place had great BBQ. Definitely has great BBQ and you can tell the owner is passionate about his cooking. Go early at lunch though because he is a one man show and doesn’t rush the cooking!

Heard about this BBQ joint from a friend so my husband and I and another couple decided to give it a try for lunch. I rarely eat meat but was craving ribs. Quite frankly, the only place I eat ribs is La Castile (very high end), until now… the place can definitely be described as a «joint» that’s why I chose the word, nothing fancy for certain but it was clean and the owner was extremely personable and a fountain of interesting information on BBQ delights. The ribs were reeeeally good! Cooked perfectly, seasoned perfectly, they stayed on the bone till you chewed them off, not too saucy, they didn’t have to be because the meat itself was very tasty :). Loved the corn bread, the cole slaw was outstanding and I could eat a plateful of the sweet potato fries (the seasoning?! Yum!). He also let us sample the brisket which was tender and juicy. All in all, very enjoyable and will certainly return :).

I’ve certainly had my fair share of barbecue over the years, having travelled to the south a number of times and specifically seeking out the best ‘cue on offer. So I was excited to learn that there was potentially a great barbecue joint mere kilometers from my house. Unfortunately, Blue Sage is nothing less than a complete letdown.
I walked into the empty restaurant and immediately noticed a lack of smoky smells. This didn’t alarm me as it’s possible all the smoking is done offsite. I was greeted by the owner, a large man who proceeded to talk my ear off. He asked my dining companion and I if we’d ever eaten barbecue and we both responded in the affirmative. Then he proceeded to explain the difference between true barbecue and grilling, which we both found silly and kind of insulting. (We’re not *idiots*.)
Finally he stopped talking and went away, and we had a chance to look at the promising menu. I quickly settled on my go-​to meal at barbecue joints, a pulled pork sandwich, while my dining companion opted for a rack of ribs. The garrulous owner reemerged to take our orders — I chose baked beans for the side and my dining companion picked beans and coleslaw — and disappeared into the back to prepare the food.
15 or 20 minutes later, which felt like a long time since there was nobody else in the place, our food arrived. The chatty proprietor explained that my sandwich had been drizzled in his mustard sauce, which sounded promising enough. I took one bite and was immediately hit with waves of vinegary flavour. It seemed excessively vinegary but I thought perhaps it was just a fluke. A second bite proved that it was not.
Beyond the ill-​questioned sauce, the sandwich suffered from a total dearth of smokiness. I’d be surprised if this pork ever saw the inside of a smoker. Worse than that, the meat had a gamey, leftovery taste that would seem to indicate it had been sitting around for a while before it was reheated and drenched in that aforementioned sauce.
The beans were passable. Sweet and thick, they were a marginal cut above usual canned beans. My dining companion said his ribs were tough but edible. No smoke there, either, unfortunately.
I really, really did not enjoy eating that sandwich, but I’m not one to waste food so I plowed through anyway. I won’t be returning, that’s for sure. The owner talks a big game but I wonder if he’s actually *tasted* his own food.

The place is different but the food is always good. I found this place by accident a number of years ago and have been going back ever since. I have my usual for when I go by myself and my usual when I bring a friend. The owner remembers me which is nice. It is a small place and he is the only person there.
I have eaten BBQ in many places and smoke my own meat as well. Everyone has their preferences and their mood: vinegar, sweet or hot. This is authentic southern BBQ with real smoke flavor and vinegar based sauce. I prefer sweet and having this gives you an appreciation that BBQ is not grill and sauced meat.
I order the pulled pork and the brisket and ask for the special Jack Daniels BBQ sauce. Always happy with my meal.

So I was sitting in my office and got hit with this desperate craving for real BBQ. This is always problematic being in Mississauga (or really the GTA in general). I did a quick search and found this place and decided I would fight my better judgement and just give it a try.
BOY AM I GLAD I DID!
I had the pulled pork with a side of cornbread, lucky enough that the cornbread had just come out of the oven and was warm, moist and delicious. The pulled pork was incredible, the slaw, the sauce, bun. Everything. And the best part was that it wasn’t drenched in sauce, the sauce was there and great but the meat was really given the chance to shine it deserved. Fork tender and moist (and this is even after I took it to go and ate it back at the office).
Great job to the chef and speaking from someone who has had BBQ all up and down the south, try this you won’t be disappointed.

The best, most authentic southern-​style BBQ that I’ve had in Canada. There’s a nice smoke aroma and flavour permeating all of the meat and the owner pairs excellent sauces with each dish. The brisket is juicy and tender, the ribs are delicious, but it’s the pulled pork that keeps me addicted. I get a major craving for a sandwich every couple of weeks and I have to go back. The combination of the smoky meat, the tangy Carolina– style sauce (mustard based) and the cool, crunchy slaw makes for BBQ heaven. Make sure you’re hungry; it’s big. The owner is so friendly and passionate about everything from the meat to the types of wood he uses for smoking and it shows. If you like real BBQ you’ll love it here. Bonus: pop in glass bottles! Always a treat. I don’t even drink Coke anymore but I can’t pass it up in a glass bottle. I’m so happy to have found this place so close to home; I hope he’s there for a long time.

As someone that has spent a lot of time in Texas, I have a pretty good palate for BBQ. Unfortunately it is very hard to get authentic BBQ in the GTA, but Blue Sage does it and does it well. I tried them yesterday for the first time and I will absolutely be back.
I split the grand champion platter and some sides with the gf:
Beef rib: Delicious, fork-​tender, and about a pound of meat on the one bone. It wasn’t slathered in BBQ sauce like most places, and the meat held its own.
Brisket: Awesome. I told the owner that I wasn’t feeling brisket since I just had some a few days earlier. He didn’t let it go and once I told him that the brisket I tried was at Highway 61, he INSISTED that I try his brisket to compare. There was no comparison — this was definitely some of the best brisket I’ve had in the GTA.
Chicken: Good flavour, but a little on the dry side. It had the white alabama bbq sauce on it, but that too had dried up by the time we got it home so I wasn’t able to get an idea of how it tasted. I think I’ll stick with the red meat next time.
BBQ Sauce: Awesome and authentic
Baked beans, slaw, and potato salad were all freshly made in house and tasted excellent.

Compared to the other reviews for this restaurant I had the complete opposite experience.
For my birthday one year my friends surprised me by taking me out to dinner here, and it was just a big mistake. At my visit there were two other tables present that owner spent a lot of the time talking to before he even came up to our table. But what irks me the most is the owner didn’t even try to promptly start cooking the food knowing there were customers waiting for their food. It only dawned on me that after he had went to the back and started to turn the stoves and fryers on that he was the only worker there! 20 – 30 minutes later we received our subpar luke warm briskets and chickens served with cold gravy. Like it was actually cold, maybe nuked so that the outside was warm but cold on the inside.
Granted there were eight of us versus one person working the front and back, and on any other occasion the food could’ve been great, but there were so many things that could’ve been different, had timing and a bit of help could’ve fixed. I would never go back.

Delicious authentic southern barbecue!
Large portions. Lunch and dinner menu are one and the same, so I prefer it for dinner. Most main entrées come with two sides! And if that’s still not enough, they have «champion platters» which gets you even more meat (an additional one or two mains).
Owner is also the chef and front man! He is very passionate about his work. He’s proud of his food and for good reason. He won’t serve anything he wouldn’t eat himself or serve to his own family.
The menu changes with season, but the mains staples stay the same. Ribs and brisket, are among my favourite. Love all the sides, but especially the sweet potato fries! The homemade sauces are also phenomenal. I try to order a different one each time, because they’re all very tasty.
Also, save room for dessert — if they’re not sold out yet! Last time I was there, the owner was testing a recipe for coconut cream pie, so my friends and I ordered it… and it was heavenly! Not sure if it’s made it onto the official menu yet, but if it’s available — I highly recommend it! If there’s something in particular that you want, call them ahead to check if it’s in stock that day.
Do note that because it’s run by one person, service will be slightly slower. But trust, it’s worth the wait! :)
Very casual setting. Good for chilling with a small group of friends over great finger-​lickin’ food.

The food here amazing! If you want authentic southern bbq, this is the place to go. Everything is homemade, even the hot sauce. Best bbq in the west end, hands down. I highly recommend the beef ribs and bbq chicken, and the homemade habanero hot sauce is awesome!

I guess I’m a little biased towards this place because I’ve been coming here for a good couple years now and the owner is a super friendly guy. I always like to drop in and grab a take-​out order whenever I’m in the area, but the place tends to be quiet on most of my visits which is disappointing, I don’t think enough people know about this place for food. I usually order the same thing: Pulled pork sandwich or brisket sandwich, with sweet potato fries and a corn on the cob. Price is higher than average for BBQ but it’s also Mississauga and I’m sure rent costs a fortune. Portions are always big enough to satisfy me and I’m a fat guy, so I can’t complain about that. And *definitely* ask if they have any beef ribs available. They’re only available on special on certain nights, but they are flintstone-​sized and delicious. My biggest critique is that the food is not smokey enough. Still, give it a shot and support a local business. Closed Sundays.

I’ve been hunting for good barbecue in the GTA for over 10 years, ever since I embarked on a driving tour of the south in search of the best barbecue. Slow-​cooked barbecue in a proper pit is hard to come by in this neck of the woods! Anyway, I went to Blue Sage expecting very little. I was a little dismayed by strip mall environment but that was quickly overcome once I went inside. Misha, the owner, greeted me immediately and explained that the menu was undergoing some changes so that a number of items were no longer available but also explained that the core items were staying. I decided to have the pulled pork sandwich with a side of potato salad. The pulled pork was perfectly smoked and piled high on a flavourless «plain jane» hamburger bun with minimal BBQ sauce. I loved that it came on the ordinary bun with no flavour because the bun is simply a conduit for the pork to reach the mouth. I happen to prefer more BBQ sauce — and I liked this particular sauce since it had bite and wasn’t too sweet — so I added extra sauce to suit my preference. Delish! I also loved the potato salad. There is some homemade rub in the mayo which explains the colour and his double smoked bacon was awesome. Misha was very affable and friendly and made the experience an enjoyable one and the food is well worth checking out. This is the best pulled pork I’ve had in the GTA to date. I will definitely be returning to try other menu items.

Blue Sage deserves 3.5 *Stars* and the half star goes to the owner/​chef as he engages the customer with his passion & dedication as well as his willingness to share. Walked in and automatically followed my nose to the SMOKEY flavour.
As I look upon the menu I noticed another customer waiting for his take-​out order, then another gentleman came in and did his order while the chef asked how he found this place, c — hound of course! That’s where I found about this place too it seems.
I went with an order of Carolina Style Pulled Pork Sandwich ($ 11.45) with a side option of Cornbread. As the chef went in to prepare, he shortly came out with 2 slices of Beef Brisket for the LUCKY two of us to taste test. He told us it would be a little dry because he pre-​cut those for us but even knowing that it had the right smokiness and fatcap on the outer layer.
The chef told us he will be updating his menu soon to include Beef Ribs once he has perfected it as well as other BBQ favourites. He said he spend more than 1 year testing and perfecting his original menu to Canadian tastebuds, however he is going back to how our US neighbours like it best and that is up the smokiness.
The Pulled Pork Sandwich had a GREAT BBQ Sauce on it that is not too THICK and sweet. It had flavour as I took the BBQ Sauce condiment bottle and just drenched it on the Pork. The Pork is definitely hand pulled and I noticed the outside burnt-​ends but make sure you eat it hot and fresh as it will tend to dry out.
What made this sandwich a WINNER is that it is not alone, it has the Sauce, Pork and Coleslaw triple layer which mades it A-​OK in my books. It wouldn’t have been so good if it missed out either that sauce or the coleslaw, but that’s just my opinion. The Cornbread was yummy too but I was too stuffed from this meal and the prior to finish that LAST bite.
If you want to have someone passionate to talk to about BBQ for an afternoon, just drop by here because as I’ve noticed. This owner is just as enthusiastic about his BBQ as how the owner/​chef at Chicago Pizza Kitchen is with his Deep Dish Pizza. I’m starting to believe US chefs that own their own small shops in GTA make our community so much more complete.