Chef and restaurateur Anthony Rose has officially announced that Big Crow — the wildly popular backyard barbecue spot that originally opened in 2013 and closed in 2022 — is returning for a winter run.
In an Instagram post shared this week, Rose declared that “Big Crow is alive. Kinda sorta,” revealing that the restaurant has set up camp outside behind Fat Pasha and just before Schmaltz Appetizing on Howland Street. It has been 1,593 days since Rose closed the original location, a moment he previously told The New York Times was “one of the saddest days ever.”
While the original iteration was tucked behind Rose and Sons and featured a retractable roof and shipping-container kitchen, this revival operates out of a heated outdoor tent dubbed the Big Crow Lodge, stocked with plenty of blankets for the Toronto winter.
True to its roots, Rose is making one thing clear: this is “barbecue, not BBQ.” Rather than low-and-slow southern-style smoking that takes days of preparation, Big Crow has always championed what Rose calls “traditional Canadian barbecue” — fast, charcoal-grilled cooking inspired by camping in the Ontario wilderness.
The winter menu focuses on vintage favourites and classics from the original run. Starters and sides include Brother Juniper’s Cornbread with pimento cheese, maple syrup and hot sauce, smoked mozzarella and roast garlic bread, a garlicky Caesar salad with anchovies and parmesan and wieners and barbecue beans loaded with burnt ends.
Straight from the pit, diners can order the pickle-brined JW Bird, a full pound of baby back ribs with sage and walnut pear pesto and the cult-classic griddled barbecue verscht (kosher beef salami) with apricot glaze and grainy mustard, alongside fixings like sweet country coleslaw, pickles, sauerkraut and potato salad. For dessert, the warm S’mores Sticky Cake is also making a comeback.
In his announcement, Rose also shared the origin story behind the restaurant’s name. A week before opening in 2013, a reporter pressed him for the name of the soon-to-open smokehouse. Having been too caught up in the food to actually name the place, Rose searched Algonquin Park lakes on Yahoo and landed on Big Crow Lake — a nod to the months his family spent camping, foraging, and fishing there during his childhood.
Big Crow operates Thursday through Sunday from 5 to 9:30 p.m. Reservations can be made through Fat Pasha’s OpenTable page under the “Experiences — Big Crow” tab.
According to the fine print, securing a spot in the Lodge costs $1 per person, after which guests order from a full à la carte menu rather than a set prix fixe. Despite the heaters and blankets, Rose warns diners to dress warm for the outdoor setup.