Big Crow Is Back: Anthony Rose Brings His Barbecue Spot Back for a Winter Run in Toronto
A Toronto barbecue spot that many people missed is coming back. Big Crow, from chef Anthony Rose, is open again for a winter run.
Big Crow first opened in 2013. It closed in 2022. Now it is back in a new form, inside a warm tent called the Big Crow Lodge.
What Anthony Rose Said
Rose shared the news in an Instagram post this week.
“Big Crow is alive. Kinda sorta,” Rose wrote.
Rose has said the day he closed the first Big Crow was one of the saddest days ever. More than 1,500 days have passed since then. Now fans get to eat there again.
Where Is the New Big Crow?
The new Big Crow is set up outside, behind Fat Pasha and just before Schmaltz Appetizing on Howland. Fat Pasha is another one of Rose’s restaurants on Dupont Street.
The old Big Crow was behind Rose and Sons. It had a roof that could open and close and a kitchen made from a shipping container.
This time, guests eat in a heated outdoor tent. There are blankets to keep you warm. Rose still says you should dress for the cold.
- Name: Big Crow (inside the Big Crow Lodge)
- Location: Outdoors behind Fat Pasha, 414 Dupont Street, Toronto
- Days: Thursday to Sunday
- Hours: 5:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
- Booking: Through Fat Pasha’s OpenTable page, under “Experiences – Big Crow”
- Booking fee: $1 per person to hold your spot
What Is on the Menu?
Rose calls his food “barbecue, not BBQ.” He means fast, charcoal-grilled cooking, like the food you make on a camping trip in Ontario. It is not the slow, smoky style from the southern United States.
There is no set menu. You order what you want from a full list. Here are some of the dishes:
- Brother Juniper’s cornbread with pimento cheese, maple syrup, and hot sauce
- Smoked mozzarella and roast garlic bread
- Garlicky Caesar salad with anchovies and parmesan
- Wieners and barbecue beans with burnt ends
- Pickle-brined JW Bird (chicken)
- A full pound of baby back ribs with sage and walnut pear pesto
- Grilled barbecue beef salami with apricot glaze and grainy mustard
- Sides like sweet coleslaw, pickles, sauerkraut, and potato salad
- Warm S’mores Sticky Cake for dessert
Where Did the Name Come From?
The name has a fun story. One week before Big Crow first opened in 2013, a reporter asked Rose what the place was called. He did not have a name yet.
So he looked up lakes in Algonquin Park and picked Big Crow Lake. The lake reminded him of camping, fishing, and family trips when he was a kid.
Should You Go?
If you loved the old Big Crow, this is your chance to go back. If you never went, now you can see why so many people in Toronto still talk about it.
It is also a fun way to spend a cold night. You get warm food, a heated tent, and blankets, all for a $1 booking fee plus what you order.
It is not clear how long the winter run will last. If you want to go, it may be smart to book soon.
Will you be heading to the Big Crow Lodge this winter?
References
- Streets of Toronto, “An iconic Toronto BBQ spot that closed 4 years ago is officially making a surprise comeback”
- Toronto Life, “Introducing: Fat Pasha, Anthony Rose’s new Middle Eastern hangout”
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