james Nov 14,2007

had pulled pork and ribs combo(8 long pieces). pulled pork is bit of chewy but the ribs are great. tender and tasty. my friend likes the ice-cream-cake too.

we actually heard about phil's many times and stumbled into it while walking along college street. i am glab that finally tried phil's. I will be back!

with beers and desert it comes to $27 total per person.

tal Sep 02,2006

I wasn't too crazy about their pulled pork sandwich either. The chicken however is fantastic!
I agree that the potato salad at Phil's is remarkably good. Oddly enough, my favourite pulled pork in Toronto thus far has been at the House on Parliament.

artificialard Aug 31,2006

Anyways tried Phil's BBQ for the first time on takeout tonight. Had the combo (which had beef brisket, chicken leg, and ribs) and also the pulled pork sandwich.

The combo ($23) consists of a quarter chicken with leg, a good serving of brisket, and two nice long ribs along with sides of baked beans and coleslaw. My god was it large. I didn't try the chicken but the everything else was quite good. The coleslaw had a nice tang but wasn't spectacular but the baked beans were quite yummy - still keeping their shape but wonderfully soft was a sauce that was sweet but not sugary. The beef brisket everyone thought was disappointing; it was just very unremarkable with a slightly rough texture that didn't carry much beef flavor. The ribs however were very good - with meat that comes off easily but still has wonderful texture and has a nice smoky flavor. They were dry but ample BBQ sauce that was very good was offered. The ribs were of very high quality but I'm still split on these or the ones at Banknote (King and Bathurst) that are covered in sauce, moist, and also wonderful.

The pulled pork sandwich ($7) I compare with the one from Dangerous Dan's and this did not compare. The bun was a nice kaiser but the pork was try and didn't carry much of any flavor at all. There wasn't much sauce or anything else in the sandwich to carry the ingredients and it ended up being dry and bland but very 'heavy'. Dangerous Dan's has cheese and also the pork is tender and has BBQ sauce that's all cooked in a wonderful gooey mess. I chose a side of potato salad that was probably the most surprisingly good item of the bunch. Large chunks of potato with skin with carrots and other things mixed in a very nice and light creamy dressing that didn't overwelm or 'drench' the salad.

overall a good experience with the ribs and potato salad coming out to me as being things to order when I actually go there to dine.

bogie Aug 29,2006

talk about juicy baby back ribs, It's gotta be Phil's. They are well-smoked, fall-off-the-bone ribs and have a great spicy sauce on the side. Beans are good, too, slaw is just OK.

Please note that these are not baby backs, but country (also known as St. Louis) cut ribs. Meatier, but they are fattier too. Most places do not serve baby backs anymore due to their high cost, or you will be getting a small portion if they do.

Pulled pork sandwich is superb and a great value at $7.95 for a huge sammy with fries.

The one thing they could improve upon is their rub, it needs more flavour and salt.

Davwud Aug 24,2006

Go to Phil's, College, just west of Ossington. They're the real McCoy. My wife is from Memphis and has given them her approval.

nal Aug 04,2005

the only genuine southern BBQ in Toronto. It's good BBQ. 838 College, western edge of downtown. Everything's fantastic except the hush puppies.

Anonymous May 25,2005

Had a great meal, and so did my girlfriend. Pulled pork and Beef Brisket sandwich plates were excellent....moist, and a great sauce. Fries were OK, nothing special (I like frsh cut fries over frozen), coleslaw was good, BUT, the potato salad I did not like, as it was dressed with mostly dijon and no mayo which made it taste like you were eating spoonfuls of dijon!? Ouch! Will be back though!

Anonymous Apr 11,2005

I thought I entered BBQ heaven...the staff was polite, and their Bloody Cesar amazing...melt in the mouth ribs, we're going back!! Lydia&Andrew K.

Anonymous Jan 02,2005

Ouch - some pretty harsh reviews, Phil! My boyfriend and I thought the food was fabulous on our visit. Melt in your mouth meats and delicious sides. We WILL come back again!

Anonymous Sep 26,2004

The service is good. But the food, I am not sure it is the best BBQ in town. We order the rib, beef brisket and 2 appetizers. Meat are very dry, all I could taste was the sauce, sauce and sauce. There were not too much taste of the meat. Swiss Charlet has better ribs, imo. The french fries was so so. The only thing I enjoyed was the cheese pancake. Not too sure if I will go back.