With the recent influx of good barbecue in the city, Torontonians have a bit less incentive to drive all the way to Whitby or Oshawa for a taste of Buster Rhino’s Southern BBQ. That’s not to say that many won’t still do it, but it’s looking like Buster Rhino’s is heading to Toronto anyway. “Everything’s looking very promising for this year,” owner Darryl Koster says of a possible move to downtown. “If I had any doubts, I wouldn’t be saying that.”
Koster is currently scouting downtown locations and is optimistic that a Buster Rhino’s will open before the year is out. Two potential locations are standing out as the frontrunners, he says: Leslieville and Toronto’s west end, near Caplansky’s Delicatessen.
A Toronto Buster Rhino’s would likely feature all of the classics — ribs, pulled pork, beef brisket — along with alcohol and Southern-style appetizers and desserts.
In the meantime, Koster has been checking out the competition as it pops up. What does he think about it? Simple. “If you have good barbecue, you’ll last,” he says.