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Kickin' Southern Smokehouse

Halifax's smokin' original

Smoking on Barrington Street since 2010. Run by Jess, Jamie and the Pit Crew, and made in house from the sauces to the pickles.

The Boneheads BBQ sign, cut from wood with the cow skull, on the red wall inside the restaurant
The sign, inside
Inside Boneheads BBQ: the order counter with the sign on its front, the menu boards above it and the window onto Barrington Street
The room. Order at the counter, grab a table.
Three bottles of Boneheads BBQ sauce: Smokehouse Sweet, Southern Gold and Kickin' Red
The sauces

Hardwood, low heat and a whole lotta patience.

Boneheads has been smoking on Barrington Street since January 2010. Jess and Jamie took over the pit in November 2025 and went after one thing above all: real smoke flavour. We reworked our methods to get more of it into every rib, every brisket and every pound of pulled pork.

Everything on the menu is made right here. The sauces, the rubs, the cornbread, the desserts. We even source, slice and pickle our own pickles.

The team is the Pit Crew, a big family with a huge love for BBQ and for making people feel good with food. You will find Jamie in the kitchen and Jess out front or out on a catering, pretty much every day.

  • Brisket goes in the smoker the night before and comes out 14 hours later.
  • The sausage is a German Debreziner, glazed in Kickin' Red.
  • The gravy is made with brisket drippings, BBQ sauce and beer.
  • The cornbread is baked here and the honey butter is whipped here.
  • The slaw is purple, the ribs are St. Louis cut, the wings come whole.

Our meats are smoked fresh every day. When we sell out, they are gone till the next day.

A cook at the kitchen pass loading trays with fries, coleslaw and smoked meat on checkered paper
Trays loaded at the pass

Voted “Best Ribs in Halifax” by The Coast, voted by readers, every year since 2010. Named among the “Best BBQ in Canada” on The Marilyn Denis Show. Featured on Food Network Canada’s “You Gotta Eat Here”.

Rubbed. Smoked. Sauced.

Saucy or naked. Three house sauces, two house rubs, bottles to go.

Smokehouse Sweet
Our signature, and the sauce every rib gets finished in. Rich, smoky and sticky sweet, with enough backbone to stand up to the bark.
Southern Gold
Mustard based and bright. Tangy up front, a little sweet behind it, and the brisket's best friend. Dunk a corn dog in it and you will get it.
Kickin' Red
Tomato and vinegar with a kick that builds. Bold, tangy and just hot enough. It glazes the chicken, the sausage and the wings.
Order OnlineSauces and rubs