Author: Kevin_41

I had walked past the newly reconceived Jackson’s Resto-Butcher, peering in to see the reconfiguration but not going in before, as I had other errands to run. This Friday night I had the time, went in and was glad I did. The person who seemed...to be the bartender/manager/server, Patrick, was charming and most helpful, handling safety and vaccinations with grace,. It was about an hour before closing at 10 pm, which gave me just enough time for a nice nibble and a beer or two. Jackson’s Meats, on Kitsilano’s 4th Ave, first established in 1911, has not only had many reincarnations in its 110 years of life, it even disappeared entirely for some time to then reappear in a far more contemporary form. On immigrating to Canada, we soon moved to Kits, and it became the butcher I went to. It had a very bulky owner then, who butchered and packed your order but before it was given to you, you had first to go to a little teller nook to pay. The woman, who took the money, then gave you a receipt to give to the owner butcher. And this was all done in a small space. Not much chit chat went on. That was 1988. Jackson’s reappeared on the block in a very updated form, perhaps 20 years ago, then also making delicious sandwiches, which could be eaten at a small seating bar area, if one wished. Now the butcher and deli is in the back half of the space, and the front half in taken up with a some 50- seat restaurant, which serves alcohol and many food options. Its latest reincarnation as a resto-butcher occurred in August 2020. I had a sausage sampler at 14$ which was two fairly large sausages with two dips. One was a Cumberland, the other a chorizo. The sausages were made in the butchery at the back. It is a sort of collaborative operation, with many resto offerings sourced from the butchery. A neat idea for sure, and an efficient use of expensive Kits real estate space. The sausage selection is done by the kitchen and changes with each order. Both my sausages were delicious. I ordered two IPAs to accompany them. Patrick looked after me at the start, then he was followed by his equally charming and helpful fellow staffer, Josh, when Patrick’s shift ended. It was a pleasant hour spent indeed. It was fairly busy and all the other patrons seemed to be happy and satisfied. My bill came to around 36$ with tip. It is open from 11 am to 10 pm. I will certainly pop in again within those hours, maybe combining a shop of deli meats from the back and a sleeve and a tasty dish in the front. Posted by S FullerMore