Woodland Smokehouse & Commissary

Kinda shocked and sad.
what a nice location, quiet place to get Earnest ice cream ;)
Drove by the other day and surprised it’s gone.

I’m astounded by how good their food is. Beautifully crafted, and packaged with love. They take care of their food and their customers. The staff are amazing. An absolute delight. I would recommend this place to anyone, and EVERYONE! Try the peameal bacon sandwich. Ridiculous.

Found this informal eatery at the north end of Commercial drive near Hastings St. They have probably the BEST smoked meat sandwich in town from my experience. The eating area is very small and at the front of a commercial smokehouse. In addition to a good selection of sausages, there is bacon, donuts and very rich ice cream. Yikes! a dangerous spot. Would highly recommend if in this part of town.

We found this place by just walking around the neighborhood and we showed up about 30 minutes before they were due to close. We got luck as the owner was there and he was only too happy to tell us all about their meats and how they produce them.
They have back bacon — which you should try if you have never had it. They have lots of different kinds of sausages; they make sandwiches; have baked goods and also espresso drinks.
We tried their smoked ham; smoked brisket; jalapeño sausage; turkey pepperoni and their homemade mustard which was excellent.
Apparently they will sometimes make their BLT with back bacon and I would really lie to try that.
It was clear that their owner really cares about his products and craft and so I would recommend checking it out if you get a chance.

I heard from some coworkers about the amazing Earnest Ice Cream. Unilocal led me to the Woodland Smokehouse.
Reading the rave reviews about the sandwiches, I also ordered the Reuben. The space is interesting with a long communal table in the middle to dine in and what looked like a huge industrial kitchen in the back. They also had a wide variety of deli.
What did I buy. 2 Cartems donuts, 1 Reuben, 1 Salted Caramel Earnest Ice Cream and a package of frozen turkey and prune sausage. I took the sandwich home to eat. I don’t remember much since I devoured the thing so fast. Good thing I was alone because it probably didn’t look very pretty. I mean it’s a $ 10 sandwich. Definitely an indulgence but also it was delicious. The ice cream is also not cheap. $ 10 for a pint. I am going to eat that one slowly to truly enjoy it. I just had one teaspoon. WOW.
I’ve had Cartem’s before so it’s nice to have another place to buy them. Always yummy. They serve Milano coffee! Bonus points.
Overall a great little place. This is where I will go to give myself a treat. Maybe next time I’ll dine in, the 2 gals there are so friendly.

I didn’t have enought time to spend in this joint, but I’m going back! I’m always looking for fresh, local and delicious! These folks carry, locally made ice cream in a glass jar called «Earnest Ice Cream’, we picked up ‘salted caramel’ for dessert at a dinner party. Spoke to the staff who are super friendly and offered samples of nitrate free pepperoni (yum). I’ll definately be back, they even make sandwiches aka panini’s ???
Can’t wait to go back!

Was hesitant to write a review as I want to keep this my dirty little secret. Like one of the reviewers quoted, «Holy Moley». My bff and I decided to checkout what the hype was all about and it was well worth the drive. I requested a fattier cut for the woodland smokemeat sandwich and it was exactly what the Doctor would advise against. Wow… just perfect for my one ‘cheat day’ of the week. My bff had the Reuben and we shared half and half… it was just as amazing. I’d like to go on about the other goodies they had in store (ice cream, milano coffee, etc. etc.) but after that meal, I think I need to go take a nap… zzzzz

Delicous, homemade, natural «tasting» pepperoni. Pretty good meat pies perfect for a breakie/​am/​lunch snack, but I’d would appreciate a bit more meat and less pastry. Of course, the best IC in the city, too. (Earnest). And Doughnuts? I didn’t even see the doughnuts. Perhaps that was a good thing. Parking is easy. I just wish that they had longer hours, but maybe that’s a good thing, too.
Friendly staff.
Although I haven’t had too many other things here, everything I tried has been great, so I can’t complain. I wish their cabbage rolls were tiny, ladyfinger-​like and a bit more authentically Ukrainian, as the big ones are just never quite as tasty and made with tougher cabbage. But I’m biased with those, I s’pose.
That being said, I’ll definitely return when in the hood.
Note-​it can be tough to find, but when looking for Earnest, strangely, this is the place to find it as they don’t have their own shop.

I drive by this place on my way home from work everyday and about two weeks ago, I finally decided to check it out. The space is nice, clean and they have a good variety of products. We left with a few things for the BBQ: pork/​jalapeño and chicken/​turkey/​mushroom brats, and a couple of 2 ft long hot dogs. The pork/​jalapeño brats were great. Juicy, with a nice heat. I found the chicken/​turkey/​mushroom ones to be a bit on the dry side. The dogs were great. All beef and similar in taste to those kosher dogs you get from Costco.
Yesterday, upon my second visit I decided to pick up some items for lunch. I knew they carried Cartem’s Donuts and Earnest Ice Cream; 2 products I’ve been meaning to try. I ordered the Knoblewurst Smokie to go, picked up a jar of whiskey/​hazelnut Earnest Ice Cream and 2 Cartem’s donuts (earl grey and citrus dust).
First the knoblewurst smokie. Its a pork/​jalapeño mixture served on a roll with a choice of regular or spicy mustard and topped with a vinegar-​based coleslaw. The meat is excellent. great flavour with a the right amount of spice. It’s also extremely juicy; have some napkins ready. I didn’t really care for the slaw topping; something like fried or sautéed onions/​mushrooms might have been a better fit.
On to the Donuts: the Earl Grey was good; sweet with floral notes due to the sprinkle of rose petal pieces. The Citrus Dust was awesome. Moist with a citrusy tang, I’ll definitely be back for this one.
And lastly, the Whiskey/​Hazelnut Earnest Ice Cream. Smooth, creamy and the whiskey flavour really comes through.
I’ll be back to try the buttered popcorn flavoured macarons.
Overall, a great little place with lots of variety.

This will be a battle of epic proportions: me vs. carbs AND cured meats. The writing is on the wall… I’m thoroughly doomed.
Since early March I have been stopping in Woodland Smokehouse to try the selection of sweets and meats. The cartel behind Cartems donuts first lured me into the store. Rajesh Narine happened to be checking out the front display as I inquired about the donuts. He convinced me to try the lone gluten-​free chocolate left in the basket. The cake donut was extremely moist and the quality of chocolate was creamy and cocoa rich without any artificial sweetness that collects at the back of your throat. Since then, I have tried citrus and chocolate chai. Of the two, I would recommend Citrus. The outer dough is crispy and «smokey», coated with lemony icing and sprinkled with zest.
A couple of other sweets I highly recommend is the chocolate pastry danish and apple tart. The chocolate pastry if flaky and light, filled with again a high quality chocolate that gives the slightest hint of hazelnut. The apple tart is entirely made in-​house. The tart shell is buttery golden brown filled with a light vanilla custard and topped with caramelized apples and nuts… this is not your grandma’s apple pie!
To the right of the sweets, there is a showcase of in-​house smoked/​cured deli meats. I have tried Kielbasa, Chorizo, Farmer’s Sausage, Lamb & Pork, and a couple of others. Ask for a sample before deciding on a link to bring home. Instantly you will notice the nitrate-​free, fresh, natural, smokey, peppery, piquant flavours that make each sausage unique and tasty. From the sounds of it, the smoked meat sandwiches are a must try.

I came here for ALL THE WRONG REASONS.
I went to Cartems earlier this week and had the girls at the office curse me. I also said that this is a once in a while treat. I lied.
Well, if you know Cartems, you know they make their donuts here, then they truck it to the Hasting and Carrall storefront.
The only donut I wanted was the carrot cake, since I tried all the others. I like this one.
I said I lied in the above, right?
Guess where I went right after here. Yup, back to Cartems on skid row to get the makers bourbon and bacon, and the earl grey.
Holy French Connection UK!

Holy molely.
After going for the first time for some Cartems Donuts, we ventured back to grab some wholesome lunch eats. At $ 10.95 a pop, I wasn’t sure what to expect.
What I DIDN’T expect was a monster Reuben sandwich filled to the brim with sauerkraut, cheese and fatty, delicious smoked meat with a side of pickle. As someone who’s described as «the girl with the hollow legs,» this is the first sandwich that I have not been able to finish in one sitting. I saved half of the smoked meat for the next day.
Oh, and I also grabbed a «Citrus Dust» Cartems Donut. Talk about heaaaaven.
Go. Be amazed. Eat happy.
I hear that sometimes, Edible Mark makes fizzy Coca-​Cola macarons. I’ll be watching for you.

* Interesting business model with a good sandwich *
This new large commissary space rents out its kitchen to chefs that need professional space to produce their product. They have several regular users that produce their product here for sale elsewhere, but also sell a large number of the products in the front.
I ordered a smoked meat sandwich. They asked me if I wanted cheese, and I said no. Somehow that got lost and they made it with cheese and then panini pressed it. Go figure. In any case, even though they had bad listening skills, the sandwich was tasty. It came on a nice thickly sliced rye bread, with a spicy mustard, cheese (bastards), and a nice thickly hand cut smoked meat. A very nice sandwich overall. Photos:
and
I’ll be back, but will verify twice with them that they listen to the food order. :)

What impresses me most about WS&C is the size and opulence of the kitchen! First acquainted was I by the fabulous website introduction that I didn’t know what to expect from the service area.
I was a bit disappointed in that there is no seating, and not many quick meal choices for gluten free folks like me. Thrilled to hear that they use no fillers in their meats, I grabbed up some Kielbasa sausage and munched it down pronto! DELICIOUS!
It would be fabulous to come in there and order a sammie to go, if I could eat sammies. And if I could get here early enough (before 9am!) to score the elusive gluten free/​vegan Cartems Donut. One day… one day…
And as for the seating, there is a lot of potential. First, I imagine that they will have outdoor seating along the wall at some point, and perhaps throw a few chairs inside and a table or two. But, I’m afraid that in the Summer, when the wind blows east off the Burrard Inlet, past the West Coast Reduction plant… you may be happy to eat indoors.

Woodland Smokehouse & Commissary is a kitchen rental with a grocery retail shop up front. They smoke all their own meats and also sell items that other people make in the back. It’s such a great concept that allows people to expand their home business. I know a lot of people starting businesses out of their kitchen at home and it gets to a point where they are challenged for space and resource.
I went there today and bought a sandwich after sampling some meats; the smoked turkey was the winner for me and I had one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever had in my life! Smoked turkey with mustard and veggies on sourdough. It was simply amazing.
Cartems Donuterie also sell some of their goodies here. I’m guessing they have different creations everyday based on who’s cooking. You have to check this place out. It’s by the same people as Peckinpah and Calabash.