Re-up BBQ Cart, the sequel: Beef Brisket sandwiches and Southern Sweet Tea

Re-up BBQ Cart 2

800 Robson Street at Howe

Vancouver, Canada

If you’re a fan of Re-up the award-winning pulled pork barbecue food cart, you’ll love their second food cart on the other side of the Art Gallery, featuring mouthwatering, juicy beef brisket sandwiches and Southern Sweet Tea. Today was their Grand Opening Day and it looked like a busy one. Parked on the bustling corner of Robson and Howe, even with the construction at Robson Square, Re-up 2 still managed to draw out a crowd of loyal customers (us, included!). The chefs were very friendly, and were happy to have their pictures taken as they assembled our sandwiches.

Priced under $10, the best part about this sandwich is that they really don’t skimp on the meat. There were more than 5 thick slices of barbecue beef brisket in our sandwich. Despite the thick cut of the beef, the meat was very tender and flavourful. Smothered with a generous helping of Re-up’s secret barbecue sauce and a scoop of fresh and crunchy coleslaw, this was a hefty, flavour bomb of a sandwich. I also loved the soft bread, this seemed to be a different bread that I had initially tried when Re-up’s pulled pork sandwich cart first opened last year. The bread at the pulled pork cart was definitely crunchier on top, actually the top of that bun cut the roof of my mouth. These soft, pillow buns at Re-up 2 are a significant improvement, the soft buns soak up all that tangy barbecue sauce, reducing any mess as we raced to our next food cart stop.

Of course only a klutz like me would end up dropping a small slice of sauce drenched beef down my shirt. But the great thing about Re-up 2′s location is that there is plenty of outdoor seating nearby: on the benches, on the Vancouver Art Gallery steps and at Robson Square. So if you’re clumsy like me, you might want to sit down to savour this delicious sandwich.

I can’t say enough good things about this barbecue sauce and its endless levels of flavours. First it hits the tongue with an inviting deep, rich sweetness, then moves to a robust, nutty, smokey flavour as you’re chewing the meat, than, as if gradually warming up as it moves down your throat, the sauce all of a sudden heats up and you’re hit with a kick of spice as you swallow. So what comes in handy here is a tall cup of the Sweet Southen Tea that Re-up 2 also sells. I was gulping it too fast to take a picture, but it was wonderfully refreshing! Naturally sweet, cool and soothing to the taste buds, the Sweet Southern Tea was a great sidekick to the star of the show, an unforgettable barbecue beef brisket sandwich.

We shared one sandwich between the two of us, and the chef was super accommodating, cutting the sandwich in half for us. We were saving room for the next food cart. Be sure to come back to read about our adventures at Feastro, the Rolling Bistro.