Openings

• XIX Valleyview opened on September 17 at 9112 142 Street NW.
• The second location of Rob’s Original Fried Chicken is opened on September 17 in Windermere at 1319 Windermere Way SW.
• Highlands gift and candy shop darling Be-a-Bella is expanding to Glenora at 10340 134 Street NW.
• Congratulations to Flipside BBQ who has opened a second food truck, soon to be christened Flip n’ Roll.
• Thanks to Ryan who sent me a tip that another location of Farrow will be opening in the former Bell Tower, 201, 10104 103 Avenue NW (formerly a Melt Sandwich Co.).
• Silsila, an Indian fusion kitchen, is now open for take-out only at 15355 111 Avenue NW.
• Kinton Ramen’s second Edmonton location is now open at 1217 Windermere Way SW.
• North American Indian restaurant chain Gwalia is now open in Edmonton at 9111 39 Avenue NW. Gwalia offers vegetarian cuisine.
• Mr. Malatang Hot Pot & Skewers opened at West Edmonton Mall on September 19.
• Canadian dessert chain Super Crunch Tanghulu is now open at West Edmonton Mall.
• Deville Coffee’s fourth Edmonton location will open in Southgate Centre on September 26.
• Ontario-based smashburger chain The Fancy Induced Burger is opening an Edmonton location at 855 75 Street SW.
• Dirty Soda shop Kickstand announced a forthcoming second location in Spruce Grove this fall.
• I missed the opening of Lucky 7 Bites Asian fusion restaurant back in April. It is located at 9616 165 Avenue NW.

Closures

• Island Brew Coffee House will be closing on September 23: “This decision wasn’t easy, and it doesn’t come without grief. But we want to close this chapter the way we opened it: with gratitude, not sadness alone.”
• After more than three years, The Lunchbox Sandwich Shop is closing at the end of September. It is due to a redevelopment of the space occupied by the restaurant. It may not be the final chapter for the restaurant, “No promises, but we’re also not closing the door on what Lunchbox could look like in the future.”
• After nearly four years, Boba Bar in Sherwood Park announced they will close on October 18.

Upcoming Events

• It’s great to see the Harvest Art and Book Fair expand to host a panel not unlike what LitFest used to offer. Check out Food: the Stories We Tell on October 4 with Ramneek Singh of the Butter Chicken Odyssey fame, and chefs Holly Holt and Earl Briones.
• The second Ernest’s Alumni Series dinner on October 30 features Century Hospitality Group’s Hans Pinto. Tickets are $117.14 each.

Local News

• The finalists for Air Canada’s 2026 Best New Restaurants were announced last week, with one Edmonton showing: Rita Trattoria. The list will be narrowed down to a top ten to be announced later in the year.
• Food trailer Middle Child Burger announced their last day this season will be September 26, while Bestie, Kind Ice Cream’s seasonal trailer, closed on September 19.
• NAIT restaurant Nest re-opened on September 21, after being shut down due to a carbon monoxide leak earlier this month.
• Travel Noire highlights several Black-owned businesses in Edmonton, including Lift Me Upon the Lake, Cafe Caribbean, The Bower, Sauce Modern Caribbean Cuisine, Old Beverly Cafe, VIP Kilimanjaro, and Habesha Cravings.
• Arcadia Brewing Co. runs an outreach program called Time for Kindness, which provides food, drinks, and supplies to up to 200 unhoused people every week.
• Edmonton Police Service have released a photo of an arson suspect in connection with fires that were deliberately set at the former El Cortez patio in June.
• After their catastrophic flood earlier this summer, Sundog Organic farmers Jenny and James Berkenbosch have officially shared that their farming chapter has come to an end. Our family has been fans of their produce and tomato plants since they started vending at the City Market all those years ago. It’s a big loss for the market community, but we wish them well.

What I Ate

• We had a team lunch earlier in the week at La Morenita. The kitchen treated our table to free appetizers and dessert because the food took much longer than expected. Thankfully, it was worth the wait – the birria plate I had was so satisfying (and filling!).

Birria plate from La Morenita

• We also had an off-site work event catered by Patricia Street Deli. The turkey sandwich of the two I tried this time was the winner, and as always, tasted better out in the sunshine.

Sandwiches and pasta salad from Patricia Street Deli

• The kids won the dinner lottery with a second visit to Jack’s Burger Shack in two weeks. While they dined on grilled cheese and milkshakes, Mack and I gorged ourselves on a special six-course burger omakase in honour of National Cheeseburger Day. While we enjoyed the burger courses (I will never turn down a pho dipping sauce), the fries topped with a caramelized fish sauce, cilantro, and chilies was actually my favourite dish of the night. The salty-sweet combination was addictive.

Caramelized fish sauce fries from Jack’s Burger Shack

Openings

• The first Hell’s Kitchen in Canada opened on September 14 at River Cree Resort.
• Lui-Chi’s has opened its fourth location downtown, this time at the Intact Tower on Jasper Avenue and 108 Street.
• Global Ramen, serving up “Nagoya style Taiwan Mazemen”, opened on September 10 at 3318 Gateway Blvd NW.
• Tesoro Caffe and Bar is the new namesake of the cafe formerly known as Bar Oro.
• Pact Coffee will be opening a second location in Edmonton in the Augustana Tower at 9903 107 Street NW.
• Deville Coffee is readying their fourth Edmonton location at Southgate Centre.
• Super Crunch Tanghulu, an Ottawa-based chain specializing in Chinese fresh fruit desserts, is opening in West Edmonton Mall.
• St. Albert will soon be home to a Waves Coffee House, at 100, 809 St. Albert Trail.

Closures

• I’ve been a big fan of Little Bon Bon from the start, after learning about how personal this business was to co-owner Jason Wong because of his family’s connections to Chinatown. So this closure announcement hits hard, especially as Little Bon Bon became a gathering place for our own family (Ellie came to love the pink bon bon crumbs). Get there before the end of September for one last scoop.
• This week had not one, but two Chinatown business closure announcements – One01 Bistro also shared that their last operational date will be September 20. The announcement does mention it will be “temporarily closed”, but with no future re-opening date mentioned.
• Nuttea in Old Strathcona is closing. Their last day will be September 20.

Upcoming Events

• The Edmonton Gluten Free Expo will take place on September 26 at the Edmonton Convention Centre. Tickets are $5 plus fees per ticket.
• Nearly three dozen food businesses are featured partners with the Canadian Finals Rodeo. Purchases of an identified menu item at the business will give you a 20% discount off your CFR ticket purchase and the chance to win free tickets.

Local News

• Sawmill Restaurant Group is celebrating 50 years in business with galas to be held in November at four of their restaurants. Proceeds from the tickets will be donated to a charity chosen by attendees.
• Dutch Delicious is celebrating twenty years in business on September 19.
• The Journal highlighted Chartier chef Crystal Higgins’ upcoming International Chef Challenge in PEI, and a commendation won by The Wagon and Co.’s non-alcoholic whisky.
• The Marketing Brief’s first episode interviews Don’ya’s Jorgia Lindquist and Boa and Hare’s Wilson Wong on building community through their restaurants.
• Edify checked out The U-Turn Eatery in Ardrossan.

What I Ate

• I needed a lunch option that would satisfy the diverse dietary needs of a team of 25, and Flavour Agency Catering Co. (formerly Filistix) fit the bill! Everyone appreciated being able to choose from several rice bowl options, and they did not skimp on portion sizes. It was a hit with my colleagues.

Pork adobo rice bowl with slaw

• It has been ten years since I was last in the orbit of the Strathearn Art Walk, back when it was residential volunteers literally preparing food in their own kitchens to feed festivalgoers. Our family checked it out on the weekend, and has it ever grown. It still felt like summer, and a Little Bear gelato puck was definitely in order.

Oreo cream ice cream sandwich from Little Bear

• The kids were over the moon when they learned we were going to the “milkshake store” for dinner. Jack’s Burger Shack never disappoints.

We love Jack’s

Openings

• BOM, offering unlimited hot pot and sushi, opens on September 8 at 9929 109 Street NW (formerly Sang).
• Roam Cafe will be opening their second location at ATB Place this September.

Closures

• Don’ya announced the closure of their downtown location, as of September 11: “we cannot compete with the ongoing construction, crime, and parking challenges in Edmonton’s downtown area.”
• Uncle Brian’s current brick and mortar shop closed on September 6, but the post mentions a new location with no details.
• The Beavertails location at 10534 Whyte Avenue NW has closed (the one at West Edmonton Mall remains), and it appears Bannock Broz Indigenous Eats will be opening up in its place.

Upcoming Events

• The 9th annual Edmonton Filipino Fiesta will take place September 12-13 in Louise McKinney Park.

Local News

• Big birthday wishes to The Tomato, who is celebrating thirty years! For this issue, The Tomato pulled together a list of defining gamechangers of the current Edmonton food scene.
• Effing Seafoods is moving their shop from St. Albert to Edmonton. September 12 is their last day of operations in St. Albert.
• I was so happy to hear that it is Fuge Sausage who will be keeping the recipes of YEG Smoked Meats alive! Although these specific beef Jerky Stix were never a part of YEG Smoked Meats line, I’m happy to say we’ve been enjoying this new Fuge product.
• Edify highlights new coffee roaster Tortuga and WildRoots Bistro.
• Modern Luxuria’s September issue features profiles on Golden Sparrow and Next of Kin.
• Indian restaurant Goggi’s Gully is celebrating its first birthday.
• Evolution Wonderlounge posted about needing some support right now to “restore some financial health.”
• NAIT’s on campus restaurant Nest is closed indefinitely due to carbon monoxide issues.
• Season 10 of the Great Canadian Baking Show features Slavomira Blahova from Edmonton.
• Season 9 of Masterchef Canada debuts on September 22, and will include Jainesh “Jai” Bali from Edmonton.

What I Ate

• We hung out with some friends at Hawrelak Park over the weekend, and decided on an impromptu pizza dinner from Kindling, Edmonton’s newest pizza food truck. They were fast, and their 48 hour fermented pizza dough had a great chew. I enjoyed the richness of their carbonara pizza, with pecorino, fior di latte, prosciutto, and egg yolk.

Pizzas by the lake from Kindling

Openings

• Edmonton’s newest pizza joint is Lazzarone Pizza at 10358 82 Avenue NW.
• Jill commented about a new new coffee and sandwich spot called Whtrabit at 14574 116 Avenue NW, featuring naturally leavened sourdough made with flour from Bentley, Alberta.
• Simply Chops, offering modern Nigerian cuisine, is now open in Edmonton at 9671 102A Avenue NW. Simply Chops also has two other locations in the greater Toronto area.
• Cafe Seoul Grove is a new Korean cafe offering coffee, bingsu, and board games inside the Wyndham Hotel at 4440 Gateway Blvd NW.
• Station Park has added a new vendor to the mix, called Pebre & Co. They serve Chilean empanadas.
• Ralph’s Fried Chicken’s southside location has been delayed to September 15. It will open at 9204 23 Avenue NW.
• Mr. Halal Burger is opening its fifth location in the Edmonton area, this time in Sherwood Park (220 Lakeland Drive, Unit 240).
• On September 2, Splattr Noodle Bar joins Takam Market’s concepts inside the Robbins Health Learning Centre at MacEwan University.
• Mullet’s Billiards & Bar is opening at 10314 100 Avenue NW in September.
• Taste of Hakka and Thakali Kitchen & Bar opened at 9563 118 Avenue NW back in July. Rat Creek Press profiled the restaurant and the owner who wanted to share Indo-Chinese and Himalayan flavours.

Closures

• The Moth has announced their upcoming closure back in January, but did not commit to a date at that time. They have now announced a date of September 13.
• Prestigio Bakery has closed its Clearwater location at 15333 97 Street NW. Its other Edmonton location, the Portuguese Canadian Bakery, remains open at 5304 118 Avenue NW.
• Vegan and vegetarian market Orii is now closed, but some of their products will still be available to be picked up and delivered through a new venture called BYW Life.

Upcoming Events

• Balay Coffee is returning with pop-up events at Silly Billy Market on September 12 and 13.
• Ernest’s at NAIT continues their Alumni Series dinners this fall, starting with Christine Sandford and Roger Letourneau on September 18. Tickets are $117.14.
• Kaleido Festival returns to Alberta Avenue from September 18-20. There will be over a dozen food trucks participating alongside the entertainment and other activities.
• Save the date for the second Food Truck Frenzy event, returning to the Expo Centre grounds on September 27. We went to the first event in August and had a blast!

Local News

• Arcadia Brewing Co. shared that they will be reducing the cost of their pints by $1, in response to some of the current narratives about supporting local businesses: “One thing that really stuck out to us was that a lot of the conversations were about why people need to support local businesses, rather than why they aren’t. It doesn’t take too many conversations to realize that it’s gotten really expensive to go out these days, let alone support local small businesses.”
• Nomiya has rebranded to Nom, and will be serving up fresh handmade udon.
• Mr. Halal Burger is the latest to add a $10 pay it forward option for those to buy a meal for someone who needs one.
• Patricia Street Deli’s similar Kindness Sandwich Program has distributed 250 sandwiches to those who needed one.
• The new owners of Ark Cafe have re-branded the business to The Quiet Cafe.
• The Citadel Theatre is inviting proposals for a cafe operator on their main floor (since vacated by Ghostlight).
• In case you missed it, Brad Smoliak’s celebration of life can be viewed online here.

What I Ate

• I met a friend for lunch at Menya Mori. It was absolutely packed, with a line-up out the door during our time there. Their tonkotsu always hits the spot for me, and my friend enjoyed the vegan ramen.

Shoyu tonkotsu from Menya Mori

• I also popped next door to satisfy my Chocorrant craving – it’s been too long since my last visit. The cookies and cream croissant was so tasty.

Sweet treats from Chocorrant

• It’s not summer until I’ve enjoyed the rare beef salad from Xu Hue on the streets of Edmonton’s Chinatown. I got it in just under the wire at Chinatown After Dark this weekend.

Rare beef salad from Xue Hue

• Our family teamed up with some friends to host our third lemonade stand to raise funds for the Stollery Children’s Hospital. Thanks to the generosity of those who stopped by, we bested our $750 goal. Here’s to next year!

Happy Lemonade Stand Day!

Openings

• MSSM will open a sister restaurant called Yori in Edmonton.
• Long-standing Capilano restaurant Fargos has opened a second location at 11998 109A Avenue NW. They will commemorate their grand opening on September 4.
• Sip Soda Co.’s fourth location in the Edmonton area is now open at 10512 82 Avenue NW.
• Kindling is the newest food truck to hit the streets of Edmonton, offering artisan pizza.
• Calgary-based Lil E Coffee, a non-profit that provides employment to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, is coming to Edmonton. Lil E will open a cafe in the HSBC Bank Place in early 2027.
• Coffee House 77 is forthcoming to 1377 Rosenthal Blvd NW.

Upcoming Events

• Festa Italiana returns to Giovanni Caboto Park on August 30. Expect food, entertainment, and vendors.

Local News

• There was much drama in the food scene last week, between an influencer known as yegbesteats and local bakery The Better Baker. It all started when yegbesteats posted her private messages with the bakery asking them to consider renaming a feature sandwich they were offering, from a “cro-mi” (or croissant banh mi) to a banh mi-inspired sandwich. The bakery owner, who is white, responded by accusing the influencer of not posting after receiving free product. Many criticisms have been lobbed against both sides (including allegations that The Better Baker owes unpaid wages to numerous employees). In many ways, yegbesteats has been made a proxy for the growing distaste of influencers. Time will tell if the bakery can sustain its business in the long term with this bump in awareness, and whether the public becomes more demanding of ethical influencer practices.
• I love a good collaboration, and White Rabbit’s newest flavour, inspired by Kissa 10’s Kinako Latte, definitely fits that bill.
• Hurrah for the return of Pho Tau Bay! They re-opened on August 21 after a temporary closure due to health complications of their Soup Grandma.
• Roasti Coffee shared that customers on August 4 and 13 may have been exposed to Hepatitis A.
• The Globe and Mail profiled Aliya’s Food, the Edmonton company behind the popular Chef Bombay brand of frozen products.

What I Ate

• Our family enjoyed the festivities at the Edmonton Dragon Festival on the weekend. It was neat to watch the premiere of Shades of LuLu, a documentary about a prominent local hairdresser who came as a refugee fleeing the Vietnam War (I have early memories of going to her shop as a child). We enjoyed food from some of the vendors, including this pork belly bao from Java Chef.

Pork belly bao from Java Chef

• I joined the family for lunch at Sabor’s annual fish and chips Fridays, an annual fundraiser for Ronald McDonald House and Santa’s Anonymous (there is just one more on August 28)! It was great to see a healthy crowd lined up down the block. While I recognize that pop-ups for charity are not a true stand in for those running an ongoing business, given all the bad news stories about downtown this summer, it’s great to have a good news story.

Any excuse to eat outside

Openings

• A new coffee shop has opened downtown called Brick and Brew, located at 9704 106 Street NW.
• Local business Moons, serving up mini pancakes, is now open at West Edmonton Mall.
• Mochi donut shop Mochido has opened its second location at 11013 26 Avenue NW. It just opened its first location at the end of June.
• Wish Delish Cafe and Bistro is now open at 364 Saddleback Road.
• Relish on 66, an Indian restaurant, is now open at 6933 Ellerslie Road SW.
• Takopo has opened a sister food truck called Mogu Taiyo, offering “international-inspired street food with a Pinoy twist.”
• Kofia Cafe, a Middle Eastern cafe, is opening on August 21 at 16735 71 Street NW.
• Ralph’s Fried Chicken is expanding south at 9204 23 Avenue NW, with an anticipated soft opening date on August 31. It will be Ralph’s third location in Edmonton.
• Chick ‘n Charcoal, offering grilled chicken and kebabs, is opening soon
• at 300 Manning Crossing NW.
• Food trailer Rival Burger will be opening a storefront in the former Blue Chair location in Ritchie.
• IGA will be opening on August 20 at 9106 142 Street NW. It had been most recently been converted to high-end grocer L’OCA, which closed in March. Prior to that, the IGA was locally owned and operated for 60 years.

Closures

• Coffee shop Bar Oro has closed, with signage on the doors indicating that “Something new is coming to this space. New ownership. New look. New menu. New standards.”
• The Gardens has closed its downtown location on 102 Street: “a distinct lack of support and viable solutions from the city leadership for downtown businesses has made continuing operations at this address a challenge.” They will continue operations at their new location at 11520 100 Avenue NW.

Upcoming Events

• Eats on 118 returns for another year! The food crawl exposes diners to hidden gems on Alberta Avenue, with dates from September 17-October 1. Tickets are $54.73.
• The Hoagie Half, a relay that involves running and sandwiches, is making its Alberta debut on September 19. Racers will run between Happy Beer Street and Farrow Garneau. Tickets for teams of four cost $79.67.

Local News

• Brad Smoliak, a renowned Edmonton chef, passed away last week at the age of 59. His celebration of life will be held on August 24. Don’ya Ukraine’s Kitchen will be hosting a fundraising lunch on August 18, with all proceeds to the University Hospital Foundation.
• Long-standing Italian eatery Tasty Tomato is for sale due to the family’s circumstances. It has been open for thirty-three years.
• Happy 15th birthday to Drift Food Truck! Time really has flown.
• Congratulations to Bar Clementine, who celebrates a decade in business this September! Among the special events for the month, they will be hosting a collaboration pop-up with Vagabond September 5-7.
• Edify checked out Myanm’s Noodle in Beaumont, and profiled Alchemy’s speakeasy-style set-up.
• Frequency News interviewed chef Shane Chartrand.
• Earlier this month, Great North Cookie Co. shared that their West Edmonton Mall location “needs a little extra love right now”, due to the impacts of rising costs.
• Due to the “severe damage” due to flooding, Bella will be closed for the foreseeable future.
• Further up Whyte Avenue, Avila Arepa is also remains closed due to flooding.
• After six years, the owners of Ark Cafe have sold the business.
• Miss Saigon’s Windermere location is temporarily closed while the restaurant works through corrective actions assigned by Alberta Health Services.

What I Ate

• Mack and I returned to Jola’s for a date night this month. Chef Filliep Lament’s excellent Polish residency at Candid Coffee is ending on August 22 – so head over if you haven’t had the chance.

Of course we had to have the pierogies

• It has been many years since we’ve been to the St. Albert Farmers’ Market (my how it has grown), so we also used the opportunity to try Wild Roots Bistro. Both Mack and I enjoyed our brunch dishes – I appreciated the perfectly soft poached eggs on my croissant toastie, and the brisket on Mack’s eggs benny was so flavourful.

Croissant toastie at Wild Roots Bistro

• I love introducing Rosewood Foods to those new to it, which was the case when I met a friend there for lunch last week. It was also a great excuse to reacquaint myself with their patty melt.

Patty melt from Rosewood Foods

• Our family roamed the Fringe grounds on the weekend (it’s always trippy to take my children to KidsFringe after volunteering there for so many years in my youth), and we refueled at Pal’s. I can never pass up their beef dip.

Beef dip from Pal’s

• Food Truck Frenzy had the perfect weather, and our family took advantage of another opportunity to eat outdoors (there was also something about attending a food truck event and not running it!). The sopes from Calle Mexico were the standout for me, and such a great value at two/$8.

Food truck Friday!

Openings

• XIX Nineteen is expanding again, with a location in Valleyview, 9112 142 Street, to open in September. This storefront was previously occupied by Rebel Food & Drink (which has since relocated to Crestwood Centre).
• While I’m still sad to see Battista’s Calzones go, it’s always great to have more local businesses close to my office. In this case, Luso’s Bakery takes up the Portuguese mantle left when Handy Bakery closed. Find it at 11745 84 Street NW.
• Allendale has a new cafe called Brisk and Brew, located at 6324 106 Street NW.
• The Emerald is a new Irish-inspired breakfast and lunch spot open at 6604 178 Avenue.
• Masaya is a new Turkish and Syrian restaurant that opened on July 12, at 10425 158 Avenue NW.
• Delhi Social Club & Cafe, offering Indian and Indo-Chinese cuisine, celebrated their grand opening at 3727 99 Street NW.
• Fuzion Donuts will be opening their third location in Edmonton, at 3344 Gateway Blvd.
• A Wild Wing franchise will be opening at 10184 104 Street.
• The Koko Grill is opening a second location in Beaumont, at 5005 50 Street, #102.

Closures

• DRTY Ice Cream (along with their host business, Foosh), have closed their downtown location: “With the crazy rain, it was hard enough to attract folks to make the trek across the river. But add in the heavy construction, random road closures, expensive parking, and little to no foot traffic – our little ice cream window didn’t stand a chance.” DRTY’s Station Park location remains open.

Upcoming Events

• Seven Edmonton and area restaurants are participating in Alberta on the Plate’s Dine Around Festival, offering a special menu from August 7-16.

Local News

• The latest chapter related to the spate of core restaurants closing revolved around a comment posted by a City of Edmonton employee in response to Wilfred’s closure that was perceived as “tone deaf” by the business.
• Zero-proof bar Spilt posted that the most toxic thing about the current discussion of downtown business closures is the narrative: “Last week, as conversations about downtown closures reached a fever pitch, our sales dropped 70% compared to the week before. That’s during a summer where we’re already down about 50% overall. It was our worst week on record in 2026…the stories we tell about downtown matter. Every time we write it off as impossible to visit until the construction is over, we make it a little harder for the people who have chosen to build something right here, right now.”
• Chocolatier Sweet Lollapalooza shared a post about why they have chosen to remain downtown.
• Little Brick and Dogpatch chose Don’ya as the first downtown business they supported by purchasing $2,000 worth of gift cards to give away.
• Many hospitality businesses (as many residents) have been affected by flooding incidents – including Bella, who is closed until August 11.
• Edify checked out breakfast at Norma Dee’s in Devon.
• Green Onion Cake Man is celebrating 45 years of serving up what some call Edmonton’s official dish.
• Square 1 Coffee and sister business Stone and Wheel’s Sherwood Park location commemorated their first birthday.
• With Ramneek Singh’s current Donair Odyssey taking shape, donairs are also on the voting roster of Oilers Nation’s Battle of the Donairs.
• Speaking of Ramneek, his Butter Chicken Odyssey is debuting as a Fringe show this year.
• Congratulations to the food and drink winners at this year’s Heritage Festival (it was an especially tough year given the weather/closures, so all the flowers to these vendors).  

What I Ate

• I grabbed a couple of pastries from the new bakery in my work neighbourhood, Luso’s, to try last week. The pasteis de nata, or Portuguese egg tart, was the stand out. I will be back for more.

Treats from Luso’s

• Our family had dinner with my parents at Chinatown’s Nam Siam (new to them) so I could share my love of their nem nuong tray – the salad rolls that result as so incredibly fresh.

Salad roll platter from Nam Siam

• My kids usually know that dinners in Chinatown are followed by a treat at Little Bon Bon – in this case, they were not wrong.

I always bon bon my ice cream

• We decided to forego haskap picking this summer because my parents shared their Rosy Farms bounty with us this year. As a result, we chose to return to Horse Hill Berry Farm, which we haven’t been to in some years. The mosquitos were a tough go for me, but Ellie was unfazed.

Horse Hill Berry Farm

• We also went to check out the Heritage Festival today after such difficult conditions this year. It was hopping, and I was especially happy for my annual langos from Hungary.

Elephant ears for all

Openings

• Rob’s Famous Chicken has announced a second location in Windermere, to open September 1, at 1319 Windermere Way SW.
• Farmers’ market vendor Knead Bakehouse has opened a brick and mortar location at Unit 560, 3850 Sherwood Drive.
• Ardaas Sweets, offering Indian treats, opened on July 26 at 16777 71 Street NW.
• Indian restaurant Leduc Meat & Grill opened on July 26 in Leduc, 4812E 43A Avenue.
• Flame & Barrel restaurant is opening a second location in the Edmonton area, this time in St. Albert (388 St. Albert Trail).
• BackNine Tavern, offering a sport bar and virtual golf, is now open at 215 Mckenney Avenue in St. Albert.
• Another location of Leopold’s Tavern is opening in Fort Saskatchewan, at 114, 9398 Southfort Drive.

Closures

• Wilfred’s is the latest local business to announce their closure. Their final day was July 26. Made by Marcus in the same space is unaffected.

Upcoming Events

• Woodshed Burgers is hosting another gluten-free day on July 29 at all three of their locations.
• Check out Vagabond’s last pop-up before chefs Christine Sandford and Roger Letourneau get married! Bistrot Burger runs July 31-August 2 in the Wilfred’s space.
• So happy to see the return of Sabor’s $15 Fish and Chip Fridays, a fundraiser for Ronald McDonald House and Santa’s Anonymous. It runs every Friday in August, starting August 7.
• West Block’s Food Crawls are returning again, with four dates beginning August 12. Each crawl will feature 5 local stops. Tickets are $75 each, plus fees and taxes.
• I’m excited to attend the vendor-led and organized Food Truck Frenzy, at the Expo Centre on August 14. Free admission, with donations for Edmonton’s Food Bank welcomed.
• Last Modern Events is hosting a Matcha Social on August 15-16, with the opportunity to try multiple matcha vendors in one location.

Local News

• In the wake of the multiple Downtown restaurant closure announcements this past month, many local businesses have posted reminders to support those you want to see through these difficult times, including Padmanadi, Patricia Street Deli, and The Butternut Tree.
• In the same vein, River Valley Co. announced that they will be sharing a portion of their sales from Little Brick and Dogpatch with a downtown hospitality business every week, and use their platforms to share their story.
• Real Talk with Ryan Jespersen had an extensive conversation with Kristina Botelho of KB & Co., Nate Box of Fox Burger and District Cafe, and Chris DeCock of Greta and Hudson’s about the spate of closures.
• Taproot Edmonton highlighted HOM Street Food’s current residency at Bibo.
• Congratulations to Coliseum Steak & Pizza for celebrating 50 years in business.
• Lucky 97 commemorated a big milestone too of 45 years.
• The July issue of Modern Luxuria featured Nero.
• The same issue also includes an interview with Dr. Doug Klein. Ten years ago, he partnered with chef Gail Hall to start Change Adventure Camp, a program that taught Edmonton kids how to cook and stay active. Unfortunately, Gail passed away after teaching in the first year of the program. Dr. Klein is hoping to memorialize her legacy in a permanent teaching kitchen called Gail’s Kitchen. Those who remember Gail and would like to learn more can fill in this form.
• Whisked’s matcha truck was brought to life on an Prime Video show called Young Farts Trailer Parts (yes, you read that right), about two brothers running an RV parts business in Vegreville, Alberta.

What I Ate

• I met up with my friend Su to satisfy my incessant craving for CQ Noodles. It was fuel for a fun evening at the first ever Locked Library at Edmonton Public Library, an escape room-type activity to be completed alongside 650 fellow sleuths. Their second event is already planned for October.

My usual chef pork meat soup from CQ Noodles

• Our family went to Taste of Edmonton last week, and were more than a little sad not to see The Lingnan there! It was bad enough losing the Fairmont and their scones several years ago, but no dry spicy chicken?! At any rate, our favourite savoury dish of the evening was Flipside BBQ’s flipdope tots (super tasty, and a reasonable portion size), and the mango bingsoo from Flurries (light and refreshing).

Mango bingsoo from Flurries

• We also took the kids to KDays, and indulged in some midway favourites, including Those Little Donuts.

We might have to upgrade to large next year

Openings

• Afghan and Turkish restaurant Ariana Kitchen opened in early July at 13720 50 Street NW.
• Indian restaurant and bar Sangam Social is now open in Sherwood Park at #42, 975 Broadmoor Blvd.
• Vietnamese fusion bakery and cafe Heo Bake is now open at 9407 98 Avenue NW.
• Sports pub The Gardens opened its second location at 11520 100 Avenue at the end of June.
• Smashburger purveyor Meet the Bun has opened its fourth Edmonton area location in Sherwood Park, 270 Baseline Road #122.
• Jerusalem Shawarma is adding its sixth Edmonton location at 13204 137 Avenue NW.
• Restaurant and brewery Brewco opened in mid-June at West Edmonton Mall.
• Also in West Edmonton Mall, Dickey’s Barbecue Pit is now open in the Phase 1 food court. It is the chain’s fourth location in Edmonton.
• Toronto-based Rosie’s Burgers has delayed their opening at the Brewery District until August 1. Find it at 11928 104 Avenue.
• Kanpai, a forthcoming Asian fusion bar to open in the former El Cortez space (8230 Gateway Blvd NW), has been sharing updates about its space since a fire damaged part of the building.
• A food truck serving Egyptian cuisine is opening soon in Edmonton, called Best Moud.
• Turkish restaurant and pastry chain Lokma Dessert Bar & Grill will be opening a location in Edmonton at 3629 Gateway Blvd NW.

Closures

• There were so many closures over the past two weeks (and in the prior month as well). KB and Company has shut down their downtown location after ten years in operation: “The construction, reduced foot traffic, changing work patterns after COVID, safety concerns etc, and every year seemed to bring another obstacle.” It appears on the website that three of the company’s other locations are still open, in Windermere, Sherwood Park, and St. Albert.
• In the same building, Bundok also announced its closure, after nine and a half years in business: “Running a restaurant is tough at the best of times and as things have continued to mount up against us, we’ve decided the best thing to do is move on.”
• Rhubarb Cafe in Manchester Square announced its closure after five years in business – it’s been a tough go for many businesses in that complex.
• After nearly one year, Ukrainian and European restaurant Zymo on Rice Howard Way has closed.
• After ten years, Greta will be closing on July 26, “due to the ongoing challenges of operating in downtown Edmonton”. Greta’s locations in Calgary, Vancouver and Toronto remain open. Its owner, Chris DeCock, wrote a long post about what led to its closure.

Upcoming Events

• YEG Burger Battle runs for the month of July, with 24 burgers to choose from at 19 participating restaurants. $1 from each burger sold will be donated to KidSport.

Local News

• Station Park’s Food Hall has ushered in a new set of vendors after an initial slate of Japanese food operators. This time, a variety of cuisines are represented, including Malaysian, Filipino, Indonesian, Vietnamese, and Ukrainian.
• The winners of KDays’ New Foods Competition were announced, and include bao from Flipside BBQ (who also won last year), brownie cake donuts, and a caesar gelato shake.
• Taste of Edmonton is on until July 26; the Journal is currently eating its way through the dishes.
• Zwick’s Pretzels has closed its 124 Street location, but are still offering pick up of their soft and packaged hard pretzels at a new location at 14811 134 Avenue NW.
• Fuge Sausage will be ending their Fuge Friday lunches in order to focus on production.
• The Journal covered Ramneek Singh’s current donair odyssey, on his quest to find the city’s best donair. He has currently reviewed sixteen donairs.
• The Globe and Mail compiled a list of 12 of Canada’s most beloved restaurants (the article is paywalled, unfortunately), and Bistro Praha is Edmonton’s contribution.
• Edify staff did a taste test of five different green onion cakes available in Edmonton.
• Erika reviewed Bar Bricco.
• Meals on Wheels has introduced a Celebrity Chef Series, which features special recipes created by local chefs to be served on their menus. This month, items from Koutouki and Blue Willow will be offered.
• Congratulations to Transcend Coffee on their twentieth birthday, pioneers on ushering in the third wave coffee scene in Edmonton.
• Speaking of coffee, Roasti Coffee Company was voted #1 in Fltr Magazine’s People’s Choice Coffee Awards.
• Always great to see local businesses collaborating, like Fu’s Repair Shop and Sea Change Brewing with the return of its Fu-Tang Tangerine Green Tea Ale.
• CBC RadioActive interviewed the family behind Ying Fat, a tofu factory in Chinatown.
• I really love the idea of mobile grocery stores/markets, especially in food desert areas. ATB Place (while not a food desert) offers a mobile farmers’ market on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Beyond Edmonton

• Italian Centre Shop opened it second Calgary location at Northland Village Mall last week.
• Sea Change Brewing and Flat Boy Burgers have opened Skelly Club in Calgary, at 816 11 Avenue SW.

Urban Agriculture and Farming

• It was heartbreaking to learn about Sundog Organic’s devastation to its crops this year, due to the excessive rain. Their operations are not covered by insurance at their scale, so they are currently raising funds through a crowdfunding campaign. We have been long-time customers and it would be such a loss if they aren’t able to continue operating in the future.

What I Ate

• Before our vacation, I had a work trip that brought me to Red Deer. It was my first time dining at Sprouts Vine Bistro, and after our lunch there, I know it won’t be my last. Their bison burger was juicy and so flavourful, and the service was excellent.

Bison burger from Sprouts Vine Bistro

• In honour of a few birthdays, we shared a beautifully decorated cupcake bouquet from B Bakes – it was almost too pretty to eat!

B Bakes cupcakes

• Our annual tradition of spending Canada Day at the Legislature continued, and meant we could indulge in some of our food truck favourites. We love us some Drift.

Fried chicken sandwich from Drift

Our family’s typical vacation destination of choice is Vancouver Island, so for a change of pace, we decided to visit Canada’s “other” island, Prince Edward Island. It was our first experience of the Maritimes, and it exceeded my expectations. The beaches were gorgeous (our family was partial to Thunder Cove and Brackley), the seafood was delicious, and the pace was exactly what we were hoping for.

• We did not know dairy bars were so prevalent everywhere, but the kids certainly got used to having ice cream almost every day! One of my favourites was enjoying Holman’s ice cream in their garden in Summerside.

Sorbet from Holman’s

• I’m always partial to a baked good, and we came across some fantastic bakeries. The freshly fried cinnamon sugar donuts from Olde Village Bakery in North Rustico were memorable, as was the strawberry flakie from Country Taste in Belfast.

Emily and our box of Country Taste treats

• Of course, there was seafood! The best setting for our meal was at Point Prim Chowder House – while it wasn’t the best chowder I’ve had, nothing beats the seaside setting.

Seafood chowder from Point Prim Chowder House

• As is the case when we’re on Vancouver Island, I was on a mission to find some local fishmongers for our dinners at home. It wasn’t hard, and the fish we had, simply fried in butter, were easily the best thing I ate on vacation. It also didn’t hurt that we hit up several farmers’ markets during our stay too, and were there at the right time for new PEI potatoes and fresh local strawberries.

Easy dinners at home

• The kids also tried their first oysters on this trip – the ones at Brackley Bay Oyster Co. are as fresh as they come.

At Brackley Bay Oyster Co.

Openings

• Mochi donut purveyor Mochido relocated from Vancouver to Edmonton and has set up shop in North Town Centre inside T&T Supermarket, 9450 137 Avenue NW, unit 134. It opened over the weekend.
• The Penny is a pop-up on Wednesdays from 3-8pm on the rooftop of the Pendennis Building, 9660 Jasper Avenue NW. They offer drinks and small bites.
• Ayco Cafe’s second Edmonton location is now open at 14213 103 Avenue NW.
• Shooby’s Gelato opened earlier this month, and has been generating quite the excitement. Edmonton definitely loves its cool treats! Find it at 4513 101 Street NW.
• Edmonton has another food truck in the city, called Love Bird Street Food.
• The Provincial Bar and Lounge re-opens on July 2, at 4211 106 Street, Unit 160.
• Dirty soda shop Sip Soda announced they will open their fourth location in the Edmonton area, this time on Whyte Avenue.
• Calgary-based The Bro’Kin Yolk will be opening a second location in the Edmonton region in Sherwood Park, to open this fall.
• Fried chicken chain Ophabie is now open in Edmonton, at 937 Parsons Road SW.
• St. Albert’s Back Nine Tavern is about the third virtual golf/sports bar to open or be announced in the past couple of months – I am curious to see if this is a fleeting trend or one that lasts.

Closures

• On the heels of the Mayfair location closing Odd Burger has also announced the closure of the only other Edmonton location, in Ellerslie.

Upcoming Events

• YEG Burger Fest runs July 2-11, offering $12 Lakeside Farmstead Wagyu burgers at eight participating restaurants downtown.
• Edmonton’s only 100% gluten-free pancake breakfast returns on July 18 to the Jerry Forbes Centre. Early bird tickets are $15 for adults.

Local News

• The owners of Khazana announced their closure of both locations earlier this month, and have since shared that they will file a class action lawsuit “against the City of Edmonton seeking $12 million in damages over the major financial losses our business and others have suffered, both during operations and because of the ongoing, unpredictable construction around our location.”
• The Journal interviewed Steve Brochu about the challenges he faced at PlayWright due to the surrounding construction.
• Edify profiled El Cafesito by MexiCanada, which offers Mexican food and goods in the shop.
• The patio at El Cortez was damaged by a fire last week, and the police have deemed it “suspicious”. El Cortez has been closed since January 2025.
• In celebration of summer, Explore Edmonton, North Central Co-op, and Sea Change Brewing Co. have partnered to create Lime Crush, a limited-edition craft beer. It is available at North Central Co-op Liquor Stores, Sea Change Taprooms, and at KDays.
• Edmonton-based Mr. Halal Burger will be expanding to Southern California this fall.

What I Ate

I will be away on vacation for the next couple of weeks, so there will be no new posts until mid-July. As always, if you’re looking for a fix, check out the Food Roundup over at Taproot Edmonton. Have a great start to the summer!

• It’s been ages since I’ve been to Cafe Bicyclette, but the weather co-operated and allowed Linda and I to enjoy their beautiful patio. Their kitchen was lightning fast that day, and the Montreal smoked meat sandwich was exactly what I hoped for. We also shared the poutine, which is a must.

Our spread at Cafe Bicyclette (with a jazz fest backdrop!)

• Running errands this weekend, we stopped at chain Kinton Ramen for the first time. I appreciate the variety of ramen broths and meat they offer (in addition to pork, they offer chicken, beef, and vegetarian). I tried the chicken which was tasty, but Mack’s pork broth was definitely better.

Original pork and chicken ramen from Kinton Ramen

• To celebrate my birthday over the weekend, Mack and I chose to try something new before going to an old favourite. Bar Trove just celebrated their first anniversary; we haven’t yet been. We tried their high/low dish of caviar chicken nuggets (recently changed to be a smaller, and thus cheaper portion, of 4g of caviar and 4 nuggets for $40). The chicken itself was crispy and well seasoned, and the calabrian chili aioli was great. Our server’s suggestion of eating the caviar separately was a good one, as otherwise, the delicacy was lost amongst the other textures and flavours. Service was great during our visit, so I’d recommend it for those looking for a higher-end experience.

Caviar chicken nuggets at Bar Trove

• We returned to our perennial favourite Tzin for our main meal. Their patio is my favourite in the city, and the food and service ranks near the top for me. We tried the “feed me” menu for the first time, and ended up with some really interesting and delicious dishes, including a dill pickle risotto and chili oil shrimp that Mack really enjoyed. Of course, no visit to Tzin is complete without bacon.

Bacon at Tzin

• And as is my birthday tradition, we hit up Rosewood so I could satisfy my lemon pancake craving. We’re so fortunate to have so many great restaurants in our ‘hood.

Lemon pancakes from Rosewood