Openings
- Darling’s permanent location opened over the weekend, and they offer lunch, dinner and weekend brunch. Find them at 9616 82 Avenue.
- Die Pie’s new location opened last week, at 11817 105 Avenue. Die Pie identifies itself as “Alberta’s first plant-based pizzeria”.
- Kind Ice Cream’s third location is now open in the OEX II Building (12017 102 Avenue), just east of the OEX Building that houses Culina To Go and Brio.
Closures
- Transcend Coffee announced that they have closed their Garneau location, as “the revenue generated from the Garneau location has not been sufficient to cover the costs of operation.” They will continue operations at their Ritchie cafe.
Upcoming Events
- La Pizza Week runs May 1-14. Eight restaurants in the Edmonton area are participating, including Famoso and Pink Gorilla.
- Alberta Food Tours will be resuming their Savoury and Sweet Strathcona food tours on May 28, which includes stops at Meat, Sugared and Spiced, Pact, Remedy Cafe, and Made by Marcus. Tickets are $95 per person.
Local News
- The Rice Howard Place food court will be closing in March 2024 for renovations, and with it, Chicken for Lunch. Make sure to get your fix in before then, Edmonton.
- Awn Kitchen is the latest business to be transparent about the increase in their menu prices, due to inflation: “on May 1 we will be increasing our pricing slightly to reflect this and ensure we can continue to bring you the same quality and experience that you know.”
- Happy first birthday to Felice Cafe!
- Edify checked out The Lunchbox Sandwich Shop and Evario Kitchen & Bar.
- The Journal covered the forthcoming Karen’s Diner pop-up at the Canadian Brewhouse on 109 Street from May 6-14, where sass can be expected for $55 per person, and Strathcona Spirits’ Chaga Mushrum Rye.
- Also from the Journal – they interviewed Omar Mouallem about the premiere of his feature-length movie about Burger Baron, The Lebanese Burger Mafia.
- Feta and Olives in HUB Mall was closed by Alberta Health Services due to health violations.
Beyond Edmonton
- Bon Appetit took a piece out of Crumbl, the US-based bakery who just opened a location in Edmonton. According to the NY Times, they are the fastest-growing dessert shop in the US, but their product is notoriously bad. Of course, I can imagine the owners are laughing all the way to the bank.
What I Ate
- We finally had the chance to try Das Brezel Haus in Manchester Square. We loved their location, next to a multi-use trail, which allows them to have an expansive, sunny patio. I wished the pretzel we tried was warm, but it was soft and well-seasoned. I was eyeing their sausage-wrapped pretzel, but we had just had lunch – so, next time!
Plain pretzel from Das Brezel Haus
- Last weekend, we were #hosted at Prestons, located in the Coast Edmonton Plaza Hotel Downtown. We had the chance to try their Prime Rib Sundays, which will be offered on Sunday nights for $35 per person. That price includes 10oz prime rib, 2 vegetables, and 1 chef’s choice potato. We also tried the Yorkshire pudding and heritage salad, and would recommend both. It’s such a great value-oriented meal available downtown, and those looking for some nostalgic comfort food will not be disappointed. Reservations for Prime Rib Sunday are required and have to be made no later than 2pm Saturday.
Prime rib spread from Prestons
Only Here for the Food 