Food Notes for January 6, 2025

More To Crave: Updating Edmonton Food Faves We Crave

In 2022, Linda and I published the first Edmonton Food Faves We Crave list. We documented our individual picks and one shared pick in fifteen categories. Most of the places we highlighted were based on great visits over time, so the majority were not new businesses. But as I referenced in my year-end review of the food scene, longevity doesn’t guarantee that independent restaurants can survive the kind of turmoil seen over the past five years.

This year, Linda and I decided to update the list in part because five of the restaurants we highlighted in 2022 had closed. It’s a common refrain heard after restaurants announce their closure that diners rush to support them one last time – but if only a fraction of those customers had frequented it on a regular basis, then the closure may not have been necessary.

In addition to revisiting our previous 15 categories, the 2024 Edmonton Food Faves We Crave list also sees five new categories, including Fave Handheld, Neighbourhood, Noodles, Non-Alcoholic Drink, and Worth the Drive. In total, we recommend 60 places to eat, drink, and enjoy.

I am so grateful to live in a city where Linda and I actually struggled to limit our choices to 60 – there were many debates and discussions, the results of some of which left many restaurants on the cutting room floor. That said, without ongoing patronage, we know that some of these businesses will not survive.

We encourage you to use the list as a starting place to discover something new, or perhaps revisit one of your old favourites.

Openings

• Pho Hoan Pasteur has opened its sixth location in the Edmonton region! Find them now at Manning Town Centre, 3636 153 Avenue.
• Burger restaurant Meat the Bun opened two new locations over the past month: on the north side at 592 Hermitage Road and in Old Strathcona at 10542 Whyte Avenue.
• The Mill Creek neighbourhood has seen some wonderful additions in the past year, including a branch of The Colombian, and Frank’s Community Pub. It will also be home to the third Edmonton location of Made by Marcus behind Mill Creek West (the building with Frank’s).
• Lauren Kyle, Connor McDavid’s wife, posted that she is involved in a new project called Bar Trove. It will be located in the historic Canada Permanent Building at 10126 100 Street.
• It’s always great to see new establishments in Chinatown – this time it is Nam Siam, serving up Vietnamese and Thai cuisine at 9653 107 Avenue.
• I also love learning about cafes opening in mature neighbourhoods – Cloverdale Coffee is opening soon at 9407 98 Avenue, a “cousin” of Little Brick, Dogpatch, and Bread and Butter.
• Square 1 Coffee teased their Windsor Park location a year prior, but it looks like it will finally open this February at 11728 87 Avenue. It will be their fourth café, with a fifth opening in Sherwood Park.
• Darkside is a new pop-up cocktail bar and will open on January 10-11. Reservations are currently full.
• Aura is another new cocktail bar coming soon, located at 3759 Gateway Blvd.
• LA-based Dave’s Hot Chicken will be opening in Edmonton this year.

Closures

• This was a hard week for restaurant closure news, starting with the Italian Bakery, who decided to close their Chinatown location after 64 years. After a devastating fire in 2016, the family rebuilt and re-opened the store in October 2023. Their last day of operation was January 4. The location in Beverly remains open.
• Dalla announced their permanent closure, effective December 31, 2024. The restaurant operated under the Zenari’s banner for 36 years, and in 2020, moved from Manulife Place to Enbridge Centre and rebranded as Dalla: “Letting go isn’t easy, especially because we believe so deeply in what we’ve created, but sometimes the bravest choice is acknowledging you’ve done all you can.”
• The Wîhkwêntôwin location of Brit’s Fish and Chips has closed. Their southside location remains open.
• Reinette Cafe closed its West Edmonton Mall location at the end of December. Its Mill Woods location continues to operate.

Upcoming Events

• Balay Coffee (formerly Intent Coffee) announced their first pop-up dates at Delavoye Chocolate, taking place weekends until January 12.
• The eighth annual Chinatown Dining Week runs January 16-26, 2025. A record 27 restaurants are participating this year, all offering amazing $10 and $20 deals. There are 5 new businesses this year: Little BonBon, One01 Bistro, Rock N Roll, Li Dong Food Products, and Boualouang. Last year, I decided to step away from the planning of the event, but I will definitely be supporting the restaurants as an attendee this year! Go forth and #eatyegchinatown.
• The event is now sold out, but I thought it was still worth noting that Cheata Nao will be hosting a Cambodian Noodle pop-up on January 19 at Get Cooking. I love seeing more diverse cuisines in Edmonton.

Local News

• Die Pie has made
  operational changes, including closing their dining room outside of large
  party reservations and special events. In addition, the adjacent Dahlia’s Cafe
  will be closed on weekday mornings.
• Uproot Food closed their
  114 Street location, but items can now be picked up at South Island Pie’s
  pop-up Hot Pie Shop at 12415 107 Avenue.
• Edify checked out Eleven Eleven, Dong Koi, and featured Junoon Lounge.
• Modern Luxuria profiled The Lingnan in their current issue.
• In a sponsored post, Edify profiled Chris Lachance, owner of the Century Hospitality Group, who was recognized with the Edmonton Chamber’s Business Leader of the Year award.
• Often Restaurant and Tiki Tiki on Whyte were included on an Alberta public registry of employers who are owing amounts outstanding to employees.
• Strathcona Spirits suffered a fire in December. Please consider supporting them through online orders or at their retail partners.
• It’s always great to see hospitality businesses give back to the community – such as Arcadia, who hands out food and hot drinks all year round.
• The founders of The Colombian started a podcast called Welcome to Confluence, “where hospitality, leadership and mindset come together”.

What I Ate

It was not my intention to take a two week break, but boy, was it glorious. Hope your holidays were equally filled with good food and cheer.

• Both of my sisters were able to come home for Christmas, so we had many meals together as a family. A notable one was around the table at Otto – those garlic fries though.

Platter from Otto

• Mack celebrated his birthday during the break, and we threw him a pizza party in his honour. Pies from Fn’za and High Dough were enjoyed.

Pizza from Fn’za

• Mack and I were also able to get away for dinner at Little Wolf. We loved the drinks, and were so impressed with the vegetable-forward menu.

Drinks from Little Wolf

• We understand that Donna’s Eatery, buried in an industrial park on the west end, has its followers, but we didn’t understand it until we visited ourselves. Donna’s has been operating for 21 years, and they do all the little things right. From the warm service to the large portions to the well-prepared food (they are known for their epic fresh sandwiches), it is a quintessential hidden gem.

Mack’s club sandwich