Food Notes for March 10, 2025

My family had a great time on vacation (more below), and it was a nice break from routine. Hence, a super-sized version of Food Notes this week – thanks for reading!

Openings

• I’m so excited to see that Otto will be opening a little sister restaurant called Tulip Sandwich Shoppe on Alberta Avenue!
• Bodega’s seventh location in the Edmonton area opened last week in Old Strathcona. Find it at 10314 Whyte Avenue.
• It was also announced that the folks behind Bodega will open a new venture called Roca by Sabor in the restored 1910 Union Bank building downtown.
• Square One Coffee’s fifth location opened at the end of February. It is located in Windsor Park at 11728 87 Avenue.
• Miss Saigon just opened its third location. Find it in Sherwood Park, Unit 210, 501 Emerald Drive.
• Bubble Tea & Coffee Lab (BTCL) has opened its second location in the Edmonton region in Keswick, at 1037 Keswick Drive SW. BTCL’s first shop is in Spruce Grove.
• Island Brew Coffee House is the newest café to join 124 Street, having opened in early February at 10802 124 Street.
• American chain Brooklyn Dumpling Shop has opened its first location in the Edmonton area in Sherwood Park, 270 Baseline Road. They are known for their fusion dumplings and their no-contact approach in an “automat” format. Since the tariffs began, I’ve heard only anecdotally about some people choosing to boycott American franchises; I wonder if it has any impact on these types of new additions to the food scene.
• Dave’s Hot Chicken is coming along at 109 Street and 102 Avenue.
• O’Byrne’s Irish Pub is opened in February in Ice District, at 10235 101 Street.
• Vacant no longer! Habesha Cravings, serving Ethiopian and Eritrean cuisine, has moved into the long-empty space on 102 Avenue and 116 Street and will open soon.
• Relish Bar & Market is the new incarnation of Biera Market inside the Ritchie Market building.

Upcoming Events

• Downtown Dining Week returns March 12-23, and features over 70 participating restaurants offering multi-course menus between $15-65.
• Although the snow returned this week, there were some prior signs of spring! At any rate, gear up for the gardening season at Seedy Sunday on March 23, at the Alberta Avenue Hall.

Local News

• Edify released their 2025 Best Restaurants list. Bernadette’s, Olia, MSSM, Menya Mori, and KohSaar Grill received nods under the Best New category.
• On a related note, Edify announced that Steven Sandor will be departing Edify magazine. He left his mark on the magazine in many ways, perhaps most notably on the annual Best Restaurants list. It will be interesting to see how the list changes with someone different at the helm.
• The Tomato also released their Top 100 Best Things to Eat and Drink.
• Taproot had the story behind Panini’s Italian Cucina’s decision to open multiple ghost kitchens, including most recently, Wise Guys Square Pies, out of their Sherwood Park location.
• Ben’s Meats will be expanding and moving this year, and will be adding a gluten-free cafe to the new location.
• Happy first birthday to Liberta Coffee Lab! They will be celebrating this anniversary with a special coffee cupping and party.
• RadioActive paid a visit to DRTY Ice Cream.
• Edify checked out Backstairs Burger and Ayce BB2 Korean BBQ.
• Edify also profiled Shane Chartrand, who was one of this year’s Best Restaurants judges.
• The Carrot Community Arts Coffeehouse is crowdfunding donations to replace one of their coffee machines that was damaged due to a previous cold snap.
• This year’s Hokanson Chef in Residence at NAIT is Quentin Glabus. NAIT will be hosting some public dining events on March 20 and 21, starting at $28 per person for lunch.
• With the tariffs and inflation in general, it feels like grocery alternatives have a huge growth potential. Cue the latest addition to the Edmonton market: Odd Bunch, which delivers “odd” and surplus produce to consumers. Small boxes start at $20.

What I Ate

• I had a the pleasure of attending the Jola’s Polish Cooking pop-up at Rosewood yesterday. The vibe was great, and so many people came out to support the event. Su and I tried one of everything – my favourite was the beet & mushroom pithivier, such great flavour and texture.
• It was my family’s first time in Mexico/all-inclusive/resort, but we found it to be a great place for an inter-generational vacation (we were there to celebrate my Dad’s milestone birthday). I consumed So. Many. Tacos.

The first of many tacos

• Of all the on-site restaurants, it is no surprise that the best of the lot was the one serving Mexican cuisine. The birria was outstanding.

Birria and enchiladas

• It was so great that our family could come together and commemorate the occasion in such a beautiful setting. I’m not sure when we may choose resort life again, but I’d be open to it again in the future!

Cheers!