Food Notes for November 3, 2025

Openings

• Fantastic news that Zenari’s/Dalla will return in the form of becoming the café operator in Zocalo’s. They will offer coffee, pastries, and sandwiches, and are asking the public for feedback on their new identity.
• Meet the Pho is among several new Vietnamese restaurants that opened in recent weeks, located at 592 Hermitage Road NW.
• Ngu Binh is another, open at 17014 107 Avenue NW.
• A trifecta is complete with the late October opening of Vi Nam in Old Strathcona, at 10445 80 Avenue NW. Due to a gas pipeline issue, they are closed until November 5.
• On the heels of Mokha Coffee House’s expansion, they are joined by another Yemeni cafe called Qamaria Yemeni Coffee Co., a North American chain. It is located at 395 Parsons Road SW.
• Rasht is a new Northern Iranian restaurant that opened at the end of October at 10321 124 Street NW.
• YEG Dream Tarts has opened a pop-up in Southgate Centre.
• South Chinatown is home to a new restaurant called 7-Kitchens, serving up Chinese cuisine. Find it at 9645 101A Avenue NW.
• Global chain Chaiiwala has landed in Edmonton, at 1051 Parsons Road SW. It opened November 1.
• Another global chain, Kokoro Tokyo Mazesoba, opened at 11145 84 Avenue NW.
• Canadian burrito chain Fat Bastard is now open in Edmonton at 10166 186 Street NW.
• West Edmonton Mall has welcomed several new/returning enterprises: first up is Bonjour Bagel. I will say I don’t quite understand the name or connection to Paris given bagels aren’t typically associated with France.
• The Pizza Spot, with another location in Spruce Grove, has opened at West Edmonton Mall.
• Lastly, Baskin Robbins, after previously closing in Edmonton, has returned with not one, but two locations at WEM.

Closures

• Continental Treat’s one remaining location abruptly closed on October 10. The reason for the closure relates to the business’s lease termination/bankruptcy and lack of current insurance. The restaurant has chosen to wage a public campaign against their landlord, the City of Edmonton, attempting to rally patrons via social media to write their local officials to change the decision. It has not worked.

Upcoming Events

• The annual Jason Gregor Pizza Pigout, supporting KidSport, returns November 6. Tickets are $30.
• The Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival returns to Edmonton November 7-8. Admission tickets start at $25, not including the cost of tasting tickets.
• It seems like the holiday charge is coming too soon, but I guess we are in November after all – All is Bright returns to 124 Street on November 15, with winter activities, music, and food.

Local News

• Congratulations to the 2025 class of Edify’s Top 40 Under 40. The list includes The Butternut Tree and The Marc’s owner Scott Downey, 124 Street Grand Market founder Kirsta Franke, Epic Market co-founder Jennifer Keith, and agri-food consultant Stephanie Bach.
• Corpuz Bake Shop has closed its location in Bountiful Market and will be moving its operations from Alberta Avenue to Terrace Heights at 7325 101 Avenue NW. They will re-open their new location on December 1.
• Edify had a feature
  on wine bars in Edmonton, including stalwart Tzin and relative
  newcomers Nowhere Bar and Coterie.
• Also from Edify: they checked out Habesha
  Cravings and Milk
  & Honey.
• CBC Radio Active highlighted new Ukrainian-European restaurant Zymo and cafe Aroma, both on Rice Howard Way.
• I love when independents collaborate, so it was great to see that Yelo’d and Momma Tong partnered to make a Vietnamese coffee ice cream.
• Jacek partnered with Tidal to create MYCAO, which combines dark chocolate and Canadian-grown mushrooms.
• Meuwly’s shared a post about their no-tipping philosophy that enables the business to pay their staff a living wage.
• I appreciated learning about Bissel Harvest Catering, one of Bissel Centre’s social enterprises.

Beyond Edmonton

• Sea Change Brewing, which operates two locations in the Edmonton area, will open a location in Calgary.

What I Ate

I missed last week’s Food Notes as I made the decision to watch the entirety of the Jays’ marathon game 3. I had hoped by the time I returned to the blog I could say that the Blue Jays were once again World Series champs, but alas. I’ll actually be in Toronto next week to visit family; so expect another break from the blog, returning mid-November.

•  I was able to partake in one Ten Dolla Deal from Feed the Soul’s dining week, #hosted at Serengeti BBQ. I’ve passed the restaurant many times but hadn’t yet tried it. Their Zanzibar pizza sounded enticing, with ground beef and egg in a chapati crust. The egg dip made the pizza less firm than I was expecting, but it was still satisfying!

Had to picnic with my Zanzibar pizza while I was still able!

• Errands close by took us past Jerusalem Shawarma, and Mack and I always intentionally over-order for leftovers. The chicken shawarma is our go-to. It was our first time in person at the 104 Avenue location and the staff were so hospitable – I was more than happy to try some tea and treats while waiting for our food.

Chicken shawarma family plate from Jerusalem Shawarma

• Faithful readers will know Cinnzeo is one of my guilty pleasures. However, The Art of Cake is my go-to for cinnamon buns from a local provider. They’re a great value at $5, but only available on weekends.

Art of Cake cinnamon buns