Food Notes for March 9, 2026

Openings

• After twenty years in operation, northside Vietnamese restaurant Pho Song Huong announced their closure back in December, due to not being able to renew their lease. Last month, they shared that they were able to sign a new lease after all, due to the landlord’s “change of heart.” The restaurant re-opened on March 1.
• White Rabbit Ice Cream is the latest business to join The Hub in Old Strathcona, 10345 Whyte Avenue NW.
• District Café will be opening a location in Rice Howard Place this year.
• Bubble tea chain Machi Machi has opened a second Edmonton location in West Edmonton Mall (Unit M105).

Closures

• L’OCA, the splashy high-end grocer that first opened its flagship location in May 2024, and a subsequent location in Parkview that opened in January 2025, is closing both on March 12. Attending the opening of its first store, I wondered whether consumers would jump on board with their premium prices.
• After 10 years in business, plant-based prepared meal business Good Stock has announced they will be closing at the end of May.

Upcoming Events

• The Telus World of Science is hosting Bannock Fest on March 12. Vote for your favourite bannock and enjoy hands-on Indigenous-themed activities.
• It’s never too early to start planning for your garden – Seedy Sunday returns on March 22 at the Alberta Avenue Hall.

Local News

• After five years operating in Chinatown, Co Chin Saigon will be moving out of that location to a new area.
• Don’ya Ukraine’s Kitchen’s downtown location is re-opening on March 18 with free samples and tastings.
• Barb & Ernie’s commemorated fifty years in business last year – CBC RadioActive checked it out.
• Edify’s new editor Mifi Purvis spoke with Edmonton AM about the current Best Restaurants issue.
• Century Hospitality is serving a feature menu at all of their restaurants inspired by Humbolt Broncos survivor Tyler Smith’s favourite dishes. Smith is a mental health advocate, and $2 from every item sold will be donated to the Mental Health Foundation.
• Sharon recently reviewed Siam Thai Kitchen.
• After the tepid bite of the McDonald’s CEO went viral, many CEOs have been posting their own videos in response. Here is one from Woodshed Burger’s Paul Shufelt.
• Rat Creek Press profiled the 30+ year old WECAN Food Basket, where a $5 annual membership grants members the opportunity to buy a discounted basket of produce or meats for $15 or $20 respectively.

What I Ate

• I attended a luncheon organized by the Chinatown Transformation Collaborative over the weekend at The Lingnan, in honour of International Women’s Day. Among the guest speakers were Amy Quon of The Lingnan and Teresa Spinelli of The Italian Centre Shop.

There’s dry spicy chicken under there, somewhere

• I’d been craving the distinct flavours of CQ Noodle for weeks, so Mack, Ellie and I finally hit it up for dinner. Ellie loved the hand-made dumplings (she easily ate half the plate), while the chef pork noodle soup was just as good as I remembered.

Chef pork noodle soup from CQ Noodle

• Even better, to cool down the palate, we popped into DRTY Ice Cream (inside Foosh) next door for a treat afterwards. The strawberry shortcake was delicious!

The cutest ice cream on the block