Openings
- Ralph’s Fried Chicken opened its south side location on the weekend, at 9204 23 Avenue NW.
- There’s a new brewery on Happy Beer Street called Yeasty Boys Brewing Co., at 9951 78 Avenue NW.
- Rival Burgers, which had operated at Queen Mary Market, opened its storefront on September 25 in the former Blue Chair Cafe space in Ritchie, 9624 76 Avenue NW.
- Harubaku Coffee, a wood-fired roastery based in Edson, has opened a location in Edmonton on the second floor of the Sandman Hotel, 10235 101 Street NW.
- Vale Italian Gelato & Cafe is now open at 12805 Fort Road NW.
- Mexicorn, which until recently was a home-based business, has opened in a new location at 8407 118 Avenue.
- The third Edmonton-area location of seafood chain The Captain’s Boil is now open in Sherwood Park, 326, 222 Baseline Road.
- Calgary-based Bro’kin Yolk is opening its second Edmonton-area location in Sherwood Park on September 29, at 2020 Sherwood Drive, 12B.
- Turkish restaurant and pastry chain Lokma Dessert Bar & Grill will open on October 2 at 3629 Gateway Blvd NW.
- Be-a-Bella’s Glenora location will open on October 8 at 10340 134 Street NW, unit 2.
- The Virsa Mahal, an Indian restaurant downtown, is opening a take-out restaurant in Ellerslie called The Tiffin.
- Mr. Halal Burger is getting ready to open its fifth Edmonton area location in Sherwood Park, at 220 Lakeland Drive, Unit 240.
Closures
- Pho Song has closed after 21 years. The space will transition to a new business called Pho Queen Royal.
Upcoming Events
- Happy to see chefs Christine Sandford and Roger Letourneau’s Vagabond pop-ups will return starting October 3 until January in the former Wilfred’s space.
Local News
- Actor John Cena, who was in town last week for the Edmonton Expo, shared his love for two local coffee shops: Fawkes and Credo.
- CBC RadioActive checked out AsiaFest this past weekend, while Edmonton AM featured a whirlwind history of the Edmonton coffee scene.
- Indian Villa is celebrating its first anniversary.
- Edify featured a how-to on enjoying Chinese hot pot.
- Meal prep business Simply Supper announced that they have ceased offering the self-assembly sessions.
- The thirteenth season of Top Chef Canada will feature an Edmonton competitor, Abigail Lopez, who is currently a private chef. The season begins airing on October 20 on Flavour Network.
- Starting October 1, chip bags and other plastic packaging, along with coffee cups, will be accepted into recycling in Edmonton.
- Empire Co., the parent company of Sobeys, Safeway, and FreshCo., has agreed to stop using restrictive covenants that prevent competitors from opening grocery stores at or near their other locations.
What I Ate
- I was in Red Deer for work last week, and tried some take-out from Blue Dragon Fine Thai & Khmer Cuisine. The Phnom Penh fried rice knocked my socks off – the spice was higher than my tolerance, but the pineapple cut the heat somewhat.
Phnom Penh fried rice from Blue Dragon
- Our family spent some time in Chinatown over the weekend – it’s been too long since our last visit to Pho Tau Bay. I love that my kids will grow up with an appreciation for good broth.
My go-to at Tau Bay
- We also bid farewell to Little Bon Bon with one last scoop. It was great to see the community come out to say goodbye – even if it’s too little, too late. We can’t take these local gems for granted.
One last bonbon
