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!

Openings

• The space that formerly housed Biera will become Campio Ritchie: “we are excited to embrace the neighbourhood, its people, become a member of @happybeerstreet, and all of the moments that bring us together over pints and pizza. Expect the bold flavours and warm hospitality you know and appreciate from our downtown location, now growing in a community that Biera helped cultivate and loves.” The location will open in the spring.
• Cloverdale Coffee, from the folks behind Little Brick and Dogpatch, opened last week. Find it at 9407 98 Avenue.
• Sip Soda, purveyor of “dirty soda” (a drink made with soda, cream, and flavoured syrups or juice), is coming soon to Sherwood Park.
• A new H&W Produce is expected to open in St. Albert by December 2025.

Upcoming Events

• Burger it Forward is a fundraiser for Food Banks Canada, running February 1-28. In Edmonton, there are 9 participating restaurants; for every purchase of a featured burger, Canada Beef will donate the equivalent of 1 meal to Food Banks Canada.

Local News

• Taproot highlighted Feed the Soul’s upcoming Callaloo + Chow pop-up at Fu’s Repair Shop, a celebration of Trini-Chinese cuisine.
• It is so great to see the support for DRTY Ice Cream – they had to close over the long weekend to restock because they completely sold out! They will re-open again on February 18.
• I always love to see local businesses collaborating – it was great to see Brio and Delavoye team up for a passion fruit chocolate croissant for Valentine’s Day.
• Edify checked out Taqueria El Chingon and Rudy’s Burger and Donair.
• Happy first birthday to Bar Henry!
• The couple behind Jasper’s Patricia Street Deli will be re-opening their shop in Edmonton, after the wildfire damaged their business beyond repair. It will be located at 10567 111 Street. They have also set up a crowdfunding campaign to help with the transition.
• Bonny Reichert wrote a food memoir called How to Share an Egg. Her father was a previous owner of Teddy’s in Edmonton.

What I Ate

The blog will be on break for a couple of weeks. We are heading for warmer climes to celebrate my Dad’s milestone birthday! See you in March.

• In honour of Family Day, Meals on Wheels gifted me one of their relatively new family-sized frozen meals. I only recently learned that their individual (and now family-size) meals are available to the public. Pre-ordering may not be necessary, either, as many of the meals are stocked and available to peruse in the lobby. The lasagna we tried was generously portioned (and was easily portioned out for 6-8 servings), and at $18, is reasonably priced. My only feedback was that the instructions should have clearly specified having to thaw the package overnight – but now we know for the future! Thanks to Meals on Wheels for the chance to try one out.

Family-sized lasagna from Meals on Wheels

• We wait all year for Love Pizza’s mac and cheeza. And it did not disappoint. The feature is on until the end of February.

Mac and cheeza

• I met up with some friends for high tea at newly-opened Lady Bea’s English Tea House on High Street. The new owners have restored the interiors. They were partially inspired by Noble Teahouse in High River. We found the savoury and sweet offerings to be of high quality and very tasty, and service was excellent. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it.

Afternoon tea experience from Lady Bea’s

• Emily and I had a pre-show lunch at PlayWright on Saturday (before Frozen, of course). I’m a big fan of their mac and cheese, and Emily loved their parmesan fries.

The best lunch date

Openings

• Ben Staley’s latest project, cocktail bar Kin, is now open in the former Shojo Izakaya space, 10425 121 Street.
• A reader left a comment about Lady Bea’s English Tea House, which opened on February 7 in the former Manor Café on High Street (10109 125 Street)..
• DRTY Ice Cream, which started as a hobby for Abby Ulanimo back in 2020, soft opened their location on February 1. It is located at Station Park in Old Strathcona at 107, 8125 Gateway Blvd.
• The Alfred has replaced Home & Away in the Mercer Warehouse at 10363 104 Street.
• I missed the grand opening of Lagos Flavors back in November, offering Nigerian food and cocktails. Find it north of MacEwan at 10514 111 Street.

Closures

• Okinawa Onigiri has closed.
• Fuwa Fuwa’s location in Windermere closed on January 26. Fuwa Fuwa’s other location on Whyte remains open.

Upcoming Events

• Old Strathcona’s Sweet Treats & Latte Festival has returned, and runs February 7-17. 30 participating businesses are offering a featured drink and/or treats.

Local News

• Cloverdale Coffee hopes to add another reason for folks to visit the river valley. The business joins a family of Riverdale-based businesses, including Little Brick, Dogpatch, and Bread + Butter.
• Bon Ton Bakery’s additional space is definitely a good news story amongst many closures/business changes so far this year.
• Swiss2Go’s Beverly location is now closed, but they will be moving to another location in the “same community”. They are renovating the space and will announce an opening date.
• It’s fun when restaurants approach Valentine’s Day with some sass – Dolly’s has a special Love Hangover menu, for instance, with a drink called Such a Samantha, while Green Onion Cake Man is serving up a Singles Heartbroken Menu to “heal your soul with delicious comfort food”.
• Edify checked out Don’ya Ukraine’s Kitchen, which recently opened their cafe.
• The Gateway sampled Smoke’s Poutinerie’s first Edmonton location.
• RGE RD was featured in Sunset Magazine.
• With all of the talk of tariffs, it’s no better time to think about buying local. Riverbend Garden’s 2025 Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) just opened for purchase. Our family had a great experience with this CSA last year.
• On the topic of buying Canadian – given labelling is far from straightforward, explainers like this one from CBC are necessary to really understand where items are sourced and made. Others have taken to creating apps, like this Edmonton-made one called Shop Canadian that allows consumers to scan barcodes to determine whether a product is Canadian-made.

What I Ate

• I was invited to attend the media preview of the Callaloo + Chow: Trini-Chinese Culinary Pop-Up last week. In lieu of their usual dining week, Feed the Soul will be focusing on a couple of special events this year, including this pop-up that celebrates “a fusion of Trinidad & Tobago seasonings and Chinese dishes”, with dishes from Winnie Chen of Fu’s Repair Shop and Nadine Lewis and Pat Ross of Cafe Caribbean. The pop-up takes place at Fu’s from February 19-23, and includes dishes like a geera pow (it was delicious), and sorrel margaritas (very refreshing). Thanks for having me!

Sorrel margaritas from Callaloo + Chow

• I satisfied a craving for King Noodle House last week. We love that their Chinatown Dining Week deal is year-round (at least after 3pm), and is also valid for take-out.

Bun bo hue from King Noodle

Openings

• The folks behind Bianco and Rosso are opening Nero. It will be located in the former Molson Brewery building in the Brewery District, at 12068 104 Avenue.
• DON’YA Ukraine’s Kitchen is a new Ukrainian café that opened last week, borne from its beginnings as a donation centre, then commercial kitchen. It is located at 12153 Fort Road.
• Ace Coffee’s permanent Manulife location on the second floor opened last week, replacing the temporary kiosk. It is Ace Coffee’s fourth location in Edmonton.

Upcoming Events

• Rosewood Foods’ annual Lunar New Year dinner is scheduled for February 16, with vegetarian and vegan options available. Tickets for the 6-course meal are $88 per person and include a welcome drink.
• As a part of Black History Month, Feed the Soul, Cafe Caribbean and Fu’s Repair Shop  are partnering for a pop-up experience to celebrate Trini-Chinese cuisine. Called Callaloo + Chow, it runs February 19-23. The opening reception takes place February 19 with a 5-course set menu; tickets are $55.

Local News

• Taproot highlighted Intent Coffee’s current iteration as a pop-up called Balay Coffee at Delavoye Chocolate, with an eye towards sustainability.
• Owners of Fawkes Coffee and Doughnuts Jorel and Mikayla Pepin were interviewed on the ARIVL podcast about the origin story behind their café.
• Pact Coffee Co. is the latest to communicate directly about their price increases of 15%, effective February 1.
• Wilfred’s has trimmed their evening hours to focus on brunch.
• Edify checked out Ali Baba Turkish Grill, and Korean eatery Sang.
• Black History Month magazine profiled Felicia Watson, executive chef at the River City Revival House.
• I am late to the Anti-Freeze Patio Party, which was commemorated on February 1, but not to worry – WinterCity Edmonton has a Passport to Winter to complete for your chance to win a WinterCity scarf. Item #1: lounging on a winter patio!
• The Journal wrote its semi-annual article about why American chains continue to open in Edmonton.
• Doughnut Party is opening a second location in Calgary, to open in Marda Loop in March 2025.

What I Ate

• I had my share of desk lunches this week, as we pushed through to meet some work deadlines. The hummus bowl from Vetrina Café was so satisfying (and you can never go wrong with their fresh pita).

Hummus bowl with chicken from Vetrina Cafe

• The nooner pizzas from Coliseum Steak & Pizza are also tried and true, and considering everything, actually make a pretty tidy desk lunch.

My usual pepperoni and mushroom nooner

• Craving Vietnamese food on Friday, Mack picked up some vermicelli bowls from Xu Hue. With the generous portion, I had enough for two meals.

Xu Hue chicken and spring roll vermicelli bowl

• Chocorrant was kind enough to gift me some of their Lunar New Year treats, including these spectacular cream puffs (the honey mandarin was particularly glorious). They are available for pre-order until February 9.

Cream puffs from Chocorrant

• I spent some of the weekend leading Chinatown walking tours (yes, in this weather!) as a part of the Togather festivities. Bravo to the hearty folks who came out in sub 30 degree weather to learn about Edmonton’s two Chinatowns, and visited the Journey of the Horse exhibit at the Mah Society. We also feasted on cake from Hong Kong Bakery and tofu treats from Ying Fat. Until next time!

Hong Kong Bakery’s signature fruit cocktail cake

Openings

• Canadian Chain Smoke’s Poutinerie is now open at 8111 104 Street.
• EggMania is a new restaurant offering “egg-centric Indian street flavours” at 6920 Ellerslie Road SW. It opened last week.
• Culinary Unicorn Kitchen and Bar opens on January 31 at 10009 107 Street (in the Matrix Hotel).
• O’Byrne’s Irish Pub will be opening soon in the MNP Tower (101 Street and 103 Avenue). This joins their other location on Whyte Avenue.

Closures

• Frida Urban Taqueria’s 124 Street location is now closed.

Upcoming Events

• I’m so happy to be a part of this year’s Togather Chinatown Arts Festival, running at the Edmonton Chinatown Multicultural Centre on February 1-2. I’ll be leading one walking tour each morning, complete with food samples and a chance to tour the Mah Society’s fantastic Journey of the Horse exhibit. If you’re interested, please pre-register! Even if you don’t want to go on the tour, do check out the event, which features a variety of vendors, a Chinatown Food Court, and free workshops.
• Winefest returns to the Edmonton Convention Centre on February 14-15. Tickets start at $120 and includes all food and drink samples.

Local News

• It looks like Filistix has launched a catering company called Flavour Agency from their same location, offering their same popular rice meals, as well as party platters and appetizers.
• I eagerly wait for this time all year – LovePizza’s mac and cheeza is back until the end of February.
• CBC Radioactive featured Hong Kong Bakery, one of this year’s Chinatown Dining Week participating businesses.
• Bannock Broz in the Enoch Community Centre is drawing rave reviews for its Indigenous take on the Philly cheesesteak.
• Edify checked out The Ridge Social Eatery in St. Albert.
• Spilt’s JoAnne Pearce will be competing in Canada’s first-ever national mocktail competition, the Beyond NOA 2025 semifinals, on February 17 in Calgary. Their drink entry, the Prairie Berry Patch is currently in Spilt’s menu.
• Chef Doreen Prei discussed representing Edmonton at the upcoming Canadian Culinary Championships in Ottawa.

What I Ate

• I’ve been having many desk lunches these past couple of weeks, during a very busy period at work. The latest was soup and sandwiches from Chocorrant – the very savoury French onion soup really hit the spot, and I adore their croissants.

Chocorrant lunch

• Mack and I stole away for a quick date night at Menya Mori. We’ve been big fans of their ramen kits but it was our first time at their brick and mortar. The verdict: the soup is excellent, and does taste better when someone else prepares it. Their Tonkotsu is my jam.

Tokyo Style Shoyu and Classic Tonkotsu from Menya Mori

• We finished off Chinatown Dining Week with an order from Spirit Bistro. Their big rice noodles with beef is a family favourite, and we had leftovers for days.

Our Spirit Bistro order

• I had a bubble tea date with Emily at Dagu on the weekend – I can’t believe our birthday girl turned 7.

Happy birthday, Emily!

Openings

• Calgary-based Kinjo Sushi has opened a location in Edmonton at South Edmonton Common, 1739 102 Street.
• BB2 All You Can Eat Korean BBQ will soft open on January 23 at 2335 111 Street.
• L’OCA’s second location in Parkview (9106 142 Street), taking over the institution that was Andy’s IGA, will open on January 31. The store will maintain Andy’s tradition of stocking many kosher products.
• The folks behind Spruce Grove’s steakhouse Barbacoa have opened a sister cocktail and wine bar called Barbaretta at 115 First Ave, Spruce Grove.
• It looks like Home and Away in the Mercer Warehouse will be rebranding into The Alfred Bar.
• Last month, Town 82 opened in Old Strathcona at 10401 82 Avenue.

Closures

• Carol’s Quality Sweets has closed after 35 years in business, and was challenged by “mandated pandemic closures, break-ins and city road closures”. Carol and Grant Logan are retiring, but are saying farewell one last time on January 26 at the Glenora Community League with a sale of chocolate and sweets.
• After nearly 3.5 years in business, SoHo has announced their closure as of January 18.

Upcoming Events

• Grounds for Coffee hosts informal coffee tastings. Their second event will be held on January 26 at The Connected Kitchen. Tickets start at $27.
• Last Modern Events is hosting a Lunar New Year event series in January and February, including a kick-off event on January 31 with Mai Mai and Boba Bar popping up with their favourites.
• Edify’s annual Best Restaurants event will be held on April 7 at the Edmonton Convention Centre. Their early bird tickets are on sale until January 31 at $80 each.

Local News

• The Journal has more details about what to expect from Lauren Kyle-McDavid’s forthcoming restaurant Bar Trove. The article mentions she is focusing on local products and is working with a consultant from Toronto to put together the French-inspired menu. Bar Trove is aiming for an April opening.
• El Cortez is temporary closed but will re-open with an “upgrade” in spring 2025.
• Spilt Bar is seeing an increase in business, coinciding with Dry January.
• Happy second birthday to Honi Honi Tiki Lounge.
• Edify checked out new restaurants Nam Siam in Chinatown and Yangming Chinese Restaurant in Wîhkwêntôwin.
• The Downtown Business Association is soliciting applications for vendors for the 2025 Downtown Farmers’ Market, which will run on Saturdays from May 17-October 11, 2025.

What I Ate

• It is Chinatown Dining Week! It runs until January 26, and even though I am not involved this year, we are still planning to enjoy many of its participating restaurants. We started with an order from Syphay. I love their pad thai, and $20 is a great deal for a meal that rounds out with spring rolls and tohm yum soup.

Chinatown Dining Week combo from Syphay

• I also met up with a friend for a catch-up at Pho Tau Bay. It has been too long.

My go-to pho

• Mack also filled our fridge with subs from Van Loc, with their second annual buy one, get one free offer in line with their birthday.

Subs for days

• For a get together this weekend, we had sweet treats from both Farrow and Great North Cookie Co.

Sweet overload

• Linda and I had a great time chatting with Mack and Troy about our Edmonton Food Faves list. You can listen to our conversation starting this week on Speaking Municipally.

Tasting some of our faves

Openings

• Downtown Edmonton has another sushi restaurant called Ester, at 9828 101A Avenue (former Vicki’s Gourmet Bistro in the Citadel Theatre). It is currently only open for pick-up and delivery, with a grand opening soon.
• Cocktail bar Golden Sparrow opened last week in the former Northern Chicken space on 124 Street.
• Toronto-based chain Kinton Ramen will be opening a location in Edmonton in Terra Losa in the summer.
• A second location of Chipotle is now open in Edmonton at Manning Town Centre at 350 Ebbers Boulevard NW, Unit 1.

Closures

• The Mash has closed their Windermere location. Their Whyte Ave and St. Albert locations remain open.

Upcoming Events

• Wyrdstock, billed as “YEG’s Original Wyrdbier Adventure”, is on from January 8-February 16. You can pick up a passport and drink your way through unique beers offered at 19 craft brewers. 
• Great to see that the duo behind Vagabond Pop-ups (Chefs Christine Sandford and Roger Letourneau) are returning to Edmonton’s Monolith Taproom for a fondue experience. Unfortunately, the event on January 26 is already sold out.

Local News

• This year’s nomination form for the Tomato Top 100 Best Things to Eat or Drink list is now open – submit your favourites by January 23.
• Co-owner Rosaly DeVenz was interviewed by CBC about the closure of the Italian Bakery’s Chinatown location. The building will be put up for sale/lease.
• Lucky Supermarket’s new location was also featured on CBC.
• Edmonton AM highlighted forthcoming Chinatown café and bar Boa and Hare, which hopes to open by the end of January.
• Irrational Brewing and Doughnut Party collaborated to create the Raspberry Bismarck Pastry Sour.
• Edify checked out WildRoots Bistro in St. Albert and Lan Noodle in Old Strathcona.
• I love that Pals did their version of “Pals Wrapped”, featuring their year in numbers and favourites, including serving up a total of 29,862 nuggets, and 18,988 orders of take-out.
• I missed sharing a segment Linda and I recorded with CBC Radioactive about our Faves We Crave list.

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

Openings

• Bodega announced its seventh location in the Edmonton region. It will be located in Old Strathcona in what was once an Elephant and Castle (10314 Whyte Avenue).
• Dahlia’s, the plant-based café from the folks behind Die Pie and operated in the same space at 11817 105 Avenue, opened at the end of November. It offers coffee and baked goods.
• Café Aria, the sister establishment to Café Versailles, held its grand opening last week. It is located at 20023 Lessard Road.
• Vetrina Café is now open in the space that formerly housed Vish at 10326 124 Street, and serves a very similar menu to its predecessor. The Vish menu will actually continue to be available for online orders for pick-up from the restaurant.
• Eleven Eleven also opened at the end of November at 10305 100 Avenue (the former Rigoletto’s).
• Krispy Kreme opens its first Edmonton location on December 10 at 4614 Gateway Blvd.
• The 100th No Fills location in Western Canada opened last week in Edmonton at 21546 92 Avenue.

Closures

• Filistix announced that after five and a half years, they are closing their standalone location: “the aftermath of the pandemic has seen this paradigm shift, like no other, where working from home is now the norm and that hit us really hard. The fact that the Government District, and the downtown core in general, no longer has the vibrancy nor the density it once had, has taken its toll on us. It’s no secret that people are spending and eating out less than ever before and these factors make it untenable for a restaurant like ours to survive.” Filistix will continue to operate their locations at the University of Alberta and MacEwan University.

Upcoming Events

• Some will remember Green Onion Cake Man’s Siu To used to run a restaurant called Happy Garden. With a blast to the past, he is cooking up a Happy Garden-inspired menu on six dates in December starting December 14. The eight course meal will be prepared for groups of 5 at the cost of $250.

Local News

• The Journal interviewed Sean Thompson, the owner of new community pub Frank’s, on the inspiration behind the place.
• Julio’s Barrio re-opened in their new location just down the street from their former location at 10416 Whyte Avenue (the former Malt and Mortar space) on December 4.
• Paper Birch Books in Little Italy now has a coffee bar!
• Italian Bakery’s Tesoro (with groceries, a deli, bakery, and café), opened in the fall in the southwest to meet the population growth in that area.
• So happy to see that Pho Tau Bay is back open after closing for renovations.
• Slow Pour Beer Bar celebrated two years in business.
• I love take-and-bake meals over the holidays, so it is great to see more businesses offering different options. Paraiso Tropical is one such place, with Mexican, Salvadorian, and Colombian dishes that can be pre-ordered for larger groups.
• On that note, Edify has a round-up of more mainstream options available.
• Also from Edify, they share some Christmas memories from local chefs, including Blair Lebsack from RGE RD and Winnie Chen from Fu’s Repair Shop.
• Congratulations to Strathcona County’s Bar OA and Nisku’s Rig Hand Distillery, who both won accolades at the Tourism Industry Association of Canada Awards.
• Edmonton’s Food Bank has only reached 20% of its fundraising goal for the year so far.

What I Ate

• We stopped by Nuestra Coffee Shop across from Borden Park over the weekend. It is a beautiful space, and it was great to see so many people inside on a Saturday afternoon. I envision returning in a warmer season to grab a drink to enjoy while the kids play at the playground.

Nuestra Coffee

• I had lunch with a colleague at Vetrina Café today. The menu is almost identical to Vish, which I was happy to see given my opinion that their hummus and pita is the best in the city. I enjoyed the hummus bowl, but I probably would have hoped to see more chicken served with the order. I will say, the staff gave us a sample of a new spread they were working on, a pesto mayo, and it was delicious.

Hummus bowl from Vetrina Café

• Mack and I were invited to attend a preview of Krispy Kreme last week. They dodged the question of why exactly it took so long for them to open in Edmonton (Calgary had one years ago that eventually closed). This location is considered a “factory”, which means that it produces donuts on site (as opposed to a café location which would only serve donuts). Besides the fact that they plan to operate the mostly automated machines for 23.5 hours per day to churn out 55,000 donuts, the benefit of the factory is they can serve warm donuts to customers (look for the “hot now” sign to be lit up). It was a treat to be able to enjoy a signature original glazed donut fresh off the line, but it was interesting that two staff that we talked to actually named the chocolate cake donut their favourite of the Krispy Kreme line-up. At $1.90 each (or $16/dozen) for the original glazed, it is something I can see flying off the shelves when they open on December 10.

Original glazed donut from Krispy Kreme