The Colombian brews plan for rapid expansion

On the heels of opening two new cafés in six months in the Edmonton region, the founders of The Colombian are on a mission to grow their business exponentially.

“We are actively looking to open in 75 communities, internationally, in 10 years,” said Santiago Lopez, co-owner of The Colombian.

Lopez, along with his business partner and wife Kristin Panylyk de Lopez, opened the pair’s first café and roastery in Glenora in 2018. Since 2021, the pair has steadily added one location per year. The Colombian now operates shops in the Bonnie Doon, Parkallen, Mill Creek, and Forest Heights neighbourhoods. Last month, the duo opened their first shop outside the city, in Sherwood Park.

“Sherwood Park has embraced the shop, and already has regulars,” Panylyk de Lopez said. “There are lots of families visiting the café.”

Demographics are a key factor that determines where the company decides to open, as The Colombian tries to appeal to inter-generational customers. Lopez is also guided by internal data that shows where online coffee bean deliveries are made. All of this information led to them considering Sherwood Park.

“It’s a great community that is under-serviced,” Lopez said. “It’s better than St. Albert because people stay in Sherwood Park and are more willing to support businesses there. People in St. Albert come into Edmonton for most of their services. I haven’t seen a coffee business succeed in St. Albert.”

The Colombian has been very intentional in positioning itself in areas where third spaces are missing. “If we open in smaller communities, we become the gathering spot in the neighbourhood,” Lopez said. “We go into places that need the community.”

Lopez wouldn’t say where the company plans to expand, but indicated the plan will be “very organic” just as its growth from one location to six has been. “We feel that we can impact several communities in North America,” he said.

Santiago Lopez and Kristin Panylyk de Lopez (Supplied)

Given that the business has found success in a relatively short period of time, Panylyk de Lopez shared that some are under the false impression The Colombian has achieved its growth through external funding.

“We don’t have investors, it’s just the two of us and small business loans,” Panylyk de Lopez said. In fact, although Lopez is with The Colombian full-time, Panylyk de Lopez continues to work full-time as a junior high school teacher.

“With investors, you lose the control of the business,” Panylyk de Lopez said. “It turns into a numbers business. We take on a high level of risk, but we want to grow it and still maintain the company culture.”

With so much personally invested, the stakes to succeed are high. One example that pushed them to the limit happened out of necessity.

“We started our bakery during the pandemic,” Panylyk de Lopez said. “We said, ‘We’ve got to do this.’ So we set up a bakery and took an online course. We started with brioche donuts. Now, we have a team of three amazing bakers. They do all of our cookies, scones, muffins, and all of our food ingredients. They even make our roast turkey from scratch.”

The Colombian’s through-line of quality starts with its coffee beans. Much of its coffee is sourced from Lopez’s uncle Felipe, who owns a coffee farm in Colombia, where Lopez is originally from. Lopez believes it is some of the best coffee in the world, owing to the terrain and year-round production capability.

“The reason we started this business was to bring Felipe’s coffee to Canada,” Panylyk de Lopez said. “To make it sustainable, you have to get close to the consumer. Farmers are benefiting when we can buy directly and not at commodity prices.”

The duo views The Colombian as a bridge to specialty coffee, which may be a different approach than other independent cafés. “My biggest qualm when you go to a coffee shop is when they make you feel like you can’t put cream or sugar into it,” Lopez said. “That’s the most off-putting thing you can do. When we then say we want to be a bridge, we want people to drink a better, high-quality product however they want it.”

Perhaps most prominent to the business, however, is the value of good hospitality. “We are not hipsters roasting coffee,” Lopez said. “We borrowed from Walt Disney: People want to come back for how we make them feel. We’re not transactional, we are experiential.” Echoed Panylyk de Lopez, “Our focus is making people feel special and seen. When you come in, our whole team will greet you. And that is not something that you find in specialty coffee.”

The couple is forward-looking. On the immediate horizon is the launch of a new breakfast sandwich next month, with house-made English muffins, as well as scratch-made sausage rolls. But they always have an eye to the future. “We have big plans,” Lopez said. “We want to do many things. How, we don’t know. We didn’t know how we would have six shops and employ 70 staff. We just work very hard, and we are crazy about people.”

Openings

• Campio’s Ritchie location opened last week at 9570 76 Avenue (the former Biera space).
• Luichi’s has opened their third location in the Sun Life Place (10123 99 Street). All three of Luichi’s locations are downtown.
• Japanese Village has opened a fourth location downtown, at 10518 101 Street.
• Old Yale Brewing will open their first location outside of BC in Beaumont, slated for mid-May. It will be a brewery and a restaurant with three patios.
• 109 Garden Bistro & Brunch has replaced Tang Bistro at 8715 109 Street.

Closures

• Butcher Modest Meats closed abruptly earlier this month.

Upcoming Events

• The Edmonton International Beer Fest runs April 18-19 at the Edmonton Convention Centre. General admission starts at $22.01.
• Food Bike Tour has launched their summer schedule of events, which include food and walking tours. Tickets are now available.

Local News

• Bodega has followed in the footsteps of Padmanadi and Seoul Fried Chicken and will be expanding to Calgary.
• I love a good collaboration: so great to see Jacek Chocolate Couture team up with Fu’s Repair Shop to create a bonbon collection in honour of Asian Heritage Month. It launches on May 1 and will be available at Jacek, Fu’s, and Boa and Hare.
• Kind Ice Cream substituted whisky for bourbon in their (now) maple whisky pecan flavour because of the American tariffs. They use whisky sourced from Edmonton-based Hansen Distillery.
• Forthcoming cocktail bar Coco’s is hosting a pop-up at Dolly’s on April 23.
• A fire on 34 Avenue Plaza has destroyed 25 businesses, including Chutney’s, a restaurant serving Pakistani food. Ramneek Singh (of Ram’s Food Reviews) has started a crowdfunding campaign for the family behind Chutney’s.
• Backstairs Burger was broken into in early April, and could use the support.
• Feed the Soul shared Black-owned restaurant guides for central/south central and northside.
• If you fancy cooking up rabbit for your Easter dinner, Edify has a recipe for you, courtesy of the Italian Centre in light of an Italian tradition.
• I am happy to see that Edmonton’s Food Bank has picked up Edmonton Public Library’s mantle and will be starting their own seed bank to help with food security.
• Since 2020, City Farms, based at Old Man Creek Nursery, grew produce for Edmonton’s Food Bank. The program has been discontinued due to the City of Edmonton’s budget cuts.

What I Ate

• At the conclusion of a conference at the Edmonton Convention Centre last week, I love that the organizers offered a build-your-own poutine bar to encourage folks to stay and network. Needless to say, I stayed.

My inside-the-box poutine

• While we don’t order the butter chicken wrap from Remedy often, every time we do, we’re reminded of how solid it is – unpretentious, filling, and tasty.

Butter chicken wrap and samosa from Remedy

Openings

• Culina’s Little Italy location will be transitioning from an event space to Culina Famiglia, an “approachable Italian spot with great food, wine, and neighbours”. It will open this spring at 10821 95 Street.
• Nashville-style chicken chain Dave’s Hot Chicken opened last week at 10832 102 Avenue. Taproot has a story about what led to the choice of a central location, given most recent American chain openings have focused on suburban areas.
• Kitchen by Singh, offering Indian fine dining, has opened at 10810 124 Street.
• Calgary-based Deville Coffee has opened its third location in Edmonton, at 8329 112 Street.
• Leopold’s Tavern has also opened its third location in Edmonton, at Heritage Valley, 2861 119A Street SW.
• Chipotle will open its third location on March 26 at 891 Tamarack Way.
• Indian restaurant Cilantro Kitchen is opening soon at 8985 Carson Way SW.
• Chick-Fil-A is old news at this point, but did add a third location last week at 10175 186 Street.

Upcoming Events

• I might live to regret it, but it is for a good cause: I am one of the panelists for the Wing Wednesday fundraiser on April 2 for Edmonton Meals on Wheels. I’ll be subjected to a Hot Ones-style interview on stage (attempting to eat increasingly spicy wings while answering questions). Tickets are $75 and include (less spicy) wings and other appetizers.

Local News

• Five restaurants have decided to hold-over their Downtown Dining Week deals until the end of March. Businesses include Shoyu Sushi, Central Social Hall, Dining Car Cafe, Von’s, and Ramen Misoya.
• Taproot profiled Next of Kin, Ben Staley’s first concept as Hoot Company’s creative director.
• Congratulations to Jacob Marler who took the top prize with The Long Winter Iced Tea at the Bartender Competition at Edmonton Cocktail Week.
• DRTY Ice Cream is hosting their grand opening party on March 29.
• Dagu started offering an all-you-can-eat option about a month back; its been interesting to see more and more restaurants adopt this.
• MSSM’s DJ Night, which offers “unlimited sushi while it lasts” charges men $80/person while women are $50/person. Gender-based pricing shouldn’t be a thing for so many reasons.
• Balay Coffee (formerly Intent Coffee), shared how slow it has been for them during their current pop-up at Delavoye Chocolate. Go support them if you are able!
• Evolution Wonderlounge, Edmonton’s only gay bar, shared their new location will be in Wîhkwêntôwin, in the space formerly occupied by Reign. When it opens this spring, it will be renamed Evo, with extended hours and a food menu.
• It is always great to see when businesses are fully transparent about price increases, as was the case with Roasti Coffee Company last week, regarding the rise in their coffee prices.
• Edify checked out Miss Saigon in Windermere and Cafe Aria.
• Modern Luxuria has opened up nominations for their Awards of Excellence, which include some food and drink categories, including restaurant, chef, front-of-house server, coffee shop, brewery, distillery, and mixologist/cocktail bar.
• Pizza 73 has temporarily rebranded to Pizza 74, in honour of the Oilers’ Stuart Skinner. During this time, They are also offering an apt-named “Skinner dinner” special.
• Artist Edith Chu’s exhibition Sweet and Sour Memories at the Art Gallery of St. Albert honours her parents’ Szechuen Restaurant, which operated in Edmonton from 1984-2007. The exhibit runs until May 1.
• Two Edmonton-based authors were recognized in a Food and Wine article highlighting 5 essential Canadian cookbooks, including Shane M. Chartrand for Tawâw and Twyla Campbell for Prairie.
• Operation Fruit Rescue Edmonton is crowdfunding $1,600 for equipment and resources to shift their focus to teaching people about processing and preservation techniques.

What I Ate

• After a very long week, I was so happy to be able to nip out with Mack for a Friday wind-down. We hit up Kelly’s Pub in our ‘hood for the first time in many years, and found the casual atmosphere and specials just what we needed.

Fish and chips are $17 on Fridays at Kelly’s

• We don’t go to Buok as often as we should. Every time we eat there, we comment on just how much we enjoy the food. They had a great Downtown Dining Week deal, but we will return for more bibimbap and ginseng chicken broth.

Our Buok feast

Openings

• Kommune Snack Bar, a Scandinavian-influenced eatery, opens on March 21 at 11931 Jasper Avenue. Chef Christine Sandford provided consulting support.
• Boba + Brew opened last week, serving bubble tea and specialty coffee, located at 4962A 98 Avenue.

Closures

• What a loss: after a decade, Lock Stock Coffee announced its closure. Its final day will be March 21. Thankfully, Red Star will continue on with its regular hours.
• Ashford House Pub in Manchester Square announced their closure back in February.

Upcoming Events

• Edmonton Cocktail Week is on now, running March 17-23, which includes the Alberta Spirits & Cocktail Festival at the Edmonton Convention Centre on March 21-22.

Local News

• Brotherhood of Plates finished his review of 45 breakfast joints in Edmonton. The Bonnie in Bonnie Doon, Picklewich in Canada Place, and The Commodore were the top 3.
• Taproot wrote about a recent trade mission Token Bitters CEO Keenan Pascal attended in Japan.
• It is always great to see local talent on national television – St. Albert chocolate maker Priya Winsor will be on Food Network’s Spring Baking Championship, and watch Tu Le of Jack’s Burger Shack on the Big Burger Battle on Flavour Network on April 21.
• The Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market will no longer be offering free parking to customers on the Gateway Boulevard parking lot as of April 6.

What I Ate

• I had a work lunch at OEB last week. I’ve never ordered any of their non-breakfast dishes, so was pleasantly surprised with their Notorious B.I.T. Burger. I do wish the serving of waffle fries was bigger – they were very addictive!

Burger from OEB

• We joined Linda and Ben for Ben’s birthday pho at King Noodle House over the weekend. It was delicious.

Happy birthday, Ben!

• We also took the opportunity to treat ourselves to some Little Bon Bon around the corner. The peanut butter base of the Grandma Wong flavour was so tasty.

I can never pass up the vanilla cookie crumbs

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!