There’s a lot of great food in Edmonton, and we hope you’re able to use this guide to discover some of it! Our grid system for addresses should make finding any of these places very easy (at least with a bit of occasional help from a smartphone and Google Maps). Navigation tip: “Streets” run north to south with street numbers increasing to the west, while “Avenues” run east to west with avenue numbers increasing to the north.

If you have any questions/issues that aren’t addressed here, please feel free to contact compiler Jennie (email: jenniedo@ualberta.ca, Twitter: @IPEdmonton) at any point before or during the conference.

Near the university:

Belgravia Hub:This restaurant is a homey “hidden gem” (it even won an award for it!) set among the bungalows of Belgravia, a residential area south of campus. They offer a surprisingly substantial menu for lunch, brunch, dinner, and dessert. Sample menu items: apricot chicken, jambalaya, green cauliflower curry.

Address: 7609 115th Street

Website: https://www.belhub.com/

Open: Tuesday-Thursday 10am-2:30pm for lunch, 4:30-10pm for dinner. Friday 10am-2:30pm for lunch, 4:30-11pm for dinner. Saturday 11:30am-2:30pm for lunch, 4:30-11pm for dinner. Sunday 5-9pm.

Café Leva: This is a great little place (quite close to campus but still nestled among the bungalows of residential Garneau) for coffee, breakfast, and lunch. There’s a great little patio space to eat outside in the fresh air too. If you’re staying close to campus, this might be the place to stop on your way to the conference for the day. Sample menu items: pizza, baked goods, breakfast sandwiches.

Address: 11053 86th Avenue

Website: https://www.facebook.com/levabar/

Open: Monday-Wednesday 7am-4pm, Thursday-Friday 7am-8pm, Saturday-Sunday 8am-4pm.

Farrow: A small but inviting sandwich place that also does breakfasts. It’s only a few years old but already has a huge following, and not just among the campus crowd. Sample menu items: Grick Middle (sandwich with fried egg, bacon, smoked cheddar, rosemary aioli, and greens), Ricotta Be Kiddin’ Me (sandwich with smokey jackfruit, vegan ricotta, pineapple, banana peppers, marinara, daiya, and arugula), Chief Beef (sandwich with roast beef, horseradish aioli, pickled red onions, chips, greens).

Address: 8422 109th Street

Website: http://farrowsandwiches.ca/

Open: Monday-Friday 8am-7pm, Saturday-Sunday 9am-7pm.

Heeretea Dongxi Tea Edmonton: There’s no food here, but this newly-opened bubble tea joint is the first Canadian link in a Hong-Kong-based chain of high-end, imaginative bubble tea places. If this were just a few blocks closer to campus, I might have to have their Cheese Oreo bubble tea with half sugar (I know it sounds weird, but trust me) every single day.

Address: 11116 82nd (Whyte) Ave.

Website: https://www.instagram.com/heeretea.ca/

Open: Monday-Thursday 11am-10pm, Friday 11am-11pm, Saturday 12pm-11pm, Sunday 12pm-10pm.

High Level Diner: This place has been here forever, and it shows—it’s a great place to people-watch, and you’ll run into both “regulars” and newcomers. They do breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner with a large menu that includes many vegetarian and gluten-free options. Sample menu items: smoked salmon quesadilla, gluten-free club sandwich, Middle-Eastern appetizer platter.

Address: 10912 88th Avenue

Website: https://www.highleveldiner.com/

Open: Monday-Wednesday 7:30am-9pm, Thursday-Friday 7:30am-10pm, Saturday 8am-10pm, Sunday 8am-9pm.

La Poutine: This place isn’t the very best poutine you’ll get in Edmonton, but if you’ve been wondering about this French-Canadian dish you’ve probably heard about but never tried, this is certainly the place you’ll have the most choice in terms of variations on the traditional version. They also sell poutine-scented lip balm (no lie). Sample menu items: The Traditional (russet potatoes, cheese curds, gravy), The Perogy (russet potatoes, cheese curds, gravy, smoked sausage, onions, sour cream), The Quebecoise (russet potatoes, cheese curds, gravy, bacon, maple peanut butter and jelly drizzle, crushed peanuts).

Address: 8720 109th Street

Website: http://www.la-poutine.com/

Open: Sunday and Monday 11am-8pm, Tuesday-Saturday 11am-10pm.

Noorish: A creative and delicious vegan and vegetarian restaurant with a menu that includes several different imaginative raw desserts. Sample menu items: charred eggplant and cauliflower, beet-chickpea-based veggie burger, raw truffle chocolate and salted caramel torte.

Address: 8440 109th Street

Website: https://noorish.ca/

Open: Monday-Thursday 11am-10pm, Friday-Saturday 11am-11pm, Sunday 11am-10pm.

Remedy Café (Garneau location): This is a cozy little coffee and chai place (you will not regret trying the Kashmiri chai latte), but the menu is full of plenty of excellent and affordable food (both Western and Pakistani) as well, including vegan and gluten-free options. Sample menu items: bagel with cream cheese, tandoori chicken wrap, pastries.

Address: 10279 Jasper (101st) Avenue

Website: https://remedycafe.ca/

Open: Monday-Thursday 7:30am-11pm, Friday 7:30am-12am, Saturday 8:30am-12am, Sunday 8:30am-11pm.

Rosso Pizzeria: A little Italian-style pizza restaurant specializing in delicious wood-fired-oven pizzas with both traditional and decidedly non-traditional toppings, but there are of course other things on the menu too, including a great range of salads. They have a decent beer and wine selection as well. Sample menu items: 19 wood-fired pizzas, pasta features, beet and grain bowl.

Address: 8739 109th Street

Website: http://pizzeriarosso109.com/

Open: Monday 10am-9pm, Tuesday-Thursday 10am-10pm, Friday-Saturday 10am-11pm, Sunday 10am-9pm.

Sugarbowl: This is a terrific little neighbourhood restopub with excellent options for breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner, as well as a fine beer and wine menu. It’s also a great place to just sit and chat. Sample menu items: brioche French toast, lamb burger, chicken and waffles, bratwurst with sauerkraut, vegan sausage tofu scramble.

Address: 10922 88th Avenue

Website: https://www.thesugarbowl.org/

Open: Monday-Thursday 8am-12am, Friday-Saturday 8am-1am, Sunday 8am-12am.

Three Boars Eatery: A small-sharing-plates place with an eclectic food menu and a long and lush drinks menu. Sample menu items: toasted coriander salad, pork and chicken terrine, mushrooms and toast, housemade sausage.

Address: 8424 109th Street

Website: http://threeboars.ca/

Open: Monday-Thursday 5pm-12am, Friday-Saturday 5pm-2am, Sunday 5pm-1am.

Whyte Avenue area/Old Strathcona:

Ampersand 27: Enthusiastically-reviewed fine-dining restaurant with just a hint of Asian flair (the chef is Chinese) in a lovely space with a good-sized patio out front. Offers a great brunch on Saturday and Sunday. Sample menu items: Duck benedict on a green-onion-cake waffle, bacon-fig grilled cheese sandwich, Belgian waffle and berries (for brunch), black garlic gnocchi, smoked salmon with black rice, asparagus and pickled onion, dry-aged ribeye steak with rosemary garlic butter.

Address: 10612 82nd (Whyte) Avenue

Website: http://ampersand27.com/website/

Open: Monday-Friday 11am-3pm for lunch, 4pm-late, Saturday-Sunday 10am-3pm for brunch and 4pm-late for dinner.

Ávila Arepa Urban Venezuela Kitchen: This place specializes in (as you might guess) arepas, which are traditional Venezuelan corn-based buns typically filled with toppings like beef, chicken, pork, or vegetarian toppings like avocado or black beans. They’re a great option for gluten-free diners (and you won’t need to ask for anything special, since they’re all naturally gluten-free). The sign on the door says “come in, we’re awesome”, and they are. Sample menu items: More than a dozen kinds of arepas, pabellón criollo (pulled beef, black beans, fried plantain, and white rice), cachapa (sweet corn pancake filled with queso de mano).

Address: 10760 82nd (Whyte) Avenue

Website: http://www.myavilaarepa.com

Open: Monday 11am-8pm, Tuesday-Thursday 11am-9pm, Friday-Saturday 11am-10:30pm.

Café Mosaics: Food for vegetarians and vegans (though omnivores will also appreciate it) in a bright, welcoming, and modern space. They make a point of using whole foods from responsible farms. Open for breakfast and brunch as well as lunch and dinner. Sample menu items: imitation tuna wonton tacos with avocado chili lime, greens-eggs-and-yam wrap, four different veggie burgers.

Address: 10844 82nd (Whyte) Avenue

Website: https://www.cafemosaics.com/

Open: Tuesday-Thursday 11am-9pm, Friday-Saturday 10am-10pm, Sunday 10am-9pm.

Blowers and Grafton Halifax Street Food: If you don’t like calorie-rich, cheesy, and fried, this is probably not going to be your kind of food, but for those who do, this is a great place to experience the street food of a part of Canada you’re not getting to visit this trip, without leaving Edmonton. And the patio out front is big and gorgeous and great for people-watching the folks out on Whyte Avenue (bring a sweater if you’re planning to stay out after dark—it gets chilly at night even on warm days). There’s a whole separate gluten-free menu for those who want that. Sample menu items: five kinds of poutine (the weirdest: Philly cheesesteak poutine with Wagyu beef), fish and chips, bucket of mussels.

Address: 10550 82nd (Whyte) Ave

Website: https://blowersgrafton.com/

Open: Monday-Thursday 11am-12am, Friday-Saturday 11am-2am, Sunday 11am-12am.

Dadeo: This is a small Cajun-style diner with retro 50s décor (vinyl booths, black and white checkered floors, vintage juke boxes). Every order comes with free house-made biscuits and housemade jalapeño jelly. Sample menu items: crab cakes, Andouille sausage fritters, po’boys, jambalaya.

Address: 10548a 82nd (Whyte) Avenue

Website: http://dadeo.ca/

Open: Monday-Thursday 11:30am-10pm, Friday-Saturday 11:30am-11pm, Sunday 12-9pm.

Dorinku Tokyo Street Food: This is a very lively (and somewhat loud—sit near the front if you want to chat with a group) place offering Japanese street food. The plates are meant for sharing. Sample menu items: age mochi mapo (chewy fried rice cake with spicy ground pork sauce), Ishiyaki beef bibimbap, chicken karaage.

Address: 10205 82nd (Whyte) Avenue

Website: http://dorinku.ca

Open: Monday-Thursday 11:30am-2pm for lunch, 5-11:30pm for dinner, Friday 11:30am-2pm for lunch, 5pm-12:30am for dinner, Saturday 11:30am-12:30am.

El Cortez Mexican Kitchen and Tequila Bar: Simple but tasty Mexican food with a surprisingly good tequila and mezcal menu (I recommend the flights of tiny glasses to try different kinds). There’s a fantastic patio space out back, don’t forget to ask to sit there on a nice day. Sample menu items: carnitas al pastor (Mexican-spiced confit pork shoulder), pescado frito (battered white fish), chiles rellenos.

Address: 8230 Gateway Boulevard (103rd Street)

Website: http://www.elcortezcantina.com/

Open: Monday-Thursday 4pm-12am, Friday-Saturday 11am-2am, Sunday 11am-11pm.

Have Mercy Southern Food and Booze: This is a beautifully decorated (in keeping with the “Southern US” food theme) space that offers unassuming but delicious food. Vegetarians will have trouble but there are a few options. Sample menu items: firecracker shrimp po’ boy, grilled chicken breast with Cajun spices, brisket and mash.

Address: 8232 Gateway Boulevard (103rd Street)

Website: http://www.havemercy.ca/

Open: Monday-Wednesday 4pm-12am, Thursday 4pm-2am, Friday-Saturday 11am-2am, Sunday 11am-12am.

Langano Skies: This place serves big platters of excellent Ethiopian cuisine to share, with options for both meat-eaters and vegetarians or any combination of the two. Sample menu items: doro tibs (marinated chicken breast with onions, broccoli, green peppers, and Ethiopian spices), yebeg wot (lamb cooked with Berbere, garlic, onion and fresh ginger), ater kik aletcha wot (split peas cooked with onions, fresh garlic, curry and blended with a variety of spices).

Address: 9920 82nd (Whyte) Avenue

Website: https://langanoskies.com/

Open: Tuesday-Wednesday 4:30-10pm, Thursday 11am-2:30pm for lunch and 4:30-10pm for dinner, Friday 11am-2:30pm for lunch and 4:30-11pm for dinner, Saturday 12-2:30pm for lunch and 4:30-11pm for dinner.

MEAT: This is a very good barbecue restaurant in a big space with lots of light. Believe it or not for a restaurant with this name, there is an excellent vegetarian sandwich as well. Try a platter to share if you can’t decide. Sample menu items: beef brisket, pulled pork sandwich, fried chicken, Andouille sausage.

Address: 8216 104th Street

Website: http://www.meatfordinner.com/

Open: Monday-Thursday 5-10pm, Saturday 11am-11pm, Sunday 11am-10pm.

Narayanni’s Gourmet South African Indian Cuisine: Come here for the buffet (priced differently on different nights, with the more expensive meat dishes primarily available on weekends, but always quite affordable) available for meat lovers and vegetarians alike, all of it excellent. Sample menu items: beans and taro root, chana dahl end eggplant, grilled masala chicken, masala fried sole.

Address: 10131 81st Avenue

Website: http://www.narayannis.com/

Open: Tuesday-Sunday 5:30-9pm.

The Next Act Pub: This place isn’t trying to be anything other than a really good local pub with good food and drinks, but it’s very cozy and tasty. Sample menu items: pulled pork sandwich, vegan Mediterranean wrap, PB&J burger (crunchy peanut butter, housemade bacon jam, and cheddar cheese).

Address: 8224 104th Street

Website: http://www.nextactpub.com/

Open: Monday-Thursday 11am-12am, Friday 11am-1am, Saturday 10am-1am, Sunday 10am-12am.

Nongbu: There are more Korean restaurants in Edmonton than you can shake a stick at, but this is the first (and so far only) one that specializes in Korean street food. So it’s not bibimbap, but it is absolutely fantastic. The small plates are meant for sharing as a general rule. Sample menu items: Seafood panjeon (Korean pancake loaded with shrimp, squid, and green onions), kimbap (rice, daikon, burdock, egg, Korean ham, and cucumber rolled in seaweed), different kinds of Ddukbbokki (small lightly fried rice cakes in various sauces).

Address: 8115 104th Street

Website: https://www.skipthedishes.com/nongbu-korean-eatery/

Open: Monday-Thursday 12-10pm, Friday-Saturday 12pm-12am.

Nudoru: This newish place is Edmonton’s first ramen noodle house with fresh made-in-house ramen noodles, but they also have tasty sharing plates. Sample menu items: tonkotsu ramen with smoked bacon, pork shoulder, pork belly, chili menma, pickled onion, scallion, egg, and nori, make-your-own ramen bowls, octopus fritters, beef tataki.

Address: 10532 82nd (Whyte) Avenue

Website: http://www.nudoru.ca/

Open: Tuesday-Saturday 11am-10pm, Sunday 12-5pm.

Old Szechuan Chinese Restaurant: This relocated Edmonton institution (it used to be in a falling-down house on the north side of town) is the city’s very best place for authentic Szechuan (read: spicy-hot) Chinese cuisine. The menu is HUGE, so come with a group and order ALL THE THINGS to share (you’ll eat like a king and not have to spend much to do it). Sample menu items: crab with Szechuan pepper in hot and spicy sauce, shredded kelp in garlic sauce, Szechuan yam noodles in hot and sour sauce.

Address: 10016 82nd (Whyte) Avenue

Website: https://www.facebook.com/%E8%80%81%E5%B7%9D%E5%91%B3-Old-Szechuan-Restaurant-1443417819226712/

Open: Monday-Sunday 4-11pm.

Pip: This is a great little (read: tiny, so make a reservation if you can, especially with a bigger group) spot that’s primarily known for its daily brunch, but it’s also good for dinner. A recent review said of it “If Pip were a person, she’d be that friend of yours whose behaviour is usually predictable, but every now and then, she surprises you.” There’s also a small patio out front. Sample menu items: mushroom toast, quinoa breakfast bowl, short rib eggs benedict (for brunch), gnocchi with garlic cream and pesto, blackened tilapia (for dinner)

Address: 10403 83rd Avenue

Website: https://www.pipyeg.com/

Open: Monday-Thursday 10am-11pm, Friday 10am-12am, Saturday 9am-12am, Sunday 9am-11pm.

Remedy Café (Strathcona location): This is the newest (and definitely the hippest) location of a local chain of coffee and chai places (you will not regret trying the Kashmiri chai latte), but the menu is full of plenty of excellent and affordable food (both Western and Pakistani) as well, including vegan and gluten-free options. Sample menu items: bagel with cream cheese, tandoori chicken wrap, pastries.

Address: 10479 82nd (Whyte) Avenue

Website: https://remedycafe.ca/

Open: Monday-Friday 7:30am-12am, Saturday-Sunday 8am-12am.

Rooster Café and Kitchen: This is a great place for breakfast and brunch, for both smaller and larger appetites. Sample menu items: brisket eggs benedict, gouda and chive omelette, bagel boards, breakfast poutine.

Address: 10732 82nd (Whyte) Avenue

Website: https://roosterkitchen.ca/

Open: Monday-Wednesday 7am-3pm, Thursday-Friday 7am-8pm, Saturday 8am-8pm, Sunday 9am-4pm.

SFC Seoul Fried Chicken: This place is not for vegetarians, but carnivores love it, and it’s both tasty and affordable. It fills up fast but it shouldn’t take too long to wait for a table if that ends up being necessary. The menu is straightforward: seven different flavours of fried chicken, which you order in half or whole sizes (so come with a group if you want to try different kinds). They also have sides like fries, corn fritters, and “mac and cheese pesto”.

Address: 7904 104th Street

Website: https://www.sfcseoulfriedchicken.com/

Open: Tuesday-Saturday 11am-10pm.

Situation Brewing: To be honest, the two brewpubs listed in the “a little further afield” category below are superior, but if you want a perfectly tasty brewpub that’s within super-easy walking distance of Whyte Avenue hotels and shops, this is the place. They offer housemade craft beer & pub food in an industrial-chic space, and they’ve also got a good-sized outdoor patio. Sample menu items: pepper ranch and beer beef dip, pizza, bison burger.

Address: 10308 81st Avenue

Website: http://situationbeer.com/

Open: Monday-Tuesday 11am-11pm, Wednesday-Thursday 11am-12pm, Friday 11am-1am, Saturday 10am-1am, Sunday 10am-11pm.

Under the High Wheel: A bright and cozy breakfast, lunch, and dinner place that’s vegetarian-friendly and has gluten-free options. Sample menu items: Eggplant crostini, spring risotto with pea and pistachio pistou and seasonal veggies, ricotta gnocchi, pork schnitzel with truffled asparagus salad.

Address: 8135 102nd Street

Website: http://underthehighwheel.com/

Open: Monday-Tuesday 8am-4pm, Wednesday-Saturday 8am-9pm, Sunday 9am-4pm.

Downtown:

Baiju: A hip Asian fusion small-sharing-plates and imaginative cocktail bar. The food is great and the space is beautiful, but they turn the music up loud, so it’s probably not a place to go for a quiet chat (though if you’ve got your heart set on it, come early before it gets busy and you’ll probably be fine). Sample menu items: crispy mushroom bao, spicy sesame noodles, smoked confit chicken, pork and shrimp lion’s head dumplings.

Address: 10359 104th Street

Website: https://baijiuyeg.com/

Open: Tuesday-Thursday 5pm-12am, Friday-Saturday 5pm-1am.

Bianco: This is a brand-new place (they opened in the last week of May) right across the street from the CRAFT Beer Market (see below). Run by the same team that brought us Rosso Pizzeria on the other side of the river, this is a place that specializes in wood-fired Italian-style pizzas, but they also carry other excellent Italian food, including housemade pasta and a number of different kinds of mussels, and they even serve breakfast and lunch. They assure me their cozy patio out front will be done by the time the conference rolls around, so if you’re feeling like a drink, you might want to sit out there with one of their seven different variants on the Spritz (or if not, one of their twelve different kinds of gelato). Sample menu items: 15 kinds of wood-fired pizzas, sweet potato gnocchi, tagliatelle with prosciutto.

Address: 10020 101a Avenue Unit #120

Website: https://www.biancoeats.com/

Open: Monday-Saturday: 8am-10pm.

Black Pearl Seafood Bar: The best fresh seafood you can get in landlocked Edmonton. Sample menu items: fresh or baked oysters, sambuca cream mussels, Dungeness crab clusters, fish tacos.

Address: 10134 104th Street

Website: http://www.blackpearlseafood.ca/

Open: Tuesday-Thursday 4-10pm, Saturday 4-11pm, Sunday 4-9pm.

Blue Plate Diner: A quirky but cozy space and good simple food with a small patio out front if you want to sit outside. There are plenty of vegetarian and gluten-free options, and the specials are often especially good. They also do a kickass brunch. Sample menu items: green pea pesto gnocchi, real shepherd’s pie, lentil and nut loaf.

Address: 10145 104th Street

Website: http://www.blueplatediner.ca/

Open: Monday to Friday 7:30am-9pm, Saturday to Sunday 9am to 9pm.

Bodega Tapas and Wine Bar (or Sabor): Bodega is a traditional Spanish tapas restaurant (try the sangria!), and Sabor is a sit-down-and-savour Portuguese seafood restaurant. They’re both in the same building, they have the same chef, and both are great, so if you can’t get into one, try the other. Sample menu items (Bodega): chicken, smoked duck and port paté, roasted pork belly in quince and balsamic glaze, piri piri prawns. Sample menu items (Sabor): King salmon ceviche, seafood risotto, rack of lamb loin.

Address: 10220 103rd Street

Website: http://www.bodegayeg.ca/

Open: Monday to Thursday 4:30-10pm, Friday to Saturday 4:30-11pm, Sunday 5-9pm.

Buco Pizzeria and Wine Bar: This place in the base of an office tower is all about their traditional Neapolitan pizzas, but they also have plenty of other tasty Italian dishes. It has a substantial menu both for food and for wine. It’s also a brand-new restaurant that not a lot of people have discovered yet, so it’s a good bet for a spontaneous dinner with a group if you’re worried about getting a seat elsewhere. Sample menu items: mushroom ravioli, bacon-wrapped Alberta pork loin, 15 kinds of thin-crust wood-fired pizzas.

Address: 10423 – 101st Street (on the ground floor of Epcor Tower)

Website: https://bucopizzeria.com/epcor-tower/

Open: Monday-Thursday 11am-11pm, Friday 11am-1am, Saturday 4pm-12am.

Bündok: This is a fantastic newish small-sharing-plates restaurant (it made it into the top ten for Enroute Magazine’s list of Canada’s best new restaurants in 2018). It’s still got some hype around it, though, so it’s safer to make a reservation if you can. Sample menu items: gnocchi Parisienne with roasted mushrooms, parmigiano soup with shallots, bacon, and breadcrumbs (superb), merguez sausage with fried polenta, celery, and harissa aioli.

Address: 10228 104th Street

Website: http://www.bundokyeg.com/

Open: Monday-Thursday 5-10pm, Friday-Saturday 5pm-12am.

Care-It Urban Deli: This is a simple but tasty soup-and sandwich shop with a number of options for carnivores and a few for herbivores too. Also serving breakfast (grab-and-go or eat-in). Sample menu items: Montreal smoked meat sandwich, Greek salad, chipotle chicken panini.

Address: 10226 104th Street

Website: https://www.careit.ca/

Open: Monday-Friday 7am-6pm, Saturday 9am-5pm, Sunday 10am-4pm.

Cavern: This is a cheese shop that doubles as a small wine, beer, and espresso bar. Plenty of interesting wine-by-the-glass choices, including some surprises. Food-wise it’s best for smaller appetites, including for sharing (they do a great little cheese and charcuterie plate). There’s a little patio out front if you feel like sitting outside. Sample menu items: seasonal fruit bowl, Mediterranean brunch (Mediterranean cheeses, olives, dried fruit, homemade preserves, baguette), baguette sandwiches.

Address: 10169 104th Street

Website: http://thecavern.ca/

Open: Tuesday-Thursday 11am-8pm, Friday-Saturday 11am-11pm.

Chix Shack Thai Chicken: Excellent Thai food, specializing in chicken but by no means limited to that (the vegetarian Pad Thai is superb). Sample menu items: gai yang Thai grilled chicken, yum noodle pork soup, traditional tofu-based Pad Thai, gang keyow wan green curry.

Address: 10149 109th Street

Website: https://www.chixshack.com/

Open: Monday-Friday 11am-9pm, Saturday 12-9pm, Sunday 4-9pm.

CRAFT Beer Market: They boast more than 100 beers on tap, many local (though there are plenty of international options too), and the food menu is pretty good too. It’s a big place, but it can get a tad noisy in here as it gets full, but you can solve that problem by sitting upstairs or, on a warm day, on what is arguably Edmonton’s best rooftop patio. Sample menu items: hand-smashed naturally-raised beef burgers, butternut squash ravioli, grilled west coast salmon.

Address: 10013 101-A Avenue

Website: https://www.craftbeermarket.ca/

Open: Monday-Tuesday 11am-11pm, Wednesday-Thursday 11am-12am, Friday 11am-1:30am, Saturday 10am-1:30am, Sunday 10am-11pm.

District Café and Bakery: A wonderful little breakfast, brunch, and lunch place close to the Alberta provincial Legislature building. Sample menu items: coddled egg, waffle benedict, breakfast burrito.

Address: 10011 109th Street Unit #101

Website: http://districtcafe.ca/menu-5/

Open: Monday-Friday 7am-5pm, Saturday-Sunday 9am-4pm.

DOSC: DOSC stands for “Drunken Ox, Sober Cat”, and the place’s full name is “Drunken Ox at Night, Sober Cat in the Morning.” As that might imply, this is an enormous and very lovingly renovated old warehouse space that serves as a wonderful coffee place by day and a craft steak restaurant / cocktail bar by night. They’re also now doing a great little brunch on weekends. Sample menu items: any kind of Alberta steak you might crave, wagyu katsu burger, brussels sprouts with crispy pancetta, gnocchi with butternut cream, avocado benny. The café portion serves Rogue Wave coffee, which is widely considered by Edmonton coffee lovers to be the best in the city.

Address: 10190 104th Street

Website: https://dosc.ca/

Open: Monday-Friday 7-10:30am for breakfast, 11am-10:30pm for lunch and dinner, Saturday 8am-3pm for brunch, Sunday 9am-3pm for brunch.

Filistix Downtown: This Filipino-inspired Asian fusion restaurant started as a food truck, spread to being a beloved on-campus fast-food place, but the downtown location is their first sit-down restaurant, and it’s open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It’s early days yet (they opened—you guessed it—in the last week of May), but the first reviews are extremely promising. Sample menu items: Caesar salad with Bagoong fermented shrimp paste in place of anchovies, cole slaw with dried cranberries (this beloved “signature slaw” is what they are most known for in their U of A campus fast-food restaurant, but they also carry it here!), mee goreng Indonesian fried noodles.

Address: 10621 100th Avenue

Website: https://filistix.ca/

Open: Monday-Thursday: 7:30am-3pm for breakfast and lunch and 5-late for dinner, Friday: 7:30am-3:00pm for breakfast and lunch and 5-late for dinner, Saturday-Sunday: 11am-late.

Khazana: A higher-end Indian restaurant with delicious food in a beautiful space. Plenty of vegetarian options. Sample menu items: Kofta habibi (cottage-cheese dumplings in a Kashmiri sauce), Lakhnavi mushroom (mushrooms cooked in a tandoor with spices), a WHOLE bunch of interesting paneer dishes (they’re all good).

Address: 10177 107th Street

Website: http://www.khazanarestaurant.ca/

Open: Monday-Thursday 11:30am-2pm for lunch, 5-9:30pm for dinner, Friday 11:30am-2pm for lunch, 5-10:30pm for dinner, Saturday 5-10:30pm, Sunday 5-9:30pm.

Madison’s Grill: This small fine-dining restaurant in the ground floor of a small and beautifully renovated hotel is great for breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. The food is traditional but elegant. Sample menu items: albacore tuna tartare with chicharron and cilantro, duck breast with foie gras spätzle, sous vide rack of lamb.

Address: 10053 Jasper (101st) Avenue

Website: https://www.unionbankinn.com/madisons-grill/

Open: Monday-Friday 7am-10pm, Saturday 8-11am for breakfast and 5-10pm for dinner, Sunday 8-11am for breakfast and 5-9pm for dinner

Ono Poke Co.: Affordable, imaginative, chef-designed poke bowls. Eat-in or take-away with an additional small and simple patio space out front. Sample menu items: Ono poke bowl (marinated ahi tuna, seaweed, onion, cilantro, Asian slaw, macademia nut), Orange masago scallop poke bowl (marinated scallops, seaweed, green onion, fried onions, pea shoot, pickled ginger), luau pork sandwich, black sesame ice cream.

Address: 10142 104th Street

Website: https://www.onopokeco.com/

Open: Monday-Saturday 11am-9pm.


OEB Breakfast: Arguably Edmonton’s best place for a hearty and imaginative full breakfast. Come early (it can become harder to get in as the day goes on) or make a reservation on weekdays, but most of all come hungry. Sample menu items: confit de canard breakfast poutine, scrambled crepe, pulled chicken frittata, Indian-inspired avocado bagel sandwich.

Address: 10174 100-A Street

Website: http://eatoeb.com/

Open: Monday-Friday 7am-2:45pm, Saturday-Sunday 8am-2:45pm.

Remedy Café (Downtown location): This is a cozy little coffee and chai place (you will not regret trying the Kashmiri chai latte or even the Kashmiri chai milkshake in warmer weather), but it’s also got lots and lots of light, and the menu is full of plenty of excellent and affordable food (both Western and Pakistani), including vegan and gluten-free options. Sample menu items: Ham, egg, and Swiss sandwich, tandoori chicken wrap, paneer dhosa.

Address: 10279 Jasper (101st) Avenue

Website: https://remedycafe.ca/

Open: Monday-Thursday 7:30am-11pm, Friday 7:30am-12am, Saturday 8:30am-12am, Sunday 8:30am-11pm.

Revel Bistro and Bar: A great little fine-dining restaurant in an old hotel diagonally across from the Hotel MacDonald (the one that looks like a little castle). They’ve also got a bar room if you just want a nice drink, and a spacious outdoor patio. Sample menu items: “scallops” (pan-seared scallops with smoked pork belly, powdered corn vin, romesco sauce, and cipollini onion), “striploin” (striploin, horseradish tater tot, cauliflower puree, pickled ramps, charred asparagus), “green pea and carrots” (green pea agnolotti, smoked carrots, fresh English peas, tarragon, pea tendrils, and shaved parmesan).

Address: 9802 Jasper (101st) Avenue

Website: https://www.revelbistro.com/

Open: Tuesday-Thursday 11:30am-2pm for lunch, 4-10pm for dinner, Friday 11:30am-2pm for lunch, 4pm-12am for dinner, Saturday 4:30pm-12am.

Rostizado: From the same people who brought us the Tres Carnales Taqueria (see below), this newer Mexican restaurant is a bit higher-end, but no less delicious. Sample menu items: mole with camote, sablefish, albóndigas di pollo, ceviche Amarillo.

Address: 10359 104th Street

Website: http://www.rostizado.com/

Open: Monday-Thursday 11am-2pm for lunch, 5pm-9pm for dinner, Friday 11am-2pm for lunch, 5pm-10pm for dinner, Saturday 5-10pm.

Say Uncle: This is yet another brand-new place that opened in the last week of May (lots of that going around!). They’re nestled between DOSC on one side and a friendly neighbourhood pub on the other. Their menu is eclectic, but the aim seems to be an aim at a cross between Southern US and Canadian comfort food. They have a number of local craft beers on offer and a reasonable wine and cocktail list as well. Sample menu items: chicken liver paté with sourdough bread and onions, cheese grit dip with spinach and sourdough bread, hot fried chicken (excellent), the most ridiculously huge cinnamon rolls you’ll ever meet (easily enough for two).

Address: 10184 104th Street

Website: https://www.sayuncle.ca/

Open: Monday-Sunday 11am-1am.

Sofra Authentic Turkish Cuisine: Just what it says on the tin, this is a longstanding, well-respected local Turkish restaurant. Sample menu items: Different kinds of pide (Turkish “pizza”), kale mantar (Portobello mushroom stuffed with sautéed vegetables and topped with goat cheese), sis kebab (meat skewers).

Address: 10345 106th Street

Website: https://www.facebook.com/Sofra.Authentic.Turkish.Cuisine/

Open: Tuesday-Sunday 5pm-10pm.

Tiffin India’s Fresh Kitchen: An affordable Indian “fast-casual” (i.e. higher-end fast food) restaurant in a hip new Jasper Avenue space and with a patio that spills out onto the street. Affordable and tasty. Take out or eat-in. Sample menu items: pakoras, samosas, five-lentil curry, eggplant masala, goat curry, fenugreek chicken.

Address: 10404 Jasper (101st) Avenue

Website: https://tiffinfreshkitchen.com/

Open: Monday-Thursday 11am-10pm, Friday-Saturday 11am-11pm, Sunday 11am-9pm.

Tres Carnales Taqueria: A great little place to get authentic Mexican (not Tex-Mex) tacos and other “Mexican street food”-type delicacies. They also have tasty pitchers of sangria on offer, and a little patio where you can sit outside. Sample menu items: carne asada tacos (flank steak), guisado di pollo tacos (chicken thighs), pescado tacos (red snapper), hongos mixtos tacos (mushrooms sauteed with garlic and topped with queso fresco).

Address: 10119 100-A Street

Website: http://trescarnales.com/

Open: Monday-Friday 11am-10pm, Saturday 12-10pm.

Tzin Wine and Tapas: This place was a small-sharing-plates restaurant before small-sharing-plates restaurants were cool, and even today they’re still one of the very best. It’s tiiiiny, so this is not the place to take a big group (and you’ll want to make a reservation even with a smaller group), but both the food and the selection of wines are eclectic and wonderful. If you’re feeling adventurous (or just indecisive), try the “feed me” option, which allows you to tell them how hungry you are and any personal food guidelines, and they will create a shared menu (with optional wine pairings) just for your table. Sample menu items: “bacon” (pork belly with maple balsamic apple compote, apple mayonnaise, and calvados gastrique on a crostini), “beef” (flat-iron beef, Moorish spices, cashew Romanesco), Icelandic char, patatas bravas.

Address: 10115 104th Street

Website: https://tzin.ca/

Open: Tuesday-Thursday 4pm-11pm, Friday-Saturday 4pm-12am.

Uccellino (or Corso 32 or Bar Bricco): Edmonton-born, Italy-trained chef Daniel Costa has spent the better part of the last decade opening three superb Italian restaurants right next to each other along downtown’s main drag that have collectively won all sorts of national awards. They’re all wonderful, so feel free to go to any (or all) of them, though Corso 32 is a bit pricier and harder to get a reservation at, and Bar Bricco is more of a small-sharing-plates-and-wine-bar, so your best bet for a hearty and spontaneous post-conference meal is Uccellino. Sample menu items: Ricotta agnolotti, chargrilled lamb and pancetta sausage, Icelandic cod, tagliatelle.

Address: 10349 Jasper (101st) Avenue

Website: http://www.uccellino.ca/

Open: Monday-Thursday 5-10pm, Friday-Saturday 5-11pm, Sunday 5-10pm.

The Underground Tap and Grill: The Underground is a simple, affordable pub in an underground (get it?) space along the eastern part of Jasper Avenue. Its main claim to fame is having 75+ beers on tap from Alberta and around the world, but the food isn’t half bad either. If you can’t decide on just one beer and don’t want to overdo it, ask for a flight of tiny ones to try (you choose the beers). Sample menu items: Poutine au canard (poutine topped with duck meat), lemon butter chicken, steak sandwich.

Address: 10004 Jasper (101st) Avenue

Website: http://www.undergroundtapandgrill.com/

Open: Monday-Tuesday 11am-11pm. Wednesday-Friday 11am-12am. Saturday 11am-2am. Sunday 3pm-10pm.

Wishbone: A small-sharing-plates restaurant on the second floor of a building right along the main drag of Jasper Avenue. Also has truly excellent and innovative cocktails. The music can get a bit loud, but they’re generally amenable to turning it down, especially earlier in the evening. Sample menu items: oysters, vegetarian mushroom and oat burger, seared cod, brussels sprouts with fermented honey and garlic.

Address: 10542 Jasper (101st) Avenue

Website: https://www.eatwishbone.ca/

Open: Monday-Thursday 11am-2pm for lunch, 5-10pm for dinner. Friday 11am-2pm for lunch, 5pm-2am for dinner. Saturday 5pm-2am for dinner.

Zinc: This is the restaurant inside of the Art Gallery of Alberta at Churchill Square. When it first arrived in 2010 it was one of the best fine dining places in the city, but then it kind of faded into the background for a while as new places opened up and overshadowed it. Now, though, they’ve hired local German-born, European-trained chef Doreen Prei as their new head chef, and though it’s early days yet, I expect truly great things. Sample menu items: Prei’s new menu will be ready by the time the conference rolls around, check the website!

Address: Art Gallery of Alberta 2, Sir Winston Churchill Square

Website: http://www.zincrestaurant.ca/

A little further afield (but worth the trip):

Biera: As the restaurant inside the Blind Enthusiasm brewery, this is a place with a story! Owner/head brewer Greg Zeschuk is an Edmonton native who made gajillions of dollars with his famed local videogaming company Bioware before selling that company to open an establishment where he could instead indulge his passion for making beer (sparing no expense, of course, because he didn’t have to). Then he hired local-but-European-trained chef Christine Sandford and told her she could have free rein with the menu as long as it complemented his beer. The result is superb beer and food in a beautiful space and an experience that’s like no other brewpub you’ve ever visited. Sample menu items: sourdough nuggets dipped in foamy Alpindon cheese, wild BC Humboldt squid, Flammkuchen (Maroilles cheese & onion sourdough tart), glazed Alberta duck breast.

Address: 9570 76th Avenue

Website: https://biera.ca/

How to get there: Biera is in an inner suburban neighbourhood that’s actually not far from the Strathcona/Whyte Avenue area, but awkward to get to on transit. If you’re feeling like a walk, it’ll take you about half an hour past leafy streets and cute little bungalows to get there from the heart of Whyte Avenue, and that’s honestly probably your best bet (though it’s also a quick and fairly affordable taxi ride from anywhere central).

Open: Tuesday-Friday 5pm-11pm, Saturday 1pm-11pm, Sunday 1pm-5pm.

Café Linnea: This is a French/Scandinavian restaurant that’s in a mostly suburban neighbourhood a bit off the beaten path in terms of the restaurant scene, but from the inside it’s just a gorgeous space and it has excellent food, too. It’s primarily a brunch place, but they’ve recently opened for dinners as well. (If you go here, it’s worth walking around the corner to check out a local maker of weird-but-tasty donuts at Donut Party!) Sample menu items: for brunch seared carrot gallette, oefs-en-cocotte, and for dinner foie gras, mussels, croque madame.

Address: 10932 119th Street

Website: http://www.cafelinnea.ca/

How to get there: From campus or the Strathcona/Whyte Avenue area, take the #7 bus toward downtown and get off at 116th St. and 107th Ave. From downtown, take the #5 bus west from anywhere along Jasper Ave. and get off at 124th St. and 111th Ave.

Open: Tuesday 5-10pm, Wednesday-Friday 10am-2pm for lunch and 5-10pm for dinner, Saturday 9am-2pm for lunch and 5-10pm for dinner, and Sunday 9am-2pm for brunch.

Kanto 98 Street Eatery: The Filipinos are Edmonton’s fastest-growing new immigrant community, and while most of them live in the outer southern suburbs, this just-northeast-of-downtown restaurant is arguably still the best place to get authentic contemporary Filipino street food. Sample menu items: bao bae (crispy fried chicken garnished with pickled cucumber, spicy red pepper mayo, fried garlic and green onions), liempo (marinated and grilled pork belly), halo-halo (strange and wonderful ice-cream-based dessert).

Address: 10636 98th Street

Website: https://www.kanto98st.com/

How to get there: From campus or the Strathcona/Whyte Avenue area, take the #7 bus toward downtown and get off at 102nd St. and 104th Ave. From downtown, take the #9 bus north from the stop at 100th St. and 101a Ave. (or just walk the 20 minutes or so: it will take you through a rundown area, but it’s not dangerous, just dingy).

Open: Every day but Tuesday from 11am to 9pm.

Padmanadi: Everything on the menu is vegan, but don’t let that scare you off if you’re not—it’s also all wonderful and not all your typical grains-and-veggies mix, either. (A carnivorous nine-year-old of my acquaintance once informed me over dinner here that he “would eat this food EVERY DAY.”) The food is Indonesian, and the Edmonton establishment is essentially the “replanting” of the original restaurant that existed for years in Jakarta. There are plenty of vegetable dishes that are plenty tasty, but the specialty of the house is their take on Indonesian meat dishes using various meat substitutes as the proteins. Sample menu items: sweet and sour soup, ginger “beef”, spicy coconut eggplant.

Address: 10740 101st Street

Website: http://www.padmanadi.com/

How to get there: From campus or the Strathcona/Whyte Avenue area, take the #7 bus toward downtown and get off at 102nd St. and 104th Ave. From downtown, take the #9 bus north from the stop at 100th St. and 101a Ave. (or just walk the 20 minutes or so: it will take you through a rundown area, but it’s not dangerous, just dingy).

Open: Tuesday-Friday 11am-2pm for lunch and 4pm-10pm for dinner, Saturday-Sunday 10am-2pm for lunch and 4pm-10pm for dinner.

RGE RD: The strange name is pronounced “range road”, and it takes its inspiration from the Albertan system of naming rural roads. The restaurant grew out of a series of rural farm dinners before opening as a brick-and-mortar establishment. They source ingredients and provisions from farms and small-scale producers across Western Canada, with a menu that’s dictated by the season, aiming to use every part of every ingredient. Sample menu items: beef tartare, grilled green bean salad, seared scallops (but if you’re hungry and feeling adventurous, DO NOT miss the “Road Trip” which allows the chef to create a surprise multicourse meal just for you; it will give you the best possible RGE RD experience!).

Address: 10643 123rd Street

Website: https://www.rgerd.ca/

How to get there: From campus or the Strathcona/Whyte Avenue area, take the #7 bus toward downtown and get off at 122nd St. and 107th Ave. From downtown, take the #5 bus west from anywhere along Jasper Ave. and get off at 124th St. and 106th Ave.

Open: Monday to Saturday 5pm to late.

SC at the River Cree Resort: This is (quite deliberately) not a fancy restaurant with a high-end price tag to match, but if you’re looking for simple, tasty and authentic indigenous food, this is where you’re most likely to find it. The head chef is Shane Chartrand, who is Cree and Métis by background, classically trained as a chef, and quite well-respected across the province and even the country. The space is a resort and casino at the border between the City of Edmonton and the Enoch Cree reserve (which is home to the Enoch Cree First Nation). Sample menu items: Steak, oysters, bannock.

Address: 300 East Lapotac Blvd Box 179 Enoch, Alberta T7X 3Y3

Website: http://www.rivercreeresort.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/sc-menu-12-07.pdf

How to get there: Transit is quite difficult this far outside of the central city neighbourhoods, so this is one you’ll need a car (or a taxi) to get to. Take the Whitemud Freeway west to the 215th Street exit.

Open: Sunday-Thursday 5pm-10pm, Friday-Saturday 5pm-12am.

Two Sergeants Brewing Co.: As one of the many (many many!) local breweries that have opened in the past three or four years since the last provincial government changed the laws surrounding beer-brewing, what makes this one special is the excellent food served by the brewpub (though the beer is good too). They especially do a simply wonderful brunch on weekends. Sample menu items: for dinner braised barbecue ribs, cioppino, pulled pork pappardelle, for brunch fried chicken and cornbread waffles, shrimp and boar bacon grits.

Address: 11817 105th Avenue

Website: https://twosergeantsbrewing.ca/

How to get there: From campus or the Strathcona/Whyte Avenue area, take the #7 bus toward downtown and get off at 119th St. and 107th Ave. From downtown, take the #112 bus west from anywhere along 104th Ave. and get off at 118th St. and 104th Ave.

Open: Tuesday-Friday 3pm to late, Saturday-Sunday 11am-late.