Edmonton’s Coliseum Steak & Pizza is 50 years old! A huge achievement for the founding families and for Diana Varvis and Dimitra Scordas still running this generational, classic restaurant today.
And congratulations to family-owned Lucky Supermarket on 45 years of serving Edmonton and Calgary shoppers with their wide range of quality Asian essentials and fresh food!
Congrats too to Edmonton’s Poul Mark and Transcend Coffee on 20 years! It’s been quite a journey from a small coffee company in 2006 to the roastery, cafe and online business they are today.
Calgary’s Cassis Bistro are celebrating 15 years of elevated, farm-to-fork, seasonal Southern French dishes and inventive cocktails!
And from a small board game café to two Alberta locations and 1000+ games, a round of applause to Randy and Kellie on the 10th anniversary of Hexagon Café in Calgary’s Kensington neighbourhood.
The wait is over! A year+ in the making, Calgary’s second Italian Centre Shop is now open north of the city at Northland Mall, and with four northern Alberta locations, this is the sixth store for this much-loved market. It’s huge at 22,000 square foot, modern, clean, and an homage to Rome with a pantheon of bread, and the longest deli counter in Western Canada. Spinelli’s Bar Italia, the in-store café, is here with paninis, soups, pizzas, and drinks. There’s a large car park in front and a vast selection of some of our favourite things to eat inside. Salute! 5111 Northland Drive, italiancentre.ca
A new Irish-inspired breakfast and lunch spot has opened in Edmonton at 6604 178 Ave. The Emerald is a family-owned restaurant in Crystallina Nera inspired by a blend of Irish warmth and Canadian hospitality. This cozy breakfast and lunch spot is serving up classics like crispy Caesar wraps, smash burgers, and daily soup specials for lunch; and eggs bennies, French toast, and avocado toast for breakfast. Or have an Emerald Isle-inspired feast with the full Irish breakfast, beans on toast, or the classic Irish spice bag, all prepared by talented Red Seal chefs. Seven days, 7am-3pm, @theemeraldbreakfast
Small batches of gelato and sorbet are churning up in Edmonton at Shooby’s Gelato! Just like nonno made it, this small, family-owned business is serving Edmontonians delicious flavours of dulce de leche, strawberry, tiramisu, blueberry, and many more mouthwatering scoops. Shooby’s is a love letter to the owners’ nonno, Mimmo Longo, who arrived in Canada 40 years ago, bringing with him his time-honoured techniques of making authentic gelato. Now you can get your fix of Nonno’s best! 4513 101 Street NW, Friday-Sunday noon-5pm. shoobysgelato.com
Get your fix of authentic Northern Thai cuisine at Thai Siam Restaurant’s new south location, and as they’re not on any delivery service, you’ll need a reservation for this much talked-about spot! Husband and wife, Tiago Sousa and Sawanya Clarke have scaled up from cooking at home, to working from commercial kitchens, to opening their first location in 2022, and here they are now near Calgary’s Chinook Centre with a much bigger space as well as a semi-private dining room - and Starr Distilling is here too – excellent Thai food and artisanal spirits in one place! 6130 1A Street SW, seven days 11-9pm. thaitakeout.ca
One of our favourite restaurants has had a refresh! We've always enjoyed our visits to Calgary’s Olea, and now there are new chefs in the kitchen, updated decor with lots of greenery, a new menu moving away from a focus on Italian to include bright Mediterranean flavours, new cocktails and wine. Our new favourite dishes include the refreshing Watermelon and Grapefruit Salad, Duck Wings, Roasted Chicken with vadouvan soubise and potato donuts, and Haida Gwaii Halibut – hungry yet? Congrats to the Olea team for making something we already liked even better! 1520 14 Street SW, 5-10pm and weekend brunch, closed Mondays. oleayyc.com
For 15 years, Edmontonians have been loving Tirimasu Bistro, and boy, do we have some great news for you. In the main pavilion restaurant in William Hawrelak Park sits Lift Me Up By The Lake, their gorgeous sister restaurant serving up everything from morning coffees to nightlife cocktails. Take a seat inside the beautiful Italian-inspired space or have a drink outside on the patio overlooking the lake. You could spend all day here, as they are serving brunch classics like eggs bennies, pancakes and breakfast sandwiches, as well as lunch and dinner staples like their Rustico Italiano sandwich or Wild Mushroom Chicken Pasta. 9330 Groat Rd NW, seven days, 8am-late. liftmeuponthelake.com
Revelwoods Tavern and Terrace has opened in Calgary’s old Booker's BBQ Grill & Crab Shack space, and they've done a great job renovating it. It’s contemporary, with exposed brick walls - and they’ve kept the musicians wallpaper in the private dining room! Chef Terry Kluke’s sharing menu is Southern-inspired and cooked in a Pira charcoal oven from Spain. Don’t miss the Warm Smoked Poblano & Brie Dip - we'd come back just for this, and try Crab Croquettes, Crispy Prawns, and Hush Puppies with candied jalapeños and a terrific Creole sauce. Pork tomahawk, lamb ribs, and beef striploin are from local farms. For bevvies, the cocktail menu features southern classics too like Lynchburg Lemonade, Mint Julep, Vieux Carré, and more, along with wines and local beers. 316 3 Street SE, seven days from 11am, revelwoods.ca
Edmontonians, update your go-to dessert places, because Mellow:D Dessert has recently opened at 10027 167 St NW! Chef Nuwan Hewamanage, whose career spans from the high-pressure kitchens of Dubai to the international stage of the Culinary World Cup, is meticulously crafting indulgent and mouthwatering chocolate bars, brownies, Arabic desserts, and pastries. Perfect for a little self-indulgence, Mellow:D has unique and trendy flavours of desserts like their Kunafa Crunch Strawberry Cup, Biscoff Dubai Chocolate Bar, Yuzu Lemon Bon Bon and so much more. Weekdays 10-7pm, weekends 11-5pm, closed Mondays. mellowd.ca
There’s a new Ryuko in Calgary’s Beacon Hill, and it's exactly like the other three locations (ie: excellent) but bigger! Uncluttered and stylish with friendly and knowledgeable staff, and the same sizeable menu in all locations, the dishes are so well executed and beautifully balanced between acid, salt, and spice. Agedashi Tofu is a must, as well as Aburi Spicy Salmon Roll - a fan favourite here (if you don't know what to choose, choose this!). Daily sashimi and nigiri sets, and family platters come in different sizes and are really fresh, and they’re proud of their oshizushi and 48-hour ramen broth, and creative cocktails too. No pork, nuts, or added msg. 12024 Sarcee Trail NW, from 11:30am, closed Tuesdays. ryuko.ca
Rasoi Palladium owners, Amit and Vansh, are from Jaipur, and they’ve brought their authentic Rajasthani flavours to Calgary, and combined them with modern Canadian influences for some innovative and intriguing, very tasty dishes in this beautiful new - and very blue – restaurant. There are plenty of traditional and familiar dishes on offer, but we just had to try their fusion starters: Guacamole Puchka and Avocado Papdi Chaat - once you start on these, there may be no stopping... There are too many excellent dishes to recommend here, but standouts include perfectly cooked basa Sofiyana Fish Tikka, fabulous spicy, Creamy Indo-Schezwan Chicken Dumplings, the unusual Bombay-Style Parsi Keema, and the freshly made, warm naan. And there’s more - the Palladium Bar serves craft cocktails with creative Indian-inspired twists - try saffron-infused tequila and cardamom old fashioneds! 202 17 Ave SE, lunch and dinner, closed Tuesdays. rasapalladium.com
With three hugely popular locations in Vancouver, Hyderabad Biryani has brought their chefs, recipes, and (high) standards to Alberta, and opened in Calgary’s north-east. It’s unpretentious and casual, but there are no short cuts here: the dum biryanis are exceptionally well done, using authentic, traditional slow-cooking techniques of layering aged basmati, marinated meats, saffron, mint, and crisp fried onions, into a heavy handi (pot), tightly sealed with dough, and steamed slowly over very low heat. It’s a large menu (and large portions) with other signature dishes, like Chicken 65 and Gongura Mutton, to help you choose, so bring your friends, and share! 3221 Sunridge Way NE, seven days 11:30-late, hyderabadbiryanihousecalgary.ca
There’s no stopping Calgary’s Avitus guys! They’ve now transformed the ground floor space next to their Brioche and Tasting Room, at 1512 29 Avenue SW, into Glacé Bébé – an Italian gelato, Belgian waffle, and specialty coffee bar! Co-owner Moussa wanted something to remind him of growing up in Belgium, and now it’s here, serving a variety of hot and cold coffees, smoothies, ten bi-monthly rotating flavours of gelato, and of course those wonderfully chewy, hot waffles. The space is small, with only 16 seats inside, but 30 on the dog-friendly patio. Breathe in when you arrive, it smells just like being in Europe! Open every day to 9pm, glacebebe.com
It's a hit straight out of the gate for the team at Pastiche! Another highly anticipated opening, owners Kyle Opel, Jason Exton, along with sous Stephanie Ramos put a lot of work into the former Il Sogno/Jinbar space, resulting in a warm bistro ambience that wouldn't be out of place in Paris. The small menu is carefully conceived, but don't be tempted to turn it over to see what's on the back. The fried cheese curds are completely moreish, and everything we’d heard about the Scallops and the Zucchini appies is true - they're both exciting, with unusual and unexpected flavour combinations that work so well... It doesn’t matter what you choose for your main, follow your heart and you won’t be disappointed, but save room for the Potato Hashbrowns. We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the excellent curated wine list too to complement these dishes. We couldn't pass up the creamy Basque Cheesecake, and you shouldn't either! De Waal Block - 24 4 Street NE, 3-5pm happy hour, dinner 5-10pm, closed Mondays. pasticheyyc.ca
Calgary’s former Franca’s restaurant has new owners and is now Petalo! Jennifer Drew-Banister (of Bountiful Chef: healthy, private catering) and husband John have refurbished the space and made it their own, with a vintage feel and personal touches. Chef Dylan Sexton's menu reflects this too, with seasonally changing lighter dishes, beautifully created and plated, and while Italian dishes dominate (the pizza oven is still put to good use!), and there’s an Italian sandwich menu at lunchtimes, expect other Mediterranean influences with dishes from France and Spain too. 3811 Edmonton Trail NE, petaloyyc.com for hours.
Canmore has a new steakhouse, and a very impressive one too! Adjacent to sister restaurant Bridgette Bar in the Spring Creek community, Hunter Steakhouse has the perfect mountain dining feel, and yet again Frank Architecture has done a great job with lots of timber and low lighting to create an upscale, refined ambience that matches the upscale, classic steakhouse dishes on the menu. Expect shrimp cocktail, wedge salad, a seafood tower, and steak tartare to start, with classic steak mains cooked over applewood and birch on the Josper Grill. It’s a small menu with something delicious for everyone (great pasta and fish dishes too!) all washed down with carefully curated cocktails, and your choice from the excellent wine list. 5pm-close, closed Mondays. huntersteakhouse.ca
Edmonton’s Sea Change Brewing has started a new chapter, reinventing themselves and opening a brewery and Skelly Club taproom in Calgary’s former Inner City Brewing location. These unpretentious musicians and creatives are super collaborative, joining forces with Cabin, Cold Garden, Two Pillars, and Brew Smith, for collab beers that are on tap here along with 16 others and 8 RTDs from sister distillery Shiddy’s. And there’s more! Partners, Flat Boy Burgers are here, too with their own alley entrance or access from inside, serving up their hugely popular Cali-style, crispy-edge and gooey cheese, Angus beef smashburgers, veggie and vegan burgers, flat fries, shakes, and key lime pie to eat in or take away. And there’s merch too! 816 11 Avenue SW, seven days 11:30am-close, seachangebeer.com
Sandwiched between two sandwich shops, Bun & Brie is a French vibe café serving croissant sandwiches, sweet and savoury crepes, classic breakfast, and homemade soups, with a variety of hot or iced Fratello coffees, and incredible Instagram-worthy mousse desserts. Jordan and Daniel have been renovating the space for a year, and they’ve done a great job! It’s welcoming and relaxing, with original ceilings and a huge chandelier, but the biggest change is L’Aprés, the speakeasy downstairs. The beautiful stained-glass window is still there, and everything is so clean! We’ll see you there at weekends when, from 8-11pm, there’s live jazz, soul, and comedy shows, with cocktails and a very affordable evening snack menu with big portions, excellent dumplings, chicken satay, and gangster dip. 811 1st Street SW, for hours see bunbrie.com
