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The best flavours of Canada

James Hotel, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

The best flavours of Canada

Award-winning chefs and trail-blazing vintners. Visionary food artisans and medal-fetching craft breweries. Canada has them all – and the world is taking notice.

 

Indeed, gone are the days when popular Canadian food only meant bacon, beavertails and maple syrup. Sure, you’ll still find those goodies on many menus across the country, but they’re now joined by a plethora of other local, ethnic and globally inspired items as diverse as the landscape itself. And thanks to a rise in the variety of venues, feasting on Canada’s finest is now more accessible than ever. Read on for a coast-to-coast snapshot of what and where to eat across Canada.

Vancouver, British Columbia

salmon bannobk
Salmon-n-Bannock, Vancouver | Credit: Greg Funnell

With access to the Pacific Ocean and the bountiful Fraser Valley, the port city of VancouverExternal Link Title takes pride in serving up locally sourced, seasonal fare. Add in creative culinary experiences and chefs from culturally diverse backgrounds, and you have the perfect ingredients for a Canadian food hot spotExternal Link Title. Long appreciated by locavores, Vancouver's thriving food scene is now making a splash globally with its celebrity-chef-driven restaurants (try Vij'sExternal Link Title or HawksworthExternal Link Title), Indigenous bistro Salmon n' BannockExternal Link Title, close to 100 food trucksExternal Link Title, the Dine Out Vancouver Festival (the country's largest annual dining celebrationExternal Link Title) and activities like the Gastronomic Gastown TourExternal Link Title (currently unavailable, see their website for more details).

Banff, Alberta

table of food and drink at Park distillery in Banff
Park Distillery, Banff | Credit: Banff Lake Louise Tourism

Known for its jaw-dropping Rocky Mountain vistas, proximity to teal-blue glacial lakes, and seductive mountain-town charm, BanffExternal Link Title also tempts with plenty of culinary offerings. A 1.5-hour drive west of CalgaryExternal Link Title, this boutique- and bistro-lined hub in the middle of Banff National ParkExternal Link Title is home to the casual Chuck's SteakhouseExternal Link Title and its grass-fed Alberta beef menu, and the airy Sky BistroExternal Link Title with regionally sourced plates at the top of the Banff GondolaExternal Link Title. For a behind-the-brick-wall glimpse of a world-famous UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Eat the CastleExternal Link Title tour at the Fairmont Banff Springs HotelExternal Link Title will delight both the mouth and mind.

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

seafood meal
Heath Restaurant, Saskatoon | Credit: Tourism Saskatoon / Carey Shaw Photography

Dubbed "Canada's hottest new foodie destinationExternal Link Title" by Forbes, the nine-bridge cityExternal Link Title of Saskatoon beckons with prairie comfort food, elevated ethnic fare and farm-to-table cuisine. Go to Baba's Homestyle PerogiesExternal Link Title for its hand-pinched namesakes and Ukrainian twist on a Canadian food classic-perogy poutine; the tried-and-true Taverna Italian KitchenExternal Link Title for authentic, family-style share plates; PrimalExternal Link Title and Ayden Kitchen & BarExternal Link Title for Saskatchewan-sourced meat, fish, flora, and fungi-the latter spot owned by original Top Chef CanadaExternal Link Title winner Dale MacKay. 

Winnipeg, Manitoba

the forks market in Winnipeg
The Forks Market, Winnipeg | Credit: Destination Canada

For a toothsome overview of this prairie provinceExternal Link Title's formidable culinary offerings, take an amble around WinnipegExternal Link Title's Forks MarketExternal Link Title. Among the 20-plus food and drink stalls on the main floor, savor Japanese fusion at the KYU GrillExternal Link Title; battered cod, halibut or walleye at Fergie's Fish'n ChipsExternal Link Title; free-range Manitoba beef patties at NuburgerExternal Link Title; and 14 hard ice-cream flavours at Neon ConeExternal Link Title. Admittedly, you'll also find some of the so-called top 10 Canadian foods here (think Mini Donuts FactoryExternal Link Title). Wash it down with a Fools & HorsesExternal Link Title latte or pair it up with one of 20 craft beers and 20 wines on tap at the CommonExternal Link Title. Then head upstairs to peruse locally made goods like Qutie & Co.'s hand-carved jewelryExternal Link Title and Coal and Canary Candle Company's hip, hand-poured creationsExternal Link Title.

Prince Edward County, Ontario

people at a picnic table
County Cider Company Estate Winery, Prince Edward County | Credit: Asymetric Quinn Vorster

A three-hour drive east of TorontoExternal Link Title will land you at what is known as the "gastronomic capital of Ontario." An island along the northeast shore of Lake Ontario, Prince Edward CountyExternal Link Title is steeped in farming and agricultural history. Today, some 45-plus wineries, a budding cider scene, and host of farm-to-table restaurants come together to deliver some of the best in Canadian food and drink. Go for the culinary deep dive on the all-day Bounty of the CountyExternal Link Title adventure, where you choose your menu, shop locally, and make lunch at the From the Farm Cooking SchoolExternal Link Title. After visiting local wineries, tuck into the cozy Inn at Huff EstatesExternal Link Title just 10 minutes away from the school's 1830s farmhouse.

Eastern Townships, Quebec

people sitting at a table by a camp fire
A festive dinner at Manoir Hovey in the Eastern Townships.

Wine, cheese, beer, and locally driven fare. QuebecExternal Link Title's Eastern TownshipsExternal Link Title checks off all the boxes for a gourmand getawayExternal Link Title to sample some of the best food in Canada. A two-hour drive east of MontrealExternal Link Title, this fertile region bordering Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine produces more than 60 per cent of the province's wine. Bike or drive the 140-kilometre Brome-Missisquoi Wine RouteExternal Link Title, or the more off-the-beaten-path 171-kilometre Estrie Wine RouteExternal Link Title. Then sink your teeth into award-winning bleu b?n?dictinExternal Link Title at Abbaye de Saint-Beno?t-du-Lac, sip an Abysse de la Gorge stout at Microbrasserie CoaticookExternal Link Title, and savor terroir-driven Quebec cuisine at Manoir HoveyExternal Link Title's Le Hatley RestaurantExternal Link Title before padding back to your deluxe room complete with fireplace and view of Lake Massawippi.

St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador

Credit: Mallard Cottage
Mallard Cottage, St.Johns | Credit: Mallard Cottage

Long known for its seafood, wild game, and off-beat local faves like Figgy Duff and Jiggs DinnerExternal Link Title, the maritime province of Newfoundland and LabradorExternal Link Title now boasts a burgeoning chef-driven dining sceneExternal Link Title. Nowhere is this more evident than in the colourful capitalExternal Link Title of St. John's, where establishments have been busy forging ties with local farmers and fishers. Sit down to charcuterie boards of artisan meats and cheeses at Chinched Restaurant & DeliExternal Link Title or a changing seasonal menu at 18th-century Mallard CottageExternal Link Title in the fishing village of Quidi Vidi just five minutes from downtown. Then duck into the 1725-built stone YellowBelly Brewery & Public HouseExternal Link Title for a Come From Away Islander Pale Ale.

Fredericton, New Brunswick

Fredericton farmers market
Fredericton Boyce Farmers Market | Credit: Ashley Macdonald

Chefs are causing quite a stir in New BrunswickExternal Link Title's culinary landscape too, especially in the capital of FrederictonExternal Link Title on the St. John River. Expect modern Canadian food at 11th Mile,External Link Title where chef Peter Tompkins turns out locally sourced share plates of chicken paillard salad, seared coulotte steak, and roast vegetables and grains alongside creative cocktails like the sake-spiked Pushover. Or make like a chef yourself at the long-running Fredericton Boyce Farmers MarketExternal Link Title and shop for fiddleheads, blueberries, and other seasonal goodies. Don't forget to pick up gifts for home like artisan chocolates, local wines, and, if you have room, a quirky lawn sculpture.

Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island

salad on a table
Victoria Row, Charlottetown | Credit: Tourism PEI / Stephen Harris

There's much ado about food in Prince Edward IslandExternal Link Title's capital of CharlottetownExternal Link Title. Sign up for the Island Flavours Culinary BootcampExternal Link Title, where you'll learn how to shop for and cook your own locally inspired creation at the Culinary Institute of CanadaExternal Link Title. Then watch for food trucks like Truckin' RollExternal Link Title, dishing up South East Asian-style ice cream in fun P.E.I.-sourced flavours like Banana Rum-public and Mint to Be. Lastly, don't leave before dropping by the seasonal Salt & Sol Restaurant and LoungeExternal Link Title for ?ber-fresh mussels and frites, chipotle tacos, and other tapas; and the Cork & CastExternal Link Title for local seafood in Atlantic Canada's only floating restaurant.

Province-wide, Nova Scotia

People eating fresh oysters
Credit: Destination Canada

"Hit the trail" takes on different meaning in Nova ScotiaExternal Link Title, where three culinary-themed routes wind around the province from tip to rugged tip. With Nova Scotia producing one quarter of the country's seafood, it's no surprise that two of these trails celebrate the ocean's harvest. Try the many variations - from rolls to fondue - of the East Coast's most famous crustacean on the Nova Scotia Lobster TrailExternal Link Title. Savor bowl after steaming bowl on the Nova Scotia Chowder TrailExternal Link Title. Or sample the land's liquid bounty on the Nova Scotia Good Cheer TrailExternal Link Title - Canada's very first wine, beer, cider, and spirits trail.

Whitehorse, Yukon

Inn on the lake
Inn-on-the-Lake, Yukon | Credit: Government of Yukon

An up-and-coming culinary hot spot, the YukonExternal Link Title territory serves up much more than its infamous sourtoe cocktailExternal Link Title. In the capital of WhitehorseExternal Link Title, pop into Antoinette'sExternal Link Title for Caribbean-style dishes like lime-basil tiger prawns and curry chicken stew; the seasonal Klondike Rib & SalmonExternal Link Title for wild game meatballs, crusted elk tenderloin, and cold-smoked salmon; and G&P on MainExternal Link Title for steakhouse classics. A short 55-kilometre drive south of town, the Inn on the LakeExternal Link Title takes care to tap local ingredients like Boreal berries and sockeye salmon - stay for dinner and the night, or splurge for a package like the Yukon Whisky & Wine Weekend Tour. 

 

Come for the scenery, but stay for Canada's palate-pleasing local and ethnic cuisines.