Where to Eat in Winnipeg?

[tofino]

OK this may be way off topic (I think???) but my wife and i will be there for our 20th anniversary, and first visit to Winnipeg - what are the must do's - we understand pierogies and kielbassa are amazing etc, but outside of the Indian vibe to this blurb, is there some great local food we need to try - thinking of staying at Inn at the Forks, and want to be able to walk to all our experiences (we do 15-20km a day in most cities - love to walk)?

Thanks for the help

Chris

[prasantrin]

OK this may be way off topic (I think???) but my wife and i will be there for our 20th anniversary, and first visit to Winnipeg - what are the must do's - we understand pierogies and kielbassa are amazing etc, but outside of the Indian vibe to this blurb, is there some great local food we need to try - thinking of staying at Inn at the Forks, and want to be able to walk to all our experiences (we do 15-20km a day in most cities - love to walk)?

Thanks for the help

Chris

←

Are you looking for any particular dining experiences, or is anything OK (cheap? ethnic foods?)? Is there a maximum distance you'd be willing to walk and how many times a day are you willing to walk it (for example, you'd like one closer meal and one farther meal per day)? South Osborne Street has a couple of good restaurants I'd like to recommend, but they're about 4km one way, and the restaurants on Corydon Ave (another great restaurant area) are also about 4 km. one way.

The Forks is a good location for St. Boniface, the Exchange District, and Chinatown, and there are some restaurants in each area I can suggest, but I'd like to hear if there are any restrictions, first, so I can narrow my suggestions.

Also, which days will you be in Winnipeg? Will it include a weekend? Or will it be during weekdays only? It seems a lot of places are closed Sunday and Monday, so that's something to keep in mind.

[Pam R]

If you're here before Tavern in the Park moves, it's a beautiful restaurant with good food. But, it's about 10 km from the Forks.

We're not really a fabulous walking city (I mean it's good to walk here, but not for getting from one place to the next). More info would help.

[tofino]

Thanks,

Hope to clarify some questions. We are both very good walkers, and typically when we visit a city we walk between 10-15K a day - we live at 6200 feet, so are good lower down. We have guessed there are a couple of areas to avoid at night, so would prefer to avoid those, otherwise, no dietary for either of us, we are leaning towards Mise for our anniversary - understand they will be on Croydon at that time - otherwise, no budget, we like the little hole in the wall as much as the new fine dining spot.

Thanks

[prasantrin]

I heard Mise would be in the the space currently occupied by Gluttons which, as you mention, is on Corydon, but I wasn't aware it would be moving so soon. It would be a pretty easy walk from The Forks (45 minutes), and you can pass by a number of other restaurants on your way there. The area used to be predominantly Italian, but now there's an assortment of different ethnicities (Vietnamese, Japanese, Greek, etc.) represented. I, personally, wouldn't recommend most of the restaurants on that end of Corydon, though. I don't find any of them to be any more than average. If you walk several blocks west on Corydon from Mise/Gluttons, though, you'll find Eva's Gelato. It's much much better (in my opinion) than the Gelato place in the Little Italy part of Corydon (can't remember the name).

At the Forks, itself, I would avoid Sydney's. I went for the first time a couple of weeks ago, and I doubt I will ever return (unless I'm invited and am not paying, which was the case this time). But do try to get some freshly baked whole wheat cinnamon buns from Tall Grass Prairie. Their savoury bread pudding is also very good, as are many of their whole-grain breads. They grind their own wheat, and try to use local ingredients in their breads (wheat, honey, etc.).

From The Forks, if you head west on Broadway, you'll find Bombolini's and Amici's. Amici's is the higher end restaurant. Both have serve reliable Italian food--not outstanding, but good.

Further on Broadway, past Osborne Street, hang a left on Sherbrook. Walk several more blocks and you'll find Bistro Dansk on the lefthand side. Excellent chicken livers, schnitzel, and if you like nuts, you'll love their hazelnut pie. That would probably be a leisurely 45-ish minute walk from the Forks, I think.

North from the Forks along Main Street, you'll get to the Exchange District. On the right-hand side of Main, Tre Visi used to be my top choice for Italian in Winnipeg. My last visit there (last year) was disappointing, but it might be worth a try. There's also a Sri Lankan place in that area that used to be very good. They have a branch at The Forks, but the main restaurant is much better. A new Mexican place, Don Pedro's, opened recently in that area on Market Street. Stay away--far away.

On the left-hand side of Main, if you walk a but on Bannatyne, you'll see places like Albert Street Burger--a dive, but very good. On Arthur Street is the Underground Cafe. They're only open during the day, but they have the best Sunburger--a vegetarian burger I'd love to get the recipe for. It's messy, but delicious. Lots of other little places in that area--Mirlycourtois for French is well-spoken of, but my family and I have never had good experiences with the food. Oui is another French Bistro on Bannatyne that's supposed to be good, but I haven't tried it, yet.

From that area, Chinatown is north along King Street. Kum Koon Garden has very good dim sum. It's not a great area late at night (aka after dark, which won't be till after 9:30 or 10pm), but during the day you won't have any problems. That goes for most of the "problem areas" of Winnipeg, too.

Back to Main Street...south from the Forks, just a bit, is VJ's. Another divey burger place, but they've got good burgers. Keep walking south on Main and it eventually end, splitting off to become St. Mary's Road and Marion Street. This is St. Boniface, the French area of Winnipeg. On Tache you'll find Le Croissant. Great French bread and pastries. Also in the area is In Ferno--tasty, but loud and a bit pretentious (in my opinion). Not a bad choice if you're in the area, though.

Along Elice and Sargent Avenues (not too far a walk from downtown), you can get very good Vietnamese food and Indian food. Nhu Quynh on Ellice is our favourite for Vietnamese, but most of the Vietnamese places in that area are good, and Taste of India on Sargent (closer to downtown) is very good for Indian.

In Osborne Village, Baked Expectations is well-known for their cheesecakes and cakes. Their schmoo torte is good, but stay away from the chiffon cake. It's hard and heavy! Massawa has good Ethiopian food, but be prepared to wait. Vi-ann's has very good bubble tea, and their Vietnamese food is good, too. I'd avoid the Thai and Japanese restaurants in the area.

That's all I can think of right now that's do-able on foot from The Forks. I'll try to write in again if I think of more.

If you're going to be in Winnipeg before I leave for Japan, and if you're jones-ing for real Thai food and don't mind company, I could drive you to my favourite Thai place. It's much too far to walk, but it's very very good.

[momshobby]

Two Fantastic Winnipeg Restaurants that I was in last weekend:

The Promenade Bistro, over the new bridge in Winnipeg was great. Fantastic lamb, peppercorn steak, salmon, quail, etc. all for reasonable prices (less than $ 25.00) per main course. The presentation was delightful, including purple potato as the veggie of the day. Everything was cooked to perfection. The desserts were also fantastic. I didn't indulge, but one of the people at our table said that the cheesecake (with fresh strawberries on top) was right out of New York as far as texture and flavor went. Our waitress was professional, described the foods very well, and was very attentive. I don't know Winnipeg well, but lots of people were walking over the bridge in front of this fantastic restaurant, and it looked very relaxing.

Tavern on the Park for Sunday Brunch. Reservations a must. For $ 25.00 per person, you are treated to a great brunch. French toast with brioche bread, waffles, omelet bar, crab-cakes, salad, cheeses, soup, mini pancakes, prime rib (with Alberta Beef), and much more. The desert bar was also great. Again great service, and great explanations of what was on the food bar, and methods of food preparation. No jello salads on this first class buffet. The location of the restaurant is Assiniboine Park, so of course a visit to the Zoo or flower conservatory would fit nicely as a walk was definately needed after that meal. The restaurant is moving to the Sheraton Hotel downtown after the summer season.

Edited August 12, 2008 by momshobby (log)

[Pam R]

I've been hearing great things about Fresh on Corydon -- go for brunch.

[prasantrin]

I've been hearing great things about Fresh on Corydon -- go for brunch.

←

I just went to Fresh yesterday.

I wasn't impressed as I wanted to be, but I'd go back. It's not a place to go if you want to have a relaxing conversation with someone, though, at least not if you sit on the second floor.