7 Best Winnipeg Restaurants | Where to Eat in Winnipeg, Manitoba

It doesn’t matter whether you’ve just spent an enlightening morning at the Canadian Human Rights Museum, are making plans to spend the evening at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, or are out and about perusing the stores in The Forks; sooner or later, you’re going to be hungry. The city of Winnipeg is home to more than 1,700 different dining establishments, making it difficult to zero in on the very finest options. Here are our top 8 Winnipeg eateries. Even the most discerning tourist in your company is likely to find something to their liking here.

Top 7 Best Winnipeg Restaurants

Best French Restaurant in Winnipeg

Resto Gare Bistro and Train Bar

630 Des Meurons at Provencher St. Boniface // +1 204-237-7072

In the St. Boniface neighborhood, also known as Winnipeg’s French Quarter, you’ll find Resto Gare Bistro and Train Bar. During dinner, you’ll feel as though you’ve been transported to Europe. The Bistro was originally a train station, and the interior design still features the station’s original wooden framing and light fixtures. You can even have dinner in the train car, which is a reference to the previous life of the bistro.

They provide service in both French and English, which is a nice complement to the authentic French cuisine that they serve. On the menu, you’ll find all of your favorite traditional French dishes. We had the Brie Faux Fondue, which was made with melted Brie cheese and was served with cranberry, dark cherry, and spiced almonds, as well as a baguette from France. Beef bourguignon is another one of my favorite dishes that’s traditionally French. The dish’s foundation is a beef short rib that has been braised in red wine and is combined with mushroom, bacon, onion, and fresh herbs. The dish is finished with a splash of traditional red wine. They serve it with roasted potatoes or mashed potatoes, and the chef chooses the vegetables. You can choose either one.

Resto Gare also provides a delectable rendition of the traditional Canadian dish known as poutine. They serve the fries, which are hand-cut, with Bothwell cheese curds and house gravy on top. You have the option of topping it with blue cheese, bacon, and gravy made from red wine.

Pro Tip: 

• During nice weather, the patio offers live music in a pleasant setting.

Best Tapas-Style Restaurant in Winnipeg

Deer + Almond

85 Princess Street// +1 204-504-8562

Deer + Almond, which can be found in Winnipeg’s bustling Exchange District, is a hub for the arts and theater in the city. It features options that are always changing and take advantage of fresh local ingredients. When you order the tasting menu, which is typically referred to as dining in the tapas style, you will end up feeling pleasantly full by the time dinner is over. The dishes that I will describe will serve as examples of items that are available, but the menu is always subject to change.

From the wide selection of tapas that are available, one of the most popular choices is the smoked Lake Winnipeg Pickerel served with almond soup, pickled cantaloupe, and cucumber oil. In addition to that, the arborio risotto with grilled lobster from Manitoba and mushrooms that was topped with Parmigiano Reggiano was delicious.

Pro Tip: 

• Call ahead if you have dietary restrictions or allergies. This will allow the chef to make advance arrangements for your meal.

Best Latin Dining in Winnipeg

Café Dario

1390 Erin Street // +1 204-783-2813

Café Dario is a casual dining experience that offers food quality, presentation, and service that is comparable to that of any fine-dining restaurant. It is located in a bungalow on the West End, which is off the beaten path. On chef Dario Pineda-Gutierrez’s menu, you’ll frequently find popular dishes from South American cuisine. He was born in Colombia.

A six-ounce beef tenderloin topped with Argentinean caper chimichurri is presented in a way that is a work of art at this restaurant. The vibrant colors on the plate come from the roasted vegetables, the pickled carrots, and the brightly colored beet threads.

Try the corn-crusted six-ounce salmon fillet if you prefer fish instead of the chicken or beef. The meal includes a vegetable and a starch of your choice. Every lunch comes with a bowl of the soup of the day and a basket of assorted bread.

Pro Tips:

• Planning dinner with a vegan? If you call a few days ahead, they can customize a meal designed to delight.
• Café Dario only seats about 50 people, so be sure to make reservations.

Dining Rooms with a View in Winnipeg

Prairie 360

83 Garry Street // +1 204-505-2681

Prairie 360 offers visitors a bird’s-eye view of Winnipeg from its vantage point in Fort Garry Place, which is 30 floors above the city. You’ll have plenty of time to enjoy your meal and take in the sights of the city from every angle thanks to the fact that each rotation lasts an hour and ten minutes.

The kitchen at Prairie 360 is entirely scratch-made, which contributes to the restaurant’s ultra-modern vibe. The Manitoba beef that has been aged for 45 days is the chef’s particular specialty. Try their pan-seared duck over creamy polenta or their roasted rack of lamb if you’re looking for something other than beef. Both of these dishes come highly recommended.

One of the most memorable starters was the spicy roasted corn elote, which came topped with diced pork belly.

Best Breakfast in Winnipeg

Clementine Café

123 Princess Street // +1 204-942-9497

The white-neon sign outside of this eatery exhorts customers to “Eat this; it will help.” Indeed, it does! It makes a difference, regardless of the dish.

This menu, which draws inspiration from around the world, focuses intently on the morning meal. There are only nine main courses and nine side dishes available. Some of the items on the menu are always available, while others change depending on the time of year. For example, during the summer, black-cherry semifreddo with dark chocolate is a popular dessert option. During the fall, apple semifreddo with dulce de leche is a popular option.

Despite the fact that the Clementine Café is located in a basement, the atmosphere is light and airy thanks to the presence of potted plants on the window ledges and an overall retro-industrial feel.

A waffle made in the style of Brussels, which was cake-like on the inside but crispy on the outside, was served with blueberry sauce. After that, there was a dollop of whipped cream that had been flavored with lemon, and some lemon zest was sprinkled on top of that. A bowl containing a handful of fresh blueberries was found in a shallow well. In the end, they finished it off by topping it with frosted pecans, which added a satisfying crunch.

The salty and sweet flavors come together beautifully in the maple-glazed bacon that was made in-house and cut from pork belly.

Pro Tips:

• Because this establishment does not accept bookings, you will need to contact ahead to find out how long the wait will be. It’s possible that you’ll have to make the choice to go another day.
• On weekdays, they shut at three in the afternoon, while on weekends, they stay open until four. The rush is expected to stop about 1:30 in the afternoon.

Best Date Night Spot in Winnipeg

SMITH

75 Forks Market Road // +1 204-944-2445

In a warm and homey setting, the restaurant SMITH provides guests with an unforgettable gastronomic experience. The restaurant takes its name from the trade of blacksmithing, and its interior features an abundance of black metal.

The diverse array of Canadian products is highlighted throughout SMITH’s menu. You’ll find Canadian prime beef from Alberta, rabbit from Manitoba, and Arctic char among the seasonal products obtained from local suppliers. The pig that was obtained locally by the chef provides for some delicious bacon that was prepared in-house.

The inside of the restaurant is decorated in a style that combines hunter and hipster elements. A homage is given to the hunter via the use of contemporary white antler chandeliers and banquets upholstered in Hudson Bay Company blankets. The artisanal food and craft cocktails contribute to the hipster atmosphere, along with the wood walls that have been horizontally planked and modern fixtures.

The cheese board that we provided was a particularly memorable appetizer. It had Oka, Cambozola, and a Guinness cheddar, among other cheeses. The cheese was served with a buttery crostini and a crunchy cranberry almond cracker that were both prepared in-house. Strawberry halves, a quarter of a Granny Smith apple that had been finely sliced, and Saskatoon berries made up the fruit component of the dish. The sweetness came from the honey as well as the candied pecans.

Pro Tips:

• Saturday nights offer a variety of live entertainment from folk to jazz. Other evenings, The Forks’s river walk is the perfect place for an after-dinner stroll.

Best Comfort Food in Winnipeg

Peasant Cookery

283 Bannatyne Ave. // +1 204-989-7700

On the menu of Peasant Cookery, you’ll find dishes that are reminiscent of French cuisine but with a contemporary touch. Their delicacies, which are produced from scratch, include charcuterie, sauces, and stocks that are all made in-house.

Highlights of the menu included French onion soup, gnocchi made in the Parisian manner, and tourtière, which is a meat pie made in the French way. In order to create tasty dishes, their peasant cooking centered on using ingredients that were readily available and did not cost a lot of money.

The butternut squash soup was flavored with just a hint of curry and was made dairy-free by using coconut milk in its preparation. When I mentioned that I was allergic to the nuts that were included in the granola, the server suggested that the beet salad be garnished with toasted seeds instead, such as sesame and sunflower seeds, as well as puffed wild rice. Typically, the beet salad is topped with crunchy granola. This was an excellent method to make accommodations for those who are allergic to nuts without completely removing the texture.

There were three distinct elements to the chevre cheesecake when it was deconstructed. The meal started off with a scoop of sour cherry sorbet that had been produced in-house. The sharpness was a good contrast to the chevre cheesecake that was baked in a ramekin and had a creamy texture. The traditional cheesecake crust was substituted with two shortbread biscuits shaped like pigs. The whimsical cutout cookies added a dash of playfulness to the plate, while the vibrant cherry sorbet brought a splash of color to the dish.

Which of these Winnipeg Restaurants do you most want to try? Let me know in the comments section below!

   Author Bio:

Freelance travel writer, photographer, and blogger Amy Piper is one of her many talents. She was born in the state of Michigan in the United States, and she has now visited 41 nations and 42 states, the most recent of which is New Mexico. Her bucket list includes a trip to Antarctica, which would complete her tour of all seven continents. She routinely takes trips with her husband, daughter, and two grandchildren, and specializes in both eating and travel with many generations at the same time. Amy has completed stints as an expatriate in South Korea and Argentina, each lasting for a period of six months.

She has been chased by bomb-sniffing dogs in the middle of the night in Bogotá (working late), refused boarding for a plane from Buenos Aires to Paraguay (wrong visa), and Federal Marshals once announced her seat number on a flight while looking for a murder suspect. All of these incidents occurred because she was working late (traded seats.) It is never not an exciting experience! She is a member of many organizations, including the International Travel Writers and Photographers Alliance, the International Food Wine and Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA), Travel Massive, and TravMedia (ITWPA). You may find her on Twitter under the handle @amythepiper.

FAQs

What food is Winnipeg famous for?

Specialities. foods that have been traditionally consumed by First Nations peoples, such as bison, wild game, fish, wild fruit, and grain. Flat bread that is traditionally made by cooking it over an open fire and was first introduced by fur merchants. smoked fish and meats — for a tasty treat, try some smoked Lake Winnipeg goldeye or, for a traditional dish, pickerel cooked in a skillet (a small pike).

What is the most popular food in Manitoba?

Probably the most emblematic foods of Manitoba are perogies and kubasa sausage.
Kathryne believes food = love!

• Cookies of the Imperial Kind….
• Cake made by Jeanne….
• Schmoo Torte. …
• Smoked Goldeye. …
• Winnipeg Rye Bread. …
• The “Nips” from Salisbury House…
• Boys with Bellies…
• Flapper Pie.