Food Roundup

Openings

• Bistro Praha reopened on Feb. 28 after closing for a few weeks due to building maintenance, an employee told Taproot. The nearly 50-year-old restaurant was recently noted by the Edmonton is Fine guide and once again made Edify's list of the best tried and true restaurants for 2026.

Closings

• The Moth Cafe's Khuyen Wales spoke to Edify about her family's decision to close the vegan restaurant after eight years, likely at the end of 2026. Wales also shared some of her favourite options for vegetarian food in Edmonton: An Chay, Seitans, and Padmanadi.

Headlines

• Edify's Best Restaurants 2026 includes a variety of categories, including the coveted best overall restaurants designation. The magazine chose RGE RD, Olia, Fu's Repair Shop, OTTO Food & Drink, and Bianco as the crème de la crème this year. A few other categories are best pizza, best burger, and best brunch.
• The Tomato ranked Rita Trattoria's lamb chops scottadito as No. 1 on its Tomato Top 100 list. The chops are among four dishes from Daniel Costa restaurants in the top 10, alongside the focaccia at Bar Bricco, the caramelle pasta at Olia, and the cotto filone sandwich at Va.
• The Next Act is celebrating the SkirtsAfire festival with skirt steak fajitas.
• Sheldon Byer of Cheese Louise shared his tips on grilled cheese sandwiches, including how to maximize the cheese pull, what bread works best, and whether or not ketchup is an acceptable condiment. Byer opened Cheese Louise at Station Park in January.
• Leanne Smoliak's Smos at Home column in The Tomato leans into late-winter comfort food, sharing family recipes for sweet and sour meatballs and chicken stew with drop dumplings.
• Rat Creek Press highlighted the Cooking Connections class that NorQuest College runs twice a semester at Edmonton Public Library's downtown branch, pairing newcomers learning English with English-speaking volunteers to practice conversation while cooking.
• 7 Summits Snacks is among the companies advancing in the latest Agri-Food Summit from Startup TNT. The top five companies will be announced on March 23, and the summit finale takes place on April 9.
• Alberta Innovates has co-funded a new province-wide initiative led by the Alberta Food Processors Association to help tariff-affected food and beverage businesses access business coaching and technology guidance.
• KDays is accepting applications for its feature product program until March 27, inviting businesses to create KDays-themed products in exchange for complimentary festival tickets to distribute to customers. Last year, 24 partners at 48 locations generated more than $330,000 in KDays-related revenue and helped bring more than 18,000 additional guests to the festival.
• The City of Edmonton's Downtown Action Plan Fund will distribute $3 million for revitalization projects. The initiative offers funding for beautification, events, and more. Applications will be accepted over four intake periods, with the first closing March 23. Representatives from the Edmonton Downtown Business Association and Downtown Edmonton Community League expressed support for the initiative.
• Parkland County is offering a two-part online workshop series on farm direct marketing for producers as part of its Dig into Horticulture program.
• Angela Lee, a University of Alberta law professor and the co-author of Food Law and Policy in Canada, discussed whether cloned meat could one day appear on Canadian grocery shelves with both CBC Edmonton's Radio Active and CityNews Edmonton. concerns range from food safety to the livelihood of food producers, she said.
• The operators of The Rocky Bean Co. shared tips for building a better at-home coffee station with Postmedia ahead of their appearance at the Edmonton Home + Garden Show. The event takes place at the Edmonton EXPO Centre from March 26 to 29.

Happenings

Here are some events coming up over the next seven days:

• March 3: Trini Street Food Pop-Up starting at 11am at O-day'min Park Pavilion
• March 5: Intentional Discussions with Entrepreneurs from across Alberta Series starting at 12pm online
• March 5: Starting Seeds Indoors: Grow Healthy Transplants for Your Edmonton Garden starting at 7pm at Queen Alexandra Community Hall
• March 6: She Leads Brunch starting at 9am at Westin Edmonton
• March 6: Cocktail Class - Last Word starting at 7pm at Cocktail Culture

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• March 12: More than a Meal: Lessons from "Right to Food" Models at The Rock Soup Greenhouse and Food Bank
• March 15: Behind the Apron: Creative Sustenance with Titilope Sonuga at Edmonton Public Library (Stanley A. Milner)
• March 18: Indigenous Taste of the Market at Old Strathcona Farmers' Market

Visit the Taproot Edmonton Calendar for many more events in the Edmonton region.

Beyond Edmonton

• Phantom Light Distillery, a Prince Albert-based vodka brand, has expanded into Alberta and Nevada and is now the official vodka of the Edmonton Oilers, the Calgary Flames, and the Calgary Stampeders.
• The Willow Lake Métis Nation has relocated 20 wood bison from Elk Island National Park to a ranch near Fort McMurray as the first step in a $50-million food sustainability plan that will also include hens, honey bees, greenhouses, and community gardens.
• Loblaw is investing $2.4 billion in Canada in 2026, with plans to open 70 new locations focused on its discount banners, including No Frills, as Canada records the highest rate of food inflation among the G7.