Food Roundup
May 19, 2026

Openings

• Rosie's Burgers plans to open its first Edmonton location in the Brewery District at 11928 104 Avenue NW. The Toronto-based smashburger chain has not revealed its opening date.
• FireMA promises Edmonton's "first charcoal shawarma experience", offering Jordanian flavour. The food truck is parked at 13530 Fort Road NW.
• New Freeze Land, a chain founded in India in 1983, serves grilled sandwiches, cold coffee, and shakes. Its first Edmonton location is now open at 270 91 Street SW.
• Brewco Craft Kitchen and Brewery, serving in-house brewed beer, is opening soon at West Edmonton Mall.
• Sangam Social is a new Indian restaurant opening soon in Sherwood Park, at 975 Broadmoor Blvd.
• Ontario-based chain Daal Roti is opening soon at 3645 Gateway Blvd NW.
• Walker Lake Meat Shop is opening a second location, at 16769 71 Street NW.
• The fifth Chick-Fil-A in the Edmonton region is opening soon in St. Albert, at 815 St. Albert Trail, Unit #5A.

Closings

• The Growlery has closed The Den, its downtown pub across the street from Rogers Place. Despite a $212,000 grant and marketing supports provided by the Edmonton Downtown Business Association, the "location has become unsustainable, and we need to focus on the brewery as a whole," owners wrote in an announcement.

Headlines

• New Asian Village is celebrating 40 years in business. The Kapur family started by offering north Indian cuisine, but expanded to offer south Indian, Chinese, and tandoori flavours.
• Daily Hive suggests exploring restaurants (and more) this summer in six Edmonton neighbourhoods: Forest Heights, Ritchie, Alberta Avenue, Highlands, Laurier Heights, and wîhkwêntôwin. Ritchie Market and Happy Beer Street are among the offerings highlighted.
• Edify's massive patio guide features the garden at OTTO Food & Drink, the highly rated former parking lot at Baijiu, the raucous Julio's Barrio on Whyte Avenue, and many others.
• Hachi Takoyaki and Meat Street Pies are among the food trucks on Edmonton streets this summer, as tracked by Edify.
• The 124 Grand Market overcame poor weather as its season began, organizer Kirsta Franke told CBC Edmonton's Radio Active.
• Explore Edmonton's Eat Play Laugh Pass is back for 2026, offering 15 tasting tickets for Taste of Edmonton, a 10-day pass for KDays, and an afternoon show at the Great Outdoors Comedy Festival for $59. Doug Griffiths of the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce told CTV that such affordability measures are a relief for both event-goers and businesses.
• DON'YA Ukraine's Kitchen co-founder Janice Krissa detailed how the business has shifted its approach after taking part in the Venturepark mentorship program by Arlene Dickinson, one of the investors on Dragons' Den to whom Krissa pitched last year.
• Canadian band Arkells was in town recently, and shared a glowing post about Rosewood's food and humanity. "Some of the best food we've ever had on tour," the band wrote.
• Hansen Distillery master distiller Kris Sustrik joined the Reluctantly Podcast to discuss whisky production from grain to bottle and a World Whisky Day event at the distillery that took place on May 16.
• American chain restaurant Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen is raising money for the Ben Stelter Foundation throughout May in Edmonton. The company said last year's campaign raised more than $31,000, and it has set a $50,000 goal for this year.
• Food-rescuer Second Harvest called for a national food-waste strategy and clearer "best before" and expiry label education on CBC Edmonton's Radio Active.
• The Green & Gold Community Garden spoke to CityNews Edmonton about its fundraiser for equipment. The volunteer-run, 2.5-acre garden and fruit orchard has directed all proceeds from its produce sales to Tubahumurize, a Rwandan women's organization, for the past 18 years.
• The Autism Independent Living Association (known commonly as AiLA) shared the story of its cooking program for autistic adults with The Well Endowed Podcast from the Edmonton Community Foundation. The workshops at the Stanley A. Milner branch of the Edmonton Public Library teach meal prep, grocery budgeting, and kitchen confidence with support from a $15,000 community grant from ECF. More coverage is available in ECF's Thrive Magazine.
• The first entry in Edify's summer steak series features tips on buying and cooking the Denver cut. D'Arcy's Meat Market owner Kyle Iseke suggested both charcoal and cast-iron skillet cooking methods.
• The Tomato highlighted the arrival of asparagus season with a recipe for shaved-asparagus salad. Veg-forward recipes were also the focus of Chef Doreen Prei's summer salad tips.

Happenings

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

• May 19: Spilt Spring Series - Fresh Herbs starting at 6:15pm at Spilt
• May 21: Borshch Cooking Class starting at 5pm at DON'YA Ukraine's Kitchen (Fort Road)
• May 22: Clos du Soleil Anniversary Wine Dinner starting at 6pm at The Butchery by RGE RD
• May 23: Volya's Spring Awakening Gala starting at 5:30pm at Polish Hall
• May 23: Peruvian Pilipino Pop Up starting at 8pm at Boa and Hare
• May 24: Japanese Tea Ceremony starting at 11:15am at University of Alberta Botanic Garden
• May 24: Peruvian Pilipino Pop Up starting at 8pm at Boa and Hare
• May 25: Reading Between the Barcode Lines: A Food Politics Book Club starting at 7pm at Magpie Books

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• May 29-30: UFest Edmonton Ukrainian Festival at Borden Park
• May 30: Grown-Up Book Fair at Bent Stick Brewing
• Until May 31: Best of Brunch YEG

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