Food Roundup
Aug. 11, 2026

Openings

• XIX Nineteen is expanding again, with a location in Valleyview at 9112 142 Street, to open in September. This storefront was previously occupied by Rebel Food and Drink, which has since relocated to Crestwood Centre.
• Allendale now has its first coffee shop: Brisk & Brew Coffee House has opened at 6324 106 Street NW.
• Farmers' market vendor Knead Bakehouse has opened a brick-and-mortar location at 3850 Sherwood Drive.
• Ardaas Sweets, offering Indian treats, opened on July 26 at 16777 71 Street NW.
• The Emerald Breakfast and Lunch is now open at 6604 178 Avenue NW.
• Masaya is a new Turkish and Syrian restaurant that opened on July 12 at 10425 158 Avenue NW.
• Delhi Social Club & Cafe, offering Indian and Indo-Chinese cuisine, celebrated its grand opening at 3727 99 Street NW.
• Fuzion Donuts will be opening its third Edmonton location at 3344 Gateway Boulevard NW.
• Rob's Original Fried Chicken has announced a second location in Windermere, to open Sept. 1, at 1319 Windermere Way SW.
• The KokoGrill is opening a second location in Beaumont at 5005 50 Street.
• Leduc Meat & Grill, a tandoori restaurant, opened on July 26 in Leduc at 4812E 43A Avenue.
• Another location of Leopold's Tavern is opening in Fort Saskatchewan, at 9398 Southfort Drive.
• BackNine Tavern & Grill, offering a sports bar and virtual golf, is now open at 215 McKenney Avenue in St. Albert.
• Flame & Barrel is opening a second location in the Edmonton area, this time in St. Albert at 388 St. Albert Trail.

Closings

• DRTY Ice Cream and its host business, Foosh, have closed their downtown location at 10150 104 Street NW: "With the crazy rain, it was hard enough to attract folks to make the trek across the river. But add in the heavy construction, random road closures, expensive parking, and little to no foot traffic — our little ice cream window didn't stand a chance," DRTY posted. Its Station Park location remains open.
• The Gardens sports bar has closed its downtown location at 10048 102 Street NW, citing a "distinct lack of support," and is opening a new spot in Wîhkwêntôwin at 11520 100 Avenue NW.
• Wilfred's has closed in the Brewery District, prompting an outpouring of support and some snark. The co-located Made by Marcus remains open, and the space has already hosted a pop-up by Vagabond.

Headlines

• Sturgeon County formally declared an agricultural disaster for the 2026 growing season after record rainfall flooded fields, delayed harvests, and left many farmers unable to get equipment onto saturated land. County council voted unanimously to request additional support from the provincial and federal governments. Eric Chen of **Peas on Earth said the mud has made it difficult to harvest potatoes, and other crops have been damaged by problems causes by saturated soil.
• NAIT Nugget writer Alleah Boisvert made the case for visiting eight downtown and downtown-adjacent bars and restaurants. The ones she would "hate to lose" are Donburi King, ChongQing Noodle Soup, Saigon Taste, Honi Honi Tiki Lounge, Rob's Original Fried Chicken, Menya Mori, Next of Kin, and The Gardens, which is moving.
• Coliseum Steak & Pizza marked 50 years of serving Edmontonians. Co-owner Dimitra Scordas — who started working there at 17 when her father opened it in 1976 — credited generational customers and consistent quality for helping the restaurant survive the pandemic and the closure of the nearby Coliseum arena.
• Papa Giuseppe's Kitchen has attracted national and international attention through bait-and-switch TikTok videos that have garnered more than five million views. Its social media manager credits the approach for bringing in three out of every five customers to the 22-seat Italian restaurant.
• Food blogger and influencer Linda Hoang's family will compete on Season 8 of Family Feud Canada, airing on CBC this fall. Hoang's parents own King Noodle House Pho Hoang, and her mother, Hoa Sen, is on the team, along with Hoang's husband, brother, and father-in-law.
• Little Bon Bon now hosts a coworking space in collaboration with Togather Chinatown.
• Spilt Zero Proof co-owner JoAnne Pearce appeared on the On the Wagon podcast to discuss launching what she describes as Canada's first dedicated non-alcoholic bar. She said handing out more than 10,000 mocktail samples at farmers' markets and events helped build the business.
• River Cree Resort and Casino is hiring for Gordon Ramsay's Hell's Kitchen — the brand's first Canadian location — posting 12 positions ranging from executive sous chef to food runner. The restaurant has missed its summer 2026 target and is not yet taking reservations; the menu is to include Indigenous cuisine developed with Ramsay's team using Alberta ingredients.
• Nneoma Perry Ngene, founder of mobile catering business Black Spice Canada, spoke to the FoundersOutlook podcast about leaving law to build a food business rooted in African and Caribbean cuisine.
• Frank's Community Pub founder Sean Thompson spoke to writer Laurence Miall about opening his inclusive south Edmonton neighbourhood pub, the difficulty of navigating the city's small business licensing process, and his belief that mixing different demographics is essential to genuine community-building.
• Slow Pour Beer Bar is seeking an operator to use its space during the morning hours.
• The Tasty Tomato is looking for someone to buy the business.
• Edify reviewed Myanm's Noodle in Beaumont, a Burmese restaurant opened in 2025 by husband-and-wife team Hram Thulai and Salai Zete. Reviewer Jeanie Habibi noted generous portions, a gluten-free menu section, and a warm welcome from the owners.
• Edify reviewed Norma Dee's Kitchen in Devon, a family-run breakfast and lunch diner known for made-from-scratch hashbrowns, eggs Benedict, and a reliably full house.
• The Edmonton City as Museum Project published an essay on the history of pemmican, tracing it from its origins as a carefully crafted Indigenous survival food made from dried buffalo, rendered fat, and seasonal berries, through to its industrialization by fur traders and the Canadian government. Mitsoh is expanding its offerings beyond pemmican after winning Inclusive ScaleUP of the Year at the 2026 ScaleUP Awards.
• The Travel Alliance Partnership's Destination on the Left podcast released two episodes recorded live at the 2026 Taste of Place Summit in Edmonton, covering how authentic human connection drives culinary tourism and how collaboration between producers, chefs, and destination organizations creates stronger food tourism ecosystems. The summit was hosted by the Culinary Tourism Alliance in partnership with Explore Edmonton.
• The Edmonton Heritage Festival's return to Hawrelak Park drew an estimated 100,000 visitors on its busiest day, raising $50,000 and 18,000 kilograms of food for Edmonton's Food Bank. The drive was part of more than $100,000 collected across a weekend-long initiative that also saw $52,000 raised at the Edmonton Elks game.
• Ruth's Pantry, a program of SOAR Community Empowerment in northeast Edmonton, serves more than 100 families weekly through a dignified, drop-in grocery experience. The organization is raising money to build a commercial kitchen, asking 1,000 donors to each give $150 to fund expanded services and cooking classes for kids.
• Sobeys is bringing the IGA banner back to Edmonton's Valleyview neighbourhood, opening a full-service grocery store on Aug. 20 at a location that served residents for more than 60 years.
• Sunterra Market is in a court-supervised sale process after being found liable for $35 million in a cheque-kiting case brought by American lender Compeer Financial. The Alberta-based chain, which has grocery stores in Edmonton, Calgary, and Red Deer, is operating under creditor protection while seeking buyers or investors.

Happenings

Here are some events coming up soon:

• Aug. 11: Beverly Towne Farmers' Market starting at 3pm at Riverview Crossing Mall
• Aug. 11: The Public Farmers Market starting at 3:30pm at Ritchie Community Hall
• Aug. 11: VegFest starting at 10am at Athlone Community Hall
• Aug. 11: Saving Seeds for Food Security - Gardeners' Speaker Series starting at 6:30pm at Edmonton Public Library (Stanley A. Milner)
• Aug. 14: Food Truck Frenzy starting at 5pm at Edmonton EXPO Centre
• Aug. 14: Dragon Food Tour: Peking Duck starting at 6:30pm at CTC Storytelling Centre
• Aug. 14: Willow Park Wine & Cheese Tasting Fundraiser starting at 7pm at Willow Park Wines & Spirits
• Aug. 15: Downtown Farmers' Market starting at 10am on 104 Street
• Aug. 15: FAVA 2026 Summer BBQ starting at 2pm at Donnan Park
• Aug. 15: Brew & Banter: A Craft Beer Tasting Experience starting at 2pm at City Cellars
• Aug. 15: Summer at the Centre starting at 4pm at Spruce Grove City Centre
• Aug. 15-16: Alberta Open Farm Days
• Aug. 15-16: Matcha Social YEG at LAST Modern Event Venue
• Aug. 16: Drag me to Happy Hour starting at 4:30pm at Cask and Barrel

And here are more to keep in mind:

• Aug. 21-23: Edmonton Dragon Festival at Kinistinâw Park
• Aug. 24: Understanding what Turns Dirt to Soil online
• Aug. 26: Tomato Preservation Class at Edmonton Public Library (Stanley A. Milner)

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