Food Roundup
Sept. 22, 2026

Openings

• XIX Valleyview opened on Sept. 17 at 9112 142 Street NW.
• Rob's Original Fried Chicken opened a second location on Sept. 17 in Windermere at 1319 Windermere Way SW.
• Highlands gift and candy shop Be-a-Bella is expanding to Glenora at 10340 134 Street NW.
• Flipside BBQ has opened a second food truck, soon to be christened Flip n' Roll.
• Silsila, an Indian fusion kitchen, is now open for take-out only at 15355 111 Avenue NW.
• Kinton Ramen's second Edmonton location is now open at 1217 Windermere Way SW.
• Vegetarian Indian chain Gwalia is now open in Edmonton at 9111 39 Avenue NW.
• Mr. Malatang Hot Pot & Skewers opened at West Edmonton Mall on Sept. 19.
• Canadian dessert chain Super Crunch Tanghulu is now open at West Edmonton Mall.
• Deville Coffee's fourth Edmonton location will open in Southgate Centre on Sept. 26.
• Ontario-based smashburger chain The Fancy Induced Burger is opening an Edmonton location at 855 75 Street SW.

Closings

• The Lunchbox Sandwich Shop will close at the end of September after three-and-a-half years in business due to building redevelopment at 9707 110 Street NW. It may not be the last chapter, however. "As for what's next for Lunchbox, we're not really sure yet," an Instagram post reads. "We're going to take some time to figure that out. No promises, but we're also not closing the door on what Lunchbox could look like in the future."
• Island Brew Coffee House will be closing on Sept. 23. "This decision wasn't easy, and it doesn't come without grief," the owners shared. "But we want to close this chapter the way we opened it: with gratitude, not sadness alone."
• After nearly four years, Boba Bar in Sherwood Park announced it will close on Oct. 18.

Headlines

• Jainesh "Jai" Bali, a competitor on Season 9 of MasterChef Canada, shared his view that cooking is a spiritual experience. "The way that my grandma and my dad taught me is that as we're cooking, because it's done over a fire, it's basically like a prayer," he told Postmedia. "I have to be in a good mind, in a good state, calm and happy, and wishing for people to be happy and satisfied from eating the food." Bali also shared a Fijian egg recipe with CTV's Your Morning Edmonton. MasterChef airs live on CTV on Sept. 22 and streams afterwards on Crave.
• Filmmaker Tyra Delver spoke to CKUA about pahkwêsikan sâkihitowin: Bannock Is Love, a new short about the role of bannock in sustaining Indigenous identity. The film debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 16 and is now available through the National Film Board.
• Greg Zeschuk of Blind Enthusiasm discussed how U.S. tariffs are affecting Edmonton's craft brewers with CBC Edmonton's Radio Active, following the brewery's sold-out Barrel Fest in the Ritchie neighbourhood. Zeschuk is next set to join Jacqueline Jacek of JACEK Chocolate Couture and Peter Keith of Meuwly's and Scale Kitchens for a fireside chat on food and entrepreneurship at an Edmonton Startup Week event on Oct. 7. Edmonton Unlimited and the eHUB Entrepreneurship Centre will showcase local food and beverage brands at the event and let attendees sample products and network with founders, retailers, and investors.
• Travel Noire highlighted Black-owned food and cultural businesses in Edmonton, including Lift Me Up on the Lake, Café Caribbean, Sauce Modern Caribbean Cuisine, VIP Kilimanjaro, and Habesha Cravings.
• Daniel Costa of the Corso 32 Group shared his squid-ink pasta recipe in The Tomato. The recipe includes rosamarina, a Calabrian fish and chili preserve that can be found at the Italian Centre Shop.
• Rita Trattoria by Daniel Costa and chef Micah Joffe is one of 30 finalists for Air Canada's Best New Restaurants. The entry highlights the restaurant's focaccia, olives, and anchovies, and recommends the pasta, lamb chops, and sorbetto.
• Police say two fires at the former El Cortez Mexican Kitchen + Tequila Bar patio on Whyte Avenue were deliberately set on June 25, causing extensive damage. Police are seeking to identify a man captured on CCTV near the fires but have not called him a suspect.
• The Daily Hive reported that beers at Rogers Place will cost $16.50 for a tall-boy domestic canned beer and $18.50 for a 24-ounce domestic draft during Edmonton Oilers games this season. Craft and imported canned beer will cost $17, while a slice of pizza will cost $11.75 and a hot dog $10. While that may sound steep, data compiled by Hockey Game Day TV suggests that Rogers Place offers some of the cheapest beers across NHL venues.
• Simply Supper raised more than $600,000 for the Stollery Children's Hospital Foundation through this year's Lemonade Stand Day campaign, its largest total since 2014. More than 700 stands participated, and proceeds will fund NICView cameras for neonatal intensive care units across northern Alberta.
• The St. Albert Food Bank and Community Village planned to collect 56,000 pounds of food from about 25,000 homes during its annual drive on Sept. 19. The food bank serves about 650 families and typically distributes up to 82,000 pounds of food each month in the fall and winter.
• Local Meats Leduc offered 30,000 pounds of 89% to 90% lean ground beef for $6.10 per pound at Blackjacks Roadhouse in Nisku during a sale meant to give back to the community.
• NorQuest College newcomer students learned to cook Thanksgiving foods, from potato soup to pumpkin spice, in a cooking class that is part of a language learning program.
• Edify shared a recipe for apple cider for those who need to use up the apples from their tree. Operation Fruit Rescue Edmonton will also hold an apple pressing event on Oct. 3. The volunteer group presses more than 3,000 kilograms of apples each year.
• After a catastrophic flood earlier this summer, Sundog Organic farmers Jenny and James Berkenbosch shared that their family's farming chapter has come to an end.
• The Edmonton Urban Farm is seeking community partners for the 2027 growing season.
• Charles Chen will join the University of Alberta as the Eddie Goldenberg Research Chair in Adaptive Genomics for Climate-Resilient Forestry and Agriculture. His team will use genomics, climate projections, and AI to identify crops and trees that can withstand future heat and drought. "This work will sustain the long-term resilience and productivity of Canada's forests and agricultural systems and strengthen our country's food and fibre security," Chen said in a release. "More importantly, Canada can lead globally in developing predictive genomic and AI-enabled approaches that generate proactive solutions for climate-vulnerable ecosystems around the world."

Happenings

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

• Sept. 22: Go Strathco Launch starting at 12pm at Gallery@501
• Sept. 22: Beverly Towne Farmers' Market starting at 3pm at Riverview Crossing Mall
• Sept. 22: The Public Farmers Market starting at 3:30pm at Ritchie Community Hall
• Sept. 23: Southwest Edmonton Farmers' Market starting at 3:30pm at Booster Juice Recreation Centre in Terwillegar
• Sept. 24: 124 Grand Market: Thursdays at 108 starting at 4pm at 124 Grand Market
• Sept. 25: Friday Nights at the Grand Night Market starting at 5pm at Seventy Gr8 Entertainment District
• Sept. 25: East Coast Kitchen Party starting at 5:30pm at WE Seniors Community Cafe
• Sept. 25-27: AsiaFest at Currents of Windermere
• Sept. 26: Gluten Free Expo starting at 10am at Edmonton Convention Centre
• Sept. 26: Downtown Farmers' Market starting at 10am at Downtown Farmers' Market
• Sept. 27: Sundays at the 124 Grand Market starting at 11am at 124 Grand Market

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• Oct. 3: Introduction to Chocolate Tasting at Delavoye Chocolate Maker
• Oct. 7: In The Loop: Foodtrepreneurship at Brighton Block
• Oct. 10: Chinatown After Dark at 10640 98 Street

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