Food Roundup
Oct. 6, 2026

Openings

• Roam Cafe has opened its second location at ATB Place, at 10020 100 Street NW.
• DRTY Ice Cream has closed its Station Park location for the winter and will open a winter location inside Foosh at 10544 Whyte Avenue NW.
• Coffee House 77 is now open at 1377 Rosenthal Boulevard NW.
• But First, Matcha opened recently inside Reviv RN at 5356 Admiral Girouard Street NW.
• Crumb Bar is opening a second location this fall at 12307 102 Avenue NW.

Closings

• Felice Cafe has closed permanently as of Oct. 1. "Outwardly, we looked very successful. The Cafe was busy, our community was strong, and we were growing year over year. What you didn't see behind the scenes was the incredible amount of financial strain, emotional stress, and physical burden running a hospitality business takes," the cafe posted.
• WhtRabit has closed its location until further notice.

Headlines

• Blair Lebsack of RGE RD won gold, Jason Greene of Braven won silver, and Tyson Wright of The Old Red Barn won bronze at a regional qualifier for the Canadian Culinary Championship. Lebsack will compete in Ottawa on Jan. 29 and 30. Organizers called the results a tight finish thanks to strong performances by fellow competitors Nathin Bye, a culinary arts instructor at St. Joseph Catholic High School, Scott Downey of The Butternut Tree and The Marc, Winnie Chen of Fu's Repair Shop, and Paul Shufelt of The Workshop Eatery. The only Edmontonian to ever win gold nationally, Ryan O'Flynn, spoke to Global News Edmonton ahead of the event, alongside The Tomato's Mary Bailey.
• Top Chef Canada alumna Holly Holt, a member of the snpink'tn Indian Band in Penticton, discussed how colonial and settler traditions fit into contemporary Indigenous cuisine with CBC Edmonton's Radio Active. She pointed out that bannock is a post-colonial food. "'The Scots invented it, but we perfected it,' is a fun way of looking at it," she said.
• Franco Maione, owner of Tesoro Caffè Bar, spoke about returning to downtown 15 years after closing its Wîhkwêntôwin location. The café will replace the closed Bar Oro at 10550 Jasper Avenue NW. "I know there's been a lot of doom and gloom in the area as of late," he told CityNews Edmonton. "But I'm more of an opportunistic person, and I just see the future potential more long term for what downtown is going to bring."
• Postmedia looked into the wave of restaurant closures in downtown Edmonton as rising food, rent, and operating costs squeeze already-thin margins. RGE RD co-owner Blair Lebsack said his profit margins have fallen from about 10% to 2%, while OTTO Food and Drink owner Ed Donszelmann said some ingredient costs have nearly doubled. Despite the closures, Alberta restaurants recorded nearly $1.14 billion in sales in May, up 5.7% over May 2025.
• Strathcona County is positioning agritourism as a pillar of its 10-year tourism strategy as it rolls out its Go Strathco brand. Eiblis Doherty, the county's senior economic development officer for tourism, said agritourism lets producers diversify while staying connected to the family farm. "There's a massive opportunity for agriculture and agricultural operators to tap into this market," Doherty told Taproot. "This is really an opportunity for (farmers) to be able to stay in that lifestyle and stay connected to the family farm in the area that they grew up in by diversifying into this." Bar OA Farms co-owner Bryanna Kumpula-Yung hosts farm dinners and workshops, though this summer's weather kept the flower farm out of Alberta Open Farm Days.
• Fennec Kitchen & Bar at 10250 101 Street NW serves shared plates, dinner mains, and takeout sandwiches, wrote Edify's Liane Faulder, who praised dishes such as gochujang carrots and short rib served with gnocchi.
• EMRLD. at 11026 Jasper Avenue NW offers a menu with nearly 50% gluten-free options, wrote Edify's Jennifer Walton.
• Two beers from Blind Enthusiasm have won world-best honours at the 2026 World Beer Awards. The Grand Manifesto won in the gueuze category, and the Fruitful Pursuits: Cherry won in kriek. The cherry beer also won the kriek category in 2025. "We honour historical methods, but have modern technology," head brewer and blender Doug Checknita told Forbes. "We're definitely doing something no one else is doing."
• The 49th Battalion of the Loyal Edmonton Regiment and Campio Brewing Co. plan to launch a special beer in October in support of monuments in Europe marking places where the Edmonton Regiment fought.
• Edmonton Islamic Academy students raised about $2,000 and collected a vanload of groceries at their annual Legends Legacy Run for the C5 Hub.
• Johwanna Alleyne, owner of Mojo Jojo Pickles on Whyte Avenue, has started a monthly vocal jazz jam at Koselig Brew Pub in Ritchie. The next installment will take place on Oct. 26.
• To Do Canada compiled Edmonton-area Thanksgiving dining and takeout options for Oct. 10 to 12. The guide includes buffets at Highlands Golf Club and Fantasyland Hotel, plus take-home meals and dine-in specials from several restaurants and caterers.
• Edify highlighted three soups: the "laughing monkey" hot pot at Café Mosaics, brisket pho at Pho King, and borscht at Uncle Ed's Ukrainian Restaurant.
• Curiocity listed six places in and around Edmonton serving pumpkin spice lattes: Boxcar Coffee Shop, Malina Bakery, Ahlan Coffee House, Block 1912, Carmela's Whisky Bakeshop+Cafe, and the drink's progenitor, Starbucks.
• Barb and Ernie's Old Country Inn faced backlash over an Alberta-separatist sign belonging to a neighbour. The Edmonton restaurant's co-owner said the sign was not theirs. "I have my own opinions," co-owner Charlene Feutcher told Global News Edmonton, "I'm just not going to put them on my building. I'm going to express my opinions by going to the polls."

Happenings

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

• Oct. 7: YEG Food Founders Showcase starting at 4:30pm at Edmonton Unlimited
• Oct. 7: In The Loop: Foodtrepreneurship starting at 5pm at Brighton Block
• Oct. 7: Tenuta Fanti Wine Dinner starting at 6:30pm at JW Marriott (Edmonton ICE District)
• Oct. 8: Premier's Pancake Breakfast starting at 8am at Fan Park
• Oct. 9: The Great Canadian Chili Cook Off starting at 4pm at Canadian Icehouse (Ice District)
• Oct. 10: Chinatown After Dark starting at 6pm at 10640 98 Street

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• Oct. 21: Domaine Devillard Wine Dinner at The Marc
• Nov. 3: Sawmill's 50th Anniversary Fundraising Gala at Sawmill Prime Rib & Steakhouse
• Nov. 6-7: Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival at Edmonton Convention Centre

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