Best restaurants in Winnipeg

I spent a long weekend in Winnipeg with Travel Manitoba in June, and they took me around to all the best restaurants in Winnipeg! Winnipeg is killing the food game, and is quickly becoming a foodie’s paradise! Plus, it’s only 7 hours from Minneapolis. Let’s just say, I ate REALLY good that weekend and am dying to go back. Keep scrolling and see for yourself!

My trip to Winnipeg was part of a sponsored trip, but all opinions are my own.

The Forks Market

I have to start out with The Forks Market. The Forks Market is the coolest meeting spot in Winnipeg and is comprised of some of the best food in the city. It’s a food hall that used to be stables back in the day. Each little restaurant is an old horse stall! The Forks Market is energetic with people and is a great spot to grab food, drinks, and even do some shopping. We tried lots of food, and my favorites were Fergie’s Fish and Chips, Simon’s Fries, NuBurger for the blueberry yum yum burger, Red Ember pizza, Jenna Rae Cakes for cookie and frosting sandwiches, and Kudu Grill.

Uncommon Pours at The Forks Market

I was also lucky enough to attend the Uncommon Pours quarterly event at the Forks. We tasted food and wine pairings from one of the top sommeliers in the world! My favorite learning for the day was that prosecco is growing in popularity and that many people assume you should pair sparkling wine with something sweet, but in reality, the sweetness in desserts turns the wine acidic. Instead, pair sparkling wine with all things fried, fatty, and salty because it pairs well with the freshness of the wine. So, go ahead and drink prosecco and eat french fries, friends.

Deer and Almond

I’m always up for a trendy restaurant, and Deer and Almond is one of the best in Winnipeg. This place gets busy quickly, so if you can’t get in for dinner, give lunch a try. You still get the great food but with less people! I ordered the artic char bowl with spinach, quinoa, lemon poppy seed dressing, and avocado. We also tried a bunch of the desserts. If you want something that will throw your taste buds for a loop, get the salt of the earth dessert. It includes beet ice cream, pickled blueberries, feta, mushroom and cocoa. WHAT?! Sounds crazy but it was so good!

Clementine

Clementine is not only one of the best restaurants in Winnipeg, it’s one of the best in Canada. Get there early to avoid the crowds, and make sure to get their fresh squeezed orange juice. It’s the best I’ve ever had! The Benedict came highly recommended and was absolutely amazing, as was the side of yogurt panna cotta with kiwi, freeze dried raspberries, hemp hearts, and green granita. The atmosphere and the food were fantastic – I can’t recommend this place enough!

Mon Ami Louis

Did someone say Poutine?? Mon Ami Louis has some of the best in Winnipeg. It’s made with brisket! AMAZING! We probably spent 2 hours here ordering drinks, apps, dinner, and dessert. Everything I tried was fantastic, but the poutine took the cake. In addition to the food, the restaurant is literally located on a bridge that overlooks the Red River and the city. This is a perfect spot for a special occasion or if you want to treat yourself with good views and even better food.

Oh Doughnuts

Wherever I travel, I always find myself in line for doughnuts. Oh Doughnuts was recommended to us by everyone we talked to and it didn’t disappoint! They are known for their specialty doughnuts, but have the basics as well. If you’re a fan of everything bagels, definitely try the everything bagel doughnut. It’s a savory doughnut but it’s so yummy! And if you want to get really crazy try the peanut butter marshmallow cheesecake. OMG. Love.

BDI ice cream

One of our hosts for this trip kept telling me that I would love BDI ice cream, but I didn’t think I would have the time to make it to their location in Elm Park. But, I got super lucky and stumbled across their food truck one afternoon! Try the Goog (upside down shake with a hot fudge sundae and bananas topped with whipped cream), The Salzberg (Nutella-filled cone dipped in chocolate and topped with sea salt and caramel), or the S’mores (pictured above!). Also, all ingredients are local!

Thermea

I have so much more to say about Thermëa in an upcoming post, but I have to take a second to write about the food. If you’re headed to Winnipeg and don’t have Thermëa on your list of things to do, ADD IT NOW! And make sure to stop at the Thermëa restaurant while there to have the most relaxing meal of your life. We ate dinner by the fire while looking out at the pools, all while sitting in our bathrobes! Make sure to get the mushroom and garlic confit bread dip with melted Trappist cheese that is to die for.

ERA bistro

Normally, museum restaurants aren’t all the great, but the ERA Bistro at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights is worth including on this list. After a tour of the museum, we stopped here for lunch. Don’t miss the house-made iced tea, pictured above. It was infused with watermelon and mint and wasn’t too sweet – just the way I like it!

The Park Café at Assiniboine Park

Surround yourself in nature with breakfast by the pond at The Park Café at Assiniboine Park. We grabbed breakfast here before our day at the zoo, but this would be a destination in and of itself. The massive windows brought in so much natural light, and the breakfast was amazing! I ordered the park breakfast – make sure to get it with the Winkler farmer’s sausage. It was my favorite part of the meal! Many ingredients are local, including the Vita eggs – you’ll see these all around Manitoba. The yolks are so orange!

Much more on Winnipeg to come, including things to do and where to stay!