What to eat in Edmonton
Edmonton has exactly one food speciality: their take on donairs. Since this is Alberta, the land of cattle, it’s also a good opportunity to try the local beef and game meats.
Edmonton-style donairs
For a visitor, it’s difficult to miss the surfeit of donair restaurants in Edmonton. In fact, there are more donair restaurants than in Halifax or anywhere in the Maritimes, the birthplace of donairs. Then again, Edmonton is much bigger than those cities.
For a primer about donairs, see the donairs of Halifax. The Edmonton donair has 2 main differences from the original.
- It’s fully loaded with all sorts of toppings like lettuce, cheese, pickles, tomatoes, onions, olives, banana peppers, etc. The original just has tomatoes and onions.
- The donair meat can be stir-fried with a sauce of your choice.
There are other minor differences that you can read about at EatThisTown’s comprehensive history of the donair.
PrimeTime Donair and Poutine
With locations throughout the city, this is the most convenient option. It also regularly features at the top of donair lists. The original location is at Mill Woods but I didn’t have time to go there. Instead, I went to the one in West Edmonton Mall. It’s Canada’s largest mall and a tourist attraction in its own right.
Customers can pick from 7 sauces to infuse the donair meat with:
- Classic
- Sweet and spicy
- Spicy fire
- Pineapple burst
- Honey garlic
- Bold BBQ
- Butter chicken
They can then add typical toppings found in a sandwich bar.
Compared to maritime donairs, the cut of meat was thicker. It wasn’t dripping in sauce or messy to eat. I chose pineapple burst sauce and there was only a hint of it. It’s like a superior version of a Subway sandwich, with donair instead of cold cuts. 7.5/10.
BBQ meats
MEAT
The name says it all. It’s a BBQ mainstay in the hipster Strathcona neighborhood.
The brisket I received was mostly lean cuts. There was a smokey aftertaste and the dry rub was simple enough to not mask the flavour of the meat. Still, it would be a shame not to slather them with MEAT’s house-made sauces. MEAT excels in them. The bourbon BBQ was my favourite, a mildly sweet and savoury creation with an alcoholic kick that hits after a few seconds. The cherry BBQ sauce had a sweet taste that lingered in the background and reminded me of Cantonese char siu (roast pork). 8/10.
Meat sandwiches
Farrow
Farrow’s gourmet sandwiches change regularly, but they always have two from the regular rotation.
When I went, they were offering the Chef’s Beef sandwich: roast beef, arugula, and Ruffles chips.
I didn’t expect a cold sandwich. Well, the bread was warm and toasty but the fillings were room temperature. Perhaps that’s why the taste was muted. They were simple ingredients with minimal treatment. A lot of the flavour came from the sour cream and chives Ruffles chips. Adding crunch is fine, but I wished they picked a neutral flavour. 7/10.
Central European meat dishes
Bistro Praha
An institution downtown, from a different age. They are one of the few Czech restaurants in Canada. Classical music was played throughout my meal. It was surreal to dine with Pomp and Circumstance blaring through the speakers. I loved it.
As for the food, they have familiar Central European dishes like schnitzels but don’t miss out on the unique Czech specialties. They are helpfully highlighted on the menu.
I picked roasted duck with bread dumplings. Bread dumplings are a Czech thing. They look like plain slices of white bread but are actually reconstituted bread.
The bread dumplings were hefty and an effective vehicle for soaking up the sauce and duck fat. They didn’t have much flavour on their own.
Unfortunately the duck was tough and stringy. On the bright side, the skin was delightfully crisp and the duck fat added a pleasant aroma. 7.5/10.
The complimentary salad was old school and ok.
Fake meats
Padmanadi
In the mood for mock meats? Padmanadi has you covered. It’s a vegan Indonesian restaurant, probably the only one in Canada. Indonesian restaurants are rare enough in the country and having a vegan one is a miracle.
They have a diverse menu of fake fish, fake shrimp, fake chicken, fake beef, and fake mutton. They’re actually not that unusual in Southeast Asia. The proteins are all made with gluten (seitan). Personally, I’d rather have vegetarian dishes that don’t pretend to be meat. However, their dendeng option was intriguing because I’ve never seen it in vegan form. Dendeng are thin, marinated, dried, and then fried or grilled slices of beef.
The vegan dendeng from Padmanadi was about twice as thick as a regular one. The marinade was heavy on soy sauce and could use more chillies and lemongrass or galangal. The texture was like dried tofu and doesn’t resemble the dense, chewy fibres of real dendeng. On the positive side, they gave a large portion. If they didn’t call it dendeng, it would be an acceptable mock meat meal. 6.5/10.
Padmanadi has another location in Southside. The original location near downtown has a more rustic feel.
Other meat restaurants to try
These restaurants might be of interest to carnivores.
- Chop Steakhouse: This Canadian chain originated from Edmonton. Go for the history, not necessarily the best steak.
- DOSC: Oxtail poutine and steaks.
- Rge Rd: Charcuterie, bison, and elk.
- Normand’s Restaurant: Old-school fine dining with game meats.
Where to eat Edmonton-style donairs in Toronto
There’s only one legitimate option: Cosmic Pizza and Donair. It’s a chain from Stettler, Alberta and has a few locations in Toronto. The donair comes with the works.
Other non-traditional donair spots also come close, like College Falafel or East Coast Donair at 314 Parliament Street. They pile on a bunch of toppings, so East Coast purists beware.
Verdict
Edmonton might not seem to be a culinary destination but it has a surprisingly strong donair culture. That and the various meat preparations (besides steak) make it the most interesting food spot in Alberta.
Practical information
PrimeTime Donair and Poutine
- Rating
- 7.5/10
- Prices
- Beef donair (regular) with pineapple burst sauce: $12.39 (including tax)
- Address
- West Edmonton Mall food court, 8882 170 Street NW and other locations
- Hours
- Monday to Saturday 1100h – 2100h
Sunday 1100h – 1800h - Date of visit
- September 2022
MEAT
- Rating
- 8/10
- Prices
- Beef brisket (half order), 2 sauces: $19.95 (including tax)
- Address
- 8216 104 Street NW
- Hours
- Monday to Thursday 1100h – 2200h
Friday to Saturday 1100h – 2300h
Sunday 1100h – 2200h - Date of visit
- September 2022
Farrow
- Rating
- 7/10
- Prices
- Chef beef sandwich: $11.00 (including tax)
- Address
- 8422 109 Street NW and other locations
- Hours
- Daily 0900h – 1900h
- Date of visit
- September 2022
Bistro Praha
- Rating
- 7.5/10
- Prices
- Roasted duck with bread dumplings: $25.15 (including tax)
- Address
- 10117 101 Street NW
- Hours
- Monday to Wednesday 1100h – 2200h
Thursday 1100h – 2300h
Friday 1100h – 2400h
Saturday 1130h – 2400h
Sunday 1600h – 2200h - Date of visit
- September 2022
Padmanadi
- Rating
- 6.5/10
- Prices
- Dendeng: $15.70 (including tax)
- Address
- 10740 101 Street NW and 6925 Gateway Boulevard NW, Unit 106
- Hours
- Tuesday to Thursday 1100h – 1400h, 1600h – 2100h
Friday to Sunday 1100h – 2100h - Date of visit
- September 2022