Food Roundup
Aug. 18, 2026

Openings

• Brick and Brew is now open at 9704 106 Street NW.
• Moons, serving up mini pancakes, is now open at West Edmonton Mall.
• Mochido has opened its second location, at 11013 26 Avenue NW.
• Wish Delish Cafe & Bistro is now open at 364 Saddleback Road.
• Relish on 66 is now open at 6933 Ellerslie Road SW.
• Takopo has opened a sister food truck called Mogu Taiyo, offering "international-inspired street food with a Pinoy twist."
• Kofia Cafe is opening on Aug. 21 at 16735 71 Street NW.
• Ralph's Fried Chicken is expanding south at 9204 23 Avenue NW, with an anticipated soft opening date on Aug. 31.
• Food trailer Rival Burger will be opening a storefront in the former Blue Chair location in Ritchie.
• Filipino fast-food chain Jollibee has committed to 10 new restaurants in the Edmonton market, where it currently operates four locations.

Closings

• Coffee shop Bar Oro has closed, with signage on the doors indicating that "Something new is coming to this space. New ownership. New look. New menu. New standards."

Headlines

• The Edmonton food community mourned the loss of chef and entrepreneur Brad Smoliak, who died on Aug. 11 at the age of 59. He lived for years with a congenital heart defect and dedicated himself to raising money for the Mazankowski Heart Institute. Tributes poured in from across the food community, including from The Old Red Barn in Leduc, which remembered him as "a dear friend." DON'YA Ukraine's Kitchen is hosting a Ukrainian fundraiser lunch on Aug. 18 — featuring perogies and his favourite cabbage rolls — with 100% of proceeds going to Brad's Journey, the ventricular-assist device fund at the Mazankowski. Smoliak's life will be celebrated on Aug. 24 at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium.
• Frequency profiled chef Shane Chartrand, the Cree chef from Enoch Cree Nation. Chartrand spoke about his path from culinary studies at NAIT to award-winning work and success on televised cooking competitions, as well as the racism he faced along the way: "It was hard, I just struggled through it." Chartrand is the chef behind Paperbirch, a dining concept at the Old Strathcona Farmers' Market.
• The inaugural Kejia Festival is a free three-day event at Louise McKinney Riverfront Park running Sept. 4 to 6 with more than 50 street food vendors and live performances from a variety of communities. It's organized by the Hakka Tsung Tsin Association of Edmonton, with support from many organizations in Chinatown.
• Daily Hive shared a food guide to Wîhkwêntôwin, highlighting spots such as Va, Banh Mi Day, Olia, Seitans, Odd Company Brewing, and Clementine.
• Bernadette's in downtown Edmonton and Homefire Grill in west Edmonton were among the Indigenous-run restaurants featured in Great West Media's Hot Summer Guide.
• Professional Women's Hockey League goalie Emerance Maschmeyer, who grew up near Edmonton, told Edify that Braven is her go-to restaurant when she visits home. "Nothing screams Alberta more than hitting up my favourite steakhouse when I'm in town," she said.
• Bella, the Italian-inspired restaurant in Old Strathcona, is closed for the "foreseeable future" after sustaining severe flood damage. The restaurant said it is working with contractors to restore the space and will provide an updated timeline once known.
• Stawnichy's Mundare Sausage is marking 25 years since the completion of the world's largest sausage, a 12-metre roadside attraction outside of Mundare that pays tribute to the family-owned Ukrainian food company.
• Johnny's Store in Namao — built in 1902 and believed to be Alberta's oldest general store — hosted a beer festival to draw new generations to the reimagined community hub about 11 kilometres north of Edmonton.
• Blind Enthusiasm is bringing its fourth annual Barrel Fest to Ritchie Park on Sept. 12. It will feature 20 breweries, including Brasserie Cantillon from Brussels, Belgium, and Fierce Beer from Aberdeen, Scotland.
• Edify explored Edmonton's speakeasy-style bars, including Alchemy inside the JW Marriott, Little Hong Kong inside Baijiu, Fu's Repair Shop, and The Red Door inside The Art of Cake.
• CBC's Edmonton AM revisited the history of downtown candy-makers, as told by Juanita Gnanapragasam of Converse and Cook. The Majestic Candy Kitchen and Dolly Dimple Candy Shop were among producers operating downtown in the early 1900s.

Happenings

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

• Aug. 18: Trivia Night starting at 7pm at The Pizza Spot (West Edmonton Mall)
• Aug. 19: Producer Connect with Agriculture Financial Services Corporation starting at 5pm at Cardiff Community Hall
• Aug. 19: Mural and Food Tour - Old Strathcona starting at 6pm at SouthBARK on Whyte
• Aug. 21: Zoobrew Vol. 3 starting at 5pm at Edmonton Valley Zoo
• Aug. 21-23: Edmonton Dragon Festival at Kinistinâw Park
• Aug. 22: Summer Block Party starting at 1pm at Rice Howard Way
• Aug. 23: Sunday High Tea starting at 11am at The Red Door by The Art of Cake
• Aug. 23: Alegría! Latin American Cultures starting at 2pm at University of Alberta Botanic Garden
• Aug. 24: Understanding what Turns Dirt to Soil starting at 7pm online

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• Aug. 28: Poulet & Cuvée at The Marc
• Aug. 29: Capilano Apple Cider Event: Press Fresh Cider at Capilano Community Hall
• Sept. 4-6: Kejia Festival at Louise McKinney Riverfront Park

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