Food Roundup
Sept. 15, 2026
Four years into its presence in Alberta, the Denmark-based Too Good To Go has noticed some trends among users of its app, which connects consumers to surplus food from restaurants, bakeries, cafés, and grocers at a discount. One in six users across the province told a survey that the app had introduced them to a business they had never tried before. In Edmonton, one in eight described the app as a discovery tool, suggesting that we're a little more deal-motivated here, though preventing good food from hitting the landfill is a big motivation, too. When the service arrived in 2022, "Edmontonians already saw food waste as as a serious problem," said Luke Slinger, the Canadian head of key accounts for Too Good To Go. "Roughly three out of four of them saw it as a problem, and six out of 10 were actively working to cut it down," he told Taproot. "We saw a true fit between what Edmontonians were trying to do and what we're able to help them achieve."
Many Edmonton partners of Too Good to Go are franchises, such as Tim Hortons and Circle K — but indies are there, too. For example, there's Careit Urban Deli in Crestwood, Lady Bea's English Tea House in Westmount, Empress Bakery and CDC Tiffin & Catering Services on Whyte Avenue, and 8 Stone Pizza in Mill Woods. You can find goodie bags for as little as $5, such as at social enterprise The Hallway Café + Takeaway at City Hall. (Movie lovers, there's also a $6 popcorn surprise bag from Landmark Cinemas.) Since 2022, Alberta users have rescued more than one million meals through Too Good to Go, the organization said.
A deal on food is worth its weight in truffles these days, given the tariff hullabaloo with the United States and a soggy farming season amid ongoing inflation. To make it easier to find free or low-cost food, Food Security and Food Justice Ecosystem of Edmonton created a resource map, which has been used more than 4,000 times since it was introduced in June, organizers told Taproot. Meanwhile, Operation Fruit Rescue Edmonton is focused on helping folks make the most of food they've grown, including at a sauerkraut workshop on Oct. 15.
Openings
- Canada's first Gordon Ramsay Hell's Kitchen has opened at River Cree Resort and Casino. Its menu includes Gordon Ramsay staples alongside bannock, Three Sisters salad, elk ragout, and bison short rib. Reservations are now being accepted.
- Lui Chi's Coffee has opened its fourth location in the Intact Tower at 10830 Jasper Avenue NW.
- Global Ramen, serving Nagoya-style Taiwan mazemen, hosted a soft opening on Sept. 10 at 3318 Gateway Boulevard NW.
- Waves Coffee House is now open at 100-809 St. Albert Trail in St. Albert.
- Super Crunch Tanghulu is coming soon to West Edmonton Mall.
- Pact Coffee will be opening a second location in Edmonton, in the Augustana Tower at 9903 107 Street NW.
- Deville Coffee is readying its fourth location in Edmonton at Southgate Centre.
- Tesoro teased a new downtown cafe and bar, coming to the space formerly occupied by Bar Oro.
Closings
- Little BonBon Ice Cream will close its Chinatown shop at the end of September, or earlier if it sells out. Gift cards and tokens are only valid at the shop and must be used before it closes.
- One01 Bistro said its last operational date will be Sept. 20. The announcement describes it as a temporary closure, but offers no details on a reopening date.
- Nuttea in Old Strathcona is closing. Its last day will be Sept. 20.
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Headlines
- ACE Coffee Roasters is an example of a business doing well in downtown Edmonton, said CBRE senior sales associate Matthew Hanson. "They drive a ton of traffic, and they have a great product," he told Postmedia. "Those are groups that we're looking for in the food-and-beverage sector that can help add and bring more value to the building." A CBRE Edmonton report described restaurant departures creating vacancies while revitalization projects draw business interest. Suburban food-and-beverage spaces have seen less turnover, it added.
- Jorgia Lindquist of DON'YA Ukraine's Kitchen and Wilson Wong of Van Loc and Boa and Hare spoke on the first episode of The Marketing Brief's docuseries about growing an Edmonton restaurant. They discussed community-building as well as delivery fees, tight margins, events, and earned media.
- Cavern was featured in Social Craft Creative's Meet Me Downtown series, focusing on its wine and staff-built cheese boards.
- The Canadian Finals Rodeo, which runs from Oct. 7 to 10, will include The Great Canadian Chili Cook-Off on Oct. 9, with up to 12 culinary teams competing for fans' favour before heading to the show. It has also launched a feature partner program, with various restaurants and other businesses offering western-inspired promotions, discounts on rodeo performances, and chances to win free tickets.
- The Edmonton Oil Kings will offer free popcorn with no purchase required at all seven home games in September and October at Rogers Place.
- Sawmill Restaurant Group will mark its 50th anniversary with November galas in Edmonton, Leduc, Stony Plain, and Grande Prairie, with 100% of each $99 ticket going to a charitable organization selected by attendees.
- Dutch Delicious Bakery, located at 13232 118 Avenue NW, celebrated its 20th anniversary.
- Jerusalem Shawarma has expanded its Northgate location. It planned to donate 100% of Lamb Mandi sales from a Sept. 13 celebration to Run for Palestine.
- U-Turn Eatery, Andrew Jacek's restaurant and vinyl bar near Ardrossan, was profiled by Edify. It sources from Edmonton-region farms and producers, sells local goods, and hosts open mics, acoustic brunches, and sunrise yoga.
- Jersey Mike's Subs franchisee Redberry Restaurants is planning to open a second Edmonton store and one in St. Albert later this year, and aims to reach 300 Canadian locations by 2035.
- Curiocity highlighted eight Edmonton cocktail bars, ranging from alcohol-free Spilt Zero Proof to live-jazz venue Mimi and 10-year-old Clementine.
- Plume Cocktail Bar co-owner Parth Patel shared a tomato gin martini recipe that uses clarified black tomato water, gin, vermouth, saline, and sherry vinegar.
- The Tomato published chef Daniel Costa's spaghetti with anchovy butter recipe, which uses pasta water to emulsify anchovies and butter, then finishes the sauce with lemon.
- Postmedia highlighted Chartier chef Crystal Higgins' upcoming International Chef Challenge in PEI, and a commendation won by The Wagon and Co.'s non-alcoholic whisky.
- Edify spoke with former oyster farmer Rob Tryon, founder of the soon-to-be-in-Edmonton Effing Surf & Turf, about how an oyster's origin, diet, and water shape its taste.
Happenings
Here are some events coming up over the next seven days:
- Sept. 15: Beverly Towne Farmers' Market starting at 3pm at Riverview Crossing Mall
- Sept. 15: The Public Farmers Market starting at 3:30pm at Ritchie Community Hall
- Sept. 16: Southwest Edmonton Farmers' Market starting at 3:30pm at Booster Juice Recreation Centre in Terwillegar
- Sept. 16: Hugh Hamilton Wine Dinner starting at 6pm at RGE RD
- Sept. 17: 124 Grand Market: Thursdays at 108 starting at 4pm at 124 Grand Market
- Sept. 17: Fort Saskatchewan Farmers' Market starting at 4pm at Legacy Park
- Sept. 18: The Green & Gold Pop-Up Market starting at 10am at University of Alberta (University Commons Building)
- Sept. 18: Friday Nights at the Grand Night Market starting at 5pm at Frank's Community Pub
- Sept. 19: Downtown Farmers' Market starting at 10am at Downtown Farmers' Market
- Sept. 19: Chinatown After Dark starting at 6pm at 10640 98 Street
- Sept. 20: Sundays at the 124 Grand Market starting at 11am at 124 Grand Market
- Sept. 21: tahto awasis asitakimaw Every Child Matters Traditional Feast & Round Dance starting at 4pm at Alberta Aviation Museum
And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:
- Sept. 26: Gluten Free Expo at Edmonton Convention Centre
- Sept. 26: Cupcakes and Cocktails at The Art of Cake Cafe and Bakery
- Oct. 7: In The Loop: Foodtrepreneurship at Brighton Block
Visit the Taproot Edmonton Calendar for many more events in the Edmonton region.