Where to Eat This Weekend: Winnipeg Edition Part 2

We’re back with Restaurant Roundup for 2015! This year’s theme: Where To Eat This Weekend. Every other week we’ll be profiling a different city in Canada with a list of great dining recommendations for you to check out — from fancy to hole in the wall and everything in between! Today Shel Zolkewich takes us on a tour of the Winnipeg restaurants you need to check out this weekend!

Brunch or Lunch In Winnipeg

Sonya’s

Where to Eat This Weekend: Winnipeg Part 2 | Food Bloggers of Canada

Order lunch from the hand-lettered signs that dot the interior of this old-school joint on Henderson Highway. It doesn’t really matter what you order everything is delicious at Sonya’s — pork cutlets, roasted turkey and hamburger steak (and yes, that’s offered at lunch). It’s all homestyle here and that’s what makes it so good, right down to the fried crust on the burger patty that protects its juicy interior. Opt for the spicy version with bacon and cheese. And get the handcut fries too.

The Red Eye

It’s always a tough decision — a wild salmon omelet, a veggie Eggs Benedict or the North End Special with kubasa and potato pancakes. Luckily, breakfast is served all day long at The Red Eye. Decorated in 50s diner style, this north-end favourite bustles from opening time until the doors close after lunch. There’s at least two soups offered daily and tempting homemade desserts in the pastry case too.

Country Porch

The sprawling porch overlooks a hayfield just inside the northern city limits. Inside Country Porch, diners order at the counter, then take their seats to await delicious plates including The Porch Burger, the whopping Philly cheesesteak platter or the Reuben. Salads and wraps round out the menu but it’s the Clubhouse that’s become a city favourite.

Dinner

Pete’s Place

Entrees from the dinner menu come with soup or salad, two side dishes and garlic toast. That would be enough to fill you up, never mind the entrée, but at Pete’s Place, gigantic portions are the norm. The Salisbury Steak is piled high with fried onions and slathered in gravy. Underneath is a top-quality Angus hamburger steak that hits the spot every time. For something a little lighter, opt for a (huge) bowl of homemade soup and a (huge) Greek salad.

Thunderbird

It’s home to one of the oddest combinations on Winnipeg menus — spaghetti, wieners and beans. I confess I’ve never had it, but I have had the spaghetti with Greek-style chili and it’s one of my favourites. The fried chicken at Thunderbird is also tops and they serve breakfast all day long — a bonus for sleepy heads. Get your burger fix with the Master Burger and a side of thin, salty fries.

The Tallest Poppy

The latest incarnation of Winnipeg’s most beloved diner, The Tallest Poppy, is on Sherbrook Street, a decidedly different vibe from its original Main Street location. But what has stayed the same is the fantastic food. Brisket is always on the menu, along with bison meat loaf, sausage stew and pork chops with apple chutney. On Sunday nights, Eva from Barcelona cooks up a gigantic batch of paella. It’s an all-you-can-eat affair with a glass of rosé for a wallet-friendly $20.

Other

A L’Epi de Blé

There’s a sign inside this French bakery that simply states, “we bake with butter.” Really, that’s all you need to know about A L'Epi de Blé. One pain du chocolate is never enough. And always ask for a few Florentines to take home. Made with butter, cream, sugar, honey, candied fruit and nuts, these Austrian treats come with a chocolate coating on one side.

Asia City

Vietnamese, Thai and Japanese favourites populate the menus of Asia City’s three locations in Winnipeg. Dine-in meals are always fast and delicious. The take-out treats are perfect for quick snacks. Bahn mi (Vietnamese subs) are made fresh and come in six varieties. Tops among the grab-and-go offerings are the pork meatball salad rolls. Don’t leave without a young coconut bubble tea in your hands.

Karpaty Meats

Saturday morning line-ups at Karpaty Meats often snake out the door. Grab a number and wait your turn to score some of the hot, fresh smokies that are placed on the countertop, much to the delight of the packed shop. It’s hard to decide among the smoked sausages hanging along the back wall, but the Hunter’s sausage is always a good bet. Grab a bag of egg buns dusted with poppy seeds and you’re set for a picnic lunch.

More Great Places To Eat This Weekend

Here are most great places to eat across Canada this weekend! Where will you be eating?

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Where to Eat This Weekend: Winnipeg Edition Part 2 was written by Shel Zolkewich. Shel writes about the outdoors, travel and food when she’s not playing outside, on the road or eating. Her most recent passion is an attempt to tame the fire, from smoking beef brisket on the Big Green Egg to coaxing the perfect oven temperature out of a 100-year-old McClary cookstove. She’s an avid hunter, angler and soup maker. Shel splits her time between the big city of Winnipeg, a newly purchased, 163-acre farm in Manitoba’s Interlake region and the great outdoors. Her blog, shelzolkewich.com, chronicles her adventures. You can also find her on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.