Is your restaurant routine feeling a little too, well, routine? A quick trip to Niagara is all it takes to inject some exciting new flavours onto your plate and into your glass! Here are just eight of the countless ways to discover a new-to-you side of Niagara’s red-hot culinary, wine, and craft beverage scene on your next visit.
SHAKE IT UP SUGGESTION #1:
If all the buzz about the television series The Bear has you curious to learn more about the mysteries of the MICHELIN Star, Niagara is a tasty place to get schooled. MICHELIN Guides were introduced as a marketing tactic in 1900 by the French tire maker to encourage more people to drive by offering helpful road trip stop suggestions. In the decades since the MICHELIN Guide has gone on to become one of the world’s most respected sources of restaurant reviews. Anonymous MICHELIN Inspectors travel the globe, assigning one, two, or three MICHELIN Stars for the restaurants they deem to be worthy of distinction. The MICHELIN Guide also assigns Recommended Restaurant status to places with the potential to qualify for a star in the future and Green Stars to establishments that are actively committed to sustainable gastronomy.
Recently, Niagara has caught the attention of MICHELIN Inspectors. Niagara Benchlands’ Restaurant Pearl Morissette has earned its first MICHELIN Star as well as Green Star status. Niagara-on-the-Lake’s Trius Winery Restaurant and St. Catharines’ Fat Rabbit both scored Recommended Restaurant status in the 2024 MICHELIN Guide.
SHAKE IT UP SUGGESTION #2:
Niagara’s many winery touring passport events offer another great way to try award-winning wines paired with a wide range of small-plate culinary offerings from top winery restaurants and local chefs, all in a single afternoon. During the winter months, great options include Wineries of Niagara-on-the-Lake’s Taste The Season and Chocolate and Cheese signature events, and Niagara Benchlands Wineries’ Get Wrapped Up and Love The Bench weekends.
SHAKE IT UP SUGGESTION #3:
Niagara’s growing collection of craft breweries also pours an impressive selection of food and beverage pairings. There are tasty tipple and food options at all 19 craft brewery stops along the Niagara Ale Trail, including Cold Break Brewing, Counterpart Brewing, and Silversmith Brewing Co. Be sure to ask your server to recommend their favourite beer and culinary companions.
SHAKE IT UP SUGGESTION #4:
A meal should be a feast for all the senses, and Niagara’s stunning waterfalls, snow-covered Escarpment, and frosty vineyards offer amazing views for diners. Niagara Falls restaurants that serve up a killer view of The Falls include Prime Steakhouse located inside the historic Crowne Plaza Niagara Falls – Fallsview, Table Rock House Restaurant, and Watermark Fallsview Dining, located on the 33rd floor of Hilton Niagara Falls/Fallsview Hotel & Suites, and Skylon Tower’s Revolving Dining Room. For stunning Niagara Escarpment views, reserve a table at Megalomaniac or Vineland Estates. Restaurants that boast lovely vineyard views include Kitchen 76 at Two Sisters Vineyards, Oaklands Restaurant at Riverbend Inn and Vineyard, and The Restaurant at Redstone Winery.
SHAKE IT UP SUGGESTION #5:
Whether you’re topping up your gas tank, checking out the produce at a farmers’ market, or chatting with your server at a winery or craft brewery, asking Niagara locals about their favourite local places to enjoy global flavours is a great way to find your way to some culinary gems you might otherwise miss. Taste for yourself why locals flock to Port Colborne’s The Smokin’ Buddha for tasty Thai, Niagara Falls’ Dhaba On The Falls for North Indian favourites, Ma Chinese Cuisine in St. Catharines, and Masaski Sushi in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
SHAKE IT UP SUGGESTION #6:
Many of Niagara’s chefs, mixologists, and other tastemakers are incredibly passionate about sharing their knowledge with others. Spending a few hours learning some new tips and tricks is a fun way to broaden your food and beverage perspective. Delicious options include Strewn’s Wine Country Cooking School, The Good Earth Food and Wine Co., pasta classes at Casa Mia Ristorante, and The Whisky Bartender interactive experience at Wayne Gretzky Estates. Enjoying lunch at Niagara College’s award-winning on-campus restaurant, Benchmark, is another creative way to get schooled in the region’s culinary scene. Students from the college’s culinary and hospitality programs work back- and front-of-house to wow guests with a three-course price-fix menu.
SHAKE IT UP SUGGESTION #7:
Culinary creatures of habit who tend to always enjoy the same meal out will find endless inspiration for a memorable dining experience at a new time of day in Niagara. Swap a decadent dinner for a beautiful locally sourced and Feast On-certified Sunday brunch at Queenston Heights Restaurant. Hit snooze on Saturday morning breakfast and enjoy late-afternoon tapas at Odd Bird or Just Cooking Rustic Italian instead.
SHAKE IT UP SUGGESTION #8:
Experience the intersection of history and modern cuisine in Niagara-on-the-Lake on December 7 when celebrated Indigenous Chefs Tawnya Brant and Aicha Smith-Belghaba present a multi-course dinner highlighting the rich culinary traditions and seasonal ingredients of their heritage. The Great Taste of Canada Experience, hosted in Navy Hall at Fort George, will evoke community, connection, and celebration with an Indigenous opening ceremony, a variety of thoughtfully crafted courses, and stories shared by the Chefs.
Are you ready to bite into a flavour-filled Niagara adventure? Check out our Restaurants, Wineries, Craft Beer, Cider, Spirits pages and @visit_niagara on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for trip inspiration and to learn about upcoming events. Then, browse through accommodations and dining options to discover places that will perfectly round out your trip!
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