Manitoba — Food and Dining
Cuisine
Winnipeg offers opportunities to experience the cuisine of the many and diverse cultures that typify the city in restaurants or at numerous festivals showcasing the food and culture of the region, such as Folklorama, A Taste of Winnipeg and the Icelandic Festival of Manitoba. Rural Manitoba also offers a wide choice of restaurants, from the very expensive to the moderately priced with good home cooking.
Things to know: Off-license alcohol is available only from government outlets. Opening hours are generally 1100-2100.
Regional specialties:
• Traditional First Nations foods, such as bison, game, fish, wild fruit and grain.
• Bannock, flat bread cooked over an open fire, first brought by fur traders.
• Smoked fish and meats - try some delicious smoked Lake Winnipeg goldeye, or another favorite, pickerel.
• Culinary imports include sushi, Ukrainian borscht or a delectable vinarterta dessert from Iceland, consisting of thin cake layers sandwiched together with a cardamom-scented prune filling.
• French-Canadian dishes, such as pea soup, tourtière and sugar pie.
Regional drinks:
• Winnipeg in particular has a number of successful microbreweries, of which the Fort Garry Brewing Company Ltd is the oldest and largest. Half Pints Brewing Company is also rapidly gaining popularity. Both offer tours.
Legal drinking age: 18.
Tipping: It is customary to tip waiters 15% of the bill.
Nightlife
Winnipeg's nightlife is vibrant. Many cinemas, theaters, clubs, restaurants and bars also provide entertainment. Winnipeg is home to a mixture of performing arts: the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Manitoba Opera and several theater, dance and music companies. The city also offers dining and moonlit dancing cruises aboard riverboats on its scenic Red and Assiniboine rivers. The main stages at Club Regent and McPhillips Street Station casinos also feature entertainment.
