Northern Ontario foodie highlights
Sault Ste. Marie | Destination Ontario
Experience local flavours and Northern hospitality at restaurants, farms, markets, bakeries, breweries and more.
Here are some foodie hotspots to add to your trip planning in Northern Ontario.
Northeastern Ontario
Radical Gardens
An award-winning restaurant and bakery, Radical Gardens in Timmins offers seasonal dishes cooked using ingredients sourced from its organic farm.
Popular menu items are the Classic Burg made with local bacon, cheddar cheese, tomato and lettuce on a brioche bun, chipotle beef street tacos and lemon pepper apple brie. Find a weekly rotating selection of sweet treats in the bakery, including cinnamon buns, cream cookies, coconut cheesecake and more.
Location: 163 Fifth Avenue, Timmins
Split Rail Brewing Co.
Split Rail Brewing Co. began when Andrea Smith and Eleanor Charlton started brewing from their garage and the two opened Manitoulin Island’s first craft brewery in 2015.
Local ingredients such as hand-picked strawberries, grapes and sumac create top-quality small-batch beer and soda. Visit the brewery’s taproom and patio to choose from a selection of drinks, including strawberry ale, copper lager and Manitoulin Gold Pilsner.
Location: 31 Water Street, Gore Bay
Respect is Burning Kitchen & Bar
Enjoy delicious Italian cuisine at Respect is Burning Kitchen & Bar. Classic movie posters decorate the dark brick walls of this cozy restaurant.
Classic dishes include grilled rustic ribs, ravioli with beef and cheese, gnocchi dumplings and rigatoni with sautéed mushrooms. For dessert, try the dolcemisu: layers of fresh mascarpone and ladyfinger tiramisu with sweet toppings.
Location: 82 Durham Street, Sudbury
North46 Restaurant
Enjoy fine dining at the North46 Restaurant in the Manitoulin Hotel and Conference Centre. Enjoy views of the LaCloche Mountain range and the North Channel on Lake Huron from the outdoor patio.
Specializing in Indigenous cuisine, the menu offers an array of breakfast and dinner dishes like pancakes, bison burgers, Anishinaabe tacos, pan-seared Manitoulin whitefish and North Channel poutine.
Location: Lobby Level, 66 Meredith Street East, Little Current
1886 Lake House Bistro
Located on the east side of Lake Nipissing, Lake House Bistro serves a variety of gluten-free dining options like stuffed chicken breast, pesto noodles, North Saskatchewan Arctic char and the Nipissing Burger (made of beef, garlic mayo, lettuce and other toppings).
For dessert, try the cheesecake or chocolate mousse torte cake—both are also gluten-free. The restaurant sources local and seasonal ingredients from farmers in Powassan, Trout Creek and Sturgeon.
Location: 392 Main Street South, Callander
Fishbowl Restaurant
With its warm atmosphere, homey décor and friendly staff, Fishbowl Restaurant overlooking the Mattagami River has been a staple for Timmins locals since 1976.
Choose from fish and seafood dishes like house-made coconut shrimp, crab cakes, lightly dusted pickerel, bacon-wrapped filet mignon and the Fishbowl famous fish and chips.
Location: 942 Riverside Drive, Timmins
Burger World
This eatery offers a variety of classic comfort foods.
Enjoy all-day breakfast favourites like French toast, omelettes and gluten-free pancakes or delicious dinner dishes such as clubhouse sandwiches, vegan fajita wraps, chicken fingers and hamburger steak.
Locations:
Ali’s Grill and Bar
Conveniently located along Highway 11 and a short walk away from the Holiday Inn Express in New Liskeard, Ali’s Grill and Bar is well-known to locals in the Temiskaming area for its tasty steaks and seafood dishes.
The eclectic menu features firecracker shrimp, chicken penne carbonara, Northland pickerel fillet and peppercorn-crusted striploin.
Location: 998006 ON-11, Temiskaming Shores
Riv Chip Stand and Larry’s Chip Stand
The town of Sturgeon Falls is famous for its chip stands, but none more so than Riv Chip Stand and Larry’s Chip Stand. Both stands have been open since the 1960s and are situated directly across the town’s Main Street from each other, close to the Trans-Canada Highway.
Various owners have been carrying down the two businesses’ competitive rivalry through the decades. In addition to the famed fries, these two chip stands offer pogo sticks, poutine, char-broiled burgers and milkshakes. Order food to go or enjoy it in the stands’ outdoor seating areas.
Locations:
Sault Ste. Marie and Algoma
Northern Superior Brewing Co. and The Tap Room
Savour premium lagers or ales with a taproom appetizer, such as chips and salsa, charcuterie or warm pretzel and beer cheese. Or order from the rotating menu of dishes from partner restaurants.
Location: 50 Pim Street, Sault Ste. Marie
Thomson Farms Cider & Winery
Originally a pick-your-own strawberry farm, Thomson Farms is situated on 22 scenic hectares west of Sault Ste. Marie.
The farm has expanded to include a winery and cidery, producing amazing drinks such as fruit wines and hard cider. The fruits are locally sourced, with strawberries from their own farm, blueberries from Wawa, raspberries from Sturgeon Falls and apples from Collingwood and Thornbury.
Sit down for a casual drink at the farm’s Wine Bar & Patio.
Location: 4057 Third Line West, Sault Ste. Marie
The Breakfast Pig
A staple for all-day breakfast food in Sault Ste. Marie, The Breakfast Pig is a unique eatery using ingredients like pork, fish, maple syrup and dairy products locally sourced from nearby farms.
Popular dishes are breakfast mac and cheese skillets, buttermilk pancakes, Korean gochujang pork and “The Angela” (grilled potato hash with poached eggs and goat cheese.
Location: 265 Bruce Street, Sault Ste. Marie
Ernie’s Coffee Shop
When you spot the bright blue and red neon diner sign hanging above the unassuming stone exterior, you’ve found Ernie’s Coffee Shop.
This small diner is a hidden gem known for its seasonal ingredients locally sourced in the Algoma region. Many items, like bread, pickles and sauces, are made in-house to be as fresh as possible.
Location: 13 Queen Street East, Sault Ste. Marie
Aurora’s Westside
This family-friendly restaurant has been providing the Sault Ste. Marie community with affordable, high-quality Italian and American food for more than 70 years.
Everything on the menu is made from scratch with fresh ingredients, and you’ll discover a variety of incredible dishes like Italian wedding soup, pesto pizza, chicken parmigiana, baked tortellini, ribs and ravioli and more. Ask your server about the daily “Karen’s Desserts” for a sweet finish to your meal.
Location: 300 Second Line Way, Sault Ste. Marie
Rheault Distillery
A popular destination for tourists to the region, Rheault Distillery is an award-winning, Francophone family-run artisan distillery producing hand-crafted small-batch spirits from home-grown Northern Ontario wheat. The liqueurs are made with real fruit like apples, pears and cherries.
Location: 6 Highway 583 Nord RR 2, Hearst
Northwestern Ontario
Boathouse
Kenora’s Boathouse lakeside grill serves palate-pleasing steak, seafood, pasta and shareable dishes with unmatched water views and a casual yet upscale ambiance.
Location: 310 Matheson Street South, Kenora
Lake of the Woods Brewing Company
Located inside a 109-year-old firehall, Lake of the Woods Brewing Company features beer brewed in an on-site, German-engineered two-kettle system crafted by “Kaspar Schulz,” the world’s oldest brewery plant manufacturer.
Sit on the outdoor patio and enjoy a refreshing house brew from the taproom, which includes beer, hard seltzer or soda. Non-alcoholic beer is crafted with the same old-world style brewing techniques. Local ingredients are used to cook the pub fare like burgers, pizza, tacos and various appetizers.
Location: 350 2nd Street South, Kenora
Wood’s Quality Bakery
Wood’s Quality Bakery has been a hidden gem in the Rainy River district for 110 years. It is located close to the Ontario border with Minnesota.
On the bakery menu, find tasty treats such as sugar doughnuts, jam-filled bismarcks, apple fritters, cinnamon buns, Nanaimo bars and more. You can also enjoy breakfast or lunch with eggs, French toast, popcorn chicken, poutine and sandwiches on the menu.
Location: 214 Fourth, Rainy River
Anishinaabe Wild Rice Experience
Learn the traditional and contemporary methods of harvesting wild rice, and the Ojibwe peoples’ spiritual connection to the harvest. About an hour’s drive west from Thunder Bay, this hands-on experience runs two-day camps during the wild rice season from early September to late October.
In small groups, you’ll harvest the rice: canoeing through rice beds, using cedar sticks to knock rice grains into the canoe, drying the rice on the shore, heating the rice over a wood fire and cleaning the rice of any leftover debris. Then enjoy a lunch of cooked, popped wild rice, similar to popcorn.
The Anishinaabe Wild Rice Experience can be booked between early September and late October. To book, contact owner Rhonda LeClair by email or online.
Location: Whitefish Lake
Kangas Sauna
Discover authentic and delicious Finnish pancakes at Kangas Sauna.
Available in mini, small and large sizes, customize your pancake with toppings like strawberries, whipped and syrup, and add a side order of bacon, sausage, ham, poutine or coleslaw.
In addition to their famous Finnish pancakes, this cozy diner offers breakfast foods like omelettes and toast, and quick lunch dishes like soup, sandwiches, burgers and salads.
Location: 379 Oliver Road, Thunder Bay
Tomlin Restaurant
Tomlin Restaurant works with local producers to create an ever-changing menu based on fresh, seasonal ingredients.
Past dishes have included eggplant schnitzel, beef tartare, fried chicken with artichoke and tortiglioni pasta with duck confit. Pair your meal with a classic cocktail.
Location: 202 1/2 Red River Road, Thunder Bay
The Persian Man
You’ll need to sample a “Persian” while visiting Thunder Bay. This must-try Thunder Bay delicacy is a round fried pastry frosted with bright pink or blue icing, and sometimes toasted and topped with butter. You can order a single Persian or a dozen.
Locations:
Caribou Restaurant + Wine Bar
Step into a gently lit, warm interior decorated with colourful paintings and accented with plush violet booths.
Executive chef Craig Vieira crafted the menu, which is inspired by contemporary North American cuisine and features creative dishes such as maple teriyaki salmon, porcini fillet, squash ravioli and sienna margherita pizza. Reservations are recommended.
Location: 727 Hewitson Street, Thunder Bay
Last updated: November 25, 2024