Air Canada says “Edmonton was the surprise of the year,” as three of the city’s eateries made the airline’s list of the country’s Top 10 best new restaurants.
The list was compiled by Air Canada’s enRoute magazine. Restaurant critic Andrew Braithwaite ate his way across the country, dining in 30 new restaurants, in his search for the 10 best.
READ MORE: OpenTable names 13 Edmonton restaurants among Canada’s best hidden gems
While a 20-seat Italian diner in Quebec City took the top spot, Edmonton came in strong with three local restaurants cracking the Top 10: Clementine, Cafe Linnea and Alder Room.
“Edmonton felt like a different city than the one I’d visited on my four previous tours and the new hockey arena is a game-changer,” Braithwaite said in a media release Thursday.
“The cocktail scene has always been strong and there’s clearly a passion for creating art on the plate, too.”
Graham Hafermehl, the evening chef at Cafe Linnea, said the nod is very exciting.
“It’s really exciting for us. It’s also just exciting for Edmonton in general as a city to have three people on the list, three different restaurants.”
Hafermehl believes people are beginning to change their food habits.
“They’re shifting from those bigger restaurants that use some of those bigger suppliers and looking for those more intimate, locally owned businesses.”
Watch below: In the Global Edmonton kitchen with Cafe Linnea
Ben Staley is the chef at Alder Room, a modern 12-seat restaurant focused on intimate and interactive presentations of regional and seasonal cuisine. He said they weren’t allowed to say anything about the recognition, so it’s nice to have it out in the open.
“Just excited for the city as a whole,” Staley said. “This is the largest showing that Edmonton has ever had on the list. We were the most represented city on the list this year.”
Watch below: In the Global Edmonton kitchen with Alder Room
READ MORE: The most romantic restaurants in Edmonton, according to OpenTable
Here is the complete list of Air Canada’s Best New Restaurants 2017:
1. Battuto, Quebec City
2. Canis, Toronto
3. Bar Von Der Fels, Calgary
4. Mak N Ming, Vancouver
5. Clementine, Edmonton
6. Cafe Linnea, Edmonton
7. Riviera, Ottawa
8. Brothers Food & Wine, Toronto
9. Marconi, Montreal
10. Alder Room, Edmonton
Watch below: In the Global Edmonton kitchen with Clementine