WINNIPEG

the Exchange District

diy food tour

Photo credit @exchangedistrictwpg

Introduction

Official name: The Exchange District
Designations: National Historic Site of Canada (1996)
Size: 20 city blocks, 150 heritage buildings
From 1880 through 1913 the Exchange District was a bustling part of Winnipeg, as it was dominated by the Winnipeg Grain Exchange and numerous other commodity exchanges. During this time, Winnipeg was one of Canada’s fasting growing cities and became known as the Chicago of the North. The Exchange District now contains numerous restaurants, galleries, and boutique shopping opportunities.

Photo credit @exchangedistrictwpg

DIY Tour details

Number of stops: 7
Number of tastings: 9 (8 entrées, 1 beverage)
Tastings: Beef Tartare (Shallots, Parsley, Capers, Dijon Mustard, Egg, Bread), Morocco Empanada (Vegan option)(chickpea, carrot, red pepper, zucchini, and onions), Beef Empanada (ground beef, onions, olives, roasted red peppers), and Salmon Empanada (smoked salmon, pickerel, spring onion, and feta cheese), Braised Bacon Benedict (Thick Cut Braised Bacon, Brown Butter Hollandaise, Dill, Poached Eggs, Buttermilk Biscuit), Kouign-Amann (pastry is a croissant-like dough, laminated with butter and sugar for a flaky, rich treat with a caramelized outer crust), 1919 Belgian Pale Ale (“1919” is made using the traditional German kräusening, or double-fermentation technique, which cleans up beer flavours, naturally carbonates the beer, and gives it better head retention), Makhani Murgh (Butter Chicken – house roasted tandoori chicken cooked in a homemade tomato and butter sauce), and Carolina BBQ Braised Beef (house braised beef with homemade Carolina gold bbq sauce, fresh sliced apple, thin-shaved red onion + arugula all on thick, hand-cut rye)

Photo credit @exchangedistrictwpg

Exchange district factoids

  • In 2005, portions of the film ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’, starring Brad Pitt were filmed in the Exchange District.
  • On February 17, 1923, Harry Houdini escaped from a straitjacket 9 meters above the sidewalk in front of the Winnipeg Free Press Building in the Exchange District.
  • Henry Cavill (Superman), Ben Kingsley, Alexandra Daddario, and Nathan Fillion spent 2 months in 2015 filming portions of the movie ‘Night Hunter’, in the Exchange District.
  • In the Exchange District, turn-of-the-century architectural styles can be found, including the Richardsonian Romanesque, Italianate, Beaux-Arts, and the Chicago School style
  • The Exchange District was designated a national historic site of Canada in 1997 because it illustrates the city’s key role as a centre of grain and wholesale trade, finance and manufacturing, in the historically significant period in western development between 1880 and 1913.

diy food tour

  • PICK THE DISHES YOU WANT TO TRY

    Pick the different tasting you want to experience. Some dishes may only be available on certain days, make sure the food you want to try is available on the day you choose.

  • Check opening and closing times

    Some places open up later, some earlier, design your tour when the places you want to visit will be open.

  • Tell the restaurant you are on a food tour AND YOU are there to try a specific dish

    As the title says, let the restaurant know that you are trying a specific dish because it has been recommended for inclusion on a food tour. This will let owners know that a dish they prepare is being highlighted and appreciated.

  • snacks, not meals

    The idea is to try a bunch of different foods in an afternoon or evening. Therefore, you only want to try a portion of each dish. To assist with planning, portion amounts per person have been suggested for each tasting.

  • What to bring

    You will want to have good walking shoes, and dress appropriately for the weather.

  • GO BACK TO THE FOOD SHOPS

    If you enjoyed your tasting, at a later date, please go back to the restaurant to order the dish again and try other dishes they serve.

Tasting Types

There are 6 different tasting types. The first is a Must Try tasting, which means the dish provides a sense of pleasure, leaves an everlasting impression, evokes something exceptional, and will be remembered. The second is a Tasting Hack, that is for example, a tasting that is combined with another tasting on the tour, that together, create a better tasting experience. A Seasonal tasting is only available during certain times of the year. A Vegetarian tasting does not contain meat (only verified vegetarian tasting are identified). A Best-In-Class tasting is an identification of a top tasting destination. A Cook At Home tasting is where you purchase in store, but cook at home.

Must try

Must try food tasting

Tasting Hack

Special manitpulated tasting

Seasonal

Seasonal tasting

Vegetarian

Vegetarian tasting

Best-in-class

Top tasting destination

Cook at Home

Tasting you purchase in store, but cook at home

Tasting Locations

Tasting menu

Beef tartare from Amsterdam Tea Room and Bar

photo credit @amsterdamtearoomandbar

Amsterdam Tea Room and Bar

Cocktail bar

Must try: Beef Tartare (Shallots, Parsley, Capers, Dijon Mustard, Egg, Bread)

“Steak tartare or tartar steak is a dish of raw ground (minced) beef or horse meat. It is usually served with onions, capers, mushrooms, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and other seasonings, often presented separately, to be added to taste. It is often served with a raw egg yolk on top. It is similar to the Levantine kibbeh nayyeh, the Turkish çiğ köfte, the Korean yukhoe and the widely known Japanese sashimi” (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steak_tartare)

How to portion: One order can provide 2 to 5 tastings
Address: 103-211 Bannatyne Ave, Winnipeg, MB R3B 3P2, Canada
Hours: Saturday 12PM–12AM
Sunday 12PM–12AM
Monday 12PM–12AM
Tuesday 12PM–12AM
Wednesday 12PM–12AM
Thursday 12PM–12AM
Friday 12PM–12AM
Website: amsterdamtearoom.com/cocktails/
Instagram: @amsterdamtearoomandbar

Empanadas from Corrientes Argentine Pizzeria

photo credit @corrienteswpg

Corrientes Argentine Pizzeria

Latin American restaurant

Must try: (1) Morocco empanada (Vegan/Vegetarian option) (chickpea, carrot, red pepper, zucchini, and onions), (2) Beef empanada (ground beef, onions, olives, roasted red peppers), and (3) Salmon empanada (smoked salmon, pickerel, spring onion, and feta cheese)

“An empanada is a type of baked or fried turnover consisting of pastry and filling, common in Spanish, other Southern European, Latin American, and Iberian-influenced cultures around the world. The name comes from the Spanish empanar (to coat with bread), and translates as ‘breaded’, that is, wrapped or coated in bread. They are made by folding dough over a filling, which may consist of meat, cheese, tomato, corn, or other ingredients, and then cooking the resulting turnover, either by baking or frying…Argentine empanadas are often served during parties and festivals as a starter or main course. Shops specialize in freshly made empanadas, with many flavors and fillings. Every region of Argentina has its own characteristic variant” (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empanada#Argentina)

How to portion: 1 Empanada can provide 1 to 4 tastings
Address: 137 Bannatyne Ave, Winnipeg, MB R3B 0R4, Canada
Hours: Tuesday 11AM–9PM
Wednesday 11AM–9PM
Thursday 11AM–9PM
Friday 11AM–9PM
Saturday 12–10PM
Sunday 4:30–9PM
Monday Closed
Website: www.corrientes.ca/
Instagram: @corrienteswpg

 

Braised Bacon Benedict from Clementine

photo credit @clementine.winnipeg

Clementine

Breakfast restaurant

Must try: Braised Bacon Benedict (Thick Cut Braised Bacon, Brown Butter Hollandaise, Dill, Poached Eggs, Buttermilk Biscuit)

“In an interview recorded in the “Talk of the Town” column of The New Yorker in 1942, the year before his death, Lemuel Benedict, a retired Wall Street stockbroker, said that he had wandered into the Waldorf Hotel in 1894 and, hoping to find a cure for his morning hangover, ordered “buttered toast, poached eggs, crisp bacon, and a hooker of hollandaise”. Oscar Tschirky, the maître d’hôtel, was so impressed with the dish that he put it on the breakfast and luncheon menus but substituted ham for the bacon and a toasted English muffin for the toast” (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eggs_Benedict)

How to portion: On order can provide 1 to 4 tastings
Address: 123 Princess St, Winnipeg, MB R3B 1K8, Canada
Hours: Friday 9AM–2PM
Saturday 9AM–2PM
Sunday 9AM–2PM
Monday 9AM–2PM
Tuesday 9AM–2PM
Wednesday 9AM–2PM
Thursday 9AM–2PM
Website: http://clementinewinnipeg.com/
Instagram: @clementine.winnipeg

 

Okinawa Black Sugar Kouign-Amann from Cake-ology

photo credit @cake_ology

Cake-ology

Cake shop

Must try: The weekly special Kouign-Amann (A speciality pastry made in house daily at Cake-ology. Native to the northwest Brittany region of France, this pastry is a croissant-like dough, laminated with butter and sugar for a flaky, rich treat with a caramelized outer crust)

“Kouign-amann is a sweet Breton cake, made with laminated dough. It is a round multi-layered cake, originally made with bread dough (nowadays sometimes viennoiserie dough), containing layers of butter and incorporated sugar, similar in fashion to puff pastry, albeit with fewer layers. The cake is slowly baked until the sugar caramelizes and the recipe’s butter (in fact the steam of the 20 percent water in the butter) expands the dough, resulting in its layered structure. A smaller version, “kouignette”, is similar to a muffin-shaped, caramelized croissant… A specialty of the town of Douarnenez in Finistère, Brittany, where it originated around 1860, the pastry is attributed to Yves-René Scordia (1828–1878)… The name comes from the Breton language words for cake (kouign) and butter (amann), and in 2011 the New York Times described the kouign-amann as “the fattiest pastry in all of Europe” (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kouign-amann).

How to portion: 1 Kouign-Amann can provide 1 to 3 tastings
Address: 85 Arthur St, Winnipeg, MB R3B 0S8, Canada
Hours: Saturday 10AM–6PM
Sunday 10AM–3PM
Monday Closed
Tuesday 8AM–5PM
Wednesday 8AM–5PM
Thursday 8AM–5PM
Friday 10AM–6PM
Website: www.cakeology.ca/
Instagram: @cake_ology

* Tasting hack *

Sample 1919 Belgian pale ale from little brown jug and Makhani Murgh (Butter Chicken) together at the kings head pub (see below)

1919 Belgian Pale Ale from Little Brown Jug

photo credit @littlebrownjugbrewing

Little Brown Jug

Brewery

Must try: 1919 Belgian Pale Ale (“1919” is made using the traditional German kräusening, or double-fermentation technique, which cleans up beer flavours, naturally carbonates the beer, and gives it better head retention. “1919” is made with premium Canadian malts and specialty Franco-Belges malts to give it unique characteristics)

“Pale ale is a golden to amber coloured beer style brewed with pale malt. The term first appeared around 1703 for beers made from malts dried with high-carbon coke, which resulted in a lighter colour than other beers popular at that time. Different brewing practices and hop quantities have resulted in a range of tastes and strengths within the pale ale family… Different brewing practices and hop levels have resulted in a range of taste and strength within the pale ale family” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pale_ale)

How to portion: 1 order can provide 1 to 4 tastings
Address: 336 William Ave, Winnipeg, MB R3A 0H7, Canada
Hours: Friday 12–11PM
Saturday 12–11PM
Sunday 12–9P
Monday Closed
Tuesday 12–9PM
Wednesday 12–9PM
Thursday 12–11PM
Website: littlebrownjug.ca/collections
Instagram: @littlebrownjugbrewing

Butter chicken roti from King’s Head Pub

photo credit @kingsheadwpg

King's Head Pub

Pub

Must try: Makhani Murgh (Butter Chicken – house roasted tandoori chicken cooked in a homemade tomato and butter sauce), Mild/Med/Hot.

“Chicken is marinated for several hours in a mixture of lemon juice, dahi (yogurt), Kashmiri red chili, salt, garam masala, ginger paste, and garlic paste… The marinated chicken is cooked in a tandoor (traditional clay oven), but may be grilled, oven-roasted, or pan-fried. It is served in a mild curry sauce that includes butter. The sauce is a tomato, garlic, and ginger-based sauce that is simmered until smooth and much of the water has evaporated. There are many variations on the composition and spicing of the sauce, which is sieved so that it is velvety smooth. Spices may include cardamom, cumin, cloves, cinnamon, coriander, pepper, garam masala, and fenugreek (Punjabi/Hindi: kasuri methi). Cashew paste may be used as a thickener, and it is finally garnished with coriander” (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butter_chicken).

How to portion: 1 order can provide 1 to 6 tastings
Address: 120 King St, Winnipeg, MB R3B 1H9, Canada
Hours: Thursday 11AM–2AM
Friday 11AM–2AM
Saturday 11AM–2AM
Sunday 12PM–2AM
Monday 11AM–2AM
Tuesday 11AM–2AM
Wednesday 11AM–2AM
Website: www.kingshead.ca/#home-section
Instagram: @kingsheadwpg

Carolina BBQ braised beef from King + Bannatyne

photo credit @kingandbann

King + Bannatyne: The Sandwich Shop On The Corner

Sandwich shop

Must try: Carolina BBQ Braised Beef (house braised beef with our very-own Carolina gold bbq sauce, fresh sliced apple, thin-shaved red onion + arugula all on thick, hand-cut rye)

“East Carolina – Most American barbecue sauces can trace their roots to a sauce common in the eastern regions of North Carolina and South Carolina. The simplest and the earliest, it was popularized by African slaves who also advanced the development of American barbecue, and originally was made with vinegar, ground black pepper, and hot chili pepper flakes. It is used as a “mopping” sauce to baste the meat while it is cooking and as a dipping sauce when it is served. “Thin, spicy, and vinegar based”, it penetrates the meat and cuts the fats in the mouth, with a noticeably tarter flavor than most other barbecue sauces… Western Carolina – In Lexington and the Piedmont areas of western North Carolina, the sauce is often called a dip. It is similar to the East Carolina Sauce with the addition of tomato paste, tomato sauce, or ketchup” (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbecue_sauce)

How to portion: One order can provide 1 to 5 tastings
Address: 100 King St Unit D, Winnipeg, MB R3B 0P6, Canada
Hours: Saturday 11AM–4PM
Sunday Closed
Monday 11AM–6PM
Tuesday 11AM–6PM
Wednesday 11AM–6PM
Thursday 11AM–6PM
Friday 11AM–6PM
Website: www.kingandbannatyne.com/
Instagram: @kingandbann

notable nearby

Jane's

Fine dining restaurant

Closed for the summer of 2023, opening again in the fall

Why Jane’s?

Jane’s is run by students of the Red River College Paterson Global Foods Institute, set inside a historic building, this fine-dining restaurant offers reasonably priced gourmet meals.

“Sample the latest in upscale, urban cuisine – in a setting that blends old-world elegance with the latest in culinary trends. Featuring food prepared and served by Red River College Polytechnic’s renowned students and chefs, Jane’s serves as an exciting addition to the downtown dining scene, while injecting vibrancy and life into Winnipeg’s historic Exchange District” (www.rrc.ca/janes)

Address: 504 Main St, Winnipeg, MB R3B 3P2, Canada
Hours:
Saturday Closed
Sunday Closed
Monday Closed
Tuesday 11:15AM–12:30PM, 5:30–7PM
Wednesday 11:15AM–12:30PM, 5:30–7PM
Thursday 11:15AM–12:30PM, 5:30–7PM
Friday 11:15AM–12:30PM, 5:30–7PM
Website: www.rrc.ca/janes

* Tasting hack *

Culinary Exchange

Stop by the Culinary Exchange located inside the Red River College Paterson Global Foods Institute, and pick up some high quality baked goods. Items sold in the Culinary Exchange are produced by various baking labs including Patisserie I, Patisserie II, and Professional Baking, a list of baked goods, which changes weekly, can be found here.
Website: www.rrc.ca/culex

COMMENTS/QUESTIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS/UPDATES

Email: Matt@diyfoodtours.com