All you have to do is eat
Winnipeg
WEST END
DIY food tour
THE WEST END
The West End is a multicultural area known for colourful street art and Vietnamese, Filipino, Ethiopian, Indian and other regional based restaurants.
The West End was developed during an influx of people from 1890 to 1912. It was originally a working and middle-class neighbourhood, but was further built up in the 1920’s due to its proximity to downtown. Revitalization projects were initiated in the 1980s, such as the West End Cultural Centre which was converted from an old church and attracts over 30,000 people a year. There are also many interesting murals, which can be viewed from a walking tour put on by West End Biz. The West End currently has some of the most incredible family owned hidden treasure restaurants in all of Winnipeg, enjoy this historic section of Winnipeg while eating some of the best food in Canada.
photo credit @westendbiz
details
Number of stops: 10
Number of tastings: 14 (13 entrées, 1 beverage)
Tastings: Beef and Rice Noodle in Sate (lemongrass satay broth, beef, rice noodles, topped with crushed peanuts), Bacalhau com natas (Cod and potatoes), Linguiça/Chouriço (sausage), Spring Roll, Pain au chocolat (60% dark chocolate in a sourdough butter croissant), Satay Beef Rice Noodle Soup (spicy), Nopales taco (nopal strips, pico de gallo, Panela cheese), Chicken Mole taco (contains peanuts, cream, sesame seeds), Pork Pastor style taco (pineapple, cilantro, onion), Pork Papusa, Marañon beverage (cashew juice), Bánh Mì Heo Nướn (grilled pork sandwich), Bún Bò Huế (Hot and Spicy Beef & Pork Noodle Soup, beef, thin slices of pork hock with thick vermicelli noodles, herbs, rich and spicy lemongrass broth), and Garlic Sauce.
photo credit @westendbiz
Self-guided Audio Mural Tour
After the DIY food tour, try a free mural tour from the West End Biz (www.westendbiz.ca)
“Plug in your headphones and take a stroll through the West End with us as your guide. This audio tour features nine West End murals so you can get a taste of what the West End has to offer at your leisure. Discover the area’s history and learn what goes into creating the large-scale artworks this neighbourhood is known for! To view the route map, please click here. The walking tour will take approximately 1 hour.” (https://www.westendbiz.ca/visit/west-end-special-tours/)
Press play below to listen to the full Self-guided Audio Mural Tour (by West End Biz).
Original found here West End BIZ Self-Guided Tour
diy food tour
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 manipulated 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
Satay Beef Noodle Soup from Ha Long Bay
photo credit @diyfoodtours
Ha Long Bay Restaurant
Vietnamese restaurant
Must try: #31 Beef and Rice Noodle in Sate (spicy lemongrass satay broth, beef, rice noodles, topped with Crushed Peanuts)
“Beef noodle soup is a noodle soup made of stewed or braised beef, beef broth, vegetables and noodles. It exists in various forms throughout East and Southeast Asia” (wikipedia.org/wiki/Beef_noodle_soup)
This place can get very busy at lunch, as it is very popular with the folks who work at the nearby University of Manitoba and Health Science Centre.
How to portion: One order an provide up to 6 tastings
Address: 772 Notre Dame Ave, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0L9
Hours: Saturday 11a.m.–9:30p.m.
Sunday Closed
Monday 11a.m.–9:30p.m.
Tuesday 11a.m.–9:30p.m.
Wednesday 11a.m.–9:30p.m.
Thursday 11a.m.–9:30p.m.
Friday 11a.m.–9:30p.m.
Website: https://hilln02.wixsite.com/ha-long-bay-restaura
Instagram: @halongbay_wpg
Bacalhau com natas (Cod and potatoes) from Viena Do Castelo
photo credit @viena_do_castelo
Viena Do Castelo
Portuguese Restaurant
Must try: Bacalhau com natas (Cod and potatoes), also, if you have never had traditional Linguiça/Chouriço, you can pick some up here. Bacalhau com natas comes in 1 size and is only made on Fridays, otherwise, order a link of the fresh homemade traditional Linguiça/Chouriço.
“Bacalhau com natas (literally “cod with cream”) is a popular way of cooking salted cod (bacalhau) in Portugal. It is an oven-baked dish consisting of layers of bacalhau, onion, diced fried potato and cream, commonly spiced with nutmeg and white pepper. Use of dairy such as cream or cheese is not common in traditional Portuguese savoury dishes; however, the popularity of this dish—in households and restaurants—make it a classic. The origin of this dish is unclear, but a similar one using cod and cream was invented by chef João Ribeiro in the 1930s” (wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacalhau_com_natas).
How to portion: A medium acalhau com natas can provide up to 5 tastings, a large acalhau com natas can provide 7 tastings. Linguiça/Chouriço can provide up to 8 tastings.
Address: 857 Sargent Ave, Winnipeg, MB R3E 2H9
Hours: Friday 10a.m.–5p.m.
Saturday 9a.m.–5p.m.
Sunday Closed
Monday Closed
Tuesday 10a.m.–5p.m.
Wednesday 10a.m.–5p.m.
Thursday 10a.m.–5p.m.
Website: www. vienadocastelo.com
Instagram: @viena_do_castelo
Viva Restaurant
Vietnamese restaurant
Must try: #1 Special Spring Roll (deep-fried spring rolls)
“Spring rolls are rolled appetizers or dim sum commonly found in Chinese and other Southeast Asian uisines. The kind of wrapper, fillings, and cooking technique used, as well as the name, vary considerably within this large area, depending on the region’s culture… The fried version with minced pork is called imperial rolls or chả giò (southern Vietnam), nem cuốn, chả cuốn or Nem rán (northern Vietnam)… A Vietnamese imperial roll is different from a Chinese spring roll in that it is typically smaller and contains ground or chopped meats/seafood such as pork, crab, shrimp, chicken, taro or cassava, glass noodles, wood-ear fungi or oyster mushrooms, and shredded carrots. Rice paper is traditionally used as the wrappers” (wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring_roll)
How to portion: One order can provide up to 8 tastings
Address: 505 Sargent Ave, Winnipeg, MB R3B 1W1, Canada
Hours: Saturday 11AM–9:30PM
Sunday Closed
Monday 11AM–9:30PM
Tuesday 11AM–9:30PM
Wednesday 11AM–9:30PM
Thursday 11AM–9:30PM
Friday 11AM–9:30PM
Website: NA
Instagram: @ivarestaurant
Pain au chocolat from Gâto Bakeshop
photo credit @gatowpg
Gâto Bakeshop
Bakery
Must try: Pain au chocolat (60% dark chocolate in a sourdough butter croissant) (Vegetarian – made with milk and egg)
“Pain au chocolat (literally “chocolate bread”), also known as chocolatine in the south-west part of France and in Canada, or couque au chocolat in Belgium, is a type of viennoiserie sweet pastry consisting of a cuboid-shaped piece of yeast-leavened laminated dough, similar in texture to a puff pastry, with one or two pieces of dark chocolate in the center.” (wikipedia.org/wiki/Pain_au_chocolat)
How to portion: One Pain au chocolat can provide up to 2 tastings
Address: 819 Sargent Ave, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0B9
Hours: Sunday 9a.m.–3p.m.
Monday Closed
Tuesday Closed
Wednesday 8a.m.–4p.m.
Thursday 8a.m.–4p.m.
Friday 8a.m.–4p.m.
Saturday 8a.m.–4p.m.
Website: www.gâtowpg.com
Instagram: @gatowpg
Satay Beef Rice Noodle Soup from Thanh Huong
photo credit @diyfoodtours
Thanh Huong Restaurant
Vietnamese Restaurant
Must try: #6 Satay Beef Rice Noodle Soup (Spicy) (Choice of Beef or Tofu).
“Peanut sauce, satay sauce, bumbu kacang, sambal kacang, or pecel is an Indonesian sauce made from ground roasted or fried peanuts, widely used in cuisines worldwide… The main ingredient is ground roasted peanuts, for which peanut butter can act as a substitute. Several different recipes for making peanut sauces exist, resulting in a variety of flavours, textures and consistency. A typical recipe usually contains ground roasted peanuts or peanut butter (smooth or crunchy), coconut milk, soy sauce, tamarind, galangal, garlic, and spices (such as coriander seed or cumin). Other possible ingredients are chili peppers, sugar, fried onion, and lemongrass (wikipedia.org/wiki/Peanut_sauce).
How to portion: One order can provide up to 6 tastings
Address: 534 Sargent Ave, Winnipeg, MB R3B 1W2
Hours: Friday 11a.m.–10p.m.
Saturday 11a.m.–10p.m.
Sunday 11:30a.m.–9p.m.
Monday 11a.m.–3p.m.
Tuesday 11a.m.–10p.m.
Wednesday 11a.m.–10p.m.
Thursday 11a.m.–10p.m.
Website: www.thanhhuongrestaurant.com
Instagram: @thanhhuongrestaurant
Tacos from Sargent Taco shop
photo credit: @diyfoodtours
Sargent Taco Shop
Mexican Restaurant
Must try: Tacos (1) Nopales (nopal strips, pico de gallo, Panela cheese), (2) Chicken Mole (contains peanuts, cream, sesame seeds), and (3) Pork Pastor style (pineapple, cilantro, onion)
“A taco is a traditional Mexican dish consisting of a small hand-sized corn or wheat tortilla topped with a filling. The tortilla is then folded around the filling and eaten by hand. A taco can be made with a variety of fillings, including beef, pork, chicken, seafood, beans, vegetables, and cheese, allowing for great versatility and variety. They are often garnished with various condiments, such as salsa, guacamole, or sour cream, and vegetables, such as lettuce, onion, tomatoes, and chiles. Tacos are a common form of antojitos, or Mexican street food, which have spread around the world (wikipedia.org/wiki/Taco).
How to portion: One order can provide up to 2 tastings
Address: 698 Sargent Ave, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0A9
Hours: Sunday Closed
Monday Closed
Tuesday 11:30 am – 7:00 pm
Wednesday 11:30 am – 7:00 pm
Thursday 11:30 am – 7:00 pm
Friday 11:30 am – 7:00 pm
Saturday 12:00 am – 7:00 pm
Website: NA
Instagram: @sargent.tacoshop
Papusa with Curtido and Salsa from Mercadito Latino
photo credit @mercadito_latino
Mercadito Latino
Salvadoran restaurant
Must try: Pork Papusa and homemade Marañon beverage (cashew juice).
“A pupusa is a thick griddle cake or flatbread from El Salvador and Honduras, made with cornmeal or rice flour, similar to the Venezuelan and Colombian arepa. In El Salvador, it has been declared the national dish and has a specific day to celebrate it. It is usually stuffed with one or more ingredients, which may include cheese (such as quesillo or cheese with loroco buds), chicharrón, squash, or refried beans. It is typically accompanied by curtido (a spicy fermented cabbage slaw) and tomato salsa, and is traditionally eaten by hand” (wikipedia.org/wiki/Pupusa)
“The pupusas are wonderful, too. Neither heavy nor greasy, these soft, thickish corn-masa pancakes are fried on a griddle, stuffed with the usual options of cheese, beans or pork, or all the above, to be topped by a lightly marinated coleslaw and a mildly spicy salsa. There is also the much rarer pupusa de queso con loroco, stuffed with lots of cheese and loroco flowers” (‘Salvadoran restaurant expands from its grocery store beginnings with delicious results’, by Marion Warhaft, Winnipeg Free Press, Sep. 19, 2013)
How to portion: One order can provide up to 8 tastings
Address: 570 Sargent Ave, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0A2, Canada
Hours: Sunday Closed
Monday 12–8PM
Tuesday 12–8PM
Wednesday 12–8PM
Thursday 12–8PM
Friday 12–8PM
Saturday 12–8PM
Website: NA
Instagram: @mercadito_latino
Bánh Mì Heo Nướng from Bahn Mi Khanh Hoa (Grilled Pork Sandwich)
photo credit @diyfoodtours
Banh Mi Khanh Hoa ( Khanh Hoa Fresh Meats & Delights)
Vietnamese restaurant
Must try: #3 Bánh Mì Heo Nướn (Grilled pork sandwich) you can pick between mild and spicy.
“In Vietnamese cuisine, bánh mì or banh mi is a short baguette with thin, crisp crust and soft, airy texture. It is often split lengthwise and filled with savory ingredients like a submarine sandwich and served as a meal, called bánh mì thịt. Plain banh mi is also eaten as a staple food… A typical Vietnamese roll or sandwich is a fusion of meats and vegetables from native Vietnamese cuisine such as chả lụa (pork sausage), coriander leaf (cilantro), cucumber, pickled carrots, and pickled daikon combined with condiments from French cuisine such as pâté, along with red chili and buttery mayonnaise (wikipedia.org/wiki/Bánh_mì)
How to portion: One order can provide up to 4 tastings
Address: 834 Notre Dame Ave, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0M5, Canada
Hours: Monday 10:00 – 19:00
Tuesday CLOSED
Wednesday 10:00 – 19:00
Thursday 10:00 – 19:00
Friday 10:00 – 19:00
Saturday 10:00 – 18:00
Sunday 10:00 – 17:00
Website: NA
Instagram: NA
Bun Bo Hue from Pho Hoang
photo credit @phothoangca
Pho Hoang
Vietnamese Restaurant
Must try: #35 Bún Bò Huế (Hot and Spicy Beef & Pork Noodle Soup, beef, thin slices of pork hock with thick vermicelli noodles, herbs, rich and spicy lemongrass broth)
“Bún bò Huế is a popular Vietnamese rice noodle (bún) dish with sliced beef (bò), chả lụa, and sometimes pork knuckles. The dish originates from Huế, a city in central Vietnam associated with the cooking style of the former royal court. The dish has a mix of spicy, salty, and umami flavors. The predominant flavor is that of lemongrass (wikipedia.org/wiki/ Bún_bò_Huế)
“Owner Tom Hoang left Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, at 14 and lived in a Thai refugee camp in Thailand for three years. He arrived in Vancouver in 1990 and worked in restaurants across Canada before settling in Winnipeg and opening the first Pho Hoang in 2011” (Diving into tasty traditional treats, by Jill Wilson, Winnipeg Free Press, July 18, 2018)
How to portion: One order can provide up to 6 tastings
Address: 794 Sargent Ave, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0B7
Hours: Monday 11a.m.–9p.m.
Tuesday 11a.m.–9p.m.
Wednesday 11a.m.–9p.m.
Thursday 11a.m.–9p.m.
Friday 11a.m.–10p.m.
Saturday 11a.m.–10p.m.
Sunday 11a.m.–9p.m.
Website: www.phohoang.com
Instagram: @phohoangca
Garlic sauce, pictured in a shawarma chicken plate from Friends Donair and Shawarma
photo credit @diyfoodtours
Friends Donair and Shawarma
Middle Eastern restaurant
Must try: The Garlic Sauce (ORDER – ON THE ROCKS – Rice made the Middle Eastern way topped with meat options and our famous in house made sauces, your choice of chicken, beef, cauliflower, or falafel)
“Garlic sauce is a sauce prepared using garlic as a primary ingredient. It is typically a pungent sauce, with the depth of garlic flavor determined by the amount of garlic used. The garlic is typically crushed or finely diced. Simple garlic sauce is composed of garlic and another ingredient to suspend the bulb via emulsion, such as oil, butter or mayonnaise. Various additional ingredients can be used to prepare the sauce. ” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garlic_sauce)
How to portion: One order of On the Rocks can provide 7 tastings
Address: 884 Notre Dame Ave, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0M7, Canada
Hours: Saturday 11AM–11PM
Sunday 11AM–11PM
Monday 11AM–11PM
Tuesday 11AM–11PM
Wednesday 11AM–11PM
Thursday 11AM–11PM
Friday 11AM–11PM
Website: www.friendsdonairandshawarma.business.site
Instagram: @friendsdonairshawarma
notable nearby
photo credit @diyfoodtours
Habesha Ethiopian Restaurant
Ethiopian restaurant
“Ethiopian cuisine characteristically consists of vegetable and often very spicy meat dishes. This is usually in the form of wat, a thick stew, served on top of injera, a large sourdough flatbread, which is about 50 centimeters (20 inches) in diameter and made out of fermented teff flour. Ethiopians eat most of the time with their right hands, using pieces of injera to pick up bites of entrées and side dishes… A typical dish consists of injera accompanied by a spicy stew, which frequently includes beef, lamb, vegetables and various types of legumes, such as lentils” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopian_cuisine)
Address: 594 Ellice Ave, Winnipeg, MB R3G 0A4, Canada
Hours: Friday 11 AM–9 PM
Saturday 11 AM–9 PM
Sunday 12–9 PM
Monday 11 AM–9 PM
Tuesday Closed
Wednesday 11 AM–9 PM
Thursday 11 AM–9 PM
Website: NA
photo credit @littlenanaskitchen
Little Nana’s Italian Kitchen
Italian restaurant
“Italian cuisine has a great variety of different ingredients which are commonly used, ranging from fruits, vegetables, grains, cheeses, meats and fish. In northern Italy, fish (such as cod, or baccalà), potatoes, rice, corn (maize), sausages, pork, and different types of cheese are the most common ingredients. Pasta dishes with tomato are common throughout Italy. Italians use ingredients that are fresh and subtly seasoned and spiced… Italian cuisine is also well known (and well regarded) for its use of a diverse variety of pasta. Pasta include noodles in various lengths, widths, and shapes. Most pastas may be distinguished by the shapes for which they are named—penne, maccheroni, spaghetti, linguine, fusilli, lasagne, and many more varieties that are filled with other ingredients like ravioli and tortellini. The word pasta is also used to refer to dishes in which pasta products are a primary ingredient. It is usually served with sauce. There are hundreds of different shapes of pasta with at least locally recognized names. Examples include spaghetti (thin rods), rigatoni (tubes or cylinders), fusilli (swirls), and lasagne (sheets). Dumplings, like gnocchi (made with potatoes or pumpkin) and noodles like spätzle, are sometimes considered pasta” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_cuisine)
Address: 810 Beverley St, Winnipeg, MB R3E 2A6, Canada
Hours: Friday 4–9 PM
Saturday 4–9 PM
Sunday 4–8 PM
Monday 4–8 PM
Tuesday 4–8 PM
Wednesday 4–9 PM
Thursday 4–9 PM
Website: https://littlenanaskitchen.com/
photo credit @gladyscaribbeankitchen
Gladys Caribbean Kitchen
Jamaican restaurant
“Jamaican cuisine includes a mixture of cooking techniques, flavours and spices influenced by Amerindian, African, Irish, English, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Indian, Chinese and Middle Eastern people who have inhabited the island. It is also influenced by the crops introduced into the island from tropical Southeast Asia, many of which are now grown locally. A wide variety of seafood, tropical fruits and meats are available… Some Jamaican dishes are variations on cuisines brought to the island from elsewhere. These are often modified to incorporate local produce and spices. Others are novel or fusion and have developed locally. Popular Jamaican dishes include curry goat, fried dumplings, ackee and saltfish. Jamaican patties along with various pastries, breads and beverages are also popular” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamaican_cuisine)
Address: 726 Sargent Ave, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0B1, Canada
Hours: Friday 12–9 PM
Saturday 12–9 PM
Sunday Closed
Monday 12–7 PM
Tuesday 12–7 PM
Wednesday Closed
Thursday 12–7 PM
Website: NA
COMMENTS/QUESTIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS/UPDATES
Email: Matt@diyfoodtours.com
