Canada is known for its beautiful landscapes, the politeness of its residents, and its prowess in ice hockey. However, most visitors have no idea what to expect when it comes to food. Due to Canada’s large agricultural base, most Canadians eat a diet similar to that of their American and European counterparts, high in processed grain and dairy products. But what do people eat in Canada that sets it apart?
Traditional Canadian dishes include poutine, bannock, Nova Scotia lobster rolls, Montreal-style bagels and Halifax donair. Regional specialties reflect the availability of local ingredients across the country. You’ll find a strong emphasis on seafood in the Atlantic provinces, wild game in the Northern Territories and beef in the Prairies. The culinary landscape is influenced by Indigenous culinary traditions, European flavors and cuisines from Asia and the Caribbean.
From fresh seafood to sweet treats and, of course, all things maple, here’s what to eat and drink on your trip to Canada.
Visit a sugar shack for a pancake breakfast
Maple syrup is Canada’s most famous food. Despite what some people think, Canadians don’t just go into their backyard and tap a tree to get fresh maple syrup to pour over their morning pancakes. Creating maple syrup is a labor-intensive process, and the best way to see it in action is to visit a sugar shack or maple syrup farm. Maple season depends on the weather but usually starts late in February and runs into early April.
Where to try it: Ontario and Québec are full of sugar shacks open to visitors during maple season. Most of them have on-site restaurants that allow you to sit down for a pancake breakfast featuring the local maple syrup. You can always pick up a bottle or can at the grocery store if you aren’t visiting during sugar season. The all-you-can-eat spread at Cabane du Pic-Bois in Québec is the quintessential sugar shack experience.
Indulge in poutine
Poutine is far and away the most popular food in Canada, being found not just in its home province of Quebec but in every province and territory across the country.
Traditional poutine is made up of fries, cheese curds and gravy. The hot fries and gravy melt the cheese curds, creating a gooey mess that just might be one of the most delicious things you have ever eaten. The classic flavor is arguably the best, though many restaurants and food trucks offer additional toppings, including anything from bacon to lobster to jerk chicken.
Where to try it: Poutine originated in Québec but can be found in dining establishments across Canada. The best poutine really depends on who you’re talking to, but trying it at a food truck or casse-croute (roadside stand) in Québec is almost always a good bet.
Chow down on the Lobster Trail
Nova Scotia is famous for its lobster. From classic lobster dinners to lobster rolls, lobster boils and even lobster ice cream, the maritime province does this crustacean like nobody else. Lobster fishing occurs year-round off the coast of Nova Scotia, and a month-long lobster festival is held every February on the South Shore.
Where to try it: Follow the Lobster Trail to try the best lobster dishes in the province, such as at the South Shore Fish Shack in Lunenburg and Halls Harbour Lobster Pound in Halls Harbour.
Satisfy your sweet tooth on the Butter Tart Trail
Visitors with a sweet tooth should seek out butter tarts. These tiny pie-like pastries are considered one of the best desserts in Canada. A rich, buttery crust surrounds a filling made from butter, sugar, eggs and syrup. They are often super gooey and sometimes topped with pecans, walnuts or raisins. However, adding raisins can be very controversial, depending on who you ask.
Where to try it: This treat can be found Canada-wide, but the ultimate experience is Canada’s Butter Tart Trail. It was established in 2006 in Wellington County and is only about an hour and a half’s drive from Toronto, Ontario. There are over three dozen local participants, so come hungry!
Go ice wine tasting in Canadian wine country
The best-known Canadian wines are ice wines – sweet dessert wines made from grapes that have been frozen while still on the vine. Ice wine is very smooth with an intense sweet flavor. It’s pricier than the average wine bottle due to its lengthier process, but most people love it, and you’ll likely want to buy a bottle or two.
Where to try it: Ice wine is made primarily in Ontario, most notably around the Niagara Peninsula. You will also find wineries producing ice wine in British Columbia, Québec and Nova Scotia. That being said, you can buy a bottle at most liquor stores.
Beat the cold with Caribou at Carnival
Yes, a caribou is a wild animal, but in this case, we’re discussing the well-known alcoholic punch served at Québec City’s Carnival. Commonly described as “liquid sunshine,” this 22% alcohol beverage is served in everything from ice glasses to long canes and consumed in large amounts by visitors to keep warm while enjoying the outdoor carnival’s festivities. The name Caribou comes from the coloring of the drink, which is a dark red resembling… well, caribou blood. But don’t worry – there’s no blood in this recipe – just wine, alcohol, natural flavors and sulfites.
Where to try it: The best place to try Caribou is during the Carnival in Québec City, which takes place every year in February. Caribou is exclusive to Québec’s liquor board, so you won’t find it in any other provinces or territories.
Savor a twist on the classic donair in Halifax
If you’ve ever been out for a late night in a big city, you’re probably familiar with döner kebab. Spiced meat cooked on a rotating spit is common in cities worldwide, but Halifax has its way of doing things.
Invented by Greek immigrant Peter Gamoulakos in the 1970s, the Halifax donair consists of beef instead of the more traditional lamb, served with a sauce based on sweetened condensed milk and garlic. The signature food of Halifax, the donair is a must-try if you visit. You can’t go wrong with King of Donair, who has been around since 1973.
Discover the Canadian origins of Hawaiian pizza
Would you believe Hawaiian pizza is a Canadian invention? Sam Panopoulos created the first Hawaiian pizza at Satellite Restaurant in the Ontario town of Chatham-Kent in 1962.
Much like raisins in butter tarts, adding pineapple to pizza remains controversial, but the staying power of this Canadian creation is undeniable. If you’re at a pizza joint in Canada, you will likely find a slice topped with pineapple and ham. In Vancouver, AJ’s Brooklyn Pizza elevates the classic with its Tropical Reeves, featuring chili-roasted pineapple, thick-cut smoked bacon, and a drizzle of vanilla honey. Whether you’re a fan or a skeptic, it’s a must-try for anyone curious about Canada’s cuisine contributions.
Experience Montreal’s bagel-making tradition
When Jewish immigrants came to Montreal, they brought a tradition of handmade bagels. In contrast to New York-style, Montreal-style bagels are smaller, boiled in honey-sweetened water before baking, and always baked in a wood-fired oven. This gives the bagels a distinct flavor that has spread across the country.
Nowadays, bakeries make bagels the Montreal way from Toronto to Whitehorse and everywhere in between. For an authentic experience, visit St-Viateur Bagel or Fairmount Bagel in Montreal, two iconic bakeries known for their fresh, wood-fired bagels that locals swear by.
Enjoy Canada’s favorite confection: the Nanaimo bar
Ask any Canadian what their favorite dessert is, and many will answer with “Nanaimo bar.” This chocolate and custard layered dessert bar is named after the British Columbia city of Nanaimo, where some of the first recipes for this snack originate. It’s a sweet dessert bar with three layers – a coconut wafer base, a custard middle and a chocolate ganache topping.
The Nanaimo bar has had a place at the table for several state dinners in Canada and the US, as well as its own postage stamp by Canada Post in 2019. To taste this classic dessert, stop by Bocca Café in Nanaimo or visit The Lazy Loaf & Kettle in Calgary, which both serve their take on the beloved bar.
Snack on Canada’s beloved ketchup-flavored chips
While it might seem strange, ketchup chips have been a favorite in Canada since the Hostess company started making them in the 1970s. Although the other new flavors they tried, like orange and grape, were not so popular, ketchup has stood the test of time.
Visitors can easily find ketchup chips at grocery stores like Loblaws or Sobeys or convenience stores like Circle K and 7-Eleven. Grab a bag of Lay’s or Old Dutch ketchup chips for a true Canadian classic, and see what the hype is all about.
Debate the origins of Canadian bacon
If you watched American television growing up, chances are you’ve heard the joke about Canadian bacon being “just ham.” The truth is that most people in Canada don’t use the term “Canadian bacon” and instead say “back bacon.” As the name implies, back bacon is pork loin (a cut from the animal’s back) that is brined, cooked and smoked like traditional bacon.
An additional term is “peameal bacon,” which is exclusive to Ontario. This loin is brined and rolled in peameal or cornmeal, then sliced for the customer. Is all this a little confusing? Maybe. Is it delicious? Absolutely. For an authentic taste of peameal bacon, head to Carousel Bakery at St. Lawrence Market in Toronto, which is famous for its peameal bacon sandwiches. You can also try excellent back bacon at The Senator, one of Toronto’s oldest diners, serving classic Canadian breakfast dishes.
Delight in a French-Canadian classic: tourtière
A staple of Christmas and New Year’s festivities in Francophone communities across Canada, tourtière is a meat pie traditionally filled with meat from passenger pigeons (known as tourtes in Canadian French). Depending on the region, this dish is now made with beef, pork, veal, or fish.
Perhaps the most recognizable variety is Tourtière du Lac-Saint-Jean, from the Saguenay region of Eastern Quebec. This version is a slow-cooked deep-dish meat pie filled with potatoes and various meats, often including wild game or turkey. This dish is so important to Sagueneens that all other preparations of tourtière are known simply as pâte à la viande (meat pies) in this region.
From Francophone communities in Manitoba, Ontario, Acadia, and beyond, you’ll find many variations throughout the country, all of them worth a try. For an authentic experience, visit Aux Anciens Canadiens in Quebec City, which serves a traditional tourtière in a charming setting. Check out La Binerie Mont-Royal in Montreal, a local favorite for comforting Quebecois classics, including their delicious tourtière.
Beat your hangover with Canada’s famous Caesar cocktail
On your Canadian adventure, you may wake up nursing a hangover. We did talk about ice wine earlier, after all. Don’t worry – Canada’s answer to the Bloody Mary will make you feel better in no time. Invented in Calgary, Alberta, in 1969, the Caesar is a vodka cocktail mixed with Clamato, Worcestershire and hot sauce, garnished with various spices and pickled vegetables. Yes, you read that correctly. Clamato, you may have guessed, is a mix of tomato and clam juice that gives the drink its signature flavor.
Though the ingredient list might seem a little out there, one sip will change your mind. The Caesar is Canada’s most popular mixed drink, so much so that Canadians consume one-third of North America’s Clamato supply. For some of the best Caesars, visit Caesar’s Steak House in Calgary, where the cocktail originated, or head to Hunter’s Landing in Toronto, a popular spot known for craft Caesars. In Vancouver, The Score on Davie has a Caesar that’s practically a meal, topped with everything from burgers to onion rings.
Vegetarians and vegans
Canada is a diverse country that prides itself on its multiculturalism and inclusion. While many of the popular dishes here are meat-based, vegetarians and vegans will be glad to know that it’s easy to find plant-based foods across the country.
British Columbia has the country’s highest population of vegetarians and vegans, but every major city in Canada has vegan and vegetarian cafes and restaurants, such as Bloomers multiple locations in Toronto and Heartwood Bakery in Halifax. It’s also easy to find products like oat milk and tofu at local grocery stores, although larger cities will have much more choice and variety.
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