DAY TRIPPER St. Catharines is one of the best places to eat and drink in the Niagara region.
What's the vibe? Despite being the biggest city in the region, the Garden City maintains the kind of charm you'd expect from smaller towns. The city is surrounded by parks and sits in the middle of Ontario’s most prominent wine regions: Niagaraon-the-Lake and Twenty Valley. With the opening of the Meridian Centre, downtown has boomed and new restaurateurs are pushing forward.
GRUB TROTTING
A handful of internationally focused restaurants have opened to complement Niagara's farm-to-table standbys. Expect remixed takes on Middle Eastern street food and regional Chinese food.
1 Dispatch The team from El Gastro, one of Ontario's bestloved food trucks, has opened a global-themed restaurant with accents from Australia, the Middle East, and Asia. Go for mezes or a tasting-menu experience. dispatch restaurant.com
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While there’s plenty to eat in downtown St. Catharines, the city is practically a stone’s throw from some of the best wines in the region. At the edge of the city, you’ll find 13th Street Winery, known for its crisp sparkling options and cool-climate chardonnays. Henry of Pelham was one of the first vineyards in the region, and today specializes in making bold, red blends.
The drive to St. Catharines will take about an hour and a half from downtown. If you're starting from midtown, you might want to consider the 407. There are a few options, especially on weekends, for taking the GO train to St. Kitts. The express trains take between one and a half to two hours, but some options involve a switchover in Oakville or Burlington. f
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2 06 Chengdu Noodles Steps away from the downtown strip, you’ll find some excellent Sichuanese cuisine. Everything is made in house, from the stuffed dumplings to the noodles soaked in an umami-rich, braised-beef broth. @06Chengdu Noodles
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HOMER HAUNTS
For your first visit, eat like a local. Get acquainted with St. Catharines institutions that have become staple spots in the city. Here are two featuring the down-home duo of craft beer and small-batch doughnuts.
Don't miss
Getting there
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3 Merchant Ale House Opened in the late 90s to produce seasonal, craft brews with local ingredients, this standby has resisted gentrification. Get the local-favourite blueberry wheat ale and the musttry chicken wings. merchant alehouse.com
4 Beechwood Doughnuts Lines are a regular sight at this new wave, vegan bakery on St. Paul. Classics like maple dip join more elaborately dressed doughnuts like mango passionfruit and strawberrykey-lime on the 24-option menu. beechwood doughnuts.com
