What to eat and drink in Canada

Canada is known for its beautiful landscapes, a warm welcome to everyone, and its prowess in ice hockey. However, many visitors are unaware of the nation's incredible food scene, which reflects Canada's thriving agricultural sector and focus on locally sourced ingredients.

Traditional Canadian dishes include poutine, bannock, Nova Scotia lobster rolls, Montréal-style bagels and Halifax donair. Regional specialties reflect the availability of local ingredients across the country – there's 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 traditions, European flavors and cuisines from Asia and the Caribbean. 

With so many options it can be difficult to know where to begin, but don't panic – this is everything you need to know about what to eat and drink during your trip to Canada.

Advertisement

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, found not just in its home province of Québec 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 comfort foods in the world. The classic flavor is arguably the best, though many restaurants and food trucks offer additional toppings, including everything 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-croûte (roadside stand) in Québec is almost always a good bet.  

Chow down on a 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 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 considered very controversial, depending on who you ask.
Where to try it: This treat can be found across the country, 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. There are over three dozen local participants, so arrive hungry!

Advertisement

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 bottle of wine due to the lengthier process, but most people love it, and you’ll likely want to buy a bottle or two to sample at home.
Where to try it: Ice wine is made primarily in Ontario, most notably around the Niagara Peninsula. You'll 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 by sipping on Carnival Caribou

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% alcoholic 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 partied into the wee hours in a big city, you’re probably familiar with a döner kebab. Spiced meat cooked on a rotating spit is common in cities worldwide, but Halifax has its very own version that's a little different.

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.
Where to try it: You can’t go wrong with King of Donair, which was founded by Peter Gamoulakos in 1973.

Experience Montréal’s bagel-making tradition

When Jewish immigrants came to Montréal, they brought a long tradition of handmade bagels with them. In contrast to New York-style, Montréal-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 made them beloved across the country. 
Where to try it: For an authentic experience, visit St-Viateur Bagel or Fairmount Bagel in Montréal, 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 city of Nanaimo in British Columbia, where some of the first recipes for this snack were created. It consists of 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 issued by Canada Post in 2019.
Where to try it: To taste this classic dessert, stop by Bocca Cafe in Nanaimo or visit The Lazy Loaf & Kettle in Calgary, which both serve their take on the beloved bar.

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 beef, pork, veal or game.

Perhaps the most recognizable variety is Tourtière du Lac-Saint-Jean, from the Saguenay region of Eastern Québec. This version is a slow-cooked, deep-dish 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. 

Francophone communities in Manitoba, Ontario, Acadia and beyond, all have their own specific variations that are no less delicious.
Where to try it: For an authentic experience, visit Aux Anciens Canadiens in Québec City, which serves a traditional tourtière in a charming setting. Check out La Binerie Mont-Royal in Montréal, a local favorite for comforting Quebecois classics, including their delicious tourtière.

Foods worth trying

Beaver Tail: A fried dough pastry served with various toppings.
Bannock: A pan-fried quick bread often made by Canada’s indigenous community. 
Caesar cocktail: Canada’s spin on the classic Bloody Mary. Instead of tomato juice, this recipe calls for clamato juice, which is a clam and tomato juice blend. 
Ketchup-flavored chips: These uniquely Canadian flavors can be found in the local grocery stores. 

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.