For the next week, 64 restaurants will feature deals and special menus to celebrate the best of Edmonton's downtown food scene.
Downtown Dining Week features an assortment of brunch, lunch and dinner discounts, new menu items or combo plates to sample multiple signature dishes at places like Bar Bricco, KB&Co and Smoke BBQ and Bar.
"We are just coming off of the high of Juno week in Edmonton, which had so many restaurants and venues bumping," shared Puneeta McBryan, Downtown Business Association president.
This year's celebration marks the first time in three years that eateries are not limited by pandemic restrictions.
"There's new restaurants that have opened up that people may never have even been to," McBryan said. "Dining Week really gives us that platform and opportunity to show off how many great restaurants we have downtown."
"This is a week where we know that people can get a great deal," she said, adding that meals range from $20 to $65.
The Marc Restaurant has participated in the food festival for over a decade. For co-owner Patrick Saurette, this year's event is more needed than ever, coming off the COVID-19 pandemic and a period of inflationary pressures.
Mid-March also represents a "soft" season for restaurants, Saurette says, with many people thinking about spring break or waiting to make plans once patio season resumes in the spring.
"When we think of the downtown, a lot of people are wanting to avoid us for various safety thoughts or just because we are out of the way," Saurette explained.
"It is integral in bringing in new faces and helping remind people that we've got a really vibrant dining scene."
For a limited time, prospective diners can purchase a $100 Edmonton Downtown Gift Card for $75 to use at participating restaurants.
Tony Le, Century Hospitality Group culinary director, is excited that Birdog is participating for the first time in Downtown Dining Week.
The restaurant and bar is offering discounts on its signature appetizer, steak tartare, and crowd-favourite honey bunny pizza — featuring shaved mortadella, pistachios and sriracha honey.
"Hopefully, we can get people to become regulars, and that's the hope for a lot of these downtown restaurants," Le said. "To make new friends."
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Marek Tkach
