20 Reasons to Eat Canadian Right Now

The current froth of northern nationalism has Canadians staying put this summer—and planning trips to domestic dining destinations. Luckily, Canadian cuisine has never been more exciting. Where else can you find the world’s fanciest pastrami? A secret six-seat sushi counter hidden in another restaurant? An Inuit chef preparing crave-worthy grilled narwhal? We canvassed the country to find epic restaurant experiences, brilliant chefs and must-try dishes to make this summer the most delicious one ever. There’s never been a better time to put your money where your patriotism is.

- LIZA AGRBA, ALYANNA DENISE CHUA, MATTHEW HALLIDAY, SARA HAROWITZ, JADINE NGAN, MARK PUPO, KATIE UNDERWOOD AND CAITLIN WALSH MILLER

1 The Married Couple Behind Edmonton's Best New Restaurant

Bernadette's, the dining room from Scott Iserhoff and Svitlana Kravchuk, is the hottest reservation in town, with a punk-rock soundtrack and a menu of reinvented Indigenous classics

Most of Scott Iserhoff’s earliest food memories involve his grandmother. During spring hunts in the north-ern Ontario wilderness, he'd watch her pluck geese and then roast them over a fire. She’d turn moose meat into hearty stew and bake hot, doughy ban-nock. Iserhoff, who’s Mushkego from Attawapiskat First Nation, always left his grandmother’s house with a full, happy belly. So when it came time for him and his wife, Svitlana Kravchuk, to launch their own restaurant, it was a no-brainer to name it after her.

Bernadette’s, which opened last year, is now one of Edmonton's cool-est culinary experiences. The 23-seat room features a mural painted by Sakâw Nêhiyaw-Métis Iskwew artist BB Iskwew, and the speakers might be blasting Indigenous EDM or Ukrainian music. Kravchuk, who hails from Ukraine, takes care of the front of house, while Iserhoff runs the kitchen, remixing the hearty Indigenous dishes of his childhood. His potato dumplings resemble Italian gnocchi, but are actually inspired by the potato pancakes Iserhoff’s dad used to make. At Bernadette’s, they're paired with a rich rabbit ragu. The deep-fried olives are stuffed with Spam—a nod to the canned meats the Canadian government rationed out to First Nations when it outlawed their traditional food-ways. They also got instant rice, so there’s usually a rotating ochesh-ishak (rice in Omushkegowin) on the menu; one version last fall, for instance, featured fried risotto balls made with creamy butternut squash. “It’s storytelling,” Iserhoff says.

2 The Can't-Miss Tea Service