EDify Best Restaurants 2024: Edmonton's best food celebration!

Each March in Edmonton the EDify Best Restaurants list is released, celebrating the top restaurants that our city has to offer in various categories. Chosen by a panel of actual local foodies (not votes from the general public), this is easily the best and most important food list of the year. From top dining experiences and uniquely delicious dishes to the most sought after desserts and sophisticated cocktails, EDify examines the Edmonton food scene as a whole (and it's not all high-end tasting menus). Following the release of the magazine you can attend a springtime feast featuring many of the restaurants that won awards. If you consider yourself a foodie it is not to be missed! Once again at the Edmonton Convention Centre, the event was held in a different hall than last year which was a lot darker. I preferred the bright windows and gorgeous views from the previous year - they should know that foodies require natural light for decent food photography!! I sprung for a VIP ticket which provided a seated table, early event access (you really do beat a lot of long lineups this way), and sparkling wine. However, I believe that I was also supposed to be served a charcuterie plate which I never received (even after asking). I would have been more irritated by this if I hadn't been so full from eating everything else in sight. With food and bevy tickets in hand, I was prepared to try everything.

Here is how I ranked what I ate: 19. Smoked Salmon Tartine from Happy & Olive (#1 Best New Restaurant) (#2 Best Brunch)

Happy & Olive is pretty much the hottest new place in town at the moment and I can't wait to visit their actual restaurant! However, I found this dish a little one-noted and not very interesting. The bread was a bit too tough as well. 18. Tostadas with Mango Shrimp Ceviche from Smokin' Barrels Cocina Latina (#3 Best Mexican Restaurant)

Bright colours and flavours! The crispy tostada was satisfying and the acidity of the dish was great. 17. Chicken Sando from Seoul Fried Chicken

Loved the tiny box that this was served in! The buttery bun was delish and there is no going wrong with their SFC BBQ chicken. 16. Hunter's Sausage Corn Dog with Pickled Onions and Mustard from The Butchery (#1 Best Handheld)

I'm a HUGE fan of The Butchery and was so happy to see them at this event! Their plating was adorable and who doesn't love a li'l corn dog? I already enjoy their housemade hot dogs so a corn dog is a superb idea. 15. Doubles from Cafe Caribbean

I love that we're seeing more and more of a Caribbean influence in our city! It's wonderful. Trini doubles on golden fried bara are always so tasty! 14. Beef Bourguignon with Natural Levain Sourdough and Salted Herb Butter from Chartier

I'm just happy to see Chartier at this event after the year that they've had!! From almost closing their doors to serving food at a 'best restaurants' event - wild. I loved the sourdough which is no surprise because their bread program has always been excellent. Mashed potatoes were creamy, beef was tender, and I really liked the addition of pear. 13. Stuffed Crab Claw with Red Curry Sauce from XIX Nineteen (#4 Best Overall Restaurant)

While this was an esthetically beautiful plate, it was a pretty small bite. The curry sauce was very nice but I wish that there had been more crab! 12. Steak Tartare from DOSC

This was a super small portion but the tartare was very flavourful. 11. Pulled Pork Sandwich with Coleslaw from OTTO Food & Drink (#3 Restaurant with the Best Vibe)

I love OTTO and need to remember to visit them more. Great little sandwich with delicious pulled pork and tangy coleslaw. They were also serving Mini Cheesecake (not pictured) and it was sooo delicious! And I don't even like cheesecake! 10. North Country Dry-Aged Wagyu Striploin from Barbacoa (#1 Best Steak)

This booth always had one of the longest lineups. Watching them smoke this dish under a cloche was very dramatic. I enjoyed the thick buttery bread and perfectly tender beef a lot! Plus the smoky flavour was excellent! Barbacoa was supposed to attend this event last year (but didn't) so I was happy to see that they made it this year! 9. Butter Chicken Samosa and Vegetable Fritters from Guru Kitchen + Bar

These butter chicken samosas are famous in Edmonton! I loved the fresh and tender pastry and there was so much filling. 8. Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons from Pip (#3 Best Brunch)

Not only was the soup a cozy bowl of perfection but the crouton was adorable and inspired. It was a tiny cube of grilled cheese sandwich! Pip always seems to understand the assignment. 7. Chilled Sesame Noodles from The Lingan (#3 Best Chinese Restaurant)

These noodles were just GOOD! I loved the spicy heat, the textures, and the delicious nutty flavour. Plus the portion size was huge! 6. Salmon Pressed Sushi from Dorinku Osaka & Dorinku Tokyo (#2 Restaurant with the Best Vibe) (#1 & 2 Best Japanese Restaurants)

I can't believe that I forgot to take a photo of this one!! However, I DID get this cool photo of the dish being prepared - there was FIRE! This delicious sushi bite had a ton of bold torched flavour. 5. Lime Beef Salad from Mãi Mãi Viet Street Kitchen (#4 Best New Restaurant)

I LOVED this dish! It tasted fresh and was one of the more unique offerings at the event. Loved the light and crispy shrimp cracker and the big nuoc cham flavour. 4. Fried Sesame Ball from Fu's Repair Shop (#1 Best Overall Restaurant) (#1 Restaurant with the Best Vibe) (#1 Best Cocktails)

This sesame ball might have been small but it packed a big punch! The braised pork rib on the inside was bursting with big Asian flavour and the outside was satisfyingly crispy. I ate two and I could've kept going. Fu's has definitely become one of my favourite restaurants in this past year.

3. The Whole Hog Galette from RGE RD (#2 Best Overall Restaurant)

They're one of the top restaurants in the city and it shows. Beautiful presentation and such a successful dish! I loved the buttery pastry wrapped around the perfectly cooked meat inside. Rustic yet refined - which I think describes RGE RD in a nutshell. 2. Seared Gindara Sushi with Saikyo Miso Sauce from Tansen Izakaya (#5 Best New Restaurant)

What a stunning piece of sushi! Gindara is also known as sablefish and this torched beauty was expertly prepared. The rice to fish ratio was excellent. The gindara melted in my mouth and left a lasting impression. 1. Gnocchi with Braised Beef, Gremolata and Reggiano Foam from The Butternut Tree (#5 Best Overall Restaurant)

My top pick!!! WOW!! This dish blew me away beyond all the rest! The balance of flavours, the textures, and the overall unique preparation set this dish apart. There was delicious melt-in-your-mouth beef, there was tender gnocchi, plus this insane reggiano foam that I've never experienced before. AND they pulled all of this off on a huge scale. Very impressed! Would you believe that this wasn't even all of the food? There were a bunch of desserts and you didn't need to use a food ticket to have as many of them as you wanted. So many of the city's best places were in attendance! There was Luna Cocina Mexicana (#3 Best Dessert) with their fabulous Tres Leches Cake, Leduc Coffee Shop (#1 Best Dessert) with their winning Orange Roll with Cream Sauce, and Duchess Bake Shop (#2 Best Dessert) with a beautiful Mousse Cake - you can never go wrong with Duchess! Plus Kind Ice Cream was there offering multiple flavours; Disco Cookie Dough, Salted Caramel, Strawberry, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch. And don't forget Evoolution with three yummy types of popcorn!

Beverages seemed to hold a larger presence this year which was nice to see. I really enjoyed all of the interesting options beyond the more typical offerings. Boxcar Coffee Shop (#1 Best Coffee Shop) was serving up Iced Horchata (along with more desserts), Clementine (#3 Best Cocktails) was serving up their award-winning "Edmonton Signature Cocktail 2024;" the High Level Fizz, and Split Zero Proof had a beautiful drink called The Sichuation mocktail.

Needless to say, I left stuffed but oh-so pleased. It was such a treat to see some of Edmonton's top chefs standing elbow to elbow, all in one room together. I felt like I was having a bit of a fangirl moment! As usual, this event reminded me of just how vibrant and diverse of a food scene we have in this city and how far it has come. Amazing job EDify! I cannot wait to attend again next year!