Dinner at the Forks Market Winnipeg
This article is Dinner at the Forks Market Winnipeg. It is a review of my dinner experience at the Forks Market.
My dinner review is part of my Winnipeg Spring Experience Trip.
Background
The Forks is Manitoba’s number one tourist destination, attracting more than 4 Million visitors annually. It is marked with 6,000 years of history.
The Forks is a 54-acre site that is open year-round for shopping and dining experiences.
Special events are held at the Forks throughout the year including a tasting menu on the river in the winter where you dine over the ice in a cool experience with a legendary chef.
Other events include music festivals, children’s events and a lot more.
Guests can take water tours or ride a water taxi service from the Forks as well.
The Forks is a great gathering place.
Near the water, you could sit by the beach or on the grass and take in the views.
Dining Experience
The buildings within the Forks offer a great food hall which offers something for everyone.
The building was the old trading areas and they have multiple levels.
The upper level offers places for pop-up shops and other vendors to offer their products.
In addition, many of the vendors are permanent and offer amazing options.
The dining experiences include organic bakery goods, ethnic cuisine, casual restaurants, fine dining and a food hall with craft beer and wine.
Tourism Winnipeg and Travel Manitoba provided a $25 gift card for my dinner in the food hall as part of my Winnipeg media trip. The views expressed in this review article are my own.
Restaurants
There are too many restaurants in the food building at the Forks to mention; however, due to the size of the group, we were able to share and sampled various dishes from multiple restaurants.
Some of the restaurants that we sampled included:
- Fergies Fish and Chips
- Simon’s Cuisine Empanadas and Company
- Red Ember Pizza
- Common Winnipeg Beer and Wine
Fergies Fish and Chips
Fergies Fish and Chips is known for the best fish and chips in Canada if not North America.
The restaurant offers three varieties of fish for the friend delicacy. You could select cod, pickerel (wallaye) or halibut for your dish.
The locals that I spoke to recommend the pickerel because it was local fish. I love walleye, so I couldn’t say know.
The fish and chips are wrapped up in newspaper like paper and handed to you, so you can carry it.
Three pieces of fresh fried dish were provided along with a large serving of fries.
The fish was cooked perfectly. It was crispy on the outside and flakey on the inside.
The fries were seasoned well, and they were golden brown and had an excellent taste.
The dish was served with lemon, tartar sauce and vinegar for the fries. The sauces were fresh, and the vinegar greatly enhanced the taste of the fries.
People were write when they said the fish was so good! Fergies is an awesome spot for fish and chips!
Simon’s Cuisine Empanadas and Company
Empanadas and Company offers a variety of types of empanadas and other specialty. The restaurant is part of Simon’s Cuisine.
You can choose from beef, spicy beef, chicken, chorizo and even blue cheese.
I tried the blue cheese one and the spicy beef.
The empanadas were friend well and they were golden brown on the outside.
The empanadas were stuffed with great filling including fresh ingredients.
The beef was tender, and it was flavored well with a hint of heat.
The blue cheese one was bold in flavor and it was served with vegetables inside. It was also excellent.
A chimichurri sauce was served on the side which was also excellent. Simon’s Cuisine offers good empanadas and more.
Red Ember Pizza
Red Ember Pizza is a classic Naples style pizza restaurant.
The restaurant features a stone oven that is wood fired.
The pizzas were made fresh in front of you.
I sampled a margarita pizza which had a great crust, mild tomato sauce and rich and creamy mozzarella and basil. The pizza was fresh and it had an excellent taste and flavor. The Red Ember has authentic wood fire pizzas!
Common Winnipeg
The Common Winnipeg Beer and Wine is the centerpiece of the food hall.
The bar offers 20 craft beers and 20 wines that are hand picked for the location including some local crafts as well.
The wines are selected by a sommelier each season which offers great options depending on the current climate.
I ordered a flight of beer and got to sample four options including the Hofbrau Original Helles Lager, Half Pints Brewing Company Beer, Farmery Estate Brewery Engless Summer Lagerm and the Barn Hammer Brewing Company’s Grandpa’s Sweater Stout.
The four beers were all excellent.
I started with the light ones and worked my way to the stout.
Each beer was bold in flavor and they were unique.
You can’t go wrong with picking beers at the Common Winnipeg here and the bartenders are really helpful with picking the best option for your tastes.
Overall
The Forks Food Hall is an incredible venue. There is something for everyone. All the food that I sampled was amazing. I would love to come back regularly to try the other restaurants as well as sample other items at the places that I visited. The Food Hall is a laid-back environment where you can hang out with friends, have some good beer and wine and amazing food.