Celebrating Contemporary & Native in Niagara

What’s the very first thing that involves thoughts while you hear the phrase “Niagara”? Possibly you’re picturing a towering waterfall, with speeding waters and a relentless cloud of mist. However we wish to allow you to in on just a little secret – the phrase Niagara is used to designate an enormous space that spans from Niagara-on-the-Lake on the western shores of Lake Ontario all the way down to Fort Erie, only a stone’s throw from Buffalo on the Lake Erie aspect, and reaching west to the outer edges of the Larger Hamilton Space.

Often known as the Niagara Area, this space is a dream vacationer vacation spot, with vineyards, farm stands, seashores, and fascinating eating places in each village and township. Whether or not you’re searching for a household vacation spot, a spa weekend with pals, or a romantic getaway, set your sights on Niagara this spring!

All through this publish, we’ll flag eating places which have achieved Feast On® certification. Feast On® is North America’s largest native meals certification, and it verifies {that a} enterprise sources their items and substances from Ontario farmers and makers which have moral and sustainable enterprise practices. To realize certification, eating places work with the Culinary Tourism Alliance staff to audit their receipts yearly and be certain that a minimal of 25% of their food and drinks expenditure goes in the direction of locally-sourced substances.

Prepared to begin exploring? Learn on or click on under to leap on to a selected vacation spot:

The Niagara Benchlands are situated within the Niagara Area on the shores of Lake Ontario, about an hour and a half drive from the Larger Toronto Space and roughly 45 minutes from town of Hamilton. This space is dwelling to almost 50 vineyards together with quaint cities like Beamsville, Vineland and Jordan Village, nestled in rural areas the place out of doors fans will discover actions like biking, climbing and {golfing} on quite a lot of programs and trails.

The most important metropolis within the Niagara Area is St. Catharines, which Condé Nast Traveler has dubbed the “surprisingly cool metropolis hiding in the course of Canadian Wine Nation.” Embracing its industrial roots, the burgeoning downtown affords a world class culinary and leisure scene that you just’d look forward to finding in far bigger centres, plus a novel mixture of arts, tradition, heritage, lakeside parks and seashores, and is dwelling to the 43.5 km lengthy Welland Canal becoming a member of Lake Ontario and Lake Erie.

Listed here are some stops to take a look at on this lovely space:

Beamsville

Bench Brewing Firm

The place: 3991 King St, Beamsville, ON L3J 1E7 (View map)

Positioned within the City of Lincoln, Bench Brewing Firm is an unbiased craft brewery that sits on 8 acres of farmland. Located within the coronary heart of the Niagara Benchlands rural however subtle wine area, this B Corp Licensed brewery is surrounded by a few of Ontario’s most interesting agricultural land.

The taproom and tasting room are the proper spot to calm down, uncover some new beers, and luxuriate in a meal in nice firm. In the summertime, head to the out of doors beer backyard for chilly refreshments and engaging bites from the total kitchen menu!

Hidden Bench Property Vineyard

The place: 4152 Locust Ln, Beamsville, ON L3J 2B6 (View map)

Hidden Bench Property Vineyard produces premium wines utilizing fruit completely grown of their natural property vineyards, utilizing sustainable, non-interventionist winemaking strategies which have a way of place and time. Property Sequence wines are blends of all three of the vineyards, the Terroir Sequence are limited-production single winery wines, and the Rachis & Derma line highlights the pure winemaking approach with very minimal sulphur additions.

Go to the retail area and tasting veranda to find Hidden Bench’s premium wines. The Tasting Expertise features a guided tasting of six wines and a deep dive into the viticultural practices and winemaking strategies, whereas the Root to Glass Expertise features a tour of both the Locust Lane or Felseck Winery, and a tour of the vineyard and barrel cellar. Control their upcoming occasions for extra methods to take pleasure in this lovely area!

Jordan

RPM Bakehouse

The place: 3839 Major St, Jordan, ON L0R 1S0 (View map)

At RPM Bakehouse, grains are an obsession. Flavourful Ontario wheats are featured in slow-fermented sourdough bread, crisp buttery pastries, and savoury delights. The bakery options baked items and low all day, with beans sourced from Canadian roasters who work with small producers.

The café serves an off-the-cuff menu of seasonal and ever-changing regional substances that actually symbolize this nook of Niagara, utilizing conventional strategies, impressed by regional substances which can be seasonally grown and sourced from RPM’s farm, and wines which can be from our property and different thrilling producers. Get pleasure from an off-the-cuff breakfast or lunch indoors or on the patio. RPM Bakehouse is Feast On® licensed!

Jordan Station

Inn On The Twenty Restaurant

The place: 3836 Major St, Jordan Station, ON L0R 1S0 (View map)

Positioned within the oldest part of a historic vineyard relationship again to 1871, the Inn On The Twenty Restaurant in Jordan Station boasts panoramic views of the Twenty Valley, excellent positive eating, and revolutionary dishes that complement regional wines. Get pleasure from a handcrafted menu favouring farm-to-table flavours from the Niagara area served alongside a collection of VQA wines and different rigorously chosen wine, cocktails and beer to go well with any palate. Going through due west, it’s additionally the proper setting for romantic sundown dinners.

For the final word enjoyable weekend away, ebook a day of pampering on the Inn on the Twenty Spa. Finish the night time in one among Inn’s fashionable visitor rooms, that includes crisp linens and the distinctive architectural particulars of a century-old constructing.

Honsberger Property Vineyard & Restaurant

The place: 4060 Jordan Rd, Jordan Station, ON L0R 1S0 (View map)

The Honsberger household are sixth era farmers they usually have been farming since 1811. In 2007, they eliminated cherry and apple timber from the property and planted Cabernet Franc and Riesling grapes, and in 2012, Honsberger Property started producing their very own wine. Their wine shouldn’t be obtainable by the LCBO – it is just obtainable for buy on the farm, making this vineyard a must-visit vacation spot for distinctive bottles that you may’t get wherever else!

From Could to October, Honsberger Property fires up their out of doors pizza oven to create skinny, wood-fired pizzas topped with the bounties of their backyard. From November to April, friends can dine within the Small Barn Restaurant, which affords Thursday pasta nights and Sunday brunch. Go to their web site for up to date menus and extra info.

Inn the Orchard

The place: 4299 Fairlane Rd, Jordan Station, ON L0R 1S0 (View map)

Whether or not you’re staying within the on-site lodging or having fun with the straightforward pleasures of selecting your personal cherries of their tender fruit orchards, Inn the Orchard is a peaceable retreat away from the hustle and bustle of on a regular basis life. After your orchard journey, relax and calm down with freshly brewed espresso or tea and a cookie on the patio. Take heed to the soothing sounds of rustling leaves as you hike the one-kilometer waterfront climbing path and go say howdy to the chickens earlier than heading again to one of many three on-site Airbnbs. Heavenly!

Moyer’s Farm & Apple Merchandise

The place: 4150 Jordan Rd, Jordan Station, ON L0R 1S0 (View map)

Moyer’s Farm has been within the household since 1799 – that’s 9 generations! Whereas their pick-your-own program continues to be a favorite summer time pastime, they’re well-known for his or her coveted caramel apples,which can be found in plenty of enjoyable seasonal flavours and make an amazing present in your favorite sweets lover. Go to their retail location in Jordan Station to fill up on goodies or order your favourites on-line!

Restaurant Pearl Morissette

The place: 3953 Jordan Rd, Jordan Station, ON L0R 1S0 (View map)

Photograph credit score: Jim Norton Images

Climb to the highest flooring of Pearl Morissette Vineyard and also you’ll discover Restaurant Pearl Morissette, an formidable positive eating expertise that options an ever-changing menu of regional substances. RPM serves an ever-changing prix fixe menu composed of the best high quality substances of the area. The staff works intently with purveyors dedicated to the ecology of meals: farmers, ranchers, foragers and fisherfolk from Ontario, the Nice Lakes and the West & East Coasts of Canada. With a French-inspired seasonal menu, perfectly-paired wines, and a deep dedication to the setting, it’s no shock that RPM earned one MICHELIN Star and a MICHELIN Inexperienced Star in 2024. Restaurant Pearl Morrissette is Feast On® licensed!

Higher Canada Cheese Firm

The place: 4159 Jordan Rd, Jordan Station, ON L0R 1S0 (View map)

Higher Canada Cheese Firm Founder Wayne Philbrick’s love of cheese goes manner again: after changing into enamored with cheese bought on a visit to Quebec, Wayne started to experiment at dwelling with milk from the native Guernsey herd situated on the Niagara Escarpment. After arduous trials, two positive cheeses – Niagara Gold Cheese and Consolation Cream – have been perfected, and the Higher Canada Cheese Firm was established in 2005!

At present, Higher Canada Cheese Firm proudly affords a big selection of award-winning cheeses made with recent Guernsey milk and healthful goat milk from native farms proper right here in Ontario. Wish to know extra? E-book a guided cheese tour to see each stage of the manufacturing course of from milk to cheese. In the course of the tour, you’ll get to go to the cheese vault and style quite a lot of signature cheeses.

St. Catharines

Fats Rabbit

The place: 34 Geneva St, St. Catharines, ON L2R 4M4 (View map)

Fats Rabbit is a complete animal butcher store and restaurant in St. Catharines, ON led by Chef Zach Smith. The staff works completely with small farms working towards regenerative and moral farming; completely satisfied animals that stay on pasture, not raised in cages. Zach and his staff at Fats Rabbit are dedicated to a zero-waste butchery program — each a part of the animal is put to make use of. That is emphasised by the ever-evolving menu, house-made charcuterie and retail program. Fats Rabbit is Feast On® licensed!

Henry of Pelham Property Vineyard

The place: 1469 Pelham Street, R.R. #1, 1469 Pelham Rd, St. Catharines, ON L2R 6P7 (View map)

Henry of Pelham’s 300-acre winery is situated within the Quick Hills Bench sub-appellation of the Niagara Peninsula. The undulating hills and valleys of the Quick Hills, which relaxation on an historical buried valley that after reduce by the Niagara of Escarpment and related the basins Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, present a wonderful setting for grape vines. Stroll-in wine excursions can be found seven days every week; Quick Hills Kitchen is open seasonally from Victoria Day weekend to Canadian Thanksgiving and serves pizzas, sandwiches, and charcuterie graze bins that pair completely with a glass of wine.

The Juniper Inn

The place: 38 Lakeport Rd, St. Catharines, ON L2N 6X3 (View map)

The Juniper Inn is a good dwelling base for anybody trying to discover the Niagara Area. This boutique lodge affords plastic-free merchandise and fridges in every of the six rooms, so you’ll be able to stash your native cheeses and produce safely throughout your keep. On the bottom flooring, PORTSIDE Social Bar & Kitchen is open seven days every week for lunch and dinner, so you’ll be able to seize a chew earlier than (or after) a day of enjoyable in Niagara.

13th Avenue Vineyard

The place: 1776 Fourth Ave, St. Catharines, ON L2R 6P9 (View map)

Based in 1998, thirteenth Avenue Vineyard started with a need to create distinctive wines that replicate the distinctive terroir of Niagara. At present, the vineyard has grown to incorporate a up to date tasting bar and seasonal bistro. Get pleasure from a guided tasting of thirteenth Avenue’s award-winning wines and wander the expansive grounds to find the sculptures and paintings that adorn the property earlier than heading over to the thirteenth Avenue Bakery for just a few of their well-known butter tarts and different fresh-baked items. Earlier than heading out, fill up on jams and jellies made with Niagara produce and store from a collection of culinary gadgets, giftware and artisanal cheeses!

Rise Above Restaurant

The place: 120 St Paul St, St. Catharines, ON L2R 3M2 (View map)

Rise Above is an all-vegan restaurant and bakery serving up crowd favourites like wings, tacky pull-apart bread, and mac & cheese – all made with vegan substances like seitan, cashews, sunflower seeds, and extra. A children’ menu is on the market for little ones beneath 10.

Quick Hills Provincial Park

The place: Pelham Rd, Thorold, ON L0S 1M0 (View map)

Wish to stretch your legs between culinary adventures? Quick Hills Provincial Park is a 735-hectare pure park with family-friendly climbing and biking trails. Specifically, the Paleozoic Path is designed to present folks with restricted mobility and newbie hikers a possibility to expertise the park. The trail has a tough gravel floor appropriate for wheelchairs and child strollers and affords a number of barrier-free benches with scenic views. Word: cooking fires or campfires aren’t allowed on this park. Convey a picnic and go away solely footprints!

The Lemon Tree Bistro

The place: 395 Ontario St A1, St. Catharines, ON L2N 4M8 (View map)

The Lemon Tree is a good spot to take pleasure in 100% plant-based dishes! The husband-and-wife staff behind this restaurant prioritizes locally-sourced substances to craft their Mediterranean-inspired menu. Don’t skip the house-made tzatziki dip!

St. Catharines Farmer’s Market

The place: 91 King St, St. Catharines, ON L2R 3H6 (View map)

For the reason that early 1860s, the St. Catharines Farmer’s Market has been a vibrant scene that provides recent meals and handmade gadgets from the native space. Guests take pleasure in connecting and studying from the native distributors who develop and produce the meats, fruits, veggies and baked items. It’s an exciting farm-to-table expertise you don’t wish to miss! Word: the Market is open year-round on Saturdays and on Thursdays from February to December.

Niagara’s Welland Canal

The place: 1932 Welland Canals Parkway, St. Catharines, ON L2P 0A2 (View map)

The Welland Canal is a ship canal that cuts by the Niagara Peninsula, permitting cargo ships ascend and descend the Niagara Escarpment and bypass Niagara Falls. In St. Catharines, the Museum and Welland Canals Centre is dwelling to extraordinary historic collections and reveals that function native St. Catharines views, artifacts and tales of the realm and its canals, thrilling museum occasions, instructional applications and excursions, room leases, a packed present store, the storied Lacrosse Corridor of Fame and Museum, and far more.

Vineland

AfterGlow Elite Spa

The place: 4134 Victoria Ave, Vineland, ON L0R 2C0 (View map)

Escaping to Niagara is all about leisure and pleasure, and AfterGlow Elite Spa is an ideal place to step away from the hustle and bustle and unwind for some time. Their spa packages put culinary choices on the forefront: the Signature Sparkle Bundle features a complimentary lunch at a collection of native Niagara eating places, and the Platinum Oasis Retreat for Two features a Grand Oak Culinary Market charcuterie board throughout your pedicure. In the event you’re simply popping in for a fast therapy, head all the way down to the Grand Oak Culinary Market for lunch afterwards! Word: Heading to St. Catharines? Attempt Sugar & Spice Elite Spa, situated at 210 Martindale Street.

Ball’s Falls Conservation Space

The place: 3292 Sixth Ave, Lincoln, ON L0R 1S0 (View map)

Set inside the breathtaking Twenty Valley, Ball’s Falls Conservation Space affords spectacular surroundings and pure magnificence! Your go to begins on the Ball’s Falls Centre for Conservation, an award profitable LEED Gold licensed facility with everlasting and momentary galleries. Guests will benefit from the interactive reveals and shows specializing in nature, conservation, and tradition within the context of the realm’s historical past, the Niagara Escarpment, and the watershed. Convey a picnic and luxuriate in a day trip on this lovely park! Barbecuing is allowed within the park, although It’s endorsed that friends chorus from utilizing charcoal and go for the usage of propane as there aren’t any receptacles to eliminate scorching coals on-site.

Vineland Property Vineyard & Restaurant

The place: 3620 Moyer Rd, Vineland, ON L0R 2C0 (View map)

As one among Niagara’s first vineyard eating places and a forerunner of Niagara’s flourishing wine and culinary scene, Vineland Estates Vineyard Restaurant affords delicacies that includes substances from native purveyors ready by an internationally skilled staff of cooks. Friends dine indoors within the renovated 1845 farmhouse or open air on the deck. Wherever you might be seated, you’ll take within the views of rolling vineyards, the forests of the Niagara Escarpment and Lake Ontario and Toronto within the distance. Vineland Estates is Feast On® licensed!

It’s simple to equate Niagara Parks with Niagara Falls, nevertheless it’s a lot greater than that – you might be stunned to study in regards to the dimension and scope of Niagara Parks, a self-financed company of the Authorities of Ontario that’s liable for 56 kilometers of parkland alongside your complete size of the Niagara River and employs over 1,700 folks throughout peak vacationer season.

This metropolis inside a metropolis is dwelling to the Horseshoe Falls, after all, however you’ll additionally discover heritage websites, golf programs, botanical gardens, gorgeous Falls-related sights, and naturally – meals! Certainly, Niagara Parks is dwelling to 9 Feast On® licensed restaurants and quick-service spots:

As a reminder, Feast On® verifies {that a} enterprise sources a minimal of 25% of their meals and beverage from Ontario farmers and makers which have moral and sustainable enterprise practices.

At present, we’re specializing in Desk Rock Home Restaurant, a ravishing property situated simply steps from the brink of the Canadian Horseshoe Falls. Let’s get began!

Desk Rock Home Restaurant: Gorgeous Views, Worldwide Flavours

It’s not only a tagline: Desk Rock Home Restaurant actually is the closest you’ll be able to dine to the Canadian Horseshoe Falls. Positioned simply steps from the Trans-Canada Path that runs alongside the river, Desk Rock Home Restaurant is the proper spot to take pleasure in locally-sourced substances: whether or not it’s a peach lemonade mimosa or Manitoulin Island rainbow trout, you’ll know you’re supporting native growers, producers, brewers and distillers.

Each night starting at nightfall, Niagara Falls is remodeled into an unbelievable multi-coloured water and lightweight masterpiece. The ground-to-ceiling home windows of the restaurant supply an unbeatable view of the brink of the falls, offering a eating expertise like no different. Reserve a desk after darkish to take pleasure in an unique view of the nightly illumination Niagara Falls.

The Thoughts Behind the Menu: Meet Chef Chris Totah

Chef Chris Totah hails from Port Louis, Mauritius, a small island east of Madagascar, within the Indian Ocean. Classically skilled in French delicacies, Chef Totah has additionally mastered the culinary artwork of Thai, Asian Fusion, Italian, and Mediterranean.

Chef Totah first realized to cook dinner alongside the coast of the Indian Ocean. His culinary journey started at 16, when he opened his personal bake store! Over twenty years within the culinary world, Chef Totah has travelled all over the world to expertise completely different cultures and flavours, changing into fluent in 4 languages alongside the best way. His spectacular profession consists of high-profile roles resembling Sous Chef on the Bahamas Nassau, Government Sous Chef on the Hyatt Firm and extra.

All through his profession, Chef Totah’s globally-inspired cooking fashion and particular ardour for showcasing seafood have made him a standout in his discipline. In 2024, he turned Niagara Parks’ latest chef when he took the helm at Desk Rock Home Restaurant.

Exploring the Desk Rock Home Restaurant Menu

Chef Totah brings pleasure and worldwide aptitude to Desk Rock Home Restaurant. Famend for his flavour mixtures, he boldly makes use of spices and seasonings to raise his culinary creations. Chef Totah is dedicated to culinary excellence and creating distinctive dishes with the best substances sourced within the Niagara Area.

Whereas the menu is at all times altering to include the season’s harvest, listed here are just a few standout dishes to look out for in your subsequent go to to Desk Rock Home Restaurant:

Ontario Burrata, a mouthwatering starter served with Niagara Baco Noir poached pear and grilled focaccia
Apricot-Glazed Rainbow Trout with greens and recent herb oil
Maple & Apricot Butternut Squash, a fully-vegan dish that highlights plenty of nice, recent produce
Grilled Ontario Pork Chop with decadent garlic butter mashed potatoes and corn and squash succotash
Grilled Tiger Prawns with clams and yellow curry sauce

Each dish on the menu is constructed across the freshest, locally-grown substances that spotlight the Niagara terroir. To function the freshest produce, Desk Rock Home Restaurant has begun sourcing sprouts from the Niagara Parks Faculty of Horticulture, situated within the Botanical Gardens. This dedication to recent flavours brings a real “farm-to-fork” expertise to each dish.

A Celebration of Ontario Wines and Craft Beverage Makers

The beverage checklist at Desk Rock Home Restaurant is chock-full of Ontario craft beer makers: you’ll discover beers from native favourites like Blackburn Beer Firm, Silversmith Brewing Co., Decew Falls Brewing Firm, Bench Brewing, and Niagara Oast Home Brewers. You’ll additionally discover brews from the Niagara Faculty Instructing Brewery on faucet: this instructing micro-brewery facility affords Canada’s first Brewmaster and Brewery Operations Administration program and offers the subsequent era of craft brewers with hands-on coaching and expertise.

The wine card reads like a who’s who of Ontario’s greatest winemakers, from Inniskillin Wines and Peller Estates to Hidden Bench Property Vineyard, thirteenth Avenue Vineyard, Pilliterri Estates Vineyard, and plenty of extra. Ask your server about tasting flights, which give friends the chance to pattern 4 wines from completely different regional wineries. For dessert, attempt an Icewine flight for the proper introduction to this renown Ontario basic.

The cocktail choices showcase the perfect Ontario spirits from Dillon’s Small Batch Distillers, Spirit of York, Maverick Distillery, and extra. Crowd favorites embody the Desk Rock Peach Cocktail, Niagara Aperol Spritz, Niagara Berry Palmer and Lavender Lemonade Soda. Desk Rock Home Restaurant additionally has a full collection of mocktails and non-alcoholic choices.

Informal Eating at Desk Rock Bistro + Wine Bar

Desk Rock Bistro + Wine Bar is Niagara’s latest upscale informal eating expertise boasting the closest open-air rooftop patio to the brink of the enduring Horseshoe Falls. Savour gourmand dishes crafted from the freshest native substances, expertly paired with an in depth collection of positive Niagara VQA wines, beers, cider and spirits in a classy setting you gained’t discover wherever else. Desk Rock Bistro + Wine Bar is situated on the higher stage of Desk Rock Centre. Reservations aren’t obtainable, walk-ins solely.

Choices for Diners on the Go

On the lookout for a fast takeout meal? Discover scrumptious and handy culinary delights simply steps from the brink of the Horseshoe Falls on the all-new Desk Rock Market, inside Desk Rock Centre. Take a break from exploring Niagara Parks to relaxation your ft and fill your stomach on this modern market space. Select from café and deli favourites, mouthwatering consolation meals, recent sushi and far more. Desk Rock Market affords one thing for everyone!