The Seven: A Foodie Journey Via Northeastern Ontario
It’s time for a highway journey and there’s no higher spot this fall for foodies that Northeastern Ontario (aka the Seven).
This journey begins in Timmins, Ontario and continues via Sudbury, then wraps up in North Bay however you possibly can simply try this within the reverse! Alongside the way in which, you’ll dive into native meals, tradition and flavour. Let’s dive in!
However first, what’s The Seven?
The Seven is Northeastern Ontario’s invite to journey. Named after the area’s 705 space code — a playful nod to Toronto’s “The Six” — it’s all about packing up the automotive and hitting the highway. Suppose fishing on glowing lakes, mountaineering trails via landscapes that impressed the well-known Group of Seven and naturally, an entire lot of nice meals.
Don’t wish to learn this complete itinerary proper now? No worries, skip forward by day:
Day 1: Eat Your Means Via Timmins
Pretentiousness is left on the door in Timmins the place a down-to-earth culinary scene boasts recent, lake-caught fish, ingenious flavours and a few rattling heat hospitality.
Seize a Chunk at Ciao Sandwich Co.
The place: 177 third Ave, Timmins, ON (View Map)
Downtown Timmins has its personal little slice of Italy at Ciao Sandwich Co. This native favorite is all about freshly-made eats. Suppose Italian sandwiches stacked on house-baked focaccia, hearty soups and tempting desserts like their do-it-yourself pistachio cannolis.
The mortadella sandwich is a must-try, layered with creamy dressing and recent cuts of meat on pillowy focaccia. The hen and pesto sandwich is simply pretty much as good, tender hen drizzled with house-made pesto that bursts with flavour. Pair your sandwich with considered one of their specialty drinks, like a refreshing iced latte or a creamy coconut matcha latte. Seize that lunch to go and let’s take it to our subsequent cease!
Time to subsequent cease: 4-minute drive, 16-minute stroll
Hike Your Means As much as Hollinger Lookout
The place: Timmins, ON (View Map)
Sandwich in hand, it’s time to go as much as Hollinger Lookout. Excessive above Timmins, Hollinger Lookout exhibits off town’s golden roots. As soon as the most important gold mine within the British Empire, the location is now an open-pit mine with sweeping views throughout city.
It’s a reminder of how mining formed Timmins (and enjoyable truth, the highway main up right here is none apart from Shania Twain Drive, named after town’s most well-known star.) That does impress us a lot. With picnic spots, strolling paths and people panoramic views, the lookout presents a pause in our foodie highway journey, buying and selling bites for giant sights.
Time to subsequent cease: 3-minute drive, 12-minute stroll
Cool Off with a Cone at Pine Dairy Bar
The place: 141 Pine St S, Timmins, ON (View Map)
You deserve a deal with! Pine Dairy Bar is a bit like stepping again in time. This old-school native favorite serves up pure nostalgia with it’s soda-bar like diner vibe. Nestle into their blue vinyl cubicles or seize a stool on the counter to take pleasure in a tender serve cone, sundae or perhaps a burger and fries.
We went traditional with a strawberry milkshake, a caramel sundae and naturally a double-flavour swirl rolled in sprinkles. It’s the type of candy cease that makes a highway journey via Timmins really feel additional particular!
Time to subsequent cease: 3-minute drive, 18-minute stroll
Dinner at Your Alternative Culinary Meals Truck
The place: 219 Wilson Ave, Timmins, ON (View Map)
Time for a enjoyable meals truck dinner! With a line up of hit-the-spot eats, Your Alternative Culinary is a must-stop strategy to finish your day. Suppose smash burgers and poutine, garlic parmesan fries and brisket for starters. That’s not all! In addition they have some sudden twist on food-truck staples like their Peri Peri Fries and Paneeer Burgers. Finest loved outdoors on a heat fall day, you don’t wish to miss it.
Keep the Evening
There’s no scarcity of spots to remain in Timmins, so e-book your self in for the evening at considered one of these lodging! From tenting and mattress and breakfasts to chain resorts, there’s one thing for everybody.
Day 2: Scrumptious Eats from Timmins to Sudbury
Day 2 of this highway journey has you up and at ’em, consuming your manner from Timmins and ending in pleasant Sudbury.
Breakfast at Restaurant Nadeau
The place: 293 Wilson Ave, Timmins, ON (View Map)
The morning kicks off at Restaurant Nadeau, a real Timmins establishment the place hearty plates are served with heat, small-town hospitality. That is the type of spot the place the espresso is at all times on and the grins are simply as welcoming because the meals.
We dug into The Jobber — a traditional plate of bacon, sausage and eggs — plus the chef’s particular omelette loaded with bacon, inexperienced pepper, onions and cheese. And naturally, we couldn’t move up their well-known crepes, topped with recent strawberries and blueberries with whipped cream. It’s a no-fuss, all-flavour breakfast positive to maintain you full for a day on the highway!
Time to subsequent cease: 11-minute drive
Hersey Lake Conservation Space
The place: 1H0, Boychuk Dr, South Porcupine, ON (View Map)
Now that you simply’re fuelled up, it’s time to stretch these legs! Simply outdoors of Timmins, a fast nature reset awaits at Hersey Lake Conservation Space. Solely about 5 km north on Freeway 655, this peaceable spot is ideal for a brief path, a lakeside dip or a picnic amongst Jack Pine forests.
We wandered alongside a ~2.7-mile loop via lush greenery, previous small lakes and boardwalks, stopping at lookouts like Jack Pine Lake and Grouse Level. There’s a sandy seaside to chill off, picnic benches to linger and loads of indicators so that you don’t get misplaced. Whether or not it’s summer time hen songs or winter silence below snow, it’ll remind you of why nature breaks had been made and that’s what The Seven is all about.
Time to subsequent cease: 8-minute drive
Lunch at Radical Gardens
The place: 163 fifth Ave, Timmins, ON (View Map)
Lunch takes us to Radical Gardens, a Feast On® licensed gem in Timmins the place each dish is scratch-made, regionally sourced and bursting with creativity. It’s additionally residence to Feast On® champion and chef, Brianna Humphrey, who has constructed a menu that the neighborhood actually rallies round.
We dove into their common beef burrito bowl (so beloved that Chef Brianna joked if it ever left the menu, individuals would riot). After tasting it, we’d fortunately be a part of the group! Loaded with native tomatoes, radishes and recent herbs, it’s hearty, vibrant and completely crave-worthy.
Subsequent got here a chef’s particular: pulled pork bao buns. The pork is slow-roasted, glazed with house-made BBQ and completed with a drizzle of yuzu lemon sauce. Delicate, squishy, tangy and comforting, it’s an distinctive chew that proves why Radical Gardens is so nicely cherished.
After which there’s dessert. Stroll via the door and also you’re greeted by a glowing show case that appears extra like jewellery than pastry. The magic right here lies in distinctive flavour twists, like a Fireplace & Ice cheesecake infused with fireweed jelly (crafted from native blossoms at Gray Wolf Gardens) and Tamarac gin from a close-by distillery. We additionally couldn’t resist their peanut butter chocolate cheesecake which was wealthy, decadent and gone far too shortly.
After filling up on lunch it’s time to make the trek to Sudbury. Don’t be afraid to tug off the freeway (safely) to absorb the websites and smells of this scenic drive!
Time to subsequent cease: 3.5 hours
Dinner at The Laughing Buddha
The place: 194 Elgin St, Larger Sudbury, ON (View Map)
We’re sure after on a regular basis within the automotive, you should have labored up an urge for food! Excellent news, dinner is at The Laughing Buddha. This family-owned operation is understood for his or her crave-able pizza, choice of distinctive beers and sure, a killer patio. If the climate is heat sufficient, we extremely recommend pulling up a seat open air but when not, the within is nice too!
Let’s discuss pizza. There are so many to select from like The Buddha with pepperoni, bacon, ham, crimson onion, inexperienced peppers, sizzling peppers, roasted crimson peppers, artichokes and solar dried tomato or the Hala Kahiki Aki full with garlic oil, mozza, caramelized onions, pineapple, prosciutto, recent arugula and roasted cashes drizzled with balsamic discount. In case your abdomen is howling simply studying that, belief your intestine.
High it off with a lychee martini or considered one of their beers discovered on faucet for the last word celebration in your mouth!
Keep the Evening
There’s no scarcity of spots to remain in Sudbury, so e-book your self in for the evening at considered one of these lodging! From provincial parks and charming cabins to chain resorts, there’s one thing for everybody.
Day 3: A Full Day of Savouring Sudbury
Get able to hit the perfect spots this hidden culinary gem has to supply. First cease, breakfast.
Breakfast with a Candy Ending at Benni’s Rise and Shine + Anna-Laura Patisserie et Petit Cafe
The place: 125 Loachs Rd, Larger Sudbury, ON (View Map)
Good morning, Sudbury! There’s no higher strategy to begin your day than at Beni’s Sudbury, the place they serve up chef-crafted breakfast and brunch favourites that actually shine. From signature eggs Beni to fluffy pancakes made with love, each chew seems like the right morning deal with. That traditional diner breaky, it’s an positive hearth strategy to gas up for the day.
And whereas now we have your consideration, why not head proper subsequent door into Anna-Laura Patisserie et Petit Café to take pleasure in an assortment of pastries and delights? The sweetest strategy to make your morning unforgettable, this spot presents up a style of France with artisan croissants, rotating donut flavours (pumpkin cheesecake donuts, anybody?) and rave-worthy lattes.
Time to subsequent cease: 8-minute drive
Go for a Stroll at Ramsey Lake Board Stroll
The place: Larger Sudbury, ON (View Map)
In spite of everything these treats, it’s time to stretch your legs alongside the Ramsey Lake Boardwalk. This one-kilometre path hugs the shoreline of Ramsey Lake, the world’s second largest lake contained inside a metropolis. This straightforward going lake-side jaunt is the right post-breakfast pick-me-up.
Enjoyable Reality: Sudbury is commonly known as the “Metropolis of Lakes,” with greater than 300 within the space. It’s no surprise native cooks are so impressed by recent, lake-to-table flavours — from pickerel on a dinner plate to blueberries that thrive within the area’s rocky soil. A stroll right here is the right strategy to stroll off a meal whereas soaking in Sudbury’s pure magnificence.
Time to subsequent cease: 16-minute drive
Lunch at Kouzzina
The place: 1463 Lasalle Blvd, Larger Sudbury, ON (View Map)
Head to Kouzzina and also you’ll really feel such as you’re on the Aegean coast! This cease serves up Mediterranean flavours on a laid-back patio and once we went, each chew had us lingering somewhat longer.
We began with the fried calamari, crunchy and layered over a wealthy, creamy sauce. The spinach and cheese dip introduced pure consolation, completed with a squeeze of lemon and served with heat pita for dipping. Then got here the star: a pear and gorgonzola pizza with rosemary olive oil, mozzarella, pancetta, walnuts, arugula and a contact of sizzling pepper jelly. Candy, savoury, crispy, and tacky.
To spherical it out, we sipped on a creamy espresso martini for somewhat enhance to gas the remainder of our Sudbury journey.
Time to subsequent cease: 11-minute drive
Pre-Dinner Treats at Flurple’s and Beards Espresso Bar + Bakery
The place: 587-593 Kathleen St, Larger Sudbury, ON (View Map)
It is a meals weblog so yeah, we’ll cease for a day deal with as a result of why not?
Within the Donovan, two neighbours have teamed as much as make life an entire lot sweeter. Flurple’s dishes out vegan tender serve till the tip of September, whereas Beards Espresso Bar and Bakery retains the great occasions rolling year-round with cozy vibes, nice espresso and vegan baked items.
At Flurple’s, the colorful exterior may have you completely hypnotized however keep centered, as a result of the ice cream is the true showstopper. Our choose? The chocolate chunk fudge sundae, topped with a cookie straight from Beards subsequent door. Discuss preserving it within the household. For vegans and the dairy-sensitive crowd, this spot is principally paradise. For everybody else? Get able to be jealous.
Over at Beards, selecting only one deal with was inconceivable, so we took a field to go. The peach, mango and apricot pop tart stole our hearts with its vivid pink icing, crisp chew and melt-in-your-mouth filling. Then there was the well-known Snickerdoodle Sammie, advisable by a fellow buyer in line and belief us, locals know finest.
Time to subsequent cease: 17-minute drive
Verdicchio Ristorante Enoteca
The place: 1351-D Kelly Lake Highway, Larger Sudbury, ON (View Map)
Warp up your time in Sudbury with a real culinary gem: Verdicchio Ristorante Enoteca, a Feast On® licensed restaurant the place Italian custom meets Northern Ontario’s terroir. Since 1994, the Gregorini household has been crafting a eating expertise that feels each rooted in heritage and deeply linked to the land round them.
Dinner right here is all about cicchetti Pronounced ‘chee-keh-tea’ — small plates meant for sharing. The arancini arrived golden and crisp, giving strategy to creamy rice and melted cheese on the centre, with the truffle crema including a contact of indulgence that felt nearly celebratory. The gnocchi, pillowy and tender, had been coated in a tomato sauce so vivid and balanced it tasted like summer time captured on a plate. And the carpaccio, delicate and skinny, carried layers of texture — nutty crunch, peppery greens and the mild richness of olive oil and truffle.
Honestly, the toughest half is deciding!
After dinner, keep one other evening in Sudbury or get a head begin and head about 1 hour and 4 minutes south to North Bay!
If You’re Staying the Evening in North Bay
As soon as once more, you’ve bought choices! Take a look at a fantastic choice of spots to remain in North Bay.
Day 4: Funky Eats and Cool Treats in North Bay
Get up good and refreshed in North Bay to kick begin Day 4!
Breakfast at Syl’s Neighbourhood Kitchen
The place: 850 McKeown Ave bldg c, North Bay, ON (View Map)
Kick off the morning in North Bay at Syl’s Neighbourhood Kitchen, a comfy native favorite run by husband-and-wife group Sylvain and Becky Rivet. Since opening in 2017, they’ve constructed an area that blends fashionable consolation with heat hospitality, the type of place the place you are feeling like a part of the neighbourhood as quickly as you sit down.
For us, breakfast was the star of the present. The Montreal Smoked Meat Eggs Benedict got here stacked with tender smoked meat, completely steamed eggs, a toasted English muffin and silky hollandaise, all alongside golden residence fries. We additionally went traditional with eggs and fluffy pancakes, a real morning feast.
Submit-Breakfast Hike at Duchesnay Falls
The place: Yellek, ON (View Map)
No journey to The Seven is full with no hike, and Duchesnay Falls is an area favorite for good motive. Simply minutes from North Bay, the path winds via forest alongside Duchesnay Creek, resulting in cascades that break up into two branches, one tumbling practically 10 metres. Every season brings its personal magnificence, from spring’s dashing water to autumn’s fiery colors.
Pack sensible: Convey sturdy sneakers, water, bug spray and your digicam. Keep on the marked paths, watch your footing on moist rocks and take your time. The views are price each step.
Lunch at Crossroads Comfort
The place: 348 Algonquin Ave, North Bay, ON (View Map)
Able to refuel? We’ve bought a spot: Crossroads Comfort! Recognized for his or her epic sandwiches just like the kimchi turkey soften and roasted carrot and halloumi sando, it’s a can’t-miss cease for epic eats and your java repair (we fell head over heels for the iced caramel latte).
Set contained in the historic Demarcos Confectionery constructing, Crossroads blends North Bay’s historical past with humble hospitality and regionally sourced eats. The retro-paneled partitions and comfy cubicles make it really feel like a real neighborhood hub, constructed on consolation and connection.
Dinner at Churchill’s Prime Rib Home
The place: 631 Lakeshore Dr, North Bay, ON (View Map)
Time to wind down for the day in North Bay at Churchill’s Prime Rib Home, considered one of Canada’s High 50 eating places. Situated on Lakeshore Drive, simply steps from Sundown Park, Churchill’s is the center of effective eating within the metropolis, mixing old-world attraction with a menu that feels each traditional and adventurous.
From grilled Ontario rack of lamb with barley risotto and braised lamb shoulder to Korean steam buns full of hoisin duck, pork stomach or shiitake mushrooms, each dish is crafted to shock and delight. Even the BarCultura Caesar, layered with crispy Brussels sprouts, grilled broccoli, Manchego dressing and hickory sticks arrives in a glass dome full of smoke, turning a easy salad right into a sensory expertise.
The wine checklist makes it straightforward to discover Canadian bottles, together with loads of Ontario picks, and for dessert we couldn’t resist the pavlova for a mild and candy end to a particular night.
Day 5: Preserve Noshing in North Bay
It’s your ultimate day in The Seven and naturally, extra epic eats are on the desk. Pun meant.
Breakfast at Hoagie’s Diner
The place: 1128 O’Brien St, North Bay, ON (View Map)
Your ultimate breakfast cease of the journey may have you stepping again in time. Hoagie’s Diner is a 50s model gem serving up do-it-yourself consolation and good ol’ original service. Proudly run by proprietor Kate Kuntz, Hoagie’s has lengthy been a North Bay favorite, sitting proper on the nook of O’Brien Road and the Hwy 11 bypass.
After 4 days of continuous Northern Ontario journey, this was precisely what we wanted — bottomless espresso, fluffy waffles and eggs and naturally a traditional milkshake!
Tradition (and Deal with) Repair on the North Bay Museum + Ever Cool Ice Cream
The place: 100 Ferguson St, North Bay, ON (View Map)
For an ideal combo, begin on the North Bay Museum…and finish with ice cream. This museum is housed in a historic Canadian Pacific Railway Station. Inside, the reveals deliver town’s historical past to life, making it a cool and interesting strategy to step out of the warmth and into the previous.
Proper subsequent door, Ever Cool Ice Cream will probably be calling your identify. We went all in on the S’mores Galore sundae and a traditional scoop of chocolate ice cream, loved on the picnic tables outdoors earlier than wandering across the space.
From there, we peeked on the North Bay waterfront, the place lakeside views meet traditional enjoyable. Together with strolling the shoreline, you possibly can hop on the charming Heritage Carousel so as to add somewhat nostalgic enjoyable to your morning.
Lunch at The Block Public Home
The place: 122 Principal St W, North Bay, ON (View Map)
Proper in downtown North Bay, The Block Public Home is the place you’ll seize lunch. Set inside a historic 1911 constructing that after housed the city’s first ironmongery store, this restaurant blends old-school attraction with a contemporary love for meals, beer and cocktails.
We dug right into a hearty bison burger with poutine together with their well-known duck wings. To scrub all of it down, we grabbed a pint of their brewed-on-site Blind Alley Lager, a easy Ontario craft beer that pairs splendidly with a laid-back lunch.
The spotlight, although, was watching their group whip up a smoked tequila bitter proper earlier than our eyes. Made with tequila, recent lemon juice, easy syrup and aquafaba, then completed within the smoker, the end result was daring, silky and dangerously easy.
Dinner at Northern Himalayan Cafe
The place: 113 Principal St E, North Bay, ON (View Map)
It’s time to pop into Northern Himalayan Café for a style of Nepal. Every part right here is produced from scratch every day, so you recognize you’re getting dishes which are recent, clear and full of care.
Lakshmi, who welcomed us in, shared the tales behind a few of their specialties. We tried their handmade momos, tender dumplings full of savoury goodness, together with a hearty pork chow mein, made Nepali-style with pork stomach and noodles tossed excellent. One other standout was the safale, a Tibetan-style meat pie filled with floor hen and herbs inside a golden, doughy pastry.
Past the flavour, what makes Northern Himalayan Café so particular is its philosophy: meals isn’t nearly consuming, it’s about power. As Lakshmi defined, when meals is ready with care and handed from one individual to a different, it has the ability to heal and nourish. And after tasting every dish, we couldn’t agree extra!
That’s a Wrap on The Seven!
That’s a wrap on a five-day highway journey via The Seven. Extra scrumptious adventures are coming your manner very quickly!
