Outdoor oases Patio season officially underway By: Eva Wasney Posted: 5:46 PM CDT Tuesday, Jun. 18, 2024

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 18/06/2024 (820 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Friday is the longest day of the year. During the summer solstice, the sun rises at 5:19 a.m. and sets at 9:40 p.m., giving us precisely 16 hours and 21 minutes of daylight to work with.

In Winnipeg, this phenomenon coincides with another blessed annual event: patio season. A time when restaurants, bars and cafés across the city are unfurling umbrellas and turning any sliver of space — be it sidewalk or streetfront — into an outdoor oasis.

To help make the most of this fleeting season of sunshine and outdoor dining, we’ve put together a local patio-hopping guide to keep you eating and drinking al fresco from sun up to sun down.

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Breakfast: Bonnie Day, 898 Westminster Ave.

Nestled in Wolseley, the ivy-framed Bonnie Day patio is probably best known for dinner and drinks under strings of twinkle lights. The restaurant also moonlights as a café (with outdoor seating) seven days a week, with a small but mighty breakfast and lunch menu.

On the food side, there’s a breakfast sandwich, scones, granola and yogurt, avocado toast and steak tartine. On the drinks side you’ll find an array of specialty coffees and teas, as well as some classic and not-so-classic brunch cocktails, including a shareable mimosa carafe and an espresso and tonic number served with an orange zest.

The Bonnie Day café is open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday to Friday and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekends.

Other stops: Prairie’s Edge (2015 Main St.); Juneberry (531 St. Mary’s Rd.); The Nook Diner (41 Sherbrook St.)

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Lunch: Pasquale’s Italian Ristorante, 109 Marion St.

Inside, Pasquale’s is a picture of Italian homestyle comfort with framed prints of Roman monuments, vintage oil and vinegar bottles and an oversized fork and spoon set dotting the walls.

Outside, the European charm continues with some modern upgrades, including chic bistro sets, lush planters and string lights. The patio overlooking Marion Street is well-shaded thanks to a large pergola and a sprawl of shade sails. The weekday lunch menu is only slightly smaller than the substantial dinner menu, with antipasto, soups, salads, paninos, wraps, pasta and personal 10-inch pizzas on offer. Same-day patio reservations available online.

Pasquale’s is open for lunch beginning at 11 a.m. from Tuesday to Friday.

Other stops: Cibo (339 Waterfront Dr.); Mae Sunee Thai Cuisine (1390 Erin St.); Daanook (58 Albert St.)

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Dinner: La Roca, 155 Smith St.

It’s hard to beat the appeal of a rooftop patio — something about even a minor amount of added elevation feels very novel in this exceptionally flat Prairie city.

La Roca has a large, two-tiered patio with 165 ground-level and second-storey seats. The downtown Mexican restaurant also has some attractive happy hour specials: trios of tacos (of which there are 11 varieties) are $14 from 4 to 6 p.m. on weeknights, margaritas are half-off on Wednesdays, as are bottles of wine and “macho nachos” on Thursdays. The restaurant and lounge doubles as a music venue with live acts every Friday and Saturday.

La Roca is open Tuesday through Saturday from 4 p.m. to late. Reservations available.

Other stops: Rae and Jerry’s Steak House (1405 Portage Ave.); the Oxbow Natural Wine Bar & Restaurant (557 Osborne St.); Pizzeria Gusto (404 Academy Rd.)

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Dessert: La Crêperie du Pont Provencher, 50 Esplanade Riel

Sweets in the middle of one of Winnipeg’s most iconic bridges? Yes, please.

La Crêperie Ker Breizh’s kiosk on the east end of the Provencher Bridge features a small seating area with views of the Red River, Canadian Museum for Human Rights and Old St. Boniface. The seasonal crêperie is situated in a replica 19th-century tram car with a menu of savoury galettes and sweet crêpes filled with everything from homemade jam and bananas to chocolate sauce and ice cream.

Ker Breizh’s West Broadway hub, located at 267 Sherbrook St., also has an outdoor seating area. The kiosk is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays and from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends.

Other stops: Sargent Sundae (2053 Portage Ave.); Nucci’s Gelati (643 Corydon Ave.); Sub Zero Ice Cream (298 Jamison Ave.)

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Drinks: Langside Grocery, 164 Langside St.

The backyard patio at Langside Grocery is a small verdant gem surrounded by high brick walls and a lighted tree canopy. The courtyard is cute, cosy and often visited by neighbourhood cats — an added bonus, in my opinion.

The drinks menu is large and ever-changing with crafted seasonal cocktails (including low- and no-alcohol options), wines and beers. The lounge also has a tight food menu with small shareable bites, such as olives, a shrimp cocktail, beef tartare and a rotating cheese board.

Open from 5 to late, seven days a week. Reservations available.

Other stops: Darling Bar (171 McDermot Ave.); The Roost (651 Corydon Ave.); Pony Corral Pier 7 (1700 Pembina Hwy.)

eva.wasney@winnipegfreepress.com

X: @evawasney