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Last week, the fam and I were in B.C., having plotted out a last-minute holiday around a family event in Kelowna.
We flew in and out of Vancouver, meaning once we landed, we drove the gorgeous Coquihalla Highway to Kelowna. After a few days in B.C. wine country (during which we only visited one winery, Frind Estate), we hit the road back to Vancouver and spent a couple of days there before a quick ferry ride to Victoria for more sightseeing/family visits.
It was on the four-plus hour jaunt between Kelowna and Vancouver — which, for a prairie dweller, was a twisting white-knuckle thrill of a drive through the mountains, where the speed limit is often 120 kilometres per hour — that my love for the humble diner was rekindled.
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Diners aren’t exclusive to modest hamlets plotted along highways, of course, but for some reason, it’s the small-town diners that always seem to offer the most charm.
On our drive to Kelowna we stopped in Merritt and had lunch at Chloe’s Diner (it doesn’t appear to have a website, but you can check out the menu etc. on the Facebook page. Chloe’s offers standard diner fare (breakfasts, sandwiches, burgers etc.) as well as bulgogi rice bowls, a vegan “rainbow bowl” with tahini dressing (which got the thumbs up from one of our crew) and rotating specials that include pho, wonton soup and more.
Chloe’s chicken burger lived up to the hype on the menu. (Ben Sigurdson / Free Press)
I opted for the chicken burger, which was noted on the menu as being one of Chloe’s own recommendations.
The coating was light and thin, more tempura-like than your typical chicken burger, and the “patty” jutted well out of the brioche bun, topped with a speared pickle. The sando came adorned with a tasty spicy mayo, while the accompanying fries were served with a house-made spicy maple sauce that was out of left field but really good.
And my cola came in one of those classic textured restaurant plastic tumblers (you’ve likely seen them in that unmistakable red colour).
(Fun fact: Merritt was one of the primary filming locations for the 2022 blockbuster Jurassic World: Dominion, and Atom Egoyan’s The Sweet Hereafter.)
The service at Chloe’s was exceptionally cheerful, although the many, MANY signs plastered on the wall insisting customers not touch the blinds led us to believe there had been an incident in the past. (We did not, it goes without saying, touch the blinds.)
The day we stopped in Hope, the town was giving off a decidedly Twin Peaks vibe. (Ben Sigurdson / Free Press)
On the way back from Kelowna, we stopped in Hope, where I had read about an apparently charming eatery called Home Restaurant. But with a lineup out the door, we went off in search of a backup — and stumbled upon the delightful Rolly’s.
The place offered up a similar vibe to Chloe’s — hearty, down-home food and classic diner decor (in this case, a range of decorative plates on the walls) and even a display case for slices of pie. The coffee was classic diner java — somewhat nondescript but very strong (and refilled often) — and the pancakes were exceptional. The service was predictably attentive and charming; I’m fairly certain I was called “hon’” at one or both spots.
And another fun fact: like Merritt, Hope has made an appearance on the big screen — it was where the 1982 film First Blood was filmed, in which Sylvester Stallone made his first appearance as John Rambo. (There’s even a Rambo statue made of red cedar.)
The recent reopening of Winnipeg’s iconic Thunderbird Restaurant got me thinking about Manitoba’s can’t-miss diners — what are your favourites?
P.S. Thanks to everyone who wrote in with their local veggie burger recommendations! Eva will have plenty of spots to sample.
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