I realize Saskatoon, Saskatchewan isn’t exactly a vacation destination, but you might visit one day. I have to go if I want to see my family who’ve moved there over the years and I’ve watched with pleasure as their dining scene has grown — including the addition of more plant-based options.
So if you, like me, find yourself in Toon Town (fun nickname, no?), be it for school, family visits, or because your car broke down while you were driving across Canada, here are some things to eat, drink, and do while you’re there.
The Mall on Avenue H
This is where you need to come for dessert and a little stroll around the community garden you’ll find kitty corner to this treat haven. Be sure to bring some friends or family with you so that you can stock up on donuts, ice cream, chocolate, and coffee without having to make excuses for ordering a little bit of everything.
Darkside Donuts
631 Avenue H South | 306.974.2252 | Visit website
Not all of the donuts at Darkside are vegan, but the ones that are are worth the trip! They cycle through seasonal flavours and also offer coffee and housemade slushies during the warmer months.
Want to know what donuts they have on offer today before you head over? Check out the donut cam on their website and sneak a peak at the pastry case full of gorgeous donuts.
Fable Ice Cream
633 Avenue H South | 306.717.9940 | Visit website
These guys are not strictly vegan, but they do regularly offer two-four vegan flavours of ice cream and sorbet (how good does blackberry gin sorbet sound?), as well as specialty coffees, pints to go, and merchandise.
Chocolate by Those Girls at the Market
812 16th Street West | 306.850.5671 | Visit website
This adorable sister duo started selling their chocolate at the farmer’s market when they were full-time students and now they run multiple businesses and have little ones! Their adorable little chocolate shop is just around the corner from Darkside Donuts and Fable Ice Cream, next to The Little Market Box, an online farmer’s market which also carries their chocolate.
All of their chocolate is vegan-friendly, made with organic and ethically sourced cocoa and sweetened with organic maple syrup. They offer a feature flavour as well as mint, classic, coffee, cranberry sea salt, and a zero sugar option (made with xylitol).
Güd Eats
2917 Early Drive | 306.249.3287 | Visit website
Güd Eats is not part of the Mall on Avenue H. It’s more of a hidden gem, but they are definitely worth a visit. Not only are they a completely plant-based restaurant, but they also have a little market at the front selling vegan Squish gummies, soy curls, vegan dog food, and lots of other treats to take home.
Their breakfast items are excellent, as well as their burgers and bowls (that’s the mac n’ cheez with shiitake bacon pictured above). The coffee milkshake left a little to be desired, possibly because I’ve been spoiled by the Veg Out food truck here in the Lower Mainland — if you haven’t made a pilgrimage to try their chick’n wings, burgers, and poutine, do it ASAP!
Riversdale
The Remai Modern isn’t exactly in the Riversdale neighbourhood, but it’s worth a visit if you’re in Saskatoon and you want to get a bit of culture in between eating donuts and burgers. Once you’re done, head up to 20th Street and soak up the gentrification!
Odd Couple
228 20th Street West | 306.668.8889 | Visit website
I’ve been coming to Odd Couple for years and their food just seems to be getting better! I’m embarrassed to say that I couldn’t find any photos from my many visits, but trust me, these guys deliver when it comes to food and specialty cocktails & mocktails. Note that they close between lunch and dinner service, so don’t show up between 2-4:30pm expecting grub.
If you couldn’t get enough of the beer served at Odd Couple (they have their own locally brewed beer), head over to 9 Mile Legacy Brewing for a flight or a pint. If shopping is more your thing, check out Hardpressed, where you’ll find boutique clothing and accessories with a prairie twist.
Honorable Mentions
I’m sure this blog post will be updated/added to as time goes on and new visits to Saskatoon reveal new, delicious vegan options. For now though, I just thought I’d mention a couple other neat spots.
Prairie Sun Brewery
650 Broadway Avenue | 306.343.7000 | Visit website
I did a mini brewery crawl with my sister-in-law while visiting Saskatoon this summer and while we didn’t hit all of the breweries on my list, we did visit two, as well as one distillery. We started at Prairie Sun and I regret not exploring the Broadway neighbourhood more — it seems pretty cool! Shout out to my 70+ year old dad for adding some vegan nachos to the table.
After this, we hit up High Key Brewing for a quick tasting flight and then finished off at Stumbletown Distilling, where they sold as a flight of tiny cocktails — which were delightful (but I don’t know if I was a credible reviewer by this point).
Red Swan Pizza
Various locations | Visit website
I was in Saskatoon for a while, so it was inevitable that I would order in at some point, and while Güd Eats does offer delivery, pizza is a great way to feed a crowd. I was somewhat surprised that a small chain (they are a Canadian company with locations all across western Canada) would offer vegan cheese, but I guess they know the future is vegan!
Try the Spicy Ginger and Cilantro pizza and substitute the mozzarella for vegan cheese and you’re good to go.
Great content! Keep up the good work!