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What’s New, Canada? New restaurants, hotels, spas, arts & culture, activities & travel experiences to discover across the country – November 2020

By Nicola Brown |
ARTS + CULTURE Canada DESTINATIONS FOOD HOTELS SPA + WELLNESS TRAVEL NEWS
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From coast to coast we explore what’s new in Canada’s major cities from Vancouver and Calgary to Toronto and Montréal. Discover the country’s best new restaurants, new hotels and spas, new activities and new travel experiences.

Note: Some spots featured in this article may be temporarily closed or offering a modified experience due to COVID-19. Check the website links included here for more details.

Vancouver

Ophelia restaurant - new restaurants in Canada

Ophelia restaurant. Photo by Russ Jahns

Ophelia restaurant

Modern Mexican fare has arrived in Olympic Village in the former WildTale space, accompanied by wood carvings, masks and strikingly colourful murals by Mexican artist Saicker. Named after chef Francisco Higareda’s mother, Ophelia is serving up eats like tacos, tostadas and ceviche with tequila, mezcal and hand-crafted cocktails.

Five Sails restaurant

Five Sails restaurant. Photo courtesy Five Sails

Five Sails restaurant

This Vancouver fine dining landmark reopened in June with a fresh interior face and the same breathtaking views of the waterfront. The Four-Diamond west coast cuisine is perfect for a celebratory evening, something we all deserve at the moment! Make sure to take a wine recommendation from sommelier Ramon Fresneda who’s been with the restaurant for 20 years.

Vancouver Mural Festival's Where You Will Find Me by Caitlin McDonagh

Where You Will Find Me by Caitlin McDonagh. Photo by Gabriel Martins

New murals

Many of Vancouver’s boarded up storefronts and empty streetscapes were transformed by colourful murals of hope when the pandemic hit. Several by local and Indigenous artists in anticipation of Vancouver’s 5th annual Mural Festival, a growing celebration of the city’s colourful year-round art exhibits. Visit vanmuralfest.ca/app to download the app and plan your most Instagram-worthy route. Pictured: Where You Will Find Me by Caitlin McDonagh captures “looking or reaching for something amidst chaos and time, finding familiarity with each other”.

Calgary

NUPO and EIGHT - new restaurants in Canada

NUPO and EIGHT restaurants. Photo courtesy NUPO

NUPO and EIGHT restaurants

Renowned Canadian celebrity chef Darren MacLean (of Netflix’s The Final Table fame) is at the helm of two new restaurants inside the new Alt Hotel Calgary. NUPO is a Japanese-inspired fish and plant-based restaurant with a not-to-miss omakase experience. EIGHT is an intimate eight-person interactive chef’s bar with a series of tasting menus that showcase true Canadian cuisine, as well as some high-profile Michelin Star chef collaborations. At both you can expect to find the same zest, creativity and vibrance that have made MacLean’s beloved Shokunin restaurant such a success.

Eau Claire Distillery speakeasy experience

Eau Claire Distillery speakeasy experience. Photo by Colin Way

Eau Claire Distillery’s Speakeasy Experience

Travel back to the days of prohibition in Turner Valley and Southern Alberta with a visit to a secret bar to hear tales of the illicit booze trade, clandestine operations and audacious drinkers. Enjoy prohibition-themed cocktails and bites and sample Eau Claire’s award-winning spirits and whisky while reliving the furtive speakeasy days.

Collab Store

Collab Store. Photo courtesy Collab

Collab store

Collab is a new collective just opened in July at Southcentre Mall that is now home to 40+ local and Canadian vendors. Wife and husband partners Jaclyn and Cameron Daw opened Collab in response to the ongoing pandemic and its effect on local artisans and makers. Here they have a collective space to thrive and Canadians have a new favourite place to shop local from jewellery to fashion to home decor.

Toronto

DOVA restaurant - new restaurants in Canada

DOVA restaurant. Photo by Nicola Brown

DOVA restaurant

DOVA is destined to become a local favourite as one of Toronto’s best new restaurants. A calming aesthetic of pastels with some minimal mid-century nods lets an exceptionally well-thought-out Sicilian-Mediterranean menu shine. Artistic dishes focus on tradition and quality of individual ingredients. Think bright and peppery EVOO, perfectly al dente pasta (try Ricotta & Pepe), light and creamy Burrata with wine-preserved peaches, and satisfying seafood both fresh (Polpo) and smoked (Sardina). Superbly crafted cocktails like the convention-defying Dova Caesar vy for the spotlight, made with pomodoro water and housemade worcester sauce balanced in a clam shell on top. Plus, there’s a charming and cozy patio space out back that’s perfect for fresh-air social distancing.

Iridium Spa. Photo courtesy St. Regis Toronto

Iridium Spa at The St. Regis Toronto

On the 31st floor of the new St. Regis Hotel in Toronto, the Iridium Spa has been completely redesigned and reopened with a new lounge area featuring floor to ceiling windows overlooking the city. An indulgent spa menu is designed to embrace mind, body and soul. Draw out the luxurious pampering with a dip in the infinity salt water pool one floor above.

Terra Lumina

Terra Lumina. Photo courtesy Moment Factory

Terra Lumina at the Toronto Zoo

Head to the zoo after nightfall for an immersive 1.5km walking experience called Terra Lumina by creative studio Moment Factory that takes you into the future, 2099 to be exact, “a time when humans and nature have learned to live in harmony”. Lighting, multimedia projections and an original score guide you through an enchanted world of possibility.

Montréal

Gabrielle restaurant - new restaurants in Canada

Gabrielle restaurant. Photo courtesy Gabrielle

Gabrielle restaurant

French bistro, cocktail and wine bar Gabrielle just opened in Old Montréal serving breakfast, lunch and dinner no matter what time of day you find yourself there. In the morning, grab a coffee from Quebec roaster Julius and pastries from much-loved Montréal bakery Hof Kelsten. At lunch, enjoy fresh, seasonal dishes like beetroot and halloumi salad. For dinner, the tortellini with braised lamb is a must. The all-day food destination isn’t just convenient. It also happens to be perfect for limiting your exposure and ideally situated for exploring the old town.

212 restaurant - new restaurants in Canada

212 restaurant. Photo courtesy 212

212 restaurant

Noma-trained chef Patrick Marion helms the new Italian-leaning 212 restaurant that promises to become a bucket-list destination. Cocktails with names like Godfather Part Deux perfectly suit the heavy-hitting culinary and creative talent behind this sumptuous fine dining spot. With lighting, art and design by creatives that have worked for Drake, Beyoncé and Madonna, both the food and the space at 212 is made to impress.

Tamarins at the Montréal Biodôme

Tamarins at the Montréal Biodôme © Espace pour la vie (Claude Lafond)

Montréal Biodôme

The radically redesigned Biodôme opened in August with a totally reimagined visitor experience and some truly impressive architecture. New walkways and vantage points allow you to get closer to the animals, like watching birds from treetop level or entering a beaver lodge. With completely immersive ecosystems, you can get the experience of travelling to the arctic or exploring a rainforest even if we can’t travel far from home right now.

Did we miss something off our list? If you’ve got new restaurants, hotels, spas, arts and culture, activities and travel experiences you think we should cover, send us a note! Email Digital Editor Nicola Brown at nicola.lauren.brown@gmail.com.


Thinking of booking a trip to a Canadian destination next year? Find out how to plan the ultimate staycation in cities across Canada:

Calgary Staycation [VIDEO]: Escape to Kananaskis Mountain Lodge near Banff + go horseback riding and kayak glacier lakes

Toronto Staycation [VIDEO]: Look inside the 5-star Shangri-La Hotel + take a scenic flight over Toronto

Montreal Staycation [VIDEO]: Travel the world without leaving home at Le Germain Hotel + pamper yourself at Bota Bota spa on the water

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Nicola Brown

Digital editor at Travel Life
Nicola is an international award-winning writer, editor and communication consultant based in Toronto. She has travelled to 32 countries so far and is always poised to head out the door again. Nicola loves both the visceral and intellectual dimensions of travel, and will passionately argue for its psychological paybacks, especially after a few glasses of wine. In addition to being the digital editor at Travel Life, she has written for the Toronto Star, WestJet magazine, Air Canada's enRoute magazine, Time Out magazine and many more. She lives for opportunities to illuminate the life-changing power of travel for as many people as possible.
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Latest posts by Nicola Brown (see all)

  • Coming Home to the Dordogne in Southern France - April 12, 2021
  • Italy’s Parmigiano Reggiano is More Than a Pasta-Topper - January 5, 2021
  • What’s New, Canada? New restaurants, hotels, spas, arts & culture, activities & travel experiences to discover across the country – November 2020 - November 10, 2020
  • Montreal Staycation [VIDEO]: Travel the world without leaving home at Le Germain Hotel + pamper yourself at Bota Bota spa on the water - September 24, 2020
  • Essential Morocco: A Trip for First-Timers - June 2, 2020

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