Dining: Northern Specialties

Whitefish fresh from Great Slave Lake is a specialty in Hay River and Yellowknife. Other fish entrees include Arctic char, pickerel, lake trout and northern pike. Dressed up with a sauce, cooked in a chowder or pan fried over an open fire, our fish is highly recommended. Char is sometimes served frozen and sliced thinly like smoked salmon – it’s delicious, too! Muskox and bison are often available. Tasty and not at all gamey, they are served as tender steaks, tasty stew or special burgers. Bannock, the northern version of a scone, is also popular, served like a roll or as a big flat pancake broken into pieces. At a local festival or feast you might be offered moose stew, bannock and home made dryfish or drymeat (dried, and often smoked, fish or meat), and in the far north, muktuk (whale blubber), all washed down with copious amounts of tea or coffee.

Eating Northern

Northern food, fish, muskox or buffalo is often on the menu, in season, at the following restaurants:  

Hay River

• The Keys Dining Lounge at the Ptarmigan Inn
• Back Eddy Cocktail Lounge and Restaurant
• Caribou Restaurant 

Norman Wells

• Heritage Inn Dining Room
• Yamouri Inn Dining Room 

Inuvik

• MacKenzie Hotel
• Eskimo Inn 

Yellowknife

• Bullock’s Bistro
• L'Atitudes Restaurant and Bistro
• Coyotes Bar and Grill
• Diamante, Fuego International Restaurant
• Le Frolic
• Sushi North
• The Trader’s Grill
• Twist Resto-Lounge
• Wildcat Cafe (summer only)

For a light snack in Yellowknife, try:

• Javaroma – custom roast coffees, specialty teas, bagels, sandwiches and pastry, plus wireless internet. Northwest Tower.
• Gourmet Cup – freshly brewed coffee, loose teas, sandwiches and gifts.
• Le Stock Pot – Excellent selection of cheeses, deli items and locally made breads. Hot soup, panini and salads to take out or eat in.

Unique Dining in Yellowknife: Wildcat Café - Northwest Territories, Canada