A Local's Guide to Edmonton

Local recommendations from Next Act Group co-owner Saylish Haas

For many first-time visitors to a city, they want nothing more than to do what the locals do. Enter: Saylish Haas, co-owner of the Next Act Group of restaurants in historic Old Strathcona, which includes everything from a neighbourhood pub (the Next Act) to a sandwich spot (Pals) to Texas-style BBQ (MEAT) to brunch (Pip). The group’s latest venture, Marlo, is a cozy taco place that’s turning heads across the city.

“What I love about Edmonton is that it feels like a small town in a bigger city setting,” Haas says. “It’s pretty cosy, it’s pretty friendly, and it’s got a down-to-earth energy to it.”

Haas is a lifelong Edmontonian who’s watched with delight as the local food scene has exploded in the last decade. She chalks up the city’s love and support of independent restaurants—especially during COVID—as just one more example of the camaraderie that defines the city as a whole.

Here are some of her favourite places to visit in and around Edmonton.

What’s your favourite place to grab a coffee?

Take Care, on the east end of Whyte Avenue, is a really interesting spot, because they have a beautiful courtyard in the back that feels like you’ve been transported to a secret little back garden. I order an extra-hot latte with whole milk. It needs to be extra hot—I like it to almost burn my mouth. Every barista’s nightmare, but I love it.

Where’s a great spot for comfort food?

I love eating at my restaurants, but I cannot eat there on my days off. I have two little kids, so for us comfort food is going to Duggan’s Boundary for a Wednesday-night pizza. We also like to go to Sea Change to sit on their patio and have a veggie banh mi. They’re in the middle of an industrial area, but they’ve got a good funky edgy vibe.

Where else do your kids like to eat?

My kids have grown up in the industry so they’ve always been pretty great at restaurants. We like Lock Stock on a Saturday morning, and our favourite is Rosewood for weekend brunch. I always get their verde rice bowl or the broccoli sandwich, and the hash browns are the best. I got good hash browns at my restaurants, but Jesse over at Rosewood does them even better. My daughter loves the granola and my son loves the lemon pancakes.

Do you have any places you go to specifically for dessert?

I love High Dough’s tiramisu. If you grab a pizza and a tiramisu for takeout, it’s a perfect combination. They have the perfect amount of marzipan and the soaked ladyfingers are just right—not too soggy. It’s perfect.

What’s your favourite place to see live music?

Have you heard of Double Dragon? It opened recently, so I haven’t been yet, but it’s where I would say I’m most excited to go check out a band or some kind of live music in the future. It’s part of Fu’s Repair Shop, which just moved from 109 Street over to Jasper. Double Dragon is the live music venue in the back. Just the vibes in that place, it’s so fun. Inside they have somewhere between 250 and 400 red lanterns, so the light in there is really crazy and unique.

What do you do within the city when you want to get outdoors?

Biking through Mill Creek. We love the trails everywhere. My kids will explore in the ravine if we’re on foot, otherwise just biking through is perfect. When the kids were littler, Paul Kane Park was the best place to go for a bit of nature while still being close to Oliver Exchange, so you can grab a beer at Odd Company or some bread at Brio.

Where’s your favourite day trip from the city?

Can I say Pigeon Lake Music Festival? It’s our family’s favourite because we have a cabin out at Pigeon Lake. They have this great mix of music that’s all over the place, and it appeals to every age demographic. There’s people in their 60s rocking out and teenagers who are there to see some electronic band. And it’s small, only three days over August long weekend. It’s definitely a highlight for us in the summer.