Picnicking in the summer is one of my favorite things to do. The mix of sunshine, good company, delicious food, and the fresh air combine perfectly together. With all the great parks here in Edmonton and yummy locally made food, I have a hard time not eating all my meals outside. Want to join in on the fun? Check out my list of fantastic Edmonton picnic spots listed below, in no particular order.
Love Pizza at the Legislature grounds
The Legislation building is surrounded by beautiful green spaces. Whether you want to eat by the wading pool area and cool off, sit down near the river side with space to play games, or find a quiet corner by a garden; there are so many great picnic locations to choose from. We sat under the trees and dug into some beautifully crisp pizzas; Peaches & Cream, City Market, and for dessert, we got the Peach “pie”. I was happy to see they had Grizzly Paw Handcrafted Soda. It’s been one of my favorites since I had a chance to visit their brewery in Canmore. I got to see the behind the scenes magic that goes into making their beer and soda pop. I’ve been hooked ever since! Love Pizza is just a short walk away from the grounds. Next time you are at the Legislation stroll over and grab some picnic treats.
Splash Poke at the Chinese Garden
I love how easy it is to picnic with Splash Poke Bowl, it’s the perfect healthy grab and go meal. JC grabbed the Classic Splash and I got a lil splash with salmon, rice, crab, mango to go. We headed over to the Chinese Garden on a beautiful warm weekday afternoon. This park has so many grand statues, my favorite hands down is the pair of stone lions. There are many benches, a few tables, and many green spaces. We parked our blanket close to where all the statue action is. The park tends to be very quiet during the weekdays. It was perfect for a date night picnic.
Pho Boy at End of Steel Park in Old Strathcona
Old Strathcona has so many big and little parks peppered throughout the neighbourhood. One of my favorites is End of Steel Park. There is lots of space on the quiet side, perfect for a picnic, with room to toss a Frisbee after. The best feature of the park is the big bright orange caboose. It’s vibrant and colorful, a perfect location to take some fun Instagram photos. We bought Pho Boy take out, walked the few blocks north, laid out our blanket, and dug in! This meal was all vegetarian and all delicious; Veggie Banh Khot, Veggie Banh Xeo, Veggie Salad Rolls, and Veggie Legend Rolls. For drinks, we got Strawberry, Mango, and Coconut Mogu Mogu juice w/ jelly. We ended the meal with FanFan Pastry’s Oreo cheesecake. If you are picnicking with kids, there is a water spray park nearby at the Old Strathcona Community League, perfect for hot summer days.
Seoul Fried Chicken at the Muttart Conservatory
The Muttart features beautiful gardens inside and out of their iconic pyramids. In the surrounding park, you can find several picnic tables, each with their own garden view. When we went there on a Saturday at lunch, it was fairly quiet with only a few families wandering around taking photos. We found a great spot under the trees, setup with the perfect mix of sun and shade. SFC is my favorite chicken to bring on a picnic. We brought; a half order of Original, Garlic Soy, and Golden Kari, that paired with their fries and pickled radish, every bite was yummy. If you are craving a chicken picnic check them out.
Italian Center Shop at Borden Park
The Italian Center is a great place for picnic supplies they have many ready to go meals and tapas to choose from. We picked up a bit of both; a Focaccia Sandwich with Porchetta and Provolone Cheese, a Spinach Twist, some fennel marinated olives, slices of Canadian Prosciutto, and a Blueberry Danish. Borden Park has beautiful sculptures on display. If you don’t have a picnic blanket no worries, there are tons of picnic tables to choose from. We set up our blanket by the big pink statue, Willow, under a group of trees. The park is big enough that even though there was a large family party, soccer game, and other picnics going on it was still quiet.
As summer winds down, grab a friend, some tasty eats, a blanket, and enjoy a beautiful day! If you have a favorite picnic spot, be sure to share it with me!
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