Meiji Sushi & G Martini Bar

Meiji Sushi & G Martini Bar has been serving Japanese cuisine paired with sophisticated martinis for fifteen years now. It’s a little upscale and pricey, but you’ll find people in their mid-twenties all the way to their late fifties sipping on martinis over a roll of sushi any day of the week.

You can choose to dine in the bar upstairs, or in the restaurant downstairs. Either way, you’ll feel like you’re at an exclusive place in New York, or a small tavern in Europe, because of its size, historic vibe, dim lights, and smooth music. Meiji Sushi & G Martini Bar is a great place for a date, a girls night out, or a casual weekday drink.

Although Meiji Sushi & G Martini Bar is located in Winnipeg’s famed Osborne Village, it’s a couple doors away from heavy foot traffic, and as a result some may feel unsafe and wary of the people lurking outside of its entrance. But, in all my years visiting Meiji Sushi & G Martini Bar, I’ve never felt threatened or scared, and I’m a fairly small and young woman, who could be defined as ‘vulnerable in appearance.’

If you aren’t big into martinis, they offers spirits, beer, and wine, but if you are into martinis this will be like heaven for you. From classic martinis, to their twist on Caesars called Caesartini, they’ve got you covered with over 35 martinis to choose from. As for their food menu, it’s overwhelming and the options are endless. If you don’t know much about Japanese food, the menu will throw you for a loop because flipping through hundreds of items with foreign names is not easy. But, when you do finally decide what to order, its fresh taste will melt in your mouth and you’ll forget how hard it was to narrow down the massive selection.

If you choose to dine downstairs, be sure to grab a seat at the sushi bar so you can watch the chefs slice, dice, and roll your food in front of you, or make a reservation for a tatami, a traditional Japanese table. If you choose to dine upstairs in the bar, the entire food menu is available until 1 a.m. on weekdays, and 10 p.m. on weekends, and the entire martini menu is always available downstairs to enjoy with your food.

Meiji Sushi & G Martini Bar is open seven days a week, but the restaurant has different hours than the bar. Reservations can be made for Meiji Sushi, but since G Martini Bar’s capacity is 40 people, and it gets packed on evenings and weekends, reservations are only accepted until 8 p.m. For more information on their hours of operation and reservation information, check out their website at meijisushi.ca.

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My Aunt & I after a couple martinis… My fave is the Red Raspberry, and her’s is the Lycheetini. & a classic Instagram pic of me and my girls.

& a classic Instagram pic of me and my girls.


Drink Smart. Drink Safe. xoxo.

Best Restaurants in Winnipeg: Where Else to Eat In The Peg

Winnipeg is known for its great restaurants, and just last year the Huffington Post wrote an article called Best Restaurants in Winnipeg: Where to Eat In The PegAlthough I agree with their selection, there are a few they missed, so here’s a list of my favourite restaurants in Winnipeg.


Date Night restaurant Pizzeria Gusto $$$

Where: 404 Academy Road

Cuisine: Modern Italian

My go-to: Pellegrino and a couple glasses of prosecco to drink, antipasto to start, regina egitto as my main, and tiramisu for dessert


Wasabi Sushi Bistro $$$

Where: 105-121 Osborne Street

Cuisine: Japanese

My go-to: Lycheetini or green tea to drink, spicy mango prawns, beef tataki and tokyo fries to start, bistro tempura roll as my main, and a deep fried banana spring roll for dessert


Steve’s Bistro $$$

Where: 3123 Portage Avenue

Cuisine: Modern Greek

My go-to: Caesar or ouzo lemonade to drink,  mussels, calamari, chorizo pizza, dakos salad, and lamb appetizer all as my main (those are tapas options, but they have entreés and burgers too), and the triple chocolate cake for dessert


Segovia Tapas Bar and Restaurant $$$$

Where: 484 Stradbrook Avenue

Cuisine: Spanish Tapas

My go-to:  Sangria to drink, chorizo and apples, Spanish cheese selection, Iberico meat selection, and fried beets as my main (tapas on tapas on tapas), and a stuffed Medjool date for dessert


Jane’s Restaurant $$

Where: 504 Main Street

Cuisine: Classic cuisine (culinary school restaurant)

My go-to: (lunch) Perrier to drink,  fattoush salad to start, and the grilled flat iron steak as my main (dinner) white wine, golden beet salad to start, sirloin as my main, and creme brûlée for dessert


Late Nightbil Billabong Gastropub $$

Where: 121 Osborne Street

Cuisine: Australian vibe

My go-to: (late night) BLT caesar all the way,  and a margherita flat bread to snack on- I’m judging their late night food based on their brunch, which is incredible, but truthfully I don’t remember much of what I’ve eaten at night here (early morning) water to drink, and dingo doggies or stuffed french toast for brunch 


The Grove Pub and Restaurant $$$

Where: 164 Stafford Avenue

Cuisine: English inspired

My go-to: Sauvignon blanc or Grillo to drink, and the Stafford burger to eat


Burgers burger Boon Burger $$

Where: 79 Sherbrook Street and 141 Bannatyne Avenue

Cuisine: Vegan burgers

My go-to: house-made lemonade to drink, chili cheeze fries and the thanksgiving burger to eat


Market Burger $$

Where: 645 Corydon Avenue

Cuisine: Manitoba-made Burgers

My go-to: Blueberry mojito or pop to drink, a side of frings (fries and onion rings) and a build-your-own burger (I love their bison burger)


Sweet (& savoury) Stuff desKawaii Crepe $

Where: 201-99 Osborne Street and Unit D-1220 St.Mary’s Road

Cuisine: Crepes!

My go-to:Pineapple bubble tea to drink, and the Lemony Snicket (sweet) or The Uptown (savoury) to eat


Baked Expectations $$

Where: 161 Osborne Street

Cuisine: American

My go-to: steamed milk with liqueur and the Oreo cookie cheesecake (sweet) or a lemonade and a triple decker grilled cheese with bacon


I’m hungry, are you?

Kay’s Delicatessen

At the edge of The Exchange District, hidden between a lighting store and a church supply store, lies Kay’s Delicatessen. Delicious, nutritious, Kay’ Delicatessen. You won’t feel weighed down or sick after eating at Kay’s; it’s that made-with-love kind of food. They use fresh ingredients, and don’t even serve fries.

Not enough people know about this place which is absolutely crazy to me because they’ve been around forever and serve the best deli food imaginable. I like to go there and study when I forget to pack a lunch at school. I always expect to see at least one student or instructor inside but I never have, and it’s only one minute from school!

I usually go for the roast beef grilled cheese because I’m a carnivore, but I’ve tried their cranberry chicken and brie sandwich, and their jerk chicken wrap… all yummy. And their coffees? Hello, yes please. But, their avgolemeno soup (Greek chicken, lemon and rice soup) is to die for. I don’t know if the chef is Greek or what, but I consider myself a Greek food conoiseur and they have the best damn avgolemeno  soup ever (sorry yiayia.)

I went there today and was so happy to see that avgolemeno was the soup of the day! I paired it with a roast beef grilled cheese and H2o.

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The picture doesn’t do it justice, looks like a pretty regular soup and sandwich, right? Wrong. It’s way better than regular.

So the next time you’re in The Exchange District, find Kay’s Delicatessen… no need to thank me.


Kay’s Delicatessen

339 William Avenue

Winnipeg, Manitoba

204-949-0424

Jenna Rae Cakes

If you haven’t heard of Jenna Rae Cakes by now then you probably live under a rock…

Jenna Rae Cakes is the cutest bakery in Winnipeg. The team specializes in custom cakes and sweet treats, and are notorious for their delicious macarons. But before her macarons took over the mainstream palette, Jena Rae Cakes was hard at work with her sister creating custom cakes at home.

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I’ve been to the bakery more times than I’d like to admit, but recently in the middle of “midterm meltdown” I picked up a 6-pack of macarons on the condition that I’d finish my homework. Well… I ate half before I got home, but I still finished my homework! And, I saved the box to use as a pencil case, not a bad idea, right?


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So the next time you’re feeling happy, sad, bored, hungry, generous…. ok the next time you’re feeling anything… check out Jenna Rae Cakes, and follow her on Instagram too!


Jenna Rae Cakes

580 Academy Road

Winnipeg, Manitoba

204-691-4222

St.James Tap and Table

I’ve seen the building at the end of Thompson Street transform over the years: first as The Keg, then as Dylan O’Connor’s, and now the good ol’ St.James Tap and Table. As a St.Jamer I know my kind. We’re laid back, we’re frugal, and we’re nice. Which is the exact essence of St. James Tap and Table. The new owners completely gutted the place. They said goodbye to the dingy woman’s washroom, and installed 20 clean stalls… and yes that’s my favourite part about the new venue. But, don’t get it twisted, the rest of the new pub is awesome too. They updated their menu, changed the theme, and transformed the layout. tapntab I visited St.James Tap and Table the other night, and ordered a fancy caesar, onion rings, pretzels, and a few beers. My bill was like $20, and I had a great night. I have a good feeling about this place, check them out.


St. James Tap and Table

2609 Portage Avenue

Winnipeg, Manitoba

204-691-8270