If you are unfamiliar with the term, hygge (pronounced hoo-ga) is loosely translated as a Danish word for creating a warm atmosphere and enjoying the good things in life with good people.
Sounds nice, right(?) –– particularly when such a vibe is paired with good drink and food that is souped or sauced so liberally you could paint the walls with it.
Here’s where to hygge when you are hungry in Winnipeg.
Sous Sol | 22 - 222 Osborne St
This hidden Osborne Village bistro and cocktail bar (it’s in the back lane and the sign reads “Vandelay Industries”; here’s directions) was always going to get top billing, as who can deny vibes that include so many candles, Persian rugs underfoot and rich sauces that blanket most of the mains? The service is always delightful, the cocktails and wine list are amongst the best in the city, and when you descend the stairs into that candlelit room you’ll feel like a fox entering its winter burrow (a burrow mind you where you can start with oysters and Sancerre, or roasted bone marrow with a shot of booze that you can bone luge).
Wasabi Broadway | 588 Broadway
Restaurants that are converted houses are hygge –– even more so when they beckon at night with twinkling lights. Wasabi’s Broadway location has a laidback little dining room (and a lovely little porch patio in summer) that’s well suited for tucking into sushi and Japanese small plates. It all feels like you’re being hosted in someone’s living room.
Langside Grocery | 164 Langside St
Like Wasabi above, this is the sort of spot that calls you in from the street. There’s something to be said about that front door being right on the corner of Langside Street and Sara Avenue, and then there’s the windows that afford views into its heritage building setting where you’ll see patrons candlelit under that gorgeous tin ceiling. Since opening back in 2017, this spot has always had some of the best cocktails in Winnipeg, while the snacky menu features warming dishes like baked brie, fusilli pomodoro and black walnut dip. Of course, you should also get the shrimp cocktail and visit in the summer when its courtyard patio is umbrellaed with leaves.
Bailey’s Restaurant and Lounge | 185 Lombard Ave
One of the city’s oldest dining rooms, with the building dating back to 1900, Bailey’s has been hosting diners since 1971 in a setting straight out of an Edward Gorey book with its thick carpet, patterned walls, dark ornate woodwork, and overall Edwardian grandeur. After you enter its massive oak door and stroll past the lion statues, walk those soft floors to its various rooms, including the library for private groups, or upstairs to the main dining room where big cushy chairs and crimson tones whisper, “Settle in.” The Winter Garden Room is a real peach too, with views of Portage and Main that pair well with simple dishes like char broiled lamb chops and steaks that come served with your choices of classic sauces like peppercorn demi-glace or béarnaise.
Double Greeting Chinese Snack House | 355 McDermot Ave
Hot soupy dishes are surely hygge, and one of our favourite somewhat hidden gems for a bowl of collagen-filled goodness is Double Greeting. This little brick building at 355 McDermot Avenue (it’s only a seven to 10 minute walk from Portage and Main) houses a cheery enough dining room where you’ll find some of the best bang for your buck Chinese cuisine in The Peg. There’s a whole menu page dedicated to noodle soups, and we’ll steer you to the brisket with its stick-to-your-bones slightly anise broth, along with the shrimp dumpling in a superior soup that has a buttery quality. For chewy noodles, you can’t go wrong with the dark soy wok-fried glory of the Shanghai, plus there’s a few choices of congee –– a dish that’s always like a hug on a cold day. Your bill will also be comforting.
Harth Mozza and Wine Bar | 980 St. Anne’s Rd, #1
Scoring a pod-like booth at St. Vital’s always busy Harth is akin to slipping into a fort you’ve built as a child. From your wood-slat-domed cubby you’ll look out into the main dining room and the large open kitchen where talented chef and owner Brent Genyk oversees a large brigade pumping out wood-oven-fired meat dishes and pizzas, along with hand-rolled pastas of a high standard. The service is impeccable too. It’s designed by Fireside Design, whose commercial work includes Rosé Coffee + Wine, and Parcel Pizza –– both found below.
Rosé Coffee + Wine | 474 Main St, Unit B
This chic space just up from Portage and Main has enough red drapery to support the whole Tudor court of Henry VIII. After you pass through the tasseled fabric entrance way, sit in velvety red booths and take in the space –– which is an homage to the area’s vaudeville theatre history –– where thick red drapes frame the dining area. It’s all quite plush, and should you be seated eating their popular mini beef Wellington whilst wearing robes and a feathered, bejewelled wide-brimmed fabric hat, you’d look like a character in a Hans Holbein painting. We’ll now head over there to sip on Gris des Lions grenache rosé, slurp oysters on the half shell, and continue reading The Mirror & the Light –– as you may have guessed.
Oval Room Brasserie | 222 Broadway
Castles aren’t normally associated with cozy, but the Fort Garry Hotel is an obvious exception as this grand establishment is so welcoming you’d expect to be greeted by M. Gustav once you enter its stately lobby. From there, The Oval Room beckons with soft green chairs you can readily sink into for a few hours. From the glass oil lamps on the tables to the thick ornate carpet underfoot, the nightly live piano and the numerous comforting bistro dishes (whether it’s breakfast, lunch or dinner), this place pulls off stately and snug.
Resto Gare Bistro and Train Bar | 630 Des Meurons
Another spot that could easily provide a setting for a Wes Anderson film, Resto Gare is a former circa-1913 train station repurposed into a French restaurant. Its main dining room, featuring exposed wood beams and upholstered antique chairs is comfy enough, but we’d like to direct you to the vibrant red train cart dining room for a first-class retro setting where escargot in garlic butter and other French standards are so apropos.
Parcel Pizza | 221-A Stradbrook Ave
The third room by Fireside Design in this guide, Parcel’s setting has these hungry booths (in that they’ll eat you up) on the second floor. The design, in the words of Fireside, pulls “inspiration from New York pizza parlours” and “the cozy-glam of 1970’s basement rec rooms with orange corduroy couch-booths and wood paneling.” To make it even better, the whole package includes super friendly staff, great drinks, and some of the city’s best pizzas and salads. Equally snug are its sister restaurants The Roost (a perennial on the Canada’s 50 Best Bars list), where anyone would love to nest for a night with its incredible drinks and tasty little menu, and Oxbow Natural Wine Bar where the coziness includes handmade pastas and Italian-leaning share plates in an exposed brick and beam setting.
Bonnie Day | 898 Westminster Ave
This candlelit restaurant with so many black accents in Wolseley is all about creature comforts. It's one of those true neighbourhood joints where the endearing servers will let you know what dishes are hitting from the comfort food-focused menu (always order the kale Caesar salad and the Persian olives to start at dinner). It also opens at 8 a.m. (9 a.m. on weekends), offering excellent coffee and pastries which you can enjoy in one of the window seats as you watch the snow fall in Wolseley.
Sharecuterie | 160 Stafford St
What a cute little cafe this has become just up from the restaurant hotspot of Stafford at Grosvenor (its toasty neighbours include The Grove, Tres Visi and Petit Socco). Along with offering customizable charcuterie, cheese and vegetarian boards that flaunt a wide range of local products, Ojibway owner and operator Cassandra Carreiro’s cafe offers a nice selection of coffee drinks, cocktails and wine that you can enjoy with snack plates as you sit in stylish high back upholstered chairs.
Restö at Thermëa | 775 Crescent Dr
Being an outdoor Scandinavian spa, Thermëa permeates hygge like its steam rooms permeate eucalyptus. From the thermal pools to the saunas and relaxation chambers, this place has thought of it all when it comes to winter cozies, especially in the Restö. After being seated in your robes (pro tip: always bring an extra bathing suit to change into, so you don’t have to dine in a wet one), which in our opinion is the height of hygge dining, order dishes like Icelandic lingcod (truly one of the most underrated and flakiest of fish) with trout roe chive beurre blanc, or miso roasted celeriac “steak” with Romesco sauce and kale chips. The lounge is situated around a fireplace too.
More cozy joints at a glance
Bistro Dansk (63 Sherbrook St) is where it's at for Danish comfort food in a setting that speaks of a circa 1970 mountain cabin; Spicy Noodle House (99 Osborne St), is a basement featuring rich broths and chewy noodles; Pho Kim Tuong (856 Ellice Ave) is one of the city’s best Vietnamese spots (which is saying a lot) and the one that has the most living room feel; East India Company Pub & Eatery (349 York Ave) serves silky curries within inviting Mughal Empire aesthetics; and for something new there's Né de Loup (1670 Corydon), the new restaurant from nationally noted chef Scott Bagshaw. We have a full review here on why this place is so cozy.
