Woodwork Edmonton is your date night destination in downtown Edmonton, Alberta Canada. Located in the historic McLeod Building, Woodwork has a hint of heritage mixed with a hip and modern vibe. With one of the largest collections of spirits in Alberta, Woodwork's expert mixologists will craft perfectly balanced cocktails for your enjoyment. The chef's passion for fine food and woodfired grilling is evident in the delicious meals that they prepare. The wait staff are attentive, engaging and provide impeccable service. For example, as soon as I turned to admire the bar and the décor a server was immediately at our table to see what I needed. These qualities combined with Woodwork's ideal location in downtown Edmonton, Alberta makes it easy to pair dinner with a local experience to round out the evening.
The folks at Woodwork claim they are passionate about barrel-aged spirits and even have a menu devoted the Old Fashioned, one of our favourite cocktails. This is the cocktail that we use to judge the quality of the bar. Our server recommended the Old World Old Fashioned saying that it was their most popular. With cognac as the base, I was skeptical as it isn't a spirit that I have learned to enjoy...yet. However, it was fantastic! We ranked it among the best Old Fashioned cocktails that we have ever had. For this reason it is easy to see why they have received so many accolades including;
- Nominated by Air Canada's En Route Magazine as one of Canada's best new restaurants
- Winning Vue Magazine's 2015 Reader's Choice Golden Fork Award for Best Cocktails in Edmonton
- Winning Vue Magazine's 2016 Golden Fork Award for Best Bartending in Edmonton
- Being named in Canada's 100 Best Restaurants by OpenTable
Edmonton is a foodie city with a vibrant restaurant scene making it an ideal place for the culinary adventure seeker to visit. Because of this, there is great competition among Edmonton's restaurants making it a significant accomplishment for Woodwork to rise to the top.
Like many couples do, we often choose cocktails and meals that we can share so we can try more menu items. To begin with, I chose the Makahiki Flip cocktail. On a chilly December night, a spicy, wintery flavoured cocktail would warm the soul. The Makahiki Flip has a rum base and is mixed with macadamia nut, cold brew, sugar, spiced bitters, a whole egg and topped with nutmeg. It is a smooth and delicious cocktail perfect for a winter's eve. With two good cocktails our spirits were looking up and since I couldn't decide what to eat we opted for trying two more cocktails. This time we picked the Terrosa and the Cambremer. The Terrosa has a Mezcal base. It starts out a little spicy with a bubbly pilsner flavour which then transitions very smoothly into passionfruit. The winner of the night though and the best balanced cocktail of them all was the Cambremer. It is made with gin, Cocchi Rosa, lavender, lemon and Normandy Cidre and was a delight.
Finally, I made up my mind and decided to try the food grilled chicken supreme. My date chose the lamb cassoulet. Both dishes were very good and as equally an enjoyable experience as the cocktails. For these reasons, Woodwork is a great choice for a date night restaurant destination in Edmonton.
If you are looking to pair your dinner date and cocktails with a local experience, then Woodwork Edmonton is ideally situated in the cultural heart of Edmonton's downtown. Woodwork is located across from the Westin Hotel Downtown Edmonton (just in case you really like the cocktails), the Edmonton Public Library and Rice Howard Way, a pedestrian friendly street with several restaurants and pubs to choose from. Whereas, the art and culture seekers will love being within walking distance to the Citadel theatre, the Art Gallery of Alberta and the Royal Alberta Museum. Also nearby, is Churchill Square, home to many of Edmonton's festivals like the New Year's Eve Fireworks and Festival. Sports fans will appreciate the short walk to Rogers Place home of the Edmonton Oilers NHL team and the Ice District. While Outdoor enthusiasts will find many adventures in Edmonton's famous North Saskatchewan River Valley and its network of trails, parks and viewpoints. With so many experiences to choose from creating an ideal date night dinner and adventure is easy.
Our experience at Woodwork has already had us recommending it as a great date night location in Edmonton. As such, we looking forward to our next date night at Woodwork and to pairing the evening with a show at the Citadel Theatre.
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Comments 10
Fantastic review of what sounds like an amazing place to visit! Great read, thanks
Thank you Andrea. It is a great place. We are looking forward to going back to it.
Sounds fantastic!
I enjoyed reading about your experience at Woodwork. I especially liked the details, such as the ingredients in the cocktails.
Thank you Diana.
It is worth a visit and the location really is perfect. When you do make it to Edmonton, try to time it with one of the many festivals that take place downtown. Also, bring good walking shoes so that you can enjoy the river valley. Did you know that Edmonton's river valley is 22x bigger than Central Park in NY?
I didn't know that! Great suggestions. Thank you!
Anytime.
Great review Janet, I also really like your photos of the drinks and the main course and good descriptions of the restaurant. Hmmm I can see on the map there is also a De Dutch nearby as well, perfect for breakfast! When I next visit Edmonton I know where I am going to be staying, at that Westin!
There is also a Courtyard by Marriott and the Fairmont Hotel MacDonald about a 1/2 block away