DEER + ALMOND

Two menus, one bar, zero reasons to rush dinner elsewhere in Winnipeg

DEER + ALMOND at 85 Princess St is the kind of restaurant that makes you reconsider what a Prairie city dining room can do. Chef Mandel Hitzer runs a four-course prix fixe in the dining room alongside an à la carte menu at the bar, and the bar option matters: if you want to eat well in Winnipeg late in the evening, this is the most considered choice you have. The bar seats are also your easiest entry point when the dining room fills up, and there is genuine overlap between the two menus, so you are not trading quality for convenience.

The cooking is assertively international without losing its grounding in local product. Winnipeg goldeye arrives smoked, plated on a latke with crème fraîche and whitefish caviar. Sidestripe prawns come from B.C. Slow-baked beets and tuna are paired with horseradish emulsion and a ginger-soy dressing. Charcoal-grilled lobster is served with fermented blueberry. These are not timid combinations, and the kitchen earns its ambition: the sourcing is specific, the international references are purposeful rather than decorative, and the dishes read as a coherent point of view rather than a greatest-hits list.

The culinary framing shifts again at the dessert stage, where a course called "Burnt Toast" brings malted ice cream alongside a raisin and walnut tart and Delice de Bourgogne. That range, from Boreal Crisp amuse-bouche to French cheese, is the signature move here. Hitzer is drawing on pierogies and brioche, manzanilla and yuzu kosho, chicken liver and apple gelée in the same meal, and it works because the kitchen has a clear sense of proportion rather than a compulsion to impress.

For a special occasion, the prix fixe dining room is the right call. The space uses warm wood accents, bright artworks, and soft lighting to create an atmosphere that reads as intimate without being quiet in a way that makes conversation feel staged. The energy is convivial. The wine program leans toward small producers and uncommon grape varieties, with a prix fixe pairing available, which is worth taking if you are not already deep into a bottle.

Booking is relatively direct by the standards of Canada's most-discussed creative restaurants. If you want a comparison point: Alo in Toronto requires weeks of advance planning and a fixed commitment to the tasting menu format. Kissa Tanto in Vancouver is similarly competitive for seats. DEER + ALMOND is more accessible than either, and the bar option gives you a genuine fallback if the dining room is unavailable. Nationally, the cooking sits in the same conversation as Tanière³ in Quebec City or Narval in Rimouski for chefs working seriously with Canadian product while refusing to be constrained by regional cuisine categories.

For the broader Winnipeg picture, see our full Winnipeg restaurants guide. If you are building a longer trip, our Winnipeg hotels guide, bars guide, and experiences guide cover the rest of the city.

Quick reference: Bar à la carte available alongside dining room prix fixe; booking is easy relative to comparable Canadian creative restaurants; wine pairing included with prix fixe.

How It Compares

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