With beautiful summer weather comes patio season, and with Victoria Day long weekend just around the corner, OpenTable has released their top 100 outdoor restaurants. Six local hotspots made the cut.
DunnEnzies Pizza, Home Block at CedarCreek Estate Winery, Old Vines Restaurant Quails Gate Estate Winery, and Terrace Restaurant at Mission Hill Estate Winery (West Kelowna) all made the list.
“As the first summer and patio season in two years without lockdowns or restrictions, the energy and excitement from Canadians is palpable,” said OpenTable Canada’s Country Director Matt Davis. “We expect this list of 100 Best Restaurants for Outdoor Dining to be the season’s go-to resource for those exploring spots in their own backyard or planning travel throughout the country.”
DunnEnzies General Manager Meagan Keelaghan said they “are very excited that our little slice of patio heaven is starting to get noticed.”
Lake Country’s One Block restaurant at 50th Parallel Winery and Shaughnessy’s Cove in Summerland also made the list.
One of the factors OpenTable looked into when conducting the list was to also highlight dog-friendly patios. 3.7 million Canadians welcomed at least one new animal into their homes during the pandemic. People have called this the ‘petidemic’.
DunnEnzies is the only dog-friendly patio of the local restaurants that made the top 100 list but many other establishments that didn’t quite make the list are also pet-friendly.
“We are all dog lovers at DunnEnzies,” said Keelaghan. “It was never a decision that was actually made, it has always just been that way. All well-behaved pooches on a leash are welcome.”
With everything opened up again, establishments are getting busier and DunnEnzies has definitely noticed that when it comes to people and their dogs.
“We have seen a lot more four-legged guests this year,” said Keelaghan. “We made sure to make our space welcoming to entire families including pets all year round, with our heated outdoor space. So even during the times with more restrictions and colder weather we were able offer a pet-friendly space.”
OpenTable said that restaurant reservations in the month of May across the country are up 61 per cent compared to May 2019.
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jordy.cunningham@kelownacapnews.com
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