Winnipeg’s West End has a vibrant vibe all its own — and throughout the summer, people can explore the neighbourhood via organized tours that visit restaurants in the area.
Around the World in a Few Blocks, organized annually by West End BIZ, takes place every Thursday starting at 6 p.m.
The tour gives people a chance to learn about the businesses that make up the community and experience the history and cultures behind them.
JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS
Dillon Hiebert, West End Biz tour guide, stands outside Wall Street Slice, one of the stops on their Around The World In A Few Blocks neighbourhood cultural food tour.
“I think it’s great; it gets people out and supporting the community,” says Edelma Miranda, co-owner of Wall Street Slice.
The New York-style pizza restaurant has been part of the BIZ tour for three years.
On average, Miranda says, around 30 people come through on tours and she adds it’s been an overwhelmingly positive experience.
Many visitors are trying the restaurant for the first time, and she loves sharing her passion for making pizza with new customers.
“People can come in and we can kind of nerd out and show them what we do,” Miranda says. “It’s amazing; I have a smile from ear to ear.”
Wall Street Slice offers up to 13 types of pizza, with ingredients that are either locally sourced or made fresh in the restaurant.
This year, Miranda says, they’ve introduced a new flavour for people on the tour, made with barbecue pork, mozzarella and provolone, and topped with scallions and crispy shallots.
The restaurant is on one of the three tour routes people can choose from; the routes have been curated by guide Dillon Hiebert.
“It gives people an idea of what’s represented in their community,” Hiebert says.
This is his first year guiding the tours and he tried to make all the routes as diverse as possible, giving folks a chance to try cuisine from a range of cultures, including Indian, Middle Eastern, Ethiopian and Métis.
Each route features four restaurants at which people can sample food; all routes end with a stop at a bakery for dessert.
The tour gives people a chance to learn about the personalities behind the business and build familiarity with the neighbourhood.
“Every local business started with people taking a risk and contributing to their community,” he says.
At the start of June, West End BIZ also began tours of public art in the area that will be available every weekday evening besides Thursdays.
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The tours are a great way for people to come together and learn about each other, says Braydon Augustine, West End BIZ marketing manager and organizer of the tours.
“It’s just a chance to celebrate all the different world views and backgrounds that are home to the West End,” he says.
This year they’re taking people further west, instead of the normal route towards University of Winnipeg, to support businesses in the area, including Habibiz Café, which was the victim of hate-motivated vandalism in January, Augustine says.
The tours, which have been held annually since 2005, will be available until Aug. 20.
tiago.resko@freepress.mb.ca