Kelowna is not known for its food and, being the adventurous eaters that we are, this was a bit of a concern for us.
We love trying new types of foods and flavours so we often dine at ethnic restaurants. Having diversity in what we eat is important to us! Therefore Ryan and I were determined to find the best ethnic food in Kelowna so that we weren’t stuck eating North American food every time we dined out. Not to say that the North American food wasn’t good, because we did eat some awesome meals that surprised us! But, if you are craving something different, here are our favorite places:
Soul de Cuba
I know Cuba is not known for its food either, but after our Miami trip we really fell in love with it. Weren’t we surprised to find that Kelowna actually has its own Cuban restaurant?! Not a fake Cuban restaurant, either, but real, good, authentic Cuban food!
We went for lunch and ordered a full size Cubano clasico and the ropa vieja, with cafe con leche and a cortadito. The Cubano sandwich was huge! Definitely good for two people to share, otherwise just get the half order. It was so delicious – just like we had in Miami. The ropa vieja came with a side of black bean soup and it was AMAZING! Didn’t look like anything special at first but as soon as you take a spoonful your mouth is hit with so much delicious flavour. The shredded meat of the ropa vieja was so tasty.
Not only was the food delicious but our coffees hit the spot as well! We sure missed a good cup of cafe con leche and just haven’t been able to find anywhere that serves it right. Soul de Cuba definitely delivers a good cafe con leche and cortadito. While we were eating lunch there were many people that came in just to order coffees to go.
Service was super friendly and efficient. Definitely a place we would come back to. They even have live music some evenings and it looked like a great time!
Wood Fire Bakery
I know this isn’t super ethnic but it is German and the sandwiches are to die for!!
When Ryan had asked around what places people recommended most of the locals mentioned this restaurant so we just had to try it! We went for a late lunch around 2:45pm, just before closing time (3pm). Luckily I got the very last smoked beef sandwich and I am so glad I did because it was one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever had in my life!! So much meat with a delicious mustard sauce on top of delicious bread. My sandwich was $9 which I felt was totally reasonable for how good it was. Ryan had the reuben which was amazing as well. Will definitely be back here to try more off the menu!
By the way, even though it is called Wood Fire Bakery it is not actually a bakery. I didn’t notice any baked goods for sale – just sandwiches and soup. The restaurant is cafeteria style where you order food and pay and then they call you up when your food is ready.
Latin Fiesta
Ryan grew up in Arizona and is quite critical of any Mexican food we try in Canada as nothing tastes remotely authentic. We decided to give this place a try as we had heard good things and wanted to see for ourselves.
Ryan’s go to dish is chile relleno and if it’s good then he will consider it a good Mexican restaurant. So naturally we ordered the chile relleno and taco al pastor. We both found the chile relleno to be pretty good but still not the same as places down south BUT the best chile relleno we’ve tried so far in Canada. Ryan did love the tacos, though, and said they were better than he was expecting. He bought the special bright green habanero hot sauce and found it to be perfectly hot (he has a very high spice threshold!)
The restaurant itself is pretty small and not much seating for how busy it gets. We got the last available table and others took their food to go. There are no servers – you just line up and order and get a number to pick up your food when called. They also have some Mexican drinks available which I enjoyed. While it may not be AMAZING Mexican food it is the best choice if the craving strikes while in Kelowna!
Olympia
If you fancy some Greek food, head on over to Olympia located in the Rutland area of Kelowna.
Portions are huge and service is extremely friendly. For an appy, go for an order of the calamari! Some of the best calamari I’ve had. For a main, I order the gyro and it was so delicious but very filling.
Ryan thoroughly enjoyed his Lamb Trio!
Mad Mango
Last but not least, Mad Mango! This is our favorite restaurant that we will eat at 2 days in a row (or more!) They are known mostly for their spicy soups and yummy smoothies. Trust me, you will want a smoothie or milkshake to balance that spicy soup. Sounded like a weird combo to me at first but they paired perfectly together.
Their most popular dish is the laksa, a Malaysian dish. I am not a big seafood fan and since this dish has prawns I choose to go for their curry soups instead. Their curry chicken or beef soup with rice is amazing. The first time I tried it I couldn’t stop saying “Mmm!!” after every spoonful! It is perfectly spicy and creamy and so full of flavour. It went really well with my mango smoothie. Ryan’s favorite is the peanut butter banana milkshake. The peanut butter flavor is intense and so, so good – you can’t even taste the banana.
For breakfast I like the roti prata. It is fried and greasy but oh so good. Ask for a side of their mango jam – delicious! The green onion pancake is a great side dish as well.
For dessert you can try the sweet milk donuts which are unique – I haven’t tried anything like this before. They are more dense than a donut and come with a side dish of condensed milk – my favourite.
Be warned – this place gets super busy so be prepared to wait! It is a small place in downtown Kelowna and only open until 6pm, so go early! And don’t go on a Monday as they are closed.
And there you have it! Those are our favorite ethnic places to eat in Kelowna. Stay tuned for a future post of great non-ethnic food in Kelowna 😉
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