Are there any Ukrainian shops or restaurants in Calgary?

Calgary has been a magnet for the Ukrainian diaspora for many years, and since 2022, with the arrival of tens of thousands of newcomers, the city's food scene has been permanently colored with shades of borscht, honey cakes, and fresh sausage. Is it easy to find a real “taste of home” on the prairies of Alberta? How diverse has the selection become? And what makes each establishment special? Find out all this and more on an extensive journey through Calgary's Ukrainian gastronomic map.

The origins and evolution of Ukrainian taste in the prairie metropolis

The first Ukrainian settlers appeared in the vicinity of Calgary at the turn of the 20th century; their great-grandchildren now make up the city's second-largest Slavic community. However, until the early 2000s, most of the restaurants were church kitchens and a few delis — real restaurants only appeared with the arrival of the city's culinary “food truck revolution” in 2011. The explosive growth of 2022–2025, when thousands of Ukrainians arrived in the region, transformed authentic dishes from a niche pleasure into part of everyday urban culture — today, varenyky or borscht can be ordered as easily as a latte or sushi.

Kalyna / Kalinka — a gastrodeli that combines a shop and a bistro

Kalyna European Food & Ukrainian Deli on Macleod Trail SE remains the largest hub. The shop started out as a video rental store in the early 2000s, which eventually grew into a full-fledged grocery store with an Eastern European assortment. Today, the shelves are stocked with buckwheat and millet, honey and jam, Roshen candies, hard cheeses, and sunflower oil, while the licensed kitchen makes six different types of varenyky (dumplings) and bakes classic deruny (potato pancakes) every day. Visitors are attracted not only by the variety of goods, but also by the opportunity to have breakfast with a serving of stuffed cabbage rolls in a small bistro right in the sales hall, where the aroma of stewed cabbage mixes with the smell of freshly cooked borscht.

Ukrainian Fine Foods — 30 years of tradition and two locations

Another legend of the diaspora is Ukrainian Fine Foods, founded over thirty years ago. The main kitchen on Cleveland Crescent SE supplies frozen sets of varenyky and kapusnyky throughout the province; from October to May, free delivery is available for orders of 3 kg or more. On weekends, the brand also operates as a restaurant counter at Crossroads Market, where fresh pies and sausage are heated up on the spot for customers. Visitors call the place a “Ukrainian paradise” for its home-style taste and affordable prices, although they sometimes complain about the inconsistent quality of the stuffed cabbage rolls.

Heritage Bakery & Deli — the legacy of a master baker

Hidden in the Killarney neighborhood is Heritage Bakery & Deli. The Polish founder brought rye bread recipes to Calgary and expanded the menu in the 1980s to include varenyky, sausage, and borscht. His daughter, Katie Batorowski, keeps her father's recipes unchanged. Today, the shop operates as a take-out, with fans coming from across town for a serving of hot borscht to go, and in the summer, homemade ice cream is sold through the window.

Ukrainian Bakery & Coffee Shop — a sweet volcano on Canyon Meadows Drive

The Ukrainian Bakery & Coffee Shop has been operating in the southwestern neighborhood of Canyon Meadows since 2023. The interior is a combination of wooden shelves and blue and yellow murals; the display case features honey cakes, Napoleon cakes, and a whole range of pies that the team bakes from scratch using only natural ingredients. The establishment has already been featured in local food media thanks to the “unique, unlike anything else” texture of its cakes.

Ukrainian Coffee House — a downtown coffee shop with borscht

In the heart of the business district, on 5th Avenue, is the Ukrainian Coffee House. Two families from Kherson have revived their own recipes for syrniki and medovik here, and next to the espresso machine, they prepare authentic red borscht. The establishment has a 4.8-star rating on delivery services, and visitors call the Napoleon cake “the best in town.”

Perogy Boyz and the gastronomic democracy of food trucks

Street food lovers are familiar with the yellow Perogy Boyz logo. It was this food truck that started the “street revolution” in Calgary in 2011; today, the mobile kitchen offers varenyky with cracklings, kielbasa, and borscht at festivals and corporate events. The emergence of Boyz showed that a traditional rural dish can be trendy, and the “comfort food on wheels” format has become an integral part of the city's food culture.

The craft of frozen dumplings: from Hutko to Back of the Spoon

The pandemic and the rise of home cooking have prompted entrepreneurs to turn to deep freezing. The Hutko platform promises free delivery in Calgary for orders of 3 kg or more and positions itself as a “bridge between grandma's kitchen and the modern pace of the metropolis.” The Back of the Spoon brand grew out of a homemade casserole that the founder used to treat her friends; today, handmade varenyky with brynza or beef can be bought at farmers' markets.

Common denominator: taste, community, and support for Ukraine

Each of the establishments mentioned goes beyond commerce. Kalyna donates part of its profits to humanitarian causes every month; Ukrainian Coffee House organizes art auctions to support volunteers; Heritage Bakery bakes thousands of Easter cakes every spring for a charity fair at a local parish. In this way, business becomes a center of social interaction and, at the same time, a cultural ambassador for Ukraine on the Canadian prairies.

Practical information for foodies

• Kalyna European Food & Ukrainian Deli — 7400 Macleod Trail SE, open daily until 9 p.m.
• Ukrainian Fine Foods — kitchen on Cleveland Crescent SE (Tuesday–Thursday), Crossroads Market (Friday–Sunday).
• Ukrainian Bakery & Coffee Shop — 1049 Canyon Meadows Drive SW.
• Heritage Bakery & Deli — 1919 45th Street SW, open six days a week.
• Ukrainian Coffee House — 755 5 Ave SW, open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on weekdays.
• Perogy Boyz — see schedule on social media.
• Hutko and Back of the Spoon — online ordering with citywide delivery.

Why Ukrainian cuisine in Calgary is more than just food

First, it is a bridge between generations: grandmothers' recipes are given a second life in the hands of young chefs. Second, it's the soft power of cultural diplomacy; borscht and varenyky bring together not only people from Ukraine, but also Canadians of different ethnic backgrounds, fostering empathy for the country during wartime.

Third, it provides economic support for refugees; many of the chefs and baristas at the aforementioned establishments arrived after February 24, 2022, and were able to quickly integrate thanks to the food industry.

Final chords of a gastronomic symphony

So, Kyiv Street on the banks of the Bow River has not yet appeared, nor is it needed: Ukrainian Calgary lives in dozens of fragrant spots on the city map. From Kalyna delicacies to the street drive of Perogy Boyz, from morning coffee on 5th Avenue to warm honey cakes at Canyon Meadows, Ukrainian taste has become an integral part of the prairie metropolis and continues to grow through sincerity, hard work, and love for tradition. Every visit to these shops or restaurants is not just a meal, but a small journey 8,000 kilometers east, where the fires of home kitchens still burn in the heart.