Welcome back to our look at the very best Penticton and area has to offer, as chosen by you, our amazing readers, and presented by our friends at Visit Penticton.
Today, we discuss one of life's eternal questions: What's the best place to take a date?
And wow, did you ever give us some great alternatives!
In the running but not quite making the top three is a trio of celebrated downtown craft breweries: Cannery Brewing, Neighbourhood Brewing and Slackwater Brewing.
Joining them were hyper popular eateries like Salty's Beach House (on the Lakeshore Drive waterfront strip), The Black Antler (in the midst of Penticton's new food and drink district), The Restaurant at Poplar Grove (perched on the Naramata Bench), and the Hooded Merganser (literally on Okanagan Lake).
Awesome spots all, but our readers preferred three others just a wee bit more.
Conveniently situated at the corner of Power Street and Westminster Avenue West in the North Gateway, our bronze medal winner, Villa Rosa Ristorante, had a lot going for it aside from
its location. One of the oldest and most legendary restaurants in the city, Villa Rosa served up delish Italian food in an authentic ambience. And if you wanted to step outdoor, a super-spacious, grapevine- covered patio was at the ready.
But Villa Rosa and the entire city block around it is now undergoing a full redevelopment. The restaurant is expected to re-emerge sometime in the near future, but in the meantime fans of Villa Rosa have an alternative right now.
It's called Socialē Enoteca Ristorante, a Villa Rosa "sister" eatery on the Lakeshore Drive strip. It's owned and operated by the same team behind Villa Rosa, Tyler and Nicole Gable, and features many of the same flavours. Plus, there's that glorious view over Okanagan Lake.
Cleverly structured and decorated to look like it's lifted directly from an old-school Greek street scene, Theo's Restaurant is nothing short of a Penticton tradition.
If you live here, you've been to Theo's. If you visit here, someone has undoubtedly recommended it. That's how entrenched it is.
Founded by original owners Theo and Mary Theodosakis way back in 1976 in the 600 block of Main Street just off the downtown core, Theo's wasted no time figuring out hungry diners prefer homemade cuisine. "Everything we serve, we make in our own kitchen," remains its motto
today.
But Theo's hasn’t stood still. Today, it collaborates more with local food producers and the incredible local wine industry. And it harvests veggies from two of its own gardens -- one in Naramata and the other on the roof of the restraurant.
It seems everyone knows Theo's, and for good reason.
2019 was a big year for the Penticton food and drink biz. New eateries and breweries were seemingly popping up everywhere, forever transforming the downtown scene.
But few were as posh as Elma. Located in a stunning new building constructed specifically to house the restaurant and offer killer views over Okanagan Lake, Elma appeared magnificently on the Lakeshore Drive waterfront in the summer of 2019.
Featuring 4500 square feet of restaurant space spread over two separate storeys, with nearly 200 seats, elevated ceilings, massive decks on both floors (including a snazzy louvered roof over the second-floor deck), and more glass than a window factory, Elma is big, spacious and state of
the art.
The food is Turkish-inspired, with a modern, fresh take and an infusion of local ingredients for a distinct Okanagan feel and flavor.
Elma -- our chart-topping gold medalist.
Click here to see the runners up!
