Eating great food in the great outdoors is always a treat. Luckily Northern Ontario has a host of scenic spots for road trippers to enjoy. With our roads and highways traversing endless quartzite cliffs, boreal forests, and the shorelines of the Great Lakes—there's always a great spot to pull over and enjoy your lunch!
Let’s take a look at four of the best roadside picnic spots (and places to pick up lunch) in Northern Ontario!
In Ontario’s Sunset Country, Little Falls, like most of the lakes, rivers, streams, and waterfalls in the Atikokan area, was carved out by massive glaciers heading north around 12,000 years ago. Today, Little Falls is a beautiful 50-foot falls with a picnic shelter, benches, and a boardwalk. It is a must-visit when in the region.
The Grill at Little Falls has an extensive menu, so you’ll find just what you want for your picnic at the falls. Located on the second floor of Little Falls Recreation Centre and Golf Course, this friendly spot features a great variety of appetizers, salads, pizzas, burgers, and more with changing specials every week. The Grill is fully licenced with some fun drinks like Crafty Elk Hard Juice and Sunrise Sunset (vodka, peach schnapps, cranberry juice and lemonade), making it the perfect place to stop by for something refreshing after your picnic adventure.
In Ontario’s Superior Country, picnic tables can be found throughout the region and vacationers got to enjoy delicious local dishes in a spectacular Lake Superior setting. Picnicking on the Big Lake’s shore continues to be a favourite pastime for visitors and locals alike. Great food and also great views? Sign us up!
The Superior Picnic Tables can be found at the Nipigon and Red Rock marinas, Schreiber, Terrace Bay and Marathon’s beautiful beaches, a top of Manitouwadge and the Hurkett Cove Conservation Area in Dorion where The Grill Shack has crafted a local flavour picnic lunch that is getting rave reviews. It’s made up of fresh-cut fries and a juicy burger featuring local beef from Wolf River Farms, just 15 minutes away from where you will be sitting. Now that’s farm-to-table!
Nipigon, Red Rock, Schreiber, Terrace Bay, Manitouwadge, and Marathon offer lots of dining choices as well. You’ll find everything from fast food to fine dining, ethnic food to pub fare, coffee shops and farmers’ markets in the Superior Country region. And they’re all great places to design your Superior picnic lunch.
The drive along Highway 17 near Batchawana (“fast moving water” in Ojibway) Bay in Ontario’s Algoma Country, the mid-point in the longest national highway in the world, the Trans-Canada Highway, offers outstanding views of Lake Superior. This is one of Lake Superior’s gems. Batchewana Bay Provincial Park has a beautiful beach with warm water and an exceptional picnic spot. Chill Magazine rated Batchawana Beach one of Ontario’s top 10 beaches.
And you won’t have to look far to find your picnic lunch. Close by is the Voyageurs’ Lodge and Cookhouse.
There’s a lot of chatter on the Lake Superior Facebook Group site about the Voyageurs’ Lodge and Cookhouse, especially about their renowned apple fritters. Many have said that they are a highlight of the tour – and that’s pretty high praise given the reputation of the tour. So, order some of those tasty treats for your picnic lunch, but there are many more delectable items on their menu.
In North Bay in the Northeastern Ontario Tourism region, you can taste your way through the downtown and waterfront at the Taste of Downtown Pop-Up Picnic.
Step one is to call or visit one of the eight participating restaurants and order the “Pop-Up” special as your picnic. There are a lot of options both in destinations and menu options.
There are six picnic spots to choose from. At the Marina Boardwalk, you can watch the boats cruise by and, for a later meal, enjoy the spectacular sunset. On a hot day, head over to the Splash Pad Playground. It’s the perfect place to cool off after your tasty meal. Or try the waterfront beach and playground, Shabogesic Beach and Pak, with its many picnic tables. There’s also a cozy downtown parkette, the Kiwanis Bandshell and Golden Goulet Mile, one of the most scenic areas of the city with many benches to enjoy a picnic with a lake view.
Cecil’s Brewhouse and Kitchen, housed in one of downtown’s oldest buildings, offers a club house sandwich, a fajita chicken wrap, a vegetarian fiesta bowl or a cobb salad with house made cookies. Gateway Golf, home of “the world’s best golf simulator”, has salads, pizza and tiramisu. Check out Lou Dawgs Southern BBQ for a fried chicken sandwich, a falafel sandwich and triple chocolate brownies. Northern Himalayan Café offers the essence of Nepalese cuisine with a momo platter, a vegan feast, a buddha bowl and house made mint lemonade. If you have young adventurers with you, try a picnic lunch from Northern Tykes Playground and Party Centre, offering hot dogs, tacos, nachos, wraps and other kid-friendly treats. The Opera Bakery and Café features sweets and home-made breads, making for some amazing sandwiches. Wham! Bam! Thank you, Ham? Sounds just right for a picnic. The Block Public House is all about gourmet comfort foods, showcasing local farm produce. They’ve got an all day menu (a cheese dip platter and mango and pineapple salads for two), a lunch menu sandwich selection with choice of a side, and a dinner menu consisting of a salad selection, curry dishes or fish and chips with a chocolate mousse torte.
When you pick up your picnic order from any of these great spots, you’ll receive a complimentary picnic tote and beach ball to add to your picnic fun. Then head to your destination. Don’t forget to take a photo or two of your North Bay picnic adventure and tag them at #DTNBPOPUPPICNIC.
Enjoy!
Those are the best roadside picnic spots in Northern Ontario! How many will you experience this summer?
