Discover What’s New in Thunder Bay

Thunder Bay's local shops, restaurants, and artists spent much of 2020 and 2021 adapting, innovating, expanding, and launching new products and services.

If you haven’t been to Thunder Bay since the pandemic, there are a bunch of new things you should explore on your next visit

More Patios!

While there were a handful of outdoor dining opportunities in Thunder Bay and a pop-up patio pilot project was first implemented in 2018, dining required a vastly expanded patio program to help support our favourite local spots. 

In the Summer of 2020, the Waterfront District BIA partnered with the City of Thunder Bay to open “The StrEATery”. The original StrEATery was an outdoor space created out of a section of Red River Road sectioned off with giant slabs of granite, filled with tables and seating that was open to anyone to use—grab take out from a nearby restaurant and enjoy it outside. This concept has exploded in 2021. The area of the Waterfront District blocked off for public seating has grown exponentially, stretching beyond Red River Road, south down Cumberland St and North on St. Paul. Local community groups were invited to paint the picnic tables and the streets were brightened with Indigenous art, pride flags, and more. 

Many restaurants now have their own patios that extend and connect public spaces and the vibe here is incredible—but the outdoor dining experience is not limited to the Waterfront District. A significant number of restaurants city-wide have constructed patios—from Current River to Westfort and all parts in between. Check out this (ever expanding) list of patios in the city to try while you’re here.

New Restaurants!

photo credit Nortenos Taqueria

On the opposite side of town, in the Westfort Village is Norteños Taqueria (Norteños means Northerners). Opened in October 2020, Norteños makes Mexican street food from their shop on the corner of Frederica and Brown, with almost everything made fresh in-house, including the shells, salsas, and slow-cooked meats. Enjoy tacos, taquitos, quesadillas and much more on their newly-built patio complete with tiki bar—dos cervezas por favor! They have recently moved to Arthur Street by the Ramada by Wyndham Thunder Bay Airlane Hotel.

photo credit Nortenos Taqueria

Superior Adventures!

Sail Superior

Sail Superior, Thunder Bay’s long-established boat tour company has expanded its fleet with the addition of a 50ft catamaran! Launching later this summer, The Welcome as she is known (locals will understand the reference to the Welcome ship), will offer an entirely new experience for visitors to Lake Superior. Picture Caribbean catamaran cruises—Canadian-style. Rugged shorelines on an inland sea, cliffs, wildlife, unbelievable (and highly-Instagrammable) scenery on a luxury watercraft that comes with an on-board chef and a selection of craft beer. 

Sail Superior

In the meantime, while we wait for The Welcome, the Superior Rocket (a high-speed Zodiac RIB) is taking people on an epic adventure along the north coast of the big lake. The Trans-Superior Safari is a 6-day adventure from Thunder Bay to Sault Ste Marie. See islands, saunas, shipwrecks, lighthouses, waterfalls, pictographs, caribou, and more as you cruise, hike, and explore the shoreline of the largest freshwater lake in the world. Legs of the journey can be done individually, or you can be on board for the entire trip. Each day offers a new experience and takes you to remote parts of Ontario that are rarely visited. 

Made-in-tbay Products!

If you’re looking for a taste of the city before you get here or a tasty treat to take home as a souvenir try locally made hot sauce or pancake mix!

Many people are familiar with the wildly popular local favourite Heartbeat Hot Sauce, but mid-pandemic saw the launch of a brand new company that's quickly building a strong fan base in Thunder Bay and across Canada—Hooligan Fuel Hot Sauce. With a variety of sauces that range beyond your typical hot sauce flavours (peach, mango, vanilla, cranberry, and many more), Hooligan Fuel has found its way to grocery store shelves and restaurant menus across the city. 

For something a little more traditional, try Hoito Pancake mix. You may or may not have heard about the unfortunate closure of the historic Hoito Restaurant at the beginning of the pandemic and the ultimate fire that destroyed the beloved historical Finnish Labour Temple. While this was truly sad news, when one door closes, another door opens. The Finlandia Co-operative of Thunder Bay began packaging and selling traditional Hoito pancake mix as a fundraiser to reopen the restaurant, and would eventually open up a pop-up location inside the Thunder Bay Country Market serving many of its favourites. The pancake mix along with their coffee is available in a number of local stores and you can even buy it on Amazon!

Whether it’s your first visit or you’ve been to Thunder Bay many times before, with so many developments over the past few years, it’s like a brand-new destination to explore.

 

Discover More About Thunder Bay

Find Your True North

Sign up now to get stories, news, and travel tips

First name

Email address

Subscribe

We will never spam you and will never share your e-mail. Please see our privacy policy.

Thank you for subscribing!

Showing 'Edited Body' is no longer supported.