Don’t let Niagara’s reputation as a land of world-class grapes, sweet summer fruit, and flavourful garden-fresh veggies fool you. Even as its farm fields and vineyards descend into a deep winter slumber, Niagara’s farm-to-table scene overflows with an incredibly delicious range of food and wine experiences. Whether you’ve got an entire weekend to fill or only have time for a flavour-filled afternoon or evening, here are some winter culinary experiences you’ll want to enjoy while you’re here.
Experience the delicious results that come out of the kitchen when Niagara’s chefs get in the festive spirit. The sleighful of seasonal meals and merry-making celebrations taking place in Niagara this holiday season includes:
The Winter Festival of Lights, which runs from November 15 through January 5, stirs up excitement across Niagara Falls, including its many restaurants and bars. As you stroll through the twinkling light installations, be sure to stop for a refreshing cocktail, a cozy meal, or a warming mug of hot chocolate. Table Rock House Restaurant, perched on the brink of Niagara Falls, offers a locally sourced and internationally inspired menu with a breathtaking view of the nightly fireworks display over Niagara Falls, which takes place throughout the Festival. Queen Victoria Place Restaurant overlooks the spectacular lighting installations in Queen Victoria Park. The extensive menu here includes creative spiked coffees as well as interesting craft soda selections that any sober sippers or kids in your crew will adore.
January’s colder temperatures are a cause for celebration across Niagara as local vineyards pull out all the stops to harvest Icewine grapes at the exact moment their precious juices succumb to the big freeze. Purchase a Niagara Icewine Festival Discovery Pass to enjoy delicious Icewine and food pairings and watch the excitement at the wineries for yourself. Visit Niagara-on-the-Lake’s Icewine Village on January 17, 18, 24 and 25 to sip Icewine cocktails in oh-so-Instagrammable Snow Globes, or bring the kids along for special family programming in partnership with Niagara-on-the-Lake Museum. Those who enjoy getting glammed up will want to hit the Cool As Ice Gala, the grand finale of the Icewine Festival, on January 31 at the Niagara Parks Power Station. Should the temperatures not dip beneath -10 degrees Celsius while you’re in town, Peller Estates’ Greatest Winery Tour includes an Icewine tasting in the -10Below Icewine Lounge, an igloo-like lounge constructed out of a mammoth 13,607 kilos of ice and kept at a frosty 10º below zero, to give guests a true sense of just how finger chilling the ideal Icewine harvesting temperature is!
The family behind Two Sisters Vineyards and 11th Post on Queen recently unveiled a passion project that, like the hand-carved stone birds guarding its gates, illustrates power, precision, and timelessness in every detail. With its sweeping vineyard views and absolutely exquisite interior details, Stone Eagle Winery is well worth a stop!
An afternoon cooking class is a fantastic way to take some fresh new recipes and impressive kitchen skills home as a tasty memory of your trip to Niagara. Strewn Winery’s four-hour Wine Country Cooking School classes offer hands-on instruction where students are responsible for prepping and cooking, but NOT the cleanup! For those who would prefer to taste the work of culinary students over being a student themselves, Niagara College’s Benchmark Restaurant showcases the work of students in the college’s culinary programs through daily lunch service and special dining events.
Elevate an afternoon or evening skate on an outdoor rink with the addition of a thirst-quenching cocktail, tasty snacks, twinkling lights, and cozy firepits. Both located in the gardens at Niagara-on-the-Lake’s five-star Pillar and Post and The Great One’s Backyard Rink at Wayne Gretzky Estates are picture-perfect choices for chilling.
After initial MICHELIN Guide buzz for Niagara’s dining scene in 2024 that generated recommendations for St. Catharines’ Fat Rabbit and Niagara-on-the-Lake’s Trius Winery Restaurant and a MICHELIN Star and Green Star for Niagara Benchlands’ Restaurant Pearl Morissette, the buzz has just kept on building! In the fall of 2025, MICHELIN Inspectors awarded Restaurant Pearl Morissette its second Star, and the restaurant also earned the honour of being crowned the third-best restaurant on the continent on the North America’s 50 Best Restaurants List.
For those not quite sure where they want their afternoon to take them, the Niagara Ale Trail offers some tasty touring inspiration. Simply designate a driver and follow the Niagara Ale Trail map to your choice of over 25 craft breweries and cideries sprinkled across the Niagara Benchlands, St. Catharines, Niagara Falls, Niagara-on-the-Lake, and Niagara’s South Coast.
Mix and mingle with celebrity chef Massimo Capra as he brings the spirit and culinary traditions of Veneto to life on March 6 in a one-night Venetian Carnival event showcasing a refined menu inspired by the region’s iconic flavours paired with fine wines at Massimo’s Italian Fallsview Restaurant at the Sheraton Fallsview Hotel.
Chef Massimo’s Cityline friend Chef Jason Parsons is also hosting his own series of dining events at Riverbend Inn and Vineyard in the months ahead. The French-influenced Winter Dining Series includes a Christmas Dinner in December, a Winter In Wine Country meal in January, and additional events in February and March.
Treat yourself to new way to winter in Niagara enjoying an off-season culinary getaway that showcases a deliciously different side of the region’s wineries, craft breweries, distilleries, cideries, wine- and food-focused festivals, and its diverse collection of restaurants and cafés. Be sure to check out @visit_niagara on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for additional trip inspiration and to learn about upcoming events. Then, scroll through local accommodations options to find a delightful place to spend the night in Niagara.
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