Frequently Asked Questions
Canada has no single official national dish, but poutine — fries, fresh cheese curds, and gravy — comes closest to the title and is found everywhere. The Caesar (vodka, Clamato, hot sauce) is the recognized national cocktail, and maple syrup is the country's defining ingredient. Canadian food is regional: poutine and smoked meat in Quebec, beef on the Prairies, salmon in BC, and lobster in the Maritimes.
Canadian cuisine is generally savoury and hearty rather than spicy — think gravy, butter, maple, and slow-cooked meats. The big cities are wonderfully multicultural, so you'll easily find excellent Indian, Sri Lankan, Sichuan, Thai, and Caribbean food (Toronto and Vancouver especially), but the traditional Canadian dishes themselves are mild.
Start with poutine, Montreal smoked meat, and a Montreal bagel in Quebec; butter tarts, a peameal bacon sandwich, and ketchup chips in Ontario; a BeaverTail in Ottawa; Alberta beef and a Caesar on the Prairies; wild BC salmon and Nanaimo bars on the West Coast; and Atlantic lobster on Prince Edward Island. Don't leave without trying maple taffy at a sugar shack in spring.
Casual eats like poutine or a smoked-meat sandwich run about CAD $8–15. A mid-range restaurant main is roughly CAD $20–35, and a fine-dining steakhouse dinner can be CAD $60–100+. Budget around CAD $50–80 per person per day for food if you mix casual lunches with a sit-down dinner. Sales tax (5–15% depending on province) and a 15–20% tip are added on top.
Yes — tipping is expected at sit-down restaurants and bars, typically 15–20% of the pre-tax bill. Card machines usually suggest tip amounts at checkout. Tipping is also customary for taxis, hairdressers, and hotel housekeeping. Counter-service and fast food don't require a tip.
The Nanaimo bar — a no-bake layered bar of crumb base, custard cream, and chocolate, named for the BC city — and the butter tart are Canada's signature sweets. Add maple taffy (hot syrup rolled on snow), BeaverTails (fried dough with cinnamon sugar), and Saskatoon berry pie, and you've covered the classics.