If you’re dreaming of having the best foodie experiences in Ontario, we’ve got your back. Where else can you visit and sample products from craft breweries, distilleries, and cideries, cheese makers, and award-winning eateries that reflect the diverse flavours of Ontario’s Highlands?

Following a food and drink trail is not a shot in the dark where you head off into the great unknown, doing a deep dive into TripAdvisor to find a spot that’s going to offer you a fantastic foodie experience. We’re talking more than just your average visit to a brewery or restaurant, we mean an all-over foodie immersion where there’s a new gastronomic experience waiting with every dish served and every pull of the tap.

This year is the perfect time to explore the local award-winning and awesome food and drink offerings that are all around us. So set out on a culinary adventure on one of these foodie adventures that will get you somewhere.

An overhead view of a table at a restaurant.

The Great Taste of Ontario Road Trip is Here

What? You haven’t heard of the Great Taste of Ontario Road Trip? No worries, this program is brand new but will become your go-to for curated itineraries that will tease your taste buds with single-day or multi-day road trips through Hastings County, Ottawa Valley, Lanark County, Frontenac County, and Haliburton Highlands.

Download your passport and hand-picked tours of some of the best food and drink destinations in the region. Whet your appetite with food and drink trails and itineraries, curated just for you.

A Wildly Authentic Foodie Experience – Hastings County

Hastings County is an agricultural centre which means you can sample edibles here that may be only days or hours from farm to plate (or glass). Delicious cheeses, flavourful ciders, award-winning wines, yummy baked goods, and yes, water buffalo meat and cheese all feature prominently on the Hastings County food trail. You won't go hungry here.

A bottle of wine sits in front of a vineyard scene.

Tasty Highlights:

Sipping & Savouring in Perth – Lanark County

A table setting in a restaurant.

Wander through the picture-perfect town of Perth for a foodie experience that's walkable and perfect for a summer daytrip. You will need to have an appetite or plenty of room in the car for all the goodies you will bring back from here. Perth is jam packed with restaurants, breweries, a distillery, and specialty foods like cheese, pie, donuts, chocolate and more.  Many of these locations are also found on the Lanark County Sip & Savour Trail, which traverses throughout the area.

Tasty Highlights:

  • Try fresh and unique brews at Laketown Beer Co., a hip and fun brewery located just steps from downtown Perth.
  • Does your foodie dream include a whole store dedicated to just pies? Perth Pie Co. has pies and more pies to satisfy even the most discerning pie palate.
  • Find unique flavours of craft spirits at Top Shelf Distillers, located on the outskirts of the town of Perth.
  • Chocoholics will want to stop by Perth Chocolate Works to select their favourite flavours, and find new ones.

Culture, Cafés, and Comfort Food – Haliburton Highlands

Whether it’s a fine dining restaurant tucked away in a rural hamlet or an award-winning micro-brewery, the Haliburton Highlands have their fair share of edible experiences. Take a trip through densely forested terrain and pass through the communities of Haliburton, Minden, and many others. Stop and explore to see what foodie secrets lie hidden there.

Tasty Highlights:

  • Stay and savour a gourmet, one-of-a-kind meal created by Chef James at Heather Lodge.
  • The folks at Boshkung Brewing Company believe it’s ‘always beer o’clock,’ and who can argue with that? Try their award-winning brews while overlooking Mirror Lake.
  • Savour a fine dining meal prepared by the renowned Chef Christoph at Rhubarb Restaurant.
  • Find homestyle from-scratch breakfasts, lunches, and dinners at Molly’s Bistro Bakery – don’t leave without trying one of their famous desserts.
Road Trips