Three Boars Eatery

While I’m not a hipster, I don’t mind stepping into their world once in a while. If any place in this city has a more hipster vibe than Three Boars I have yet to come across it. The small restaurant is a house that was repurposed into a restaurant with stark white bathrooms, wood everything and kitchy décor that wouldn’t look out of place in a prairie farm kitchen. The flannel wearing crowd locks the hipster/​small town country vibe down.
The first few times I have been here the beer and cocktail list was a mile long and on a clipboard and the food menu changed all of the time. This past weekend we arrived to find small, paper menus that were greatly condensed and had Hulk Hogan on the back… my boyfriend asked the server why and she wasn’t sure, nor did she seem very impressed about it, but it certainly was a hit with the men at our table.
The condensed menu was nice to see as the previous menu was a bit large and intimidating to some folks. The cocktails have appeared to increase in price since the last time I paid a visit, but at least they are 3 full ounces of straight booze so you are getting your money’s worth.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – the mushroom and egg on toast is my Last Meal meal. If I ever end up in prison and need to choose my last meal I would ask for about 47 of these. I talked it up so much that Josh was expecting Jesus to come down from the heavens while we tucked into it and he was unfortunately a little bit disappointed. «It was GOOD, just not great.» Well you know what? More for me then. Next time I don’t have to share.
The cocktail I had was very strong, the flavour didn’t match the name and it was too heavy to gulp down so I sipped it, which definitely helped me not to order more than one drink. It was ok on it’s own, much better with food which I think was the point. The items here are meant to be paired and shared and enjoyed.
We ordered a meat plate to share (make it rain!) and it definitely needed some cheese or veggies to go with it. A plate of 5 kinds of salami and only 8 pieces of bread didn’t offer near enough variety, by the end of it everything just tasted like salt.
A few low points: Josh asked our server for a Spanish Coffee and was told that the bartender didn’t stock any cream liqueurs, he could order clear liquors only. I mean, your restaurant, your rules I can totally respect that… but we all felt that was a touch on the pretentious side (also pretentious – serving a cocktail in a teacup. It really makes it feel like you’re getting less than your money’s worth being in such a tiny receptacle). Also one of our dining companions asked the waitress to pick a drink for him after giving a few details as to what he liked in a drink and she brought a beer that he was really enthusiastic about after his first few sips… until he received the bill and saw that it had cost him $ 18.00. Again, cool, you can stock and serve whatever makes you happy (and in fact, your restaurant should be full of things that do exactly that) but if you want to charge someone the equivalent of buying a bottle of wine at the liquor store for a single beer, perhaps you should warn them first. Give them the chance to opt out.
Again, I like eating with the hipsters now and again but not every day. I’ll be back in 6 months, perhaps by myself so I can eat the mushroom and egg toast without sharing or judgment while enjoying a cocktail you can see through.

Absolutely worst food ever. Felt like they killed the quail and then just tossed it on a plate. The steak was disgusting. Will not be returning

Love the food and ambience. The food are tapas style, with lots of hipster details like wood platters, pickled veggies (including, who knew it went well pickled, enoki mushrooms), and home-​made mustard. We ordered the terrain which was a satisfying meat spread. We also had some shredded pork dish which I wouldn’t order again.
Service was impeccable. I told the hostess I needed to leave to watch a show at a certain time, and she made sure to inform our waitress who was on the ball.
Will be back. A great pre-​dinner place before going to the Jubilee Auditorium.

I went once with several other friends and tried everything on the menu. There was nothing I didn’t like.
All the servers are knowledgable and passionate.
One tip: don’t get the balsam spruce cocktail before the meal — have it as a post dinner cocktail. My friend commented that the flavour overwhelmed the gentler dishes.

You can tell that the chefs at Three Boars Eatery really care about the dishes that they’re cooking. Every single dish that my partner and I enjoyed was beautifully crafted, delicious, and totally worthwhile. It was my first experience at this restaurant, and I know that we’ll definitely be coming back. This place is great for when you’re feeling a little adventurous, or when you want to go somewhere a little more upscale.
Our service was just lovely, as was the atmosphere. We weren’t overwhelmed or intimidated by the place, it was fairly quiet and calm even though all of the tables around us were full. We didn’t book a reservation, but there was about a half hour wait for us to get in, so we just went for a walk and came back. Servers and hosts treated us well, and service was fairly quick.
We ordered the Devils on Horseback, Charcuterie board, Brussel sprouts, poutine, as well as _​_​_​_​. Food wasn’t the quickest to come out but we weren’t in a rush and were enjoying our evening so it wasn’t an issue at all– I can’t imagine that many folk would come here wanting to rush their meals and run out. All of the food was phenomenal– I’m very choosy with what I eat, and the only thing that I wouldn’t get again was the Devils on Horseback. I know these are extremely popular and everyone loves them, but they were quite simply not my taste. My partner, however, loved them and was happy to eat the rest when I only had one.
I was impressed with this place, especially after being hesitant to go in the first place. It’s a little on the pricier side, but for delicious food, lovely cocktails, and a beautiful atmosphere, it’s worth every penny.

It’s unfortunate that they chose what time to close. I was really keen to have one of their good beers but I guess the bar tender was tired. Good selection of beers however. Good place for something new culinary and thirst wise.

Gimme dem small plates! I’ll give you a rundown of the many choices we selected for 4 (very hungry and happy) people:
1. Fried Anchovies
2. Caramelized Onion & Oka Tart
3. Sautéed Mushroom, Egg Yolk, Toast
4. Panzanella Salad
5. Pork Belly
6. Stuffed Quail
… and other things that I can’t remember! I think we had some time of asian flavored rib dish. They were all delicious, with my favorites being the Oka Tart and the mushroom and egg yolk toast!
The menu changes often, which means the chef is using local products that are in season. I absolutely have to comment on the service. I forget our server’s name, but she was fantastic. Personable, knowledgable, really fun to chat to, and made the experience event better than it already was. Never pushy, perfectly attentive, and had many excellent beer suggestions up her sleeve!
I would not hesitate to return the next time I’m in Edmonton!

What a remarkable creative chef. Small quaint place, tables are very close together. But one of the many gems in edmonton.

This review is about their very poor customer service.
My husband made reservations for our 28^th wedding anniversary one week ago. THEY called us to confirm it two days prior and left a message. My husband called them back and confirmed.
Last night, on the evening of the said reservation, we were running 10 minutes late. My husband called to let them know. They told him that it was no problem as long as we were out by 9:30 for the next reservation. He was taken aback but said ok. We did not realize that a gastro pub/​bar limited your time there but whatever, 2 hours was enough time for dinner.
The dinner never took place! We arrived there only to be told that we had no reservations! Our name was not on the list! The hostess kept saying «Your name is not here, we have no tables.»
Even though we explained the whole story, she kept pointing at her iPad and repeating the same thing in an accusatory tone as if we were lying!!!
When I asked her if she could talk to the other staff and find out who took the reservations, she refused! Said it could have been anyone. This is a small restaurant. That would have taken very little effort!
Then I asked if she could check phone numbers, maybe they took the wrong name down. She refused again! Said they do not take phone numbers. How the heck did they call us back then!!!
She never once apologized for the mix up, never offered a solution, nor even offered to sit us at the bar. Every comment out of her mouth was made with attitude and in an accusatory tone. She embarassed us in front of many people standing in the entrance area.
This is unacceptable behaviour!
We will never know if the food there is as good as people say because the service is horrible and we will never return!
I had to give this place one star because reviews with no stars cannot be posted.

Three Boars Eatery is a small restaurant two blocks off Whyte Avenue on 109^st. It’s relatively small, and the outside kind of looks like a small house. They have a little bar on the main floor, a little eating area upstairs, and a little patio during the summer. I’ve been here a couple of times now and one thing that I really like about this place is that their menu changes very frequently. A lot of their ingredients are local, and therefore changes with the season, hence the dynamic menu. Another thing I like about Three Boars is that the serving style is kind of like tapas, where dishes are meant to be shared (Asians love sharing, so you get to try a bit of everything)!
I went with about three other people on this occasion so we split around six things. It was just the right amount of food, and we were all left pretty satisfied.
We started off with the Devils on Horseback. These are dates stuffed with blue cheese, wrapped in bacon. Probably one of the highlights of the meal. It was really sweet from the date, and nicely balanced with the salty bacon. It was definitely a popular one at the table. The server described it to be stuffed with blue cheese, but it was incredibly mild cheese for a blue cheese. It tasted more like a mozzarella cheese or a mild white cheese. Either way, this was delicious and I’d definitely order this if it’s available…

The food was amazing, and our waitress was very knowledgeable about the food. Devils on horseback definitely lived up to the hyper.

Service was great. The staff is very friendly & knowledgeable. Food was awesome. I would definitely recommend the crab & potato salad.

We ordered pretty much everything on the menu. Some dishes were great and some were not very good. I would give 3.5 stars but can’t so I give 4 cause I’m nice like that. The devils on horseback were fantastic. The beef and mole dish was great. The cauliflower was good and their drinks are fun. Way too expensive, though. Very hipster vibe. I like the décor and that it is on 2 levels. I like the tapas vibe.

Service was FANTASTIC, Food was ok.
I had heard tons of great things from friends, but it did not live up to the hype.
We ordered the chicken & peas poutine and the quail, both of which were slightly tasteless. I definitely expected more.
Cocktails were good, but not memorable.
Prices were very reasonable.

My husband and I went here one night a while ago without any idea about what the place was like. It was explained to us that the plates were designed to be shared, and between two people 3 – 4 plates should be ordered. It was also explained that the dishes would not all come out at once.
We ended up ordering smoked olives, the onion and oka tart, potatoes with spicy mayo, another potato dish (some kind of poutine?) that my husband ate which I don’t remember. Typically my husband and I like very different food, so despite attempting to order things we would both like the whole sharing aspect just didn’t work for us. It was also evident while we were eating that we ordered WAY too much food, even though we stuck to the recommended amount. I think if we ordered separately we would have ordered a lot less. That being said, the food I did enjoy was really amazing and I left satisfied.
The place is in my opinion on the pricey side and since there is no guarantee that my hubby and I can order two separate things and eat them together I haven’t returned. I would, however, recommend the restaurant, as the food was quite good and it seemed as though a lot of care went into designing the dishes.

If you find yourself in Edmonton, you’re going to need a cocktail. Calm down — I jest, I jest!
In fact, Three Boars was one of the places that started changing my opinion of Edmonton and it alongside of a few other haunts, as popped this little city into my, «Sure. let’s go there for the weekend.» list of driveable getaways.
The place is tiny! It may be the 5’2″ of me talking, but this somehow made me like it more. The first time I ventured in with a good friend, the experience was mixed. On one hand the elk (?) poutine was delightful, as you know elk poutine should be. The menu is constantly changing with what’s in season and is small enough that you don’t get overwhelmed but big enough to please any palate.
I didn’t even know there was a cocktail list until future visits — this is the perfect place to go in and order your mood. The bartenders are wee little cocktail wizards and you will not be disappointed. Plus they have a wall of whiskey. I’m a simple lady, that’s all it takes to impress me.
However, the service the first go round was mixed at best — our bartender was a little aloof. Thankfully, my second round in proved the exact opposite — the two gents manning the bar were quick and cheerful, the cocktails were still on point and prices hit around the $ 11 range — not cheap, but not out of the ordinary.
Edmonton you sneaky devil, why didn’t you let me find haunts like this sooner? Next time i’m Alberta bound, i’d happily swing in here again.

There are days when I crave something new and exciting, perhaps the trending restaurant of that week. Other times, I’m perfectly happy with visiting old favorites. But what’s to say that an old favorite still isn’t «new»? If they change their menu often, as Three Boars Eatery does, is it not essentially a «new» restaurant every time you visit? A dish you were dying to reorder could potentially be long gone but in its stead, could be something just as amazing! That’s the exciting part for me. So when Joe said «it’s your choice today», I gave in to that craving and off we went to eat with the hipsters!
Joe ordered a Ginger Beer, Edmonton’s local Yellowhead with ginger liqueur. It was surprisingly very refreshing, albeit I’m not exactly a fan of the taste of ginger!
For appetizers, we started with the Devils on Horseback, a date and blue cheese combination, wrapped in bacon. This is one of those crowdpleaser dishes, you can never go wrong with bacon! (Unless there isn’t enough.) Our next bites came from the pork and chicken liver bomb. Cutest presentation ever! I was expecting a pâté inside the crusted sphere, but it was more of a shredded texture, more on the dry side rather than a moist paste. Still delicious even though there weren’t any explosions.
Unexpectedly, our main course was the «rabbit food» menu item: Panzanella Salad: housemade croutons, tossed with greens, tomatoes, pickled mushrooms, pecorino cheese, and a glorious goo-​ey egg. The salad by itself would have been sufficient for both Joe and my appetites for the night, but you know us (me…).
The salad’s vinaigrette mixed in with the pickled mushrooms leave your mouth with a bit of acidity, so it was nice to take a break once in a while to take bites of our second main dish, the braised Pembina Valley pork belly. Apparently they’ve done plenty of pork belly dishes, a reader claiming that this particular version was as impressive as previous variations. Tonight’s was served with steelcut oats, a 65-​degree egg, all brought together with a maple-​bourbon butter sauce and a side of micro greens. This was my favorite of the night, particularly the sauce. The pork belly was done quite simply, and by itself would probably be deemed too simple. Not that I’m complaining, pork belly is pork belly. It’s delicious. Period. But eaten in combination with the other components… yuuuuuum-​my!
Dessert is almost always unnecessary if I followed the philosophy of food is just fuel. If that was the case my tank is always overflowing. There was only one choice for the night: a molasses pot du crème, topped with whipped cream and granola. It had more of a denser texture than your crème brûlée, but was velvety smooth, rich, and had that depth of flavor associated with molasses.
The lesson here? Don’t forget old favorites! Because the experience itself will liken to any other new favorite you find. It helps that Three Boars Eatery changes their menu quite frequently though. This was my third visit and Joe’s first. Judging from his «mmm”-ing and «hmm”-ing, the dinner was quite the success. Only a couple of days later he asked why we weren’t going to Three Boars for dinner again. I’m going to take a wild stab and say that they’re up there on his list of eats (although nothing surpasses Vietnamese food in ranking). Can’t wait to return for another meal. Service was decent, my glass of water never empty. Our server disappeared for some time after our plates were cleared prior to dessert but it was manageable. The biggest change since my last visit? An expanded seating area upstairs which accommodates at least four more tables! Most excellent. Makes reserving that much easier! Check it out if you haven’t been yet and if you have, go again.

After getting off the plane and checking into our hotel in Edmonton, my travel buddy and I made a beeline for Three Boars.
Were we seeking out a place with hipster vibe? Nope, we get plenty of that in SF
Was it the craft cocktail menu? Not really, but good drinks are always a bonus
Did it come highly recommended by friends or co-​workers? The Unilocal reviews are helpful, but that’s not the reason
Answer? Foie Gras!
Since this delicacy is now illegal in California and plentiful in Canada, it only made sense to seek it out while out of the country. We had it on good authority that Three Boars offers foie, so we bundled up for a walk in the Whyte Ave ‘hood. (I use the word ‘hood loosely, since it’s a perfectly lovely and safe area to be walking around).
The storefront is relatively unassuming, but there is a sign with the Three Boars name and logo on it, so as long as you’re looking you can find it. And it was dark, warm, and welcoming when we ventured inside, still in shock from the cold temps. It was still pretty early, around 5 pm, so there was plenty of seating upstairs as well as at the bar.
I won’t go into the booze selection too much, other than to say it’s good. Really good! Whether you’re into a simple Canadian beer or a fancy pants cocktail, no one goes without. There’s even handmade sodas if you’re not a big drinker.
The star the show on our visit had to be the kimchi with shaved foie gras. Literally a mountain of goose liver «snow» atop pickled veggies (and some apple as well?). Never had anything quite like it. The shavings melted in your mouth and added a rich, buttery flavor to the kimchi. Wish I had taken a photo, but alas, my phone was turned off to avoid international roaming fees. Which means you’ll have to go try it for yourself!
We sat at the bar for a few hours with a few other beverages and small plates, wishing there was a Three Boars in our neighborhood. If there was ever a reason for these folks to open up shop in California, we’d welcome ‘em with open arms.

I like Three Boars! Great service, cozy wood room, and delicious plates that are small so that you can share and experience more items!
We ordered the pork cheek/​jowel appie and it was the best one on the menu. Smoked and packed with flavor it was served with beet medallions, grainy mustard, and sauted shallots. Each bite was amazing but the sweetness from the beets made the dish by adding some sweetness.
Next we had the scallops with lentils and miso-​octopus ink reduction. The scallops were tasty and cooked well but they lacked a little crunch from grilling (now I’m being picky). The ink reduction was the most memorable part of this dish.
Third up is the Swedish meatball poutine. Now it sounds good on paper but I don’t think the logistics worked. Fingerling potatoes that weren’t crispy, big pieces of cheese curds that hadn’t melted at all, a decent gravy, and three quite large Swedish meatballs. Now I like meat balls as much as the next person (=I) but these were quite hard. They literally fought back while you were chewing them. It created a negative eating experience and totally negated any flavor because of the difficult texture issue. Also the potatoes need to be crispy to enjoy a true poutine so overall this dish was a flop.
The spicy Korean Banh Mi sandwich was next and it made up for the sad poutine. They had the classic vietnamese filling and substituted the meat for a Korean marinated beef and it worked well. There was a good level of spice to it which it needed especially since it said it was spicy on the menu. I was a little concerned with the French Baguette they decided to use but it worked out in the end. IMO baguettes are not good sandwich material and I love me a good baguette.
The dessert was a cake with apricot reduction but we decided to keep what little room we had left for our 10pm reservations at Corso32! Stay tuned for that review as well!
I will definitely be back on a regular basis since the menu changes so often I can have a unique experience each time!

Finally getting around to writing my review for the Three Boars.
I ventured out to the three Boars last month ago with a fabulous group of Unilocalers!
We shared many delectable bites including their take on Poutine — Beef Brisket Poutine! Let me just say the gravy was divine, the brisket tender, and the cheese squeaky! The flavours were paired perfectly and definitely not what I had expected (take a peek at the pics I uploaded of all of our bites we shared!).
The pork jowl was awesome and the presentation definitely tickled my fancy!
The devils on horseback were my favorite appitizer to share — the perfect pairing of savoury and sweet! I’m not usually a fan of bleu cheese but it was matched perfectly inside the sweet date and savoury bacon — Mmm… Just writing this makes me want to go back for more!
The Fentiman’s old fashioned sodas were a blast — My hubby and I tried Dandelion and Burdoch & Cherry Tree Cola.
For dessert, I ordered the two freshly made specials of the day to share with my mates: custard with fresh berries and crumble on top and a twinkie served aside a poached pear (I believe caramel sauce was involved). I’m sorry that I don’t remember more details from the desserts — they were reasonably priced (which I always appreciate when a restaurant doesn’t gouge me on dessert!) but were both lacking that something to make them just perfect. The crumble was a little densely paired with the delicate custard and the poached pear was missing that crusty glaze and could have been poached a little longer. The flavours were divine and I’m definitely glad I ordered them and I would not hesitate to order the desserts of the day in the future!
I think the chef picked the Twinkie to be a little tongue in cheek with the current state of Hostess going bankrupt and the media playing up Twinkie hysteria ;-)
The atmosphere upstairs was completely reminiscent to me of my younger years in Seattle or a little dive bar in Portland, Oregon. I will definitely come back again and again!
Great eats, great atmosphere, great service, great company! Does it get any better?
P. S. The view from the upstairs eating area is of McDonald’s across the street — and I couldn’t help but chuckle about this with my dinner dates!