List of downtown Edmonton restaurants, cafés that have closed this summer
Posted July 22, 2026 3:45 pm.
Last Updated July 22, 2026 4:32 pm.
Stabilizing downtown Edmonton’s economy needs to be an “immediate priority” for city council, according to a coalition of businesses.
The Edmonton Downtown Revitalization Coalition (DRC) is asking the city to implement emergency business support measures.
The DRC is sounding the alarm as more downtown businesses close.
“Downtown businesses cannot wait until council returns in the fall,” said Cheryll Watson, the Chair of Edmonton’s DRC. “Businesses are closing their doors now. Council needs to act before the summer recess and ensure administration has a clear mandate to respond.”
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CityNews has compiled a list of eight businesses in or near the downtown core that have closed this summer. The owners of those businesses have pointed to construction, rising costs, and city policies as the reasons for their closure.
*The full list is available below.*
Edmonton’s mayor says council is taking action to address concerns through the downtown action plan, as well as supports for the vulnerable and addressing disorder in the core.
Andrew Knack expects a bigger focus on more relief this winter when the city hammers out a new four-year budget.
“While we’ve also had about 10 new businesses open up in the downtown at least that I’m aware of in the last little while, we need to support the ones that are just setting up, the ones that have been there for a long time as they’re dealing with different challenges,” Knack said.
Restaurants closing across Canada, councillor says
Downtown councillor Anne Stevenson says the challenges restaurants are facing need to be looked at within the broader context of the state of Canada’s hospitality industry.
“You know, there were 7,000 restaurants across Canada that closed last year, and expectations were that another 4,000 would be closing this year,” said Stevenson, citing projections from Dalhousie University published in January.
“It’s a very difficult market and that’s not exclusive to Edmonton or Edmonton’s downtown. As a municipality, we hold a piece of the pie, and we need to be doing as much as we can within that.”
The Ward O-day’min councillor says the city is responding to the construction and vibrancy concerns by introducing an accelerated roadwork plan. That plan would shorten construction times in certain areas and add more peace officers downtown and along transit.
But the Downtown Revitalization Coalition wants action sooner, including free street parking; waving patio fees for the remainder of the summer; changes to how downtown construction is coordinated; higher standards for contractors working on downtown projects; and regular public reporting on timelines and results.
“Construction is necessary, but the way it is currently being managed is placing an unsustainable burden on businesses that are already dealing with public safety concerns, reduced foot traffic and rising operating costs,” Watson said.
“Downtown recovery cannot succeed if there are no businesses left to recover. Every closure makes revitalization more difficult, more expensive and more uncertain. Council still has time to act but that window is closing.”
‘From bad to worse’
CityNews spoke to Edmontontians downtown who want to see the situation there improve.
“I’ve been in Edmonton going on almost 50 years,” one person said. “They’ve been revitalizing downtown in all this time and nothing has changed. It’s gone from bad to worse.”
“I think parking is a big issue, personally, for the restaurants,” said another. “Today, I’m trying to find parking for Taste of Edmonton, and it’s very hard to find parking anywhere.”
“New city council,” added a third. “Get rid of the incumbents that have been there forever that are not doing nothing, just blowing smoke.”
Here’s the full list, compiled by CityNews, of restaurants and cafés that have closed in June and July. The first five are downtown, while the final three are near downtown.
Khazana
Location: 10177 107 Street NW
Closure date: Early June
Reason for closure: Owner Mehaik Bhasin blames ongoing construction outside their business on 107 Street and 102 Avenue and is contemplating a class-action lawsuit against the City of Edmonton. Also closed their Windemere location.
kb&co
Location: 10224 104 Street NW
Closure date: Early July
Reason for closure: Owner posted on Instagram that “for the last six years, downtown has faced challenge after challenge. The construction, reduced foot traffic, changing work patterns after COVID, safety concerns etc, and every year seemed to bring another obstacle. I kept believing that if I just worked a little harder, stayed a little longer, or fought a little more, we’d make it through.”
PlayWright
Location: 10177 99 Street NW
Closure date: Late June
Reasons for closure: Owner Steven Brochu told CityNews construction and road closures on 99 Street have made it difficult for customers to get to his business.
Greta
Location: 10141 109 Street NW
Closure date: July 26
Reason for closure: President Chris DeCock told CityNews Tuesday it’s because of what he calls a lack of access and foot traffic, blaming construction. “It wasn’t one tax increase. It wasn’t patio fees. It wasn’t paid parking. It wasn’t hybrid work. It wasn’t safety. It wasn’t one construction project. It was death by a thousand cuts. Year after year, decision after decision, operating downtown became a little harder and investing there became a little riskier,” he wrote in a post on the business’ website.
Bündok
Location: 10228 104 Street NW
Closure date: July 19
Reason for closure: Did not share exact reasons when announcing the closure on Instagram. “Running a restaurant is tough at the best of times and as things have continued to mount up against us, we’ve decided the best thing to do is move on.”
Kommune Snack Bar
Location: 11931 Jasper Avenue
Closure date: June 13
Reason for closure: Owner told CityNews construction outside their door, rising costs, and challenges facing independent businesses led to the decision.
Rhubarb Café & Cocktails
Location: 12020 107 Avenue NW (Manchester Square)
Closure date: July 3
Reason for closure : Owner told CityNews they were expecting more customers into the spring and summer without events like Oilers playoffs.
Wilfred’s
Location: 10429 121 Street NW
Closure date: July 26
Reason for closure: No specific reason given when the brunch spot announced on Instagram. “Thank you for supporting us as a small restaurant and helping Wilfred’s grow into something far more meaningful than we ever imagined. The connections we have made over the years created a true sense of community, and that is all thanks to you.” Made By Marcus will still operate in the space.
