When it comes to blending buzzy food and beverage stops into a truly delicious getaway, visitors to Niagara are spoiled for choice. Luckily, narrowing down all the can’t-miss options in and around St. Catharines and the Niagara Benchlands just got easier!
The following six “this or that” choices will point you toward top picks that reflect the vibes, flavours, and experiences that are most meaningful to you.
This or That Your Way To > The First Meal of the Day
Old-School Diner Breakfast or Bougie Brunch
Fans of old-school diners can order up breakfast favourites with a heaping side of retro restaurant feels at local favourites like Penny’s Kitchen Diner and Coffee House in Vineland, Rozie’s Café in Port Dalhousie, and The Diner House 29 in St. Catharines.
Those who feel the pull toward more elevated brunching will be thrilled by the creative midday creations at Revalee Brunch Café in Vineland, the ever-chic Pique-Nique in St. Catharines, and Bistro Mirepoix, also in St. Catharines.
This or That Your Way To > Your Ideal Take on Touring
Go For The Grapes or Here For The Beer
Choosing between the dozens of wineries that call the Niagara Benchlands and St. Catharines gets much easier when you follow some sort of theme. With so many award-winning Niagara Benchlands wineries, creating a tour route comprised of only wineries with top honours is a tasty way to go! Try sipping the selections at Niagara Benchlands wineries recognized amongst Canada’s Top 25 Wineries in the 2025 WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada. Choose from The Organized Crime Winery, Fielding Estate Winery, 13th Street Winery, Malivoire, Hidden Bench Estate Winery, Thirty Bench Wine Makers, and Tawse Winery.
Designating a driver and hitting the seven craft breweries located in St. Catharines and the Niagara Benchlands is a bucket-list afternoon activity for craft beer lovers. In addition to great-tasting beers, the kitchens at Cold Break Brewing, Decew Falls Brewing Company, The Merchant Ale House, Helliwell Hall, Lock Street Brewing Co., Bench Brewing Company, and Newark Brewing all serve up incredible pub fare as well.
This or That Your Way To > Your Happiest of Happy Hours
Pre-Dinner Bubbles or All-In on Aperitivos
Step into Niagara’s sensational sparkling wine scene with a tasting flight featuring a bevy of bubbles at Kew Vineyards Estate Winery in Beamsville. Henry of Pelham Family Estate is another excellent choice for a sparkling wine tasting paired with buttery popcorn. Should your dinner reservation be in St. Catharines, head to the newly opened Siris Tasting Room on James Street, where the ever-evolving wine list features a rotating selection of bubbles by the glass, curated tasting flights, and bottles.
Those who prefer their happy hour with a more spirited pour can hit Dillon’s Small Batch Distillers in Lincoln and choose from a delicious selection of proper stirred cocktails, including Martinis, Negronis, and Manhattans, conveniently packaged in single-serve bottles for easy happy-houring back at your hotel room. In St. Catharines, the just reopened Wandering Spirits and Twenty Restaurant are both excellent options for happy hour cocktails.
This or That Your Way To > Your Most Delicious Dinner
An Over-the-Top Tasting Menu or a Multi-Restaurant Walking Tour
Restaurant Pearl Morissette’s ever-changing tasting menu offers an incredible 2.5-hour dining experience in Jordan Station, showcasing the finest ingredients from across the region. Make reservations well in advance for this one-of-a-kind experience at Niagara’s only MICHELIN-starred restaurant. Gourmet grazers will also be impressed by the multi-course meal at St. Catharines’ Restaurant Capelin, a micro-restaurant exploring seasonal rhythms through its fish-focused menu. The multi-course tasting menu is served at a very intimate single seating, creating a shared, immersive dining experience.
Those who prefer a smorgasbord of small plates at a variety of stops can opt to set out on a downtown dinner tour to discover St. Catharines’ red-hot dining scene. Can’t-miss options to add to your bingo card of best bites include house-made charcuterie plates at the MICHELIN-recommended Fat Rabbit, fresh-from-the-raw-bar shellfish and French bar-inspired shareables and snacks at Les Incompetents, a blackboard full of delicious bites and the best buttermilk fried chicken in town at Odd Bird, fabulously fused flavours at Pharmacii, perfect plates like Guajillo Chili and Coffee-Rubbed Duck Wings at Bolete, and a rotating selection of decadent dishes, including Niagara’s favourite chicken liver paté at Wellington Court.
This or That Your Way To > The Sleep of Your Dreams
Suite In The City or Coziest Country Stay
Holiday Inn & Suites St. Catharines is the city’s largest hotel, with suites designed for comfort that include a work desk, mini-fridge, microwave, Keurig coffee maker, flat-screen HDTV, free Wi-Fi, and complimentary parking. The hotel is pet-friendly and offers a full-service restaurant, a to-go cafe, an indoor pool, and a fitness centre. Have a ball at the bowling alley and entertainment centre, Parkway Social, or enjoy a cocktail and tasty appetizers on their rooftop patio, Lounge Six Sky Bar.
Niagara Benchlands has some lovely smaller inns and vacation rentals for those who prefer a more rural setting for their slumber. Excellent choices include Jordan House, Inn on the Twenty, Inn The Orchard, The Cottage at Honsberger Estate Winery, and Alvento Winery’s Vineyard Villa.
This or That Your Way To > Your Ride-Home Caffeine Kick
Urban Sips or Small-Town Beans
If you’ve spent the night in St. Catharines and need a hot, steaming cup STAT, coffee shops well worth a stop include Brindle and Bright Pours Café in St. Catharines and 416 Coffee in Port Dalhousie. In the Niagara Benchlands, Jordan Village is a great destination for morning caffeine. RPM Bakehouse, a sister property of Restaurant Pearl Morissette, uses beans sourced from carefully selected Canadian roasters. Plant No. 1 serves coffees, specialty teas and lattes alongside a delicious selection of plant-based donuts, gourmet cookies, and freshly made breads.
Find even more stops to add to your foodie foray around the Niagara Benchlands and St. Catharines in our Flip Side Files and by browsing our Culinary, Wine and Craft Beverages, Farms and Markets and Stay pages.