This blog post was updated on June 20, 2019, just in time for Canada Day office celebrations.

Sometimes the best parties are those that are planned in a last-minute rush or happen totally organically. Regardless of what kind of office celebration you’re hosting this Canada Day, we can help you in the patriotic food department.

This post is a collection of the most classic, stereotypically Canadian food ideas that are perfect for any kind of party. So whether you’re looking for salty snacks, the full meal deal, or sweet, sweet desserts, here’s a list of party-favour ideas and some Vancouver and Toronto-based Foodee restaurants that can help. Sounds good, eh?

Maple doughnuts (AKA northern donuts)

Okay, so doughnuts actually started as an American thing in WWI (check out our blog post on it), but they’re delicious and at some point became beloved Canadian too. Plus, anything with maple syrup on it is instantly perfect for any Canada Day party.

Where to get the best Canada Day doughnuts:

• Cartems, Vancouver: Smoked maple walnut doughnuts and apple fritters
• Lucky’s Doughnuts, Vancouver: Baker’s dozen of delicious locally-made doughnuts
• Glory Hole, Toronto: Seasonal cheesecake doughnut options or frosted and glazed

Beer

If you work for the kind of office that serves up alcohol at a work gathering, then beer is the ultimate Canadian favourite for any Canada Day office party in Vancouver. Order in some nice cold ones from your local craft brewery, or let us do the work for you, by delivering it nice and cold right to your office for July 1st Happy Hour.

Where to get the best Canadian beer:

• 33 Acres Brewing Co, Vancouver: Six packs of artisanal beer
• Blueprint, Vancouver: Order any local classic beers like 33 Acres, Parallel 49, Steamworks, Four Winds, Red Truck, Persephone, Yellow Dog or Strathcona
• Postmark Brewing, Vancouver: West Coast pale ale

Red and white dishes

Red and white dishes on Canada Day are a classic party favourite, just like red, white and blue are for July 4th in the U.S. We’re thinking of watermelon salads with feta cheese, or Caprese salads with white bocconcini cheese, red cherry tomatoes and basil for a very patriotic colour array. Or, go the sweet, cool way with red and white icey treats for your team this Canada Day. Here are our top picks.

Where to get Canada Day coloured dishes:

• Dlish, Toronto: Red velvet cupcakes
• Nosh & Go, Toronto: Canadian sour cherry and yogurt granolas
• Lemonade, Vancouver: Vanilla raspberry homemade cake
• Vancouver Urban Winery, Vancouver: White and red wines from BC
• Tubify, Vancouver: Raspberry raven lemonade and Coconut koala café latte homemade freezies

Fresh Canadian dishes, but mostly poutine

Vancouver’s Dunn’s Famous doesn’t get more Canadian. This whole menu is full of perfect full-meal deal ideas for your Canada Day party. For example, try their Le Canadien beef burger with grilled smoked meat cheese curds and BBQ gravy. Or go for the French Canadian poutine bar to share with your whole team (or not). They also have Montreal smoked meat sandwiches and red velvet cake (ie. red and white).

On the topic of French Canadian foods, definitely check out Montreal-style bagels from Rosemary Rocksalt for any breakfast, brunch, lunch, breakfast for dinner or fun snack ideas. Go wild and get the smoked salmon cream cheese for a west coast themed party.

Where to order from:

• Nom Nom Nom Poutine, Toronto: Traditional with gravy from Montreal or the wood smoked bacon option
• Dunn’s Famous, Vancouver: Quebecoise poutine with a side of fried pickles

Nuts

Nuts are the perfect party favour at any office Happy Hour party, especially when they’re covered in Canadian maple syrup, smoked bacon or if they come in our patriotic colours. Here are a couple of great Canadian nutty classics to start your hunt:

• Nut Merchant’s, Vancouver: Canadian maple almonds, candied pecans, or maple sriracha pecans.
• Toronto Popcorn Company, Toronto: White cheddar popcorn and ketchup or cajun popcorn

Apple pie and butter tarts

Nothing says Canadiana like a good old-fashioned apple pie. Vancouver’s The Pie Hole has just that with tart Granny Smith apples and sweet and crunchy Gala apples (and a dash of cinnamon). Plus, they have Bailey’s pecan butter tarts which are oddly a Canadian dessert staple. And these aren’t just any butter tart, they’re award-winning with a flaky crust, crunchy pecans and an Irish Cream center. Vancouver’s beloved Dixie has a delicious BBQ Jack Daniel’s smoked pecan pie topped with bourbon maple whipped cream and many BBQ platters to go with it, which we’ll get to shortly.

Smoked bacon, or any smoked or BBQ meats, for that matter

Smoked bacon, maple bacon, peameal bacon, Canadian-style back bacon… you name it. Bacon and barbeque are where Canada and America come together under one food culture. Think fried buttermilk chicken, smoked brisket, ribs, bacon, beans, cornbread, meat chili… This is where southern and northern food lines blur, but anything smokey or barbequed seems Canadian enough to me.

• Yolks, Vancouver: Double smoked bacon and egg breakfast sandwiches
• The Dirty Bird, Toronto: The Great White North chicken and waffles
• Dixie’s BBQ, Vancouver: Rib pack platter combo with all the sides and fixings you need
• Uncle Smoke Cookhouse, Toronto: DIY sandwich platter with BBQ Brisket and sides

Wild BC Salmon and prawn dishes

You can’t throw a Canada Day office party in Vancouver, BC without including a few classic BC salmon or tiger spot prawn dishes into the mix. Here’s what we’re thinking:

• The Holy Crab, Vancouver: Garlic tiger prawn and shrimp pasta
• Rosemary Rocksalt, Vancouver: Steveston bagels with Wild BC Sockeye salmon
• Rue 909 Sushi, Vancouver: Party platters of sushi with salmon
• Pacific Poke, Vancouver: The Main with salmon

We hope that some of these Canada Day food ideas work for your upcoming July 1st office party!

Happy Canada Day from the team here at Foodee!