About Us
At Smokey Bear our food is about two things: fire and quality ingredients. We strive to find the very best before cooking it over an open flame; a form of cooking that is amazingly intricate, yet simple. Food is created in the moment and is ever-changing. It is influenced by our surroundings and is prepared with little intervention to pay the highest respect to the ingredient.
We are not fine dining, and we are not entirely casual either, choosing to strike a balance somewhere between the two. The food is meant to be shared whether you're catching up with old mates, new dates, or sitting at mom's table. Pass the bowl, lick your fingers, and get messy with it.
A wood-burning grill is the heart and soul of the restaurant. An open concept invites diners into our world where you can see how good ingredients can become something beautiful. Pickles, ferments & dried components are on full display.
Modern Scandinavian decor highlighted by brick, natural woods & a touch of neon flair. Multiple seating options including hand-crafted wooden tables, chef's bar (our favourite seat!) & a wine bar always open for walk-ins.
Our team is relentlessly dedicated to creating an experience unlike anything in the city.
Chef & owner Riley Aitken has always been infatuated with fire. From a young age he spent countless hours outdoors fishing, hunting & camping. Always cooking over a wood fire.
Riley began traveling as a young adult passing his time and paying his way as a dive master. Which brought him to Danish summer island of Samsø. Where he began his professional culinary journey. He worked at a destination dining restaurant Isle Made, where he began to hone his skills and use of seasonal ingredients.
In 2014, Riley moved to Australia to work under esteemed chef James Viles at 2 hatted regional restaurant Biota Dining. Given an opportunity there, he developed his open flame cooking skill and ultimately became head chef. He lived on premise in the back of a 1984 Land Rover County during his tenure there. Spending any free time he had outdoors cooking over fire.
In 2019 he returned to his native Canada to open Smokey Bear. A culmination of his travels to be shared with Edmonton!