Mitzi's Review

Mitzi's is marvellous

WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Each city has its little gem that everyone should check out. Sometimes these places are tucked away and you can barely find them. Many locals and out-of-towners have often heard the name Mitzi’s and say “chicken fingers” after, but it is surprising how many people have not actually checked out the downtown Winnipeg restaurant.

Go in during the lunch hour and you may have a long wait to get a table, but there certainly isn’t a long wait to get the food. With diners coming in to eat or to take out food there is a constant flow of traffic amid the staff rushing around to serve all the tables.

I had never heard of the restaurant but was invited to a birthday dinner a few years back. Since then I have been there numerous times and introduced many local residents and even visitors from out of town to the eatery. Afterwards I ask my guest what they would rate the restaurant—out of ten—and I have never had a number less than 9.5. So what is the big deal about Mitzi’s?

The biggest highlight, and signature trademark of the restaurant, is the homemade chicken fingers. When we think of chicken fingers in a restaurant we often think of the frozen, heavily breaded, deep fried fingers. That is not the case at Mitzi’s. They seem lightly breaded and baked so they aren’t hard to bite or crispy at all. The chicken fingers are quite tender.

For under $10, customers are treated to a large platter of 8 chicken fingers, generous-portioned caesar salad and a bowl of Consomme soup arrives very shortly after ordering.

There are several other Chinese dishes on the menu. I haven’t tried any of them personally, I’m more hooked on the chicken fingers. But other diners I have been with at the restaurant have commended the heaping portions of rice and other dishes from the menu.

The speed in which the food shows up at the table has always been impressive. To time it and see how long it would take to get a meal on a Friday dinner rush was astounding. Sitting down at 6:00 p.m. on the dot (and already knowing what we wanted to order), the bowl of soup was brought within two minutes of the menus being scooped up and the meals were on the table by 6:05. That is ridiculously fast for a packed dining room of guests on a Friday night. It took longer to eat the meal than actually make it in the kitchen.

The bill is dropped off at the table along with lollipops for us to enjoy and we are out of the restaurant by 6:20.

A thumbs-up all the way for Mitzi’s and the friendly staff who, combined with the amazing food, make you want to keep coming back for more.