'exciting times' — drouillard road morphs into windsor culinary hotspot

barbecue, sushi, italian sandwiches, and quarter-pound cookies — all the food groups are there.  

“we’re heading into a period where we’ve had a lot of properties that have been either purchased or going to change hands shortly. so we’re going to see an influx. and these are properties that have been sitting empty for a long time.”  

drouillard road stalwarts such as brown’s breaktime lounge and the international tavern are still there, having weathered the decades of ups and downs in ford city. but several new neighbours have joined them.  

roots of the restaurant renaissance sprouted several years ago, with popular places such as heimat, a bavarian biergarten that opened in 2015, the specialty roaster and coffee shop known as chance coffee, and mexican fusion eatery the grand cantina.  

after grand cantina moved to walkerville, sawyer’s craft barbecue moved into its former drouillard location.  

sawyer’s specializes in texas barbecue — think brisket, ribs, and sausage — and riffs on that theme. it recently celebrated its one-year anniversary as a windsor hotspot.  

the vegan- and vegetarian-focused avocado pit sushi – ahimsa sushi, along with windsor’s first matcha bar, also opened about a year ago in the wolf & rebel boutique near the corner of drouillard and seminole street.  

there is also cookie bar, which offers beer, on-tap cocktails and, of course, cookies. big cookies.  

with each one weighing in at more than a quarter pound, the options range from old-fashioned chocolate chip to cookies stuffed with twinkies or packed with reese’s pieces and potato chips.  

the cookie bar’s brick exterior and patio on drouillard road is shown on friday, august 30, 2024. dan janisse / windsor star

“we loved what drouillard was, the vibe that we felt we were as a business,” said cookie bar’s anna eschuk. “less refined, more community-based. we just thought it was a perfect mesh with us.”  

eschuk’s husband, brent phillips, does the baking. the business idea grew out of his two passions: beer and cookies.  

“just taking his two loves and putting them together,” said eschuk. “some people joke that they don’t really go well together. but you’re hard-pressed to find someone that hates cookies and beer. you’re going to like one of them.”  

wilson bortolin, left, and charlie bortolin prepare sandwiches at petrella’s italian street food on drouillard road in windsor on friday, aug. 30, 2024. dan janisse / windsor star

the newest player on the drouillard culinary scene is petrella’s italian street food, which opened in april with former city councillor rino bortolin and his three sons at the helm.  

“you’ve got cookie bar down the street, which is kind of unique if you just want to have some drinks, pick up some cookies. and we sort of fit this lunchtime niche there.”  

petrella’s italian street food on drouillard road in windsor’s historic ford city neighbourhood is shown on friday, august 30, 2024. dan janisse / windsor star

at petrella’s, christened in honour of bortolin’s late mother and her maiden name, the focus is sandwiches.  

built on schiacciata bread — thin, crunchy, and baked daily — the wide range of sammies come with ingredients such as porchetta, marinated eggplant, crispy pancetta, and roasted garlic parmesan asiago ricotta crema.  

“based off of classic italian sandwiches,” said bortolin. “there are a lot of italian places in town to go for dinner. very few places to go for a casual lunch. we wanted it to be casual. we didn’t want it to be a sit down, liquor licence type of thing.”  

lunansky’s coney island was another popular spot, but it abruptly closed in august.  the owner, who did not respond to requests for comment, wrote in a social media post that the search for a new location is underway.  

with ford city’s cuisine scene taking off, potvin said the hope is to bring in other businesses to join the creative, service, and retail operations also slowly arriving as the historic neighbourhood’s resurgence gains momentum.  

brent phillips, owner of the cookie bar on drouillard road, is shown at the establishment on friday, august 30, 2024. dan janisse / windsor star

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'exciting times' — drouillard road morphs into windsor culinary hotspot

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