Fat Rabbit: What’s the deal?
I wasn’t expecting my best meal of 2025 to be found in St. Catharines, but chef Zach Smith is doing something magical 25 minutes south of Niagara-on-the-Lake. The restaurant in an unassuming strip mall is at once a butchery, cozy eatery and retail space where diners and shoppers can pick up ragu for the road.
Vibrant plates of scallop crudo on floral, gold-edged china fly out of the kitchen to tables of eager guests, some of whom have accidentally stumbled upon this bizarrely wonderful spot, while others have had Fat Rabbit pegged ever since it nabbed the eighth spot on Air Canada’s Best New Restaurants 2024.
Daniel Neuhaus
Smith has worked in kitchens in Vancouver and Toronto’s Bar Raval, but it’s Niagara that has his heart. “The people here are proud and have every reason to be. Not only is it stunningly beautiful, but some of the best produce I have ever tasted or cooked with is grown right here in our backyard. Eating a Niagara peach in the hot Niagara summer sun is one of life's true pleasures,” gushes Smith.
Fat Rabbit: The menu
Herbivores will be well fed, but the pig’s head chilling in the display case is the first clue that Fat Rabbit is unapologetically meaty. “I saw a disconnection between people and the proteins they eat,” says Smith, who himself has struggled with the ethics of meat-eating. “I wanted to put emphasis on the fact that the delicious dish you get at a restaurant came from somewhere, and that somewhere was a life that once existed — that shouldn't be taken for granted.”
Daniel Neuhaus
Here, farm-to-table is a way of life, not a tagline: All of the meat on the menu is pasture-raised and ethically sourced from local suppliers like Linton Farms and Beverly Creek. “We utilize every part of the animal, ensuring nothing gets wasted.”
Daniel Neuhaus
Despite my stomach’s protests, my fingers cannot stop dancing towards more smoked sausage, tangy cheese and pickled things. I could exist on this alone, but the big guns shortly arrive: pork cutlet smothered in Japanese curry sauce, a whopping T-bone steak and an irresistible truffle-topped lasagna. Small plates circle our protein-laden table, eager to prove that their punchy anchovy vinaigrettes and sunchoke-soaked plates are nothing to be sniffed at.
Daniel Neuhaus
In addition to the food, there’s a wonderful selection of mostly local wine and a cocktail collab with Dillon’s — perfect companions for the boldly flavoured, thoughtfully sourced dishes. You’re likely to find something new every time: “We are most excited about what's good that day, and that’s usually something off the back of a farmer’s truck.”
Fat Rabbit: The space
Smith always wanted to work with whole animals, but didn’t have the chance until now. “Whole animal butchery and sourcing animals directly from farms that practice regenerative farming is the backbone of sustainability in food.” When we arrive, I’m given a tour of the kitchen. Justin Upper, Fat Rabbit’s head butcher and charcutier, holds a salt-cured pork leg aloft like a newborn, and ushers me into the meat locker, where I dodge cured cylinders of bresaola and salami dangling from the ceiling.
Daniel Neuhaus
Back in the dining room, the high ceilings and simple setup give Fat Rabbit a chic canteen vibe, while the rows of canned olives and natural wine flanking the green tiled walls are pure hipster wine bar. “I wanted to create a space where shopping could be enjoyable again, with a glass of wine in hand while snacking on some housemade charcuterie and planning out your home-cooked meals for the week,” says Smith.
Dinner and drinks for two: around $130 before tax and tip.
