Bodega Highlands: How To Upgrade Your Brunch, Spanish Style

Transform your weekend brunch into a Spanish getaway at SABOR’s Bodega Highlands in Edmonton’s historic neighbourhood.

Brunch is on the rise here in Edmonton with new establishments opening every year. It’s a trend I’m happy to see, a brunch enthusiast myself. For those that need a change from your farmer’s egg and bacon breakfast, I’d recommend paying a visit to Bodega Highlands, an outpost of the SABOR family of restaurants.

Bodega Highlands

Whilst SABOR is known for their seafood centric menu, Bodega Tapas Bar at SABOR in downtown Edmonton has always been the more casual, laid-back sister. It’s my stye of dining: nibbling on smaller plates with bigger flavour. Bodega Highlands is now co-owners Christian Mena and chef Lino Oliveira’s second Bodega location, and a third location coming soon to 124 Street and Stony Plain Road. Each location has a unique menu, and weekend brunch is what makes the Highlands location stand out.

The neighbourhood is cozy, quiet, and revamping itself nicely. It made for a nice walk that Sunday morning. As we opted for a later brunch that day, the restaurant was emptying out and settling into the afternoon prep work for the evening.

Tempted to do brunch the Spanish way, we opted to share a main brunch dish and order a few tapas. It made for a nice light meal for the two of us and packed full of flavour. Leaving an restaurant without having to roll yourself out is always a good thing!

Empanadillas

Patatas Bravas

Grilled Italian Sausage

Empanadillas (beef, lamb & spinach, sun-dried tomato, manchego cheese). One order of the empanadillas comes with your choice of three smaller, individual turnovers. Each are about two or three bite-sized pieces, making it perfect to share. We opted for one of each to try them all. I loved the flaky dough and appreciated that each weren’t filled to the brim and densely packed. My favourite was the lamb, beautifully spiced and a winner even in my friend’s book, a non-lamb lover.

Patatas Bravas Fried potatoes, spicy garlic aioli. I can’t help but order fried potatoes anytime I see it on the menu. These little nuggets were crispy, delightfully spicy, and addictive. I’d replace hash browns or fries with these any day of the week.

Grilled Italian Sausage.

Migas con Huevos

Migas con Huevos Sautéed bread crumble and bacon with two fried eggs & beef sausage.
The mixture of bread and bacon provided textural appeal to a couple of runny fried eggs. The beef sausage was the star of the dish and the better of the two sausages we had for the meal. A lightly dressed strawberry balsamic spinach salad accompanied.

Overall, brunch at Bodega Highlands was a beautiful meal and one that definitely requires your attention. I’m excited to see what Bodega on 124 Street has to bring to the table. Because they all have unique menus, I’m predicting that I’ll be back in the Highlands sooner rather than later. It’s a weekend getaway right in the heart of Edmonton.