Kelowna’s dining scene reflects the community’s culinary DNA, showcasing farmers' and producers' fresh, local ingredients from the surrounding Okanagan Valley. When paired with the unique talent of local chefs, who are often found collaborating on innovative menus and concepts, Kelowna gives groups travelling to the region for business events plenty of options, allowing meeting and event planners to curate some memorable—and flavourful—moments.  


Meet, Dine, and Stay

OAK + CRU from the Lagoon

When choosing a host hotel in the heart of downtown, planners will ensure delegates can grab a coffee on their morning walk, a glass of local wine or craft beer before the evening’s events, or dinner with a colleague on a free night. Hotels like the Prestige Beach House, with its prime location across from City Park and Hot Sands Beach, or The Royal Anne, a boutique hotel located on Kelowna’s main street, Bernard Avenue, are geared toward small meetings and offer excellent access to all the downtown businesses.

The city's largest resort, Delta Hotels by Marriott Grand Okanagan Resort & Conference Centre, is along the downtown waterfront. The full-service hotel—with more than 33,000 sq. ft. of meeting and function space that can accommodate groups of up to 1,500—also offers the lakeside OAK + CRU Social Kitchen & Wine Bar. The hotel's Wine Experience Room features over 300 bottles of local wine, so delegates will not have to go far from the hotel to taste the local flavours of the Okanagan. Small, intimate groups can also be hosted in the room for a wine-paired culinary event.

Group Dining at Hotel Eldorado (6)
Lakeside Dining at Hotel Eldorado

Moving beyond downtown, several other meeting facilities also offer onsite dining options. Eldorado Resort—comprised of Hotel Eldorado and Manteo—is home to Lakeside Dining and Maestro's Mediterranean Restaurant and Terrace, both of which have indoor and outdoor dining. At Hotel Eldorado, you can also take advantage of The Whisky Room, with onsite whisky ambassadors to guide you through their wide selection. If you're planning for 50 people or less, inquire about using the Eldorado Roof Top for a welcome reception or stand-up function—the lake views will wow your delegates!

In West Kelowna, The Cove Lakeside Resort can welcome smaller groups of up to 160. Onsite, delegates can dine at The Landing Kitchen + Bar, where the culinary team serves up its "favourite globally inspired dishes made with locally sourced foods." During the warmer months, they can take advantage of the restaurant's seasonal patio where they will not only dine on the best of the Okanagan but also enjoy spectacular lake views.


Curate Exceptional Off-Site Dining Experiences

Ravi at Quails Gate for Vineyard Dinner
Vineyard dinner at Quails' Gate Estate Winery. Photo Credit: Chef's Feed & Destination Canada

There is no shortage of off-site options in and around Kelowna, including memorable experiences like dining in a vineyard, as pictured above at Quails' Gate Estate Winery, home to Allison House, one of the Okanagan's original homesteads. The winery can accommodate groups of up to 200, though configurations may vary between indoor and outdoor spaces. 

Quails' Gate and several of the more than 40 wineries in the region have restaurants onsite, including CedarCreek Estate Winery, which took home WineAlign's Winery of the Year in 2022 (Quails' Gate placed just outside of the Top 10 in spot 11). The winery's onsite restaurant, Home Block, is led by Executive Chef Neil Taylor, who recently took home Gold at Canada's Great Kitchen Party Okanagan Wineries Chef Competition and will go on to represent the region at the Canadian Culinary Championship in February 2024. The winery can host receptions of up to 100, wine-paired dinners of up to 60 guests, or intimate experiences for 10 people or less in the private dining room. 

Wineries aside, there are numerous other unique off-site spaces to host your receptions or banquets. Downtown, nestled alongside Okanagan Lake, is the Kelowna Yacht Club, whose floor-to-ceiling glass walls offer exceptional views of the lake and surrounding mountains. The catering menu has selections for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and all the breaks in between if you're using the meeting space. During the off-season, the Members' Lounge may be available to host seated dinners for groups of 180 or less. With several other spaces, the Kelowna Yacht Club can comfortably host dining events for up to 80 people. Local wines and craft beers are a staple in the club, with locally produced non-alcoholic beverages like Farming Karma Soda and MotherLove Kombucha also available. 


Take Advantage of Local Catering

The Okanagan Table - Long Table Set upPhoto: The Okanagan Table

Speaking of locally crafted, Kelowna's catering options will bring the best of the Okanagan to your event. The Okanagan Table—part of the RauDZ Creative Concepts group, co-owned by renowned Chef Rod Butters and restaurateur Audrey Surrao, who has been inducted into the BC Restaurant Hall of Fame—can create customized farm-to-table menus using fresh, local, seasonal ingredients. The team can bring the food to your event, or you can also host your small group in its physical space in downtown Kelowna. Private cooking classes or demonstration classes can also be arranged at the venue if you want another fun off-site activity. Another fun fact? One of The Okanagan Table's instructors, Kelsey Oudendag, has also been inducted into the Hall of Fame. 

One of the Okanagan's top full-service catering companies, Broken Anchor Kitchen, delivers farm-fresh menus for events of every size and style. Headed up by long-time local Chef Ross Derrick—and fellow 2023 BC Restaurant Hall of Fame inductee—Broken Anchor can bring its food truck, mobile horse trailer bar, or pizza kitchen to your outdoor event, adding fun to your delegates' dining experience. The team is equally skilled at crafting muti-course menus that will wow your attendees. 

If you are looking for snacks to serve during breaks, look no further than Bliss Bakery, Sprout Bread, or Karat Chocolate + Pastry Boutique. Each offers delicious coffee, pastries, and light lunches incorporating home-grown produce and ingredients. Reach out to them for a box lunch or room amenities with a local culinary flare. 

Some of the other local catering options include:

If you want to use a local caterer but still need a venue, Sandhill Winery offers an 8,000 sq. ft. event space with a sleek, modern feel. With the addition of a commercial kitchen and the flexibility to bring in catering, planners can create a truly Kelowna dining experience. 


Let the Local Experts Help You Plan

There’s no limit to the variety of ways you can leverage Kelowna’s culinary experts to create memorable (and flavourful) meetings and events in the Okanagan. With so many options to choose from, where do you begin? Talk to the team at Tourism Kelowna to find the perfect pairing for your next meeting or conference in Kelowna.