Sip and savour the cuisines and beverages Summerland has to offer safely this long weekend

Photo: Contributed

"Stay and Savour Summerland” is a three-part series of stories highlighting everything to savour and explore in this unique community, produced in partnership with the Summerland Chamber of Commerce and Visit Summerland.

There are plenty of ways to sip and savour the flavours of Summerland's food and beverage establishments this long weekend, all while staying safe and following provincial health guidelines — and of course, supporting locally owned businesses.

While sit-down meals are temporarily prohibited indoors, patios like the Perch Pub for classic pub fare, or Second Home Cafe and Grill for delicious brunch and lunch are open for business, as well as offering meals to go.

Country Cafe and Granny's Fruit Stand and Bakery, which is only open Thursdays for the moment, also both have patios to enjoy, or if you just need a cup of joe, The Beanery Cafe and True Grain have small patios to sip a warm beverage and enjoy a fresh baked good in the spring sunshine.

Or if your long weekend plans tend more toward staying at home with your bubble, plenty of restaurants are open for takeout. Get a delicious pizza delivered or pick it up from Yaki's Pizza and Subs, Murray's Pizza and Pasta or Prima Pizza and Chicken.

And check out local specialty restaurants Just Delicious Japanese Bistro, Beijing Restaurant, and Happy House Chinese Restaurant, all open for takeout.

Zia's Stonehouse restaurant has a patio that isn't yet ready for the season, and have closed in the meantime. And every restaurant would always love the support of the purchase of a gift card to be enjoyed in the future when they fully reopen, or a positive message on their business pages on Facebook and Google.

Feeling thirsty? Summerland has plenty of options along its iconic Bottleneck Drive, populated with wineries, cideries and distilleries in the rolling vineyard hills surrounding the town.

Some of the tasting rooms along the drive may have changed their opening weekend plans due to the new provincial health orders, so they recommend calling ahead to your favourite spot. And you can always shop online, join a wine club, or ask about gift cards, or if you are ordering takeout or delivery from a restaurant, add a locally-produced beverage to your order if it’s on the menu.

If beer is more your thing, look no further than Breakaway Brewing Co., located downtown. While their in-room dining is suspended, takeout of their specialty tasty tacos and pretzels is still on, and of course, growler fills of their locally-produced small-batch beer.

Looking forward into the spring, there is a lot to get excited about, with new establishments planning to open to add even more flavours to Summerland.

Fruit stand enthusiasts can anticipate checking out Chillers Ice Cream and Farm Stand, opening in May, and featuring local produce plus everyone's favourite treat to beat that Okanagan summer heat — locally-sourced ice cream.

Shaughnessy's Cove, a long-beloved pub on the lakeshore that was closed for over a year, is making a big comeback thanks to Score Pub Group founder Jesse Ritchie.

"It was so great for so long, and we’re the group that can bring it back to its glory days," Ritchie told Castanet.

And get ready for new flavours at Fitzpatrick Family Vineyards at Greata Ranch, opening a bistro later this spring.

No matter what your palate, Summerland has something to satisfy it.