Even before he moved to Edmonton, Mark Kilam felt an attraction towards the city. He was working for the red team (a.k.a. the Calgary Stampeders) at the time, but whenever he had a chance to pay our town a visit, he would head straight to Queen Donair on Jasper Avenue. “It was a road trip tradition for me and some other players,” he says.
When he got hired as the head coach of the Edmonton Elks last season — a role he calls “an honour and a privilege” — his family was still living in Calgary. This donair place ended up becoming his go-to spot as he settled into his new position. “I was eating there once a week at minimum,” he chuckles. And Queen Donair’s Super Donair became his comfort meal. This is a halal donair loaded with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onions and sweet donair sauce. Kilam’s personal touch: extra sauce on the side. “That is key!” he says.
There is no replacing this special donair in the heart of this man, but that doesn’t mean there’s no room to love other things about his new city. “There are a ton of hidden gems in this city and I am trying to find them all,” he says.
If there’s anything to be gleaned from this series: we Edmontonians love food and we love being outdoors. When we’re not slurping noodles or lingering over brunch, we’re taking scenic strolls, stopping at dog parks and snapping pictures at river valley vistas. Delve into this year’s list of Edmontonians’ favourite things — with best-loved picks from a variety of noteworthy locals who span the arts, business, sports and non-profit realms — to help build your own summer bucket list. And if you can’t make it beyond your backyard, you can at least follow this foolproof formula and enjoy something tasty in the sunshine.
This article appears in the July/August 2026 issue of Edify
