Eating Our Way Through Taste Asia Halifax

September 12, 2026

Words by Laura Oakley | Images by Michelle Doucette

Taste Asia is an annual event that showcases Asian flavours and culture over three days on the Halifax Waterfront. On a sunny Saturday, the air was full of mouth-watering aromas as we took a stroll through Salter Lot to check out char-grilled meats, bubble teas, dumplings, bulgogi, bao, and so much more. Food, artisans, workshops, and live performances make Taste Asia a vibrant celebration of community. 

Food & Drink Highlights

Matcha and ube were, unsurprisingly, trending this year at Taste Asia. For the uninitiated, ube (pronounced "ooh-bae") is a bright purple yam or sweet potato that’s native to the Philippines. It’s even previously been featured in the seasonal drink lineup at Starbucks. It’s often featured in purple-hued baked goods, and for the latte treatment, either powder or extract is used, producing a vibrant purple beverage. Both Xena’s Bread & Butter and Miss Curly Sips were serving colourful ube as well as matcha lattes (sometimes the two layered together!). 

The twirly tornado potato skewers were a carby, textural delight from Young Pocha Korean BBQ, and food on sticks definitely didn’t stop there. The grilled squid skewers from New Asian Food Market were smoky and delicious, along with the grilled corn. We also tried succulent, bright red Filipino hot dogs from Allano’s Catering, and even dessert came on a stick via Dubai chocolate-covered waffle wands from Mon Petite Stack. 

Chicken adobo and roasted pork dishes from Don Lechon, generously-stuffed pulled pork bao buns from Studio East, veggie dumplings from MoMoNepal, and chocolate Biscoff strawberries from Chocoberry were among other tasty bites we got to try. These highlights don't even scratch the surface, as the festival had over two dozen vendors. We can’t wait for next year!