Blazing Chicken Shack: Downtown Winnipeg Didn’t Need Another Restaurant—It Needed This One

By Donovan Martin Sr, Editor in Chief

Blazing Chicken Shack, tucked into the former Shawarma Khan building at 392 Graham Avenue, does the latter. From the moment you walk in, it feels deliberate—warm without being staged, busy without being chaotic. The space doesn’t feel repurposed; it feels renewed. Downtown Winnipeg doesn’t get many rooms that feel like this anymore, and you sense immediately that something real is happening here.

Opened in September 2024, the restaurant carries itself like a seasoned pro—comfortable, self-assured, and quietly confident. That confidence traces directly back to its founder, Eric Saniuk, a Winnipeg native who spent 15 years as a Red Seal journeyman carpenter working at the absolute top of his trade before deciding to trade blueprints and tool belts for heat, flavour, and a whole new kind of craft.

When you’re that established—when you’ve mastered your profession, earned respect, and operated at a level most people never reach—you don’t change direction lightly. Yet Eric did something rare. He didn’t pivot out of frustration or necessity. He made a full, conscious 360 and stepped into an industry he had never worked in before.

That kind of move only makes sense when passion outweighs fear.

When you believe deeply in something—when you trust your instincts, your discipline, and your work ethic—starting from scratch doesn’t feel reckless. It feels honest. And the results here speak loudly.

Eric chose downtown on purpose. In a time when many avoid the core—short lunch breaks, safety concerns, too few places that can deliver real food quickly—he saw opportunity. He saw people who deserved better options. He saw a city center that needed investment, not abandonment.

“I love this city. I love the people,” he says simply. “I wanted a place where people could come, feel good, eat well, and not feel rushed.”

That philosophy shapes everything here.

This is the best of both worlds—a place where you can get a meal fast enough for a lunch break, but good enough to feel like you sat down at a proper restaurant. It’s efficient without feeling transactional. The service is sharp, friendly, and unpretentious. You’re in and out if you need to be—but you never feel pushed.

Then there’s the food.

This isn’t fast food with ambition. This is restaurant-level flavour served fast, and the difference is immediate.

The Crunchy Chicken Sando is a masterclass in restraint. No spice. No sauce coating. No distractions. Just beautifully fried chicken—shatteringly crisp on the outside, moist and tender inside—resting on a soft potato bun. Garlic aioli adds richness without overpowering. Fresh tomato and cold, crunchy lettuce bring balance. It’s pure, comforting, and confident. The kind of sandwich that proves quality doesn’t need noise.

The Hot Honey Wafflewich goes in the opposite direction, and it works just as well. Chicken tossed in Eric’s homemade hot honey sauce hits with sweetness first, followed by a slow-building warmth that lingers. Two maple-infused waffles add depth without turning it into dessert. Chipotle mayo hums underneath with smoke. Pickles snap through the sweetness. Crispy jalapeños add bite. Coleslaw cools it all down. It’s indulgent, layered, and shockingly balanced.

The Big Tex Smoky Sando is bold and unapologetic. Texas-style smoky BBQ sauce coats the chicken, deep and savory without becoming heavy. Garlic aioli, crunchy pickles, tangy slaw, and crispy onions stack texture on texture. It’s messy in the way great sandwiches should be—two hands, full attention, zero regret.

And then there’s the heat.

The menu offers nine to ten heat levels, thoughtfully scaled so everyone—from cautious eaters to seasoned heat-seekers—has a place. But at the very top sits The Waiver.

This is not a novelty. This is not for bragging rights alone. You sign a waiver because the heat is real, sustained, and unapologetic. It builds. It lingers. It tests you. And somehow—even here—flavour still leads. It’s fire with intention, not punishment. Easily the hottest chicken sandwich in Winnipeg, and one people keep coming back for anyway.

The sides demand just as much respect.

The fries arrive hot, properly seasoned, crisp on the outside and fluffy inside. They’re not greasy. They don’t fade halfway through. They hold their crunch and practically insist on being dipped.

And the macaroni and cheese—this is where the place quietly separates itself from everyone else in the city.

There is nothing like it in Winnipeg.

It’s rich without being heavy, creamy without being soupy, indulgent without feeling lazy. The sauce coats every noodle perfectly, smooth and layered, tasting intentional rather than reheated. This isn’t a side you tolerate—it’s one you crave. The kind people talk about after the meal. The kind you order “just to try” and then never skip again. It doesn’t support the plate; it competes for the spotlight.

All ingredients are sourced locally or across Canada, reinforcing that this isn’t just about flavour—it’s about investing back into the economy and the community Eric believes in.

The atmosphere ties everything together.

There’s an ease here. A rhythm. Downtown workers grab lunch without watching the clock. First-timers become regulars quickly. You see people smiling, relaxed, satisfied. In a core that’s been missing places like this, Blazing Chicken Shack feels essential.

Eric backs that belief up with action—offering an automatic 10% discount to anyone who works downtown, no questions asked. Because revitalization starts with the people who show up every day.

Catering requests are pouring in. Questions about franchising keep coming. Expansion is already being planned, with a simple franchise model in development and more details coming next year alongside growth across the city.

Winnipeg didn’t borrow this idea. It built it.

These are the flavours you expect in Memphis, New York, or Toronto—cities known for fearless food culture. Winnipeg just got its first true taste of that energy, and it landed exactly where it should have.

Fast enough for lunch.
Good enough to crave.
Bold enough to matter.

Downtown finally has a reason to eat well again.