New to Canada? Discover Local Meat Culture at Fat Rabbit’s Butcher Shop and Restaurant

Nov 1, 2026

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Heading to Niagara Falls? Add St. Catharines to your food itinerary

Fat Rabbit is in St. Catharines, in Ontario’s Niagara Region.

This MICHELIN Guide–recommended restaurant is also a butcher shop: you can sit down for a charcoal-grilled steak, or pick cuts from the counter to take home.

If you want to explore more of Canada’s food culture, what makes it worth a visit is how it links buying meat with eating it, and gives you a window into how a kitchen handles its ingredients.

Photo: Google Maps

Why a butcher shop and a restaurant?

Chef and co-founder Zach Smith has worked at Bar Raval in Toronto and at Matty Matheson’s Meat + Three in Fort Erie. The Fat Rabbit team works with small farms, cares about how animals are raised, and aims to make good use of every part of the animal.

So the restaurant, the butcher shop and the house-made charcuterie work together: cuts that suit the grill go to the table, and the rest are used through other dishes and curing. The menu changes with supply and often features lesser-known cuts.

Photo: Google Maps

Quick guide

What is whole-animal butchery? The shop buys the whole animal and its own team breaks it down. Familiar cuts like ribeye and striploin are only a small part of a cow, so whole-animal butchery means thinking about how to use everything else.

In general, tender cuts suit quick searing or grilling; cuts with more connective tissue are slow-cooked or braised; bones go into stock; and trimmings can become ground meat or charcuterie.

Photo: Google Maps

Reading the menu without guessing

Charcuterie isn’t just cured ham. It covers a whole family of cured and prepared meats, including air-dried meats, sausages and cooked meats, each with its own method and texture.

The MICHELIN Guide singles out these at Fat Rabbit:

Bresaola: air-dried beef; the house version has warm spice notes.
Mortadella: a cooked sausage; Fat Rabbit’s version includes pistachios.
Salami: a spicy version brightened with orange peel.

Tip: on your first visit, ask what’s house-made that day, order a few to share, and compare how the meat, spices and fat each change the flavour.

Photo: Google Maps

For an easy start, try the cheeseburger

You don’t always need a big steak. Fat Rabbit’s burger, as described by the restaurant, comes with:

An 8 oz beef patty (about 227 g)
Sherry caramelized onions
Gruyère cheese
Dijonnaise
Pickles

What makes it work is the balance: the onions bring sweetness, the cheese adds richness, and the mustard and pickles add tang. Knowing these menu terms also makes it easier to pick a burger you’ll like at other restaurants.

Photo: Google Maps

Getting to know local ingredients, one restaurant at a time

Fat Rabbit is a good pick if you’re into meat-focused cooking, want to try house-made charcuterie, or want to extend a Niagara trip to St. Catharines.

On your first visit, find out which cuts are available that day, then order for your group’s size and appetite. An unfamiliar word on the menu is a good excuse to chat with the staff.