THUNDER BAY – Dining Local – Today I wandered over to a hidden treasure at the corner of Walsh & Franklin Street. Gabby’s Spud’z has been in operation for over 5 years now. I never knew of its existence until a member of the Dining page said it’s fantastic, so when I hear that, I must try it for myself.
When you walk into Gabby’s you are greeted by the owner Gabby. She is happy and very upbeat, even though I had never been there before, she treated me like a regular, calling me hunny.
It’s a very nice feeling to be greeted and treated like someone she knew.
There are no real tables inside Gabby’s but she does have a sitting area with stools facing outside, so you can eat in if you choose. We decided to eat in and chat with Gabby as she prepared our food.
I checked over the menu and decided to try one of her famous milkshakes, Coney burgers and poutine.
Gabby’s has over 25 different flavours of milkshakes, but I’m a plain-jane girl who simply loves a good old chocolate shake, let me tell you, she has the shake down to perfection. I’ve never tasted better than what she served me today.
Gabby’s fries look like they come out of the oven, they were not greasy at all, I asked her how she cooked them; she explained that at the 5 year anniversary of Gabby’s, her husband treated her to a state-of-the-art fryer.
It looks like an oven, and it has a timer on it, she places the raw potatoes in the oven and they are cooked in grease, but there is no greasy smell. The fries fall out into a bowl when they are cooked, they are simply delightful.
On the poutine Gabby uses cheddar and mozzarella cheese with a real beefy gravy to top it off, (you can request just mozzarella if that is the way you prefer).
Gabby’s Coney burgers are the same as most places in town, but the special thing about Gabby’s is Gabby herself. She talks to you and makes you feel so welcome it’s hard to leave.
On Fridays you can have some of the best pulled pork in town. She also offers Bannock Burgers, a hamburger on freshly made bannock (native bread) it’s so delicious.
Gabby’s chicken breasts are real chicken, none of that processed stuff. Gabby strives to provide quality meats, and she takes pride in everything she makes, and makes a new friend in every customer.
Gabby likes to support other local places as she gets meat from European Meats and her buns are from Holland Bakery. The buns are so soft, it’s like they just came out of the oven fresh!
Gabby’s get the Thunder Bay Dining Thumbs Up for a great neighbourhood take-out place!
Kim Berly
Gabby’s Spud’z
Address: 642 Franklin St – (807) 623-5691
Kim will be writing for NetNewsledger.com sharing the local dining treasures in our community.
The Thunder Bay Dining Facebook Group came to life while having a conversation in the middle of May; while chatting in another Facebook Group, a person said ‘we should have a food group’ so the next day when I logged on to Facebook I thought ok, I will start a Thunder Bay food group.