Favourite local music venue

1. The Good Will Social Club

2. The Handsome Daughter

3. The Park Theatre

Favourite local restaurant

1. The Handsome Daughter

2. Bonnie Day

3. Shorty’s Pizza

The Handsome Daughter gives smaller local bands a place to start performing, while its in-house restaurant Magic Bird Fried Chicken offers some seriously good food.

The Handsome Daughter’s booking manager, Corey Hykawy, says the appreciation for the venue was unexpected. The Good Will Social Club, now slated to close Feb. 1, 2024, has long dominated this category in the Uniter 30.

“It’s important to have places like ours that young bands can play,” Hykawy says. “I’m very happy to see that people love The Daughter and love coming to see shows here.”

The space is smaller than some other music venues in Winnipeg, which may seem like a disadvantage. Hykawy says it’s actually one of the great things about The Handsome Daughter.

“It’s important to have smaller venues,” he says. “Having a place that young bands can play and get their first shot at playing on a stage is really important.”

It’s easier for emerging bands to fill the room with the lower capacity limits of about 100 people. If only 30 people show up for a performance, it still feels full, Hykawy says.

“My favourite thing is that the room just has a character to it,” he says. “It’s not the best-sounding room. It’s not the nicest-looking room, but no matter where you’re standing in the room, you can see the stage great.”

Magic Bird Fried Chicken specializes in Nashville-style fried chicken and is run by chef Mike O’Connell.

The menu features crispy chicken sandwiches made with varying levels of heat for concert, trivia, karaoke or comedy-night attendees to enjoy.

The restaurant has been serving up classic fried comfort food and creative recipes since 2018.

O’Connell could not be reached for comment at press time.

Published in Volume 78, Number 12 of The Uniter (November 30, 2023)