DunnEnzies

Ellis Street sits a block or two back from the water in downtown Kelowna, part of the compact grid of offices, shops and cultural venues that makes up the city's core. DunnEnzies keeps a room there at 1559 Ellis Street, close enough to the waterfront parks that a meal and a walk by the lake fit together without moving the car.

Parking is the honest complication. Downtown Kelowna runs on street stalls and paid lots, both of which get scarce in the evenings, so drivers coming in from Glenmore, Rutland or the hillside districts often do better to leave the car a few blocks out and finish on foot. Anyone staying in the downtown hotels can ignore the question entirely. Beyond that, the things worth asking when you call are the ordinary practical ones: whether the kitchen takes reservations, whether there is outdoor seating and how it is handled when the weather turns, and how far in advance a larger party needs to be arranged. Restaurants in a tourist city plan around those swings, and a short conversation gets you a better table than turning up hopeful.