Police and paramedics converged on a downtown resturant early Sunday after a 37-year-old man was stabbed. (Shaun McLeod)

A 37-year-old bystander waiting for a taxi was stabbed and seriously injured outside a downtown Winnipeg restaurant early Sunday.

Police said they were called to the 200 block of Edmonton Street at about 2 a.m. CT, where a man was found with stab wounds to his upper body.

He was taken to hospital by ambulance and is now in stable condition, police said.

Const. Jason Michalyshen said it appears the man was just waiting for a taxi outside the Ming Court restaurant on Edmonton Street when a man who was involved in a nearby argument walked over and allegedly stabbed him.

"I don't have any indication that he was trying to intervene in any way — it does appear that he was separate from this group of individuals that were involved in an argument," Michalyshen said.

"For whatever reason the suspect in this matter targeted and stabbed him to the upper and lower body."

A 24-year-old suspect is in custody facing a charge of assault with a weapon.

No information about the victim was immediately available.

Investigators remained on scene Sunday outside the restaurant to investigate.