river cafe

went here for our wedding anniversary. to be honest, the place did not live up to our expectations or to its reputation. it might’ve been great a decade ago, but these days there are simply too many much better options in calgary. the food presentation is beautiful, but the flavours are absolutely nothing to write home about. i am not 100% sure what my beautiful halibut was crusted in, but it tasted like cheap cornmeal which ruined the flavour of the whole dish.

i've the views and the ambiance of having a sunday brunch here on a good day in the park. service is excellent. the food was good just a bit on the pricey side for it's worth.

been wanting to come here for quite some time, and finally had the chance! such a great spot, and the perfect little walk to get there. i had the duck, which was absolutely divine! along with a glass of prosecco. others had the burger and pies. really lovely atmosphere, with big windows to let in the sun. can't wait to be back for some more amazing food.

considering the price, the food is not that great, but good. food presentation is not up to my expectation for an upscale restaurant. my husband had "hog wild boar" and i had halibut, i prefer his dish to mine. service was good.

the food is consistently amazing at this restaurant but the servers seem robotic. and i've experienced this on more than one occasion and have heard it from other friends. the servers need to be more friendly, more engaging, get to know the people eating (if that's the vibe they're putting out) and generally just create a whole experience beyond just the food. i have not seen anyone capable of doing this at the river cafe. it's unfortunate.

came here with a coupe buddy for an early dinner i have never been here before & it is a beautiful spot on princess island park. i got the early dinner special for $31 this weekends was red lentil hummus with canola seed flat bread & duck confit with oyster mushrooms, beets & barley. the hummus was delicious great flavour & when you add the roasted garlic with it on the flat bread was amazing. the duck confit was good but could have been better but the beets were delicious & the barley was amazing i so wish i had the recipe was so good.

we went to river cafe for big taste gourmet menu and it was really good. the dishes are well thought out. the fusion of sauces, vegetable and protein was very smart. some dishes i enjoyed more than others but none were terrible. i particularly enjoyed
course 3:
pacific ling cod, fairwinds goat feta, apple, endive, spruce & herb emulsion, walnut
course 4
naturally raised beef, wood grilled delicata squash, stone-ground cornmeal, buttermilk
course 5
preserved okanagan cherry parfait, crystallized cocoa nib, lemon balm

these were well infused dishes so i commend the creative chef(s).

atmosphere is beautiful, you feel like you are in the mountains. you get a blanket to cozy up with. the place is clean, washrooms are nice, service was good, coat check gal was great...i'd go back!

my fiance took me here for our anniversary (02/17/2017), and it was flawless. our server, ethan, was polite, animated and engaging while maintaining a professional, knowledgable presence. he really made our night. we'd been before just for a snack and drink, but the whole experience was more than worth the price.

we started with the fish and game board, plus six east coast oysters. my fiance got the duck (which he loved) and i got the daily feature (hand harvested clams with an amazing broth and baguette) which was succulent! we ended the experience with the pavlova which we had so much fun busting up and enjoying together.  they also end every experience with amazing little chocolate logs (if you've been before, they are reminiscent of the chocolate balls they used to sell as a feature dessert) which were rich and flavourful.
 
such a magical night, elevated by the beautiful scenery,  the calming atmosphere and our server's brilliants. 
thank you, river cafe!

if michelin rated canadian restaurants, river cafe would surely be considered for a star or two. their consistency, service, and inventive dishes always makes this a treat for calgarians and visitors to alberta. they always have staple menu dishes like bison and boar, and they know how to do it right every time!

i love everything about river cafe - the food, service, environment, and cool factor. if you haven't tried it, try it! it is on the expensive side, but that's what a good restaurant is all about.

this is a really beautiful restaurant with a calm and warm atmosphere. looking out at the snow incased wonderland of princes island park added to the peaceful ambience. we shared the appetizer of beef tar tar atop some freshly made artisan bread. it was really delicious, with combined layers of flavour of the radish, mustard seed and saskatoon berries.

for our main we both decided on the wild boar with vegetables. when i first tasted the potato mash i found it a tad salty, but quickly found that having this as a base to combine in mouthfuls of your other items was quite tasteful. i never needed to add salt to the meat and veg because the salty mash counteracted that. the veggies were lovely - squash and a carrot medley. i loved the squash. it was roasted to perfection so that you could eat the skin as well. the boar was good, but could have been more "melt in your mouth".

service was wonderful. the host that seated us was very gracious and our waitress was the perfect balance of attentive and professional.

our friend who lives in calgary was really excited to bring us to this special restaurant. we wanted to go for lunch so i could try a bison burger (bison isn't available in south africa), but we ended up going for dinner instead and sadly the dinner menu was totally different to the lunch menu. the options were quite limited but there were a few options that looked lovely. my mom and i had the wild boar and our friends had the trout and the sharing board. to be honest the food was pleasant, but not mind blowing and definitely not worth the crazy expensive prices. $45 for a pork loin with vegetables is really exorbitant.
the setting is gorgeous though - stunning decor, views of the river and island. and the service is very good. i'd recommend coming here for a light lunch and i'd come back for that.

i am born and raised in calgary and travelled extensively in europe, united states, china, japan, taiwan, etc. sampling different type of restaurant and cuisines.  
going to the river cafe was the biggest disappointment in my life.  i went into the restaurant at lunch, hungry and ready to dine on some fine local cuisine.  instead, the waitress told me that there was a two hour wait time and there would be no room for 1.  she didn't offer to waitlist me or ask me if i wanted take-out, she pointed me to the door.  

if you go there, prepare to be as disappointed as i was.  worst service experience ever.  i have left feedback with management on facebook a year ago - no response.  calgary tower, catch, saltlik, anju, etc. are all restaurants where i've received better service.  can't rate the food because i didn't get in the door.

it wasn't bad! service was a little lacking the food was presented well but needed more flavour. great dishes on the menu! the atmosphere was cluttered and we weren't quite sure what it was they were going for with the decor.

i have been here twice now. once for lunch and then once for dinner. the service was slow both times, so if you were in a rush i wouldn't recommend it but if you had time and wanted a meal to catch up with someone with this is the place to go. the food they make is absolutely amazing. i have had entrees and desserts both amazing. their wine list is great as well. also their food presentation is incredible too!