river cafe

amazing place, amazing food. i cannot say enough good things about this restaurant. the ambiance in this place is just unbeatable - it's quaint, romantic, pleasant, serene.. you get the idea.

we had amazing service and the food was great too. they have a great wine selection, and their bar makes a great cocktail too. we were able to find some great wine to pair with each course - and our waitress was actually able to help us navigate the menus.

i can't wait to go back here!

begin with the fish and game board to share; proceed to olson’s high county bison striploin or noble farms duck breast, and finish with house made truffles paired with a 2005 dow’s late bottle vintage port. pair the meal with one of the small artisanal wines designed by sommerlier and cellar manager bruce soley to compliment the regional and seasonal flavours on the menu.

worst service ever, all 6 of us had no feed room under the table, 5 meals got served cold..... this was the first and the last time for all of is .... another lesson learned.

this was my second time at the river cafe and i have to say i love it!
went there for a romantic date night on saturday just after it snowed. it looks amazing during the winter months. it's not too expensive for such a nice restaurant and the food is great. the service was fast, polite and professional. only turn off was the 3 year old at the table next to us but that is really not the managements fault. not sure why a parent would pick a place like the river cafe at 8 o'clock on a saturday for a 3 year olds birthday.

a university field trip to the river cafe!

what a beautiful fall day in yyc!! after a lovely walk to the river cafe, we were greeted by the smell of a wood burning fire. so happy to see this gem reopened and returned to her former glory after the floods of 2013. 5 of us sat down to an amazing lunch. i had the lamb, delish. appies to desert were perfect. food, presentation and atmosphere were amazing! if only our server had some personality and a smile!

the worst brunch experience i have ever had. management clearly doesn't care about their guests. cold food, foreign objects in food, very slow drink service. the only good thing about this place is the atmosphere. will not return or recommend and won't give boxwood a chance either. pure disappointment.

pleasant. went there for a casual business lunch. very pleasant atmosphere away from busy downtown with nice views of the fall colours outside. homemade bread with butter was tasty. the bison burger was delicious and served with roasted beets. so it was relatively light. the home-made ice-cream was equally delicious. we rinsed it down with tasty lightly carbonated water, a hard find in north america. yes, a burger was $19, and the desert was $10, but the overall package including quality of the food, ambience, and the attentive service were well worth it. a very pleasant lunch experience.

service was attentive.

late summer evenings. we've been planning a trip to river cafe for a while and it did not disappoint. great food and great service. i like to eat where the food is beyond what i can cook and the standards here are excellent. the staff were knowledgeable, friendly and well paced. we started with the game board to share and cleared everything. for main courses one of us had the bison and the other the wild boar, all great quality food, well presented. we were able to eat outside in september which is always a pleasure. a place to go back to and palace to take friends.

so hard to resist!. we thought it would be a great day to have lunch on the river -- and it was! the meal started began with fresh bread and real butter, its so hard to resist! we began our lunch with the fish & game board. every taste was unique and enjoyable but i must admit the crackers were really good! our guest ordered the bison burger which she only managed to each half of -- it will be a nice lunch another day. my husband had the rare albacore tuna (cold plate) and quickly polished it off without any leftovers. i chose and thoroughly enjoyed the wild board peameal bacon. not surprisingly i was unable to finish it (into the doggy bag). next time i think i would skip the appetizer so i can try the dessert menu!

nice location. the location is great and so is the view. i enjoyed the beef tartare. although i'm not vegetarian, i got the vegetarian main at the time because it sounded great. to be honest, it wasn't that memorable, but the rest of my party enjoyed their main dishes. dessert was great. i had a peach tart that was amazing. the crust was fantastic.

good but not great. i've gone to river cafe a few times and went again last week. you know, the food is good, no doubt, but i've yet to have a meal that really wows me. last week i had duck breast and was disappointed with quantity - four medallions half a cm thick each. there was a bread thing along with it to help fill me up, but the value didn't cut it for me. oh, and they brought out salads and got the placements wrong. no biggie and they of course fixed that quick, but then quickly took them back as they were missing an ingredient. expensive places mean lots more for tips based on percentage, and should command exceptional service. i think people say this place is great because they are supposed to say it is great. i'm not convinced.

big taste 2013 - $15 lunch pictures + review

river cafe is the only restaurant located on prince’s island park situated on the bow river. it has undergone many transformations to elevate it from a lowly park concession selling hot dogs to the rustic and romantic restaurant dedicated to serving only the very best regional and local ingredients. today i was seated at a table for six, family style. my friend and i enjoyed the company of the strangers sitting with us and as we discovered just how much we all shared in common, we became one in our enjoyment and wonder of the breathtaking meal laid before us. we were strangers no longer.

great food/atomsphere. my boyfriend and i have been here before but dined during big taste for their gourment menu - it was fantastic and the service was great!
i've almost written off river cafe due to unattentive service but maybe they've hired some better people? for places like river cafe, i expect better service, as that can make or break your meal and our waitress was awesome and timed everything well.
the horseradish creme fraiche with beets and smoked pickerel was absolutely delish! i also love their pimms and ginger cocktail - made with rosemary lemonade!


-----11 may, 2010-----

disappointed with service, but great eats still. i took my mom here for mother's day brunch and with service being a big part of a dining experience, i was thoroughly disappointed. our server constantly ignored us, and it was a hard feat to even get a refill on our coffee! she was slightly rude and should try to smile next time. anyways, the saving grace of this place is its food, and it was amazing as usual. i will come back because the ambiance is great, as well is the food, maybe just not for brunch....