river cafe

since you do not respond to my inquiries via e-mail.. diners beware - horrificexperiencefor the price i paid. they have not responded to my emails i hve sent them regarding thisexperienceso hopefully they will see it here.

i recently took my mother and grandma to your restaurant to celebrate a belated birthday and early mothers day. they are new to western cuisine and typically stay within their realm of comfort when it comes to restaurants and they recently told me they feel intimidated and afraid to try new places with limited proficiency in english. i promised to take them to a restaurant with impeccable service and great food which is what i thought i was getting when i suggested to visit your restaurant. i was wrong, very very wrong. we sat at our table on the patio for 35 minutes with dirty dishes and not one visit from our server (the table beside us was visited frequently by their server and they even turned on the heat lamp for them and offered them blankets which was unfortunately not offered to us as it was getting cold.) my guests inquired as to why we were not waited on or offered such services and felt simply ignored, neglected, and ultimately forgotten about. when i inquired with the manager he simply said he will bring dessert menus over immediately which he did but with no follow up. we sat a while again in the cold awaiting once again for curt service from our server. what infuriates me most is that my guests felt ignored and treated unfairly and ultimately self concious of the fact their english is poor and that is why they are receiving such poor service. i am writing this not to accuse our server but in hopes your management are aware of the service you are providing to people and the guests persepcitve in such situations. to treat all guests the same and ensure theirexperienceis consistent with what your brand and restaurant stands for. i for one will now stop bringing family, friends, or clients of my business to your establishment in fear that they will be treated poorly due to their appearance or what you perceive them to be.

lovely place but not sure it's worth the price. we went last saturday and had a goodexperience- good service, lovely atmosphere, and such a pretty walk. but: not being much of a fish or pork eater, i went for the tenderloin which was $46! it was good, don't get me wrong , but $46! honestly, i just couldn't justify that. we each had an appetizer (the fish and game board ($22 for two) was fine although the pate was spectacular) and, credit where it's due, when i told our waiter that i didn't enjoy my mushroom raviolo, they took it off the bill. our entrees were tasty - the portions were a little small but that's usual in an upscale place, i guess. the best part of the meal was the saskatoonberry pie. mmmm. for the four of us plus a reasonably priced bottle of wine, it was over $400. whew. now sometimes that's worth it and i get that. but i'm not sure yet if it's true here.

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 wholeexperiencebeyond just the food. i have not seen anyone capable of doing this at the river cafe. it's unfortunate.

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 wholeexperiencewas 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 theexperiencewith the pavlova which we had so much fun busting up and enjoying together.  they also end everyexperiencewith 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!

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 serviceexperienceever.  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.

went here for the first time during big taste yyc 2016 and theexperiencewas okay... nothing too stellar. also, our server was a bit arrogant or snotty and that's a big no-no. food was great and at that time i thought of coming back to try their regular menu someday.

went back here tonight to celebrate my parents' anniversary.. and i am not too happy with theexperienceand the food. we were seated on the patio and i must say it had a nice atmosphere. i ordered the halibut & pork belly. the fish was cooked very well, even the pork, but overall the dish was a bit salty. i had the rice pudding for dessert and it wasn't as good as i thought. this place is very hyped up (kudos to your marketing team) but it didn't meet my expectations.

river cafe is currently my favourite restaurants in calgary. i have dined here a few times, and every time has been anexperiencei have savoured. the flavour pairings are impeccable. the ambiance is quaint and romantic- rustic and dimly lit as though you have stumbled upon an enchanted garden. incredible dining experience!

you cannot get a better location for fine dinning in calgary. right next to the turquoise bow river on prince's island park, you are nestled right in beautiful picturesque calgary landscape - and calgary is not the prettiest of cities to visit in canada. so come here if you are a tourist if you're wanting toexperiencethe best of calgary!

i've dined here a couple times now. after perusing instagram for the best brunch spots in calgary, i decided to come here for their weekend brunch this time. i ordered their hog wild boar ham, which is a poached duck egg dish accompanied by asparagus, and a large portion of boar ham. a nice exotic twist on a traditional dish. the cuisine here is generally pretty creative. 

everything i have tried here is yummy. if you're a foodie definitely bookmark this place and visit for on a nice snowy or sunny day (sit on their patio). you'll feel super outdoorsy and fancy at the same time.

we dined at river cafe for big taste. the restaurant offered an exquisite fine diningexperiencewith exceptional food, service and hospitality. the $15 prix fixe lunch featured ground lamb, seared tuna and oatmeal cookies. each was prepared with fresh, locally sourced ingredients. the meal was not only a great deal but also the perfect introduction to seasonal canadian cuisine. we loved it and no doubt we will be back to river cafe in no time!

i have always enjoyed my visits at river café. a major part of theexperienceis the short walk through prince’s island park just to get to the restaurant, enjoying the view of downtown and the river (or the bright lights strung at night). in this case, it was a late evening (8pm) on a thursday night, and the restaurant was in full swing. the restaurant was packed, exactly what i expect a popular restaurant in calgary to be like during big taste yyc week. i came for dinner with my family, and the service was exceptional, our server was attentive, and the food was great! though the portions may be smaller and the regular prices are on the higher end, river café is great about sourcing seasonal and local ingredients of great quality.

located at prince's island park, beautiful backdrop for this unique treasure in calgary. no matter the season you are surrounded by nature & it is hard to believe you so close to the downtown core. the lay out gives you a nearly 360° view of the island park. highly recommend choosing a cold winter day toexperiencebrunch at this gem. you'll be bundled up, walking through the park in can't feel your face kind of cold to be greeted with warmth & excellent service. as you sip delicious coffee to thaw your lips & hands, take in the silent snowy landscape. they can make adjustments for allergies or preferences. you will leave satisfied & filled, no food coma here as the quality of food is just so spot on. why not give a try!

we were there around christmas time and honestly the place had a magical fairytale feel to it. it is located right in the park, so be prepared for a short walk from your car.
once you are inside you are treated to the atmosphere of the cosiest kind with stone and wood walls and beams and real wood burning fireplaces.

the service was impeccable and the waiter told us that they make everything from scratch right there on the premises.

this is a real calgary gem, and everyone should have the privilege toexperienceit.

i have only been here once and it was for big taste. i have always walked by river cafe when i'm down at princes island park. i love that it has the rustic look and the inside feels like you are in banff. the only thing that deterred me from trying this place before was the price. it is on the expensive side, but during big taste, it was definitely worth it. one of my favourite dishes for the big taste was the octopus dish. i love grilled octopus so i had to try this dish. it was sooo tasty and it came with crispy pork belly as well. 
i enjoyed myexperiencehere and will go back again, probably during big taste :)

always enjoy myexperiencewith river cafe, great food, great service! one of a kind in calgary. i will definitely come back for another great meal!

lovely all around. we made reservations here for our 1st wedding anniversary.
when we arrived we were greeted with "congratulations" and prosecco on the house. they staff were so kind and attentive and the food was gorgeous and delicious.
yes, the price is a bit higher- but you're paying for the whole overallexperiencetoo.

loved it. will go again and again.