river cafe

continue to believe that this little gem is one of calgary's finest place to eat. amazing ambience, greatmenu& beautifully presented / prepared food.

impressive!. i really enjoyed this restaurant! casual, comfortable atmosphere, very well presented food, from amazing quality products!

enjoyed reading themenutoo... some very big words used for very ordinary things (ie. wild boar = bacon lol)

can't wait to go bak!

we went to river cafe for big taste gourmetmenuand 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!

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 staplemenudishes like bison and boar, and they know how to do it right every time!

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 dinnermenuwas 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.

went here for the first time during big taste yyc 2016 and the experience was 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 regularmenusomeday.

went back here tonight to celebrate my parents' anniversary.. and i am not too happy with the experience and 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.

we came to the river cafe yesterday after hearing many great reviews of the food, service, and ambience. the location is beautiful and the restaurant itself is lovely and inviting. however, that was the only selling feature for us. even though the restaurant was not close to being full service was incredibly slow. our waiter never asked how the food was until we finished, and we waited 45 minutes before being offered the bill after our desert was cleared. unfortunately, my food left little to be desired. i ordered the halibut and had to sub for the pork belly as i don't eat pork. the staff was accommodating and replaced the pork with salmon roe. sadly, the dish was extremely salty and the vegetables felt very under cooked. i left more than half of my food and there was no effort to determine why i didn't enjoy my meal, or how this could be rectified. my boyfriend had the pork loin and enjoyed it very much. it looked very tasty. we then had dessert. i was thrilled to see rice pudding on themenu(one of my favourites). however, it was cold, covered in a hard sugar crust and the best part was the uncooked blue berries.

finally, the ladies bathroom was a mess. there was soapy water all over the counter and the paper towels were over flowing from the bin. it looked like no one had checked on it in quite some time.

great views, mediocre food, poor service, high price tag.

i’ve been wanting to try river café for a looooooong time. located right in the middle of prince’s island park, it’s the perfect spot to drop by after a nice, leisurely walk around the park. when i saw theirmenuon big taste, i was even more intrigued and knew i had to try them out.

at last!  john and i finally made our way to river cafe for the first time!  it was valentine’s day and john wanted to take me out for brunch. river cafe always has a newmenuas the seasons change, so get these while they’re still there!. house cured duck prosciutto and beets- cheesiry pecorino, highwood crossing oat

the interior and the atmosphere of river cafe is superb. however, the brunch that i ordered was lacking tremendously. it was nothing special. i have heard different things about their dinnermenuthough. i will have to try and come back for that one day.

i hate to give this review but this place is about a 50/50 and not on the good side. location,menuand ambiance, amazing. service, wine and water service, execution of food, terrible. service was 4/10, she had too large a section and took forever for everything. burger had a big piece of plastic so we sent it back and asked for a to-go, what we got was a box with a sticker. the sticker was well placed as we didn't open the box until we got home.. much to our surprise finding the same half eaten burger patty with chucks of others. disgusting and a disgrace.

great night out!
went for my girlfriends birthday dinner and we did the chefs menu... every course was amazing! the wine pairing were excellent and the staff were helpful, friendly and knowledgeable when ever course came.
it's such a great location and such a wonderful place to have a special evening out.
will be going back there for the regularmenusoon!

august 15, 2014 march 12, 2015 | theresa last night we headed out to celebrate cole’s (27th!) birthday at the river cafe. set in the middle of prince’s island park, this little restaurant has a rustic setting, surrounded by large trees and flower bushes. our reservation was quite late, and as we walked down the path to our destination, the sun was setting and the antique-like pathway lights were beginning to turn on. when we arrived to the restaurant, we were kindly guided to our table to join the rest of the dinner party. the interior has a rustic vibe, with cedar accented walls, large windows, and wooden tables and chairs. dimly lit with cabin-style light shades, you can watch the chefs carefully prepare each meal in the back while you relax near the large, stone fireplace. placed around the restaurant are additional cabin accessories, such as a large canoe and wooden poles. dinner started by ordering wine and enjoying a few slices of bread with salted butter. the bread was soft and chewy, spotted with herbs for additional flavor. i glanced through themenuand decided the salmon would be my dish of choice. for appetizers, we ordered hummus and a charcuterie board made up of cheese, fish, and various types of game meats. i quickly snatched one of the pieces of candied salmon and upon my first bite, remembered why i loved this place. the salmon was smoky, tender, and a little bit sweet. next, i helped myself to the wild boar prosciutto and broke off a generous piece of the canola seed crackers. deliciously salty! we continued to munch away at our appetizers, cole enjoying the smoked salmon, chicken liver pat

i also grabbed lunch with a friend at the river café which i heard was devastated by last year’s flooding, but is picture-perfect now. themenuwas so diverse and original it was hard to choose, but i ended up with tuna crudo which i loved. when i got to halifax, i tried the fireside’s newmenu(although i am very sad to see all their amazing salads completely gone) and had their portobello burger with beet chips – amazing! i have been dreaming about this sandwich ever since.

best restaurant in calgary. hands down, a personal favourite. although expensive the food is always amazing and the service is second to none. i also appreciate the wine selection at river cafe as it is the only restaurant in town i know of that has the okanagan tantalus riesling on themenu(an amazing wine). with free corkage on sundays it is a great spot to enjoy a bottle of wine and an early afternoon dinner on the beautiful patio in the summer.