sidewalk citizen bakery

i love bakeries and cafes, and when i heard about sidewalk citizen bakery , i knew it was a place where i needed to go. we ventured to sidewalk citizen bakery on a weekend, and they had a lot of people in line, ordering from loaves to pastries, and even sandwiches! we were just stopping by basically just for a quick snack on our way to lunch. i love pain au chocolat , so naturally, it was something i got. the pastry was flaky, the chocolate wasn’t too sweet or too bitter. we also go something different, a cheese croissant which was amazing. the cheese was in the croissant, and it was crispy and awesome! it wasn’t as greasy as you would imagine it to be, so it was still very light and fluffy! overall, it as an amazing experience here at sidewalk citizen bakery! we decided next time we drop by, it will be for an actual sandwich, and for lunch – instead of a snack! i’m sure that will make my picnic perfect! sidewalk citizen bakery 2-5524 1a st. sw calgary, ab (403) 457-2245

sidewalk citizen never disappoints. the pizza is to die for as well as their grilled cheese with honey (sounds strange but it's delicious!) prices are very reasonable. highly recommend.

my goto on the weekends. great spot for a saturday brunch. personal favorite would be the crispy lamb shoulder pita. if you like light crust on pizzas you have come to the right place.

after reading many positive reviews, my wife and i went to citizens for brunch last sunday and decided to stay despite a very long line up.

after waiting 15min, we ordered fried egg sandwiches but were told breakfast was no longer available (1145am) as they were switching to the lunch menu (12noon); we then tried to order tuna melt but were told it would take at least 20min to accommodate this complicated & onerous menu switch.
however, we could purchase prepared sandwiches and salad—which we reluctantly decided to do.

we wanted to coffees with our sandwiches but were told we had to go line up again at phil and sebastian at front of restaurant to purchase our coffees. totally frustrated, we left.

apparently a non-culinary luddite like me fails to appreciate the grueling, logistical differences between putting an egg on toasted bread vs. melting tuna on untoasted bread-- which has so far eluded lesser mortals like my dim witted neighbor or folks who have repeatedly failed to carry this out at macdonalds.

this is 1st review i have ever written about any restaurant.

i pray to white jezus (the real one from utah) for calgary entrepreneurs to open more restaurants (preferably in east village) and through competition—pressure poorly managed restaurants to develop some common sense.

thanks for saving us a flight to paris. the bread...makes you want to sit in a corner with a baguette, giggling to yourself, while eating the whole thing. the pastries are incredible. spiking the ol' glycemic index never tasted so good. homemade pizza and ever-changing selection of sandwiches makes your visit feel new every time. bonus: the sunnyside market that's attached at the hip allows you to take home some of the nicest fresh vegetables in the area, and whatever other health food store goodies you may be running low on.

went for late breakfast/ brunch today’s memorial park location , beautiful day, seating outside, nice views and atmosphere
had shakshuka and loved the taste, also had chicken schnitzel that was all good.
going for extended breakfast you would expect decent coffee, they have no drip coffee and charge for every cup which is fine but the americanos were weak and watery, much less taste than any diner drip coffee which is saying something. i would go for the food again but have cold drinks next time

mmmmm!!! yummy! just polished off their grilled cheese & honey sandwich. outstanding!!! finished up with a cheesecake topped with blueberries. wow! one of the tastiest and lightest cheesecakes i have ever had. great, helpful, friendly staff and wonderful service! awesome!

this is a really nice place based on the outside of the simmons building, a reccomendation for anyone who is sitting here is the shashuska and bakery items with plenty of sweets :)

everything they make is phenomenal. their pizza and savoury scones are standout. if you get hummus to go, keep it as cold as possible and eat it with a day or two because it goes bad quickly. staff can be hipster and too cool for school but the food makes up for it.

food is good and staff is nice, but definitely a bit pricy for what you get which is expected for "trendy" east village.  the pita is usually good even the actual content changes from time to time.  the salads are fresh, and the pastries are decadent.

centrally located cafe in calgary in upscale area. crisp fried egg sandwich, bacon potato leek chowder accompanied with phil & sebastian coffee made this weekend brunch a memorable experience. expect a bit of wait as it is a busy cafe but the servers will bring the food to your table. only regret is not enough room to try their desserts!

so disappointed as we've anticipated going for lunch. sandwiches are premade, wrapped and cold. counter staff rushed us with no assistance, just pointing at boards. sandwiches very limited to only four choices. ham, egg, tuna or turkey and they were out of turkey. salad was tasty but $9 for medium veggie. add two bottled waters and a disappointing lunch cost $39.

had lunch here over the weekend. we got two sandwiches and a salad. the tuna melt was fantastic. they bake excellent bread. the turnip salad was nothing to rave over and it was quite pricey. i can't remember the name of the other sandwitch but i believe it was a cheese honey concoction.

i really love the atmosphere and the service. both are excellent and the location right on the river can't be beat.

i was expecting to be alone but looking down the thread reveals several common themes:

- very limited selection past early afternoon
- incompetent staff (yes, they are 'nice' but that doesn't solve the slow lineup)
- arbitrary hours as to when food is available (it does not match what they advertise)

i've experienced all of these problems over my last 3 visits and it seems many others below have as well. on two occasions i had to walk away empty handed.

yes, some of their food is tasty (skip the breakfast options though) but generally the overall customer experience is poor and is more than enough to drive away anyone with even the lowliest expectations for customer service.  

the area needs some real competition - until then: don't waste your time with this place.

pro: selection, taste, atmosphere, location

con: price, service

sidewalk citizen is a bakery/cafe in eastvillage, simmon's building.

i like their pastries and i go there very very often.

the best part about them is the taste/flavor. pie-ish pastries such as croissant and stuff are beautifully done. their plain croissant is the best in calgary in my opinion! also, other kinds of bread is awesome! i have never tried cake, i'd like to try someday. i have never tried their breakfast or lunch menu either. next time!

second, the place is so nice! the simmon's building is such a cool building with bricks and inside is pretty nice too. there are coffee shop located in the same building as well. it's phill and sebastian coffee(not my favorite coffee store though) so you can grab a cup of coffee and your favorite bread.

the neighborhood is very nice, it's right by bow river and there are nice parks around. it's great place for walk or enjoy sunshine on benches:)

however, their products are very expensive. the reason why i have never tried cake is it is way too over priced. a small cheese cake 7-8 bucks...it is pretty steep to try! my favorite, almond croissant is almost 6 bucks per one. to me, it definitely isn't something you want to buy every morning or feed to your entire family. but again, it does taste good so it's good to have for your treat.

also, especially weekend it gets very very crowded. however, they only have one casher. so you need to wait in line since you order till you pay for so long. i really wish they opened two registers on weekend.

overall, i love their product and if definitely recommend you to check out, but it isn't cheap either.