{"id":14889,"date":"2020-09-19T20:30:42","date_gmt":"2020-09-20T03:30:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/?p=14889"},"modified":"2021-04-24T23:23:08","modified_gmt":"2021-04-25T06:23:08","slug":"river-cafe-calgary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/?p=14889","title":{"rendered":"River Caf\u00e9 At Prince&#8217;s Island Park"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><strong>A Hidden Gem, Right Out In The Open<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Located right in the middle of Prince&#8217;s Island Park is River Caf\u00e9, a beautiful caf\u00e9 style restaurant serving up some of the best local and Canadian food in Calgary. River Caf\u00e9 is often mentioned as one of the best restaurants in Calgary, which isn&#8217;t at all surprising given the large number of <a href=\"https:\/\/river-cafe.com\/about\/accolades\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">awards<\/a> they&#8217;ve won over the years. Their menu changes seasonally, as well as offering picnic baskets and picnic tables in the summer. During festivals at Prince&#8217;s Island Park, it&#8217;s the best seat on the island. The staff really elevate this place from a great restaurant to an exceptional experience, and they&#8217;re happy to answer any questions you have about their ingredients. They are also available as a venue for weddings or other events, which makes for some stunning memories of your special event. River Caf\u00e9 is such a great place to visit with family or friends for good food and good conversation. Try it at least once!<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/river-cafe.com\/reservations\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Make a reservation at River Caf\u00e9<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>River Caf\u00e9 would be a good place to visit for<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>weekend brunch<\/li>\n<li>romantic date nights<\/li>\n<li>family and friends visiting from out of town<\/li>\n<li>family dinner at a nice restaurant<\/li>\n<li>food critics\/writers<\/li>\n<li>foodies\/hungry people<\/li>\n<li>instagrammers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr class=\"symple-divider dashed \" style=\"margin-top: 20px;margin-bottom: 20px;\" \/>\n<div class=\"symple-column symple-one-half symple-column-first  \">\n<h2><strong>River Caf\u00e9<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>River Caf\u00e9 is easily accessible by foot from several directions as they&#8217;re located right in the middle of Prince&#8217;s Island Park, a large downtown public park. It&#8217;s only a short walk from the<\/p>\n<p>Parking is available nearby in several places. You can park in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/dir\/River+parking,+698+Eau+Claire+Ave+SW,+Calgary,+AB+T2P+5N4\/River+Caf%C3%A9,+Prince's+Island,+Calgary,+AB\/@51.053705,-114.0752107,18z\/data=!3m1!4b1!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x53716f7e2fd11f0b:0xef6c8d54e316183e!2m2!1d-114.0758019!2d51.0526273!1m5!1m1!1s0x53716ff0b8a6daed:0x5c2cf1576a10d505!2m2!1d-114.0716369!2d51.0548386!3e2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Eau Claire on the street<\/a> or across <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/dir\/River+Caf%C3%A9,+Prince's+Island,+Calgary,+AB\/200-286+Memorial+Dr+NW+Parking,+200-286+Memorial+Dr+NW,+Calgary,+AB\/@51.0559012,-114.0736092,17z\/data=!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x53716ff0b8a6daed:0x5c2cf1576a10d505!2m2!1d-114.0716369!2d51.0548386!1m5!1m1!1s0x53716ff6502810af:0x9c4fbf377cdcec4b!2m2!1d-114.0671965!2d51.0577118!3e2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Memorial Drive<\/a> and just walk over.<\/p>\n\n<table id=\"tablepress-RiverCafe\" class=\"tablepress tablepress-id-RiverCafe\">\n<tbody>\n<tr class=\"row-1\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><strong>Website<\/strong><\/td><td class=\"column-2\"><a href=\"https:\/\/river-cafe.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/river-cafe.com<a\/><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-2\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><strong>E-mail<\/strong><\/td><td class=\"column-2\"><a href=\"mailto:info@river-cafe.com\">info@river-cafe.com<\/a><br \/>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-3\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><strong>Address<\/strong><\/td><td class=\"column-2\"><a href=\"https:\/\/g.page\/rivercafeyyc?share\">25 Prince's Island, Calgary, AB T2P 0R1<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-4\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><strong>Phone<\/strong><\/td><td class=\"column-2\"><a href=\"tel:\/\/14032617670\">403-261-7670<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-5\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><strong>Facebook<\/strong><\/td><td class=\"column-2\">@<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/rivercafeyyc\/\">rivercafeyyc<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-6\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><strong>Instagram<\/strong><\/td><td class=\"column-2\">@<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/rivercafeyyc\/\">rivercafeyyc<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-7\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><strong>Twitter<\/strong><\/td><td class=\"column-2\">@<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/rivercafeYYC\/\">rivercafeYYC<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<!-- #tablepress-RiverCafe from cache -->\n<div class=\"widget_wrap\" style=\"width: auto; height: auto;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zomato.com\/calgary\/river-cafe-calgary?utm_source=referral-widget-16629941&amp;utm_medium=review_badge&amp;utm_campaign=widget-business\" target=\"_newtab\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zomato.com\/widgets\/review_badge?badge_type=rating_large&amp;res_id=16629941&amp;widget_lang=en\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_14917\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-14917\" style=\"width: 590px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/river-cafe.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-14917 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/River_cafe_Calgary_fish_sign.jpg.png\" alt=\"River Caf\u00e9 At Prince's Island Park wooden sign shaped like a fish, nailed to a tree\" width=\"600\" height=\"328\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-14917\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">River Caf\u00e9 wooden sign. Source: River Caf\u00e9 Facebook<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"symple-column symple-one-half symple-column-last  \"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-14919 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/River_cafe_Calgary_front.jpg\" alt=\"River Caf\u00e9 At Prince's Island Park outside main doors\" width=\"500\" height=\"775\" \/><\/div><div class=\"symple-clear-floats\"><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/river-cafe.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-14904 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/River_cafe_Calgary_inside_fireplace.jpg\" alt=\"River Caf\u00e9 At Prince's Island Park Stone fireplace with rustic interior \" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" srcset=\"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/River_cafe_Calgary_inside_fireplace.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/River_cafe_Calgary_inside_fireplace-620x465.jpg 620w, https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/River_cafe_Calgary_inside_fireplace-644x483.jpg 644w, https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/River_cafe_Calgary_inside_fireplace-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/river-cafe.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-14905 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/River_cafe_Calgary_inside_bar_counter.jpg\" alt=\"River Caf\u00e9 at Prince's Island Park inside bar and tables with people\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" srcset=\"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/River_cafe_Calgary_inside_bar_counter.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/River_cafe_Calgary_inside_bar_counter-620x465.jpg 620w, https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/River_cafe_Calgary_inside_bar_counter-644x483.jpg 644w, https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/River_cafe_Calgary_inside_bar_counter-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h2><strong>History<\/strong><\/h2>\n<div class=\"su-quote su-quote-style-default su-quote-has-cite\"><div class=\"su-quote-inner su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\">In the summer of 1991, we set about transforming an aging park concession on Calgary\u2019s Prince\u2019s Island. River Caf\u00e9 began as a small full service caf\u00e9, operating summer only, with just a roof sheltering the tables from the elements. In 1995, we transformed the open air space, enclosing it with windows and walls to expanded the seating and operate year-round. We repurposed found materials and worked with local artists.<\/p>\n<p>Our vision was to create a unique restaurant that would feel as though it had always existed and that belonged in this remarkable setting along the Bow River. We built a fieldstone fireplace, created an open kitchen with an oven and grill that were fueled by orchard wood, and a bar made from a real boat. We created a large outdoor terrace overlooking the lagoon and landscaped it with mostly native plants which would flourish without irrigation.<span class=\"su-quote-cite\"><a href=\"https:\/\/river-cafe.com\/about\/history\/\" target=\"_blank\">river-cafe.com\/story<\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/river-cafe.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-14906 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/River_cafe_Calgary_windows_dining_room_patio.jpg\" alt=\"River Caf\u00e9 at Prince's Island Park tables with glass windows overlooking patio\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" srcset=\"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/River_cafe_Calgary_windows_dining_room_patio.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/River_cafe_Calgary_windows_dining_room_patio-620x465.jpg 620w, https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/River_cafe_Calgary_windows_dining_room_patio-644x483.jpg 644w, https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/River_cafe_Calgary_windows_dining_room_patio-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h2><strong>The Food<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>River Caf\u00e9 has a lunch menu, a dinner menu, dessert, wine, and a weekend brunch menu. Each menu is unique, and they change and evolve over time. All of the ingredients are sourced either locally if available, or from elsewhere in Canada. River Caf\u00e9 prides itself on only serving the best, high quality sourced food from <a href=\"https:\/\/river-cafe.com\/about\/sustainability\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">sustainable suppliers<\/a>. River Caf\u00e9 also works with <a href=\"https:\/\/mealshare.ca\/en\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mealshare<\/a>, offering a free meal to someone in need when an eligible item is purchased. The menus offer a wide selection of simple to fancy ingredients, from shucked oysters to top grass beef tenderloin, trout, wild boar, bison, lamb and more. Try the Artisan Cheese &amp; House Cured Charcuterie.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/river-cafe.com\/lunch\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Lunch menu<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/river-cafe.com\/dinner\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dinner menu<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/river-cafe.com\/brunch\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Weekend brunch menu<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/river-cafe.com\/dessert\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dessert menu<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/river-cafe.xdineapp.com\/#home\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Picnic menu<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In addition to chefs for the food, River Caf\u00e9 also employs their own Sommelier (Bruce Soley), so they have a professionally curated list of wine from all over the world, including several older vintages. <a href=\"https:\/\/river-cafe.com\/wine\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">View their wine list<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The beer menu is somewhat small, but local. They also offer a selection of non-alcoholic drinks, cider and cocktails.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/river-cafe.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-14903 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/River_cafe_Calgary_breakfast_food_beer.jpg\" alt=\"River Caf\u00e9 at Prince's Island Park Food drinks beer - Cabin Brewing Super Saturation beer, Buckwheat Pancake, Pastry Trio\" width=\"1200\" height=\"901\" srcset=\"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/River_cafe_Calgary_breakfast_food_beer.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/River_cafe_Calgary_breakfast_food_beer-620x466.jpg 620w, https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/River_cafe_Calgary_breakfast_food_beer-644x484.jpg 644w, https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/River_cafe_Calgary_breakfast_food_beer-768x577.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/river-cafe.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-14934 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/River_cafe_Calgary_weekend_brunch.jpg\" alt=\"River Caf\u00e9 at Prince's Island Park Hollandaise Breakfast food\" width=\"1200\" height=\"1067\" srcset=\"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/River_cafe_Calgary_weekend_brunch.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/River_cafe_Calgary_weekend_brunch-620x551.jpg 620w, https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/River_cafe_Calgary_weekend_brunch-644x573.jpg 644w, https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/River_cafe_Calgary_weekend_brunch-768x683.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_14902\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-14902\" style=\"width: 1190px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/river-cafe.com\/brunch\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-14902 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/River_cafe_Calgary_Menu_September_2020.jpg\" alt=\"River Caf\u00e9 at Prince's Island Park Weekend Brunch Menu\" width=\"1200\" height=\"2020\" srcset=\"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/River_cafe_Calgary_Menu_September_2020.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/River_cafe_Calgary_Menu_September_2020-620x1044.jpg 620w, https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/River_cafe_Calgary_Menu_September_2020-644x1084.jpg 644w, https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/River_cafe_Calgary_Menu_September_2020-768x1293.jpg 768w, https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/River_cafe_Calgary_Menu_September_2020-912x1536.jpg 912w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-14902\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">River Caf\u00e9 Brunch Menu (September 2020)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<hr class=\"symple-divider dashed \" style=\"margin-top: 20px;margin-bottom: 20px;\" \/>\n<h2><strong>River Caf\u00e9 Wedding Venue<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>River Caf\u00e9 also hosts weddings! You can rent the entire venue for your wedding, which seats 95. The restaurant itself is absolutely beautiful but with the Bow River making an excellent backdrop, the photos and videos you&#8217;ll take will be amazing. See <a href=\"https:\/\/www.riverweddings.ca\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">riverweddings.ca<\/a> for more info.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"symple-divider dashed \" style=\"margin-top: 20px;margin-bottom: 20px;\" \/>\n<h2><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>River Caf\u00e9 has been serving Calgarians since the early 1990s, and given how much effort they put into every aspect of their service it&#8217;s easy to see why they&#8217;re still in business today. I wouldn&#8217;t be surprised if they&#8217;re still around in another 30 years from now. If you&#8217;ve never been, why not make a reservation and see what all the hype is about? You&#8217;ll love it.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Also see: <a href=\"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/food\/brunch-in-calgary\/\">The Ultimate Guide To Brunch in Calgary (2020)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Hidden Gem, Right Out In The Open Located right in the middle of Prince&#8217;s Island Park is River Caf\u00e9, a beautiful caf\u00e9 style restaurant &#8230; <a title=\"River Caf\u00e9 At Prince&#8217;s Island Park\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/?p=14889\" aria-label=\"Read more about River Caf\u00e9 At Prince&#8217;s Island Park\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":14891,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[224,262],"class_list":["post-14889","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food","tag-food","tag-restaurants","infinite-scroll-item","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/River_Cafe_Calgary_outside_front_doors-e1600407454818.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14889","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14889"}],"version-history":[{"count":28,"href":"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14889\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16304,"href":"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14889\/revisions\/16304"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14891"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14889"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14889"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crackmacs.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14889"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}