River Cafe in Calgary's Prince's Island Park is back open for service

River Cafe, one of the best restaurants in Calgary for lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch, reopened for service last month.

You might also like:

This much-loved spot reopened its doors in February, and with warm weather and spring approaching, we can’t wait to get back.

The food here focuses on locally sourced meat and seafood entrees using regional and locally sourced ingredients. The building itself is a chic restored park concession building, for a rustic but upscale atmosphere in the tranquil setting of Prince’s Island Park along the river.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by River Café (@rivercafeyyc)

The setting and food here make for an extraordinary dining experience unlike anything else you’ll find in Calgary.

The wood decor left over from the old space creates a warm and inviting atmosphere. It’s accessible fine dining that never feels stuffy. The service is friendly and the food menu is rustic but elevated.

Food menus change at River Cafe from lunch, to dinner, to the outstanding weekend brunch. It also changes with the seasons, another example of the dedication to using available ingredients, but also exciting new and returning diners.

The lunch menu has light offering, like forgo baked flatbreads, lamb tartare, and winter greens, but it also still has several main entrees that would be right at home on the dinner menu, like the peach glazed duck confit served with Canadian heritage bean tabbouleh, chimichurri, and garlic chips.

For dinner, many of the lunch starters are found, like the city’s best charcuterie-style fish and game board, with cured lonza, Berkshire Farm coppa, and salumi, Kyoquot Sound smoked sablefish, birch syrup smoked salmon, River Café house-made pickles, and preserves and crackers.

Weekend brunch in the park on the river is also hard to beat, especially with dishes like the smoked salmon sandwich, buttermilk pancakes with hazelnut whipped cream and seasonal berries, and four different kinds of Eggs Benedict made with a roasted garlic and rosemary biscuit.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by River Café (@rivercafeyyc)

The food is so good here it would be among the best in the city no matter where it was located, it just so happens to be in one of the quietest and most picturesque areas within the city.

The patio is large and decorated with sprawling white umbrellas and bright green foliage, a hideaway from the hustle and bustle of the city with peeking views at the park and river.

If you’re lucky enough, there is even a licensed picnic garden to have a fine dining picnic in the park featuring some of the best food and service in Calgary.

This is one of the most beautiful spaces in Calgary — inside and out. Get down to the park for a culinary experience unlike any other in the city.

River Cafe

Address: 25 Prince’s Island Park, SW, Calgary

Instagram