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Monday 11am - 9pm Tuesday 11am - 9pm Wednesday 11am - 9pm Thursday 11am - 9pm Friday 11am - 9pm Saturday 10am - 9pm Sunday 10am - 9pm

River Cafe

Home
Canada
Calgary, AB
River Cafe

Located on Prince’s Island Park, in the heart of downtown Calgary. For all large party bookings and wedding inquiries, email [email protected].
(1099)

We are dedicated to sourcing the best tasting local ingredients in season. We connect directly with growers and producers at their farms, gardens and ranches, and carefully choose those purveyors who are responsible stewards of the land. We support and honor the connection to these farms by always identifying the provenance of our ingredients on menu. Our style of cuisine is rooted in honouring si

mple quality ingredients. These whole foods are transformed by the artistry and innovation of our accomplished culinary team. At the heart of our kitchen is our orchard wood burning grill and oven. Chefs and sous chefs practice artisanal techniques; we butcher, brine, cure and smoke by tradition, and add to that a contemporary approach and sensibility. The culinary experience is a journey through our region and through time, a taste of place.

09/05/2026

Take this long weekend.
Every plate celebrates the season.
🌱

Photo: Pauline Yu Photography

08/29/2026

Kyuquot Sound Smoked Sablefish, Poplar Bluff Fermented Potato, Mans Organic Cucumber Cilantro, XO Sauce.

Photo: Pauline Yu Photography

08/28/2026

How Calgary’s River Café Became the Best in Show
by Elizabeth Chorney-Booth Elizabeth Chorney-Booth for Avenue Calgary Magazine.
From a seasonal concession stand to one of Canada’s most celebrated restaurants, River Café has come to define Calgary’s taste of place.
When Sal Howell first set eyes on the building that would become her award-winning restaurant in Prince’s Island Park, it didn’t have any exterior walls — the structure was nothing more than a kiosk inside an aging, open-air concession stand where hungry park-goers could grab a hot dog or ice cream cone. Yet somehow Howell, who was only in her early 20s and a rare woman proprietor when she opened River Café in 1991, could picture a vibrant contemporary restaurant compelling enough to lure diners over the footbridge separating it from Calgary’s downtown.
In almost anyone else’s hands, the idea would likely have fizzled out within a couple of years. Calgary is, after all, a car-oriented city full of people who choose restaurants based on their proximity to free parking. But Howell gave diners more than enough reason to make the trek to her urban oasis of thoughtfully prepared seasonal and sustainable food. River Café not only survived, but has now thrived long enough to celebrate its 35th anniversary while still sitting at the top of its game.
“I wanted to create something that was timeless,” Howell says, waving her hand towards the rustic wooden tables, canoes and snowshoes that make up the restaurant’s decor. “This is the artist in me. I wanted the restaurant to grow out of where it is, so it felt like it had and would always belong here.”
Continued in comments…
Photos: Jared

Sal Howell Kristen Livingston 𝙃𝙀𝘼𝙏𝙃𝙀𝙍 𝙋𝙀𝘿𝙃𝙄𝙍𝙉𝙀𝙔 Bruce Soley Cassandra Mathias Giermindl Thaison Santos Aaron Giguere Olivia Fournier Craig Hodel Kerry Lewis

08/13/2026

Connecting you to Alberta’s foodscape. Join us for Alberta on the Plate, until Sunday August 16. We’re shining a spotlight on Alberta farmers, ranchers, brewers and distillers with a special five course Chef’s Tasting Menu.

Benchmark Beef Tartare
Black Garlic Emulsion, Ear to the Earth Pickled Garlic Scape
Flaxseed Lavosh

Hot-Smoked Rainbow Trout
Sudo Farms Snow Peas, Birch Glaze, Spruce Tip Gel

Sudo Farms Grilled Broccolini
Highwood Crossing Sunflower Seed, Sylvan Star Grizzly Gouda
Broek Acres Pork Lardo, Sambal

Farming Worx Woodfire Grilled Duck Breast
Heritage Harvest Red Fife, Rocky Mountain Grain H**p Heart Romesco Broxburn Farm Carrot

Highwood Crossing Kamut Frangipane
Vital Green Farms Buttermilk Sherbet, JD Spuds “Cliff’s” Honey
Saskatoon Berry

Alberta on the Plate menu by Chefs Kristen Livingston Cassandra Olivia Fournier
Photos: Pauline Yu Photography

08/03/2026

Long weekend brunch plans. Open Monday at 11am.

08/01/2026

Food Day Canada began in 2003 as the World’s Longest Barbecue, created by food writer, Anita Stewart, to support Canadian beef farmers during a difficult time. It has since evolved into a nationwide celebration of Canadian agriculture, culinary talent
and food culture. It is more than a celebration. It’s a reminder of how interconnected our food system is. From farmers and processors to chefs and researchers, every link in the chain shapes what ends up on our tables. It’s also a moment to reflect on Anita Stewart’s legacy: her belief that “Canada is food, and the world is a richer place for it.” Happy Food Day Canada!
Pictured: Broxburn Vegetables Farm Tomatoes, Fairwinds Farm Goat Chèvre, Compressed Cucumber, Buckwheat,
Garden Mint, Mans Organics Rhubarb and Honey Vinaigrette
Photo: Pauline Yu Photography

Food Day Canada

07/27/2026

Food Day Canada is more than a date on the calendar, it’s a national moment of gratitude. On August 1, Canadians from coast to coast recognize the farmers, fishers, innovators, chefs, and home cooks who shape our culinary identity and sustain our communities. Join us as we celebrate those stories through a special Chef’s Tasting Menu crafted around our local growers and seasonal ingredients, joining the people behind our food, and the land that makes it possible. Menu available Friday July 31, Monday August 3 - Thursday August 6, after 5pm.
🍁
Food Day Canada Chef’s Tasting Menu

Smoked Spring Salmon
Sudo Farms Zucchini, Garden Cress and Buttermilk Emulsion, Wild Rice Crisp

Sudo Farms Peas and Okanagan Peach
Fairwinds Farm Whipped Chèvre, Grilled Peach, Garden Mint

Chilliwack Corn Agnolotti
Chanterelles, Nova Scotia Butter-Poached Lobster, Tarragon

Lambtastic Farms Lamb Rack
Heritage Harvest Red Fife, Southern Skies Grilled Kale, Sudo Farms Broccoli and Walnut Puree, Cherry Jus

Vital Green Farms Yogurt & Marigold Panna Cotta
Okanagan Plum, Blackberry Consommé, Fraser Valley Hazelnuts

Food Day Canada
Photos: Pauline Yu Photography

07/22/2026

G I V E A W A Y ☀️ W I N two (2) Saturday Folk Fest tickets on Prince’s Island Park PLUS a River Café blanket and $100 gift card to use toward a River Café picnic. Saturday’s lineup includes Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives, Madison Cunningham, Jazz Is Dead, Ruido Tovar, and S.G. Goodman.
To enter:
1. Follow River Café & Calgary Folk Music Festival
2. Tag the friend you’d bring
Contest Rules:
- Must follow both accounts
- Each tag = 1 entry
- Winner selected at random
- Contest closes Friday at 12PM (noon)MST
- Winner contacted via DM
- Must be available to attend on Saturday
- Not affiliated with Instagram
River Café is a proud sponsor of . We’re open for lunch, dinner, weekend brunch & patio libations during the festival. See you on the island.

07/17/2026

Our kitchen team is endlessly inspired by the quality of produce we work with, especially the beautiful mushrooms from TRAFFORD FARMS. We’ve created a meaty, Korean-inspired Lion’s Mane Mushroom dish using only local ingredients from Alberta farmers. Lightly charred scallions from hydroponic farm, Southern Skies, accompany Deepwater Farms greens and pickled carrot pepita. We adorn the mushrooms with Margaret’s famous kimchi and a bulgogi glaze, made with pickled grapes, ginger, green onion, Sunchoke and Gosford maple syrup.

07/14/2026

In need of something a little sweet to start the week. Angel food cake with Mans Organics rhubarb, Vital Green Farms yogurt crème, strawberry & Okanagan sumac gel, candied canola seed.

Pastry Chef Olivia Fournier
Photo Pauline Yu Photography

07/10/2026

TONIGHT’S THE NIGHT. We’re giving away 2 tickets to Oxford Stomp on Prince’s Island Park and the lineup is on fire.
Follow River Café & Oxford Stomp, then tag who you’re bringing for your chance to win.

Contest Rules:
– Must follow both accounts
– Tag = 1 entry (unlimited entries)
– Winner chosen at random
– Must be available tonight
– Contest closes at 2PM MST

Let’s stomp.

Address

25 Prince's Island Pk SW
Calgary, AB
T2P0R1

Opening Hours

Monday	11am - 9pm
Tuesday	11am - 9pm
Wednesday	11am - 9pm
Thursday	11am - 9pm
Friday	11am - 9pm
Saturday	10am - 9pm
Sunday	10am - 9pm

Website

http://www.river-cafe.com/

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Prairie Donair Crowfoot
20 Crowfoot Crescent NW Unit# 820

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