River Café
Canadian restaurant · Eau Claire ·
Locally sourced meat & seafood in chic park building
Locally sourced meat & seafood in chic park building
"Opened in the 1990s, this riverside restaurant helped shift Calgary dining toward a local, sustainable ethos; its aesthetic mirrors that approach with tall windows, wiry farmhouse chairs, a naturalist design, and an expansive patio that emphasizes seasonal, locally sourced cuisine." - Dan Clapson
"A special-occasion lunch setting recalled for an outstanding crab course and a perfect potato-and-taleggio pizzetta, with the dining room evoking a feel-good, filmic atmosphere." - Adam Coghlan
"This decades-old restaurant, located on the picturesque Prince’s Island Park, was embracing the whole local and sustainable ethos before those were marketing buzzwords. Owner-operator Sal Howell’s unfaltering leadership has kept River Café feeling fresh and at the top of its game year after year. Executive chef Scott MacKenzie maintains the culinary bar with creations that celebrate all things Canadian, but especially hyperlocally grown and raised ingredients during the warmer months. Having a meal here in the summer, while the on-site garden is in full bloom, is nothing short of magical. [$$$-$$$$]" - Dan Clapson
"Set in a rustic riverside building on an island in Calgary, this restaurant served a memorable vegetarian stew built from winter root vegetables, black lentils, and a potato purée, all circled with a rich red-wine sauce; the dish was praised for harmonious, complex flavors, varied textures, beautiful presentation, and complete satisfaction, and it inspired a later adaptation in the author’s own work." - Deborah Madison
