Reader's Garden Cafe

Beautiful setting and wonderful, friendly service. The food tastes great. This is a place to slow down and enjoy the day.

Absolutely love coming here for brunch on a Sunday. The staff are so friendly, the food is wonderful, the garden is gorgeous and the desserts are to die for. Yes I had dessert after breakfast which was french toast.

Went for my aunt's birthday and had a great time, a bit on the pricey side but food and drinks were still fantastic. I had the ricotta salad with chicken and found I was still a bit hungry so if you're someone with a big appetite you might need a bigger meal. Service was so good that I didn't even realize I had gotten things or dishes were gone till she was already long gone. The atmosphere and the style of the cafe were fantastic though, even had a little basket of seeds at the front from some of the flowers in the garden.

Glad to be back to enjoy tue the gardens and food. Wonderful spot for Sunday brunch.good food and family times.

Beautiful location, especially peak season. I had the smoked salmon bagel, and the elder flower spritz. The bagel was $18.25 and the spritz was $4.50. The food wasn’t anything spectacular, it was solid. Not worth $18.25 though. I would go here again for a fun drink and maybe a dessert. Would not order a meal again though.

Delightful Cafe. Food and service was excellent. The gardens are beautiful but it is a bit of a walk on sloping pathways and steps that can be slippery when wet.

It's so cute in there. We just had some snacks after walking the gardens and they were good. Service was great.

Awesome old Historic Home converted into a beautiful and elegant restaurant / venue.
Phenomenal Spring and Summer Rock Gardens as well. Great view over the City and Stampede.
DMack.

We went to the cafe as we heard some great reviews from friends.

Everything seemed fine. We did take a while to order because we had to settle the kids down.

We received our food and everything looked great. One of our guest had their eggs overcooked and it was handled efficiently and we got our eggs done perfectly.

Then half-way through the meal, we found a long piece of hair in our guest meal. She was eating her croquet madam when a long piece of hair was tangled up in her food, in her mouth. It was rather long and she had to literally dig it out of her mouth. To which she completely lost her appetite and we waved a server over to show them the hair.

It was just taken away and we felt like it was an extreme bother. They were short staff and nobody came over to acknowledge anything. Obviously at this point, our guest had no interest in a new meal.

I saw the server grabbed the hair from our guests hand and placed it on the plate. She walked and placed the plate on the table near the back. After which we proceeded to serve guests rolled up napkins with her unwashed hands. Followed by running plates of food.

I understand they may have been busy, wishing hands and sanitizing is an important step.

We were also told that nobody else that was cooking had long hair. It seemed they were trying to say that it was our hair. Our guest’s hair was a short layered cut. He sat next to my partner which was a clean cut men’s hair. I sat on the other side of the table which was no where near her meal.

I was definitely disappointed with the SERVICE.

Staff were lovely, food was tasty, prices were reasonable, but best of all was the sublime location. Brunch and a morning walk through a sensational garden, a must do

We had a lovely last minute brunch at the Reader’s Garden Cafe. The place was very busy but service was friendly and timely.

We ordered the Chicken Pot Pie and Smoked Salmon Bagel. The portions were perfect for lunch and the food came out quickly.

The Pot Pie was baked fresh, very delicious and had a hint of thyme sneaking through.

The Bagel was excellent and the bagel: cheese: salmon ratio was perfect served with a twist of lemon.

Finally, the homemade lemonade spritzer was a delightful surprise - not too sweet but not too tart.

Will be coming back for sure.

Great food in a cozy atmosphere. The walk up is very nice as you get to see all the beautiful plants in the garden

Best place in town for lunch or dinner, great food and wonderful service from our waitress Eugene A gem in Calgary for sure

I am in awe! What a beautiful gem in Calgary's backyard. An amazing experience of learning of one's passion.

Amazing cafe! You do have to get a server's attention to get seated during peek hours, but they take amazing care of you once you're seated!

I recommend reserving a week in advance if you want to guarantee a seat outside on the weekend (small space). There is a bit of noise from traffic below, but not terrible.

We ordered the homemade chicken pot pie & soup (split pea featured that day), and lox bagel & salad. The chicken pot pie could use a bit more salt, however, the bagel was very refreshing! The salad is also very fresh, highly recommend. The portions do run on the smaller side for the price in my opinion, but worth it for the atmosphere!

Will definitely come back again to try the weekend menu!

Beautiful garden, a hidden gem within the city. Also the cafe is excellent, had the eggs Benny on a scone and so yummy. Looking forward to going back next year

Quiet, tranquil and reflective. Lovely horticulture!
Directions: Follow the sign to reach a gate to enter a garden. Keep following the rock path (in the garden) to reach Readers Cafe on top of the hill. The walk in the garden makes the visit there all the more special

The gardens are amazing and the food at the cafe is quite wonderful. My wife and I got married there last September and Helmut made it so easy the day of.

It’s a cute cafe with a cabin-like ambience and a small patio. The service is very friendly.

The menu isn’t too large but still has a good selection. Portions sizes aren’t huge - about right for lunch. You won’t feel too full to walk around the gardens after.

Great place for a family brunch. Good food and lots of space for kids to explore. It feels like your own private, natural oasis in the middle of the city.

Okay this place is so cute! Its hidden away in cemetery hill in the rock garden. A cute cabin like feel with super great brunch options. I sat outside on the patio and enjoyed the sunshine whole having brunch. Service was amazing. Super nice and on top to get your coffee filled. You dont need to worry to have and empty coffee cup because it will always be full here. Everyone was so nice and very happy. Had the quiche florentine, salmon benny, daily special omelet and all the food was great! Super cozy chill vibe for brunch. Hidden gem in the city.

I had a 94 year old friend go to this restaurant last week and fell on the path climbing the hill from its parking lot to the place. Obviously he companion had no idea the terrifying effort needed to make the climb. She needed The EMTs to get her off Calgary’ cemetary hill. The City of Calgary should never of livened this business which is a death trap to the disabled. I went up the hill on the wheelchair path and almost did not make.

Good place to walk around around and explore the gardens with its paths. Also neat to look at all the tombstones in the nearby cemetery. Great viewing place for stampede fireworks.

I've lived in and around Calgary for 38 years and had no idea this sweet cafe existed. The food was delicious, the service great. My friend who went with me also let me know that all the herbs and veg come from the gardens!

This place is a hidden gem! So beautiful and there is something blossoming at any given time. Worth the treck downtown.