In my (heavily biased) opinion Old Strathcona and Whyte Ave is the best part of the entire city. It…read moreprobably helps that I live nearby and have frequented this part of town practically every day of the combined fifteen years that I have called Edmonton home. The vibrant history of the area is one of Whyte Ave's defining features, each part of the streetscape telling its own story. One such example is the Hulbert block; a three-storey, brick clad, Edwardian commercial building that was built in 1912. On the street level of this building Edmontonians have been enjoying cozy cafe visits at Block 1912 (the cafe's name a tribute to the year that the building was built) since 1992. This cafe is one of the most notable spots on the avenue and their 33 year tenure makes them an iconic and reliable mainstay. Named Favourite Coffee Shop 2023 in the Edmonton Journal, it goes to show that even after this many years people seek out the familiar and comfortable spaces in the city. After all, Block 1912 really does feel a lot like going home. I have spent plenty of time at Block 1912 over the years and I have always been impressed by the immense amount of space that this cafe occupies. Full of time-weathered quirks, there is never any shortage of things to see and discover in this original-exposed-brick hideaway. Deep within the cafe the lighting dims as there are only windows at the very front of the space making natural light sparse. There are different levels of seating and mis-matched chairs. An entire nook is lined with shelves of books. I happen to know that there are secret drawers in various pieces of furniture that are filled with hundreds of notes, left by past patrons. Artists and musicians are encouraged to pitch their portfolios to the manager in order to be featured in the space - whether it be on the walls or to perform during one of the regular live music evenings. Visiting on a Saturday afternoon, I hadn't been to Block 1912 in a while and was interested in exploring everything that their menu has to offer these days. And there's a lot! The counter for ordering is about halfway into the cafe and the glass case full of pastries is an immediate distraction. Did you know that they also make their own gelato?? Of course all sorts of coffee beverages are available but Block 1912 also serves alcohol. There's a full menu of sandwiches, small plates, and comfort food. The staff is friendly and happy to answer any questions. I wanted to order a coffee to stick with the cafe vibe... But I'm not a straight black coffee kind of girl. The Ganache Mocha ($8.75) caught my eye but then I saw the list of 46 (!!) flavoured syrups that there are to choose from! It's almost impossible to decide on only one and after much difficulty I selected Toasted Marshmallow as an add-on to my mocha. Seemed like flavours that would make a lot of sense together! (If you ever want to find out what a "pineberry" latte tastes like go to Block 1912 and let me know what happens.) I settled into a table right at the front of the restaurant so that I could enjoy the small amount of natural light that reaches the interior. Receiving my coffee, I have to say that they got the memo! I was impressed at how much my toasted marshmallow ganache mocha looked exactly the part - there were even mini marshmallows on top! Was it incredibly sweet? Yes. Was there even coffee in this? Who knows! But this warm beverage was what I had been hoping for. Chocolatey with a definite toasted marshmallow flavour, I was delighted that this drink felt like a specialty cafe creation. In the interest of having an entire lunch, I wanted to order something off of the sandwich menu. The Hot Italian Grill seems like the sandwich to get. But the Turkey Apple Brie Sandwich ($16.00) felt seasonally appropriate and I picked that one. A soup or salad is also included, turning this dish into a meal. There were two daily soups available and the Vegetable Beetroot Soup also seemed to match the falltime vibe. I liked that the bread was a lot more interesting than a plain white or brown type. Instead, this bread was studded with what appeared to be cranberries - an ideal match for a turkey sandwich! The brie cheese was gooey and melty. I barely noticed the apples. It was a decently good sandwich but there wasn't a whole lot of filling and I could have easily made something like this at home. I liked the flavour combination though. The soup was warm and flavourful with a fairly fine dice of veggies within. I was expecting a more prominent beet component (maybe not a full borscht but somewhat closer to that) and I'm not sure if I noted the beets at all. If there was any, they were chopped very small and completely mixed in with the other vegetables. I also had to try the Herb Crusted Chicken Pot Pie ($18.00) from the Comfort Food part of the menu. Who doesn't love a soul-warming comfort food on a chilly day? It was even raining! Also served with soup or salad, we decided to try a salad

This cafe has a really nice interior. There was recorded jazz playing when we were there…read more Got a peach smoothie. It was a bit icey but the peach flavour was good

Such a FUN little coffee shop with lots of focus on local artisans, foods, coffees, and more!…read more Loved that they have open mic nights, lots of seating options, and just a really cool chill eclectic vibe! I will most definitely be back!

Parking available in front. Door is on the side. Lots of…read morefun seating (for groups 1-6 people). 2 single person gender neutral bathroom. No table service. Baked goods looked and smelled great. Cheddar chive scone was 8/10. Texture was good but not a lot of flavor. Quite busy and quite loud. Not a good place for private conversations.

Ok, so this place is awesome. On Fridays at our office, we take turns getting fancy pastries from…read morevarious places around Edmonton, and share them Friday. I ran across this relatively new place on Whyte avenue and picked up some of their donuts, and pastries. The blew everyone's minds on Friday. For a fancy birthday party I got a cake there, and not only are the cakes incredibly imaginative and delicious. the box was very solid and formidable, with little pieces inside to stop the cake from sliding around. All-around professional.

I went here for national cake day, where if you have the app, you can get one slice of cake free if…read moreyou purchase a slice of cake. Both my husband and I have the app so we sampled 4 slices of cake - Strawberry Soft Cream Cake Slice, Blueberry Chiffon Cake Slice, Mango Chiffon Cake Slice, and Crepe Cake Slice. Everything was delicous and it was hard to pick a favourite. I think my husbands was the blueberry because he loves blueberries, and mine was the mango because I love mangos. But really you can't go wrong. Service was good considering how busy it was for cake day. Ambience is bright clean and fun. They have a very diverse menu, so if you like baked goods check them out.

When searching for bakeries to try this hidden gem showed up on Google Mapa. Located literally…read morehidden in the garden centre it was a little hard to find but I did get to take a very cool flat escalator. I forgot how many cool nich-nacks were in this store so walking through it to find a bakery was a blast. A large variety of goodies with clearly marked flavors and prices was nice to see. I ended up with a mint choc chip meringue and a caramel square. The meringue was large and impressive looking. Definitely a looker but I wish the flavor was stronger and that there were Choc chips throughout and not just on-top. It was melting your mouth as expected. The caramel square was Amazing. Soft definitely homemade caramel on-top a soft cookie crust. The proportion of cookie to caramel was spot on. I would definitely buy the Carmel on its own if that becomes an option! Definitely a great spot to kill some time or look for unique trinkets and grab a tasty snack.

The coffee is quite bitter here. Although a plain cup is pretty decently priced for less than $3…read more This place is a decent stop for some refreshments before or after a visit at the zoo. Ice cold drinks. Hot coffee. Cakes and sandwiches. Pretty much everything to snack on if you forgot to pack or prepare for your visit to the zoo. I ussually come in for the air conditioning bc edmonton summer dry heat can get to you if you dont have air conditioning. The place is big and bright. Great for people watching, it was amusing watching the kids play at the fountain from here. There is an outdoor patio as well. Overall its nice to have here. Conveinent. But the coffee is made poorly and its way way way too bitter. But at least now the zoo has a decent place to get a drink or snack in a jiffy. Bonus points: this place serves beer and wine.

Beautiful space to meet up with friends, study, or grab a light bite…read more The iced latte was delicious and perfectly crafted. The baklava with ice cream was great as well and I hope to try some of their future desserts too. It can get quite busy but they are able to get out their drinks relatively quickly.

This was my first visit to this coffee shop. I was surprised how busy and lively it was at 8 pm. We…read moremanaged to find a table. After looking over the menu, I decided to order a large pot of Adani tea to share. It was a rich, lightly sweetened, spiced milk tea that I enjoyed. For dessert, I had the pistachio milk cake. It was decadent and delicious. Cake was soaked in milk and covered with a layer of pistachio sauce. Overall, I enjoyed my experience at this coffee shop.

So, Reinette Cafe had a colab with Nomiya for a Japanese take home meal to celebrate "Girl's Day"…read more"Hinamatsuri " in February. So I took home an assortment of pastries which included Mini rose green tea macron, mini mont blanc, strawberry honey lime panna cotta, cherry pistachio vanilla cake, matcha madeline, sugar cookie, and strawberry, matcha and vanilla macrons. I am not a huge sweet fan so this was a stretch for me, but I really enjoyed it. Everything was tasty and not super sweet except for the sugar cookie which was expected. It was really pretty looking and really pretty tasting. I can't say anything about the ambiance because I did not dine in. Same with the service. In general I would definitely try more things on the menu. I liked everything but the standout was the panna cotta and the match madaline.

Reinette café and pâtisserie is one of my favourite places to go for coffee!!…read moreReinette is maybe more on the fancier side, but the coffee I had there is definitely high quality and delicious. I also had some of their macarons, which were very tasty. Service is always great there, friendly. The ambiance is great there, a great place to relax with food and a drink!! Coffee can be bought there to take home. Other deserts are sold there, along with sandwiches, tea and coffee!!

Last night we had a private event for my parents' 60th Wedding Anniversary at Cafe Haven. Words…read morecannot describe how perfect this venue was for their special day and how much everyone loved it. The Cafe is cozy, but definitely big enough for a small private event. Love the eclectic charm and the variety of intimate seating areas the Cafe offers. The owner, Heather, went above & beyond to make this night special for everyone attending. She is so hospitable and truly has a love for what she does, you can see it with her smile and taste it in the food & drinks her Cafe offers. We had great communication with her before and during the event, she worked with us in everyway, from the event price, to food choices & drinks, setup of event, and was extremely flexible on giving us what we wanted to make this night special. From the variety of fresh sandwiches, desserts, fruit, vegetables, and water/coffee/drink areas setup, everyone was beyond impressed. Great variety of delicious sandwiches, the lemon squares are so good here, and I highly recommend Cafe Haven's carrot cake, very flavourful, moist and it has the best icing topping it off. The food at this place is incredible and there is heart put into everything made here. Thank you Cafe Haven for the unforgettable event, and I highly recommend this Cafe for anyone needing an event location or a relaxing place to chill with a huge variety of great food & drinks.

We arrived just in time for the noon lunch crowd so it was quite busy and noisy. There's a wide…read morevariety of lunch and breakfast foods available. I had a Homestead Sandwich which was served on a ciabatta bun. It was very good. My partner had the Davey Jones tuna sandwich but found that there was too much bread. We both washed it down with the drip coffee although there's a lot of fancy coffees for those who prefer something upscale. This must have been an old bank as there's a huge safe near the washroom. I enjoyed Cafe Haven but Columbia Coffee is just a block away so it makes for a tough choice.

They have a wide variety of choices on their menu - I got their Pesto Chicken and wife got the…read moreBagel Egg & Bacon. I was surprised by the Pesto Chicken, good amount of meat. Service was fast and ambiance of the place felt great. Good place to do some work too

Nice food at the West Block new cafe. Unfriendly staff…read moreunfortunately.Not a hello, how are you, have a nice day and definitely grumpy.