I've been intrigued by this place for a while now and finally had the chance to stop by the other day. Espresso Cafe is located in the heart of Kensington, a few doors down from the cat cafe. Walking in for the first time it was a bit awkward and I felt a bit confused because the interior looks like a restaurant but the expectation is to go to the back, place your order before you sit down with a number and someone brings you your food. They have 1 counter for drinks and 1 for food. This is similar to Vendome's style in terms of ordering food and drinks but it would have been nice if there was a sign at the front or if the waitresses had at least greeted us? I ordered the smoked salmon eggs benedict which came to about $18ish after tax and tip. I was pleasantly surprised by how generous they were and it comes with both potatoes and salad which was a nice touch. I would definitely come back as I was impressed by the food (it tastes better than it looks) The decor is also very aesthetically pleasing and there's plenty of seating. This is a good place to catch up with someone for sure. The music is a little loud to get work done but some people were working away on their laptops anyways. I'd like to come back and try their $25 brunch buffet on the weekend. read more

Umm. This place is sub-par. **AT NO FAULT OF THE EMPLOYED WAITSTAFF** Extremely understaffed for somewhere so large. There were 2 people working at the time we came in, 1130am, the 2 staff were very hardworking, they tried their best to cook, serve, cashier at the same time. Our drinks came staggered, approx 10min interval between each drink (4 drinks). The cashier had to run to the grocery store to get ingredients while she was also attempting to cook. Our food took 50 minutes to arrive, the "hash" on our eggs Benny's and hash bowls were somehow uncooked and overcooked at the same time, some were raw and the rest crispy like potato chips. If you come here be prepared for terrible food and a long wait for drinks. I don't blame any of this on the current employed staff as I could clearly see they were doing their best to accommodate the customers. This is a serious mismanagement/misownership issue. Dear owner, hire more staff, train your staff, maybe show up to help your staff out. read more

Espresso Cafe - Eggs Benny. Featuring cold meat, cold "hollandaise", uncooked fries. - Cafes Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

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I came here for brunch with my girlfriend. There is no table service, you order at the counter and they bring your food to you. There are two separate counters, one for drinks and the other for food. The space was a lot larger than I thought from their Instagram page. Nice decor, marble, purple velvet seating, trendy and modern. Selection of food and drink has a wide variety. I ordered a porchetta benedict and my friend had a ham and cheese crepe. I was a bit disappointed that the meat was thinly sliced prosciutto and not porchetta at all, but it was still good. I liked that the coffee cream came out of a cold tap at the condiment counter. Each type of milk/cream had it's own tap. I would give this place another half star if I could. I would like to come back to try more items on the menu. read more

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Came here with my girlfriends to eat so we tried a lot of things here: The cheesecake was the biggest winner for me I will definitely be back for the cheesecake! And when you order a hot latte they draw the cutest and prettiest kitty on there which I've never seen before so I was super excited about that but the drink was gross lol. Mac and cheese was gross they put a weird cheese in there that it threw us all off it didn't sit well with us. Creme brûlée was good Reuban sandwich was not good because I opened my sandwich to see like 7 strands of sauerkraut in there so I had to ask for extra. Beet salad was over priced for the 5 chunks of beets you get... Cheese crepe thing with hollandaise was good my friends liked it I forgot what else we ordered because they left the door opened at this cafe and all the flys came in and touched every food we had at our table and I know fly's lay microscopic eggs so I didn't want to eat anything after my first few bites. read more

A great place that matches my style in decoration and the ambiance. I haven't tried their full meal menu nor their buffet option, but I will come back to check it out. I tried their espresso and a coffee cake as a starter to see if I would enjoy it and it was amazing. The espresso isn't too acidic nor sourly in taste and the coffee cake had just the right amount of sweetness. The service was great, no complaints. My only concern was the process of ordering (No sign on purchasing the items first, unless I missed it), I assumed that I would pick up the food and pay at the till. Also I ordered a pastry and didn't arrive, so I had to chase the staff who served me and completely forgot about it. The manager/owner approached me and apologized for it, that was a nice thing to do. read more

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I was invited here to celebrate a special day & achievement over coffee in the evening. It situated in Kensington.the parking is not great but the location itself is wonderful Excellent we had a Caesar salad for healthy options done and I had an Americano with moose cake. We had one of each - both of them taste of the same almost - it was strawberry flavoured or raspberry flavoured I like them both We tried them side-by-side and it was delicious! read more

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This cafe is fine. The decor is fine. The food is fine. The coffee is fine. When I came here with my friends, there was no line, but we were nonetheless told that service was backed up and it would take 15-30 minutes to get our drinks. Fine. If the coffee had been mind blowing, the wait wouldn't have been a big deal. Same with the food - if it had been amazing I would have gladly waited that long. The problem was that it was just fine. All this to say: if the service is running smoothly, this is about as good a coffee shop as any other. The wifi is fast, and there is a lot of seating. It would be a great place to work and grab a snack. However, if you're informed that service is backed up, I would take the kind heads up seriously, and go somewhere else. read more

Cute coffee place that offers a variety of food too. I really like that there's sofas, booths and stool tables allowing for relax coffee drinkers or those who want to work or have a bite to eat. The staff super friendly and it's not too noisy that you don't have to yell to chat with your friends. I ordered a rainbow latte with vanilla shot and the order came out wrong twice. The second time I just drank it cuz I didn't want it to be wasted again. The coffee itself is not that great, nothing special and it's quite pricy at $8.15. I'm a big coffee drinker and was disappointed but I guess your paying for the art which was cute! read more

Espresso Cafe - Rainbow latte $8.15 - Cafes Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

My second visit here was not as good as the first. The coffee is still solid, carefully made espresso-based drinks, but there seems to be some confusion about pricing. There is one price for what I assume is the Godfather and another for "single origin," but the espresso on offer was another blend, not "single origin." If you're not selling single origin espresso and you literally do not know what the term "single origin" means, change the menu. That said, the espresso was fine. I got the "chicken parmigiana" sandwich at it was DRY. Dry dry dry. It needed a marinara sauce and some peppers but it just had a pile of undressed arugula. Arugula is also dry and the overall impression was...dry. I went to the ever-present manager (and I agree with the other reviewer who found his constant presence in the seating area to be bizarre and a bit disturbing- if you're managing, get behind a counter and work, don't just hang out at a table and make the staff and customers feel as if they're being watched) and asked why the sandwich was so dry. He calls the chef, who tells me that do have a marinara and gave me a spoonful and it was good. Says something like "next time you're here let me know and I'll make a chicken parm with sauce just for you." NO. You do not make this terrible dry sandwich and leave it up to one customer to fix it and only for that customer. read more

This cafe has a lot of potential. When it first opened a few months ago, I was so excited to try it. I've been a few times now and I think there is a good selection of food and drinks and good decor and location. My biggest issue is the service. It is weird. I'm never sure if we're supposed to sit and order, go to the counter and order or where to order the drinks. The servers do not seem very interested in making your experience more enjoyable. If this place gets some good staff who are more focused on customer service, I will be happy. Also, I'm not a fan of the new hours. I liked that is was one of the few cafes that were open late. read more

This traditional macchiato was truly the worst espresso-based drink I've had. Macchiatos are beautiful drinks. But this came out like an extremely long Americano with a dollop of milk foam. It was so over extracted my palate is still tasting bitter an hour later. read more

Espresso Cafe - Liquid sludge - Cafes Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

I have been to this newly opened cafe a handful of times and while I am really trying to like it, I feel there are some areas which need improvement. The location is perfect, the decor is comfy and nicely decorated. There is a good variety of food and baked goods. I have not been overly enthused by their desserts (lacking flavour and sweetness) but do appreciate the macarons and croissants. I find it uncomfortable how the owners are always sitting in the middle of the cafe looking at the patrons. While they try to be friendly and walk around and ask how things are, it has yet to feel genuine. The bathrooms were particularly dirty on one occasion which took me by surprise. The cafe floors can look quite disgusting at times with food and crumbs not being regularly cleaned up. As mentioned, I have continued to go back as I see great potential but am hoping that they can focus a little more on cleanliness and superior customer service. read more

It looks great and I love that they have the golden chai. But it just seems so ridged. Like the managers are constantly staring at you. Also the music is just awful. Top 40s and it's blasting all the time. It's just no good. read more

OMG! Calgary so needs this. Walking in the front door sets the stage for what will be an amazing place in Calgary. Beautiful couches and chairs offer a cozy feel amongst the tables. A couple of family style high tables run down the centre giving lots of variety to find that perfect spot. Food is amazing and the coffee delish. I had a latte this morning and no need to stand in line to wait, they deliver to you. This place has a vibe all to its own and is a perfect spot for meeting friends and colleagues. If you want to work or study, this place is perfect. I have met two clients there this week alone and this place has fast become my go to spot in the NW. read more

This place is really aesthetic (think marble, copper, all that *hipster* stuff). The coffee was really good, not to acidic and not too sweet either. The deserts were lovely and I would definitely go back to try breakfast or lunch after looking at the menu The music choice was quite random (ABBA, Britney Spears, Elton John) but really enjoyable read more

No one in the place. 45mins for the worst Benny ever. One bite we walked out. Gross gross gross. Please don't ever go. Ever. Worst. Please close this place. Deserves 0 star review. read more

Wanted to go to a nice place for my goddaughter's birthday and decided to check out espresso cafe Sunday brunch. Although a little pricey @25 it was well the worth it. Good variety and high quality all the way. Eggs benny with a foamed hollandaise added at time of serving was a big hit-excellent hollandaise! Prime rib with au jus and horseradish with a perfect amount of heat. The other hit for me was their butter chicken and rice, again perfect amount of heat with a great depth of flavour. And of course the coffee and desert bar was a great end to the meal We'll definitely be back read more

I love this cafe! Great atmosphere and fantastic coffee. Incredible for business meetings!

Very good coffee place! Very nice and tasty selection of bakery goods. We tried the a la carte breakfast and its very well done too. They have a sunday brunch buffet too and it looks very good. But better to have reservations because its quite full every week. read more

Pictured is the Fairy Dust Latte (the dark grey) and their Unicorn Hot Chocolate. Both were $7 each, which are pricy for a single drink, but I get it, you pay for the latte art! The hot chocolate was really good, but the latte wasn't the best. I also ordered the turkey croissant sandwich with a side salad ($12). I thought that the sandwich was a bit too oily/buttery, which took away from the flakiness of the pastry and the taste of the fillings. The side salad was delicious though, because whatever dressing was used was so good that I still remember it from months and months ago. Lastly, the blueberry tart ($4.99) wasn't mine, but it looked super delicious. I'll be visiting again, as I've seen their recent mousse cakes and heard good things about their bruschetta! Will need to try out more of their items before I can say anything more, but overall, the service and ambience of this cafe is really calm and relaxing! read more

Espresso Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

As I'd fear, one of those places where the ambiance is amazing and the food mediocre. I had the "traditional eggs benedict" and left feeling a bit hungry, when I realized this "traditional" eggs benny lacks meat. It was all vegetarian. So I guess it's misleading. It should be called a florentine eggs benedict because of the spinach. Friend had crepe, but it was all soggy with a melting, messy blob of ice cream in the middle. I don't think I'll come back, unless I want to hang out with just a coffee. So many other, tastier places to eat on 10th street. read more

This review is solely based on their coffee. I had an Americano and it had little to no flavour. Won't be rushing back here when there's a bunch of other great coffee shops very close by. read more

My friends and I came in for a coffee and the host show us breakfast buffet, so we decided to give it a try. Great food, impecable service and friendly staff members. read more

It is so rare to find a cafe/restaurant that serves up great service and awesome food. Love it. Love everything about it; location, parking, service, great coffee and super flavourful and fresh food! I'll be back many times! read more

This coffee shop is so adorable! It recently opened, and I love heading in right after a workout at Orangetheory next door. The decor is dreamy and classy, and the shop is surprisingly large. I've had some of their pastries, and I find them well priced & delicious. The coffee is great too. It's a setting that's great for studying or for catching up with friends. Definitely worth a try if you are in the Kensington area! read more

I really loved this place the first few times I went! Their menu is a little pricey but the quality of food and drinks made it worth it. Until my last visit - about a month ago now - I went with my boyfriend to grab breakfast. His meal and drink were fine, and I had ordered a pretty basic savoury crepe with strawberries and Nutella. If I remember correctly, it was pretty expensive. And when I got it, the crepe was WAY too cooked. The whole thing basically crumbled any time I touched it with my fork. Haven't been back since - just because there's other cafes in the area that I prefer for many different reasons. On top of that, a couple weeks ago now, my roommate was sitting there doing some school work. She ordered the kale salad and a coffee, said it was delicious, and was just about to order some more food when one of the employees came over and told her she said to move to a different table because there was a group of people that needed the four-seater table. She had been there for hours and was constantly refilling her coffee and wasn't loitering. She had her work all laid out and wasn't bothering anyone and only sat at a large table because she needed the room. But when the employee had asked her to move, she looked around and said there were multiple tables empty that she could have sat at. She ended up leaving because the employee was looming over her. What a ridiculous way to treat a paying customer who had bought quite a bit of food and drink from them throughout her time there. I won't be going back. There are plenty of better cafes in the area - Higher Ground and Vendome for example. read more

This is definitely my new go to spot for coffee, studying, brunch, pastries, and really everything. They serve and amazing all day breakfast; I got the classic breakfast with 2 eggs, hash browns, ham, fruit etc. The portion was perfect, hash browns were nicely seasoned and everything just hit the spot. The espresso drinks are world class and tasted quite unique. This is all complimented by what I really think makes Espresso Cafe a special place in Calgary; the atmosphere. From the decor, comfortable seating options, and service there really isn't any other place like this in YYC. Do yourself and favor and check it out! read more

Great spot for coffee, food, hangouts, and atmosphere. Love the coffee, freshly made sandwich and fries hit the spot, and big (fancy granite) tables were spacious. Recommended! read more

There customer service and the food is horrible. My sandwich bread was stale and unevenly cut. It was very dry, there was no spread in it. The vegetables used in the sandwich wasn't fresh at all. Fries were so so salty it was impossible to eat. There butternut squash soup tastes like curry. The food wasn't edible at all. read more

I thought I would try a different cafe in Kensington, so I walked into Espresso Cafe to see if they had good coffee. First time in and was directed to the counter to order. I was trying to find the change in my pocket and this apparently really annoyed the woman behind the counter as she made a rude face when I wasn't fast enough for her. I still don't know what the coffee options were as I walked out of the cafe and will never return. I know when I walk into Good Trade Coffee, a couple blocks away, I will be greeted in a friendly way and receive a great cup of coffee. read more

I don't usually post reviews unless a place is very good or extremely bad. This cafe is unfortunately the second case. I've been there 3 times altogether. First, I came for a coffee with my husband. Then I came with a couple of friends just to have a quick bite and some tea and it was ok. At that time, we noticed that they started doing brunch on Sundays. It looked really good and I decided to invite a couple of friends and we booked a table there for last Sunday. We arrived at 10 AM and we got approached by a couple of staff members (there were quite a few considering that it was a buffet style brunch) who seemed happy to see a group of 6 people. The brunch is $25/person, so out table paid $150 plus tips. We got our brunch and coffee and we were just chatting. I am not a big eater, so I got a couple of items and I thought I would get some fruit later on. The brunch was supposed to be from 9 to 2 pm. Anyway, just before noon, the older lady server/manager? started to be quite frequent at our table and she made a couple of comments on when we will be done. We thought she was just joking but she wasn't. At noon, she came again and told us that we had to leave. She said there is a 2 hour limit for the buffet and she is nice that she is giving us last 15 minutes to leave the cafe. I was shocked. We asked if we could just give her the buffet sign, stay there, chat and order some coffee extra. She said we couldn't stay and we had to leave even if we gave her the sign. She said she needed the table. Before she seemed just passive aggressive but in the end, she was quite rude! There was no line up, there were 2 empty big tables close to our table with no reserved sign on them and there were other empty tables at the cafe. It was at around 12:15 PM, so not many people would come for brunch buffet at that time anyway and there really didn't seem many people coming at that time. We left and I was apologizing to my friends, as they had spent quite a lot of money and got terrible service and mediocre food. I've never been pushed out of a cafe. There are no signs saying that the limit for the buffet was 2 hours or that a limit for a visit was 2 hours!!!! We spent close to $200 that morning. I couldn't believe how badly we were treated. I will not be back and I will make sure to warn others. Spend your money elsewhere where you are valued as a customer. read more

This would be a good place to visit if you're in a group and ordering lots of food. But if you're looking to come in and grab coffee and spend some time working, don't bother. I've been here a few times and noticed the difference in how you are treated based on what you order. If you get food the manager will come up to you and talk and smile and it will be great. If, however, you decide not to spend money on food and just get coffee, you'll get a different attitude. I can appreciate the need for a new cafe to prioritize customers who order food ahead of customers who only order a drink. However, I do not appreciate being told I need to move to a high top and cram between two people because a "reservation" came in and "the group is ordering lunch". If my $5.50 cappuccino isn't good enough for me to get the table of my choice and work for a couple of hours, that would have been good to know before I walked in. If management here wants to prioritize groups who order food, put a time limit on seatings like many cafes do. Or perhaps indicate on tables that only groups of 3 or more can sit at them. I'm giving this place 2 starts because the coffee, dessert, and food is quite decent. I just wish it didn't come with a side of attitude. read more

So this was my second time there ,the first time got the Mac and cheese was absolutely the best ever ,this time wanted to try something new ,got the teriyaki vegan rice bowl..it had too much soy and salt and no flavor..the manager was nice enough to change it ,I asked for the Mac and cheese as I thought it would be just like the one I tried the first time ..but too my disappointment it was nothing compared to it .In the end was just disappointed so left without getting coffee ,didn't want to take any more chances . I can't believe how both of my experiences were so far off from one another . read more

There's nothing in Kensington quite like espresso. It's big and roomy with plenty of seating in upscale decor with a big city ambience. Waffles with fresh fruit one morning hit the spot, but gluey lukewarm vegan curry fell well short of the mark. This is the only place I know where you leave a tip when you order yet haven't received service. And the service - what exactly is the plan? Sometimes someone brings cutlery and water, in other words, serves the table, and other times it's help yourself. All in all, the ambience brings me back, but I suspect the menu might be a bit ambitious. Maybe stick with fewer items done well. read more

Too busy and the area that you order gets so over crowded so easily. Especially when they have their buffet stuff out. The service and food / drinks were ok. They forgot about our order for like 30 minutes. It's almost impossible to find a spot for any group over two ppl read more

I've been to the Cafe about three times since it opened in my neighbourhood. The first time was probably the best experience, and maybe this was because it had just opened, so all the staff were on their best behaviour. However, every time that I've gone since then, my experience has been completely underwhelming, and overall just frustrating, mainly due to the poor customer service skills from their staff. Some of the staff who work at the registers seem to care less about customers waiting in line to order, and more about chatting with their friends/colleagues. There is a very nonchalant attitude by some of the staff, which is not going to take them very far in the world of customer service. The last two times I came here, there was no one in line except for me, and I had to wait a few minutes to be served while the lady at the register was done chatting with her friend. Is this really the kind of image you want to represent to your customers? If I had to wait any longer, I would've left and gone somewhere else. There is absolutely no excuse for this. It really made me feel like the staff did not care that I was a paying customer. Not too sure if the owners want staff working for them that are going to drive your customers out the door, but that's the type of image that is currently being portrayed by some of the staff members working at this establishment. In addition, I went in at around 9:50pm-10pm to order a sandwich, and the cashier at the bakery till told me to go to the till across from his because he was cashing out. So, I go to the other till, have to spend time waiting unnecessarily since the cashier is taking her time chatting with her friends, and then finally after the barista gestures at her to serve me (as if she can't see that I'm standing right in front of her register), I tell her what I would like, and she tells me that the kitchen is closed and that their panini press is turned off, so they can't sell me a sandwich. Are you kidding me? There were tons of sandwiches on display that could've been sold. I understand if they were cleaning their heat press since it was the end of the day, but I could've still purchased a sandwich without it being warmed. So, instead I was forced to leave since I was told that I couldn't get what I initially came in looking for, despite their being a display box full of sandwiches. Needless to say, I probably wont be coming back to this place. It's a shame, because the food is actually pretty good, but the poor service is enough to make me not want to come back. read more

Been to this café two days in a row, have a lot of wonderful things to say - the ambiance is gorgeous, huge space for working with lots of plugs, bright, great coffee, lovely servers and friendly staff. Also love the counter service, reminds me of being in Australia - I like to control when I get more stuff, and that allows the business to focus on what behind the scenes things they need. Absolutely will be making this place a regular stop for when I need to get out of the house for laptop work, or want to meet a friend for coffee on one of the many large comfy, pretty purple velvet sofas. On the downside, the music choices confuse me, very eclectic, and often WAY too loud. Also the food could probably use some tweaking. I had a few items and found them somewhat bland. Not terrible, but definitely wouldn't make this my first stop for food, at least right now. I didn't have the sunday brunch buffet but holy it looked good with a tonne of choices! I would also love if there were a few more lower priced café style bites, not just full meal based foods that very much dominate the menu. Overall, I like this place a lot, excited to see them hopefully make some improvements to the food and be more consistent with the music, particularly the volume. read more