Cora

Have eaten here a a few times and frankly next time I’ll drive the extra 20km’s to go to another location. I’ve been to Cora’s locations across Canada and always have the same high level of service and meal. I feel as though this location is below Cora’s standard. Today we had breakfast there, when we finally got ur food it was cold and there was 3 parts of our meals missing. We ate what we had and sat for another 10 minutes before the waitress finally came back around, we had to inform her of the three things missing and also that both our waters and coffees were empty. Perhaps they should hire more staff and teach the existing staff to be a little more attentive. I’ll be driving to the Okotoks location in the future and suggest everyone does the same.

I love Cora’s for breakfast! It is a chain — but much healthier and tastier than most of the sit-​down breakfast chains. I don’t recommend it on weekends for breakfast/​brunch because it is usually VERY busy. This one is smaller than the one I go to in the north — but their food is consistent, and I have never left dissatisfied.

Been going here for about 5 years now! It is absolutely my fav! Don’t let the line at the door on weekends trick you, the line goes by fairly fast, and it is totally worth the wait! The staff and manager are very nice all the time, i’ve been here over 100 times at least, and never yet had one complaint. The fruit is all FRESH not frozen, which makes such a difference. Yes it can be busy and loud at times, but that’s because its an amazing place to be! I have ordered many different things from the menu and am never disappointed. My favourite would be the crêpe’s (especially raspberries for Lucy). coffee cup never goes empty, and food wait times are never long.
I recommend this breakfast place to everyone I know. =)

I used to love this place but it seemed in need of an update. My husband’s food was cold and I found a hair in my crêpe. Won’t be back.
Food — 1 Craptastic
Décor — 3 Mediocre
Friendliness — 2 Bad

I don’t get the hype behind Cora’s. I came here a while back for brunch with my cousin. The line wasn’t too long to get a table, which was a plus. But, once we were seated, I felt an immense pressure to order and eat at lightning speed. I totally get that they are a high volume restaurant, and they want to turn tables quickly. But, when people are walking past your table every two seconds, it gets a bit annoying. I also found their coffee was a bit sour. I worked at a coffee shop for 4 years, and can tell when coffee beans have started to expire. This is exactly what the coffee tasted like. I had a Raspberry Crêpe with a side of bacon. The bacon reminded me of that microwaveable bacon, it was extremely thin and almost transparent. It was also incredibly greasy. The Raspberry Crêpe was not bad. Raspberries were fresh, though the custard was slightly bland.
The only reason I’m giving two stars is because despite the rushed service, the staff were quite friendly. Not somewhere I would rush back to.

Worth the wait, even when it’s cold outside. Fresh and tasty as usual. Will be back

I’ve tried to go to Cora’s in the SE a few times, but there is always a massive line. Finally after waking up very early on a Sunday with jet-​lag, I was able to get there before 8am… to find that it was pretty much packed with screaming children. This is definitely more family-​oriented than the downtown location. Shortly after we arrived, there was already a line out the door by 8:00.
I would give Cora’s a 4 on food and service. They have a pretty good breakfast menu, and I like that you get a lot of fruit with your meal. But it is tough to find a good breakfast/​brunch spot in the burbs where you can go to hungover and not be surrounded by whiny children… and not have to arrive before 8am to be seated! Therefore the downgrade to a 3. I like the downtown location more!

I generally prefer less chain type restaurants but there isn’t much selection in the SE. I do find the food tasty but always go for a crêpe or something very fruit based so I am not sure on the other menu items.
If you are going to go on the weekend don’t wait until you are starving since it’s going to be a 20 – 30 minute wait to matter where you go and at any Cora’s location.
Overall the waitresses are pretty friendly and they seem to handle the crowds of people pretty well but I definitely feel a little rushed to eat and get out so that the crowd of people waiting to get in can sit down so it’s good for a quick breakfast but not if you’re wanting to chat and catch up with someone.

Not alway happy with the food at Cora’s sometimes they get it wrong.
Some of the food items are abit dried out. and on one occasion I found a hair in my meal…
My friends like to go to this place, but every time we go, there’s always
Something wrong with the food and service.

If you look up «BOMB DIGGITY DIGGITY DO» in the dictionary you will get a one word noun. And that noun is CORA.
Saturday mornings at Cora’s have become a suburbanite’s treat. Everyone downtown gets their fancy shmancy hipster stylin profilin «so hot right now» diners, but what do we get in the south? Nudding.
Cora’s is amazing, if you get there before noon you’ll be sure to get in rather quickly. Be aware though for you late sleeper inners, you may have to wait.
The service here has always been amazing, and the food is consistently fresh and delicious. Coffee refills are ample (A LITTLE TOO AMPLE WEEEEEEEE), and the food comes out quickly.
After you pay the bill you can eat their delicious maple fudge. What is more canadian and breakfasty than maple fudge? Nothing.
Doot doodle doot doot!

Food was great, although there were a couple of moldy grapes. Sat on a piece of gum which sucked, but the manager took some money off the bill. Would go again despite a bad first experience.

As a former Montrealer, I’ve eaten at the original St-​Laurent location of Cora’s before, not to mention some of the other outlets. Basically, my friends find it the be all and end all of breakfast places, and in all honesty, I just don’t find the appeal.
I’ve found the breakfast usually made competantly, but no more than say, a Denny’s or a Phil’s. Having a fruit allergy, I find the moutains of fruit decorations to be not only excessive, but a trendy attempt to be fancy… and fails at that.
Still, the Construction breakfast is decent, and I do admit that the crepes are better than the norm. I also find it to be a bit pricey, but then, I guess if you’re a big fruit eater, it’s worth it.

I grew up in Montréal (came to Calgary 9 years ago), and just like me … Cora is from La Belle Province. Back there it’s called Chez Cora, but just because it dropped its French, doesn’t mean it’s any less wonderful. I love it just as much at its new locations here as I loved it back there.
My favourite item on the menu: crepes. They are the super-​thin pancakes stuffed with just about anything you can hope for — fruit and whipped cream, or cheese and ham. Cora knows how to do them right — this is the only place, in my opinion, to get Crepes west of Montréal. They also have standard egg n’ bacon plates, fruit n’ toast, or plain oatmeal — no matter what kind of morning eater you are, they have you covered.
Inside, the restaurant is cheerfully decorated, and cozy. Lots of chickens and kitschy kinds of items strewn about; chairs and cushionly benches packed a little tight together. Only problem is: the food is so scrumptious, that the lines to get a seat are RIDICULOUS. Seriously … I think Calgary has a major breakfast-​joint shortage, because all the best places, Cora included, are always packed and lined up. If you’re going to come: come early … before 9:30am. Any later, and you’ll be waiting.

I’ve read all of my friends’ glowing reviews of this place, and, seriously, I feel like I’m taking crazy pills. Bland bland bland. Just because it is all smothered in melted cheese and butter, I feel like you’ve all boarded the Cult of Cora train singing, «Nananananana Cora!» There is always a reason a restaurant will smother their food with creamy fat: to mask a lack of depth and flavor. I say this with L-​O-​V-​E. Cora’s is not worth the 20 minute wait to get in.
Is it the worst place for breakfast? Hardly. But it is underwhelming. Looking at the menu, I was already bracing myself for mediocrity when I saw that the only vegan option on Cora’s are their fruit plate options. Their lunch menu has no vegetable sandwiches, which I found strange, since their menu and website seem to really want to hammer in how fresh everything is here. I got the Samira Platter minus the cheese, and it came to the table looking like a sad, day-​old Edible Arrangement that had been sitting in the back of a van. Everyone else remarked that their food was bland, the fruits mushy and sour, and you know what else was sour? The coffee.
I probably would’ve rated this place a 3 if my expectations hadn’t been set higher. The rave reviews and the packed restaurant had me expecting some cozy Grandma food, but instead I felt like I paid for a bunch of overpriced fruit. And while some may chalk up the bland experience to the fact that 90% of the menu is out of my reach, have a look at my veg-​friendly list for Calgary. Not a single one of those places is vegan specific. There are no vegan specific places in Calgary. In fact, some of those places are downright meatoriums. But they at least do their vegetable offerings well, and I find that a place that has that right can get the rest of it right. Sad, pseudo-​Edible Arrangement doesn’t qualify.

What a delicious breakfast. Ordered a panini-crêpe…yum! Gotta mention the abundant fresh, fruit on the side fabulously presented! Highly recommend! If going on a weekend, must make reservations, otherwise during the week, not so bad. Waitstaff was wonderful and attentive. Willing to go back again and again to try the various breakfast items!

This place is busy and its forgivable. No matter what time you’ll find yourself having to stand in line but the line does crawl to a pace and you’ll be seated in no time!
In my first visit I ordered their skillet which was packed with fresh juicy veggies, potatoes, spinach, tomato, and cheese. They asked how I would like my eggs on it and I asked for raw poached. AMAZING, never had such tasty and healthy meal to start my weekend day. They had a decent helping of toast and fruit on the side as well.
The service was attentive and quick. Prices are fair and competitive with chain breakfast joints like Denny’s and Ricki’s. But what I liked best about Cora’s was that finally a great breakfast spot down south! Seriously, I’m sick of having to rack up the miles on my leased civic and burning non renewable energy and adding to the many first world problems that burden my life.

Best Franchise Breakfast in Calgary! This place beat’s Denny’s! The breakfasts are great — lots of fruit and decent portions. The staff and owners are really nice and you will not be disappointed.

A friend and I were planning to grab lunch and it was up to me where to go. I was in the mood for some Vietnamese food but thought that might be too heavy for lunch, then I remembered my brother always telling me about Cora’s so I thought it would be worth checking out. Boy am I happy we chose to have lunch there!
For 11 am on a Monday, the place was quite packed, so I can’t even imagine what it would be like on a weekend! The service was wonderful and friendly, and the food was fast. There was so much on that menu that looked delicious, and in the end I chose the Seventh of July which turned out to be an excellent choice!
Cora’s isn’t very visible for someone trying to find it for the first time. The parking seemed a little scarce as well, and that area in generally is fairly high traffic. But I am definitely waiting for my next visit there and can not wait to try some more of that wonder menu!

On any list of K&G’s favorite places to eat, Cora’s would be quite high-​ranking (especially thanks to K’s constant raves and craves for it). I first experienced Cora’s in Ottawa on a group trip back in 2004 (in itself a story for another day), and tried the Rosemary’s Sunday: eggs, bacon, and two blueberry pancakes. I’ve had it since then and it is just as good as memory serves.
I went through a phrase where I would get the Bobby Button, an enormous omelete in a crêpe platter that never leaves you hungry. Recently, I think the best meal there — certainly our mutual favorite — is the Eggs Ben & Dictine. Kat prefers the ham, I like the brie and mushroom variety. It is always a savory and satisfying meal: the roast potatoes, the generous dollop of hollandaise, and of course the fresh fruit. I usually get a double dose of fruit thanks to Kat, and it goes a long way to help digest. Washed down with a cup of coffee, and you’re set for the day!
Cora’s does pride itself in their sweet crepes. There is a wide variety of fruit and spread combinations, but I tend to steer away from them: for me, they are much too big for dessert, and not fulfilling enough to be a meal. Add in the fact that Cora’s is closed for business at 3 pm, and it eliminates the option of a late-​night snack. The location itself is a bit of a hassle: the shopping complex is a notorious traffic trap, and is a considerable drive away. But still, you can either go to Denny’s, or get some real food here.

Cora’s fruit displays always make me smile… :)
I first discovered «Chez Cora» in Montréal on a business trip, back in 1998. I remember at that time thinking that the concept was so unique, that all I needed was $ 250,000 unencumbered cash, to bring this business to Calgary. Yes… sadly… I looked into it. But, I was a bit short in dough, and further, I am not a restauranteur. I eat in restaurants. That’s what I do.
I was delighted when Cora’s made it to Calgary. I wouldn’t say I am regular there by any stretch, but it is the breakfast place I choose when I am looking for a plate with more fruit, and less bacon. :) You can get the bacon there too, but you will be challenged to find that much fruit anywhere else.
The «breakfast» food itself is comparable to any other family restaurant. A poached egg tastes like a poached egg, no matter where I go. However, the large fruit portions in a lovely display are what keep me going back there.
Another consideration on whether I choose Cora over any other place is how I am «feeling». There are a lot of kids in this family restaurant, so be advised of that. This may not be your first choice on Saturday morning, after a wicked Friday. On most days for me, it is just what the doctor ordered!