The Park Cafe

We had family in town for a brief layover on their trek across the country via the train. They wanted to stretch, do a walk, and maybe a good cup of coffee. So there is not better place than Assiniboine Park and the Park Café. After a great stroll through the gardens we hit the café to warm up and enjoy some decadence.
The coffee was strong enough and the infused tea was excellent. They did not skimp on the whipped cream for the hot chocolate. My brother could not sip it without getting his nose ‘attacked’ with mountains of whipped cream; however the cinnamon buns were a flop. It took forever to receive our order and when the buns did arrive, dripping in hot sugar creamy sauce, unfortunately they were stale. Or so it seemed. It was almost like they were run through a microwave to soften them up but after sitting for awhile, they hardened quickly. The staff were very apologetic.
We’ll not give up on them but definitely not up to their normal standards.

The chef should be congratulated for producing food both burnt and cold. Each of our three entrees suffered the same fate except for my bacon which might have still be oinking. While waiting 40 minutes for this unfortunate climax, there was plenty of time to take in the ambiance. The venue is bizarrely laid out. There is a take-​out counter at the back, which requires patrons to trample through the dinners. The kitchen is open to the dinning room resulting in horrendous acoustics. I could barely hear the waitress. Not a place to go if you want to talk to anyone. The tables by the window were setup over the air vent. In addition to being cold, dusty air was blowing over us and and our food when it finally arrived. The décor is bland at best. Highlighted by the potted tree slowly dying in the corner. For some puzzling reason they had purchased these white traffic light shaped lights that garishly clashed with the wood paneling. It would be impossible to change the light bulbs without erecting scaffolding. Since several of the lights were burnt out, I guess scaffolding is not a practical option. Finally, the place was dirty. Stains on the chairs. water marks on the silverware, and old coffee marks on the carafe left on the table. I feel badly for the waitresses who struggled with the door handle every time they needed to enter the kitchen. It was like the venue was intended for another purpose and someone stuck a restaurant in as an afterthought. Skip it.

For me the Assiniboine Park is many things to me. It’s a place where many chapters of my early formative childhood years were played out! Living nearby we would always be in the park in all seasons. The zoo was free back then and we would visit it lots. The duck pond was one of the first places I learned how to skate and enjoyed seeing the ducks in the summer. The toboggan slides were scary but exhilarating. I won’t bore you more but I’m amazed… floored they have a café right at the duckpond! Really it’s an ingenious idea that I wonder what they didn’t do it 30 years ago!
Entering the restaurant there are huge glass windows that give you a great view of the duckpond. We looked at the menu but I felt a bit rushed by the server to order. I imagine they don’t want people to lounge here all day (like a Starbucks) as like a Dim Sum restaurant understands turnover is important to profit to get as many people in and out as possible.
I ended up ordering a Chickpea Eggs Benedict with potatoes. It was okay. Overall I’d give it a ³⁄₅. Serving size was decent and they asked how I wanted my eggs which I said soft. They came out this way also which was good. It had a strong cumin taste which I’m not the hugest fan of in the morning but I ate it anyway.
I’d like to come back here as the atmosphere was amazing! Large open space and great scenery of the park and duckpond. Would be a great place to get married especially with the Leo Mol garden steps away for photos.

Went for breakfast, great views out the window of the duck pond but the food was nothing special. Hubbie had the park breakfast and I had the English muffin with egg & Bothwell cheese

hey they the third time is the charm so on the third time we were walking through the park we again tried to stop in here. This time we got in, and over all a great meal in a neat setting. We will try to get in another day, it seems a hopping place. I guess I should have read dineouts gals hint about the patio — oh summer is to short.

They changed the park breakfast from 4.99 to around 8 bucks which sucks.
Then last time I asked for eggs poached soft and they were broken in the dish, which also has water in it so I had egg whites basically and our waitress wasn’t in the business of visiting us frequently so I couldn’t ask for new ones.
I also had the chipotle sausage with my breakfast which seems to be one sausage cut into 3 pieces lengthwise (weird) and also it was DRY AS DRY COULD BE. Do not order this. The flavor was nice and chipotle-​y (ha) but the texture was dry and not appealing at all. If you’ve had tempeh it is kind of like that texture.
Anyways, all this leads me to lessen the stars and go less often.

Have been here numerous times and it has always been a great experience. Great food, great staff, and a wonderful atmosphere. In the summer the patio is perfect.

Okay, the secret to this place is the patio in the back and ordering the simplest items on the menu. I really enjoyed the patio as it’s a quiet area that is well shaded with big umbrellas and backs onto one of the trails. There’s even an outdoor fireplace as well. Definitely come here for a drink (my wine was only $ 5.50 for a decent pinot grigio) and a simple salad or grilled cheese sandwich. I’d skip the BBQ Chicken Club Wrap $ 9.99 (just the wrap with no sides) — it was a pretty blah wrap. The burgers don’t fare much better. I did enjoy the Caprese Salad though it wasn’t a true caprese as this one had spinach in it but it was a good solid salad as long as you’re not expecting a caprese. It has tomatoes, spinach and Bocconcini with basil-​balsamic vinaigrette and extra virgin olive oil for $ 9.50. This is a generous serving that can be easily served by two people as a nice starter.
Food service was fast and the server was very friendly and nice. Overall great atmosphere if you happen to find yourself at Assiniboine Park.