River Café
Calgary, Alberta
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About
2 to 150
Guests
Check your date
A beautiful location on an island on the Bow River in the middle of the city. All you need to add is love. At River Café they have created a beautiful place in an extraordinary setting and have tended to the details that make you feel at home with staff who care, chefs who are passionate about quality and the regional seasonal ingredients that bring to your palate a taste of place. River Café sits in the heart of Prince’s Island Park - a unique restaurant housed in a space that felt as though it had always existed and belonged naturally in its setting along the Bow River. The restaurant has the feel and nostalgic appearance of an old Rocky Mountain fishing lodge with its open-hearth fieldstone fireplace and orchard wood burning oven. The outdoor patio provides an opportunity to step out and enjoy the panoramic views of the park and Calgary’s dramatic cityscape beyond.
Facilities and capacity
River Café can accommodate up to 100 guests for a seated lunch, brunch or dinner event and up to 150 guests for a standing cocktail reception Whether you choose a Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall wedding, it’s the ideal environment for couples that want to experience the natural beauty of Prince’s Island Park. Enjoy the sun-washed garden and trees blossoming in the spring and summer, glowing orange leaves and crisp air during a cozy fall day in the park, and the snow dusting the ground and branches in a winter wonderland setting. Numerous vistas offer many breathtaking backdrops to your perfect day and magnificent photo opportunities abound both inside and out. Celebrate your special day surrounded by friends and family in the unique elegance of River Café.
Services offered
The venue has an amazing team of staff who will help you plan your day. The services they offer include:
- Event Manager/Day of Event Manager
- Floor Plans and Function Orders
- Food and Beverage
- Liquor License
- Wedding Cake
- Chairs, Tables and Furniture
- Flatware and Glassware
- Linen Napkins
- Table Numbers
- Card Basket
- Seating Chart
- Candles
- Dance Floor
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Highlights
Availability
Check your date Type
Restaurant
Style
City, rustic
Event Services
Cake, catering / bar, clean up, set up
Plated Service (per head)
$85
More information
How many event spaces or rooms does your venue offer?
1
What kind of settings are available?
Indoor
Uncovered outdoor
Which of the following wedding events does your venue service?
Ceremony
Reception
Bridal shower
Engagement party
Rehearsal dinner
What catering services do you offer?
Cocktail reception
Dessert
Family style
Hors d'oeuvres
Outside cake
Plated
Server(s)
Stations
What bar services do you provide?
Bartender(s)
Champagne toast
House beer
House wine
House liquor
Limited bar
Liquor license
Open bar
Premium liquor
Signature drink
Specialty beer
Specialty wine
What event items are available?
Audio equipment
Dance floor
Furniture
Chairs
Tables
What food and beverage items are available?
Barware
China
Flatware
Glassware
Linens
What transportation and access is available?
Wheelchair access
Do you have a site fee for wedding receptions at your venue?
No
Do you have a site fee for wedding ceremonies at your venue?
No
What is the average catering price per person for stations?
$85
What is the average catering price per person for hors d'oeurves?
$85
Which of the following are included in the cost of wedding catering?
Server(s)
Dessert
What is the starting price per person for bar service?
$40
Which of the following are included in the starting price for bar service?
Limited bar
Open bar
House beer
Specialty beer
House wine
Specialty wine
Champagne toast
House liquor
Premium liquor
Signature drink
Bartenders
14 reviews
Write a review
Rated
5.0
out of 5.0
83 User photos
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Rachel C. Married on 13/10/2019Our Dream Wedding
We wanted a wedding that was focused on good food, great friends and a casual atmosphere and the River Cafe was able to achieve this!
We had an evening ceremony and cocktail reception in the beautifully romantic space. Guests were wow'ed by the food and were amazed at how much there was! We were nervous that as a cocktail style reception, guests would not get enough to eat and this was definitely not the case - our guests left feeling full and satisfied!
It was all hands on deck when it came time for the quick turnaround from the breakfast and lunch service and we only had a few hours to get the space ready so I would definitely recommend having a clear plan and someone who is ready to delegate tasks on the day of. The whole River Cafe team was pitching in to ensure our what we had planned for decor was accomplished and they were ready with warm apple ciders and hot chocolates as guests started arriving!
The wait staff were absolutely amazing throughout the whole evening, explaining every dish they were passing around with detail and even began to remember those with food allergies or intolerance's and made sure they were getting the options they needed. They were warm and friendly and we were completely amazed at how their energy never seemed to falter even late into the night!
You'll get to have great planning sessions with their events coordinator and get to try a few drinks too - we booked a table for dinner just before the wedding as well so we could get a better sense of the seasonal menu and what our guests might experience.
This space is great for a smaller wedding and with our 95 guests the space felt really comfortable and definitely not too tight. There were some small issues with the mic they had provided but luckily our ceremony singer had her own and we used that - would recommend renting if you will be using a mic for speeches. This I would say was a small hiccup in our most perfect day!
We were able to have our dream wedding because of the River Cafe!-
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Esther Married on 18/05/2019River Cafe Fall Wedding
The River Cafe was the perfect venue for our fall wedding. The River Cafe had exceptional food, service, and atmosphere. I would highly recommend this venue to anyone getting married in Calgary! -
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Nikolina L. Married on 28/08/2021Best venue for wedding!!
The best decision we made for our wedding was booking with River cafe. The planning process with them even during the covid19 pandemic was fantastic! June and the team went above and beyond, and helped us with some of our personal requests which they carried out perfectly. The venue is a beautiful location for any private and intimate event. The staff & experience at river cafe on the night of the wedding was amazing. Everything was on time & handled expectionally. They had more than enough staff to make sure a full venue with plated dinner was served within a few minutes after the head table. They kept in constant communication with us throughout the night and went above and beyond to make sure we were having a night we could never forget. The quality of food and drinks were fantastic! Everything was truly perfect. Even now we still have our family and friends rave about how amazing and how much they enjoyed the food, staff and atmosphere of river cafe. If we could give above 5 stars for our review we would. Thank you to the team at River cafe for making the most important day of our lives so special to us!!-
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River Café's reply:
Hi Nikolina,
Thank you so much for your kind words! It was a pleasure to host you and your loved ones on this very special day.
Please do come back and visit!
Carla
River Café Wedding Team -
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Bailey M. Married on 22/12/2019Spectacular!
We booked our December wedding with the River Cafe and couldn't be any happier with how beautiful the day was! The venue is so tasteful and really speaks for itself. So there really isn't much to decorate as the River Cafe is very charming. You really feel out of the city in this venue, even though it's right downtown. The food was just incredible, and our guests really enjoyed the food. We also couldn't speak highly enough of June Doan and the staff. Planning with June was a dream, she's so attentive and really works hard to ensure that your wedding day runs smoothly.
There aren't enough words to describe how happy we were to be able to have our wedding at the River Cafe. Our photos at the venue are just lovely! We highly recommend the River Cafe and their services! -
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David H. Married on 10/11/2019Amazing venue for a wedding
We had our wedding in November of 2019 at the River Café. Everything turned out better than we ever could've imagined. The event coordinator June went above and beyond helping us make sure everything was perfect. The staff at the river cafe are incredible, the service was exceptional, the food was fantastic, and our his and hers cocktails were a really fun touch. The restaurant is beautiful, with only a few of our decorations it made for a cozy intimate setting and the fireplace was a wonderful backdrop for our ceremony. We cannot recommend the River Café enough as a venue for your event.
Thank you,
Dave & Rebecca-
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Marcela R. Married on 01/09/2019Great Wedding
Our experience with the River Cafe was exceptional. The food, atmosphere, and service exceeded expectations. -
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Katie Married on 04/08/2019Above and beyond expectations- delicious, classy, beautiful
River Cafe is a true gem. A mix of rustic and vintage decor, delicious food and beverages offerings, and impeccable service on a beautiful island downtown. It was an easy decision for us to make. Planning was a breeze and we felt very comfortable leaving our wedding day in the hands of this team. The location is great with hotels nearby and we were easily able to coordinate a golf cart rental for transport our guests on and off Princes Island. Though you are in the center of the city, you can easily forget you are. There is no shortage of beautiful places to take photos.
Everyone had a great time and could not get over the food, the service, the beauty of the restaurant, and the general ambiance. It was perfect!-
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Brittany M. Married on 29/06/2019June 2019 Wedding
My Husband and I had our wedding at River Cafe in 2019, if you want a venue that has it all, this is the place. June the coordinator provided us with a list of vendors and helped organize the whole wedding with us. We didn't need a wedding planner at all because they had what they needed and most of the vendors had worked together in the past. The day of was perfect. I actually planned the entire wedding from another country and on the day of was the first time I saw everything for the first time and it was a fairy tale for us and our families. The River Cafe staff were very professional and delivered everything as we had asked. I would highly recommend this venue if you want a downtown park experience with 10/10 food options. All of our guests raved about the food and the venue and we had people attend from all over the world. Great job River Cafe! -
Simone Married on 31/12/2019
Amazing NYE wedding at the River Cafe
We were married on New Years eve (both ceremony and reception) at the River Cafe and wouldn't change anything about the experience. It is such a beautiful and intimate venue; this was also embodied in the service and experience that we had leading up to and during our wedding.
June, their event manager was an amazing resource leading up to the event and was incredibly helpful planning. This made a big difference to two people with schedules too busy to keep track of all of the details ourselves. She was also there the night of to make sure everything ran smoothly. We used many vendors recommended to us and these were all wonderful as well.
The night of all of the staff were amazing and incredibly professional and the food and drink were delicious. Overall, I wouldn't change a thing and would highly recommend having your wedding or any other event at the River Cafe. We received so many complements from family and friends. I think everyone enjoyed the evening as much as we did.-
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River Café Real Weddings
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Stacey & Ryan42 Photos · 11/Jun/2016
Meet the Team
Brooke Berry
Event Manager
Graduating from the Hospitality Management program at Calgary's Southern Alberta Institute for Technology (SAIT), Brooke comes from a background of coordinating weddings and events at wineries in Kelowna, BC in the beautiful Okanagan Valley. Brooke recently moved back home to Calgary, AB and has now joined the River Café Group of Restaurants family as the Event Manager for River Café and Deane House.
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Map
25 Prince's Island Park T2P 0R1 Calgary (Alberta)
