Chuckwagon Cafe — Restaurant in Alberta

Chuckwagon Cafe is absolutely fantastic ! This is a must try for everyone who travels through the Bragg Creek/Cowboy Trail area in Southern Alberta. I believe it is actually located in the Turner Valley or Diamond Valley area. We heard of this place from a friend and they said to give it a try. We stopped on our way through to Frank Slide, and we were not disappointed at all. It was extremely busy and people were lined up inside and out and we were told it might be a 40 minute wait. We were asked if we would consider sitting at the "front bar" stools as it was only myself and my Husband there. Hubby said sure, it was not a problem as we are not picky. While we were waiting we went next door to the distillery to have a peek. Sorry, I forget the name of the distillery but it is next to the Chuckwagon Cafe and just as busy as it aslo has a eat in restaurant. We were there about 10 minutes and the beeper they had given us at the Chuckwagon restaurant, started going off. We put everything we had at the distillery back, and ran back to the Chuckwagon Cafe. Instantly we were seated at the front bar area and was pleasantly greeted with our server. Sorry, I do not remember her name but she was super sweet, young and had long hair with ringlets. She was working along side 3 other yound ladies that were just as sweet as our server. As my husband and I sat there observing our surroundings at the bar, we saw these young ladies make connections with so many customers. Clearly some were regulars but some were also new customers. Each of these young ladies treated everyone with such kindness and engaged with them all on a personal level. There were extremely busy but they did not let anyone go unnoticed and treated EVERYONE like they were family. Within about 15 minutes after we ordered we had our food. I had the BLT sandwich with the soup and my husband had the house burger with salad. I must say.... Outstanding ! There was an AMPLE amount of bacon on my sandwich and the tomatoes and lettuce were all chips and fresh. I had the Beef and Barley soup and it was FANTASTIC ! My mouth is watering just thinking of it now, SO GOOD ! Although I didn't try it, my Husband said the house burger was.... get this... Better than anything hr has every made... Do not let this fool you ! My husband makes, THE BEST, homemade burger's ever ! If he is saying that the Chuckwagon burger is better than his, that is truly saying something. But not only that, he also said that the house salad was delicious and that he easily could have had that alone and been satisfied. I didn't believe that at all as he really doesn't like or eat Salad much. I decided to try it myself and I must say, it really was as good as he said... but he still cannot fool me, there is no way he would have only eaten the salad and been that happy. Never would he have given up that burger.😆🤣 So if you are in this area, I highly recommend taking the time, even if you do have a wait to get in, too stop, eat and enjoy every memorable moment at the chuckwagon Cafe. You will NOT be...

Overrated and Disappointing Experience!

Despite high expectations based on recommendations from friends, our visit to this restaurant left us thoroughly disappointed. We arrived early on a Sunday morning to secure a table and were greeted and seated promptly. The initial service was great, with coffees and drinks arriving in a timely manner.

So far, so good.

After browsing the menu, I opted for the Sunday Special (AAA Filet Eggs Benedict), my dad ordered the Traditional Breakfast with Beef Sausage, and my son chose a buttermilk pancake. We were all hungry and excited for what we hoped would be a fantastic breakfast.

The presentation was appealing, and our anticipation grew as our meals arrived. My son quickly dug into his pancake and seemed to enjoy it. My dad and I began with the hashbrowns, which looked amazing—and they didn’t disappoint. Despite the small portion size, the hashbrowns were delicious, leading us to believe that the rest of the meal would be equally satisfying.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.

My dad found the eggs in his Traditional Breakfast bland, the toast just okay, and the beef sausage had a strange, almost rancid taste. My Eggs Benedict was even more disappointing. The filet was unseasoned, and instead of a traditional English muffin, the dish was served on a croissant that was soggy to the point of being inedible. I requested toast to replace the croissant and mentioned the issue to our server, who responded with, “That’s just the way we do it here; people just have different taste buds.” WOW! As someone familiar with the hospitality industry, I know that a more appropriate response would have been something along the lines of, “We’re sorry that your meal isn’t to your liking. Would you care for something else?”

The worst part of the experience was the aftermath. The off-tasting beef sausage upset my dad’s stomach so much that he couldn’t eat for the rest of the day. Unfortunately, this disappointing breakfast was the only meal he had.

Definitely not worth the $70 for a...

Update! We stopped in while passing through this weekend, and while the wait time was a bit long (we came during lunch rush, to be expected with a small place like this), we had a great meal and service was awesome.

Breakfast burritos, chicken club, house burger, and beef melt were our picks this time. Everything was great; food was hot and delicious, portions were large (had to take some fries home), and it was definitely worth the detour to eat here.

If you haven't hit this place up while travelling, what are you waiting for?

Old review below, just left it for continuity. I'll start with this: Masks/proof of vaccination are required for dine-in. I dont want to get into the debate about that whole thing, but that's their requirement.

OK, so the Chuckwagon Cafe showed up on my radar a couple years ago, after being featured on "You Gotta Eat Here" on the Food network.

We were passing through on our way to visit family, and stopped in to check it out. It's a small place with a TON of character and charm. AND THE BEST FREAKIN' BURGER I'VE EVER EATEN.

But seriously, it is the best burger I've had. Super good.. big portions, great quality of food, and reasonable prices. They do all day breakfast as well, but the burgers... OMG.

If you are in that neck of the woods, stop by and grab the House Burger (or the Beef Melt, or the.. you know what, just get anything.. it's all awesome). If the place is packed (and it usually is), you can get it to go, and eat at the picnic tables across the four way stop...