Alforno Bakery & Cafe — Restaurant in Calgary

A fantastic place to stop for treats that are not only delicious and well-made but also priced affordably!

I have an affinity for cafes and bakeries, and whenever I’m travelling I make a point to stop by one wherever I am. Having stopped in Calgary for a night, I arrived rather late and found that a lot of bakeries that were recommended to me were closed. Luckily, Alforno was the only one open in the evening hours, and I’m glad that I ended up coming here to satisfy my sweet tooth.

The cafe decor is very chic and cute, with a classy feel to it but nothing to make you feel out of place if you stop in for spur-of-the-moment snacks.

I did not order any of their food, but their pastries are the stuff of dreams and they have a vast variety available! I ended up with an earl-grey macaron, a mini lemon meringue tart and a chocolate tart, which I cannot recommend enough! The chocolate they used was very decadent and lush, and I was happy to find that unlike some bakeries, the tart crust wasn’t super hard. The meringue on the mini lemon tart was also very soft, and the macaron was well-made.

As much as I enjoyed myself, I docked a star as despite most of the staff being very friendly and accommodating, one staff member in particular seemed to be in a bad mood and was rather rude to me when I was trying to find seating. (They do have reduced seating due to COVID restrictions, which is per the norm, of course.) Luckily the other staff members were happy to clear a table and get me seated promptly before my drink arrived!

They can get busy, and since they do take reservations, I will be sure to make one the next time I’m in town, and I suggest to anyone planning a visit to make...

I had convinced my partner we need to try the pasta at Alforno because I love that it’s made fresh daily and it’s so good. We went on a Saturday and were seated at 2:20pm and were referred to the QR menu which brings you to all their menus. When we attempted to order we were told that only brunch is served until 3pm, this is listed on their brunch menu which we didn’t look at. At this time we elected to have a drink to start and wait it out for the pasta. Throughout our wait our server was attentive and sweet, though it was clear she was very new, as most of the staff seemed to be. We waited until 3, eager to order only to be awkwardly asked to clear up with our server and then stand in line to order and then return to the table so our food could be delivered to us. By this time we had already waited 40 minutes to eat and the line had consistently been long throughout our stay. We elected to move on to another venue for food, instead of standing in line. We spoke with the supervisor and I gave feedback that these things should be posted somewhere or we should have been told earlier. The pasta is good enough to wait for 30 minutes but at the point that this was all explained to us we had been waiting just over an hour. If we knew in advanced we would have planned accordingly to be in the line early. We were given a free coffee and still had to wait for a server to pay for our drinks. There seemed to be a lot of new staff and we had a few awkward moments with multiple staff. I think this contributed to the confusion on both ends for both parties. The beverages looked good and brunch smelled great, but this experience deters me from returning...

Visited Alforno Café near the Bow River in downtown Calgary. The location is beautiful and has an upscale feel. Seating is available both indoors and outdoors, with comfortable chairs and a relaxing atmosphere. We visited on a hot day, so we stayed inside, where the air conditioning was excellent.

The café offers a good selection of pastries, made-to-order sandwiches that looked fresh and appetizing, and an interesting pizza menu. Everything we saw being served looked delicious.

We ordered two Americano Misto coffees (one with a few modifications) and a pistachio raspberry cake to share. The lady who took our order was warm, friendly, and smiling, and she patiently answered our questions about the menu. She also filled our glasses with water and gave us a numbered table marker so our order could be brought to us. Another staff member delivered our items with care and checked to see if we needed anything else.

The coffee was prepared exactly the way we like it. The cake was tasty, though it seemed it might have been made the day before. When we asked, one server said it was prepared either that day or the previous one—either way, it was enjoyable.

We lingered for a while, appreciating the low noise level, and before we left, the counter staff warmly wished us a good day. Both the men’s and women’s washrooms were clean and pleasant.

Overall, Alforno Café offers a welcoming atmosphere, friendly service, and quality coffee in a beautiful...