Higher Ground Cafe — Restaurant in Calgary

my all-time favourite cafe in yyc. i adore this place, it’s like a portal to me.. i’m in calgary one second.. and then i walk into higher ground and boom i’m in nyc now. also speaking of walking in can we talk abt the entrance??? like wow its just so cute and fairy tale and magical. it’s in the perfect location too, so the window seats on the inside have the BEST view, esp at night ahhhhh. i just love the vibes in here, tuesday open mic? love it. friday live music? love it. the seats? love it. the ambience is truly unmatched, the interior & the lighting is just chefs kiss. i basically live here, i talk abt it every chance i get 🫶🏽🫶🏽

wish there were more outlets, but there’s enough to get by & it’s a fast paced cafe so ppl are constantly coming n leaving so there’s always a chance to get one of the tables near an outlet eventually.

i would rate this place a 5/5 if only the food was better. the food is pricey but the quality is only decent n honestly not my favourite. still a 5/5 in my heart tho bcs the pros severely outweigh the cons.

i will say their hot chocolate (i think it was a maple bacon hot choco) for yyc hot chocolate fest was AMAZING! i rmber thinking i wouldn’t like it bcs i mean.. bacon in hot choco?!? but boy was i wrong. it was the best thing ive ever had, i wish they sold it on the regular. their typical hot chocolate is still good tho.

(i’ll update later with a review of all the food i’ve tried...

This is has been one of my favourite local places for the seven years I’ve lived in Calgary, I’ve proudly brought out-of-town friends and family here to show off what I think is one of the most atmospheric coffee shops in the city, but recently (within the last six months or so) I’ve noticed a STEEP decline in both the quality of food and drink and the customer service. The last three consecutive visits (one of which was with my deaf mother in law) my drinks have been made wrong, I’ve received attitude when I’ve asked for clarification or a remake and the overall impression I’ve gotten is that the staff are absolutely miserable. As someone who works in customer service myself I pride myself on being polite, patient and understanding with staff, but when I approach them with a smile and receive an eye roll in response it’s really hard to want to continue supporting your business. I don’t know if there’s been a change in management or if training/protocols have changed or are lacking, but unless things improve I won’t want to come back, which breaks my heart. If I’m spending $25 dollars on coffees, three of them are made incorrectly AND I get attitude about fixing them, I’d much rather go to Starbucks where at the very least my drinks are always consistent. I hope this feedback makes it through your staff and management so they understand how they are being perceived...

Unnecessarily rude staff. I walk in, wasn’t greeted or acknowledged, came up to the front to look at the menu, and there was struck with a “I can help whoever is next.” Not only was I the only one in the cafe, but also had never been in to take a look at what they had to offer before. The staff member just stood there and looked at me as if It was some sort of burden that I had to take an extra minute to decide. when I was ready to order he demanded me to “stand behind the glass.” I would have gladly done whatever had made him comfortable, if he had asked me nicely, but since being rudely ordered to obey their standards made me feel disrespected and not honoured as a customer. There clearly needs to be some sort of reinforcement of customer service standards in the business, as I felt deeply put down by how they had treated me, and the experience I had was enough to ruin my night. Having this, made it evident that other customers and supporters are likely being treated with the same sort of disrespect. You never truly know what a person is going through, and speaking from experience it is always necessary to treat customers with respect. Be understanding, always, and help spread happiness instead of making...