Shijo Cafe — Restaurant in Calgary

This new cafe that has opened in NW Calgary has a very new dining area that's feel open, comfortable and has a nice atmosphere.

The staff are all very knowledgeable and showed great service, they were attentive enough to check up but did not overdo it allowing us to enjoy the meal in peace.

We ordered the ice chai latte, ice chai frap, their pancakes and their okonomiyaki.

The Ice chai latte was delicious, the chai frapp pretty good. I would say so far their drinks are very well done- I look forward to trying their other drinks in the future. 5/5 for the chai latte, 4/5 for the chai frapp

Other reviewers have said that their pancakes are not sweet enough or is dry. But I did not find it dry at all. The white cream that they have on top of the pancakes is delicious, and there's also some maple syrup on the bottom for you to dip it in. The sweetness level is gentle, what I like to say "not too sweet". I would jokingly say it's perfect for the Asian palate lol. The cakes themselves are fluffy and moist and once more, gently sweet. If you have a sweet tooth you may want to ask for more syrup. 5/5

The okonomiyaki I thought tasted pretty good, some would say though that $20 is a lot for the size of it. But considering this is a cafe and not an actual okonomiyaki place I thought it was acceptable. The size is enough to feel satisfied but not bloated. Usually okonomiyaki is a pretty heavy food, so I thought the smaller size is good for a morning meal. It had shrimp, chinese cabbage and mushrooms in it- I would have liked to see a bit more cabbage just to give it a little more texture but overall it's good and I enjoyed it. 4/5

In the end we also go their hojicha cotton cheese cake to go. Their takeout bag was a surprise since it came as a fibre/cloth bag which I actually really appreciated rather than plastic.

The cheese cake itself is the fluffy Japanese kind, rather than the dense western style. It was gently sweet with a light cheesecake flavour, but I found that I could not recognize that it was supposed to be hojicha. I think if you're looking for a good hojicha cheesecake, with a strong hojicha flavour (or something sweeter) it may be best to look...

I had an extremely positive experience at Shijo Cafe! I was lured here by delicious photos of houjicha lattes and sushi I saw on IG and I have to say, it did not disappoint.

They have many milk alternatives to choose from for your latte and they do latte art 🥹! Houjicha lattes are rare to come by in Calgary (actually Houjicha tea is not that common to begin with) so I was excited to try it. Depending on which milk alternative you get, the taste of the tea can be dulled. I found it was still strong enough with soy milk, but my friend said she barely tasted the houjicha with lactose free milk.

I got the duck breast udon and presentsiton was 10/10, when they put it on the table I thought it was a dish straight out of a Studio Ghibli movie!! Taste was also amazing, they didn't cheap out on the duck at all. It was juicy and moist, but taste wise, rather than tasting duck it tasted like I was eating honeyed ham (it's weird for me to explain but regardless it was still good!). The hamachi tempura sushi was also really good! I think I still prefer raw hamachi over a cooked hamachi in tempura but it was something unique on their menu, among their other unique rolls that you won't find anywhere else.

My friend got their houjicha pancakes and she said they were delicious and surprisingly filling as a breakfast meal! The pancakes are made in the Japanese fluffy pancake style and the syrup you get to drizzle over it is not too sweet. The sauce was like houjicha cream cheese sauce. Everything complemented well.

In the end it was pricey as far as breakfast goes, but we got to try a drink, a main dish each, and 2 sushi rolls and really loved it so for once in a while,...

My wife and I had the pleasure of dining at Shijo Cafe for the first time, and it was an an amazing lunch experience that we cannot recommend highly enough!

To start, I indulged in the Miso Black Cod. This dish was a masterpiece: the cod was perfectly grilled, offering a tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture, and the miso marinade provided a delightful umami richness. Accompanied by a bed of fluffy rice, broccolini with a touch of egg, and a flavourful broth, I enjoyed every bite. The furikake seasoning, and seaweed added an extra layer of complexity that elevated the dish. The broth provided on the side was also not overly salty and just added that little bit of richness.

My wife opted for the Unagi Don, and it was equally spectacular. The BBQ eel was exquisitely tender and glazed with a luscious unagi sauce that was both sweet and savoury. Served over a generous portion of rice and topped with delicate egg ribbons and seaweed, each mouthful was a symphony of taste that left us both enchanted.

We also shared a selection of sushi rolls that were simply divine. The spicy tuna and spicy salmon rolls were fresh and vibrant, with just the right amount of heat to make them exciting without overpowering the natural flavours of the fish. The special roll we tried was a delightful surprise, featuring a unique combination of ingredients that were clearly chosen with care and precision. Also the rice used looked like brown rice and had the perfect bite.

The quality of the ingredients, the expert preparation, and the beautiful presentation all contributed to an exceptional dining experience. We look forward to many more visits to this sushi restaurant close...