Ukrainian Coffee House — Restaurant in Calgary

Happy Halloween!!!!

TLDR: Ukrainian Coffee House downtown west end: 755 5 AVE SW. Caramel lattes that are dreamy and out of this world. Desserts that are delicious and fresh. Service that is welcoming, friendly and helpful. Ambiance is cozy and perfect for when you want to talk and enjoy the company you’re with. The music was light and pleasant. It’s very accessible to enter and to sit. I did not check the bathrooms, though. I’ll have to check next time.

We wanted to wear our costumes (I’m Luigi and my husband is Link, from Zelda. We are pretty big gamer nerds 😻) and go for a walk and go to a cafe, just to have a bit of fun. We used google maps to find a cafe near us with a nice vibe. We wanted to go somewhere we’ve never been before.

After seeing pictures that showed the space looking spacious and wheelchair accessible; and reading rave reviews about their epic caramel lattes and delicious desserts; we settled on going to Ukrainian Coffee House.

Was a great choice! The caramel lattes were heavenly. I literally closed my eyes, savouring the rich, frothy, creamy, caramel goodness. It was dreamy. 🥰 We both were really impressed.

For dessert I had this layered dessert that had what tasted like the kind of caramel made from sweetened condensed milk (ohhh so goooooood) soaked into layers of waffle cookie type things. It was like gourmet caramel popcorn but better. Quite filling, I took 2/3 of it home. I will enjoy it later 🙂

My husband got a cherry dessert with some type of sweet cream cheese layers and it had pistachios as well. He said it was delicious 😋

The entrance door is wide and easy to enter with a wheelchair. The ambiance is so calming and friendly. There’s a nice water fountain feature inside by the door that is both visually pleasing and lovely to hear. They played nice, soft music in the background. The service was excellent. They were friendly and helpful. When we were trying to choose where to sit, he came around the counter and quickly chose a good spot and moved a chair so my wheelchair could fit with ease. It was a great location. I didn’t feel in the way. They gave us a table number sign and brought our order to us when it was ready.

It was pretty busy, and yet still felt very calm and welcoming.

We will definitely be back. I want to try their layered honey cake.

For those who drink alcohol, they also serve some hot alcoholic drinks as well as some cold ones. The pictures of some look really tasty! Especially the espresso martini and the Kalyna...

I went here based on good reviews. It started badly when I told the cashier that I had seen her funny Instagram videos she instantly froze up & ignored me after that. It was pretty busy as it was a Sunday afternoon we got a table and when our cappuccinos came they were terrible they had a funny aftertaste, there was no strong coffee taste at all and it’s supposed to have espresso in it. I have a machine at home & they did not taste like any cappuccino I’ve ever had in my life. Maybe they water down their coffee to save money . They were also cold not hot at all. We told the server and she said that it wasn’t the milk they use the same milk every day well how do you know if it’s bad if you don’t taste it. She offered to remake it and we declined because it would just be the same thing . I have no idea what the problem with it was but it tasted gross so they should taste it themselves and check out the issue it got worse!! We had both ordered cabbage rolls which looked good when they put the plate down. Three bites and I started gagging. First of all they were cold and it’s very dangerous to not reheat something to steaming in a restaurant because you will get food poisoning if you don’t kill the bacteria in food that’s been stored. After cooking. I am European and these were the worst cabbage rolls I have ever eaten!!! All I could taste was a strong taste of dill and nothing else. they also had a filling of mostly rice, never had cabbage rools like that in Europe either! We ended up leaving our food and cappuccinos and leaving. $40 + tip wasted!!!We went home and made a burger with meat from Lina’s an Italian store on Centre Street in Calgary that has the best food!!!! I suggest you avoid this place if you don’t want food poisoning, every single thing we had ordered was cold. And there were two of us and we both experienced the same thing. Maybe they should stick to making Instagram videos and not make any food just cold drinks which I noticed everyone else there...

We came across the Ukrainian Coffee House by chance on a Sunday afternoon walk. It was busy and the decision to have coffee there was a "why not" moment, more than anything else.

The decor is simple, a few painted pictures of European (presumably Ukrainian) cityscapes decorate the otherwise bare walls, the chairs are basic plastic models and the tables are equally simple.

We ordered a "Buckhorn Orange Tea", a standard Americano and a slice of Honey Cake.

Of the three, the Buckhorn Orange Tea was the most unusual. Think of a hot orange juice, mixed with buzzed Buckhorn berries and a few mint leaves poured from a French press coffee pot. Not sure if I would order it again but it was certainly different and unexpected.

The coffee was good but not spectacular.

The Honey Cake was good. It was fresh, had a homemade quality to it but tasted more like cream than honey. It went well with the coffee. I suspect that those characteristics are reminiscent of what may be found in similar shops in Ukraine.

The place was full when we visited. Hearing Slavic accents, one could tell that the Ukrainian Coffee House has become a place to meet for expatriates from the Old Country. Ukraine, as a country, has sadly been in the spotlight for the last two years. I could imagine that a good number of the conversations around us were about.

We noticed borsch being served at a few tables, as well, even if it was not on the menu. This may be something to try next time.

Visiting the Ukrainian Coffee House on a Sunday afternoon felt like a warm hug. Other than the coffee, the food and drink selection had a unique quality, the service was friendly, but what made this place special was the sense of community that it exuded.

Here's hoping Ukrainian Coffee House owners and patrons get happier news on the home front...