Cafe Koi
• #100, 1011 - 1st Street SW | Calgary, AB | T2R 0T8
Average User Rating:
9.32/10
9.32/10
Recommended by:
100%
100%
Sort Reviews by:
"Great food at great price! "
Floria
September 2011 — "Great food at great price!
Café Koi is the new fusion cuisine with hints of asian influence in their healthy selection. Highly recommended for vegetarians and carnivors! They have a great selection at reasonable prices. Café Koi is a great place to enjoy a refreshing lunch and in the evenings, they have jazz nights, open mics and featured artist on selective days. Awesome scene for the artsy-z! The décor inside is unique and feels laid back. However, do not be deceived by the outside of this restaurant that make it look like a shabby café. Definitely not the case! During my visit here, I had a very delicious and filling Citrus Salmon Sandwich with a side of salad for $13.49. This sandwich was well flavored and the combination of citris salmon on caramelize onion and a spread of light brie was perfect. I will definitely be back for some more!
My only complaint for Café Koi is that it lacks a bit of service and enthusiasm from the servers. The service was efficient but I felt that the servers were rushing us to order and didn’t take the time to explain the menu. Also, we had ordered a cup of coffee which was very good, but when the server brought it over, he had spilt some of it on to the saucer and the coffee had drizzled down all over the cup. He did apologize for that but I was shocked that he didn’t offer to change the cup or whip the sides of it. My friend was not very impress because she had to carefully hold the cup without getting her fingers all sticky and also had to watch the bottom of the cup as not to drip the excess that was on the outside of the cup on to her lap. So yes, Café Koi definitely has room for improvements!
"
User Rating
8/10
8/10
Ambience
••••••••••
Beverages
••••••••••
Cleanliness
••••••••••
Quality of Food
••••••••••
Staff Service
••••••••••
Value for Money
••••••••••
"Veggie Heaven"
Christopher
April 2011 — "I went here with my wife the other day. There was a great ambiance as we walked in, and the place was not busy. The lighting was low enough to be intimate, and the decor was good for this type of restaurant. Chairs were comfortable, and the tables were good.
The menu was great. I have recently been enjoying vegetarian cuisine, and I was happy to find that the veggie options were highlighted on the back of the menu. Besides this, the veggie options were also in-line with the regular food, so you can judge each dish on its own merits, rather than being of a binary mindset (do I eat vegetarian, or not?)
My wife had a curry noodle bowl, which she enjoyed, but the price was a little higher than it needed to be. I ordered the Buddah Burger. After reading all the great reviews, how could I not? I enjoyed the burger immensely, and the addition of beets and caramelized onions added a lot of life to the black bean burger, stuffed into a hearty pita (pausing for salivary gland recuperation). This was truly a great lunch item, and it will be hard to pass by this on the menu next time I go back.
Server was attentive, and the bottled water was a nice touch. The kitchen seemed a touch slow for serving a quick lunch, but I would absolutely recommend this spot to anyone looking for a good healthy meal. This is, in my mind, the essence of what food should be. Vegetarian, or otherwise, this place is a definite hit."
User Rating
8.67/10
8.67/10
Ambience
••••••••••
Beverages
••••••••••
Cleanliness
••••••••••
Quality of Food
••••••••••
Staff Service
••••••••••
Value for Money
••••••••••
"A Great Spot"
gary
January 2011 — "I liked everything about Cafe Koi. First impressions were excellent. The lighting and wall art are very tasteful and interesting. There is a lot to take in and appreciate. The menu has good variety; many of the entrees based on Asian cuisine. I tried the Spicy Chorizo Penne. It was a hearty meal, spiced to perfection and the Chorizo did not disappoint. I do admit that I love Chorizo! It is interesting to note that Cafe Koi has a variety of artsy happenings each week. On Tuesday they have a singer/songwriter evening starting at 8:00 and on Thursdays there is a jazz open stage. Spoken word/poetry evenings are also on the calendar each month. I was there for the jazz night which featured a variety of people that had come down to share their talents. I tried the Heartland Stickleback red wine. It was a full-bodied flavourful red and complimented the music perfectly. I will definitely go again. "
User Rating
9/10
9/10
Ambience
••••••••••
Beverages
••••••••••
Cleanliness
••••••••••
Quality of Food
••••••••••
Staff Service
••••••••••
Value for Money
••••••••••
"A Brilliant Idea and Great Food!"mary
January 2011 — "I'm so excited about this intimate little restaurant in Calgary because it is a hub of creativity and creates the perfect environment to showcase and celebrate local (and I'm sure visiting) talent. Ranging from singer/songwriter to jazz open mike nights, to The Spoken Word poetry evenings and then comedy Improv, the owner obviously appreciates the creative side of life. The ambience is interesting - probably I"ll use the wrong words - it looked contemporary but cozy with embedded wall lights, reds, greys and blacks, small tables and booths, and lots of windows. The menu is a very interesting collection of Japanese fusion foods - from edamane beans and miso soup, to interesting salads, a huge array of vegetarian cusine, and of course food for those who enjoy meat dishes. The prices were reasonable I think - appetizers started under $10 and entrees ranging from $10 and up. I chose the veggie burger because it was hand-made with black beans, along with yam wedges and a miso sauce (awesome!) and a glass of white wine. We split some edamane beans; a little different because they were rolled in cracked pepper and oil, and I followed up my meal with a coffee. My tab came to around $30. The entertainment started around 8:30 pm and it was a fun-filled evening of jazz vocalists and instrumentalists (including an accordian player!). If you want to be creatively stimulated and have great food, hit Cafe Koi - it is well worth it!
"
User Rating
10/10
10/10
Ambience
••••••••••
Beverages
••••••••••
Cleanliness
••••••••••
Quality of Food
••••••••••
Staff Service
••••••••••
Value for Money
••••••••••
"Cool Space, great food!"mya
October 2009 — "Visited the newly renovated cafe koi tonight. Really cool looking space with glowing walls, slick bar and zen ambiance. The beer was cold and quite reasonable ($5.75/pint) and the service simple. The food was hot and fresh and good value for the price. This is a really neat place, everyone should check it out!"
User Rating
10/10
10/10
Ambience
••••••••••
Beverages
••••••••••
Cleanliness
••••••••••
Quality of Food
••••••••••
Staff Service
••••••••••
Value for Money
••••••••••
"zen mind zen food "
Abby
December 2008 — "Cafe Koi is the sort of place that puts one immediately at ease. The gentle decor and soft spoken servers create an atmosphere of zen and peace.
Looking for some comfort food on a cold winter's day, I pulled up a stool at the sleek bar and perused the menu. Items included soups, salads, sandwiches, and stir frys. Given the frigid weather, I opted for the day ninja, a combination of salmon, ginger, and mixed greens.
It arrived piping hot in a generously large bowl and the aroma was perfectly alluring. Tucking into the mixture, the salmon melted in my mouth and the greens were tender with just the right amount of ginger.
My server was calm and efficient, despite being rather busy with a full restaurant and brought my bill quickly so I could return to work.
The art work on the walls changes monthly, giving local photographers, designers, and painters a chance to showcase their work. I would definitely pop in during the evening, when dj's spin and the atmosphere is decidedly hip and urban.
Koi is a welcome slice of Zen in an otherwise hectic town. "
User Rating
9.83/10
9.83/10
Ambience
••••••••••
Beverages
••••••••••
Cleanliness
••••••••••
Quality of Food
••••••••••
Staff Service
••••••••••
Value for Money
••••••••••
"Top Notch Food and Service"Kyle
July 2007 — "The Ultimate Cool in Calgary. The menu was priced adequately for the sizes and the ambience was ultra cool. Get anything you can with the hoisin-maple dip, it's a perfect taste. The food was prepared fresh and fast by courteous servers who provided another element of Cool to Koi. I will definitely eat (and drink) there again.
"
User Rating
10/10
10/10
Ambience
••••••••••
Beverages
••••••••••
Cleanliness
••••••••••
Quality of Food
••••••••••
Staff Service
••••••••••
Value for Money
••••••••••
"Yummy"
Mike
February 2007 — "Unless sometime in the future I write a subsequent review to this one, just assume that I'll be lunching at Cafe Koi at least once a week and thoroughly enjoying it every time. Today I tried Koi for the first time, and it definitely lives up to the other reviews on this site. I ordered the Soup du Jour (I think my server called silk and celery, but I'm not sure) and it was flavourful, filling and well presented. The decor is also great: Simple, clean and casual."
User Rating
9/10
9/10
Ambience
••••••••••
Beverages
••••••••••
Cleanliness
••••••••••
Quality of Food
••••••••••
Staff Service
••••••••••
Value for Money
••••••••••
"Fantastic food!"Jennifer
August 2006 — "I always thought this place looked a bit pretentious, so I never bothered to try it. However, when a coworker suggested it for a group lunch, I went along and was really surprised by the place. The food was amazing! There were some really creative food combinations on the menu and there were lots of items I wanted to try. I ended up getting a pear, carmelized onion and brie pannini, and it was fantastic. The prices were reasonable too - there wasn't anything on the lunch menu over $10.
The only only not so good thing was the seating - the tree stumps they use instead of chairs are not comfortable at all. I would definately come back though, as the food was great."
User Rating
9.17/10
9.17/10
Ambience
••••••••••
Beverages
••••••••••
Cleanliness
••••••••••
Quality of Food
••••••••••
Staff Service
••••••••••
Value for Money
••••••••••
"I LOVE Koi!"
Lauren
August 2006 — "I work quite close to Koi and it has quickly become one of my favourite places in Calgary to eat and hang out. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner, and on more than one occasion I've visited twice in a day. The menu isn't huge but there is a good variety of choices and everything I've had there has been very tasty! They have quite a few vegetarian options and a lot of the stuff on the menu is organic. They're usually really quick (the only time I've waited a while for food was when I went in with a really large group during the noon-hour rush) and the staff is really friendly and talkative. The interior is cool as well (you might end up seated on a giant tree stump) and they rotate work by local artists on the walls. The dinner menu can seem slightly pricey but I don't think it's unreasonable for the quality of the food, and the drinks are priced quite reasonably. I know they do DJ nights there and while I haven't been yet, it definitely sounds like something worth checking out! This is the type of place I'd expect to find in Vancouver or even London, so it's a treat to find it in Calgary! Oh, and to top it all off it’s completely non-smoking!"
User Rating
9.50/10
9.50/10
Ambience
••••••••••
Beverages
••••••••••
Cleanliness
••••••••••
Quality of Food
••••••••••
Staff Service
••••••••••
Value for Money
••••••••••
DescriptionWith a mandate to support local people, art and culture, Koi offers reasonably priced breakfast, lunch and dinner menus that include a variety of vegetarian items. Patrons groove to the sounds of local DJs spinning on weekends and local bands perform in the summer.
Location Information#100, 1011 - 1st Street SW
Calgary
AB
T2R 0T8
Old School Festival
TBA
Mob Hit Productions presents the Old School Festival, featuring three main events. Check website for more information.
TBA
Mob Hit Productions presents the Old School Festival, featuring three main events. Check website for more information.
