08/28/2026
How Calgary’s River Café Became the Best in Show
by Elizabeth Chorney-Booth Elizabeth Chorney-Booth for Avenue Calgary Magazine.
From a seasonal concession stand to one of Canada’s most celebrated restaurants, River Café has come to define Calgary’s taste of place.
When Sal Howell first set eyes on the building that would become her award-winning restaurant in Prince’s Island Park, it didn’t have any exterior walls — the structure was nothing more than a kiosk inside an aging, open-air concession stand where hungry park-goers could grab a hot dog or ice cream cone. Yet somehow Howell, who was only in her early 20s and a rare woman proprietor when she opened River Café in 1991, could picture a vibrant contemporary restaurant compelling enough to lure diners over the footbridge separating it from Calgary’s downtown.
In almost anyone else’s hands, the idea would likely have fizzled out within a couple of years. Calgary is, after all, a car-oriented city full of people who choose restaurants based on their proximity to free parking. But Howell gave diners more than enough reason to make the trek to her urban oasis of thoughtfully prepared seasonal and sustainable food. River Café not only survived, but has now thrived long enough to celebrate its 35th anniversary while still sitting at the top of its game.
“I wanted to create something that was timeless,” Howell says, waving her hand towards the rustic wooden tables, canoes and snowshoes that make up the restaurant’s decor. “This is the artist in me. I wanted the restaurant to grow out of where it is, so it felt like it had and would always belong here.”
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Photos: Jared
Sal Howell Kristen Livingston 𝙃𝙀𝘼𝙏𝙃𝙀𝙍 𝙋𝙀𝘿𝙃𝙄𝙍𝙉𝙀𝙔 Bruce Soley Cassandra Mathias Giermindl Thaison Santos Aaron Giguere Olivia Fournier Craig Hodel Kerry Lewis
