Best Breakfast in Calgary: 15 Breakfast Restaurants You’ll Love
- March 9, 2022
- By Cody Battershill
Best Breakfasts in Calgary: Must-Try Restaurants!
Where will you find the best breakfast in Calgary? We've compiled a list of our absolute favourite breakfast and brunch restaurants around town that are still open despite turmoil over the past few years, a true testament to just how good they are!
What restaurants are on your list for the best breakfast in Calgary? Let us know and we will add it to our growing list as soon as we get to it!
Holy Grill
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- Address: Multiple Locations
- HolyGrill.ca
Our list of best breakfast in Calgary starts with no other than Holy Grill. The restaurants' name is well suited for this family-owned establishment serving up food that tastes like breakfast angels have made it – I kid you not!
From paninis to benedict to breakfast bowls to salads, Holy Grill does a superb job of every dish they make while using only the freshest locally sourced ingredients. You also can add on as many toppings/ingredients as you like, making each visit and take-out order as unique as the last.
Holy Grill has expanded its presence over the years due to its huge success as one of the best breakfast/brunch restaurants in Calgary. Four locations include three in downtown: 444 5th Avenue SW, 205 5th Avenue SW (Bow Valley Square) and 10th Avenue SW (the Original) and one now in Silverado part of the South District of Calgary.
Thomsons Kitchen & Bar
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- Address: 700 Centre Street S
- Phone Number: 403-537-4449
- Hyatt.com
Formerly known as the Sandstone Lounge and Thomsons Restaurant, Thomsons Kitchen & Bar is where you'll find some of the best breakfast/brunch in the city.
Choose from a wide range of gourmet dishes including bison breakfast poutine, apple cinnamon pancakes or vegan hash skillet. Enjoy inside the recently renovated and relaxed interior, or perhaps grab a patio table right along Stephen Avenue.
It's too bad that Thomsons no longer offers its all-you-can-eat gourmet buffet breakfast/brunch, but thankfully its new menu is just as delicious and will make sure you remember this restaurant as having one of the best breakfasts in Calgary.
Diner Deluxe
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- Multiple Locations
- DinerDeluxe.com
Diner Deluxe is a long-standing breakfast/brunch/lunch restaurant in Calgary, a true testament to the tastiness and quality of food it serves. Diner's original Bridgeland location has been open for years, while its newer spot in Mahogany caters to the deep South and Southeast.
Diner's extensive menu includes everything from omelettes and frittatas to benedicts and poutines. The restaurant even has a hefty selection of breakfast cocktails, coffees and other delightful drinks, and even some lunch mains in case you're just not feeling brekkie whatsoever.
Home to one of Calgary's best breakfasts, you'll want to get in the door before 9am on weekends if you hope to skip the lineups. Otherwise, be prepared to wait anywhere form 15 to 45 minutes for a table.
OEB Breakfast Co.
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- Multiple Locations
- EatOEB.com
OEB Breakfast Co. is yet another homegrown brekkie and brunch restaurant that has taken Calgary by storm. It too has multiple locations, a testament to its success as having one of the best breakfasts in Calgary.
If there is any restaurant named king of breakfast poutines, OEB is it. Its menu has a full spectrum of tasty poutines including lobster, chicken, ahi tuna, vegan, scallops, pulled pork variants and more!
Like Diner Deluxe, you'll want to get your foot in the door early if there's a hope of skipping the lineup. Thankfully, OEB Breakfast Co. takes reservations, so perhaps it's better to plan ahead!
The Bro'Kin Yolk
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- Multiple Locations
- BroKinYolk.ca
Another one of Calgary's best breakfast restaurants, the Bro'Kin Yolk, has expanded to include locations in Calgary's West and Southeast Districts. Since 2015, this restaurant has been a go-to choice for suburbanites looking for tasty breakfast and brunch not too far from home.
We love the upstream benny, truffle, ham & wild mushroom poutine, and fili breakfast bowl. A kids' menu also makes The Bro'Kin Yolk family-friendly and a great place for a meal with your loved ones any day of the week.
Blue Star Diner
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- Address: 809 1st Avenue NE
- Phone Number: 403-261-9998
- BlueStarDiner.ca
Bridgeland's Blue Star Diner has upheld its reputation for serving up some of the best breakfast in Calgary for many, many years. It's not hard to see why; the well-known breakfast/brunch/lunch restaurant emphasizes using locally sourced ingredients and always has excellent customer service.
If any restaurant was named the king of breakfast bowls in the city, Blue Star Diner is it. Choose from a wide range of bowls including the traditional bowl, journey bowl, tuna poke bowl, chilaquiles bowl and vegan hash bowl. We've tried almost all of them, and they all taste great while also being healthy and filling!
Blue Star Diner's location in the heart of Bridgeland makes it one of the busier breakfast restaurants in Calgary, so make sure to call in first or join the waitlist on their website before heading down.
Dairy Lane Café
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- Address: 319 19th Street NW
- Phone Number: 403-283-2497
- DairyLaneCafe.com
Blue Star Diner's sister restaurant is just as good, but on the opposite side of the inner city. Dairy Lane has carved out a reputation as serving up some of the best breakfast meals in Calgary and also puts a huge emphasis on getting its ingredients from Alberta-only sources.
Established in the late 1950s, Dairy Lane's multi-decade existence on the local restaurant scene is a true testament to just how good this place is.
Although similar to Blue Star Diner, the menu does have its differences. We absolutely love the granola yogurt parfait, Dairy Lane hash, Hillhurst breakfast sammy, and bison chili.
Belmont Diner
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- Multiple Locations
- BelmontDiner.com
We're delighted that Belmont Diner's original location in Marda Loop recovered from a fire a few years back. We sure did miss this best breakfast restaurant in Calgary while it was closed for repairs!
Like Calgary's other best breakfast restaurants, Belmont has now expanded and opened a second location in the West District/Aspen area.
Serving up traditional breakfast since 2000, our favourite entrees include the barnyard benny, Belmont French toast and huevos rancheros to name a few!
Pfanntastic Pannenkoek Haus
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- Address: 2439 54th Avenue SW
- Phone Number: 403-243-7757
- DutchPancakes.ca
If you're looking for the most unique breakfast in Calgary, the award-winning Pfanntastic Pannenkoek Haus should be on the top of your list.
This family-friendly, locally owned restaurant serves up authentic Dutch pancakes – also known as "pannenkoeken – consisting of a simple batter of eggs, milk, flour, and salt. Sometimes mistaken for crepes or shredded potatoes, pannenkoeken are genuinely one of the most unique breakfast meals you'll find anywhere in Calgary.
Served in a "sweet" or "savoury" options, our favourite pannenkoeken include the bacon and egg, herb butter and chicken parmesan to name a few. You have to try this best breakfast restaurant in North Glenmore!
Red's Diner
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- Multiple Locations
- RedsDiner.com
Red's Diner has long been one of the best places to grab a scrumptious breakfast or brunch meal.
Like some of the other restaurants on our list of best breakfast in Calgary, Red's Diner has grown its presence across the City Centre with multiple locations found in Kensington, Mission, Ramsay and its newest spot on 58th Avenue SE.
We highly recommend the steak and eggs, harvest breakfast bowl and croque madame, the last of which is a delicious take on a popular French-style entrée with creamy bechamel, melted swiss cheese and sunny-side-up eggs to boot.
Vendome Café
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- Address: 940 2nd Avenue SW
- Phone Number: 403-453-1140
- VendomeCafe.com
Tucked away off the main Kensington strip, this hidden gem cafe serves up delicious French-style breakfast that will blow your socks off.
Enjoy your best breakfast/brunch/lunch meal on the patio, or in the quaint interior that features a café-style service counter and seat-yourself sitting area.
Vendome's berry stuffed French toast, chicken and waffles, and eggs benedict are some of the best breakfasts in Calgary we're sure you'll love! Vendome also has a healthy selection of soups, salads and other lunch entrees that make this hidden gem a great place to eat any time of the day.
Galaxie Diner
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- Address: 1413 11th Street SW
- Phone Number: 403-228-0001
- GalaxieDiner.ca
Since 1996, Galaxie Diner has been a go-to spot for the best breakfast in Calgary. This quaint little restaurant is found on the vibrant 11th Street SW in the Beltline, steps away from the 17th Avenue Shopping District and a few blocks south from Stella, Nova and Luna condos.
Inside you'll find an old-fashioned interior with an open kitchen, but few tables. Hence, you'll want to stop by at non-peak times or get take-out if you're looking to indulge in Galaxie's delicious breakfast entrees.
Some of our favourites include the Montreal smoked meat hash, blackstone benedict, and Calgary sandwich. Galaxie also has a ton of scrumptious lunch options including burgers and sandwiches, washed down perfectly with a diner-style milkshake (they have nearly ten flavours!).
Monki Breakfast Club & Bistro
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- Multiple Locations
- MonkiBistro.ca
Monki is another top breakfast restaurant in Calgary where you'll find a wide range of enjoyable breakfast/brunch entrees to indulge in. Like other restaurants on our list, it has expanded its presence to two locations – one in the West Beltline and another in the Inglewood District.
Monki's brisket poutine and steak and eggs are absolutely to die for. We also love the perogies and pancake breakfast tacos, a unique creation by one of Calgary's best breakfast restaurants!
Brekkie Cafe
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- Address: #130 – 20 Westpark Link SW
- Phone Number: 403-452-9005
- Brekkie.ca
Brekkie Café is one of the best breakfast restaurants in Calgary on the west side of town. If you don't live close by, the drive is well worth it.
Brekkie serves up unique breakfast, brunch and lunch dishes that leave you with the impression that you'll be back next time. Dishes like the lobster and tarragon eggs benedict, confit duck and waffles and smoked salmon & avocado brekkie make this restaurant as memorable as it gets.
This place is so good that you should be prepared to wait an hour or so on weekends. We recommend you head on down to Brekkie during the weekday to skip the line up!
Queens Breakfast Cocktails
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- Address: 3927 Edmonton Trail NE
- Phone Number: 403-764-0878
- QueensYYC.ca
Queens might just be one of the top three breakfast restaurants in Calgary. With its unique French-style cuisine that will have you come back for more time and time again, Queens offers delicious breakfast and brunch meals you don't often see on the Calgary restaurant scene.
Our top pics are the smoked wild salmon benedict, mushroom fricassee skillet and queens omellete. They also have many other authentic Euro-style breakfasts entrees such as les croques, brioche French toast and Belgian waffles.
Queens is an absolute must-try for anyone who loves their breakfast – just make sure to book a reservation for the weekend in advance or visit on a weekday so that you're not stuck waiting in line!
What is Your Favourite Breakfast in Calgary?
What are your top favourite restaurants for breakfast/brunch in Calgary? Leave us a comment below and let us know so that we can add it to our list!
Until next time, check us out on Instagram and Facebook for more of everything to do with Calgary restaurants, activities + events. See you there!