Cerezo Cafe & Bar

Suprising good japanese tapas restaurant. We went there for both breakfast and dinner.

The food always amazes me and the service is top notch. Offers brunch like eggs benny and banana bread French toast. Pictures speak for themselves. Everything’s made in house and the prices are very reasonable (I would say they’re underpriced but shhh). When you’re driving on Edmonton trail you might miss it, as it’s just a house at the corner of 9ave né. It’s definitely a gem in Calgary. I’ll be coming here more often to try out everything on the menu.

I would give Cerezo 3.5 if I could but it’s not a 4. Service was great; dessert was beyond amazing. We had the black sesame and green tea mouse cake, it was so good. However, I find most of the food items here are way way too salty. The toro sashi was good if you only have 2 pieces but it will start to get really salty after the second piece because of the sea salt they aged it with. The short ribs was ridiculously salty, I had one bite and could not eat anymore. Chicken karage was good but again, it gets salty after the 2^nd piece. Only two things I like here is the dessert and the wagyu beef shank, that was deliciously tender. We also had the grilled squid stuffed with rice, again all I pretty much taste is the salt. I must say I was pretty disappointed. I would only come back here for dessert only, no food thank you.

I have been to Cerezo’s many times. I absolutely love the food, friendly atmosphere and the cute location.
Firstly, their food is very fresh and it tastes amazing. There are many options you can choose from. The menu features savoury and sweet items. My personal favourite is the chocolate french toast. The toast is soft, the banana and melting whipped cream oozes over the side. Many items come with the side potatoes. If you haven’t tried those, you’re missing out. They’re scrumptious. So scrumptious you have to save them for last. One time I had some soup there. It was very hot and tasted creamy, but thick at the same time. It had the perfect constancy.
The restaurant is very cute. When you sit down, you’ll feel right at home. Chairs are comfortable, and there are many interesting sculptures to look at.
The service is very good. Food comes quickly, and the waiters are very nice. Sometimes the waiters don’t have the best english, but that’s okay. Other than that they are super friendly and do their job correctly.
When it comes down to it, Cerezo’s is an underrated restaurant that needs more attention.

I’m not sure why this place isn’t more popular because it is a lot better than some of the japanese places in calgary. The location is not far from downtown and the house restaurant vibe is great. I would say the dinner has better options than the lunch but both meals I’ve had were very satisfying. For dinner, try going with some friends so you can share their tapas. There are a lot of good choices and you don’t want to miss out on them. I recommend the pork belly, their sashimi (one of the places with fresher good fish — this is hard to find in calgary sometimes), and basa. If you are ever craving japanese desserts (which is almost daily for me), then cerezo is the place to go. They have black sesame, matcha and hojicha inspired desserts and our group ordered every dessert on the menu. I would come back here to have desserts! Definitely give this place a try because you don’t often find places like this in the city’s core.

I went here on a date over a year ago. I was a big fan of it’s former incarnation — Garden’s Grace. Cerezo Café and Bar was fine. We had cake, coffee and tea — all fine, no complaints, but not outstanding — easily forgotten. The service was fine, the ambience — okay. This location and building has great character that they could better make use of. Living in the shadow of a great café like Garden’s Grace can not be easy. I wish them well.

Tried this place for brunch for the first time today. Ordered the Sukiyaki Beef eggs Benedict and then got to try my friend’s pork belly eggs Benedict. Both were delicious and not too heavy with a hint of sweetness to complement the eggs and meat. There’s also free parking in the back and service was good.

Brunch: If you don’t get the side potatoe, you’ll have food regret.
Dinner: The Toro Sashi is unbeatable.

Had brunch today and we’re impressed. Pork belly Benny? I’m there.
The egg Benedict as many note are superb. Nice to have a bun that is fresh and soft.
The kids ordered the chocolate banana French toast that frankly was like chocolate cake toast. (This is not necessarily a criticism…)
Only thing that stuck out was the servers English skills were not yet sufficient to explain whatever it was she was trying (valiantly!) about the salmon Benedict. (Canned salmon?) Nonetheless service was fabulous.

I love finding new places to eat especially ones that I’ve never heard of. After a late night out Stampeding, our group of five wanted brunch. Someone picked OEB, which would have been great, minus the fact that it was a 3 hour wait time. Yes, you read that correctly. Three freaking hours. Pass! Even Diner Deluxe a few steps down was packed with an hour wait to boot. Too many brunchers. Luckily, someone suggested Cerezo which was just back up the street and ta da — no line!
Cerezo looks like someone’s house from the outside. When you walk in, it oozes of comfort, family and relaxation. Apparently, they have a patio which I plan on taking full advantage of next time. Japanese tapas for dinner sounds quite appealing.
Brunch menu has some interesting options. What else would expect from a Japanese restaurant?
— Wholewheat & quinoa waffle ($ 10.95) — blueberry compote, maple syrup and vanilla whipped cream. Decadent would be the perfect way to describe these waffles. And «healthy», if you ignore the whipped cream added on top. The fresh fruit (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and cherries) were incredibly fresh while the waffles were light and fluffy. I also ordered a side of bacon ($ 3.00) but the waffles surprisingly satisfied my appetite. If you like sweet over savoury, get these!
— Miso pork cutlet doria with salad ($ 16.95) — breaded pork cutlet with miso sauce, scrambled egg and brown rice with mornay sauce. The doria was absolutely enormous. I kid you not, this picture doesn’t even do it justice. It easily could have been a meal for dinner and more — my buddy had to pack half of it for home. A Japanese style lasagna but filled instead with cheese, rice, egg, and fried pork cutlet, it’s essentially a mini heart attack. All before it’s even noon time. Again, I don’t know how these flavours managed to work but it just did. The only criticsm we had was that the dish was a bit on the salty side — personally, I wouldn’t have wanted to eat this all by myself.
— Vegetable frittata with toast ($ 11.95) — our other friend ordered the frittata which came with a side salad and a couple pieces of toast. A nice oozy portion of cheese on top. It looked pretty good from my end.
— Eggs sunny side ($ 12.00) — two sunny side eggs, bacon, toast and choice of salad, soup or caramelized potatoes. Apparently, Cerezo’s potatoes are bomb so our friend with that. He was a bit disappointed with his order as it didn’t have the glitz and glamour that the rest of our dishes had. His was simple but still well executed.
— Housemade granola & Greek yogurt ($ 6.00) — look how gorgeous that granola and yogurt parfait looks. Beautifully presented and such attention to detail. Oh yeah, she devoured all of it too.
Overall, cozy spot to grab brunch with a Japanese twist. I’ll have to come back to try their tapas menu for dinner. If it’s anything like our first trip, we will be happy campers. Forget about waiting in line at other places nearby — Cerezo is worth it with their great food and care that they take in the little things that matter.

It seems to be a very unique Japanese café.
The pork belly eggs Benny was one of the best I had tried! Love the yuzu hollandaise sauce. Also the caramelized potato was amazing!!!
The wholewheat and quinoa waffle was much better than expected too. I always thought wholewheat means dry and bland but it’s not like this here!
Dessert was good too! We had the double chocolate with framboise mouse! Looked and tasted very good.
I would love to come back again and again!

Great breakfast!!! Eggs Benedict… so delicious. No problem with getting in as it’s a hidden gem. Way better food then the busy diner a few blocks down. Their coffees are great!

The Pork Belly Eggs Benedict are the best. I need not say more.

I love this place. I almost don’t want to write this review because I want to keep this place all to myself if I can help it but they truly deserve the praise.
Amazing food, prompt and super friendly service, and the place is nicely set up so noise isn’t an issue. A place where you can actually have a good conversation while you dine!
My boyfriend had the braised pork belly Benedict and it was amazing. I had the gyu-​suji beef curry rice don and it was very good. I don’t know what they do differently to their scrambled eggs but I honestly have never had anything like it. How can scrambled eggs be surreal?!
I can’t wait to go back; the happy hour looks great and the staff certainly make you feel appreciated. Something you don’t normally experience on the hipster strip

Love having brunch at this unique house and follow with a beautiful plated dessert!!! Yum

Their sign says «Best Egg Benny» and they may be right. The dishes taste as good as they look! The kitchen took a bit longer than average but certainly worth the wait (and the service was attentive). Definitely worth coming back again and again.
Eggs Benedict with braised pork belly…5 stars. Simply perfect. Just a beautifully arranged dish. The eggs are poached to perfection… as you cut through the white, the yolk just slowly oozes out. The pork belly is nice and tender and kicks the dish up a notch. The side of tomato and vegetable soup is tiny but loaded with flavor… the broth coats your spoon like a sauce!
Vegetable Frittata…4 stars. Very good! Loved the cherry tomatoes. Not as much seasoning as I’d like but that only means you can taste all the different vegetables. The accompanying buttered toast were huge but tasty. The strawberry preserve was also a delight.

Came here for an impromptu lunch as the restaurant we had originally planned to go to was closed. The environment was casual and intimate with many cute decorations. I ordered their baked egg with vegetables, curry and cheese which came with a side of bread and soup of the day. The entrée was well balanced and not too spicy. Their carrot soup was smooth and seasoned perfectly; one of the best I’ve had in the city.
It was a wonderful experience dining here for brunch. Their décor and unique take on brunch will bring me back time and time again. In the coming days, I look forward to giving their tapas and desserts a try as well.

It was a wonderful experience dining here on a Tuesday night. It was really quiet, the food was pretty good. The squid with rice was really the highlight of all the dishes. The warm sake was also pretty good.
Expect to be here all night! It took a long time to have all the dishes ready.

My eldest sister was visiting from Winnipeg and of course I dragged her to my gym to meet my crew and get a workout in. We had a semi plan… after the gym we’ll head out somewhere to eat but we had no idea where. «I don’t care, just surprise me!!» Nat says. I really had no idea where to take her, until I remembered that I have tons of places bookmarked on my handy dandy Unilocal app! So there I go and scan through my bookmarked restaurants. CEREZO. Yup, that’s where we’re going, I’ve been wanting to try this place out for a while AND it’s even on the way! Even better. I quickly punched in the address in google maps and we were on the way. I turn the corner and park… google maps says we’re here but I can’t spot Cerezo! Turns out, it was RIGHT THERE but I just missed it.
Cerezo is located on Edmonton Trail, just a few blocks from Boogie burger. It’s a cute little house on the corner so if you’re not aware, you’ll miss it like I did. Street parking is available. When we entered, you can tell that the living area has been turned into a dining area, quite small but super cozy. We were seated at a two person table and immediately greeted and handed the menus. Natalie went with a glass of beer and I went with the mango float. Most of the menu items are tapa style but of course entrees are entrees. We decided share and ordered two specials that night — Duck breast which came with linguine and japanese yuzu sauce, Nasu-​sticks which was eggplant fritters with mascarpone dashi dip and homemade spicy mayo as well as the soy sauce braised pork belly. My sister and I had a lot to talk about but we noticed that the food did take a while to come, but once it came. boy was it worth the wait. The presentation for all the dishes is just impeccable — almost too pretty to eat!
The eggplant fritters were amazing, they were piled on one another, topped with parmesan cheese slivers, arugula and a side of stacked celery and carrot sticks. The eggplant was lightly battered and deep fried, they had a wonderful crisp and then when you bite into them the water from the eggplant soaked in your mouth. Delicious. The dips were house made and super tasty. Mascarpone dip was tangy and slightly sweet and the spicy mayo was also tangy with a hint of spice. The soy sauce braised pork belly was phenomenal. They were very thinly sliced and literally MELT IN YOUR MOUTH just as pork belly should be. Similar to bacon but 10x better, you’ve got to taste for yourself to believe me.melt. in. your. mouth. Lastly, the duck breast was beautifully sliced with a tasty side of linguine. The Japanese yuzu sauce made everything come together, it was soaked in the linguine and over the duck breast. The duck breast was smooth and tender while the linguine was perfectly al dente with some assorted vegetables mixed in. Everything was absolutely wonderful, we didn’t want our taste buds to rest so we decided to share a lemon tart :) Of course when the lemon tart arrived, it’s just a work of art. The crust was soft yet crispy, lemon was nice and sweet and the meringue was airy and delicious. a perfect combination.
I got so excited about the food, I didn’t really talk about the service. Our cute waitresses explained the dishes as they came, checked on us to ensure everything was good but didn’t come by often enough to top up our water. Also, I had wished that there was more lighting, the area we got seated was quite dark which made for OK photos ;) The food at Cerezo is made carefully and clearly with love. I think Cerezo is a perfect place to bring your significant other on any special occasion or just because OR if you wanted to impress your date, Cerezo is the place to impress them at! The atmosphere is very imitate! Please visit Cerezo for an unreal dining experience! Your taste buds will thank you.

Who knew that waffles made with whole wheat and quinoa could be so light, fluffy, yummy, good! This out of the way, kinda middle of nowhere spot is an absolute treasure! It’s a café by day with odd but comfy seating (definitely a great spot to bang on the laptop for an hour or two), it has a limited menu but I am assured by Wendy P, it is all excellent. Oh and apparently in the evening it turns into a Japanese Tapas restaurant?! I’m not sure how Spanish tapas mesh with Japanese food… but I’ve seen odder culinary mash ups and fusions; I think?!
So if you are bored of you usual coffee shop give this place a whirl. I think you’ll love it! Oh, and back to those waffles, delicious! The blueberry compote, maple syrup drizzle, decadent whipped cream… It was this waffle-lover’s shocking breakfast surprise of the month!