Holt’s Cafe

I came here for lunch on Friday with a colleague of mine. I didn’t even know that this place existed until last Fall. It is on the 2^nd floor hidden in the back of Holt Renfrew overlooking the East facing atrium in Manulife Place. Anytime that I have come here, I have enjoyed the meal and the ambiance is great. The glass windows allow for lots of natural sunlight to shine through and the simple décor make you feel like have escaped to relaxation for the hour. I have only ever had their soup and sandwich special. It changes daily. When I ordered it this time, it was the cranberry turkey sandwich together with fish chowder soup. The chowder was excellent. It had lots of great flavours and it wasn’t too creamy and rich. The fish didn’t overpower the soup either. My sandwich was ok. I was expecting to have fresh turkey but instead it was processed turkey meat. The cranberries saved the day on this sandwich! It brought out the turkey flavour in the meat and the provolone cheese with greens finished off the sandwich nicely.
The menu is more on the pricey side so I don’t venture here often but when I do, it is a little treat. I want to come back and try their famous cobb salad.

Yup this place is a hidden gem! Not often do I think of going to Holt café for lunch but it definitely is a special treat if I do go.
I made a reservation using Unilocal and they didn’t seem to get it, luckily there was room for us.
I ordered the lemonade, which unfortunately tasted like dense lemons, perhaps out of a bottle. It wasn’t as fresh as I was expecting. However, I ordered the chicken pot pie for lunch. It was the perfect size, which I appreciate because I don’t want to pack up leftovers sometimes. However it was $ 17, which is a bit pricy for lunch. The side salad it came with was good but I definitely cleared my plate.
Looking forward to going back!

I was here last week and was disappointed to find out that the Cobb salad was again off the menu… my little party of 3 had gone there just for that salad. We made do with other menu choices. The antipasto salad was good as were the tartines but… They had such a smashing Cobb salad! I don’t understand why it keeps disappearing. I know many among the downtown lunchers who go just for that salad. Having said that, I will add that the service remained exquisite, attentive, prompt, and pointed us to some alternatives to the Cobb salad but alas…

I will grant you that $ 14 for what was effectively an open-​faced tuna salad sandwich (albeit a fancy one) was expensive, but it was just what I was seeking — zesty, salty, tasty, not-​too-​filling.
If you don’t mind paying premium prices for a nice light lunch, this is worth a stop-​in.

Fresh ingredients. Superb service. Quick and fast bistro style eating.
I just had a salad here and it was exceptional. Fresh goat cheese and topped with strawberries was light and refreshing. Sometimes when im shopping at holt I get hungry bc the store is massive that I can work up an appetite. I normally come here for a quick snack or for lunch. I find at lunch time there will be no crowds here and I can eat peacefully by myself in the hustle and bustle of the edmonton core. A sweet escape I enjoy.
I do in fact miss the quiches. In the past they had a great selection of warm quiches which were perfect after a few hours of shopping. It was just enough to not spoil my dinner. So minus a star. The menu has changed recently so I cannot comment on the entrée like dishes now but there were some interesting dishes ill try next time. Portions are decent. Not large but not tiny.
I would recommend this place at lunch when the lines and crowds overwhelm you and u just want some peace and quiet.

I went here for lunch today around noon and it was delicious! I had the Five Spice Salmon followed by the Hummingbird Cake and both were delicious. I think my favourite part of the salmon was the Risotto it paired really well with the fish.
The desert was seriously to die for it was a banana pecan cake with cream cheese frosting. What more could you want in a desert?
The service was pretty good as well overall I had an awesome lunch, which was good because it was my cousins birthday! So Holt Café I am very impressed!

We just arrived and were in need of essential gear to keep our pampered San Francisco butts from freezing in the cold February weather.
Aside from being cold we were a bit peckish and so decided to try a light bite at Holt’s Café.
And so this review is based solely on a really tasty pumpkin/​ginger soup ordered for she who must be obeyed and a fantastic roasted tomato bisque for your truly. Whilst not a full meal, the soups I can and will highly recommend.
We each slurped down our soup with a glass of Pinot Grigio that was delightful.
Yep, you can shop and eat at Holt Renfrew and be pleased all the way around.

I really enjoyed my visit to this café for a holiday Monday lunch. Unfortunately they only serve brunch on weekends so I missed out on a delicious-​sounding tofu scramble. Instead I tried the daily soup (beet) and finished with the bread pudding with caramel bourbon sauce. The soup was delicious and fresh tasting and the dessert was pretty much to die for. Our server was friendly and helpful and the setting was a sunny view into the atrium of the building. The prices were reasonable. I’d certainly recommend this restaurant and insist you have the bread pudding!

I went here for lunch while at work. It’s a very cute little café and offers some great lunch menu items. The sandwich I had was really good however they wouldn’t substitute the salad it came with for a different salad which haws kind of disappointing. I was surprised at how well priced the lunch items were. The service was average but what I really enjoyed was how health conscious the menu items were. It’s great to see a little café focus on healthy living!

We have been going to jolts café a for a little while now. The food is very good and always a bit different. The soups are particularly delicious. Service can be a bit slow but they are all very nice that it makes up for it. They always remember us which is very nice. They could improve on the wine selection.
A shame they are not opened later for dinner but it’s definitely the best week end lunch place in the city. And with such nice service, they make you feel at home

Tucked into the south east corner of Holt’s second floor, this is a standby for the ladies who lunch.
Menu items are tantalizing tastes prepared for the health-​conscious. The kitchen is relatively small, which means it can be a bit slow and it can be relatively noisy (a lot of hard surfaces here). Sitting by the window wall gives you a view if Manulife’s east entrance with views outdoors as well as the entrance waterfall, but the sun can get in your eyes at some times of year. Bring your sunglasses or consider another table.
I miss the quiche but the menu always has something tempting. It is a reliable place to go in the winter months, when you want a place to go from the office towers without have to go outside. Just try not to look at the prices in the store outside the café, unless your credit card can bear the damage.

I never knew Holt Renfrew had its own café until a friend suggested it for lunch one day. It’s another great lunch venue for downtown folks. The café is tucked all the way in the back of the store on the second floor. They often have a menu posting their daily specials outside one of their entrances, the one closest to the pedway leading to City Centre.
We waited quite awhile for our meals to arrive, almost 40 – 45 min. We probably should have arrived a bit earlier to beat the lunch time crowd, but it really wasn’t that busy when we got there. I think it was because there were only 2 waitresses, and even then it was mostly one doing most of the work. Long waiting times such as this aren’t very good downtown when people need to be getting back to their offices.
The food did not disappoint however, when it finally arrived. The salmon wellington was delicious. I’m usually very picky with my salmon, but this one was done just right — moist, not dry, with just the right soft, flaky texture. My friend had the pea and scallop risotto, which was also quite tasty — the peas didn’t overpower the rest of the dish, and the scallops were cooked to perfection.
The serving portions are smaller though; the cost for each dish is a bit pricey for the amount of food you get. I was able to finish my plate (which is quite rare) and I still wasn’t completely full.
So overall, delicious food but slow service and higher than average prices for lunch. But definitely worth a try! Aim to go around 11:30 am or slightly before that if you can. They also have a mouth-​watering dessert menu!

This is a nice restaurant hidden in Holt Renfrew, mostly with soups, salads, and sandwiches. The orange juice is freshly-​squeezed, and the desserts are good. Prices are more reasonable than the rest of Holt Renfrew. The French onion soup wasn’t as good as I was expecting, but my salad and dessert were both great. It’s a very good lunch option when downtown.