LEVA

Great atmosphere, smooth coffee, and delicious treats! My man and I felt like ice cream and not Dairy Queen junk. I read some reviews about Leva and we decided to stop in for a quick dessert/​coffee date! The staff members were super friendly and our orders were ready in no time! It was fairly busy, but it wasn’t too loud that we couldn’t have a conversation. We ordered a Tiramisu and two Affogato’s (espresso poured over gelato). I can’t say enough great things! We will definitely be back to try the other food options!

Was not really blown away by my chai latte. Outside of the barista with the long blonde pony tail, the taller bearded gentleman making the coffee was extremely rude and slow.
I would have liked to sample the pizza however I was far too off put by the rude customer service to stay any longer.
Customer service is everything these days.
Skip Leva and just do Remedy.

Found this little Gem through Unilocal,decided to meet a friend to check it out! She was super late so I started with a large latte because I’m a bit of an addict, wasn’t disappointed! When she finally made it, I was on my second large latte and contemplating eating without her as I had to watch all this delicious looking food come out!
I appreciate the limited menu, we chose to share the chicken avocado pizza and a tiramisu, both were amazing! Can’t wait to go back and try something else.
I’m not a big fan of the cafeteria-​style seating, but the food and coffee made up for it big time. Also, the cashier seemed a little annoyed when my friend ordered a glass of water– minor but obvious and unnecessary.

I find myself always tempted by this gem whenever I am near the University. Why you ask?! Well for starters their americano mistos are rock my core and I tried the vanilla crème croissant for the first time (let’s just say it was devoured and maybe 2 crumbs were left). It was flaky on the outside and moist on the inside, the filling added a little sweetness but not overdoing it. I wanted 2 of those bad boys was the only complaint I have. In all seriousness, the parking around there is less than ideal. Watch out for parking officers giving out tickets as there’s limited parking due to residential zoning.

Was much better before, but somehow the menu changed (not for the better) with the limited pizza menu, panini’s that no longer come with a side but still cost $ 11+ just for a sandwich, and servers with a lacklustre attitude.
My friend and I both ordered paninis… let’s just say I’ve had better sandwiches from Subway and Tim Hortons… it was bland, and the portion sizes were meagre. For $ 11 each, we expected at least a side of salad or soup (which was what used to be offered prior to the menu change) but was disappointed to find out it was just 2 slices of bread, sliced in half, filled with whatever meat/​vegetable you chose as your panini.
The macarons are rather over-​priced given their unevenly sized portions. I also opted to try out the lemonade… no lemon wedge/​slices on the side of the glass, the lemonade looked old, and tasted just as bland as the sandwich.
Needless to say I don’t plan on going back anymore. If you do decide to check this place out good luck finding a seat if you plan to go with friends.

I’m really surprised that this place is still open. The hours are completely wrong from what is posted on Unilocal!Please update, they are only open till 5PM on weekdays and weekends. Don’t try going here for a late night snack anymore!
This place use to have a full list of pizzas as well as a decent wine menu. Now they have 1 pizza at night, and 1 type of wine. The staff are extremely rude and the food takes forever to come out; Domino’s is faster. Never visiting here again!

Coffee is good. Breakfast is fair enough. The environment is not very friendly and the waiters sometimes mess up with orders. sigh…

Was there a couple weeks back and had a coffee and a small desert with colleagues. Great little café with a full menu for meals.
This place can get busy and you will likely be sitting next to strangers but that’s just part of the charm.
I’ll be back :)

I remember this place being awesome and delicious when I came a few years ago…
But I went recently for lunch and found my sandwich (chicken pesto) to be lacking flavour and really really greasy. That said, the chocolate croissant I had was both delicious and HUGE.
My major complaint with Leva is that it gets quite busy and there isn’t much seating. It wouldn’t be a big deal if you could quickly get things to go, but you’ll be waiting 15 – 20 minutes if you want food other than what’s in their display case… Even then it might take that long to get to the front of the line (the staff at the tills are pretty slow).
Anyways, worth a try but avoid during lunch times.

Leva is a trendy, chic café that’s seems to be busy at all times of the day. That’s a good sign in my books. It doesn’t hurt that it’s nearby the university for students to grab a quick bite to eat or drink while they «study» (aka. hangout).
The place is a hipster haven with a very relaxed, laid back atmosphere. That seems to rub off into the service, which unfortunately is for better words, lacking. Service is pretty spotty from the few times that I’ve visited.
On our most recent trip, my buddy was ordering when our waiter cut him off and said he’d come back to take the rest of our order (he took our appetizer order). He came back 10 – 15 minutes later. WTF? Other minor complaints — asked for lemons for water, didn’t get them till asked for a second time. Had to ask for knives to eat our appetizer. Asked for our bill to be split, they gave us the full amount.
They have a different menu depending on the time of the day that you drop by. Breakfast/​brunch menu (7:00am — 11:00am), lunch (11:00am — 4:00pm), and evening (4:00pm to close). This one was for the evening menu.
Trip #1
— Prosciutto wrapped asparagus ($ 9.75) — made to order, baked and topped with parmigiano. These came in three bunches. I was disappointed that the prosciutto wasn’t fully covering the asparagus. There was also barely any parmigiano. For almost $ 10.00, I expect better execution.
— Mediterranean salad ($ 17.00) — tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, black olives, and feta on a bed of romaine with hummus and a grilled chicken breast. I didn’t try this but our two friends shared the salad and they were raving.
— Italian Salsiccia ($ 17.50) — Italian sausage, roasted red peppers and ricotta. The crust is nice and thin with a crisp underneath. The pizza just has a really well balanced texture to it. The salsiccia had a hint of sweetness to it and the ricotta gave a nice contrasting flavour. Look at those airy bubbles, which is such a satisfying bite.
— Pesto ($ 16.00) — pesto with olives, red onion and mozzarella. This one was my choice and it was my favourite of the three we ordered. The olives were tangy and a bit salty while the mozzarella matched perfectly with the pesto. Mmmm I could eat pesto for evah.
— Spicy Chicken ($ 17.50) — avocado, fresh cherry tomatoes and mozzarella. The chicken is supposed to be spicy but I got zero hints of spiciness. Fail. The avocado was a tad under ripe and they scrimped on the cherry tomatoes. Decent but I’d try another pizza next time.
Trip #2
— Smashed avocado — open faced sandwich ($ 13.25) –maple bacon finished with an over easy egg and served with artisanal toasted bread. The sandwich is served with a side of potato has that were like crack. Delicious.
— Vegetarian grilled panini ($ 11.50) — zucchini, roasted red peppers, house made hot peppers, fontina, mozzarella, pesto, red onion with fresh avocado, fresh basil and arugula. I was accidentally given the vegan sandwich but it was actually good! This must be how vegans survive. The vegetables were fresh and the avocado was creamy and perfectly ripe. My only complaint is that the sandwiches are small so if you’re looking for something substantial, go with the pizza instead. The panini was more of a snack then a full meal.
— Prosciutto cotto and genoa salami grilled panini ($ 11.50) –Genoa salami, artichoke hearts, fresh seasonal mixed greens, mozzarella, fresh tomato and basil. The staff realized their error and offered to pack up the panini I originally ordered. Sweet, extra meal! I ate this for lunch a few days later and it was great. The salad even managed to stay fairly fresh.
Trip #3
Popped into Leva to grab some gelato as a snack. Prices are reasonable ($ 3.75 single, $ 4.75 double and $ 5.75 triple) and there were six flavours to choose from. The special of the month when we went was the fiore d’panna. Who can say no to gelato?
— Coffee ($ 3.75 single) — I don’t drink coffee but coffee ice cream is all good. This one was silky smooth. The coffee taste was subtle but enough that you knew what you were eating.
— Pistachio, vanilla and fiore d’panna ($ 5.75 triple) — why get one flavour when you can get THREE? Seems like a no brainer. I tried the pistachio, vanilla and fiore d’panna. I’m not sure why I got vanilla, it’s typical plain, vanilla. Pass on that one. Pistachio was good but we agreed the fiore d’panna was the best.
Overall, Leva is a chill spot to grab a bite to eat or drink (coffee/​wine). Just be mentally prepared for some lacklustre service. Summer time is the best, when they have the outdoor patio open, you can people watch the day/​night away. Did I mention that they have pastries (hello lemon meringue tart) and macarons?

Don’t bother going there anymore. Sub par everything and servers with bad attitudes who don’t smile. Don’t wanna look at their sneers while I eat.
Used to be my all time fav till the nasty staff ruined it. They seem to have their job bit hate the customers even more.
I ordered a gelato in a cone. Got it in a cup with gelato all over the sides. I asked where is my come. She shrugged and said you never said and walked away.
I also got a skinny latte and a regular latte.. Both came in r regular with old shots. She let the espresso sit till it was all dark. Made my latte super bitter.
I asked the server behind the till she goes I told them to make it skim for you. I was like but they didn’t. She then shrugs disengages and helps another person in line.
Used to being everyone here even my parents.
I won’t be any more.

Leva. You’ve been on my list for quite some time, and I was so excited to finally experience the 4 star Leva on a Friday night. There’s often an adverse effect to experience when one has high hopes. And I certainly had high hopes. How quickly my hopes diminished.
Leva is a small community style café, I’d say about 35 – 40 seats. Most of the tables are communal, so you sit right with other people. I don’t mind these type of settings, but it was very loud and I could hardly hear what my friend was saying to me. There are a few tables for two, so I kept an eye out for one to open up, and asked our server if we could move after the table was cleared. All we had was water, and we had just placed our food order, so it’s a fairly easy move. After the table was cleared, I noticed our server and two others looking around, as if they were trying to remember who wanted that table. I approached them and asked if we could move, and I was correct… they couldn’t remember who it was for. Not a big deal.
When we placed our food order (one pizza and one salad), we were told the kitchen was really backed up and it might be a longer than usual wait. After 45 minutes, we decided we better order some coffees. However we have not had a server come to our table since taking our food order, so we went up to the bar to order our coffees. I ordered a coffee, and I was asked by our server, the girl who took our orders are our first table, and moved us to the new table, if my latte was to go. I indicated to stay, obviously. My friend ordered a café coretto, not knowing what it was. But my friend did ask if it had dairy, and the server offered milk or almond milk as options. Instead, the server should have said that a café coretto does not have any milk. It’s a small shot of espresso and liquer. The server needs to be trained on how these drinks are made so she can properly inform customers and not offer options that don’t exist. Again, the server had asked my friend if the drink was to stay or go. So I said «These are definitely to stay as we haven’t even got our food yet».
Well as soon as we sit down, out comes our food. I’m not a very observant person, but my pizza does not look fresh out of the oven. And I was right. It was cold. Honestly, cold. Not luke warm. At that point, we realized that they must have forgotten whose food that was, until we mentioned we were still waiting. It was just a thought, I really hoped it wasn’t the truth. Because I’d already waited so long for my food, I started taking little bites of the pizza, waiting for the server to come back. Well, another 45 minutes later, we’ve definitely finished eating, and a young male server comes over to take our plates and he asks how it was. My response… «It was actually really disappointing. My pizza was cold, and no one came to check on us.».
The server’s response… was so unfortunate. We’ve all been there, where something just wasn’t good and the servers pretty much always handle it very well. This young boy, clearly was inexperienced and not well trained. He explained to me that I should have let him know and he would have heated it up for me. I explained that no one came to check on us, and he actually told me I should have waved him down because they are really busy. I was treated in a way that made me feel I had no right to complain, but I’m not a pushover. His responses were super ridiculous. He then said that there was a mix up as they took it out to our old table, but we had moved, and they didn’t know it was ours. Our server who moved us, as well as the two other servers who were looking for us… that made 3 servers out of I think 5 or 6 that knew we moved tables. In a small restaurant. It’s not like we disappeared into a black hole! There was quite a bit of back and forth, and it was so unprofessional. He was truly blaming me because we moved tables (we asked before we moved, a server moved us, not unheard of), and because I didn’t wave him down so he could «reheat» my $ 16 pizza.
Anyway, after hearing him say it was «mostly», he finally said he takes full responsibility and asked if I’d like him to take the pizza off the bill. He asked me. LOL… Yes, I’d like you to take the cold pizza off the bill.
So, that was a bit of a cluster you know what. As nice as the boy was, I think, trying to be, there is a clear lack of training for the staff.
So very disappointing and unprofessional. It gets two stars because the salad had nice flavor as did the pizza.
PS — Sorry for the short novel, but when leaving a poor 2 star review, I better back that shit up!

Leva would deserve more stars if their staff weren’t so pretentious and rude. The café was absolutely packed. The wait for the food wasn’t terribly long and the Quattro pizza was decent, even though I wouldn’t order it again. I guess my expectations were too high– All of my friends had been ranting and raving about this place so I had decent expectations going in. If I go back I’ll try pastries, but I would rather go elsewhere.

To kick off coffee week my boyfriend and I stopped by Leva for coffee and breakfast. What I particularly love about Leva is that it isn’t on any major roads, making it a quiet place to visit during the day. It’s tucked away in the heart of Garneau and really is a great spot to grab a bite to eat and get some work done!
The breakfast menu at Leva has a variety of offerings ranging from yogurt and fruit salads to heavier items like breakfast sandwiches and pizzas. There’s a little something for every appetite, and it’s definitely a challenge to resist the tempting display case full of freshly baked pastries.
My boyfriend opted for the Smashed Avocado Open Faced Sandwich ($ 13.25) served with a potato hash. Avocado is mashed and spread over artisanal toast and topped with cherry tomatoes, maple bacon, and an over easy egg. The crisp bacon was the perfect combination of salty and sweet, and the runny yolk brought every ingredient together. The potatoes were soft with a crisp golden exterior, and with a bit more seasoning they would have been perfect.
Gluttony began early in the day for me as I chose to go with the Breakfast Prosciutto Cotto Pizza ($ 15). This was actually a margherita pizza topped with prosciutto, finished with an over easy egg and fresh basil. If there’s an egg, it’s breakfast! The crust on my pizza was nice and thin, whereas the underside was crisp and browned and the cornicone (outer ring of the pizza crust!) was crunchy and airy. Due to the heavy nature of the garlicky tomato sauce, prosciutto, and cheese, the crust itself didn’t hold together well enough to be picked up, so I enjoyed my pizza with a fork and knife. It was a massive portion for breakfast, but I worked my way through it since it was so tasty.
All meals have to end with something sweet, and when you’re at a café with freshly baked pastries the rule definitely applies. I would have loved to try one of each item behind the display case but ultimately went with the beautiful lemon meringue tart and chocolate croissant. Leva’s lemon tart is delightfully tangy, giving your lips a bit of a pucker, but is balanced out with just the right amount of sugar. The cream is velvety smooth and the tart crust is soft and flaky. If you’re a citrus fan you definitely have to give the tart a try. Now if you’re more of a chocolate lover, the chocolate croissant will do you no wrong. Layers of flaky, buttery croissant dough are wrapped around a stick of semisweet chocolate and baked to a point where the crust has the right crunch and airy texture. It is so, so good.
Great coffee, in-​house pastries, a seasonal menu, and the use of local ingredients are just some of the things that make Leva one of the great cafes in Edmonton.

Went here with a friend for a lunch date. Very pretty décor inside, I like the simplicity and the big windows. The staff were friendly, and this was my first café experience, and I was helped with ordering.
Altogether we had a London fog, a caramel latte, tiramisu, macarons and two pizzas, an original with mozzarella, and an asparagus and potato pizza. (one to take home)
My caramel latte was quite bitter, but I assume they just make it differently than I’m used to. It was big, but still expensive for something that only tasted meh.
My pizza was the original, and it looked great but I didn’t enjoy biting into the centre of the slice when all I got was a half melted, half hard mouthful of cheese. Crust got a bit soggy from the amount of sauce, but the crispy parts were delicious! Unfortunately it did not reheat well the next day.
Finally, my macarons were good, but they were ice cold, and I prefer them to be more room temperature.
All in all I may go again to try other things, but wouldn’t order the same again. Lots of potential. :)

So I’m sitting here with some homies, and we’re talking right? And we’re looking at this places «food-​photos» on this internet site called Instagram. The «Frittata» gets brought up, which is apparently some sort of quiche thing, which I order and says takes about 20 minutes to make. To cut to the chase, the thing hasn’t showed up yet (it’s been longer than 20 minutes) and I’m sitting here foodless. You might think this is just unfair, but to me it’s a bloody injustice. And the waitress is stone-​cold.
UPDATE
Got the Frittata, not bad, portion side wasn’t big enough to justify the price. Gets point back for taste. Tres good.

I’ve been going to the University for 4 years now and I’ve only just discovered the hidden gem that is Leva. I have, apparently been living under a rock for the majority of my uni career… Oops! Leva is tucked off a little ways away from campus, which gives it a very exclusive feeling. I absolutely love the huge glass windows! They are perfect for when you want to get some vitamin D from the sun, but don’t want to be stuck outside in the chill winter air. Plus, it’s perfect selfie lighting! (Am I the only one who cares about that?)
The atmosphere is very chatty and relaxed here. It’s the type of place you could come to study or just to catch up with some friends. They’ve got a good sized menu for all your eating needs, with things like paninis, pizza, soup, and café fare of that nature. I tried the pizza and the crust was delicious! The toppoings themselves were just alright however. I feel like the majority of the items on the menu fall in this «just decent» kind of category.
Leva has got a huge selection of desserts and gelato, as well as an assortment of beverages to choose from. I decided to go with a hot chocolate. It was nothing incredibly special, but it was decent. What really blew me away on my excursion out from under the rock was the affogato. Now if you are like me and have never heard of this magical concoction before, it’s a mixture of espresso with gelato. Can you say yum? After trying this bad boy, I certainly can! I got the coffee flavoured gelato and it was perfect with the espresso (duh). I’m not a huge coffee fan but this was actually the perfect mixture — not too bitter, not too sweet. And to top off how wonderful it tasted, I got a huge jolt of caffienated energy from the affogato! It’s the best of dessert and coffee all combined into a beautiful concoction, perfect to treat yourself to before studying or cracking down to work.
I’d say to come here if you want to just hang out in a nice relaxed atmosphere with a drink or a dessert. The food isn’t really a waste of money, but it’s not necessarily worth the cost either.

This little hidden gem just off campus has some great food to go with its great location. I enjoyed the small breakfast we tried out while sitting on the patio, enjoying the last of the summer. The food is tasty but not plentiful, especially with the higher than normal prices.
Beside the portions, I do have an issue with places that don’t have table service (we were there in mid afternoon, before waiting staff started) PLUS add the tip to the total bill being paid upfront. I’m not sure why this makes sense, but I’m at the counter paying for food that has yet to come (which I’ll have to wait for, or run up to get) and being hit up for the tip already. And even worse is the options that come up for the tip while paying with a credit card — 15%, 20% or 25%…for what!?!
Ya, I know, this is starting to turn into a rant worthy of the opening café scene in Reservior Dogs, but I believe that the tip is based on the service one gets and should be decided at the end of the meal. And if I’m serving myself, well…

While it’s been a bit of a while since I’ve last visited Leva, I adore this little place. Usually my go-​to item is their gelato which I’ve shown off to folks from as far distant as the United States.
As a non-​coffee drinker, I do also really love the selection of italian foods. Their pizza is pretty good. Perhaps the only downside to this location is that it’s occasionally pretty busy — which isn’t entirely a downside either. It’s a great little Oasis away from the university to meet up with profs or fellow students or others from the academic world, but also a great place to visit if you have nothing at all to do with academia.

Is it Leva? Café Leva? Leva Cappucino Bar? That was the most confusing thing about last Saturday’s lunch. But with a variety of names and gorgeous daily photos on Instagram and Twitter, it’s hard to miss them. And yet, that’s exactly what has happened for the last 10 years. It’s only recently that I started following them more, and only recently that Leva has crept up my list of eats to the point where I don’t even want to consider what Joe would actually like to eat that Saturday. We’re going to Café Leva! Or Leva Cappucino Bar… whatever.
There’s a very small lot for staff parking, so residential parking is yours to hunt. Located on the corner, it’s surrounded by houses, and looked quite small from the exterior. Beautiful to see snow covered patio sets and benches though. Would be a great spot in the summer to have a coffee or cocktail!
Inside, however, is large! Nice, natural light overflowing to showcase two large displays of baked goods and a long espresso bar. Plenty of seating that Saturday, although I can imagine students flocking here during the middle of the week. If they’re not, then they’re clearly missing out.
Their baked goods looked absolutely delicious. At 1PM, desserts were plenty, but the breakfast pastries were dwindling. I must try a croissant one day. I will bide my time and the one day that Joe wakes up in time for a breakfast or brunch, that croissant is mine.
After I ordered at the counter and Joe sipped on his cappucino, I decided to have a pre-​lunch snack. The lemon tart was calling me. Boy, was it good. The tart itself didn’t crumble completely when broken into, and the lemon curd was sweetened just enough to balance out it being too tart. Fresh pomegranate seeds really made this dessert stand out. Absolutely loved it, and will strongly consider adding pomegranate seeds to everything now.
Leva’s kitchen is located in the back and out of sight, but was obviously busy because I saw at least three different cooks come out to deliver the plates. A separate server did final preparations and actually served your table, indicated with a number plate. Some plates were left on the counter for a good couple of minutes before they were delivered out, making me wish that they had two servers for the job. Joe ordered the house made vegetable minestrone, a gluten-​free and dairy-​free option. Yuuuummy! Filled with hearty vegetables, a thick broth, and served with a side of sliced bread. This was the good stuff. Still warm when served but cooled by the time we had our last spoonfuls. Those couple of minutes on the counter could have made a big difference!
I always prepare myself for a let down after I’ve already eaten a dish that I think could win the meal. I was mistaken. Leva’s pizza crust is far better than any I have tried in Edmonton, and yes, that includes Famoso. Lately I find Famoso’s to be soggy, overweight with ingredients, and perhaps too quickly out of the oven. Leva’s was nice and thin, crisp, yet sturdy enough not to cave in or become soggy even to the last slice. Definitely reminded me of the pizzas I’ve had in Naples, birthplace of pizzas. There was enough arugula on the pizza to have a peppery taste in each bite, and true to Italian form, it wasn’t overloaded with either too much tomato sauce, cheese, or proscuitto. Just simple and well prepared. Both Joe and I finished the pizza with no problems, and no need to order more. Perfect size for sharing.
Connected in the back of the store is Caffe Tech, offering home and commercial coffee equipment and services. The café also sells Danesi coffee, an Italian-​based roast, that is their mainstay brew. Overall, a not-​so-​hidden gem in Edmonton, but a new gem for me. We will definitely be returning to Leva soon to try dinner and late night eats, and I predict this will become integrated into our frequent Saturday late lunch dates. Quick and easy service, excellent place to dine at!