Under the High Wheel

This is a great little place that I was lucky enough to find parking around… a restaurant duo-​ed with Da Capo. The two are so connected that I initially thought they were both one. I’ll admit it’s a bit confusing when you first walk in the front door (where do I go, what do I do, how do I get a coffee, how do I get a meal).
But once you get this figured out, it’s a great place for vegans, glutinos, and others with allergies to kick back, relax, and enjoy a positive vibe and good meal. The gf buckwheat pancakes are monstrously large and served with a salad (Californian style).
It’s a great place to work and my soy latte gave enough kick to fuel a rapid «presentation deck frenzy» that produced several decks for a week of workshops.

Wow what a great meal! We got there early before the lineups and got seated right away. I wasn’t sure how it would be when I saw the rating and the pre made waffle stack, but oh man, the pile of fresh fruit and chantilly cream was amazing! Our server, Candace, was attentive, but not intrusive. Great service and food for a slammed Sat morning :) great crispy bacon too!

As always the food is great! The service however is awful. Our server today was incredibly rude and crabby. It took our food (for 3 people) almost an hour to arrive. people who were seated well after us were served and finished eating by the time we got our food.
We asked our server when we could expect our food and the reply was a stern, «i’ll go check» with a sigh and hint of annoyance… When the food finally did arrive the server did not apologize for the time to took nor did the she seem at all concerned about the long wait, all she said was, with a tone of anger an annoyance, «the burger (that my wife ordered) is what takes long». Interesting indeed. When we go to the Next Act we wait a maximum of 30 minutes when it super busy and in average it’s a 20 min wait for a burger.
Waiting for almost an hour was not the result of the burger. Just poor service.

I was here for brunch on Christmas Eve with my lunch date and It was not my first choice to go as I had bad experience about a year ago with this place. I decided to give it another try and I am sure glad I did. I ordered the traditional breakfast with two fried free-​range eggs, cranberry maple sausage, herb roasted potatoes and toast as I thought they can’t screw this up. I actually really enjoyed the flavorful sausage (I asked for it butterflied). My date had their special of the day which was a pulled pork breakfast and he loved it. It was molasses bbq pulled pork with poached eggs and arugula and hollandaise sauce on a cheddar biscuit. also had a bite and it was very tasty indeed and I secretly wished I ordered it as well. My favorite was the Americano misto that was made by daCapo.
I love how attentive our server was especially working on Christmas eve. She had smiles all around and it made my experience that much better. Glad I gave this place another chance.

This place is amazing. Location, atmosphere and service were all great, but what really blew me away was what I came for: the food. Delicious. Fresh. Perfectly executed. Huge portions. Excellent mouth taste! We went for brunch and I ordered the buckwheat crêpe with spinach and feta, it was the best I have ever had. And huge. My partner had the chicken salad and neither of us had tasted such a perfectly cooked chicken breast in ages. Tender, moist, delicious. It came with little roasted potatoes which were also perfect. The sweet waffle was an impressive overload of fresh fruits and vanilla bean crème fraîche, delicious. I give them 5 stars. The only teeny downfall was some people might get scared away from the prices (23 $ for the salad, 17 $ for the crêpe) but ENTIRELY WORTH IT!!! Excited to come again.

I went there today with my brother and his wife, as I had heard good things. I ordered the BLT based on Unilocal reviews, and I have to say it was delicious. BUT the sandwich was cut in such a bizarre way that I had two long, narrow, elongated halves, and everything pretty much fell out when I tried pick it up. Amazing taste, really stupid presentation.
My brother had the traditional breakfast, and he said it was very good except for the potatoes which were only so-​so. My SIL ordered the Big Wheel quesadilla which is made with white bean and pumpkin seed pesto. TBH she didn’t like it that much, but I tried it and liked it enough to take her leftovers home with me, so YMMV.
Overall, I liked this place and would go there again, but it definitely has a bit of a pretentious hipster atmosphere.

This is a cute little café on Whyte — in that same building as the health food store/​grocery.
We went there on a day off in the summer and it wasn’t busy — but the sign stating that ’cause it gets busy, you can only sit if having a meal… I guess no loitering with a coffee here!
The food was quite good — we both got breakfasts — but very expensive.
This is a place I’ll save for when in the area and looking for an a nice meal, but too pricey to make a habit out of.

I returned to Under the High Wheel in May with another friend. We sat on the patio and it was nice. The service was a bit faster this time but we were there early– around 5 pm.
Once again, I had the burger and it was amazing. I love love love the coleslaw. It has a bit of a citrusy dressing on it.
And this time, I had to have dessert. There are no words… except AMAZING! I had the flourless Belgian chocolate cake. It had tons of fruit and hazelnuts on it. Plus, the most delicious vanilla bean whipped cream and raspberry sauce. I recommend this dessert.

So I finally got around to actually eating at Under the High Wheel.
My husband and I stopped by at night, about 45 minutes before closing time. I didn’t realize that the kitchen closed at 8:30 (the restaurant closed at 9 pm the night we were there), so the ordering process was expedited and we skipped out on desserts as we were expected to order them right away. There is a note on the menu that good food takes time to prepare, I suppose to warn hungry customers that there may be a long wait for their meals. Luckily, since the restaurant was fairly empty and it was near closing time, this wasn’t an issue for us, but like my last review I would still caution against stopping here if time is an issue.
I originally thought the prices were a bit steep ($ 20 for a sandwich or burger) but after we received our meals the price made sense. In addition to the burger I ordered, I also received a lot of hash browns, coleslaw, and fruit. It was definitely enough food. One of my pet peeves in restaurants is undercooked potatoes (it’s such a simple staple), and these were right on the edge of what I like. However, the potatoes were seasoned very well and didn’t require any salt, pepper, or other condiments, so were overall enjoyable. The burger was great, made with quality ingredients like butter lettuce and delicious pickled beets. The poppyseed bun was light and went well with the burger ingredients.
As mentioned in my previous review, the menu is not extensive, but it does offer some options for dietary restrictions (vegan, gluten free, etc). Though if you dislike/can’t have particular ingredients, I’d advise you to ask about them, because even though there are descriptions of each dish, the ingredient lists on the menu are not complete (e.g., I hate tomatoes, and my burger had a couple, even though the menu didn’t list them). I find this to be a bit of an oversight by a restaurant that seems to want to target a conscientious or niche demographic.
That being said, the overall experience we had was positive. The staff were friendly, and our meals were delicious and left us full (with more to take home). We will definitely return to try the rest of the menu!

Delicious brunch on whyte ave. The chocolate & hazelnut crêpe is my ultimate favourite. It fills up fast, especially on weekends. Service can be slow, so make sure you have some time to enjoy a leisurely brunch.

If you’ve never been to Under The High Wheel, it’s located in the same building as Da Capo and Blush Lane Organic Market. There’s a patio on the west side of the entrance, an enticing spot to people-​watch the morning away while basking in a few rays.
A friend and I met up for brunch Saturday morning. Under the High Wheel was obviously busy but we got lucky and didn’t have to wait too long to snag a table. Unfortunately for us, the waitress informed us that the kitchen was understaffed, meaning a longer wait time for our meal and only having the first page of the menu (breakfast options) to choose from.
The atmosphere is relaxed and has a bit of a bohemian vibe to it. I liked the décor, with one wall of exposed brick (very Montréal’esque) and a mini bicycle hanging along one of the poles. Service was friendly but a bit spotty.
— Traditional Breakfast ($ 14.00) — two fried free-​range eggs, fried tomato (subbed instead of cranberry maple sausage/​bacon), herb roasted potatoes and toast. Choose your style of eggs, my friend requested scrambled. A bit weird that they only offer fried tomato or spinach as a substitute for the meat. And that you could only pick one. No turkey sausage? Really? She still enjoyed her meal but some meat protein would have been ideal.
— Savoury belgian waffle ($ 18.00) — choice of smoked salmon or bacon, poached eggs and hollandaise. The choice was easy, smoked salmon. The result = deliciousness. The waffle was fluffy with a crispy bite. The egg was cooked perfectly and the yolk oozed out after being poked. The combo of thinly sliced smoked salmon and hollandaise, well, I’m beginning to see why people love brunch so much. Tantalizing flavours of sweet and savoury.
Cute spot to grab brunch or dinner but more so on the pricey side. Be prepared to wait for your food but everything is made from scratch, so you know you’re getting quality. I would come back to try a few of their other dishes that caught my eye (croque monsieur, pork belly and duck confit sandwiches).

This café is my new favourite place in Edmonton! Located on Whyte Avenue.
The food is absolutely to die for. I loved the selection of salad to choose from. The quality, presentation, and flavours were absolutely incredible. I have heard nothing but good things about this place. It definitely is another GEM of Edmonton, a must go!

Best B.L.T is the city, prepared on toasted bread with organic tomatoes butter Lettuce. The bacon was cooked to perfection.
The salad was also fresh and delicious. Friendly service too !

Brought my boyfriend here for his first time dining here and we both thoroughly enjoyed the food — we shared the traditional breakfast which was plenty for two people! Also couldn’t resist ordering a glass of fresh squeezed OJ and OMG it was sooooo sooo yummy! Perfectly pulpy & sweet! The server was decent. We were the first to arrive so we were able to sit next to the big sunny windows =) All in all I would recommend this place for a nice dining experience which takes you away from the hustle & bustle of the streets.

A lovely place: cozy environment, very welcoming service, nice healthy menu. Choice of vegan and veggie dishes however a little limited (that’s why I don’t give 5 stars). You can choose salads from a salad bar.
Drinks are prepare by the DaCapo Café!
Great for brunch ! Make sure to be patient, long queuing is normal!

The atmosphere is very inviting. The servers are well educated but most of all the food is great as well! Be prepared to wait but good things take time right?

I stopped in and ordered a kale salad for a quick bite. The portion was huge! It came with jumbo shrimps, boiled egg, bacon, cheese, almond and fig along with vinaigrette dressing. It was worth $ 20!!! I am definitely going back just to order it again…

This place is amazing. We got there around 1pm on a Sunday and the wait was only about 10min. We had a nice bar area to sit in so it wasn’t too bad.
Our server was always smiling and delightful. You could tell she loved working there. The menu is simple and well laid out, heavy weighted paper on clipboards. Great touch! Everything is sourced locally and care is taken when handling food allergies.
I had the Waffles with poached eggs and smoked salmon. The Hollandaise sauce was good. It’s a bit pricey as with coffees and desserts, four of us spent about $ 150 with a 15% tip and tax included.
I would go back for sure but only on occasion as it’s quite expensive. It’s worth every penny though to be eating healthy, locally sourced food.

Really yummy food! My portabella mushroom burger was delectable, as were the accompanying sides (Vietnamese-​inspired slaw and roasted hash browns). This place prides itself on using only locally sourced and seasonal ingredients which translate into delicious and expensive. (My burger was $ 17.)
Service was rather slow — we waited for at least 30 minutes for our lunches — but pleasant. The interior is lovely and trendy: lots of wood and windows.
Great place for a meal when you have the time! Definitely not a place for the time-​pressed.

This is an adorable little spot to grab lunch! It is sunny and bright with cute décor. The menu is good, all the ingredients are very fresh! There is an organic market place right next to them and I have a feeling that a lot of the produce comes from there.
Why only 3stars? I find that some of the items on the menu are just OK, not amazing. Some try really hard to be different, use a lot of healthy or interesting ingrdients, but then just don’t taste that good. Others I quite like, such as the croque monsieur which is a radical take from a traditional croque; pork loin and apples. It’s good, but it is absolutely way too large, I literally could not finish half of it (thank goodness for toaster-​ovens!) They also need to step up their game with the beverage menu: 1 white and 1 red wine is not going to cut it!
However, I do love the location and I also really love the cool, relaxed, laid-​back-​but-​still-​classy environment. I should also mention they do have a killer dessert selection and bake all of the treats in house I believe. So, I will keep coming to eat Under The High Wheel and hopefully soon as this place finds a foothold on East Whyte, they will continue to refine the menu and climb up the star ladder!