Review: Cafe Bicyclette (Edmonton A to Z Restaurant Series)

* This review is part of a 2015 series of reviews on Edmonton restaurants “A to Z” – inspired by @DianeLuzny on Twitter! This could either mean the restaurant starts with the next letter in the series, or the restaurant’s type of food starts with the letter in the series. Check out other reviews in my Edmonton A to Z Restaurant series here!*

Edmonton A to Z Restaurant Series

On the Labour Day long weekend, I finally crossed off a “C” restaurant on my A to Z Restaurant Review Series (I’m really taking my time with this thing lol). Mike and I got up early to go for breakfast at Cafe Bicyclette (8627 91 Street) in the La Cite francophone building just east and a bit north of Whyte Avenue.

Cafe Bicyclette Edmonton

Cafe Bicyclette located at (ADDRESS).

I’d been wanting to go to this cafe for awhile. My sister-in-law tried it about a year ago, I’ve been in the La Cite Francophone building for other events (including an opera and the Yeggies!) and earlier this summer my friend Brittney brought our out of town guests to try the famous Cafe Bicyclette poutine.

Top of the list for a lot of people who visit from out of town: can you take me to try Canadian poutine? And not only that – but which place has the very best poutine?

Cafe Bicyclette Edmonton

The famous poutine at Cafe Bicyclette!

There’s some form of poutine at so many restaurants in Edmonton but what’s the one you show off to people as the “Canadian poutine?” Lots of people point to Cafe Bicyclette’s. Their famous poutine comes in three sizes – grande at $10, petite at $7, and mini at $5. The $10 grande order gives you a very substantial amount of very good poutine. They are very generous with their cheese curds and gravy. The cut of the fry is not too thick (and underneath there’s a nice treasure of my favourite skinny fries!) They’re also not too soft and it’s very well-seasoned. It’s easy to see how the poutine is a fan favourite here.

Cafe Bicyclette Edmonton

Really pretty set-up at Cafe Bicyclette.

Cafe Bicyclette is a super cute space! It’s clean and bright, with lots of natural light coming in (for the late summer/early fall morning that we were there) and basically the perfect set-up for Instagram photos.

Cafe Bicyclette Edmonton

Really pretty set-up at Cafe Bicyclette.

No really, in what I can only assume is standard practice, the two tables who came after us also took out their phones and styled/photographed the perfect Instagram photo of their food (and themselves) too. Lots of beautifully-lit and composed photos are taken and shared at Cafe Bicyclette. The decor is basically begging for you to take photos.

Cafe Bicyclette Edmonton

Order at the counter at Cafe Bicyclette.

I’m not sure if you get the same type of vibe or service for dinner, but for our first stop-in, I made the mistake of seating myself and thinking they would come and take our order. Not so. At Cafe Bicyclette, you have to go up to the counter to make your order I guess, as you would in any cafe (I for some reason thought it would be more of a restaurant, sit-down, tableside order kind of vibe). But that’s fine going up to order, then you get to see their selection of freshly baked treats as well.

Cafe Bicyclette Edmonton

The breakfast and lunch menu at Cafe Bicyclette.

I was a bit put off by how the Cafe Bicyclette menu is basically all in French. It didn’t make me feel all that comfortable – and it was kind of awkward because the menu is situated on the wall right by the counter where you order so there’s like this added pressure to figure out what you want quickly because the girl behind the counter is waiting there watching you as you try to decipher things (and not offering to help you decipher in the first place).

Cafe Bicyclette Edmonton

Omelette at Cafe Bicyclette.

Along with our poutine, we decided on the Cafe Bicyclette jambon omelette which was made of toutes fairtes, avec deux, oeufs, gouda, et viennent avec fruits and a mini crosissant ($9). Basically your standard egg and ham omelette with gouda cheese, fruits, and a mini croissant. That was Mike’s dish and he thought it was alright but nothing to rave about.

Cafe Bicyclette Edmonton

The Croque Madame at Cafe Bicyclette.

My order was the Croque Madame (featured an oeuf, fromage et jambon) at $7.50. Basically a gooey fried ham, cheese and egg sandwich with a big emphasis on the gooey! The melted cheese was phenomenal. All of my bites were so tasty. I really really enjoyed this Croque Madame! Initially, I wanted an eggs benny, which is my usual breakfast order if we’re going somewhere for breakfast, but I am told Cafe Bicyclette only does Eggs Benedicts on Sundays.

Cafe Bicyclette Edmonton

Breakfast at Cafe Bicyclette!

I thought the prices are Cafe Biyclette were pretty good though for a few more dollars elsewhere you would be getting more substantial breakfast kind of sides to accompany your meal. There’s not a whole lot of selection for their breakfast/brunch (their dinner menu looks like it has a few more options – though, I can’t really tell you what it is due to it all being in French), but overall it was a tasty breakfast. Also, who doesn’t want to have a giant, delicious poutine for breakfast?!

Cafe Bicyclette Edmonton

Patio at Cafe Bicyclette!

In the summer you have the option to eat out on the Cafe Bicyclette patio which I think would just be lovely. Too chilly for that when we went (though their patio does have a heater out there).

Cafe Bicyclette Edmonton

Cafe Bicyclette has the perfect interior + lighting for social media photos, lol.

Overall we had a really nice time at Cafe Bicyclette! It’s super cute is how I would mainly describe it. My Croque Madame was so cheesy and the poutine was really the star of the show, though the omelette did not particularly stand out and I was kind of put off by everything being written in French and not much help or offer of help for deciphering the menu. I know one of my other friends didn’t really like their Cafe Bicyclette experience for this similar reason – you just are less likely to enjoy a place where it makes you feel like an outsider or awkward for having to ask to figure out something that’s pretty simple (menu items).

I know they’re obviously going for that authentic French experience and certainly I’d expect that kind of thing if I were in France (or perhaps Montreal), but we’re in Edmonton so I think it can come off a bit pretentious. I think take the extra bit of space on the menu (or on the website, where you have unlimited space really) and have your English translation next the French, or just get your staff to be just a bit more assertive in asking if customers need any help figuring out what’s what.

Cafe Bicyclette Edmonton

Blue bicycle at Cafe Bicyclette.

But I would definitely come back – and I’d certainly come back for the massive, delicious poutine and the super cheesy Croque Madame. I would also be interested in trying out their dinner service (which hasn’t been around for all that long!) We did have a lovely breakfast – in a picture perfect space – that was tasty overall, just be prepared to possibly feel stupid if you don’t know French, lol.

So have you been to Cafe Bicyclette? Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Also, if you have suggestions on where I should go for the other letters of the alphabet in my A to Z series, please leave a comment below!

Linda

Follow lindork on Instagram

Café Bicyclette Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

7 Comments

  • Chris says:

    Apprendre à parler français et vous aurez aucun problème . J’y vais car il est proche de travailler , et il est une option fantastique déjeuner en milieu de semaine .

  • Leask says:

    They burned the omelette. Badly.

  • Kyla says:

    Personally I think it’s fantastic that the menus are in French and that the staff are fluent. La Cite Francophone (as the Francophone community centre) is one of the few spots in Edmonton where the French community is celebrated! I do agree that the server should have offered you more help. Dinner is great, by the way!

  • Becka says:

    Edmonton is such a great hodge podge of cultures and languages, and I have always appreciated the work that Le Cite and Cafe Bicyclette do to celebrate, support, and bring forward the french heritage in our city. As such, I think it’s great that everything is in french. It just adds to charm, and I don’t find it pretentious at all in a neighbourhood with Rues instead of streets, and next to two francophone schools. Glad you enjoyed the food!

  • Katy Bee says:

    Considering the Café is in the Cité Francophone, across the street from the U of A’s francophone campus, in a part of Edmonton with a fairly high french-speaking population, I don’t know that I find the fact the menu is in French pretentious.

    The fact that they don’t have translations or offer help is a completely different matter. The girl behind the counter should have helped you out.

  • Josephine says:

    I’ve been to Cafe Bicyclette a few times and I quite enjoy that everything was in French. It gives me the opportunity to practice :) I guess I expected it, too, being that it’s situated in Cite Francophone. They also have a great maple latte – but ask for it half sweet. Delish!

  • Jackson says:

    Honestly, I used to live right by the French Quarter and recently had the chance to revisit some of my old stomping grounds. Café Bicycle remains a staple of the area with a stunning ambiance and rich with culture. The drinks and foods are remarkable if a bit pricey for the amount recede, but it’s delectable as always. Wait to be back!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

If you're Edmonton area, subscribe to my newsletter for hyperlocal recommendations on what to do, eat, and things to know this week!
If you're Edmonton area, subscribe to my FREE newsletter for hyperlocal recommendations on what to do, eat, things to know this week, and more!