Early Bird Cafe

I was at the court house last week early in the morning and had forgotten to eat. I didn’t want to go far so I started walking to a little greek place down the road, it was closed. So I walked on and I am sure glad I did.
I love how simple the food is, well breakfast menu anyway.
The owner served me and I have to say, a very nice, friendly man. He wasn’t overbearing at all and made me feel like a regular.
If your looking for a fancy gourmet meal, don’t bother. BUT if you want some good food at great prices and amazing service, this is the place to be. I have done nothing but recommend this place to everyone I know and plan on going back again the next time I am downtown.

I’m very tempted to give Early Bird a 4 star rating, given that Jimmy, the owner, is such a fun chap to talk to. However, the food is right in the middle of the curve of average. Yes, they do have a fairly big menu but it’s nothing more than basic diner food.
While Early Bird stays open late on nights when there are live gigs at either (or both) Bohemia Café or Brittany’s Lounge, the hours of this establishment aren’t predictable. I dropped in at 7 p.m. on Friday night and ended up ordering a bacon burger with fries. Spent some time chit-​chatting with Jimmy while he got things ready to prepare my burger.
Firstly, he uses real cheese. That’s a step up from other diner places. Also, his patties are homemade and thick — which is a second great aspect. The burger itself was quite juicy and tasty. The fries were not. Frozen fries and what’s worse mushy on the bite. Generally speaking, I’d come back for his burger if I was hungry at Brittany’s lounge or Bohemia (neither of which have their own kitchen); I’d go with onion rings instead.

We were greeted very enthusiastically when we walked into the Early Bird café. Our server, who was presumably also the owner asked us «what are you two doing downtown today» to Sarah and me. I thought that was a rather odd question on a Friday afternoon, but I am also new to Edmonton. And I think it’s rare for him to see a couple in the restaurant at lunch during the day. But still, he was really friendly.
I also get a feeling that the Early Bird Café has a lot of regulars, the owner was very chummy with a number of guests in there.
Sarah ordered the veggie burger, which I don’t think she said was good, but not super-​enthusiastically. I ordered a Monte Cristo sandwich, which was served on a couple of pieces of white bread. And unfortunately, I think they used some sort of processed cheese stuff instead of real Swiss cheese. My sandwich was served with a side caesar salad, which was actually very good and topped with Real Parmesan.
The room itself is cavernous, with a completely open kitchen. While seating was fairly comfortable, the atmosphere is on the order of a school cafeteria.
I wouldn’t go out of my way to eat here, but it’s a friendly place for a quick-​ish bite to eat.

This café is more like a diner, and it is called Early Bird for a reason: it is only open for breakfast and lunch, closed by two p.m. on most days. Breakfast is served until noon-​ish, and the lunch menu comes into effect around then.
I say the place is more like a diner because the kitchen is completely open, with stools set up in front of it like a bar. The rest of the small space has a few tables. My server, who is also an owner, was extremely friendly, and said the place would be open more often in the evening now that is sandwiched between the Bohemia arts venue and a new bar. Early Bird is the kitchen for both places.
I unfortunately got there too late to enjoy any of the breakfast items, so I took a look at the lunch menu and found a variety of burgers, sandwiches, salads, and entrée items like souvlaki, donairs, and even steak — things that seemed more appropriate on a dinner menu.
After spending some time deliberating, I went for the steak sandwich. First, I was served a bowl of the soup of the day which came as a surprise (it did not list a starter soup or salad on the menu). It was a pleasant surprise, indeed. The chicken barley soup tasted homemade, with a rich broth and lots of chicken.
Then, came the main attraction. The seven ounce steak was on a piece of garlic toast, garnished with three large onion rings. The rest of the plate was filled out with sauteed vegetables and french fries. The fries were crispy and nicely seasoned, while the veggies were quite flavourful — they were not frozen from a package, that was for sure.
As for the steak, it was basically a broiled piece of meat. Lean, mostly cooked to my specification of being well done (truthfully, it was probably closer to medium-​well, with a bit of pink inside), it was not all that flavourful. However, the size of the portion and the goodness of the rest of the food made it forgivable.
I would definitely head to Early Bird again, if I myself can be an early bird and get there for breakfast. On Saturdays, breakfast is all day (meaning, until 2 p.m.), so I may just have a chance.

The Early Bird gets the pancakes! Much, much better than getting worms. The Early Bird Café is one of those places I have walked by countless times and wondered what the food was like. When I finally ventured in, I was greeting by a completely open kitchen at the front staffed by a jovial pair of brothers. I enjoyed some very good diner-​style coffee, some unbelievably fluffy pancakes, and some tender-​crisp bacon that sang with piggy goodness. The Early Bird does not deserve to be overlooked when you are wandering around downtown. Be an early bird!