Review Cavern - Edmonton

Staff at this place is phenomenal and the food is of exceptional quality. A nice selection of cheeses and you absolutely MUsT try the bread. It is so fresh and delicious. They are a little pricy and I do wish they had dessert offerings. Their fig jam is absolutely phenomenal. We took a cheese and meat platter to go and it was packaged beautifully. I would highly recommend if you hosting and want to impress.

So far so good! First time trying Cavern. Ordered a $150 custom gift box to try with friends this New Year’s Eve. It came with 7 cheeses 3 meats and 2 accompaniments. It was all very tasty it was the hit of the party.

I have no words to describe my love for this place. My friend and I got served by one of the owners (young lady) and she just gave us the best experience ever. She has the knowledge, she’s amazingly friendly and she’s sooo passionate for her job, I couldn’t ask for more! They have a simple and very well built menu. If you don’t know much about cheeses or wine, they can certainly answer to all your questions. My favourite part; I told her what kind of taste I was looking for in a cheese and she totally nailed it! She offered me the best cheese ever, of course for an extra charge but nothing was overpriced. QUALITY AND AMAZING SERVICE! Five starts to my new favourite place in town! I will come back again and again and definitely recommend to all my friends! I wish you all the success! Note: This place needs more advertising and a big “Hey the Cavern is just right here!!!” Me and my friend kept walking around 104st cuz it was hard to find the entrance and google maps is not very helpful for some reason...

I am going to try and write this review without swearing...so f-ing good! We stumbled upon this place by mistake while walking downtown and are so happy we did. Great wine, cheese, and cuts. If you are a fan of charcuterie, you NEED to come here.

Such a gem! Exceptional quality and the most lovely people behind the counter. Highly recommend!

Try the happy hour deal everyday after 4pm. Charcuterie board plus a beer. For coffee, I recommend the Mocha. It comes with a Jacek chocolate spoon. So good. To go, grab a baguette and a few pieces of cheese.

Ordered then medium charcuterie (meat only) and the small cheese board. Went with the chefs choice of selection, plus smoked salmon.

Went for our anniversary and new very little to nothing about cheese and pairings. They made us a fabulous selection of cheeses we would not necessarily have tried and the entire experience was a true delight! Great staff, great selection, great atmosphere. Best date ever!

Love it! The owner is awesome, and they know their stuff!!!<br/><br/>They supply bread and cheese to Bar Bricco, and everything is so good!!! <br/><br/>Best place to come for bread & cheese!

It's a beautiful, spotless place with a very open feel to it. Almost more cafe style then restaurant. With a decent drink selection we ordered a craft beer and glass of wine. Nice place for drinks!

Quite a find. Very good food with a nice beer and wine list. The selection of cheeses is extensive and the staff was very knowledgeable. Service was attentive but not pushy. I will come back.

Good service, tasty charcuterie, and love the intimate atmosphere, whether it's for lunch or dinner. I have gone three times and will not be stopping anytime soon! Makes you feel like you're in a meat and cheese market in old France.

Quick summary: Wine, cheese, charcuterie<br/>, what more can you ask more?<br/><br/>Favorite dish: Their cheese boards!<br/><br/>Don't forget to check out our blog for the full review! :)

For a cheese lover, Cavern is nirvana; paradise; a beautiful, beautiful dream - except it's a real, tangible place where you can go for a light European style breakfast, a nice lunch, an intimate charcuterie dinner, or drinks and dessert. . Tricia Bell's delightful cheese shop and bistro is one of my most favoured places in Edmonton. Not only are the selections divine and the food fresh, but Tricia and her staff also offer the epitome of excellent service.

Nice little wine bar located in the downtown core.  They have a nice selection of wine and cheeses.  Bonus - they open in the mornings as well.  Perfect for grabbing a coffee or snack for work!

Found cavern to be disappointing from what I initially heard about it. Its a hole in the wall downtown with a snooty owner that walks around like she is in Europe. Charges for water, only a couple places to sit.. Not to mention the gossipy staff that are only an earshot away from talking negatively about their customers. Cheese was good as was wine but was overpriced and the experience was ruined by the people that hosted. Better to take your cheese and go or find somewhere that actually appreciates your business.

Amazing coffee in a secluded little hideaway downtown. Such a gem of a find. The food is not cheap but there is an excellent selection of delicatessen items and breads of top quality... And did I mention the coffee? So good. Not the best place with small kids as it is a small space.

The Cavern is a small, independently owned cheese-monger that specializes in old, obscure and generally excellent cheeses. It also happens to double as a small “restaurant”.<br/><br/>Now I put restaurant in quotations because…<br/><br/>Well…<br/><br/>The Cavern really isn’t a restaurant.

Its small.  No arguing that.  Not much of a view from the basement either but you will find great coffee, tea, cheese and charcuterie plates.  <br/>Its a great place for a meeting for coffee and a small bite anytime of day and they do have a knowledgeable staff that will steer you the right way when you want some cheese to take home as well.<br/>Service is always fast and friendly.

A must try! You will be back!. Cavern is one of our favourite Edmonton spots. Highly recommend the cheese boards with wine pairing, and our friend raves about the chocolate and cheese. The staff is always knowledgeable and helpful without being pretentious - they will absolutely take the time to help you no matter how much you know about wine or cheese. Simply no place like it in Edmonton. Stop by after work for a quick snack or to grab cheese for home from their unmatched selection, go for a romantic date in the evening, or check them out for breakfast or lunch!

Mostly good, with a few bumps. I went to Cavern last week with a friend. We each had a glass of red wine and we shared a cheese board. The wines were delicious and the cheese board was even better, we asked our server to pick the cheeses for us and she did an excellent job pairing them to the wine.<br/><br/>When I ordered a second glass of wine, I asked to try the kind my friend had ordered but the server instead brought me the same kind as before (this was not a big deal and I did not correct her, as my original glass was just fine) - then, when my friend ordered another glass of wine, she also got the wrong kind (again we did not correct the server). <br/><br/>The dark spot on the experience came when we were done eating and our glasses were empty, but we were still chatting away and so we asked for some water. The server asked if we wanted "sparkling or still" and we asked for still. Maybe I'm just too country mouse, but I had assumed still = tap water, and we were both surprised to find we were charged for our small glasses of water ($1.50 each), which was a disappointing end to an otherwise nice time.<br/><br/>I did vote that I liked it, and I would go again, but I guess my answer to "sparkling or still" would be "tap".

Rude employees, Bad coffee. It's quite difficult to get coffee grounds in a latte, unless intentionally. I can only assume the staff were horribly incompetent or had some reason to want to ruin my drink. Both employees were incredibly pretentious and rude. I will never go here again, no matter how nice their absurdly small seating area is.

Limited space, limited audience.. I was looking for a place to job hunt and use the internet while having a coffee and so I ventured down into Cavern. I'm not into wine and cheese, so I found this place to be rather pretentious. (I also find those who are overly into wine very snobbish and weird) It's not for me. Tiny space with 4 tables and two small ones at the top, it's stuck between restaurant and coffee shop. I don't think it does either very well. While I'm sure the owners clearly have a passion for wine and cheese, this space could be better utilized. I suppose they make more money money from things like their $75 per person "tasting excursion traversing 8 cheese and complimentary wine varietals." It's too bad because I love 104th street. <br/><br/>Awesome washrooms, though.

Great Service. I love coming to this place, service is good, and the environment is mellow/calm. <br/><br/>The music is very relaxing and soothing, I love finishing my meal with a large Latte. <br/><br/>You should try this place at least once.

Brilliant. I was hosting a wine and cheese function and I needed some expert advice on cheese and I also needed to purchase some cheese that suited my wine selection. The girl behind the counter was incredible. She was SO friendly and didn't make me feel stupid in the least. She worked with me for about 45 minutes choosing eight different cheeses (all of which were a HUGE hit!) and she helped me pair them with the right wine based of type and region. It was well worth the two hour drive from Lloydminster. I will be back.

Met my husband mid week at noon. It was great except their Americano coffee wasn't that great and tasted like a watered down regular brew. Shameful considering the beautiful cappuccino machine it came from. We ate the lunch special baguette sandwhiches. One was basic Italian salami that could have used a spread as it was a bit dry. The eggplant with emmantal was awesome. We will go back.

Not a bad little spot. Since Roast seems to have gone out of business I have been looking for a new place to get espresso. Cavern fills this need more or less. Where I was impressed was with the cheese plate which I found to be reasonably priced for what you received. You have to expect to pay a premium for artisan meats and cheeses, but most places offer cheese plates with scant portions. Cavern offered nicely sized wedges, pallet cleaning fruit slices, a dried fruit and nut mix, and a generous loaf of bread with the single cheese plate, handily making for a light and varied meal.<br/>Where I was disappointed was in Caverns lack of focus. They call themselves a cheese retailer, Cafe, and wine bar, but they don't cover any of these bases fully. for example, I was surprised that they call themselves a cafe but do not have any plain drip, or pour over coffee, just espressos drinks. And the wine selection wasn't extensive enough to be impressive. With their limited space and resources they need to focus on doing a few things great rather than many things mediocre.<br/>Not right for every occasion. It's a good place to go if you have an hour+ to sit and actually enjoy fine, yet simple food. Bring a good book, or a friend you want to catch up with.

Perfect.. Trisha is a perfectionist and it shows. Every detail has been thought of.<br/>The coffee is really good. I love the sandwiches - one meat and one veg selection. Great cozy place for a glass of wine. Good music. Cheeses are delicious. Oh and the cocktails .... <br/>Such a nice addition to the neighbourhood.

Absolutely Brilliant!. Every cup of cappuccino I've had has been perfect. Perfect!!! The staff/owner are always great and the wine/cheese/other random goodies don't disappoint either.

Always an Experiance. With so much to try and such high quality items to eat and drink, this quaint gem is always a good idea. <br/><br/>The staff and owner are always happy to chat and provide a little education on menu items, and are happy to give a little sample to see if the selections suit your pallet. <br/><br/>Great environment, experience and indulgence.

4/5 for Cavern. To be completely honest, I'd never heard of Cavern until we received gift cards to their establishment for our wedding. Normally, we'd been fulfilling our fancy cheese requirements at Paddy's International Cheese Market, but they don't offer any type of sit-down experience the way that Cavern does. Located Downtown on the very popular 104th Street (shouldn't have been surprised, everything good and interesting is popping up there), you'll find Cavern by stepping though the wide-open double doors, and down the stairs into their secret cheese lair. The space is small, but adorable. You get to feel like you're in on a pretty great secret. There are only about three or four tables, and of course a small glass case filled with cheese. You can either stop in to pick up cheese on the go, or you can choose to sit down for what they're all about... The cheese board.<br/><br/>Our intentions on the Thursday evening that we had visited was to sit down and enjoy some dinner, as well as purchase some cheese to take home. Seated at a table, we were handed menus on clipboards and began to get a feel for their specialties. Clearly wine would be in order. You can't order cheese without wine. The list was quite extensive, with the option in most cases to order by 3 or 6oz, as well as by the bottle. As someone who greatly prefers red wines (something on the sweeter side) I decided to order the 2011 Feudi di San Gregorio Primitivo di Manduria from Puglia, Italy (Cherry & strawberry notes with slightly sweet yet elegant spices & mineral notes - $10.00 for a 6oz glass). The tasting notes deemed that this wine should be right up my alley, and it was. I loved how delicate and fruity it was, without being too strong and spicy, which I don't enjoy. I loved the big glasses that funneled all of the aromas right into my sensory centers.<br/><br/>We decided to begin our meal with a few things to nibble on, Olives ($3.00) and Popcorn ($3.00). I noticed that the price point for these were low, but I was still a little bit surprised by the tiny portion sizes, mainly for the popcorn. (Actually, the size of the olives was perfect.) These were both delicious though, I loved the variety of olives and spicy punch from their marinade. I suppose that the popcorn was a bit of a let-down not only due to the size, but because we were pretty sure that it was just the kettle corn that can be purchased outside of the restaurant on Saturday mornings at the City Market farmers' market. Don't get me wrong, I am obsessed with kettle corn, it's just that many restaurants are offering popcorn these days, and they all seem to have taken it in much more innovative and exciting directions than this.<br/><br/>Time for what we've come for! Cheese & Charcuterie for Two (Choice of 2 cheeses and 2 meats - $29.00). This was a difficult choice since there was so much to choose from, especially in cheese. For our meats we settled on Genoa Salami and Proscuitto di Parma. For the cheeses we went with a bloomy rind cheese, the Soeur Angèle from Quebec (goat & cow's milk: double crème with lovely mushroom flavour) and a blue-veined cheese, Stilton from Britain (cow's milk: moist paste, sparkling minerality, balanced salt & roasted nuttiness). Yes, they are very serious about their cheeses. The board also comes along with a plethora of other delights, including nuts, fruit (fresh as well as dried), bread, and a spicy pepper jelly. Upon it's delivery to our table, every component was explained to us in detail, and the love and pride for their work was very evident.<br/>We loved working away, trying different combinations of the various items and rotating though everything. Every single morsel was delicious and the board was the perfect size for two people. I especially enjoyed the beautiful fruity bread, and of course the excellent cheese that seemed to match harmoniously with everything. The balance of flavours and textures was perfect, with some crunch, some sweet, some salt. The combinations that you could make are simply endless and you could never get board of creating new boards and trying new options.<br/><br/>In the mood for something sweet for dessert, we were told about the Cavern + Jacek Inspired Chocolate & Cheese Pairing ($11.00). This sweet treat was comprised of goat cheese with shaved 'The Jackie' bar on top. Now The Jackie bar (Caramelized milk chocolate accessorized with Fleur de Sel) was voted as one of The Tomato's 'the top 100 best things to eat or drink in Edmonton' this year, so trying it has been on my to-do list. This dessert was decadent. The firm yet creamy goat cheese almost took on the form of the most rich cheesecake. The chocolate on top danced in perfect balance, with it's salty and sweet flavours. So beautiful! They also offer two other cheese and chocolate combos, and I would be interested to try every single one!<br/><br/>The service was excellent at Cavern. Everything came up in a timely manner, and each time we were treated to a bit of a story about what we were about to enjoy. It was lovely to see how much care they are putting into their business. We did not leave the restaurant empty-handed either! We picked up another Jacek The Jackie bar as well as some cave-aged Gruyère. Our cheese adventures shall continue at home!

This place is worth the price of purchasing a condo downtown. If I did live closer though, I'd probably be there for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The espresso is lovely- real competition for the nearby Roast and Credo- but they have the added edge of delicious pastry, baguettes and a cheese selection to die for. Oh, and the fact that it's licensed doesn't hurt either. Just another reason to love 104th street!

Coffee bliss. Reliably sublime coffee. Cappucinos as good as Credos and oh, how I love a Credo cap. The fresh goat cheeses could make a person almost believe in god-- and they're reasonably priced. Staff are very knowledgeable and amiable even in the midst of market-Saturday madness.

Cool space - okay lunch. The space is really beautiful, rustic-modern and the selection of cheeses are very enticing. Unfortunately the bread is very thin and the crisps were underwhelming. This could leave some guests quite hungry. The cheese with onion jam and side of pickles (including pickled green tomatoes!) were delicious, however. With a few tweaks the lunch selections could be great! I think a small side salad option would be a good addition as not everyone wants greasy pile of pale crisps with their sandwich. A quick stop by to check how everything tasted would also be nice. Lots of potential here though!

This is a fabulous addition to a very trendy area, it is a seamlessly perfect fit. The offerings are delicious as is the wine. The staff is very knowledgable and deft with recommendations, todays experience was exceptional.

Where have you been all my life!. Cheese, coffee and wine all under one roof. Why has nobody thought of this before?<br/><br/>Great selection of unusual craft cheeses and the staff are very knowledgeable about each. Yummy grilled cheese sandwiches. Excellent coffee. Lots of well-thought-out wines available by the glass.<br/><br/>A welcome addition to downtown and to the city as a whole.

Descend a few steps into Cavern —Edmonton's own bistro, wine bar and boutique cheese shop. You'll be glad you did. By day this sleek but cosy 104th Street eatery serves up coffee, pastries and light lunch options, like a veg baguette with a killer sweet-and-savoury combo of roasted onion garlic jam, spicy eggplant and arugula ($11). By night the eatery buzzes with patrons eager to taste its specialty wine and cheese pairings and charcuterie boards that are as much a treat for the eyes as they are for the appetite. Be sure to visit the cheese counter before you leave for a morsel you can enjoy at home. Doesn’t that sound gouda? —Janis Galloway Cavern, 2–10169 104th St., NW, Edmonton, 780-455-1336, http://thecavern.ca © Copyright 2014 Email to a Friend Close &laquo Previous story Next story»

Cavern is a next generation coffee shop. Similar to Roast, the cafe offers not only amazing coffee, but a variety of beautiful food items and lots of liquor. Lovely, lovely liquor. Found in the basement of Phillips Lofts on 104 street, Cavern is a small (i.e. four 4-top tables and a small bar) but beautifully well-kept cafe that specializes in one of my favourite things in the world: cheese. The restaurant sells retail cheese along with a light menu for brunch and lunch that features some excellent cheese board and charcuterie options. Featured cheeses include anything from Spanish manchego, to the Cheesiry's lavender pecorino, to British cheddar. Cheese-lovers will

The Cavern Grilled Cheese presses a fragrant assortment of fromage between two slices of sesame seed-studded bread, and arrives with a handful of salted crisps and a few pickled veg. The bread could be thicker and the entire presentation is a bit monochromatic, but this grilled sandwich outshines the margarine-washed, pan-fried, processed cheese-filled rectangles that pervaded the childhood meals of so many.