OMG. Best eggs benny in Calgary!
So, this was my first time at the new location, 2nd time to the Holy Grill. First of all, the advertising for the new location downtown is poor – when I Googled Holy Grill and searched for it on Zomato (ex-Urbanspoon) all I got was reference to the 10 Ave location… on the Holy Grill website it’s not even clear that there are two locations because it’s at the bottom of the website: www.holygrill.ca. It was a pain to find the place because the directions note: above the Tim Hortons… but I walked right past the Tim Hortons and didn’t even know it was there – it’s labelled on the west facing side of the building on the Street so you don’t see it if you’re walking on the Avenue. Holy Grail is upstairs, on the Plus 15, on the Northeast corner of the 5 Ave & 4 St intersection. You can access it easily from the street as well. There are picnic tables outside so if it’s nice out, you can enjoy some fresh air. We were there about 7:45 am on a Monday morning, at a time when temperatures were above 30 C on the weekend… but holy crap… it was extremely hot inside the restaurant! I don’t know how the folks were actually working in there because it was crazy hot.
I had the Eggs Benedict: Two poached eggs, cappicola ham + hollandaise on an English muffin. Served with smash browns. $13… seriously, the best I’ve had in Calgary, probably the 2nd best in my life (No. 1 is at Willie’s Cafe & Bakery in Victoria BC). The hollandaise was just the way it should be, the ham was very flavourful and crisp, and the smash browns were crunchy wonders! And to top it off they have Valentina Mexican hot sauce which is awesome on the smash browns!
My co-worker had the Bacon Avocado Crisp: Bacon, avocado, fried egg, cheddar, mayo, pickled eggplant, spinach + tomato on a custom black poppy seed bun. $8. He said it was good, but not a meal that would bring him back. That was my reaction when I had that sandwich the first time I ate at the Holy Grill. I’m not really sure why that sandwich gets such rave reviews.
I still find the approach at this restaurant confusing… it’s self-serve in that you get your own coffee, cutlery, napkins, condiments, etc. You find a seat then stand in line to place your order and pay for it up front. They give you a flashing coaster so you know when you’re food is ready and you go pick it up yourself. My co-worker and I even discussed the question – how much do you tip at a place like this when you have to serve yourself? It was pretty empty when we were there so we were delivered our food and the lady even brought us a carafe of coffee, which was really nice. Oh, and on that note, the coffee here is awesome. I’m not a coffee connoisseur, but my co-worker is and said that I should tell you all it’s great!
If you’re a lover of eggs benny, you have to try this place! I just wish the 5 Ave location was open on Saturday because the 10 Ave location is way too crazy on the weekend!
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