Deer Head Cafe

Here’s a little hole in the wall diner with seating for perhaps a dozen or two, old school, unpretentious, plain and simple with a blue collar working person’s vibe. It’s truck drivers, cement workers, those that swing a hammer or wield a wrench that frequent the place. No suits and ties here, just work boots, coveralls, ratty old jeans and lumberjack shirts…and the always present trucker’s cap. If they’re open breakfast is on, with lunch offerings available too. Coffee flows like a river. Bacon and eggs on the grill. Toast with butter. The smells are intoxicating.

Located in an industrial section of town, along busy Edmonton Trail, set back and sort of hidden if approaching from certain directions, this is the little Deer Head Cafe. It’s been in business for some seven plus decades over several owners (the current ones have about ten years under their belts) and could arguably fall under the heading of Calgary Institution, even if it’s not well known outside those who frequent the general area. The current building dates from the mid-1950s, suggesting there was another here on the property before it, for a few years anyway. Sales are cash only and they close about mid-afternoon. Hanging on the wall and watching over you as you chow down – several stuffed deer heads that give the place its name.

We visit well after dark, the Deer Head is silent and empty. In a few hours hence, however, and they open pretty early, it’ll spring back to life. The coffee’s on!

Your author ate here a couple times in the 1990s when driving delivery truck. Maybe it’s time to go back? Yes, yes it is.

We hiked past it…
Urban Trek – Edmonton Trail.

Short Subjects: reports that for any number of reasons are brief in nature. They might be updates to older articles, previews of posts planned or not yet published, brief snippets of things that don’t fit in anywhere else or subjects that are so obscure that information on them can’t be found. Or sometimes we just ramble on about Lord knows what.

If you need any more information on what we talked about here, by all means contact us!

Date of adventure: August, 2018.
Location: Calgary, AB.

Deer Head Cafe Calgary

At the Deer Head Cafe.

Deer Head Cafe Edmonton Trail

It’s been in business for over seventy years.

Old Pickups Calgary

And around the corner, these old pickups.

86 responses

  1. Dirk Smith says:

    Ugh, this place is a DIVE but if you can get past the disgusting interior the food is simple and cheap… trucker quality. Owner is friendly.
    Great place to pass out in a booth after a night of drinking and not get noticed 😆

    • You say trucker food like it’s bad. Haha! We’re kind of into places like this so had no complaints. I see they updated the sign since our visit.

  2. Scott Williams says:

    I remember riding my bike there when I was 11-12 to play the pinball machine.

  3. Jim Caron says:

    Yep they do a really nice bacon and egg breakfast.

  4. Josephine Gee says:

    Great photos!

  5. Michael Crowley says:

    Hung over breakfast.

  6. Michael Crowley says:

    Had an awesome omelette there yesterday cash only.

  7. Brian Morriscey says:

    Been going there since 1979. It is a greasy spoon at its finest. It need to be gutted as it’s been like that since I got here. Prices and food are decent.

  8. Sheila Moore says:

    Loved to go there in my years at GP Vanier Junior High.

  9. Ken Baxter says:

    Yes I have been there many times ,I have the steak and eggs breakfast it is fantastic.

  10. Rod Potter says:

    I can see two of the deer heads in this photo.

  11. Chris Tarves says:

    Food there is great. Ambience not so much, but nice folks.

  12. Mike Taylor says:

    Will have to try it.

  13. June Phythian says:

    Long, true story, that is where I met my husband.

  14. Barb Petropoulos says:

    I work a couple of blocks away from The Deer Head. We always send people there. We always preface it with, “it looks like a dump, but once you get inside and eat, fantastic!”

  15. Diane Lum says:

    Never heard of it! Must check it out!

  16. Lenora Evans says:

    My sons dad used to eat there often when he worked at the old Revelstoke store 25 years ago.

  17. James Fraser says:

    Had many Sunday steak breakfast there.

  18. Rick Sadleir says:

    Excellent greasy spoon!

  19. Martha S. Aranguiz says:

    My dad would take me there all the time. Everychance we could have a “daddy daughter date” it was THERE. Good wholesome breakfast and good conversations😍💗

  20. Susan MacDonald says:

    Yes. Bacon or sausage, eggs toast and hash browns, 6.95. Price can’t be beat. Kind of dirty and worn, but tables and chairs were clean. Going to try again. Closes at 2pm.

  21. Dan Holden says:

    Stopped there on the way to junior high school from ’73-75 still looks the same.

  22. Nora Bell Hart says:

    And how often do you get coffee in a cup with a saucer anymore?

  23. Ken Baker says:

    I used to go there for breakfast every week when I was in Jr High. My dad and I even did some work on their restaurant back in the day.

  24. Ted Cutlan says:

    At that same at Diner the woodgrain is worn right off the formica lol.

  25. Derek France says:

    One of my favourites.

  26. Stacey Renner says:

    Have always wanted to go, those old diners always have the best food. There’s one here in Taber that’s been around for decades, best greasy food you’ll ever have!

  27. Roderick Spence says:

    A few times. Name a restaurant you can get a full breakfast and a coffee for under 10 bucks. Great food.

  28. Debbie Delorme Brandson says:

    My Dad who was a trucker, took me there for lunch a few times.

  29. Randy Lambeth says:

    French fries and gravy and pin ball when I went to Vanier, l967 68 ish !

  30. Darrell Griggs says:

    It’s been here seventy (70) years? I’ve lived in Calgary for forty years and, until today, never heard of it. Hmmm, imagonna have to look into this.

  31. Shane Byciuk says:

    I used to go every morning in 1995 when I was working in construction that summer. The best!

  32. Devin Hauswirth says:

    Love the Deer Head.

  33. Terry Jones says:

    Yes just a couple weeks ago on a Saturday morning. Good price and very good food. Used to get lunch there every day when I worked up 36 ave on top of the little hill there in 71-72.

  34. Ted Cutlan says:

    Paper napkin cafes are our favourite.

  35. Nicholas Kunn says:

    Is that place still there?? Been there since God was a boy!

  36. Colleen Doud says:

    A fave place for Allison, John and I.

  37. Mike Schuh says:

    Had breakfast there on Saturday, the place was packed . Food is good . They have three deer heads hanging on the walls , thus the name . I took this picture because you can readily see the many years of service on Their table tops . Wouldn’t change a thing !

  38. Earl says:

    What agreat picture of the Deer Head Cafe,we lived right next door.(north)The Cafe was brought in from some small town in Alberta in 52/53 on flat bed trucks.We used to sell them potatoes and carrots from our garden.

  39. Barrie Koltusky says:

    Been there lots !! My grand kids love it too !!

  40. Shyla Dalman says:

    Lived in Calgary all my life, and it’s always been down the street from my house and I still haven’t seen there! I want to go.

  41. Michelle Mouat says:

    Good Food for a Greasy Spoon.

  42. Michelle Mouat says:

    Used to go there with friends who worked for the city. Steak and eggs $2.99!!

  43. brian says:

    I ate breakfast in that cafe everyday for almost 8 yrs . I worked across the street and up about a block . great place . I didnt know it was still as the last time I ate there was in the early 90s .

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