Cibo Waterfront Cafe - Winnipeg

Great ambiance and wonderful location. We sat at the bar seeing as how we weren`t going to eat. Reservations are a must here, if you don`t have one you will have to sit at the bar.We had drinks at the bar that didn`t really taste like there was alcohol in them, we should have gone with our gut instinct and ordered the wine which they have a great selection of.We also ordered an appetizer which was assorted olives that came with shavings of Parmesan and focaccia bread. The man next to us chose a better plater that had cold cuts, various cheeses and bread, we should have gone with that.Services was soso and didn`t really explain much.

We stayed at the Fairmont and found a very quick and beautiful walk down the waterfront for breakfast. The restaurant is overlooking the river and has a wonderful atmosphere. The staff feels so friendly and informal that you feel like you are hanging out rather than eating at a traditional place. The food is excellent and very well priced. I highly recommend the eggs Benedict. We were well served and combined with the walk and view had a wonderful experience. You must visit here whether you live in Winnipeg or just visit.

Visited this restaurant for the first time. Overall the experience was very good, it was unfortunate that the a/c was not functioning on one of the hottest evenings this summer. Ordered the pickerel and chips which was a nice take on english fish and chips, in a tapas style presentation. Tried the arachini balls with tomato sauce, also good, tried the braised beef poutine, which was good, but not a summer dish, more of a winter comfort food. Had the beet and goats cheese salad, meat balls, apple brie brushcetta was nice and mushroom, beef pizza, all dishes were good. Service was good, server was personable and knowledgeable of the dishes, made some good suggestions. Wine and drink selection was good as well. The space inside and outside the restaurant is very nicely decorated and a great view of the river, bridge and museum.

Cibo is an eye-pleasing new resto on the banks of the Red River, in an historic preserved building once part of the downtown core’s district-heating system. A unique bit of urban history most Winnipeggers know nothing of. The menu is fine, the price points are reasonable, the servers are young and energetic, and the food is well prepared.I liked it and will come back again, if only to see if it can improve in two key areas.It’s TOO NOISY. Why owners believe noise will keep young Millenial bums on seats longer, and ordering more food and drink, is beyond me...But the other of the two demographics in the area that the resto is clearly targeting, based on who was there that night, has a lot more jingle in their 'Retired Old Fart' jeans than the 'Young Studs' do. And the retirees were out in their groups of four, and they were wandering in, waiting moments at the door, and then they were …leaving!Two groups of four shouted the ‘It’s too noisy!’ phrase to one another as they decided to leave, and as they were standing closest to our table, I could easily hear that. The younger crowd came and stayed, the older crowd came and left, at least during our meal…I would have thought that the net cost-benefit equation of those dynamics would be very clear to anybody with an entrepreneurial manager's bone in their body. And this is clearly an owner’s CHOICE. My wife explained to me about the many inexpensive ways that her practice creates sound absorption for clients seeking it (most recently for the "Canada House" restoration in London.) There is enough volume and space in the black-painted overhead rafter area, along with places to hide among the 4 air-handling units, 10 downspout air diffusers and miles of black piping, to bury probably 200 cheap black-painted sound-deadening panels. But… The owner simply declined to invest in sound deadening, in a hard-surfaced, highly reflective brick, steel and glass-enclosed space! Sited on the banks of a quiet lovely river with a lovely panoramic view….What lost opportunity…With the boringly typical TV monitors set to hockey games that nobody was watching, the boringly typical music….no imagination about key elements of decor, entertainment, and ambience. Just so typical….The other thing is the male washroom. It was not clean. Clean washrooms are simply essential in a good well-turned out resto. The floor was spotted with drippings, something of a biological origin was on the wall, and there was sand in the corners. Basic floor cleaning my Mom taught me was sweep up the heavy stuff, then vacuum the fine stuff, and then wash everything carefully. Even ONE of those would have been helpful when we were there.Having the toilet bowl cleaner in the bathroom is certainly convenient for the cleaning staff (when they occasionally visit that room) but such prominence is very unappealing, and low-class, in an aspiring up-scale restaurant.Worse, parking a plunger beside the toilet is virtually advertising “"This toilet overflows, and your shoes and pant legs are at risk!” REALLY detracts from the marketing message here.I went back the next morning, after an awful night at the adjoining (but attractive) ‘mere’ Hotel (see my parallel review,) ordering a coffee to go. I checked the floors and saw that same detritus under the mobile chiller beside the front door I saw last night. And the men's bathroom floor was untouched. Still dirty. Same monitors showing ad nauseum the same NHL hockey...nobody watching again….and instead of some quiet Sunday morning music to complement the quiet sunlight, the same boring and jarring rock music. Same lack of management sensitivity to an audience!Do the floor managers ever actually WATCH who’s there, what they seem to be doing and like, what seems to be working….and not working.?⁈I want Cibo to succeed, because I believe in the heritage-building restoration imperative, I love the location and we need good restaurants.But if it's still that noisy next time, and the washroom is still disappointing, then my jingly jeans are going to the competition down the street.

Great food in a wonderful setting, big TV screens if that is what people are looking for, or sit on the patio overlooking the river in a relaxed setting with great service! If you are looking for breakfast, this is the place to come for! If you are looking for great evening appetizers along with great valued wine selection(J.Lohr) or good beer once again this is the place to come to!