Casual, Eclectic and Electric.

The Blue Chair has been an integral part of Edmonton's restaurant community since 2004. A colourful and warm environment welcomes you the moment you enter the doors.

During the daylight hours, a large bank of south facing windows allows for plenty of sunshine, and we now boast a patio if your tastes lean to the outside as you enjoy coffee, lunch or a snack with friends. Feel free to bring your laptop — we have complimentary wi-fi access.

Weekdays at 7 am, the doors open to the smell of bacon and coffee. We offer an early-bird special until 8:30, but our great breakfast, daily hot specials, light entrées, home-made soup and sandwiches are served until 3pm.

In the evenings it's a cozy and comfortable place to spend quality time with friends. We have a full bar that offers cocktails, draft or craft beer and a nice selection of wine by the glass or bottle.

Our food is always eclectic and worldly. The tastes come from wherever in the world our inspirations lie, or based on our kitchen's expertise — our chef Daniel brings an authentic Peruvian flavour to your table!

On Saturday and Sunday mornings it's the smell of maple bacon that hits you as you enter for brunch. Enjoy our chipotle hollandaise sauce on the variety of Eggs Benny, our famous banana bread french toast, or the best home-made pancakes in town — with real maple syrup.  

On Friday and Saturday evenings the Chair takes its place as one of Canada's premier live music venues. Top touring acts, as well as notable local bands and musicians take the stage, offering a a unique opportunity to have a wonderful dinner and a show all in one neat package.

Every one of our seats has an excellent sightline to the stage. Half of the room is on an elevated floor, and includes some taller tables that allow for an excellent view — from wherever you sit. Acoustics are excellent everywhere in the room, even from the seats at the bar.

The decor is colourful and decidedly bohemian. But don't let that fool you, the food is world class. Our kitchen is passionate about its "from scratch" nature, and our ethnic dishes are true to form. With a menu inspired by Harold's world travels and a stage that sees some of the best artists from across Canada and around the world, the Blue Chair is sure to provide a memorable evening out. 

Read here an interview with Harold at Cilantro Cooks, an e-kitchen supply and information company. 

Use the Tabs below to learn more about us:

  • Our Room
  • History
  • Playing at the Blue Chair
  • Working at the Blue Chair
  • Our Kitchen
  • Green Efforts
  • Current Art Exhibit

The Blue Chair Cafe is a comfortable restaurant to spend an evening with friends sharing exciting food, wine and live music three times a week.

During the day, a large bank of south facing windows allows for plenty of sunshine to enjoy a coffee, lunch or snack with friends or work on your laptop with complimentary wi-fi access.

Every one of the 80 seats has an excellent sightline to the stage. Half of the room is on an elevated floor, and the tables at the rear are taller, allowing for an excellent view from wherever you sit. Acoustics are excellent everywhere in the room, even from the seats at the bar.

The decor is colorful and decidedly bohemian. But don't let that fool you, the food is world class. Our kitchen is passionate about its "from scratch" nature, and our ethnic dishes are true to form. With a menu inspired by Harold's world travels and a stage that sees some of the best artists from across Canada and around the world, the Blue Chair is sure to provide a memorable evening out. Authentic, fresh food, and live music.

The Blue Chair Cafe was born in 2005. The owner, Harold Wolllin, is a red seal chef, and a musician.

The concept of combining food and music struck a chord immediately, hitting En Route Magazine's Top 100 Canadian restaurants the first year. Our unique blend of live music, food and ambience continues to rate us with the best in the country.

The "Chair" grew from a humble little restaurant with a tiny stage into one of Canada's premier live music venues. Many of Canada's best music acts have graced the stage, but we have never lost sight of Edmonton's own vibrant music scene. Although we pride ourselves as a "listening room",  on most nights your conversations are allowed to continue as long as they don't compete with the performance.  Be warned that for some shows your full attention will be expected.

But the real focus of the Blue Chair remains on the food. We are a restaurant first. Our live music presentations are usually on weekend nights, and our Sunday Brunch is a mainstay in Edmonton's scene.

Booking

We are always looking for, and booking, musical acts. Email: info@bluechair.ca with your media package and links.

A nicely produced CD does not guarantee a show unless you plan to bring the ringers along.
Videos of performances clearly show us what your proposed show will contain. By posting these on our website and other social media, we garner you more attention."If there's no audience, there just ain't no show!" When you make your submission, your thoughts about your draw are important to us.

Ensembles

With the exception of well known solo acts, weekend shows will usually require the group dynamic to qualify. A good mix of clever interpretations and arrangements of covers, and original material are essential. Themes are also popular.

We're always on the lookout for new staff.

We run a scratch kitchen restaurant, there is a lot to do, and a lot to learn.

We pride ourselves on good service and knowledge of our products.

Please send us a resume if you'd like to join our team!

Drop off a resume in person or email it to info@bluechair.ca

Every crew member in the Blue Chair kitchen has a passion for hand-picked ingredients, creative recipes and fantastic taste. The shopping is still done by the owner, Harold. Travelling around the city in search of the best ingredients is as much fun for them as it is part of the job.

Of course, local produce is preferred whenever possible, but the focus stays on creativity, on authenticity of the ethnic dishes we present, and freshness of ingredients all at an affordable price point.

The Blue Chair is passionate about treading lightly with our eco-footprint.

We compost all paper products we use and any left-over food scraps from our kitchen and restaurant. We also have compostable to-go containers for any food that our guests would like to savour at home. Avoiding using harsh chemicals is important to us as well; we use recycled paper towel and environmentally friendly cleaners in our restrooms and kitchen.

Our staff and management work on new ideas all the time. If you have a suggestion that might help us reduce our environmental impact, please let any of us know and we'll be happy to try and implement it.

Bette Lizitza

I've always been interested in art and creating and have studied with various local and western Canadian artists throughout Alberta.  I've attended numerous courses through the University of Alberta Faculty of Extension and the Red Deer College Summer Series Program.  These artistic pursuits eventually led me to the University of  Alberta Fine Arts Certificate Program from which I graduated in 2010.

 I paint in my home based studio in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta and also in a studio I maintain in St. Albert, Alberta.

 I am interested in colour and pattern and try to convey a richness and variation in both whether it's in a painting or a drawing.  I work in various media including acrylic, paper and fabric collage, powdered graphite, graphite and ink.  The colours, patterns and composition are built upon as each piece develops.  The process is as interesting and satisfying as achieving the final product.

Any enquiries please contact me at artlover_12_5@hotmail.com