Wow... what a refreshing gem in Beltline's West-End! AND THEY HAVE PARKING!!!! No need to scour the city streets for available parking. They have a private parking lot behind the building. I've never seen their lot full but if it is there is ample street parking in the neighbouring blocks.
It's a cafeteria style dining situation, you pick a place to sit, or if you know what you want just grab a menu and order away at the counter. Once you've ordered and paid they give you a number to put on your table. A few quick minutes later your food is delivered.
The location was an old Phil's diner which has since moved onto 11th Ave SW. The place has been renovated to be relaxing and unpretentious. There are a bunch of high tables with bar chairs for larger parties and regular tables for those that want a more intimate dining experience.
Via Cibo has some great lunch specials as well as Saturday and Sunday brunch till 2pm (or it could have been 3pm, not sure). My mom uses a wheelchair and so it was great to see the place was well suited for those with limited mobility. They have separate private stalled washrooms with ample space for wheelchairs. The staff at this location was very helpful and very polite. They even gave us a dessert to sample which was quite nice of them.
The food is quite good and I like the open-kitchen concept which gives you an extra feeling that your food is prepared well. I had the lemon, blueberry ricotta pancakes. It was good but I thought it could use a bit more ricotta and be a bit fluffier.
All in all, a great place to go for families, large groups or even just couples. Too often I see restaurants in Calgary pop up and be the trendiest thing that week so they can charge $30 for artisian-hipster food. I wish more restaurants in Calgary would adopt a similar approach to Via Cibo of offering great meals, great service with a casual, unpretentious atmosphere. We'll definitely be back for more!