11053 86 Ave NW, Edmonton

A little while ago, I had a lovely visit with my good friend HungryInCalgary. Whenever she has appointments or business to do in Edmonton, we try and catch up a little bit. Since I’m the local, the onus is usually on me to suggest places to eat, so I decided to pick Leva, because it’s close to my workplace, and also a great Edmonton staple.

Leva is located in Garneau, close to the University. It’s really easy to miss and hard to find unless you know what you’re looking for. I’ve been to Leva multiple times before, but had never actually sat down and ate a meal. I usually go for their delicious gelato!

We ordered a couple of pizzas and appetizers to share, and then sat on their nice little patio because it was such a beautiful day out. We got their ricotta with local honey and fresh focaccia, their wild mushroom and saffron arancini, and two pizzas: Taleggio Pizza with Bocconcini, Mozzarella, Walnuts, Apple and Honey, and Prosciutto Crudo with Basil and Arugula.

Their house ricotta was so light and creamy, and went great with the sweetness from the honey.  It was plated nicely on a wood plank, and there was a very generous amount of ricotta to go with the focaccia.

Next we got their mushroom arancini (fried risotto balls). This comes with peas, saffron, fontina and wild mushrooms. I’ve really been into risotto lately, so this was a really good choice for me. Nice and crunchy on the outside, and the cheese was so melty and delicious.

Next, were the star of the lunch, the pizzas. They offer a variety of different kinds of pizza, with red sauces and white sauces, so we got one of each.

The Taleggio Pizza came with Bocconcini, Mozzarella, Walnuts, Apples and topped with Honey. Definitely my favourite pizza out of the two. It was light, with a hint of sweetness from the honey. I recommend getting this pizza, all of the flavours worked well with each other and the crust was right on point.

Next was the Prosciutto Crudo pizza, with bocconcini, basil and topped with arugula. This pizza was also very good. Generous amounts of prosciutto, and nice tangy sauce. Again, the crust was good, toppings were good, but I still preferred the Taleggio Pizza.

Lastly for dessert, we got some gelato. One of my favourite flavours to get is their vanilla gelato that has some citrus in it. Great on a hot summer day. You can get them to go in these cute little cups.

Overall, I had a lovely time at Cafe Leva. Great place to come and catch up with someone. Nice and secluded in the residential area. Parking can be a bit scarce, but there’s lots of street parking around, and if you don’t mind the short walk, there’s some meters around 109th street and the adjacent avenues. Definitely give this place a try!