The food and drinks are expensive, but they have a great selection. You don't actually have to be a member to get in. Mediocre buffet items. Patio is nice. Trees for shade. Special bar b q events happen periodically during the Spring/Summer. Also wine tastings. It's not fancy, but upstairs they have a nice venue for weddings etc. That is where you'll have the best river valley view as well. Private parking lot. After 4:30 I never pay. You're suppose to, but I've never been caught. read more

We had our wedding reception at the University Club 40 years ago. This past weekend I had a surprise retirement party there for my husband. It was as remarkable as our wedding. From the planning team to the servers, everyone went out of their way to assist me. You cannot beat the view. I was running out of time both setting up and taking down the party, and staff seemed to appear from nowhere to help out. The food was delightful and served hot and on time. Jim, the upstairs manger, should receive a gold medal for his service. Nothing is too small or too big for him to tackle. Lovely, sweet wait staff. Thank you for making this a night my husband and guests will never forget. read more

Let me start out by saying that I am a big fan of the Faculty Club and what it represents. I have been there countless times for lunch, dinner, drinks, and special events. In terms of food, my favorites are the upstairs lunch buffet and the chef's special (dinner). The quality of the food is generally high, the upstairs dining area is magnificent day or night, the prices are very reasonable, and the staff are super nice. In addition, parking is easy, which makes it a very convenient location at whatever time of the day. I am also a big fan of the Saturday brunch buffet, but can't go too often as I have a tendency to eat way too much. They offer a very generous buffet with a variety of traditional brunch items, desserts, cheeses, and fruits. I have heard people complain about the lack of vegetarian options, and although I am not a vegetarian, I have noticed that there are not too many meat-free options at the downstairs lunch buffet. They always prepare some vegetarian sandwiches, but sometimes these are all gone by the time I get there. The dinner menu, on the other hand, always offers vegetarian options. The Faculty Club also has a bar that serves free popcorn(!!), and also cheese and crackers if you show up early enough on Friday afternoons. Wednesday night is beer night and you can get jugs of beer at $10. Not bad at all! They have a large patio, which is a really great place to enjoy popcorn and beer, or lunch in the summer. If I ever leave Edmonton, the Faculty Club will be one of the places I will miss the most. You can find good restaurants and bars almost anywhere, but there are not that many places like the Faculty Club left out there. read more

In my opinion, competition is an important factor in what drives people to excel. So when you are an establishment that is guaranteed to service university elites, what motivation is there to compete for outside dollars? You get aspects like decor so old you would swear you could walk in with a mullet. You get no acceptance of credit or debit cards, let's party like it 1970! The cash only system is sketchy and a ripe control risk as I never received a receipt for my payment. Is the cash then just pocketed by somebody then? And who has the gall to charge 7$ for a regular bottle of Alley Kat Main Squeeze. It's so criminal management should be locked up and the key thrown away. Outside you'll find much beauty in the environment, but inside is old and tired. Some things change, some things stay the same and some things need to change. The Faculty Club have a number of major things that need to change! read more

We had our wedding here, both ceremony and reception in June, 2014. I fell in love with the venue as soon as we walked into the Windspear dining room. With floor to ceiling windows spanning over Saskatchewan Drive, my jaw dropped. It was beautiful. There is nothing bad I can say about this venue. Peter and Lulu, the management team were remarkable. Outstanding professionalism, Peter really knows his weddings. He's been doing this for over 30 years. I told him how many invites we had sent out to guests, and he told me the number of confirmed guests that we would have....and he was bang on. We had 127 people at our wedding, the ceremony had standing room only by the time everyone showed up, but the banquet hall had more than enough room. There was no cost to rent the facility, however we did have to pay to rent the piano. The serving staff did it with the utmost class, and the meals were some of the best food I've had at a wedding...the Prime Rib....amazing. We were able to go for a food and wine tasting a few months before the wedding, it was like we were dining at one of the most upscale restaurants in the City. The staff at the club set up all the tables and dressed them as well. They do have linens included, however we ended up renting our own and they still put all of our linens on the table. When we dropped off our linens a few days prior to the wedding, Peter even invited us in for lunch on the house. The facility was clean and bright. Last call was at midnight as they would like people out of the restaurant by 1 am. They worked well with our wedding planners and other vendors as well. Complimentary coffee and tea was also served downstairs to our guests during the break between the ceremony and reception. Complimentary parking was also available to all our guests. If you're looking for a unique venue, but are also budget conscious, I would recommend looking into the Faculty Club. Their professionalism and customer service is outstanding (I was told "whatever you want" many times!), and their prices very fair. You do not need to be a member or alumni of the University to use their banquet services. Once you see the view of the river valley, you will have your mind made up, I guarantee it. read more

My parents took us on a vacation here in Alberta and the reason is because my father went to University of Alberta. He had a good friend from Hong Kong who has worked here as a math professor since 1969. He still works at this university, so when my family came to visit, he treated us to dinner at the Faculty Club. I have never been to a university faculty club. It is exclusive I guess. You could choose from one entree. The options were lamb, chicken breast, salmon, or steak. I had the steak and it came with a shrimp kebab. You can only get an entree once or you pay $10 for extra entrees. I liked the buffet. I had potatoes, pasta, chicken salad, and beans. The desserts are very generous. There's carrot cake, lemon meringue, chocolate cake..there's cheese...there's a chocolate fondue fountain..and there's a lot of bottled or canned drinks..as well as a cappucino/hot chocolate machine, and a lot of beer. read more

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I know that with the success of Mad Men, everyone is going retro and trying to recreate the glamour of the early 1960's. But the Faculty Club on the U of A campus isn't trying to go retro, they just haven't changed their menu at all in the past five decades. It's a gorgeous restaurant, with huge windows over-looking the North Saskatchewan River, and you can see why, at one time, this was one of the most exclusive eateries in Edmonton. The buffet consists of prime rib, chicken cordon bleu, and other "fancy" foods that were all the rave decades ago. When ordering off the menu, dishes come with a meat and two sides (a starch and a green vegetable). There's not a lot of creativity on the part of the chefs here. Many of the club's members have been coming for their favourite dishes for the past 50 years, and the club only seems to be interested in catering to them instead of younger members with more adventurous tastes. I hear the food is actually quite good, for what it is. However, if you are a vegetarian, you are out of luck here. The buffet is the same price, whether you eat meat or not. And the only choices you have if you order off the menu is limp, overcooked pasta in a bland cream sauce. At lunch time, your only option is an egg salad sandwich. It's actually insulting to any decent chef to have such a limited menu since there are so many wonderful vegetarian dishes they can create, but management simply doesn't feel as if there is a market for anything new or different, so they won't add them to the menu. (Yet, they wonder why so many younger faculty aren't joining. Hmmm...) All this said, I have been here for a couple of event dinners, receptions, etc. And the food has been outstanding. They have had delicious, creative vegetarian options (along with more creative meat dishes, too). So the chefs can create outside of the box when requested to do so for a big event. It just seems the management won't let them create on a day-to-day basis. Finally, the pub provides a nice place to kick back and relax after work. There's a decent selection of beer on tap, free popcorn, and occasionally free cheese and crackers. The staff is incredibly kind and helpful, and they remember your drink orders from week to week. The pub food is decent; I like the sweet potato fries. The nachos, however, I have usually found to be undercooked. Seriously, the cheese isn't melted and you're bringing the dish to my table? Do you even know what nachos are? This could, once again, be a fine establishment here in Edmonton. But right now, they are just mediocre. If only the management were more receptive to change and would listen to the voices of the people they say they wish they could attract. Alas. read more

I thing that the food is over priced for what it is. The food is good but not amazing. This place is great for business events because it is a large private venue. The view is great and the staff are very welcoming but I feel that this venue should be a little more prestigious for what it is. Good try Faculty Club. read more

I have been to various events here over the years. The venue is starting to somewhat show it's age and could use a bit of a face lift but at the same time it still holds an air of sophistication. I came here yesterday for my work Christmas Luncheon. The party was held upstairs. It is a great space for the size of our group which was a 100 people or so. The space was decorated elegantly with garland, white lights and lit Christmas trees. The room is lined with big windows that give plenty of natural light and the view of downtown skyline is beautiful. The buffet was good. We were greeted to a spread of salads, veggies, pasta, rice, potatoes, mussels, shrimps and turkey. The mussels and shrimp maybe weren't the best I have had but they were decent. Once we were done with our main meal we had a dessert table full of delectable treats. So many cakes, custards, fruit and cheeses waiting for us to indulge in. I had chosen a pecan cheesecake and a chocolate cake. Both were tasty and not too sweet. I was stuffed to say the least when all was done. Definitely in a food coma for the rest of the afternoon and that did not help with having to return to work. The staff were also attentive and friendly. All in all a wonderful party but the food was just ok. read more

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We had our wedding at the Faculty Club and they were great to work with. Booking was easy and the venue is beautiful. The staff were great to work with all along, professional and accommodating. For instance when we dropped off our flowers, they offered to put them in the fridge so that they would stay fresh for the next day. The food was very good! Everything we asked for was perfectly arranged and delivered. Our final bill came in exactly as we had expected with no surprises. The one critique I would have is that the way they handle information is out of date: we had to print forms, fill them in, scan them, and return them, which is a little odd when it is so easy to set up a Google Form. It is not easy to find information on the website either. I believe the staff is working on updating this though. The benefits of working with them definitely outweigh any inconveniences in my opinion and I would highly recommend them to anyone considering them as a venue for their wedding. read more

Attended their wine whiskey and liquor event on Friday, January 19. The event featured four liquor providers. The staff provided food it was one table for cheese and crackers, another table provided desserts, and two chef staff prepared a pasta for you as you ordered. The Faculty Club staff are extremely helpful and customer oriented. There was also a live band playing which we enjoyed very much. The liquor representatives were helpful in varying degrees. There was a person from the Yukon brewing Company there: he was extremely knowledgable and appreciative of customers who came to see him for drinks. There were four people in total in our party. We left after three hours very satisfied and looking forward to attending next year's event. read more

Awesome place to host an event! We do many weddings and parties here all year round. The staff are super helpful and friendly. Very good customer service for sure. Good has always been great at all the events. read more

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The faculty club was great. They were prompt with email replies and was very flexible. I was able to change the dinner table set up to match what I needed. They set up the table cloths for me the night before and also allowed me to bring other stuff in two nights before. The food was delicious and my husband and I were able to come for a tasting before. The staff poured wine promptly all night and friendly. Good price for the quality we received with no hidden fees. Highly recommend people to have their wedding here. There inside upstairs room was a beautiful spot for our inside ceremony as Edmonton weather is unpredictable. read more

I came in here for lunch today , I've always wanted to come here, but somehow never made it. I'm very glad that I gave it a try today. The food that I tried was very very good. I had the prime rib sandwich with salad bar and potato chips, my friend ordered a cheese burger with the same salad bar and chips. I couldn't believe how tasty it was. The salads we had were two different types. Plus all the condiments you could ask for. They even had soups and sandwiches, and other lunch specials. I was quite impressed and very happy with the service. After we were done they picked up our dishes almost immediately and cleared off the table, so we were free to get a coffee or dessert. I loved the ceiling to floor windows and the gorgeous view of the river valley. We even had a little visitor from outside, A little squirrel that came to say Hi. Just outside the window, how cute.. With the sun shinning in those windows, great food , watching a little critter go about his day , and that great river valley view. This for me was a top of the line lunch. Only thing is , they need more of an update in their choice of window coverings, they need to be replaced and I would say this place needs a bit of an update, in decor. But who really cares when you've got a great view, great food, great prices... Don't think I would want to jeopardize this , just for decor. read more

Have to say that my experience with the Faculty Club has been tremendous. I have read some of the other reviews particularly about it being tired and outdated. While this is the view of their experience and I respect their opinion, my view is that it provides a relaxing enclave in the middle of a busy day. The ambiance is somewhat retro and this really adds to the charm of the venue. The food is above average and the prices seem to be fair and competitive with other comparable restaurants. What really sets this place apart from the others is the service...it is truly first class and something you would expect to see in a 4 or 5 star establishment. Hope this helps you in making your decision. read more