Eating
We're not restaurant critics and this isn't a ranked list. It's where we take visiting family, with the caveat that restaurants close and chefs move, so check before you cross town.
Where to aim
| Area | Good for |
|---|---|
| 17th Avenue SW (Beltline) | The widest choice, best for wandering until something appeals |
| Inglewood, 9th Ave SE | The most interesting cooking, a handful of small rooms worth booking |
| Bridgeland, 1st Ave NE | Small and good, a short stretch you can walk end to end |
| Chinatown | Lunch rather than dinner, and dim sum on weekends |
| International Avenue, 17th Ave SE | The best value in the city, spread over a long strip — a car helps |
Local things worth trying
- Alberta beef. The obvious one, and it lives up to it. Steakhouses here are a genuine speciality rather than a tourist trap.
- Ginger beef. Invented in Calgary, sweet and crisp, and found in every Chinese restaurant in the city. Not subtle. Still good.
- Caesar. The cocktail, with clamato. Also a Calgary invention, and taken more seriously here than the description suggests.
What we'd skip
Restaurants at the top of towers, where the view carries the bill. And anywhere on Stephen Avenue with a sandwich board and a photograph menu — that stretch is built for weekday office lunches and not for your evening.
Practical notes
Popular rooms in Beltline and Inglewood need booking on Friday and Saturday, often a week out. Tipping runs fifteen to twenty percent. Alcohol is sold in private liquor stores, not supermarkets, and they close earlier than you'd expect on Sundays.
We don't accept meals, invitations or payment from restaurants. If that ever changes it will be written on the disclosure page before anything appears here.