Restaurant Openings by Year

This Japanese restaurant just opened in the Alt Hotel in East Village. While that is exciting in itself, what is more interesting is the secret restaurant within Nupo called EIGHT.  It only seats 8 people (hence the name) and is supposed to be "minimal" and "food focused." Meaning, you aren't allowed to take pictures of your food, because you are supposed to be concentrating on enjoying it. How dare you! It costs $185 per person and reservations are already booked up for weeks ahead.  I hope you are rich and have high powered connections.  The head chef is Darren MacLean who was on a Netflix cooking show.

Kensington has a new beer hall! Remember the old Molly Malones back in the day? (I don't really but a lot of other people do...)  This is now Free House beer & food hall. Similar to other beer halls there are lots of local beers on tap and a pub style menu. The inside has been renovated and is a bright white space with lots of green plants to give it an airy feel. So that's a little different from your average beer hall. Check it out! And when you do make sure you go during happy hour for $4 pints. YAAAASSSS.

Technically, Lately did open at the end of 2019 but they did a grand re-opening in Jan 2020,  I did go to the first opening and I liked it but it did feel rushed. (They had contractors physically putting up lighting during the opening...errrhm).  So I think they didn't quite have it how they wanted it and realized they needed to fix a couple things and do it right.  Good for them!  

After attending the re-opening of Lately it is decidedly awesome. They added a selfie room, which is apparently all the rage in LA.  And while I'm the worst at taking selfies, I did enjoy the fun aesthetic and felt significantly cooler after having photographed myself and posted about how cool I was (obvi). 

TECHNICALLY this one was a reno.  Deane House suddenly shut down in 2019 when it unfortunately experienced a sprinkler-related flood. :(  But it has re-emerged stronger, faster and better than ever. (Well I assume, I personally have never been so I can't really compare...).  There's a new chef along with the new look so for those who frequent Deane House look forward to a refreshed menu to go with the new look. 

Located downtown is a new sophisticated modern cafe - Cafe Alchemist.  Serving lattes, cappuccinos and cold brews all guaranteed to meet your caffeine needs.  They also serve wraps, bowls and salads. A great place to meet an old coworker or friend for a quick bite. 

If you live in Mission you'll be happy to find out about BeeBop on 4th street.  This fun doughnut shop serves wacky and delicious flavours such as hazelnut cream & white chocolate wafer, peach cobbler, or try their signature donut with purple yam dough with purple yam glaze.  They also have a cute studio room designated for catered events.

You'll find Eat Crow smack dab in the middle of Kensington.  The vibes are great, it's somewhat upscale, somewhat hipster, a great place to meet for a drink. They have very high ratings on google reviews, however personally I found their food to be small and pricy and hit or miss in terms of taste. Same for the cocktails. I loved one and did not like the other at all. 

Oooh we love a secret speakeasy! Hidden in Chinatown (I won't tell you where!) lies a small but mighty Vietnamese restaurant. I loved the decor and found the drink and food menu tasty and reasonably priced.  Highly recommend this cute and trendy spot.

As the revitalization of East Village continues it's fun to see what pops up! Soleil Bistro serves martinis and mojitos, brunch, lunch, and dinner. They also have a small patio. 

Priding themselves on being a fully plant based "burger joint" V Burger is something new and different that's for sure. Located on 17th Ave they serve burgers, ice cream, and milkshakes until 9pm all week long.

Out with Two Penny and in with A1 Bodega.  This restaurant/cute shop is part of Thank You Hospitality Group (they also have A1 Burrito, A1 Cantina, Calcutta Cricket Club, and Native Tongues.)

Orchard is beeaaauuutiful. It's filled with plants and chandeliers giving it this light and airy feel so unlike anything else in Calgary. Of course, it's expensive to eat here, but the food is obviously delicious and so worth it.

From the owners of Ajito, Sho Sushi and Point Sushi, comes Ponshu Sushi. Located way in the NW Ponshu offers upscale Japanese food and cocktails.  I haven't been there but as a sushi lover I can pretty much predict I would enjoy it very much.

Jin Bar moved into the space that Wallflower had previously been occupying.  Interestingly, Jin Bar serves fried chicken, pizza and cocktails. A bit of an odd mix if you ask me, but I'm not against it.  I tried their chicken and thought K-town chicken was better so I wouldn't order it again, I'll have to return to try their pizza and cocktails though!

When Thank You Hospitality group opened up A1 Cantina I figured it would be a similar to Native Tongues but more affordable. Unfortunately, while the decor, tables, chairs and atmosphere give the place "fast food" vibes the prices aren't any more affordable. The food was tasty though, but if I had to pick between the two I'd do Native Tongues every time.

Mahogany is really making the rest of Calgary jealous. Alvin's Jazz club is a new, yet classically old, lounge style restaurant in the deep south.  The theme is New York in the 30's or 40's which means lots of elegant gold trimmings, martinis, and high quality dishes with a vintage feel (e.g. beef wellington, Waldorf salad, and meatloaf!). 

If you're hungry, DO NOT look at the instagram page for The Goose. The menu items are seriously mouthwatering. They just opened and I haven't made it there yet, but it's on the to-eat-immediately list! This restaurant comes from the owners of The Beltliner and Gorilla Whale, so these people know food.

Sidewalk citizen, (yes the bakery!) now has a restaurant all of their own. And it's a cute one too. They took over the space in Central Memorial Park that used to be Provision. Their menu has an Israeli influence featuring dishes like falafel, skewers, fatoush, and even a fish plate!  There's also a bakery on-site so don't expect to leave empty handed. 

Guess who's back! After briefly dying in the summer of 2019, Home & Away has been returned to us in the late fall.  Essentially, they got killed by 17th avenue taxes. So all they did was pick up and move to 1st SW (next to Leopolds & St. James).  They did a bit of a menu refresh, they lost a few of their games and table space (i think) and they added a whole shuffleboard thang happening in their basement. I recommend you go get your shuffle on and also, get the wings, they are top-notch. 

Located in the Grain Exchange building, Bar Patricia is a really great spot.  It's small and hip and has a crazy feature wall (seen here with me standing in front of it).  We went there on a Friday night and enjoyed a bottle of Rosé before heading off elsewhere.  It was odd the place had so few customers on a Friday (see empty tables for reference), but it was also a dark winter night, hope they get the business they need to survive!

OMG. If you are into food porn then I have the place for you. D Spot is part of a national chain and they just opened a location on 17th ave.  They specialize in really really REALLY sweet desserts. Prepare to bring friends that will help you eat these massive creations. :D  Somewhat oddly they also have a full food menu, so you can also eat a meal here.

It used to be Paper Street and now it's Common Bond. I'm not even sure if they closed for renos or just did an overnight switch?  Anyway, it happened really fast.  Obviously more of a branding change than anything else, but cool, why not? Welcome to the neighborhood Common Bond. Keep an eye out for various events at Common Bond, they do date night movie packages with Globe Cinema and other fun stuff.

As you know, tacos are all the rage right now. Which is awesome, and so is the fact that a taco-centric restaurant exists in the heart of downtown.  This new restaurant is attached to Foreign Concept (I mean physically, not emotionally, although there might be something there too).  We went there and it was good, they had a variety of taco types and the typical margaritas you'd expect. I wasn't really blown away by it as I had hoped to be though, but maybe I just came in with high expecations.  

Let me preface this by saying, I'm not a big brunch person, or even a breakfast person, I tend to skip this meal in favor of chugging 2-3 bailey-filled coffees. #healthymornings  For that reason, I think Queens is something I could be down with. The brunch menu looks spectacular and I love that it is simultaneously a morning cocktail bar. As someone who doesn't see the appeal of a shitty diner atmosphere, THIS is where I'd greatly prefer to spend my morning hours. So thank-you for treating us boujee breakfast people like the royalty that we are.

To be honest, I don't know much about this place.  They are downtown and serve fancy french food. I'm not sure if it's more of a corporate lunch place or an evening dinner place. I do know that the chef is a big deal. His name is Duncan Ly and he is behind a number of restaurants in Calgary including Foreign Concept and Takori, so it is safe to say this place is worth a visit. 

From the creator's of Modern Steak comes Modern Ocean! So, you KNOW it's gonna be good.  If you are familiar with their Stephen Avenue location, the main floor is now Modern Ocean and the 2nd floor is Modern Steak. The third floor is a rooftop patio area.

This new vegetarian restaurant seems to be quite a hit. I walked by it the other night and it was packed.  Their menu does look delicious.  I'm not a vegetarian but I do love me some good vegetables. Lots of shared plates if you want to do group dining.  They also have an extensive cocktail menu and an impressive looking brunch. 

Too cute!  You can find Annabelle's kitchen in Marda Loop.  While I haven't had the chance to visit, it looks casual and at the same time well put together.  The menu is Italian focused. This restaurant is from the owners of Blink and Bar Annabelle (both on Stephen Ave). I must stop by for some pizza and pasta!

The website of Flores and Pine describes the restaurant as "elevated casual."  I don't know what that means but I'm gonna assume it's something along the lines of "look how good I look without even looking like I tried." You know. I'm casually hot. Well, this casually hot restaurant is actually hot because I've heard a lot of people talking about it. The menu is "Canadian" which is amazing, but if you look through it, it just means a lot of variety haha. Variety that looks tasty though. Pizza, fish, pasta, steak, duck, scallops, it all sounds significantly better than Tim Horton's menu. 

If I had to describe Taiko Canteen I would say it is multi-focused. It's about tacos sure, but it's also about local draft brews, but it's still more so about mini-golf. Wow. And I would left it at triple focused but now they have added a game show called Totsu. I don't understand the game show thing, maybe it's just a one-off, I guess we'll see.  Also I only went to Taiko Canteen once and it was so packed with a line up, we gave up before getting drinks or tacos. I imagine it is less busy now but keep in mind it's a very small venue so it fills fast. 

The Shoe & Canoe is an interesting place.  While they are inside the Delta hotel, they seem to think the hotel is the background to the pub.  And they might be right in that it could be a prominent place for lunch or for post-work drinks for the downtown crowd. Also unique about this establishment, the theme! Its all Canadian eh?  I think that is awesome. Let's embrace Canadian culture and not in a cheesy moose meat maple syrup way, in a classy upscale hotel pub way.  Nicely done. 

I haven't been here yet but I like the concept! Its a lounge which means wine and comfy chairs, but they also do manicures, pedicures, and offer a espresso bar!  I'm guessing it would really depend on the time of day you went... or would it..? Very curious to try it out. They also have daily specials like "Mani Mondays" in which you get 15% off your manicure. Awesome. ~NOW CLOSED~

I like the King Eddy a lot. I just think it has cool vibes. It has neat history and its right next to the beautiful, new, shiny National Music Centre.  And they host live music multiple nights a week.  It just seems like a cool place to hang.  Check their website before heading down, some shows have cover, but many are free! 

"El Furniture Warehouse" or "The Warehouse Stephen Avenue" is a self-described dive bar.  Its got old school party vibes, cheap drinks, and even cheaper food. They pride themselves on their $5.95 food menu. Obviously the portions are smaller and quality is not the greatest for that price, but hey, its $5!  Ask your waitress for menu suggestions as I feel that's how you get insider information on what food is tastiest. I think the cocktail menu is the best part of this bar though, as its probably the cheapest place on Stephen Ave to get your sugary party drinks (margaritas, bulldogs, palomas, etc).  Yum.

Another professional dive bar! This one has more Coyote Ugly feels I think.  Actually, I may be wrong but I think they encourage girls to dance on the bar? This is probably a good place to watch a Flames game or just get randomly wasted on like a Tuesday.  Expect loud music, drunk dancing, and ski shots.  Also important, they pride themselves on their dog-friendly patio, good info for the summer. Full disclosure, I haven't been here, I think it might be for a younger (early 20's) crowd.  Let me know if I'm wrong! 

Gorilla... what now?  So hipster. So Inglewood.  So good though.  I feel like everything is "fusion" now, its like weird combos are the norm and aren't weird anymore.  At Gorilla Whale you can expect Japanese food, like freakin' good ramen, yakitori skewers, and sake but you can also get burgers and craft beer. Nice. Hot tip - try the Gorilla Rice.  It was so good my boyfriend almost didn't let me have any. Jeeze.  That's okay, I didn't want to share my ramen with him anyway.   

Bullet train sushi!! The first in Calgary.  How it works is you order your drinks from a server but your food order is entered by you via the tablet on your table.  Then a short time later it zooms right up via bullet train!  And repeat.  And maybe repeat a few more times.  (Note, its not an all-you-can-eat restaurant, its a sushi restaurant with a cool delivery system.)

So much delicious sandwich!  This place is somewhat tucked away on 17th ave (its in the building attached to Blanco and Starbucks).  I like that they also have a bit of a bar atmosphere serving draft beer and a having an awesome cocktail menu.  Warning their sandwiches are VERY FILLING and you may inadvertently not leave room for their many delicious sides.  Plan accordingly.  I say eat more sides, take half of the sandwich to go.    

I'm not going to lie, I'm pretty sad that Roosevelt is gone, I liked that place!  But Hostel is probably more fitting for Calgary's current economy.  Similar to a few other new bars, the intention is to be cheap, divey, and cool.  The food menu is all $10 items and the drink menu features all $5 cocktails.  I got my bill after a night of drinking with friends and I was like... what?! is this real? It was shockingly cheap and that NEVER happens.  Haha. It's a pretty lively place and has a good atmosphere for watching hockey. 

~NOW CLOSED~

Super trendy and cute.  This little shop in China town serves soft ice cream in fish-shaped waffle cones. They offer some usual flavours: Matcha, Pandan, and Red Bean.  They also have vanilla if you're not feeling too adventurous.  Trust me, all the flavours are yummy though.  You also get your choice of topping(s) like sour candies, Oreos, Teddy Grahams, sprinkles or wafers. And be sure to add a toasted marshmallow for extra pretty instagram pics. 

So retro cool. The concept of this bar on 17th is to offer up some awesome game time along with delicious sandwiches.  I'll confess I haven't yet had a chance to visit but I've heard good things and I know it was quite busy when it first opened. Seems like it would be a good time!

This is the sister bar (brother? cousin? some kind of relative) to Cleaver.  Actually its probably best described as the neighbour bar because they are right beside each other.  The main food they serve are are high end tacos, think soft shells filled with lamb shoulder or pork belly. Yummmmmy.  They also have an awesome craft cocktail menu with drink names like Pablo Escobar and Peruvian Marching Powder. How can you not want to try them all?? Be sure to visit before 7 or after 9 for their happy hour prices. 

The Wednesday room went full out on its theme "The Shining."  The rich 70's decor creates a luxurious lounge experience.  There's a lot of burnt orange.  Its awesome.  I love orange.  I also love their drink menu which has a full list of movie-inspired cocktails.  Red Rum anyone? Note that this place is very popular, especially with the after-work downtown crowd so make a reservation! 

Chinese food, but fancy.  Let's face it a lot of Chinese restaurants are basically interchangeable.  Two Penny did their own thang. The atmosphere is classy and Asian chic.  The food focuses on small portions of top quality and the drinks are strong and unique.  For a restaurant experience stay upstairs, for lounge/bar vibes go downstairs. They also have comedy on Thursdays, which is a weird choice for the venue, but I like it. ~NOW CLOSED~

I have yet to visit Dark Table and I'm really mad at myself for not prioritizing this in my life! I have heard really good things about what a special experience it is. While the entrance area is lit, when you are guided to your actual table you will be in complete darkness for your whole dining experience. Whoa.  So cool. Also super cool, all the wait staff are visually impaired so they are uniquely skilled in leading guests through the experience.  I think that really adds to the learning and understanding of what it would be like to be visually impaired. Great idea all around.

I haven't been to Cardinale, which is silly because it has an easily accessible location right next to Cowboys Casino.  It's small, intimate, and specializes in trendy, strong drinks.  They are known for their delicious Italian food and I feel like this would be a great place for a date, maybe not a first date, but like a more intimate 2nd or 3rd date.  Maximum romance.

Ugh, I am mad I haven't been here either.  That picture of the giant cheese wheel alone has me sold. It also has kind of a speakeasy feel because it is hidden inside Una Takeaway on 17th ave.  Its like Una's secret baby restaurant.  They are big on Italian food and tapa-style menu items. Personally, I told my boyfriend, this may be good good choice for our Valentine's dinner. *hint* *hint* So MAYBE I'll be checking it out soon after all.

This is a young SAIT graduate success story.  Karen Kong is the owner/head baker for the amazing Butter Block.  She started it because of her passion for baking and I'd say her passion shows in her high quality work.  The bakery specializes in croissants but offers a few other items as well. Try their sweet stuffed croissants, made to order and life-changing!!

I really like this place. I do extra love Indian food though so I might be biased???  To be fair, in my mind this food isn't as traditional Indian as what you might be familiar with. Instead its hmmm more modern? More hip. Wow these are bad explanations.  I'm sayings its good, but less authentic in my uneducated opinion.  The Kati rolls are AMAZING. Also they have a late night happy hour that is extremely well priced. Cheap drinks and eats. Oh and really unique decor.  Highly recommend.

Ox Tapas is the newly renovated Ox & Angela.  While I went to Ox & Angela a number of time's I'll admit I haven't gotten around to visiting this newer version.  I did like it before so I'm assuming they kept all the best parts (lots of tasty tapas and warm atmosphere) and added some more good stuff.  From the photos the decor looks much more Spanish inspired. 

For a place that opened 2 years ago I find people are still talking about it a lot.  The food is modern Asian fusion.  The small or large Korean and Vietnamese plates are meant to be shared and I could see this being a great place for group dining. Cuz I mean, you're really going to want to try everything.  The lounge side has laid back vibes and warm decor.  A good choice for a date or small group of friends. 

Full disclosure I haven't made it here yet.  I've been meaning to but its kinda on the other end of downtown from where I live... but I'll get there soon dammit.  Friends of mine have given me very positive reviews though.  It has kind of hipster vibes and an interesting drink menu featuring cocktails, wine, beer and even sake. Seems very cool and like the in place to have been. (Guess I'm not cool, as usual). 

Bar Von der Fels is small, really small.  That might have something to do with why its always so busy.  They are on OpenTable so I would say make a reservation.  Its a wine bar so that's their specialty, they do have a food menu as well but it's small and I'm guessing based on one's choice of wine! Has a rich intimate feel. Good for an intimate date or maybe some good convo with your bestie. 

Ten Foot Henry, Ten Foot Henry, Ten Foot Henry. Jeeze, people are always talking about this place even though it opened up 3 years ago now.  I think that means it's good.  To be honest, I haven't made it there yet.  I've tried to but I'm dumb and don't always think ahead to make a reservation.  Anyway, the food is "vegetable forward" meaning, its not vegetarian but the vegetables are the highlight of their dishes.  I think that is a great idea and indeed it seems that people are loving it.