Calgary Restaurants

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The Fine Diner is one of the newer restaurants in historic Inglewood, just a few blocks east of Calgary's city center. Open daily for breakfast and lunch, the Fine Diner draws a crowd (expect to queue... fortunately there is free coffee while you wait!) and service can be a bit harried. The breakfast menu features savoury egg dishes and sweet baked treats, while lunch includes diner classics like soups, salads and sandwiches... with a twist. This place is about 10-15% more expensive than other similar restaurants in the city (like Diner Deluxe, Galaxie Diner, OEB, etc.) but it's on the affordable end of the scale for the neighbourhood. If you happen to be in Inglewood during the morning or early afternoon it's worth a visit.

This used to be my cafeshop, before I discovered Beano and Vendome. Nice atmospher... nothing special about the food, just a very good location, you´ll find a lot of students with their laptops..

Favorite Dish: Maybe a latte

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This place was needed to fill a rather large hole that had been created through a lot of travelling!
It's your basic 'we aim to please everybody' menu, offering snacks and meals.
I had a nice salad with chicken. The prices are more expensive than what you would expect to pay around Saskatchewn (from my experience), but you are in an airport! And I completely expected this.

They offer cocktails if you fancy by the pitcher or by the glass.

Joey is a “casual” and “upscale” place to dine and just hang out. The food is exceptional and inspired by little out-of-the-way places from all over the world. They take care of their guests with service that says, “we thought of that just for you.” So with that said, we enjoyed ourselves to the fullest.

Favorite Dish: For dinner, I selected the Ahi Tuna Club Sandwich (Ahi Tuna grilled rare with bacon, red pepper relish, arugula and panko onion rings served with fries) while LJ had the Panang Prawn Curry Bowl (shrimp stir-fried with vegetables in a red coconut curry,Thai basil & peanuts over rice).

You see them at the edges of shopping malls or along the side of a street during the summer. Fruit and vegetable stands with signs that read “BC Fruit” or “Taber Corn”. “BC Fruit” implies fruit grown in the interior of the province of British Columbia. Anyone who has driven through BC probably has fond memories of stopping at fresh fruit stands that line the highways by the orchards. The fruit stands that make it to Calgary are much smaller, maybe the size of a pickup truck, and may or may not be from BC. Similarly, Taber is a small community in southern Alberta well known for its corn. All roadside vegetable vendors are marketed as “Taber Corn” whether or not it actually came from that area. Still, if you’re in the market for fruits and vegetables and see a roadside stand, it doesn’t hurt to stop and check the goods.

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A decade ago, it was difficult to find a Vietnamese restaurant in Calgary. Now they’re quite common. My favorite is one that is across from the McMahon football stadium. It’s easy to get in and out of the parking lot, the service can be slow but the food is good. You won’t be alone either, as many others have “discovered” this restaurant. There is second restaurant by the same name, but strangely a slightly different menu, downtown in Chinatown on Center street. Don’t worry if you can’t use chopsticks as cutlery is available on request.

Jetgirly reported that the restaurant no longer makes deliveries even though they still have a delivery menu.

Favorite Dish: Chicken and spring rolls on vermicelli noodles

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People can get pretty passionate about their favorite pizza place, so allow me to share my contender with you: Verona Pizza. And you’re in luck… it’s located in downtown Calgary and you can try it by the slice. But be aware, this is not a well-kept secret. And don’t even bother looking at the menu. If you don’t see anything of interest ready to serve, then just walk away and try again another day.

Favorite Dish: What makes it so good? Hot fresh mozzarella, and lots of it. But timing is everything. Too early, there’s not much selection because the pizzas are still in the oven and not many are ready to serve. Too late, and the crowd has been there before you and the pickings will be slim. Noon is best of course, and through exhaustive research, I’ve determined that 12:15pm is the ideal time.

When they’re going at full tilt, you’ll usually find a selection of eight pizzas or so to choose from: beef and mushroom, pepperoni, pepperoni and mushroom, pepperoni and bacon, all meat, all cheese, spinach and feta, Hawaiian. Side salads are an option and if you’d like something other than pizza, they also serve lasagna or baked spaghetti.

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There’s only one Peter’s Drive Inn. In a city where restaurants come and go each year, Peter’s has been around forever. You can drive through (on either side) or walk up to the window to place your order but either way, you’ll almost always have to wait in line. It’s that popular. In fact, over the years, the city has had to put up barriers to keep excessive traffic from bothering the nearby residential neighborhood. There are no indoor tables, but there are plenty of picnic tables in their park like surroundings.

Favorite Dish: Famous for their hamburgers and milkshakes, there’s a different milkshake flavor on special each day.