If you enjoy dining out, Calgary offers a veritable feast of culinary options. With its multitude of restaurants and eateries, Calgary can fill your plate with just about anything you can imagine. There’s not a single geographic region or specific cuisine which is not fairly represented here. Whether you’re looking for a quick, yet fresh and well-balanced lunch, a tasteful brunch, or a romantic candlelight dinner, the gastronomy of Calgary invites you to enjoy a limitless palette of pleasures.

The following list is pretty short and of course non-exhaustive, but it’s the result of long wanderings across Calgary’s districts, and an intense search for the best meals the city has to offer. The following establishments represent, in our humble opinion, some of the absolute highlights of edible gratification.

Fishes and Sea fruits

Big Fish: Calgary’s unpretentious destination for seafood and fresh oysters! They serve lunch, weekend brunch and dinner in the cozy Blues dining room.

1112 Edmonton Trail NE, 
Calgary, Alberta

Website: Big Fish

Brunch

NOtaBLE: Enjoy your brunch in a warm and inviting atmosphere, where NOtaBLE has elevated the late morning meal to an art form. You haven’t lived until you’ve tried their Eggs Benedict served with rosemary. If you only brunch once in Calgary, do it here.

4611 Bowness Road NW, 
Calgary, Alberta

Website: NOtaBLE

Romantic

The Sultan’s Tent: Adorned in traditional Arabic decor, this restaurant will transport you to another part of the world. If you are looking for an intimate and romantic evening, step into the Sultan’s Tent. The deliciously sophisticated dishes will excites your senses with all the flavors and aromas of the Orient.

Main Floor, 4 – 14th Street NW, Calgary, Alberta

Website : Sultan’s Tent

Business meal

Charcut Roast House: This luxurious brasserie offers a refined ambiance, with tasteful design and some of the most satisfying, high-protein meals in the city. As you might guess, the Charcut menu leans heavily towards the carnivorous. Before you bring a date or a client to this meat lover’s paradise, just be sure they’re not a vegetarian. Also note that the Charcut has been ranked among the 50 greatest restaurants in Canada.

101, 899 Centre Street SW, Calgary, Alberta

Website: Charcut

Just to grab a bite

Holy Smoke BBQ: This place is dedicated to all the barbecue fans and connoisseurs of  homemade sauces. If that’s you, and you happen to be in a hurry or on a budget, then look no further. Here’s the perfect spot for a quick lunch break. The pork roasted rips coast one dollar each and are simply awesome.

420 – 16th Avenue NE, Calgary, Alberta

Website : Holy Smoke BBQ

Vegetarian

The Coup: Just when you thought the city of stampedes and rodeos wouldn’t have anything to offer in the way of conscious cuisine, think again. The Coup touts itself as an ethical vegetarian restaurant with an intimate atmosphere. Their diverse menu changes with the seasons, to include fresh, wholesome, organic and local foods and beverages. In keeping with the philosophy of sustainability, the restaurant also plants 36 trees a month to offset its waste, composts all of its food scraps, keeps beehives nearby, and makes weekly donations to LeftOver Calgary to help feed people in need.

924 17th Avenue SW, Calgary, Alberta

Website: The Coup

Best gastronomic wishes! Bon appetit! Enjoy!

Further reading

To learn more about living in Calgary, check out some of our other articles about Alberta’s number one city.

If you’re looking for more inside tips in and around Calgary, check out our city-specific Online Relocation Guides. ARIANNE has been helping families and professionals move to Canada for more than 20 years, and we’d like to help make your relocation a successful one.

Photo credit: Wikipedia