For the friend who reads menus for fun. Share plates, big flavours, and rooms worth getting dressed for.
From the street it looks like a fish and chip shop. Inside, it's one of the best meals in the country: Bar Gigi made Canada's 100 Best for 2026. Small, intimate and booked weeks out.
Must try: Prawn Toast, Hokkaido Scallops, Crispy Carrots, Charred Cabbage.
Erin's tip: It's amazing, and you need a reservation.
Pro tip: Book a few weeks out. Tables go fast.
336 9 Ave NE · Map for Bar Gigi
A buzzy, trendy new room with service that sweats the details, including a sommelier happy to talk you through the wine list. Great for a celebration, a date night or just a great dinner out.
Must try: Beef Tartare, Fried Cheese Curds, Zucchini with Stracciatella, the Bavette (with the richest potatoes you'll ever taste).
Pro tip: Closed Mondays. Book ahead; word is out.
24 4 St NE · Map for Pastiche
A cozy, warmly lit French bar downtown with some of the best service in the city and a steak frites people can't stop talking about. Great for lunch, dinner or a late glass of wine.
Must try: The Cheesy Puffs (beignets with cheese sauce), Steak Frites with peppercorn sauce, the Corsica Dumplings, the Lobster Roll.
Erin's tip: Reservations book up quickly, so plan ahead.
Pro tip: Open late Thursday to Saturday. Closed Sundays.
306 Centre St S · Map for Francine's
The DOP team rebuilt in Marda Loop, and the city noticed: DOPO made Canada's 100 Best for 2026. Warm, dark and cozy, with Bar Rocca next door for a drink before or after. Almost the whole menu can be made gluten free, pasta and bread included.
Must try: Grilled Bread (order two), Whipped Ricotta, Fried Green Tomatoes, the Meatballs.
1907 34 Ave SW · Map for DOPO and Bar Rocca
An upscale New York-style tavern, and an Air Canada Best New Restaurant finalist. Small, buzzy and loud in the best way. Sit at the bar if you can't get a table.
Must try: The Tavern Burger, Bone Marrow, Mussels.
1926 34 Ave SW · Map for Penny Crown
The team behind Una Pizza + Wine is opening a neighbourhood steakhouse in Marda Loop, with Spanish-inspired dishes built for sharing and local farm ingredients. Lunch and dinner, seven days a week.
Ten Foot Henry makes healthy eating easy with a delicious, vegetable-forward menu and a killer weekend brunch. Remember your mom making you finish your vegetables? That doesn't apply here. Bring lots of friends: the food is served family style and you won't want to miss a dish.
Must try: Whipped Feta and Tomatoes, Broccolini, Butterscotch Pudding.
Pro tip: Calcutta Cricket Club and Pat and Betty are on the same block, and Proof and Shelter are a short walk. Make your date night a late night.
1209 1 St SW · Map for Ten Foot Henry
As the name suggests, Calcutta Cricket Club is not your typical Indian restaurant. Your favourite dishes with unconventional twists, a room that looks like Wes Anderson designed it, and a dangerously good cocktail menu. Take your most adventurous eater.
Must try: Kati Rolls, Chili Chicken, Butter Chicken with Garlic Naan.
1213 1 St SW · Map for Calcutta Cricket Club
Pat and Betty is all about savouring life's flavourful moments: beautiful plates made for sharing, and a room made for celebrating together.
Must try: Beef Tartare, Shrimp Toast, King Salmon.
Pro tip: Happy hour runs 3 to 5 with deals on drinks and oysters.
1217 1 St SW · Map for Pat and Betty
A self-described chef-driven bar, and it shows. Just the right number of dishes to offer something for every taste, and the execution is consistently fantastic. The mid-century room keeps it intimate no matter how packed it gets.
Must try: Spiced Beet Salad, Wood Grilled Carrots, Crab Linguine.
Pro tip: Weekends fill up, so make a reservation.
739 10 Ave SW · Map for Bridgette Bar
Bridgette's sister bar, and the family ties run strong in the great-food department. The menu is Pacific-inspired: plenty of seafood, Asian-inspired dishes and fruity cocktails, with lots for vegetarians too.
Must try: Fried Udon Chips with Kimchi Dip, Mushroom Skewers, Albacore Tuna Crudo.
Erin's tip: Don't skip the hot dog bao.
510 17 Ave SW · Map for Lulu Bar
Concord Group's 17th Ave spot, in the old Bungalow and Ox & Angela space. Japanese plates, sake and a sunroom that's perfect on a bright afternoon.
Must try: Goma Udon, Hand Rolls, Miso Cod, Beef Tartare.
Pro tip: Happy hour is the best way to try a little of everything.
528 17 Ave SW · Map for Lonely Mouth
Canadian cooking with locally sourced ingredients in a rustic, cozy room. Weekend brunch now too.
Must try: Charred Cabbage, Beef Tartare, the Mac Burger.
Pro tip: The late-night happy hour has $1 oysters.
306 17 Ave SW, plus Scotia Centre downtown · Map for Pigeonhole
An airy, coastal-bohemian room with an indoor-outdoor feel and more photo opportunities than you can shake a stick at. Fun cocktails and shareable plates, perfect for catching up with friends or people watching on the patio.
Must try: Lemon Pepper Chips, Tirokafteri with warm pita, Charred Broccolini.
Pro tip: Cocktails are half price at happy hour, until 5.
730 17 Ave SW · Map for Porch
Tennessee-style barbecue with a terrific bourbon list. Meat is smoked every morning, and it's open until 2 am most nights.
Must try: Bacon-Wrapped Corn on the Cob, Brisket, Pecan Pie.
Pro tip: Come after 10 pm for the late-night meat deals.
638 17 Ave SW · Map for Comery Block
Texas-style barbecue in the middle of Kensington, with one of the city's biggest American whiskey lists behind the bar. Meat by the pound, big shareable sides and a room that stays lively late.
Must try: Brisket, Beef Ribs, Burnt Ends, Baked Beans.
Pro tip: Smoked meats are half price after 10 pm.
1136 Kensington Rd NW · Map for Hayden Block Smoke & Whiskey
Contemporary Canadian cooking with a French accent on Stephen Avenue, much of it done over a wood-fired Josper oven. An elegant room for dinner before a show, with a speakeasy called HR downstairs for the nightcap.
Must try: Bison Tartare, Tempura Green Beans, Hokkaido Scallops, Wild Mushroom Gnocchi.
Pro tip: Closed Sundays. Save room for a drink at HR downstairs.
113 8 Ave SW · Map for Fineprint
A fully plant-based restaurant on 9th Avenue that even the meat eaters at the table will love. Comfort food done right, a cute room and a sunny patio, plus zero-proof cocktails.
Must try: The Kalamari, the Tacos, the Truffle Mushroom Burger, Truffle Parmesan Fries.
Pro tip: Closed Mondays. Open for lunch and dinner the rest of the week.
1413 9 Ave SE, lower level · Map for Vegan Street
The Sidewalk Citizen team's restaurant in Calgary's oldest park. A gorgeous wood-beamed room with garage doors that open onto the gardens, and bright, shareable Middle Eastern plates with their famous bread.
Must try: Baba Ganoush with pita, the Cultured Heritage Chicken, Fried Potatoes with lemon pepper and Manchego, the Beeswax Dry-Aged Lamb.
Pro tip: Closed Mondays. Weekend brunch starts at 9, and the patio is the place to be in summer.
340 13 Ave SW, in Central Memorial Park · Map for Park by Sidewalk Citizen
Chef Darren MacLean's Japanese izakaya still has one of the hardest tables in the city, and it's on Avenue's 13 best restaurants for 2026. It's not just the celebrity-chef status: the yakitori and sushi are the real thing.
Must try: Sablefish Sushi, Hamachi Sashimi, the Yakitori.
Pro tip: Book well ahead. It's open Wednesday to Sunday.
2016 4 St SW · Map for Shokunin
The menu changes every day, built around whatever's best that morning. Go for the chef's tasting and let them take it from there.
Must try: Brussels Sprouts, Burrata, the Sourdough.
211 10 Ave SW · Map for Salt & Brick
Venetian-style cicchetti, little plates made for ordering a lot of and sharing, in a room that feels special without being stuffy. One of Avenue's best new restaurants of 2026.
Pro tip: It's not set up for complicated allergies, so check the menu before you book.
1023 9 Ave SE · Map for L'Olivo
The room alone will have you drooling: lush greenery, chandeliers and stunning design. The menu is family style and pleases any palate, and the space is just as beautiful at lunch or brunch.
Must try: Tiger Prawns, Risotto, Mussels.
Pro tip: Book ahead. It still fills up weeks out.
620 10 Ave SW · Map for The Orchard
Major Tom is built to impress. Forty floors up, it's hard to decide what's better: the view, the sunsets or the food. A modern upscale menu and a whimsical cocktail list, and one of Avenue's 13 best restaurants for 2026.
Pro tip: It books up weeks ahead, but there's always a section saved for walk-ins. Come early.
If Don Draper lived in Calgary, you'd find him deep into a scotch in a dim corner of the Wednesday Room's basement bar. Share plates, finger foods for your cocktails, and wood panelling as far as the eye can see.
Must try: Focaccia, Smashed Cucumbers, and any of the old fashioneds.
Pro tip: Ask for the basement. Closed Sundays.
118 8 Ave SW · Map for Wednesday Room
In the historic Simmons Building on the Bow River, with one of Calgary's best patios. Come on a hot summer day for a cocktail and on a cold winter night for a wood-fired steak. Argentinian-inspired, heavy on beef and seafood.
Must try: Charred Napa Cabbage Salad, Corn Ribs, any steak.
Pro tip: Walk the river first, then grab a patio table.
Simmons Building, 618 Confluence Way SE · Map for Charbar
The family behind Mercato has been one of Calgary's go-tos for Italian since 1974. Come for dinner and stay for a bottle of wine or two.
Must try: Burrata, Tagliatelle, the Bistecca.
Pro tip: Pop into the market on your way out to take a taste of Italy home.
2224 4 St SW, plus West Springs · Map for Mercato
A cozy French neighbourhood bistro the owners renovated themselves. Handmade pasta, perfect scallops and a warm welcome from owner Matt. Brunch too.
Must try: The Scallop, Duck Bucatini, the Éclair.
Pro tip: Closed Mondays.
804 Edmonton Tr NE · Map for Le Charme
From Jenna, the owner behind Sauce Italian Market. Bright and modern, with brunch on weekends and free underground parking, rare for downtown.
Must try: Lamb Lollipops, Gnocchi con Salsiccia, Blueberry Ricotta French Toast at brunch.
1000 7 Ave SW · Map for Mille