My Favorite RestaurantsLast Updated: May.04.2005Topics
Value Scale$ - $5+ cheap and/or very good value$$ - $10+ $$$ - $15+ $$$$ - $20+ $$$$$ - $25+ expensive and/or small portions Quality of food, price of food, portion size, food material cost are all factored into this scale. YamatoIn my opinion, this is the best overall(quality/quantity vs price) sushi restaurant in Calgary. And since Sushi is one of my favorite foods, that means that this is one of the best restaurants in Calgary.Best dishesEverytime I go, I am certain to order: Tempura Oysters, Inari
I really enjoy the: Salmon, Tuna, Katsu Don Location & hoursIt will be very busy on fri / Sat night. It is useful to make reservations. Open Hours: Lunch 11am-2pm Mon-Fri; Dinner 5pm-10pm dailyAddress: 3616 52 Avenue NW Calgary AB T2L 1Z9 Phone: 403 282 2217 Value$$$ Fairly good value considering the quality of food.Ambience & ServiceFairly small restaurant.-back to topics- Ruan ThaiThis is my favorite Thai restaurant. The food is excellent. Make sure you get all your dishes mild as mild is spicy enough for most people I suspect.Best dishesLike all other Thai restaurants, their best dishes include: Coconut Rice, and their various Coconut Curry dishes. Of special note is their calamari. The desserts look nice, but we never order them because we always order too much food. The food is excellent.Location & hours13th, St 11 Ave SWValue$$$Ambience & ServiceAmbience is decent. It looks like a hole from the outside. Inside is not bad. The service is very good here. The waitors are very nice.-back to topics- Smugglers InnThis is the best place if you are craving beef. Unlimited salad bar and soup with my 12Oz cut of prime rib is pure tummy goodness. The prime rib melts in your mouth... The price is high but normal as prime rib is expensive everywhere. This place kills Mother Tuckers. No comparison in beef.Best dishesPrime rib.Location & hours6920 Macleod Trail South (403)253-5355Value$$$$Ambience & ServiceAmbience is lodgelike and cozy. The service is very good here. The waitors are very nice.-back to topics- Sushi BoatThe reason sushi boat is on this list is because they serve up a variety of unique sushi dishes/rolls. It's also nice because as soon as you are seated you can start eating off the sushi bar since all the tables are connected to it. Noteworthy is their excellent spicy sauce they use for the various sushi.Best dishesSpicy Tuna Roll, Tuna Tataki (light seared)Salmon Tataki (light seared) <-- they actually take a blow torch to it. Location & hoursIt has been fairly busy the times I went. We always had to sit and wait for a bit.Address: 806 Crowfoot Crescent NW Calgary Alberta T3G 4S3 Phone: 403 239 1818 Value$$$$Ambience & ServiceAmbience is pretty crappy. Not the nicest of places. If you are sitting in a bad spot, the waitors are always reaching over you. Also, it seems like you are rushed to leave when their is a crowd there. But the food is good!-back to topics- Tokyo GardensAhhh... Tokyo Gardens has the best Steak Don. The $1 Sushi (incl salmon and tuna) is nice too! The salad is very fresh and yummy. Decor is also nice. Tokyo garden has climbed up past kyoto 17 due to it's increased quality and Kyoto 17th decreased quality.Best dishesSteak Don, Katsu Don, Salad. I don't come here for sushi but I always end up ordering a few $1 dollar pieces.Location & hoursAddress: 10201 Southport Road SW (Southland drive and Macleod Trail - SW corner)Phone: (403) 252-7676 Value$$ The portions are good because the Steak Don has lots of rice, you should be full. $1 sushi is good value too. Note that this is the only japanese restaurant in my "favorites list" that only has $$.Ambience & ServiceGood. Service is good.-back to topics- Ginger Beef (Willow Park)Ginger Beef in Willow Park has absolutely the best dumplings in Calgary. Their Peking duck is also excellent. Get both and your dinner is complete. :)
Best dishesPeking DuckDumplings Location & hoursValue$$$Ambience & ServiceAmbience is ok. Service is ok. It's a chinese restaurant, what can you do?-back to topics- The Chocolate BarAhhh... The chocolate bar. I remember the first time we were here. There were so many things on the menu I had never tried before and it was quite an adventure! Now after going there 10+ times, I can still say this is my favorite place to have dessert.Best dishesEverytime I go, I am certain to order: Rice Pudding (w/ fruit topping), Creme Caramel I really enjoy the: Peach Melba Waffles, Monkey Sundae Don't order cake. Most of them are quite regular. Location & hoursValue$$Ambience & ServiceAmbience is cozy. The owner is very nice. The only thing that ruins our experiences here are when they are out of rice pudding.-back to topics- Galaxie DinerBest dishesGalaxie Burger, Monte Cristo, Chocolate MilkshakeBeware the grease factor here. Location & hours17th Ave, 14 St SW. The hours here are weird, I think they close really early.Value$Ambience & ServiceAmbience is good and cozy. It is a really old looking diner. It's kinda dirty but it feels like the place was straight out of a movie. One of those "Small town" or gas station diners you see in films.-back to topics- Tim HortonsTim hortons is the best! Crispy Creme has nothing on Tim Hortons. The only donut at Crispy creme that is better is the original. Tim hortons has better donuts in general. The best part is that they have real food too and are open 24 hours! And nothing hits the spot like an Ice Cap on a hot day. And when "roll up the rim" is on, it's even better! Best dishesIce Capacinos, Creme/Fruit filled Timbits! Boston Creme, Honey Crueller! Chili and Bun! Chicken Noodle Soup (according to Jenny).Location & hours24 hours!Value$Ambience & ServiceAmbience is weak. It's often cold and their are cops around. But it is open 24 hours and they let you loiter till forever!-back to topics- Kyoto 17The reason Kyoto 17 is on this list is because of the portions. You get a lot for your money here. We always plan to go for dessert afterwards because we're on 17 ave, but we always order too much food and end up skipping dessert.Best dishesDinner Specials : Variety, Teriyaki Steak, giant Beef Kushiage... Lunch: Sushi sashimi and Steak $8.80Location & hoursAddress: Bsmt 908 17 Ave SW Calgary AB T2T 0A4Phone: 403 228 5106 Value$$$ The portions here are very large. Don't order too much!!!Ambience & ServiceGood. But when it is really busy, the service really deteriorates.-back to topics- The King and IThis is my second favorite Thai restaurant. This is a higher end restaurant. Great place to bring a date if you have cash.Best dishesCoconut RiceCoconut curries Note that the "Pad Thai" here is yucky. Location & hoursValue$$$$$ Very pricey! This place is expensive!Ambience & ServiceAmbience is excellent. Higher end restaurant. The decor is very nice. The service is very good here. The waitors are very nice.-back to topics- Other Honourable MentionsThese would be the places I frequent but don't consider my fav restarants. Some of these restaurants are only on here because they have one excellent dish :)Boston Pizza (Avenita)This is by far the best BP's in Calgary. The portions are very large and the quality is excellent. Service sucks when it is busy though(this is true of any BP's). Decor is nice. Note: Avoid the NE BP's off memorial. It's weird how there is so much quality difference between the various BP's all around calgary. There Best dishes include: Mountain Spaghetti (ask 4 baked with Cheeze) and BBQ chicken Pizza Tony RomasThe ribs here are soooooo good. They just fall off the bone. And you get Corn on the cob! Oh and the baked potato is loaded and excellent! Best ribs in town! (Macleod Trail & Glenmore Trail)Arden (on 17th Ave S)This is a Diner owned by Jan Arden. It is quite comfy and Ambience is nice. Food is good and uniquely made.BubblemaniaThis is the only place I know that has Pudding Milk Tea. Variety of drinks, $20 Wings, Late hours, magazines, cards, dice make this a great place to chill.Dessert HouseThis is the only place I know that serves Egg Stew desert(Done Dahn) and Cappacino Bubble Tea. Yummy!!!! Calgary CourtThis is the only place I know that serves a good "Deep fried dough stick wrapped in flat rice noodle(tzah lerng)". I know it is dirty and unsanitary and has a haunted bathroom but where else can you get this dish and have it be this yummy? They also serve a wicked curry rice beef flank dish.Denny'sWhere else can you go for late breakfast? It's open 24 hour!
The food is generally good and after the renovations the places are quite nice. They have a cheap t-bone steak and they are one of the few places that still serve Milkshakes! Olive GardenUnlimited salad or soup or bread? What a crazy idea! They have Excellent italian food. This place is far too busy though and they don't take reservations :P FastfoodOpa: Lamb & Caesar Salad!!!McD's : McGriddles, Big mac, Cheeseburgers, Fries & Nuggets Arby's: Beef and Cheddar & Curly Fries A&W's: Mozza Burgers & Rootbeer Burger King : Whoppers & Apple pies -back to topics- Unique/international ExperiencesCodo (17th Ave & 13st SW)This in my opinion, is the Best Vietnamese restaurant in Calgary. It's close to the chocolate bar too! Beef short ribs are too die for :)Sultan's Tent (17th Ave & 8st SW)Morrocan. Decor and ambience is awesome. The inside is done up with drapery like you're in a tent. An awesome experience.MykonosGreek. Pricey but fun. When we were here there was a belly dancer and also at the end of the meal we got to break dishes! Lamb is yummmmy! :)Blue Nile (Kensington)Etheopian food. Quite an experience but I will never eat etheopian again. Yuck!Julio's Barrio (Kengsington)Mexican. Decor and atmosphere is great (10St & Memorial NW). Food is decent, parking is aweful.Lord Fin Fish (4th Ave NW)Western. Very nice owners. Open in the evening. They used to have the best seafood platter but it's not on the menu anymore :P :P :PKorean Village (10th Ave center street S)This is the best Korean food I have has so far(out of 4?). I really love Korean BBQ.Kublai (10th Ave S)Stir Fry. Pick your food toss some sauce in and they fry it up for you. Kinda pricey but it's a nice place, the food is good and it's a cool experience. Better than mongolie grill and open sesame.Vicious CircleNice place to sit and have drinks. Their banana cake is yummy too.Grizzley House Fondue (in Banff). Very pricey $$$$$, but an awesome experience. Cheeze fondue, Chocolate fondue, cook your meat in oil fondue or on a hot rock. It was sooooooooo yummy and fun too! -back to topics- Restaurants I've Been ToJust so you have an idea of how many restaurants I've been to so you can judge the value of my reviews, I have listed SOME of the restaurants I've been to. I am not going to list all of them as it is quite the task and since I can't remember all the names etc.* - Means I go regularly. This can be cuz it's good or convenient etc. $ - Means it's pricey. If I remember. Japanese*Yamato, *Kyoto17, *Sushi Boat, Sakana Grill, Sushi Kawa, Sushi Ginza, *Toyko Gardens, Misai$, Fuji Yama$, *Sushi Tokyo, Sushi Hiro, Sukiyaki House, Hana Sushi$, Sushi Shino, *Wasabi, Tawa, Shikiji, Japanese Village, Edo Japan, Yoyoki, wa's, Towa's + others...Thai*Ruan Thai, *The King and I$, Thai Saon, Rose Garden Thai and a few others...Western*Boston Pizza's (all over the city) Smugglers In$, Mother Tuckers$, *Tony Romas, *Denny's, *Arden, Galaxie Diner, *Melrose, Joey Tomatoe, *Moxies, *Chilis, Heartland Cafe, Kelseys, applebees, red robinsMexican / ItalianJulios Bario, Tios, one in sundance, El Sombrero Olive Garden, ChaintisSeafoodJoey's Only, The Lord's Fin, red lobster, Cannery Row, KingfisherGreek*Opa, Mykonos, Santorini, one otherViet*Codo, *Sunny's, Saigon Y2K, Saigon, 5+ others.... Names of viet restaurants are so hard to remember.Dessert/DrinksCheesecake cafe, *Dessert House, *Chocolate Bar, Yamato Dessert House, *Forbidden Flavours, *Marble Slab$, Licks, Fiasco Gelato, Amato Gelato, *Bubble Mania, *Dairy Queen/Orange Julius, Vicious Circle.ChineseYou and Me, ABC, *Ho won, *Ginger beef(willow park/brentwood), *Gee Gong, Emporer, Zing Zing, Golden Island, Silver Dragon, Regency, Treasures of China, many others...VariousKhublai$, Sultan's Tent, The Blue Nile, Open Sesame, mongolie grill,Fast food*McDonalds, *Arbys$, *A&W$, *Burger King, Subway, Willys, New York Fries, Peter's drive In-back to topics- |