Budget
Tubby Dog
1022 17th ave sw, +1 403 244-0694. tubby dog is a hot dog restaurant right on 17th, close to many of the bars. they offer huge hotdogs with toppings like nacho cheese, bacon bits, peanut butter and jelly, captain crunch, fried eggs, sausage and potato chips. some nights they have a dj spinning in the corner, and other nights they have video game tournaments. expect to wait in line if planning on going on a friday or saturday after partying on 17th.
Wicked Wedge
618 17th ave sw, +1 403 228-1024. the wedge offers pizza-by-the-slice, but a cut above all other such joints. innovative pizzas, lots of toppings and hand made crusts have made the wicked wedge a local landmark. located on 17th avenue, they draw a heavy after-bar crowd, and are busiest at 2am on a friday night! one of the best places to go for late-night food. $3.50 a slice.
Peter's Drive-in
219 16 ave ne, +1 403 277-2747. peter's drive-in is a classic drive-through burger joint. great fries, burgers and milkshakes at very affordable prices, and higher quality and large portions -- watch out for the "large" = shoebox of fries. well known throughout alberta. rather than waiting in the drive-through line, park in the adjacent lot and walk up to the front windows; you'll get faster service, and you can eat on one of the picnic tables. burger, shake and onion rings will cost about $8. please note that peter's drive-in only accepts cash as a form of payment. they serve the finest milkshake in the city; thick and made with real fruit over 20 flavours!.
Pho Pasteur Saigon
207 1st st se, +1 403 233-0477. pho pasteur saigon is a favourite vietnamese noodle joint. filling and tasty and all for around $6. if they're busy, try little vietnamese village, at the south entrance to the mall half a block south, or pho hoai, located inside the mall.
Spolumbo's
1308 9 ave se, +1 403 264-6452. owned by former calgary stampeders players, spolumbo's offers delicious italian style deli foods; sandwiches, soups and salads. an in-house sausage plant makes some of calgary's finest sausage. try the spolumbo's special, a panini sandwich featuring mortadella, capicolla and genoa salami. fresh and delicious, but a little pricey; $7-8 for a typical sandwich.
Falafel King
803 1 st sw, +1 403 269-5464. the friendly service and top-quality middle eastern food means that there's a lineup out the door evey lunch hour. falafel, chicken and beef shawarma, and the best hummus in the city on the menu, with a free piece of baklava with every order, and fresh-squeezed juice on tap. hail to the king, baby. $6-7.
Boogies Burgers
large burgers on a fresh sesame bun served in many one of a kind creations. Shakes made with real ice cream & milk, Regular, spicy & yam fries.
Chianti
Is an italian restaurant with many branches in calgary. you can get any of their awesome pastas for $7.99 during pasta nights sun, mon, tues otherwise around $10 during the rest of the week. bread is served free of charge.
Chicken On The Way
1443 kensington road nw, +1 403 283-5545. one of the longest-running fast food institutions in calgary opened 1958, chicken on the way delivers wonderful deep-fried chicken, french fries and corn fritters, at a fair price. this is an old-school joint; no frills, nothing fancy, and none of that new-fangled low-fat junk. the dining space is two picnic tables next to busy 14th st. but it's still hands-down the best fried chicken in the city. a meal runs in the $4 - 6 range.
Rockyâs Burger Bus
An old transit bus parked in the middle of an industrial area in SE Calgary. They proudly serve AAA Alberta beef to huge lineups on any given day, +20 or -20 come lunch time. Burgers. Fries. Onion rings. Poutine. Smokies and hot dogs. Bacon on a bun. Milkshakes. Pop. One of the best burgers in town made from fresh, hand formed 1/3 pound 100% Alberta beef
Louie's Sub & Pizza,
1941 uxbridge dr. n.w, +1 403 289-8070. best subs in the city. also you will find an excellent gourmet pizza selection, chicken souvlaki, salads and tina's famous homemade baklava. delivery is available. www.louiesub.com. a meal runs in the $4 - 8 range.
Banzai Sushi & Teriyaki House
Competently-executed, low-priced Japanese food in an efficient cafeteria-like setting. A good choice for a fast, cheap, satisfying lunch. Branches in Southland and Downtown.
Note that Calgary's most abundant ethnic specialty is Vietnamese. Most neighbourhoods have at least one Vietnamese noodle shop or Vietnamese sub banh mi joint. Some of the other inexpensive options are as follows:
Super Donair Kabab Restaurant
1018 9 ave se, +1 403 262-2930. this is a restaurant even calgarians don't really know about; located in a grimy hole-in-the-wall next to a bottle depot in an out-of-the-way part of inglewood, billed as "a touch of excellence for classy people" the excellence part is true and decorated with a kitschy style all its own. kim, the charismatic owner/cook, makes some of the finest donairs in the city, with wonderful beef and magnificent sauce; a donair and drink can be had for just $5.
Midrange
Laurier Lounge
Possibly the most romantic atmosphere in town. French influenced, located in historic Stanley house. Dishes range from Poutine $10, Filet Mignon Hambourgeois $15 - touted as the best burger in Calgary up to Beef fondue for 2 $65 - 30 day aged beef, simmering beef & onion broth, baked potato, raw vegetables, mixed green salad & a trio of dipping sauces. Voted best fondue in Calgary
Nick's Steakhouse
2430 crowchild trail nw , +1 403 282-9278. if you are looking for great alberta steaks or some tasty pizzas, this is one of calgary's best. prices are generally between $15 to $20 for an entree. this is a short walk from the banff trail train station, across from mcmahon stadium in the north west. close to motel village, where many of the hotel chains can be found.
Marathon Ethiopian Restaurant
130 10 st nw, +1 403 283-6796. marathon is calgary's oldest and finest ethiopian restaurant. they offer a lunch buffet on weekdays, but otherwise, often have slow service. the food makes up for it; it's very tasty and filling. vegetarian options available; roughly $12-15 per person.
Orchid Room
513 - 8 ave sw bankers hall business phone: 403 263-4457 a fusion of vietnamese, thai and french cuisine with dishes like seafood phã³ soup, caramelized salmon, coconut prawn soup and salad rolls stuffed with mango and shrimp.
Belmont Diner
Belmont Diner, 2008 33 ave SW, +1 403242-6782. A traditinal style diner serving breakfast until 3PM and lunch after about noon. On weekends be sure to get there early as the line can be half a block long because of its popularity and smaller size inside. Breakfast can be a run you up to $10 but well worth it generous portions and all made as you order.
The Coup
This all-vegetarian restaurant serves a variety of interesting flavours from largely organic and local ingredients. You may have to wait for a few minutes to get a seat in the cozy 32-seat dining room, since they take no reservations and seat at most six per table, but ask for a drink from the full bar liquor and coffee as you wait. Try the yam fries, for instance as a side to the El Taco grilled tortilla wrap with shredded beets, or the War and Peas soba noodle salad. Plenty of vegan options. Serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Top end
La Chaumiere
139 17th ave sw, +1 403 228-5690. a calgary institution. serves classic french haute cuisine. excellent wine cellar.
Japanese Village
317 10 avenue sw calgary, ab t2r 0a5 - 403 262-2738. a teppan and steak house, japanese village leads the city's japanese cuisine. they offer meals cooked in front of your eyes and food that is to die for!
Brava Bistro
723 17 avenue sw, "+1 403" 228-1854. brava is a well-known and popular spot for those looking for an excellent and varied menu. varied menu with excellent wine matching and interesting selections. $20-30 per entree.
The Belvedere
107 8th ave. sw, +1 403 265-9595. the only restaurant to win the coveted birks silver spoon award for 2 consecutive years. flawless service and atmosphere. well-stocked bar and lounge with a nice selection of cuban cigars.
Saltlik Steakhouse
101 8th ave sw, "+1 403" 537-1160. this is a high-end steakhouse in the core of downtown, and is extremely popular with the oilmen working in the core, and for good reason. the food and service is generally excellent with a cosmopolitan atmosphere. steak is, as expected, quite good. more extravagant steak houses exist, but tend to exist for the expense account crowd. $15 to $35 for an entree.
Calgary offers a wide variety of dining options. While Calgary doesn't have a single signature dish, residents are very proud of Alberta Beef, and Calgarians are discerning clients of steakhouses. Speaking of beef, the popular Chinese-Canadian dish of ginger beef was invented in Calgary in the 1970s. Calgary is also home to a very culturally diverse population, with a very wide selection of international restaurants, especially from East and Southeast Asia, and the Mediterranean from Italy through Lebanon. Calgary is, however, generally lacking in decent Mexican food, and the inland location means that a good meal of seafood is sometimes hard to find.
Restaurants in the downtown area are very busy between noon and 1 PM on weekdays due to the lunch crowd of office workers; if you can, try to stagger your lunch to start around 11:15 or 1:30. You'll face much shorter lineups. Buffets are often only prepared once for lunchtime, and visiting a buffet after 12:15 or so will typically be a depressing dining experience.
Calgary is also the city of founding for major Canadian restaurant chain, Moxies.