11 restaurants and bars that make you forget you're in Calgary
Whether it’s to escape the winter blues or you’re feeling the itch to travel, sometimes we all feel the need to forget where we are for a little bit.
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Thankfully, there are plenty of Calgary restaurants that can transport us to a different time, place, or mindset altogether.
These are 11 great restaurants and bars to discover to help make you forget that you’re in Calgary.
Porch
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This recently opened spot on 17th Avenue is a tribute to the porch restaurants in Miami, with swinging bar seats, lush plant life, and a year-round patio. Porch makes you feel like it’s summer in the winter, like you’re in Florida instead of Calgary.
Address: 730 17 Avenue SW, Calgary
Paper Lantern
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Paper Lantern is a hidden speakeasy-star bar and restaurant that instantly makes you feel like you’re entering an entirely new world. It’s a Vietnamese escape that’s decorated with various themes inspired by the owner’s travels so that every guest here can feel that same feeling. The small plate menu and incredible crafted cocktail list make this tucked-away Calgary restaurant a must-visit.
Address: 115 2 Avenue SE Basement, Calgary
Native Tongues
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Offering street eats with a twist, this Calgary favourite Mexican restaurant has an upbeat atmosphere as soon as you walk through the doors. Margaritas are being shaken, the room is dark, plates of tacos are being served, and the music is just loud enough.
Address: 235 12 Avenue SW, Calgary
Lulu Bar
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This chef-driven bar with amazing tropical cocktails may be located on 17th Avenue, but Lulu Bar feels more like beachside Honolulu. The food and drinks are inspired by the varied flavours of Hawaii that have their own Asian influence. The room is large and bright, with lush plants and a covered wrap-around patio that lets you easily imagine you’ve just returned from a day of surfing instead of eating at a Calgary restaurant.
Address: 510 17 Avenue SW, Calgary
Calcutta Cricket Club
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Inspired by other social cricket clubs in India with friendly rooms and fantastic food, The Calcutta Cricket Club immediately takes you out of Calgary. Everything is made from scratch here, from the dishes you already know to the ones you haven’t discovered yet. You just need to leave Calgary and walk through the front door. Every detail of the decor is inspiring, with no reminders of the city you’re actually in.
Address: 340 17 Avenue SW, Calgary
D.O.P.
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D.O.P. is the new Italian joint on 1st Street and Calgary’s hip new spot. The menu is entirely made from scratch and looks simple at first glance, but it is definitely unlike anything else in the city. The giant ravioli and massive veal park chop have to be seen to be believed, and then ordered to be blown away. The room is small, old-school, and packed with friendly energy, making you feel like you’re maybe in Naples or Brooklyn, but definitely not Calgary.
Address: 1005A 1 Street SW, Calgary
Shokunin
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There are many fantastic Japanese restaurants in Calgary to try, and Shokunin is one with a truly contemporary dining experience. Crafted cocktails and both small and large plates are all excellent, but it’s the charred yakitori that sets it apart. They are entirely made-in-house, so quantities are limited. This Japanese gastropub has a stylish setting and an exciting menu that both make you forget where you are.
Address: 2016 4 Street SW, Calgary, AB
Orchard Restaurant
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It’s not just the Asian and Mediterranean dishes that make diners feel far away at this new spot, but the beautiful decor of the room. It’s the modern furnishings, chandeliers, and stunning greenery of it all. It feels like every inch of the space at Orchard is completely covered by all kinds of great plants, without ever feeling like too much. The plating is just as visually appealing and the room, and it’s a bright vacation anytime of year.
Address: 620 10 Avenue SW #134, Calgary
Minas Brazilian Steakhouse
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The room is exciting and vibrant at Minas, with the smells of Brazilian food wafting through the air. It’s also the entire experience here that transports you to Brazil, from the authentic plated meals to the open barbecue-style service offering tableside food on skewers carved right in front of your eyes.
Address: 136 2 Street SW, Calgary
The Eden
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The Eden is family-owned and locally operated, but it doesn’t feel like an entirely local experience in the best way possible. This is a bi-level bistro that puts you somewhere in Europe with a menu of French dishes and crafted cocktails.
Address: 1219 9 Avenue SE, Calgary
Mama Africa
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The newly opened Mama Africa immediately takes you out of the Calgary restaurant scene the second you step inside and see the beautiful and striking mural of a woman surrounded in green plants. The rest of the room is decorated with plants, and tabled covered with unique glassware that include porcelain elephants and peacocks.
Address: 1410 17 Avenue SW, Calgary
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