Calgary
Calgary is a wonderful city that has amazing mountains nearby, but it boasts a food scene that rivals the beautiful scenery. The variety of the food scene was a surprising shock to me. From glorious steaks to fantastic falafel, to hearty burgers, and iconic Indian cuisine. Everything in Calgary is wonderful, and I can guarantee that my food recommendations will help you navigate your way around this wondrous city.
Steaks
Rank: 17
Seeing the overall ranking in the top 20 should leave you very excited for this steak that is a little pricey, but it is well worth it. I had a steak that is not actually on the menu, but may be when you come, and if it is I recommend thoroughly. I had a 20 day-aged 12oz Canadian Prime Ribeye, and it was glorious. The meat melted in my mouth, and it just fell apart into a beautiful array of flavors. While I cannot recommend this cut enough, there is more to devour at Vintage. I believe every single cut of meat here would be worth the price, and they all would be delectable. Ensure a reservation is made so you can assure you will devour all of the meat you can.
Indian/Chettinadu
Rank: 43
I was absolutely shocked when I found such an amazing hole-in-the-wall in southern Calgary, and it is worth any journey no matter where you are in the city. Rockfort is another spot that I simply say, order away! Everything here is going to be phenomenal, my only regret is that I did not come multiple times. This is some of the best Indian food of my life, and this was my first time having Chettinadu and it was fantastic. I simply cannot understand how this place is not more popular, and it is one of those places that has continued to rise in my rankings the more and more the greatness of this place dawns on me.
Japanese Italian/Gyozagna
Rank: 67
I am about to recommend to you one of the most unique dishes I have ever devoured, and I cannot give it enough praise. This Gyozagna concoction at Carino is a Lasagna made with pork gyozas dumplings! There is some stellar sauce and fantastic cheese baked on top of these dumplings. We are talking about lasagna dumplings for Christ’s sake! This dish is phenomenal and is another stop you must add to your list in Calgary.
Burgers/Local Burger
Rank: 98
Now you can see there is a pretty significant drop-off from the third to the fourth spot on the list in overall rankings. This results from a top 3 being outstanding, and the rest of Calgary coming in pretty decent spots as well. Local Public Eatery is a joint you can find all over Canada, and it represents some fantastic burgers. I would be surprised if the meat in the other cities was as fresh as it is in Calgary. However, the Local Burger is what I recommend devouring here as it was fantastic. Everything else here did not seem that noteworthy, however the Local Burger is certainly enough to rank LPE.
Burgers/Jalapeño Onion Burger
Rank: 87
Buchanan’s Chophouse may seem like a pretty big step-up in terms of price compared to my other burger joints on the list. Nevertheless, you should still feel inclined to stop-by and enjoy a delicious burger here at Buchanan’s. I had the Jalapeño Onion Burger and it was fantastic. I would say that you could stray from my recommendation if you would like, as I feel like there are other great burgers here too, but I know for certain the Jalapeño Onion will not leave you disappointed.
Vietnamese/Spicy Sate Beef Wrapped Onion Sub
Rank: 91
Thai Thien is another installment of amazing Vietnamese subs to add to the list. However, this is the only noteworthy Vietnamese food I had in Calgary. Thai Thien is located in downtown and boasts a wide array of options that I am confident most of them are noteworthy. While I only had the stomach to try one sub at the time, I know that you will not be disappointed with any of the offerings here. The beef wrapped onion sub was a little spicy, but nothing too crazy, and it was so damn good. The meat had amazing flavor and the veggies paired with the beef perfectly. If you are not up for spicy I am sure you will be able to find a sub that fits your needs as well, Thai Thien is a glorious place.
Chinese/Dim Sum
Rank: 161
Silver Dragon is a Dim Sum Restaurant in Chinatown that is fantastic. Everything here was phenomenal and I tried a lot! The Won Ton Soup was noteworthy on it’s own, which is always a great sign for the rest of the meal. However, my favorite dish here that is where the ranking comes from is the ginger fried beef. Everything here was phenomenal, so I do not recommend you sticking to what I ordered, I would just order whatever is suiting your fancy the most at the time.
Lebanese/Shawarma
Rank: 217
Beirut Street Food is an iconic Lebanese restaurant in Calgary that serves incredible Shawarma. While I did not try any of their falafel, I am confident their falafel would also have made the list. I believe this whole menu would have made the list, but I must go outta my way to recommend the beef Shawarma. The beef is marinated perfectly, and their sauce and veggies compliment this shawarma beautifully. While it is not my highest ranking shawarma in Canada (check the Toronto page), it is still well-worth the visit when you are craving shawarma and/or falafel.
Pizza
Rank: 266
Here we have what most Calgarians told me is the best pizza in the city. While when I ate it, I was slightly convinced it could be the best in town. Upon further evaluation I believe that whenever I return to Calgary I will be able to find a pizza that tops Noble Pie. With that being said, I do not want to discount the deliciousness of the pies here. I absolutely destroyed the Roni pizza here as the crust was phenomenal, and I must say the crust was definitely my favorite part of the pizzas at Nobel Pie. The cheese, and sauce were good, for sure, but nothing crazy. I recommend it if you are looking for delicious pizza in Calgary, but maybe tell the other Calgarians that boasting it as the top pizza in the city may be a bit much. Check out my live reaction to Noble Pie.
Greek/Saganaki
Rank: 276
As a massive lover of Greek food I simply had to give Santorini Tavern a try while I was in town. And their Saganaki did not disappoint. While the best Saganaki of my life was easily had on the streets of Athens (unsurprisingly), the Saganaki here was the only other noteworthy Saganaki I had the pleasure of devouring. If you have not had Saganaki before, it is a pan-fried cheese and damn it is good. I understand it sounds simple, but it tastes elegant, so I recommend stopping by for it here. I did not try the rest of the menu so I cannot comment on the noteworthiness of the entire menu, however the Saganaki will certainly bring a smile to your face.
Pizza/Godfather Pizza
Rank: 292
Now Bear St Tavern is not located in Calgary, it is in Banff. However, for people visiting Calgary, and living in Calgary it does not make sense to me how Banff National Park would not be near the top of the list of things to do. Bear St Tavern is located in the town of Banff which is in the park, and while I looked hard in my time there to find noteworthy food I was only able to find one noteworthy place. Queue Bear St Tavern, a glorious pizza joint that may not have an entire array of noteworthy pizzas, but certainly has one that is delicious. That being the Godfather pizza, when I asked the bartender what to order he told me to get it, and without looking at the menu I was like sure. Turns out it was a pizza with olives, arugula, and prosciutto, among other toppings. It is certainly an interesting pie, and one that you should indulge in after a day of taking in the beautiful mountains in Banff.
Breakfast/Breakfast Poutine
Rank: 298
Finally I have found noteworthy poutine in Canada. While it is a little weird since it is breakfast poutine, it is amazing. Poutine with eggs and bacon, whew what a glorious combination you snag at Dairy Lane Café. The rest of the menu may prove to be noteworthy, but I only had the breakfast poutine so that is all I can speak to here, but definitely worth having when you are in town.
Japanese/Udon
Rank: 300
A stellar Japanese restaurant in the heart of Calgary is what we are talking about here, and it is some real good food. I was only able to try the Udon and it was damn delicious. I had the Curry Udon and it was so tasty. After devouring the Udon insanely quickly I could see other options here being noteworthy, and if you come by I definitely recommend having your fair share of Udon.
Sandwiches/Chicken Parm
Rank: 319
Alumni Sandwiches seems like an amazing spot to start an evening in downtown, or to end an evening. Every sandwich here seems like it might be noteworthy, or at the very least really good. I was able to devour the Chicken Parm and it comes in with a nice ranking, clearly nothing crazy as it is near the bottom of this list, but it is definitely worth having during a night out on the town in Calgary.
Burgers
Rank: 329
The last entry in Calgary should follow the theme of meat for days, that has perpetrated this list throughout. The burgers at Class Clown are very good. As you can see they rank near the bottom of the list overall, but don’t let that dissuade you. These burgers are real good, and the atmosphere in the place is fantastic, flashing you back to the 1980’s while you devour these burgers.