In Calgary for two days... can you recommend something?
Hey all this is my first post here.
I'm flying in from New York City to Calgary for two and a half days and wonder what are some of the meals I must try while I'm in the city.
I prefer less touristy meals. For example, whenever someone comes to NYC, I make them avoid the flashy and overpriced restaurants at Times Square/Midtown and bring them to hole-in-the-walls in Brooklyn/Queens/SoHo (attached photo is sushi gorging in Brooklyn).
Things I like:
- NYC Pizza (Could be interesting to compare Calgary pizza to New York pizza)
- Burgers (ESPECIALLY BURGERS)
- Italian
- Asian food
- Pastries
Not a huge fan of:
- Greek food
- Asian fusion
Any recommendations would be great. I'm looking forward to going about and sampling some of the eateries that the city has to offer.
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I'm entertaining 4 sets of out of town friends this week. Here were some suggestions I'd throw out to them.
Burger & Fries - Rocky's Burger Bus or White Spot
Good ol' steak - Carver's
Really good Vegetarian food - The Coup
Pizza & Appy's - UNA
Comfort food - FARM (mmm cheesey goodness)
Vietnamese - most places in the hood (Forest Lawn)
Indian - Tiffin or Clay Oven or Surya
Mexican tamales or tacos - Las Tortillas
Korean - Seoul
Sushi (great and large variety of rolls) - El's Japanese Fusion (I agree with JM)
Sushi (traditional) - Wa's
Sushi (fusion & fresh sashimi) - Sushi Club
Nicer restaurant with west coast flavours - Divino's or Catch (upstairs)You mention pastries - I've yet to try but have heard amazing things on this board about Yann Patisserie http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/675651
Also Bliss & Co for cupcakes.
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Clay Oven Restaurant
3132 26 St NE, Calgary, AB T1Y, CALas Tortillas
4100 Marlborough Dr NE #2, Calgary, AB T2A 2Z5, CAEl's Japanese Fusion
2008 33 Ave SW, Calgary, AB T2T 1Z4, CA›2 Replies-
re: foodkarma
Seconding Bliss & Co. for cupcakes and for little pies, and Yann Haute Patisserie or Manuel Latruwe for pastries.
Phil & Sebastian (noted above) is my favourite coffee purveyor in the city--must-visit.
Vogglio d'Pizza: my favourites are the Mexicana or any one of the seafood pizzas. The wait times have shortened considerably since the first months of opening. I'm usually quoted 30 minutes nowadays and the pizza is ready when I get there.
Another place for the thinner, softer crust style of pizza is Giuseppe's. I recommend the Funghi.
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Giuseppe's Italian Market
1207 1 St SW, Calgary, AB T2R 0V3, CAYann Haute Patisserie
329 23 Ave SW, Calgary, AB T2S 0J3, CABliss & Co. Cupcakes and Desserts
108 3 Ave SW, Calgary, AB T2P 0E7, CAVogglio D' Pizza
1514 14 St SW, Calgary, AB T3C, CAPhil & Sebastian Coffee Roasters
2043 33 Ave SW, Calgary, AB T2T, CA -
re: foodkarma
Links for Tiffin, Surya and some other Indian places:
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Namskar Fine East Indian Cuisine
202 16 Ave NE, Calgary, AB T2E, CARajdoot Restaurant
2424 4 St SW, Calgary, AB T2S, CASurya Restaurant
1207 11 Ave SW #101, Calgary, AB T3C 0M5, CATiffin Curry & Roti House
188 28 St SE, Calgary, AB T2A, CA
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John Manzo
Mar 22, 2010 08:55 AM
Repeat: Please tell us where you're staying. Calgary is a geographically large city (by Canadian standards- it's no Jacksonvillle or Phoenix, but it's light years from NYC) and we can help you better by knowing where you are if you'd like to limit your jaunts to foot or transit excursions, or if you're stuck at an airport hotel, etc.
All that said- you say "no Asian fusion" but your pic is clearly of a maki-based sushi feast and what appears moreover to be Korean-style "fusion" sushi. If this floats your boat I have to urgently recommend EL'S JAPANESE FUSION for sushi- it's in an up and coming neighbourhood called Marda Loop that also has the best coffeehouse you'll ever want to visit- Phil and Sebastian- across the street. It's a reasonably fast bus ride on the 7 to the SW from downtown or, hell, I'll take you there.
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El's Japanese Fusion
2008 33 Ave SW, Calgary, AB T2T 1Z4, CAPhil & Sebastian Coffee Roasters
2043 33 Ave SW, Calgary, AB T2T, CA›4 Replies-
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re: lifeinthewoods
John Manzo
Mar 23, 2010 02:24 PM
Ah- well for Asian NON fusion I heartily recommend a visit to our compact but very comprehensive Chinatown, which is the SE part of downtown. As has been recommended, Han's is an absolutely fantastic Taiwanese resto and there's excellent Viet in the area too.
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re: John Manzo
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re: John Manzo
As far as Vietnamese in Chinatown, for Pho you should check out Pho Hoai, and Thi Thi for Banh Mi (there are two locations; one is in Chinatown).
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Pho Hoai Vietnamese Noodle House
132 3 Ave SE #16, Calgary, AB T2G 0B6, CAThi Thi Vietnamese Submarine
209 1 St SE, Calgary, AB T2G 2G3, CAThi Thi Vietnamese Submarine
630 8 Ave SW, Calgary, AB T2P, CA
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Expect Calgary pizza in general to be either thick or crunchy.
One place I know of to get thin, soft pizza is Pulcinella, which serves Neapolitan style. Pulcinella is a bit expensive, and sometimes the pizza is soggy in the middle (maybe the crushed tomatoes are too watery?), but overall I like it.
You can also get Chicago thin crust here, at Gondola Pizza, but it's delivery/pickup-only.
If you want a representative Calgary pizza (IMHO!), go to a pub like the Belfry, or Watchman's. Have a big rock beer with it (again, not the best, but still tasty, and representative). These are pan pizzas.
Vogglio d'Pizza is a unique style that I love mostly for the creative toppings: steak and eggs, prune and bacon, avocado and corn, etc. You can get the crust thin (cracker-like), or thick (bready). They're delivery/pickup-only, and the pizzas take at least 60 minutes.
On the other hand, there's some great Vietnamese food in Calgary, and great Indian/Pakistani. It's hard to recommend one place in particular.
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Pulcinella
1147 Kensington Crescent NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1X7, CAGondola Pizza
3315 26 Ave SW #4, Calgary, AB T3E, CA -
TSAW
Mar 21, 2010 03:34 PM
lifeinthewoods,
If you could tell us the area you are staying in, if you have a car, or whether you are relying on transit/taxi we could give you more precise suggestions.I doubt you want to spend your entire 2 days running all around the city? This might sound stupid, but I have no idea what NYC pizza is? I have seen pieces folded in half when eating (on tv!), so I assume not too thick, heavy layer of toppings? Don't judge me Chow Friends! I really don't know for sure.›2 Replies-
re: TSAW
Some might say that NYC style is the ONLY style! I don't buy into this at all, but hey, some New Yorkers think they got the bagel and pastrami down better than anyone, too! Some folks have never been to Mile End.
Hey the Big Apple rocks, but there are all sorts of great pies out there.
Great guide from the pizza blog. Pretty comprehensive;
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Major_9000
Mar 21, 2010 02:17 PM
I assume you're going to be around downtown.
I think you'd enjoy or at least find Pizza at 'Vogglio D'pizza' interesting. And also Manuel Latruwe for pastries. Hans for hole in the wall Asian.
If you want higher end, try CAPO for great gourmet Italian.
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sharonanne
Mar 21, 2010 10:15 AM
Best burger thread:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/565908Asian? Try Han’s in Chinatown for Taiwanese hole in the wall.
Calgary has some really good Indian food. There isn't one thread that sums it all up but you'll find more of the hole-in-the-wall places in the Northeast but you'll need a car.
Dim sum will be no better than what I had in Manhattan and worse than what I hear about Flushing.
Vietnamese is good here.
Pho thread:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/325435Pizza? We come to blows here about pizza. Some like thick crust some like thin. UNO is winning fans with a thin crust. The Co-op on 11th ave has pizza by the slice, unusual in Calgary. Vogglio is mentioned often.
Pizza thread:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/308053I wouldn’t eat Italian if I was from NYC but someone will jump on me for that.
Try some steak if you haven’t been to Canada. Our beef is grain fed. I never order steak when I am in the US so I can’t speak to the difference but might be worth it for the experience.
Someone is sure to ask you where you are staying and if you have a car. Calgary is very spread out and public transportation can take a fair bit of time when you only have a couple of days.
Manuel Latruwe for pastry.
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re: sharonanne
rosetown
Mar 21, 2010 04:30 PM
links to Hans Restaurant, Una Pizza, Vogglio D'Pizza, Manuel Latruwe
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UNO
, New York, AB , USAHan's Restaurant
303 Centre St S #116, Calgary, AB T2P 2B9, CAManuel Latruwe Belgian Patisserie & Bread Shop
1313 1 St SE #1333, Calgary, AB T2G 5L1, CAVogglio D' Pizza
1514 14 St SW, Calgary, AB T3C, CA
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