Calgary’s best restaurants, the Flames, the Stampeders and the Stampede are the highlights of Alberta. Whether you’re in the Northeast or Southwest, we have you covered and have delivered you the best restaurants in Calgary below.

Expat Asia (https://expatasia.ca)

This father and son team of Jeff and Joel make some of the best Asian fusion food that you’ll ever try. Both chefs spending most of their cooking careers in Canada, Australia & Bali as well as other parts of Asia. This gave them a huge advantage in the creation of literally masterpieces when referencing their cuisine making them one of Calgary’s best restaurants.

Their Tiger Cauliflower has won multiple awards. It continues to be in any YYC foodies top 3 meals of all times. My other go to is their Pork Belly Meal or their Pork Belly Poutine.

SALTLIK (https://saltlik.com)

SALTLIK has two locations, one in downtown Calgary and the other in Banff. It is considered an upscale restaurant that serves mouthwatering steaks along with a variety of other elegant dishes. The restaurant is extremely spacious which is rare for a downtown restaurant. They also have a large area downstairs as well. The Ahi Tuna Tartare is my favorite starter there, but the Wok-fired Calamari is a close second. The Filet Mignon is out of this world along with its sides.

PIO Peruvian Restaurant (https://pioperu.com)

Trust me on this hidden gem. Most have never heard of Peruvian food but now you have! First thing you must do is make a reservation as those that know about this place book weeks in advance.

When you arrive make sure to order yourselves a jug of Pisco Sour. Pisco is their local liquor and is the best thing since sliced bread. For a starter go with the Cevice if you’re a seafood lover. On to the entre, a must is the Aji de Gallina which is pulled chicken in a creamy yellow aji pepper sauce served with potatoes and rice. There is much more to try on this menu with plenty of gluten and dairy free options as well. Think outsite the box of burgers, pizza or Chinese and go with Pio and I’m sure it will be on your list of Calgary’s best restaurants.

The Dark Table (https://darktable.ca/indexc.html)

This culinary experience allows you to utilize all of your senses as you eat completely in the dark. When I say in the dark, I mean pitch black. The staff employed there are legally blind and will lead you in to your table once you have placed your phone and other items in a locker.

The entire dining experience lasts 1.5 hours and is definitely worth it. When I was there I didn’t have a choice such as menu however they did ask for food allergies. There were only two drawbacks for me during this experience. The first is I like to see what I have left on my plate. When I was eating the food, it was so good that I wished I had more. I was left in disappointment when I was fishing around with my fork only to have it come up empty. The sense of taste was increased but so was my hearing. I went on a weekend which was extremely busy and found it really noisy so I personally suggest going off hours or a week night.

Japanese Village (https://japanese-village.ca)

This used to be my favorite lunch spot in downtown Calgary but they’ve since been closed for lunch since COVID. This totally sucks but hopefully the downtown core makes a comeback to drive enough business back for their lunch specials. Teppanyaki is always both a dinner and a show. The flames and flavor will keep you entertained. Ensure to buy a few bottles of their signature sesame sauce on your way out.

Banh mi thi thi (https://www.instagram.com/banh.mi.thi.thi/?hl=en)

Located 209 1st Street SE near the Henry Hays building, this place is really hard to find. If you show up around lunch you’ll see a lineup down the street. These Vietnamese subs are heaven, hence the lineup. The best of all is all this hype isn’t from ads or foodie reviews, it is from loyal customers. They’ve been in operation 32 years which should be a great indication that they survived this long in the volatile restaurant industry. Last time I was there they only took cash so be prepared. The line-up moves fast enough and it is definitely worth the wait.

Klein / Harris (https://www.kleinharris.com)

I legit first thought this place was a law firm by their name when I’d walk down the street but ended up grabbing lunch there with some clients one day and fell in love with their cuisine. I’ve been to their old location and their new digs. Once again, there is a lot of great food on the menu however my favorite is the apple and walnut salad paired with the candied pork belly.

Native Tongues (https://www.nativetongues.ca)

Native Tongues has been around 7 years however they have sure cleaned up in terms of awards since opening; claiming numerous awards such as best restaurant overall and best Mexican cuisine. Weekdays from 2-5pm is Happy Hour where you can enjoy some bevies at discount while you endulge in some tapas. The guac and salsa are both dynamite and pretty much any dish you order will be authentically bursting with flavor reminding you why you came back again for more.

Silver Inn Restaurant (https://www.silverinnrestaurant.com)

If you are a Canadian, especially if you’ve been kicking around Alberta for a while, chances are you have ordered Chinese food and have ordered the Ginger Beef. The Silver Inn restaurant created this fantastic and uber popular dish in the 70’s. So if you love Americanized Chinese food and are a fan of Ginger Beef then head on over to where it all started.

Now that you viewed Calgary’s best restaurants, if you’re interested in checking out the best that the rest of Alberta has to offer, check out the articles below:

Airdrie’s best restaurants: https://airdriefoodie.com/2022/08/26/airdries-best-restaurants/

Red Deer’s best restaurants: https://airdriefoodie.com/2022/08/26/red-deer-best-restaurants/

Edmonton’s best restaurants: https://airdriefoodie.com/2022/08/26/edmontons-best-restaurants/