Where Chefs Eat in Calgary

by Phaidon

Updated June 07, 2024

You’re in luck. The world’s best chefs are sharing their favorite places to dine out in Calgary. We’ve partnered with Phaidon’s Where Chefs Eat, the best-selling restaurant guidebook with over 7,000 recommendations across the globe, to create a list of restaurants in Calgary where chefs love to eat. Grab your copy of this must-have guide, and get 30% off, just for being an OpenTable diner.

Pigeonhole - 17th Ave

4.8

4.8 (1728)

CAN$31 to CAN$50

Dining Bar

Downtown

About the restaurant

"Coming back home and having a meal of this quality with a surprising focus on vegetables, gives me hope for the restaurant scene in Calgary today." – Matt Abergel

Top review

Joanne

Dined 3 days ago

Really enjoyed the food, ambiance and service. Excellent!

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Smoked Ham Croquettes

River Café

4.6

4.6 (4845)

CAN$31 to CAN$50

Canadian

Calgary

About the restaurant

"River Café has created a beautiful place in an extraordinary setting and have tended to the details that make you feel at home– staff who care, chefs who are passionate about quality, and regional, seasonal ingredients that bring to your palate a sense of place." – John Jackson & Connie DeSousa

Top review

Rob

Dined 3 days ago

Celebrated our 1 year anniversary at River Cafe. We had an amazing time and our server Jared was excellent! We will be returning.

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Haida Gwaii Halibut Cakes

charbar

4.5

4.5 (2218)

CAN$31 to CAN$50

Canadian

Downtown

About the restaurant

"The culinary influence of Argentina is evident throughout the menu, with the personalized touch of tableside preparation for dishes like ceviche mixto. The extensive raw bar pays homage to the fresh, sustainable, West Coast seafood that is readily available here. Vegetarian cuisine is celebrated too – almost half of the options are vegetarian, particularly the small plates meant to share, such as the pistachio and avocado bruschetta, grilled provoleta and sourdough fugazza with Roman broccoli." – John Jackson & Connie DeSousa

Top review

Gregory

Dined on Nov 16, 2024

Totally amazing experience!! Service was exceptional and the food was delicious. The ambiance was perfect. I loved that we were not sitting close to other tables like in most restaurants.

Deane House

4.7

4.7 (1917)

CAN$31 to CAN$50

Canadian

Inglewood

About the restaurant

Recommended by Chefs John Jackson & Connie DeSousa from CHARCUT Roast House

Top review

Ellenvip

Dined 1 day ago

The afternoon tea experience and the service was fantastic!!

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Ring in New Year's Eve 2025

Alloy

4.7

4.7 (4385)

CAN$51 and over

Global, International

Calgary

About the restaurant

Recommended by Chefs John Jackson & Connie DeSousa from CHARCUT Roast House

Top review

Tony

Dined 2 days ago

We attended a wine paired dinner with Terrasole. The drinks and wine were really done well. The meat was cooked really well too. However, when you make Carpaccio and dump a ton of salad and a pound of grated cheese on top of it, you loose the taste of the Carpaccio. I had to dig out the meat and waste great cheese and half a salad patch. FAIL The Gnocchi were not Gnocchi. FAIL The Gorgonzola Polenta was the most ridiculous Polenta I have ever had. My companion thought it was mashed potatoes. Polenta is a corn based staple famous in Northern Italy and made into a dense bread. In middle Italy it can be more creamy. The Polenta served was a disaster. I will return, but I won't be ordering any Italian food that has been destroyed.

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4.8

4.8 (2048)

CAN$30 and under

Contemporary American

Calgary

About the restaurant

Justin Leboe is a chef with an established haute pedigree, his CV including The French Laundry, Daniel and, closer to home, Accolade in Toronto. But in 2011 when he opened Model Milk, housed in a converted art deco dairy in uptown Calgary, he switched to serving up southern fried chicken, waffles and gravy, and "Sunday suppers" of BBQ ribs. On his menu, which does sharing plates and traditional mains, easy comforts sit alongside the more grown-up likes of handmade cavatelli, wagyu beef tartare and little gem lettuce with Asturian aioli. A fine modern wine list and an extensive list of cocktails encourage lingering into the early hours.

Top review

Jessica

Dined 3 days ago

The food is always exceptional here. Everything on the menu is dynamite. Service is always wonderful. Only complaint, it’s always freezing in there no matter what time of the year I go and the seats by the stairs are the worst seat in the house and I somehow always get sat there. Minor inconvenience for some of the best food in Calgary though.

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Popular dish

Model Milk Hot Fried Chicken

Popular dish

Calamari Fricassee

Ten Foot Henry

4.8

4.8 (6213)

CAN$31 to CAN$50

Contemporary Canadian

Calgary

About the restaurant