| Restaurant | Rating | Type of Food | Style | Description | Information | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A & W www |  | Hamburgers | Fast Food | This was Grant's first experience of fast food back in the time when servers on roller skates put trays on your car windowsill. We still like to go back for the sake of nostalgia, but unfortunately the fries and onion rings are bland and the burgers are OK, but only in a 1950's sort of way. | 4303 Macleod Tr. S 403 287-7868 9104 Macleod Tr. S 403 252-5426 6666 Macleod Tr. S 403 255-2622 Chinook Centre 403 253-8087 FC14 - 6455 Macleod Tr. S 403 640-4127 Chinook Station 6666 Macleod Tr. S/ | Southcentre 403 278-3329 | |||||
| Baskin Robbins |  | Ice Cream | Informal | The fine details of the name of this 31 flavour ice cream parlour vary from the northwest to southeast, but the quality and choice of the ice cream are the same. And there is frozen yoghurt too if you are not of the true faith. (That is an ice cream freak.) | Bay 106 - 4625 Varsity Dr. NW at Shaganappi 403 288-8790 | 516 10816 Macleod Tr. S in Willow Park 403 278-6611. | |||||
| Bill's Peking House Restaurant www |  | Chinese | Informal | We were a bit worried about this one. After all "Bill's" and "Chinese" don't usually go well together. But we discovered that this second-floor establishment is well worth the climb. The portions were large, and well cooked, and the pleasant decor with a view out over Fish Creek Park made this a surprisingly enjoyable experience, well-worth a try. Good vegetarian selection. | 380 Canyon Meadows Drive S.E. (just off Canyon Meadows east of MacLeod) 403 278-3338 | Daily opens at 4:30 p.m. | |||||
| Bolero Fire Grill | | Grill/ Latin American | Informal | So here is how you eat at a Brazilian grill: Take a little salad from the extensive salad bar, and a couple of selections from the hot bar, and then be patient; sit back, and enjoy your meal as the gauchos bring you serving after serving of different meats and pineapple cut right from the barbecue spit. You can also choose to have a set portion brought to your table, but why would you want to spoil the fun? Click here to make reservations through Open Table. When you are making reservations, tell them that you need a table that is accessible to the wheelchair lift. | 6920 MacLeod Trail SE 403 259-3119 | 5:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. | |||||
| Boyd's Seafood Restaurant |  | Seafood | Informal | Good fish, but all cooked with a sameness in presentation. | 5211 MacLeod Tr. S 403 253-7575. | ||||||
| Broken Plate Kitchen & Bar www | | Greek | Informal | Large, tasty portions of good Greek food. Good vegetarian selection. | #590 10816 Macleod Tr. SE (in Willow Park) 403 225-9650 | ||||||
| Burger Inn | | Hamburger | Fast Food | This local chain of hamburger outlets wins for the most unusual kinds of burgers made from such interesting ingredients as pork, lamb, turkey, buffalo, venison and ostrich. They also offer cholesterol-free fries, real fruit-flavoured milkshakes, and the convenience of being able to order your burger ahead of time so it will be ready when you arrive. Now that's really fast food. Good vegetarian selection. | 9669 MacLeod Tr. S. Brick Plaza 403 252-4840 | 2020 - 4 Street SW 244-9293 3829 Bow Tr. SW 403 685-0825 | |||||
| Chianti Café and Restaurant | | Italian | Informal | Remember that we judge restaurants by what they are supposed to be. So with that in mind, we went to Chianti expecting a "reasonably priced" basic meal. And that is just what we got. The service was friendly. The bread was warm and tasty, and the food was good no-frills Italian fare. Watch for their specials, and you can make the experience even more reasonable. Good vegetarian selection. | #444 - 10816 Macleod Tr. S. (Willow Park Village) 403 225-0010 | ||||||
| Chili's Texas Grill |  | Grill | Informal | Here is a restaurant that at first glance seems to have it just about right. The space is bright and well-kept. The service is friendly, and the menu is broad. But the little things take it down: The ribs—without handi–wipes or finger bowls—were cool, the corn was over-steamed, and the salad was right out of a package from Co–op. We'll be keeping our eyes on Chili's, waiting for those little changes to happen. | Southcentre Mall 403 225-2150 | ||||||
| Earl's www | | General | Informal | Earl's serves good food at reasonable prices, but among the good dishes are some very ordinary ones, and some of the small details, like homemade fries are missing, and the hamburger buns don't seem strong enough to support the hamburgers. Good vegetarian selection. | 2401 4 St. SW 403 228-4141 | Westhills Shopping Centre 403 246-7171 | 315 - 8 Ave. SW (Banker's Hall) 403 265-3275 | 10640 Macleod Tr. S. 403 278-7860 | |||
| Ginger Beef Peking House | | Chinese | Buffet | A large selection of average Chinese dishes. | 460 - 5255 Richmond Rd. SW 403 240-4048  | South 252 -10816 MacLeod Tr. S. (Willow Park Mall) 403 271-2233 | |||||
| Harvey's www | | Hamburger | Fast Food | Our favourite we-put-on-it-what-you-want hamburger outlet. Watch though; the rating can fluctuate a little between outlets, but this usually stems from the service, not the food. Good vegetarian selection. | 7218 Macleod Tr. S 403 258-0132 6500 Macleod Tr. S (in Home Depot) 403 255-0563 | ||||||
| Home Food Inn Peking Cuisine www |  | Chinese | Buffet | An overpriced buffet of mediocre dishes with the Western pallet in mind. | 5222 Macleod Tr. S W 403 259-8585 | ||||||
| Il Centro | | Italian | Informal | This is how thin crust pizza should be—light not soggy crust, perfectly baked cheese and meats, and fresh vegetables. | 6036 3 St. SW (east of Chinook Centre) 403 258-2294 | Su closed M to W 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Th 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. F 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. Sa 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. | |||||
| Joey Tomato's Mediterranean Grill www | | Italian | Informal | The food is filling, trendy "Mediterranean", but the service can be slow. | 100A 6455 MacLeod Trail SW (Chinook Centre) 403 692-6626 | ||||||
| Joey's Only Seafood Restaurants www | | Seafood | Informal | From their original emphasis on seafood, they have now branched out into Tennessee Jack's Rotisserie Chicken & Ribs at many locations. This attempt to be all things to all people seems to have lowered the general quality over the years. Even the original fish and chips are becoming more and more like a packaged frozen entrée you might heat up at home. | 25- 9252 Macleod Trail SE 403 252-7060 | ||||||
| Jugo Juice www | | Juice | Informal | The staff is friendly and have a good knowledge of what they are making—especially those strange extra ingredients. If you just want a quick, wholesome drink, or even a complete meal with one of their wraps or sandwiches do drop by. Good vegetarian selection—of course. | South Centre Mall 403 225-2214 Chinook Centre 403 540-6190 Talisman Centre 2225 Macleod Tr. SW 403 206 1559 | ||||||
| The Keg Steakhouse & Bar www | | Steak | Informal | A good medium-priced steak house though we have found a definite wabble in quality with the Stadium location coming out above most of the others. Except at their downtown locations and for reasons we do not understand, they do not take reservations, so expect long waits at key times. | 7104 Macleod Tr. SW 403 253-2534 | ||||||
| KFC www | | Chicken | Fast Food | Some foods are difficult to rate because their taste is unique and can't be compared to anything but other brands that have imitated them. Yes, we know we can't call it "Kentucky Fired Chicken" anymore, because someone might think about the fat content, even though now it is vegetable oil. The gravy and coleslaw have changed from the good old days when the Colonel was alive, but still the taste is addictive, and you get what you expect. | Southcentre Mall 9310 Macleod Tr. SE | Home delivery: 403 296-0000. | |||||
| Leo Fu's Szechwan & Mandarin Restaurant | | Chinese | Informal | A family–run restaurant with well–prepared food and friendly service. There is a buffet Monday to Friday at noon. Good vegetarian selection. | 511 70 Ave SW (just off MacLeod Tr.) 403 255-2528 | S 4:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. M to Th 11:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. 4:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. F 11:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. 4:30 p.m. - 11:30 p.m. Sa 4:30 p.m. - 11:30 p.m. | |||||
| Milestone's Grill & Bar www | | General | Informal | What we have here is an upscale Earl's with everything from hamburgers to pasta and steak to nachos—all with a certain sense of style and friendly service. Again though in this mix there are some hits and some misses. Reservations are recommended at peak times. Good vegetarian selection. | Milestones South Centre 403 225-1150 | ||||||
| Moti Mahal Restaurant www | | East Indian | Informal | This bright, spacious restaurant offers a wide selection of well-prepared Kashmiri food, avoiding the bland spicing of hot dished that some other eateries use to pamper the western pallet. As with many East Indian restaurants, however, we do have some concern with the dish size vs. price ratio, and free fill ups on the coffee might be a good idea. Reservations Recommended. Good vegetarian selection. | Midnapore Mall (Macleod Tr & Midlake Blvd. S 403 201-7336 | ||||||
| Moxie's www | | General | Informal | With everything from burgers and sandwiches to pasta and pizza on the menu, restaurants like Moxie's are difficult to grade. Often one or two superb items are dragged down by numerous bland ones, or "home style" can mean you should just have stayed at home and made the sandwich yourself. However, we believe the Moxie's does do things well, and deserves a try if you want a wide variety of items from which to choose at reasonable prices. Good vegetarian selection. | Chinook Centre 6455 Macleod Tr. S 403 259-5742 10606 Southport Road. SW 403 225-9598 41 Shawville Blvd. SE 403 254-5100 | ||||||
| Olive Grove Restaurant & Show Lounge | | Middle Eastern | Informal | Here is the problem: You want to specialize in Middle Eastern cuisine, but you find yourself in a neighbourhood mall that craves steak, seafood, pasta and pizza as well. Do you stick to your basics or spread yourself out to server all needs? We think Olive Grove would have been wise to stick to one or maybe two specialties, doing them with excellence, rather than trying to please everyone and ending up with good, but not outstanding food. Good vegetarian selection. | Midnapore Mall SE (Macleod Tr & Midlake Blvd. S 403 256-4610 | 7 days a week | |||||
| Original Joe's Restaurant and Bar www | | Bar | Informal | The usual neighbourhood drinkery type of dishes with some hits, like the hamburgers, and some misses, like the Caesar salad. Also, as with many such establishments, the background mood music made conversation diffiuclt. | 12100 Macleod Tr. SE (Avenida Centre | ||||||
| Quizno's Subs www | | Sandwiches | Informal | They're toasty hot with just enough bread. For a fast sub, they are hard to beat. But don't feel you have to pick the large size unless you want two meals worth or have a Dawson–sized appetite. Good vegetarian selection. The name does vary slightly from one store to another, but let the business people worry about that.  Dorothy and Grant prefer the Angus beef, while Scott, the vegetarian in the family gives his approval to the Cheese Melt. | Chinook Centre 403 873-2048 244-10816 MacLeod Trail SE (Willow Park Village) 403 271-4900 85 Shawville Blvd. SE (Shawnessy Shopping Centre) 403 201-8800 | ||||||
| Red Lobster www | | Seafood | Informal | Sea food, but as with many such Calgary restaurants, deep frying and pan frying seem to be the most creative they can get. | #100 6100 Macleod Tr. SW (across from Chinook) 403 252-818 | M to Th, Su 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. F, Sa 11 a.m. - 11 p.m. | |||||
| Redwater Rustic Grille www | | Grill | Informal | The restaurant's style isn't really "rustic" but rather clean, warm and modern. And the food isn't "rustic" either, rather a combination of traditional cooking and some truly original sauces instead of the usual BBQ trimmings. And there's pasta too if you're not in the mood for a big chunk of meat. In a city where grilled meat is a way of life, the menu here offers some pleasant surprises. Click here to make reservations through Open Table. | 9223 Macleod Tr. SW 403 253-4266 | ||||||
| Ricky's All Day Grill | | Grill | Informal | The setting is homey; the service is fine; the food is good. All in all, though, this is a pale imitation of other better rib places, and the difference in price would make us shun the pale and take the real. | 6262 MacLeod Tr. SE 403 252-2909 Bonavista Sq. SE 403 225-6534 | ||||||
| Salt and Pepper Mexican Restaurant | | Latin American: Mexican | Informal | The setting is pleasantly Mexican, which in itself can warm you up on a blustery Calgary day. The service was good, and so was the food. But it still tended to be a little bland. Perhaps the name is a hint that you need to add the salt and pepper yourself. Good vegetarian selection. | 4351 MacLeod Tr. S. (on the west side) 403 243-3173 | ||||||
| Smuggler's Inn www | | Sunday Brunch | Informal | This is a usual Sunday brunch boasting all the obligatory dishes from eggs benedict to bacon and sausages with omelettes made to order. There is nothing really outstanding but it is a good, filling basic brunch. We did, however, think the table service was rather slow. Good vegetarian selection, if you stress the salad bar. Click here to make reservations through Open Table. | 6920 Macleod Tr. S 403 253-5355 | Sunday (obviously) 9:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. | |||||
| Starbucks Coffee Comapny Ltd | | Coffee | Informal | For a good cardboard cup of standardized coffee from a limited menu, this is the place to go. Good vegetarian selection. | 321 - 6 Ave. SW 403 234-9035 404 - 6 Ave. SW 403 234-9478 723 - 17 Ave. SW 403 209-2888 411 - 8 Ave. SW 403 234-8040 #131d 1600 - 90 Ave. SW 403 252-6512 Westhills Shopping Centre 403 246-4100 2219 - 4 St. SW 403 229-3008 9631 Macleod Tr. S. 403 252-5414 15800 Macleod Tr. S. 403 254-9824 812a - 49 Ave. SW 403 214-14440 | ||||||
| Taj Mahal www | | Indian | Informal | This restaurant has a long history in Calgary and still serves a fine selection of Indian dishes done to your desired degree of hotness. The buffet is excellent. In fact, the only problem we have had here is the service where there is often an unfortunate forgetfulness on the part of the staff. The food, however, makes up for these short-comings. Good vegetarian selection. | 4816 Macleod Tr. SW 403 243-6362 | Su 11:30 a.m. - 2 p.m.; 5 p.m. - 9 p.m. M to Th 11:30 a.m. - 2 p.m.; 5 p.m. - 11 p.m. F, Sa 11:30 a.m. - 2 p.m.; 5 p.m. - midnight | |||||
| Tim Hortons www | | Coffee | Informal | Our first problem was classifying Timmy's. It started out, of course, as a doughnut shop, but now serves everything from breakfast sandwiches to soup and chili. But most people think of it as their supplier of coffee. So, although it doesn't have the many speciality preparations of the others in this category, we decided that we would go with the coffee designation. Mind you, Grant found the coffee a bit bitter for his taste, but Dorothy balanced this out with an opinion that their hot chocolate was among the best around. And as we both thought the food items, including the doughnuts, were great tastse and value for the price, we finally did manage to come up with a rating. Good vegetarian selection. | Use the store locator to find the location nearest to you. Or step out the door, and you will probably see one. | ||||||
| Tommy Burger Bar | | Hamburgers | Informal | Tommy's prompted a long discussion in our group even after we left the premises. On one side, there were those who appreciated the fact that this was a real restaurant with servers, soups, salads, milkshakes and desserts. On the other side were those who thought that paying a dollar or more for every topping on what they called a "restaurant burger" was a little much. You decide. We ended up on the cusp between the 3 and 4 categories. Good vegetarian selection. | 9629 Macleod Tr. S. 403 258-0668 | Su to Th 11:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m. F, Sa 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 a.m. | |||||
| Tony Roma's www | | Ribs | Informal | Great ribs and other grilled things. What more can one say? | 6712 MacLeod Tr. SE 403 301-7427 #600 - 16061 Macleod Tr. S. 403 873-7427 | ||||||
| Wildwood Grill and Brewing Company | | Gourmet | Formal | The most difficult restaurants to rate are those that should score better, but don't quite make it. This is one of them. The setting is restfully rustic; the staff are helpful; and they even have a welcomed ban on cell phones; but the food is just ordinary. Plain chunks of white bread without enough butter don't make a good beginning and pineapple salsa on a plain piece of pork doesn't make it special. But the stroke of doom for us came with the invitation on the menu to light up a cigar when the meal was finished. Yuck! We shall probably keep an eye on the Wildwood and will expect something great in the future. Reservations recommended. | 2417 - 4 Street SW 403 228-0100 | Brunch Sunday 10:30 a.m. Lunch M to Sa 11:30 a.m. Dinner M to Su 5:00 p.m. |
