| Restaurant | Rating | Type of Food | Style | Description | Information | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sahara Restaurant & Lounge |  | Midle Eastern: Lebanese | Buffet | We would suggest trying the menu as the food does seem to be good, and the restaurant is certainly supported by the Lebanese community. However, at noon hour much of the buffet suffered from the warming tray blues, which took what might have been excellent and made it rather ordinary. Pastries were dry, the falafels were over–cooked, and the salad wilty. The soup and desserts, however, that were away from the heat lamps were quite good. Good vegetarian selection. | 739 - 2 Ave. SW 262-7222 www | M to Th 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. F 10:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. | |||||
| Saigon |  | Vietnamese | Informal | More Formal than “Vietnam Restaurant" and with less clutter, but the food is not quite as good. So you have to make a choice between atmosphere and taste. | 1221 - 12 Ave. SW 228-4200 | Su noon - 9 p.m. M to Th 11 a.m. - 2:30 p.m., 5 p.m. - 10 p.m. F 11 a.m. - 2:30 p.m., 5 p.m. - 11 p.m. Sa 11 a.m. - 11 p.m. | |||||
| Saint Germain | | French | Informal | A quiet haven of French cuisine in the heart of downtwon Calgary. Reservations suggested as this is a popular spot for group functions and it is best to check ahead for availability. Good vegetarian selection.  | 115 12th Avenue SW (in the Hotel Arts) 290-1322 www | Su Closed Lunch M to F 11:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Dinner M to Th 5:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. F, Sa 5:00 p.m. - 11: 00 p.m. | |||||
| SAIT 4 Nines Cafeteria |  | General | Fast Food | Having enjoyed the haute cuisine of the Highwood at SAIT, we decided to see how the common people eat, so joined the students and staff at the cafeteria around the corner. OK, it is campus fast food, but it squeaked into the 4 rating with a good variety of dishes including the unusual at prices even students can afford. | SAIT 1302 - 16 Ave. NW The cafeteria is in the basement of the John Ware Building. www | M to F 7:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. | |||||
| Sakana Grill | | Japanese | Informal | For years this restaurant has been a magnet for business people on their noon hour. The selection is wide, mostly Japanese with a little Chinese (egg drop soup) and other (mud pie) thrown into the mix. The sushi boats continue to circle on their endless journey, and the teppan yaki grills continue to sear to bring the patrons good business lunches. And who notices if the dumplings are a little soggy and the tempura batter is a bit heavy? | 116 - 2 Ave. SW 290-1118 www | ||||||
| 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. | 6515 Bowness Road NW 247-4402 | 420 16 Ave. NE 230-7370 | 4351 MacLeod Tr. S. (on the west side) 243-3173 | ||||
| Sam's Bar & Grill | | Bar | Informal | Friendly service, a good variety of regular bar dishes like burgers and nachos, plus a number of interesting extras like steak and eggs, omelettes and perogies make this a good choice for a watering hole if you are headed to Kensington. Good vegetarian selection. | 1167 Kensington Crescent NW 270-3880 | Daily, with a buffet brunch on Sundays | |||||
| Samosa Garden | | East Indian | Informal | The cuisine here is predominantly East Indian but with a touch of East African and some interesting mutations like Tandoori Caesar Salad as well. The second floor setting is a bright combination of eastern and western artefacts with lots of plants and a view. (OK, it's a view of Sunridge Mall, but there's a lot of fine sky beyond it.) The service is friendly delivering well-presented and tasty dishes. One of our complaints about East Indian food has been small portions, but here we even had some left over. There is no wheelchair entrance, but you can order from the Coffee Culture downstairs if you wish. | #210 3393 - 26 Ave. NE (just south of Peter Lougheed Hospital) 250-2515 | Lunch Buffet: Su noon - 4:00 p.m. M to Th 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. F, Sa 11: 30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Dinner: Su 5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. M to Th 5:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. F, Sa 5:00 p.m. - midnight | |||||
| San Remo | | Italian | Informal | San Remo began as a delightful neighbourhood restaurant in its Oakridge location. Now it has added Garrison Woods, still providing Italian food with that distinctly more delicate northern flavour. | Oak Bay Plaza 2515 - 90 Ave. SW 281-2482 | 3574 Garrison Gate SW across from Safeway 685-5727 | |||||
| Santorini Greek Taverna | | Greek | Informal | Started in the mid-80's, this is one of the city's long-standing Greek restaurants and has a friendly, lived-in, old-world atmosphere. The food is good, but not exceptional for the price. | 1502 Centre St. N 276-8363 www | Su 4:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. M Closed Tu - Sa 11:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m. | |||||
| The Second Cup | | Coffee | Informal | The coffee was a bit strong, and we don't know where the spoons were, but this is an adequate place to pick up coffee for the office or grab a cup while shopping. Good vegetarian selection. | www | There are locations all over. Check by Location. | |||||
| Serendipity Café & Home Decor | | General | Informal | Not many of our reviews have "Home Decor" in the title, but Serendipity does because it is primarily a shop in Inglewood where one may browse for decorations, knickknakcks and gifts. But while looking around, you may want to stop for a cup of coffee, which Dorothy found a little weak or soup, sandwich, special of the day or even a breakfast, which Grant found quite okay. Good vegetarian selection. | 1319 - 9 Avenue SE 403 261-2661 | ||||||
| Shikiji Japanese Noodles and Sushi | | Japanese | Informal | If you are looking for a neighbourhood Japanese restaruant in the 16 Ave. and Centre Street North area, this is it. The portions are generous but from a limited selection. The food is good average fare with daily lunch combination specials that make choosing easy. Good vegetarian selection. | 1608 Centre St. NE 520-0093 www | ||||||
| The Siding Café |  | General | Informal | The only problem we faced with this restaurant was determining its category. With its decor and the large breakfast and burger menu, it might be a diner. The sandwich take–out counter made it a deli. Then noticing the ribs and pastas, we thought it could very well be a gourmet bistro. But no, it is just itself, and does that well, becoming a delightful diner, a deluxe deli and a superb bistro all in one. Give it a try. Good vegetarian selection. www | #111 100 - 7 Ave. SW 262-0282 | Su 11:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. M to Th 11:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m. F to Sa 11:00 a.m. - midnight | |||||
| Silver Dragon Restaurant | | Chinese | Informal | Who remembers Calgary without the Silver Dragon? Indeed it has been rumoured that when Laozi fled China in the Third Century BCE, he may have been heading here to establish this eatery. Nevertheless, the food remains delicious with generous portions and the setting old–style but not worn. Reservations suggested. Good vegetarian selection. | 106 - 3 Ave. SE 264-5326 | 3 Floor, 211 Banff Ave.
Banff, AB (403) 762-3939 www | |||||
| Silver Inn |  | Chinese | Informal | When we first came to Calgary, this was one of our favourite Chinese restaurants. Some years later it moved to the north hill, and we lost close contact, but have continued to go back occasionally. Each time, however, we have found the food less appetizing than the time before. The batters have become doughier; the portions, smaller; and the hots, milder. In all, it just isn't what it used to be. Good vegetarian selection. | 2702 Centre St. N 276-6711 | M closed T to Th noon and evening Sa & Su evening | |||||
| Singapore Sam's |  | Chinese | Buffet | This favourite with the noonhour crowd has a large buffet, including some items not found in many spreads like sticky rice and french fries. The Mongolian grill selection is small, but provides a pleasant addition to the mix. However, in spite of our first pleasurable impressions, we found many dishes cool and were not offered anything to drink until we had been there for about 20 minutes even though the evening crowd was not large. A good vegetarian selection. | 555 - 11 Ave. SW 234-8088 www | ||||||
| Sophie's | | Pizza | Take out | If you loved the pizza at the former Spiros on 17th prior to October 2004, then here is the answer to your cravings. Same pizza, but now you pick it up yourself and save 10%, or enjoy free delivery in the area around the store. A good vegetarian selection. Damn good pizza. (That's not a comment; that's the name of the dish, and it is.) | Richmond Rd. & 48 St. SW (Near the Richmond Rd. Co-op) 242-1141 | Su & Hol 3:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. M to Th 4:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. F & Sa 3:00 p.m. - 12:00 p.m. | |||||
| Spicy Hut | | Thai | Lunch Special | A good variety of southeast Asian dishes, with good lunch specials. (See the review of their regular menu.) | 203b 4 St. NE 237-0830 | Su 4:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m. M to Th 11 a.m. - 10:30 p.m. F, Sa 11 a.m. - midnight | |||||
| Spicy Hut | | Thai | Informal | Good southeast Asian food. | 203b 4 St. NE 237-0830 | Su 4:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m. M to Th 11 a.m. - 10:30 p.m. F, Sa 11 a.m. - midnight | |||||
| Spolumbo's Fine Foods and Deli | | Deli | Informal | On your way through Inglewood, stop here to build your own sandwich or try one of the house compositions. There is good value for fresh, wholesome food in a no smoking environment, and on the way out remember to stop at the deli and pick up some of the sausages for which Spolumbo's is renowned. The only ingredient missing was a touch of the "special" or the "different" and Grant, being rather slow, wished they would list all the cold meats and sausages at the sandwich counter so he could tell exactly what the choices were. | 1308 - 9 Ave. SE 264-6452 | Su & Holidays Closed M to Sa 8:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. www | |||||
| Stage West | | Dinner Theatre | Formal Buffet | First you must realize that this is not a review of the current presentation at Stage West. We leave that to theatre critics, though we do have our opinions. We're looking at the buffet which is large and from a technical point-of-view well-handled with very few empty or cold trays. From a culinary perspective, however, the food is wholesome but rather forgettable. There are few dishes that one would want to line up for again to get seconds. Good vegetarian selection. | 727 - 42 Ave. SE 243-6642 www | The dress is semi-formal. Grant tried a dress shirt, tie and sports jacket with pyjama bottoms, but this didn't seem to be the kind of "semi" they meant. | |||||
| 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. | Multitudinous locations. Check by Location. | ||||||
| Steeps | | Tea | Informal | A mixture of mismatched wooden tables and chairs gives this teahouse a rustic at home atmosphere. The knowledgeable staff help you explore the world of tea, encouraging you to test the aroma of various kinds before making your selection The snacks are top quality as well. Of course, there is a good vegetarian selection. |
880 - 16 Ave. SW (in Mount Royal Village) 209-0076 | ||||||
| Sultan's Tent | | Moroccan | Informal | Here is where you go for that slightly different dining experience. Be prepared to eat with your hands and spend the evening taking in the ambiance in your own private “tent". Reservations recommended. | #107 4 - 14 St. NW (off Kensington Rd. and 14 St.) 244-2333 | Sa, Su 5:00 p.m. -10:30 p.m. M to F 5:30 p.m. -10:30 p.m. | |||||
| Sunterra www | | General | Informal | Most Calgarians have shopped at the high–end produce market, Sunterra. Many have tried their take–out dishes. But some have certainly mused, "Wouldn't it be wonderful to have them make an omelette right here for me or a burger or a sandwich or a salad or even a main course,, especially if that could be done for a reasonable price." Well, dreams have come true with the larger eat–in area in the West Market Square store. The dishes are simple but tasty and wholesome and economical. Give it a try. Good vegetarian selection. | West Market Square 1851 Sirocco Dr. SW 403 266-3049 Britannia Shopping Plaza 803-49 Avenue SW (Elbow Dr. & 49 Ave. SW) 403 287-0553 | Bankers Hall +15 level, 855-2 St. SW 403 269-3610 TransCanada Tower +15 level, 450- 1 St. SW 403 262-8240 Gulf Canada Square +15 level, 401-9 Ave. SW 403 263-9756 | |||||
| Sushi Kawa | | Japanese | Informal | The décore is simple ecclectic with a touch of Japanese, but the food is Japanese all the way. And you may even get to watch sumo wrestling on TV as you eat. This help you keep the calories in mind. We visited Sushi Kawa when it first opened, then again recently, and unfortunately the service has slipped a little, but we hope will be back on track soon. Good vegetarian selection. | 2204 - 4 St. SW 802-0058 | Dinner Su 5 p.m. - 9 p.m. M to Th 5 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. F, Sa 5 p.m. - 10 p.m. Lunch M to Sa 11:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. | |||||
| Skazka Restaurant & Bar | | Russian | Informal | Sad reviews are usually about restaurants that start well and then don't quite live up to expectations. This is such a review. We started with a borsch that had the homemade elegance of the original recipe and Russian rye bread that was warm and delicious. The flavour and presentation of our main meat entrées was excellent, but the cut of meat was not filet quality. Then there were no coffee refills and the service just seemed to disappear by the end of the meal. Unfortunately the overall impression at the end of the meal was one of "almost" rather than "right on". Reservations recommended at noon and on Fridays and Saturdays. www | 515 - 1 St SE 265-0012 | Closed Sundays |
