Howdy from Canada!
I’m back in Calgary for my cousin’s wedding for 2 weeks.
We’re 1 week in and I truly feel like a tourist rather than a Calgarian that’s lived here for almost 29 years.
WILD!
It’s crazy that I’ve only been gone for 2 months and so much has changed in Calgary.
So many new restaurants in every quadrant and so many popular Calgarian stables are no longer around.
Like my friend’s favourite Vietnamese restaurant, Dragon Boat is gone…
But there’s now international food chains like Shake Shack in Chinook Mall (never imagined that growing up!)
So as I catch up with friends and family, I’ve been getting a blend of new and classic hangout cafe/restaurants in Calgary.
I want to share with you some of the places that I’ve been to while back.
And before we begin, I do want to note, I probably have a bit of a different preference to what I enjoy doing in Calgary vs my friends and family or other Calgarians.
My focus on this trip was to eat at nostalgic places (if possible) or if there was any new resturants that my friends wanted to try.
Since living in Europe, I don’t know if I can ever eat Neapolitan style pizzas in North America again…
And because I’ve been in Europe for so long, I’ve been craving Asian food especially Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese food (Well mostly Dim Sum). But also Mexican!
Oh, and Alberta’s beef!
But when it comes to Vietnamese food, I usually ask my Vietnamese dad for home cooked meals.
So a typical day has been:
Breakfast
Cook at home (usually egg whites and whole grain bread with a salad)
Brunch is also huge in Calgary but I'm pretty useless when it comes to recommendations. The only one I usually go to is OEB, a staple for Calgarians.
Coffee
When it comes to coffee shops, I have no idea what’s considered good coffee beans and what not (even though I should after helping my old boss with his coffee bean business for a year)… But I enjoy finding small local coffee shops that makes you feel like you’re second home. So here’s a couple of my not so secret places in Calgary.
Higher Ground Cafe:
This cafe has more meaning in my 20s than any place in Calgary.
It’s where I went on many first dates (that usually went well…)
And where I would study after school or between internship breaks.
It was the go to place for me to catch up with friends that I haven’t seen in a while or where my friends and I would sit down before we figure out what else to do in Kensington like what to have for dinner.
And secretly, when I want to escape from the world, work, and people… I’ll get an Americano and sit alone and people watch, journal or stare at a wall until I finish my coffee.
Loophole Coffee Bar:
An artsy, retro aesthetic with an adjacent bookstore. It’s a great hole in the wall style cafe that really does show another side of Calgarians. You’ll see more artist, performers, and all sorts of freelancers here. It’s a classic digital nomad place too (or well… I use it to get work done here).
While Calgary tends to attract these big executives and big shots with their fancy modern coffee shops, this little bar is a reminder that’s not what Calgary is all about.
Lunch
For lunch, I usually have my dad’s home cooked meals such as Pho, Vermicelli, salad rolls, spring rolls, Bo La Lot and Banh Xeo (my favourite dish!)… and the occasional Vietnamese Coffee on the weekend as a tradition to drink with my dad.
Note: I have some digestion issues with Pork for the past couple of years so my dad’s been using alternatives like beef instead of pork.
Dinner
Go out and eat with friends and family which have been so far at:
Rau Bistro - Where I had a small size of Beef Satay Vermicelli that was the size of a large bowl in Europe and split a Beef Satay Sub with my friend. The serving sizes were huge but a great meal post-run where I needed lots of carbs to fuel up.
Native Tongues - An easily assessable place to get tacos with friends that’s a hot spot for tacos in Calgary.
Regal Beagle - A nostalgic place to get wings with friends and coworkers after work.
Hayden Block - My favourite place to get brisket especially when I was a broke university student who would wait till 9pm to get 50% off
Ryuko - This has to be the go to place for many people when it comes to Japanese food in Calgary. What I love about this restaurant is that the ingredients are fresh and the menu isn’t overwhelming. They sell the classic dishes with great detail and precision. I’ve probably ordered the Salmon don at least 13x and it looks exactly the same and tastes amazing every time.
Dessert:
When it comes to dessert, ice cream is a go to for me and my friends. Even in -30C weather, my friends and I will go (tell me you’re a Canadian without telling me you’re a Canadian).
Milk Cream Club - My favourite ice cream shop where they serve flavours inspired my Chinese, Vietnamese and other asian cultures such as White Rabbit candy, Panden tea, Ube and HK milk tea.
Lukes Drug Mart - They serve the best soft service ice cream with creative collabs with local companies in Calgary like teaming up with the farmers market and making blue berry ice cream with local blue berries. Every month they have a new flavour collab, so every month in the summer, it was a monthly activity to go with friends to have ice cream here to try new flavours.
Tat’s treat: A place that I plan to go next week with my cousin. They serve cereal infused soft serve like adding in Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Froot Loops, rice krises, Honey Nut Cheerios! Growing up, my parents didn’t really buy cereal for me (mostly because I only asked to buy it so that I could get the toy and then not eat any of it and my parents would have to finish it.. oops).
When it comes to other desserts like cake, pies, Bingsu… I’m probably the last person you want to ask… as I’m not someone who is passionate about these desserts besides cheesecake! But luckily for you, my brother is. So if you’re ever in Calgary, shoot me a message and I’ll ask my brother.
There’s a few spots that I won’t be able to go to while I’m back but wanted to share with you incase you’re in town:
Dim Sum
T.Pot China Bistro.
Being part Chinese, Dim Sum was a key event for family and friends to gather in eat food. What I like about Dim Sum is that it requires ordering as a group (so that you don’t double order and make sure there’s enough food for everyone) and that all dishes are shared among the table. Most times, it’s usually 1-2 big tables with like 10-30 people in my family.
There’s so many good dim sum places in Calgary but the one that creates memories and where my family and I go to for catch up is a place called T.Pot China Bistro.
My favourite dish is Shanghai Style Fried Thick Noodles and of course, the egg tarts.
You probably noticed that I didn’t share some place flashy and overpriced… Truth is.. I don’t eat at those places and most of my family and friends don’t either unless it’s a special occasion. I wanted to share places that people go to often as a Calgarian.
Ta da!
What a local Calgarian (who is visiting home) eats when she's back in Calgary.
Christine