Must-try restaurants in Calgary for your next Alberta vacation
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Considering the city’s history of western culture, you might envision the restaurants in Calgary as a series of cowboy-filled steakhouses. In truth, Alberta’s culinary landscape is rapidly evolving – and Calgary leads the charge with some of Canada’s most innovative restaurants. Chefs champion the province’s agricultural roots while incorporating global influences in their menu offerings.
Whether you’re staying for a while or just passing through, don’t miss your chance to try one of the many award-winning restaurants in Calgary. As for deciding to wear your cowboy hat in “Cowtown” or not – that’s entirely up to you.
Best authentic Italian fare: DOPO
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Where: 1907 34 Ave. S.W. #10, Calgary
Family recipes from southern Italy and Calabria meet modern technique at DOPO. A newcomer in 2024, DOPO earned the 56th spot on Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants in 2025 as well as the fourth spot for “Best New Restaurants.”
In a basement dining room with cozy Tuscan vibes, chef David Leeder serves up handmade pasta – such as gnocchi, paccheri and tagliolini – with a whimsical flair. Customer favourites include the fennel, citrus and endive salad, along with the generously portioned pork cutlet. Be sure to leave room for dessert; the tiramisu is an authentic recipe from owner Tony Migliarese’s mother, Rose.
Best casual vibe: Shokunin
Where: 2016 4 St. S.W., Calgary
The flagship restaurant of chef Darren MacLean, Shokunin pairs Japanese-influenced cuisine with top-quality Canadian produce. This approach landed the Calgary restaurant the 74th spot on Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants list in 2025.
Considered an izakaya – a casual Japanese pub or gastropub – Shokunin is a local favourite because of its lively atmosphere, perfect for casual gatherings. As the city’s first yakitoria, the restaurant offers over 20 different cuts of expertly grilled chicken and meat over a Japanese-style robata grill. Hungry diners can also enjoy ramen, grilled vegetables and seafood, such as miso butter-grilled cabbage and Hamachi Kama – a flavourful broiled fish.
Best experimental menu: Eight
Where: 631 Confluence Way S.E., Calgary
Eight seemed to outperform its name when it landed the sixth spot on Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants list in 2025, which notes “Eight stools and just one seating four nights a week — a seat here is a very hot ticket.”
Considered to be one of the most cutting-edge – and pricey – restaurant experiences in the country right now, Eight’s tasting menus are built around storytelling and experimentation. Drawing on the diversity of Canada’s multicultural mosaic, dishes are inspired by our country’s Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Indigenous, and French communities. The multi-course experience is constantly evolving, but you can expect tantalizing dishes such as B.C. halibut with Thai curry, black truffle pasta, and king crab with Hokkaido Uni Cream and caviar.
Best historic location: Rouge
Where: 1240 8 Ave. S.E., Calgary
Located in the historic Cross House – once home to one of the West’s most prominent cattlemen – Rouge has been a fixture in Calgary since 2003. The restaurant was named to Avenue Calgary magazine’s Best Restaurants 2024 list, and earned a four-diamond designation from CAA/AAA.
As one of the city’s first restaurants to offer a tasting menu, Rouge offers a six-course “Gathered & Foraged Chef’s Menu” featuring locally sourced ingredients – including the substantial garden on the grounds. True to Alberta tradition, the à la carte menu focuses on quality meats. Diners can indulge in confit duck leg, lamb top sirloin, flat iron steak and even boar.
Best tranquil setting: River Cafe
Where: 25 Prince's Island Park, S.W., Calgary
Situated next to the Bow River and surrounded by trees, the River Cafe holds a three-diamond designation from CAA/AAA and has been an institution for over 30 years. With a treehouse-like setting and enchanting location, it is set apart from other restaurants in Calgary.
The River Cafe ranked number 47 on Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants list in 2025, which notes “...the culinary ethos here remains steadfast, with seasonal offerings rich in rural flavours executed with urban finesse.” Committed to the exclusive use of Canadian ingredients, the menu explores seasonal, sustainable and foraged ingredients. Diners learn from what farm and region their meal was sourced from as they choose from menu items such as Farming Worx duck breast (Calgary), Rangeland bison ribeye (Kamloops) and Lambtastic Farms braised lamb (Vulcan County). Do your best to snag a table on the patio; you won’t be disappointed.
Honourable mentions:
Hawthorn: Located in the swanky Fairmont Palliser Hotel, Hawthorn serves up a modern interpretation of authentic prairie fare. If you’re ravenously ambitious, choose the 40 oz. Cowboy Chop, or try the “Hawthorn Signature Experience” – a feast meant to be shared between four to six people.
NUPO: Taking spot 30 on Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants list in 2025, NUPO’s menu combines chef Darren MacLean’s passions for Canadian ingredients and Japanese techniques. Forward-thinking vegetarian and vegan offerings – such as sweet potato gyoza and seared braised daikon “steak” – are complemented by produce grown on MacLean’s farm.
Orchard: Holding a three-diamond designation from CAA/AAA, Orchard offers a modern Mediterranean menu with Asian influences. Start with sharing plates like salmon crudo or crispy pork belly, then graduate to large plates such as squid ink trenette or chilli panko-crusted halibut.
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Want to win $500 to dine at a CAA/AAA Diamond-rated restaurant in Ottawa? Enter the contest by December 31, 2025!
