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18 Best Things I Ate and Drank in Calgary in 2025

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Fab all-day sandwich at Krooked Provisions

In no particular order. As you can see, I’m partial to baked treats. Links are provided where there’s a website.

Eight styles of innovative pirogies at Krooked Provisions. Everything’s fabulous at this eclectic Avenida Market kiosk, my top Calgary eats pick of 2025.

Krooked Provisions owners Lyndon and Leeanne

Pour-over coffee at Q.lab. Choose your Chronicle-roasted bean, and get a free coffee when you buy beans

Q.lab Calgary’s best coffee

Epic Vietnamese-French beef dip and papaya side salad at Bonjour Saigon

Bonjour Saigon’s beef dip

Fusion “croissandwiches” at Poesie. Check out the truffle gouda

Terrific croissandwich at Poesie

Grilled chicken Vietnamese sub at Bee The BanhMi, in Avenida Market. The pho is pretty epic, too

Vietnamese sub at Bee The BanhMi

Pulled pork breakfast sandwich, on house-baked focaccia buns, at tiny, Elbow River-side Apprentice Cafe

Breakfast sandwich on house-made foccacia at Apprentice Cafe

Decadent brioche-based pain Suisse at Begonia Bakehouse, my favourite newish Calgary bakery

Begonia Bakehouse

Savoury cacio e pepe croissant, chased with an orgasmic lemon tart, at Otie Cafe 

Like some lemon in that Otie Cafe tart?

No way this makes sense chocolate banana bread pudding muffin at heavyweight baker Butter Block

Divine chocolate banana bread pudding muffin at Butter Block

French choux pastries and roll cakes at baked pastry maestro Mari Bakeshop

Hugely popular Mari Bakeshop

Holy shit, who needs meat when you’ve got this vegan ginger chick’un wrap at Hearts Choices?

Slow-braised brisket birria tacos, grilled as a finishing touch, at Taqueria El Chefe

Taqueria El Chefe

Leaping-flame takeout pad Thai at ghost kitchen Hungry Thaiger in Oakridge Community Centre

Ghost kicthen Hungry Thaiger

Sushi lunch specials, with miso soup and yam tempura, at elegant Ryuko in Christie Estates

Japanese lunch specials at Ryuko

Chicken wings, smoked brisket sandwich and a Turntable lager at jumping Beltline brewpub Trolley 5

Trolley 5 is Calgary’s best brewpub?

Big-deal Indian meal of black lentil curry, superb veggie samosas and cups of masala chai at Deepak’s Dhaba

Fabulous Indian meal at Deepak’s Dhaba

Selecta divine box of dessert treats from TikTok sensation Creme Cream Puffs

Creme Cream Puffs

Wowser ramen at Shiki Menya

Fine Vietnamese-French Fusion Cuisine

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You won’t find a better French dip than at Bonjour Saigon

Vietnam and France have a long, complex history. So it should be no surprise the two national cuisines have influenced each other. And what better way to sample this fusion than at a lovely little northwest Calgary strip-mall restaurant named Bonjour Saigon.

Big taste in a small space

Yes, it hits all the Vietnamese standards like pho, banh mi and coffee. But what catches my eye are collaborative dishes like bo ham ($17), named after the chef’s grandmother, Mama Hoa. It’s a Vietnamese twist on traditional French beef stew, with braised brisket and flank steak in a slightly spicy coconut tomato broth, served with a baguette for dipping or a boatload of rice noodles.

Bo Ham stew

Another fusion plate is the best, most affordable ($16) beef dip I’ve ever eaten: copious amounts of braised, tender house brisket stuffed into a baguette with cheese sauce and then dunked into a crispy shallot dip fortified with mama’s stew. Oh, and it comes with a fine papaya salad.

Interesting twists on appetizers

Even appetizers like the crispy spring rolls are delightfully different, as are the Saigon fries, dipped into a butter and sugar sauce.

In all, a lovely change of pace from the ubiquitous Vietnamese pho. But you might want a reservation to grab one of about four tables.

Bonjour Saigon
3616 52 Avenue NW
Weekends 9 am-6 pm, Weekdays 10 am-8 pm, except closed Tuesday
403-732-6072

Exquisite Mexican Tortas

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Jorge (left) and Carlos at their Mexquisite torta shop

How often, when ordering a sandwich, do you ponder which meat to choose: beef, chicken or pork? Well, at Mexquisite, in southern Calgary’s Avenida food market, you can have all three in one massive torta called El Jefe (the chief).

It costs a whopping $23.50 but would probably feed you for a week. I only need a two-meal torta and so go instead for the fabulous Mixiote ($17.50), featuring slow-marinated shredded beef in chile sauce.

The monster El Jefe torta

Owner Jorge and brother Carlos bring recipes for tortas (sandwiches), tacos and the like from their home in Mexico City to this little kiosk. One detail I love is the use of authentic telera buns as the backbone for the six tortas on offer.

Mexquisite
12445 Lake Fraser Drive SE (Avenida Market)
Opens at 11 am Thursday to Sunday. Closed Monday to Wednesday
403-852-5496

Damascus: Calgary’s Unique Shawarma Shop

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Damascus Fine Foods owner Gus Elhowari

It’s rather hidden off the heavily trodden 17th Avenue SW path. But Damascus Fine Foods is a Mediterranean heavyweight, with owner Gus Elhowari employing some 40 people in expanded quarters that include a sit-down dining room.

They serve Damascene cuisine, featuring a balance of salty, tangy and sour flavours. Typical dishes are kebabs, mezza appetizers and grilled kibbeh, a mixture of ground meat and cracked wheat.

The shawarma station swings into action

Damascus’s popular shawarma wraps start with the conventional vertical rotisserie of shaved meats. But things then veer to unusual details like pomegranate molasses, garlic and pickles, relatively few vegetables and a final crisping on the grill.

My superb chicken shami ($15.50 large) is thinner than your typical shawarma, allowing me to focus on the spiced chicken and not be distracted by superfluous toppings. Great stuff.

My shami chicken shawarma is nicely crisped

Heading out the door, I grab a fine eggplant dip and, of course, a complementary piece of honey-drenched baklava.

A lovely eggplant dip to go

Damascus Fine Foods
4, 718 17 Avenue SW, Calgary
Opens 11 am weekdays, noon weekends
403-244-2424

Calgary’s Cheesiest Pizza

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The takeout boxes pile up early at Calgary’s Crispy Crust Pizzeria

Looking for something different than a blistered artisan pizza with scant toppings? Then check out Crispy Crust Pizzeria, in a southwest strip mall, which proudly proclaims the “cheesiest pizza Calgary has ever seen.”

It’s no idle boast, given Crispy’s 17 years in business and the steady stream of late-afternoon takeout traffic at this Woodbine neighbourhood pizzeria.

Inspired by Greek-style pizza, these thick pies feature a crispy top layer, with gooey cheese atop a crispy crust. “In crust we trust” indeed.

A true neighbourhood takeout pizzeria

Ordering by phone for pickup is the way to go, as I have a 25-minute wait for my on-the-spot order during pizza rush hour. But it gives me time to admire an efficient team of upfront servers and relentlessly busy cooks piling up the takeout boxes.

When it does arrive, my 12-inch Greek pizza ($27) weighs in at a hefty three pounds, enough for three moderate appetites. Though I  could grab one of a handful of tables (and an on-tap beer), I join the parade of box-toting customers out the door.

Maybe the heftiest pizza I’ve ever eaten

But I only make it as far as the car, almost scalding my mouth on this volcano of pepperoni, Greek staples and a ton of mozzarella, surrounded by that devastating crust.

It’s not artisan pretty, but boy is it satisfying.

Crispy Crust Pizzeria
B, 464 Woodbine Boulevard SW, Calgary
Opens 4 pm Tuesday to Sunday. Closed Monday
403-251-3329

Burger Heavyweights Go Greens

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McDonald’s enters the veggie burger party

The Globe and Mail ran an interesting article (November 12, subscription required) on the evolution of  Veggie Burgers  at Canadian fast-food outlets. 

Pretty much gone are the faux-beef burgers—think Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods—customers just didn’t like them. In their place are unabashedly veggie burgers, featuring grilled patties of peas, carrots, corn and other standard vegetables.

Industry heavyweights like McDonald’s, A&W and even Burger King are hoping South Asian descendants and local vegetarians will step up to the plate. And the pitches seem to be working, with different iterations of veggie burgers selling out in test markets across Canada.

The Spicy McVeggie Burger

McDonald’s recently unveiled its McVeggie Burger, a crispy, vegetable-dense patty that also comes in a spicy version (preferred). Joining the party is A&W’s longer roster of plant-based burgers, including the Masala Veggie Burger.

A&W’s Masala Veggie Burger

Both burger joints have outlets near me—indeed across the street from each other—making it easy to do a quick taste test. 

My first impression: McDonald’s Spicy McVeggie Burger is bigger, better and cheaper ($6.29), than A&W’s Masala Veggie Burger ($7.29). Neither is going to fill you up, unless you go for the combo meal deal. So no bargains here, other than McDonald’s decent Americano ($2.19). A&W, however, wins the convivial space award, judging by the much larger crowd of mostly seniors.

Verdict: Both burgers are pretty good, but not enough to pull me away from a juicy, real beef burger.

The real deal champion is stilly beefy