Grant and Dorothy Review Calgary, Alberta Restaurants

June 27, 2025

Random Quick Picks, for those unable to decide

News

Catch of the Day:  Our most recent restaurant finds


A1%20Cafe.jpeg
  • Pure Saigonese Kitchen
    7.5/10

  • Wheelchair accessible

  • Good vegetarian, dairy free and gluten free offerings


Waterloo
  • Pigeonhole
    9/10

  • Wheelchair accessible



FABB4249 FF5A-438A-800C-E38E26247CF8_1_201_a.jpeg
  • Our House
    7.5/10

  • Good vegetarian, gluten free, dairy free and vegan selections

  • Wheelchair accessible


Appetizers: Some interesting tidbits from
         the Calgary food scene

Pie Junkie stretches out.

We seem, at times, to spend a lot of effort closing restaurants in Calgary, so this week we are happy to have info about some that are expanding. One of these is Pie Junkie.

Fracturing—COVID Fallout

COVID has had many, diverse effects on society, but one of the most subtle has been the fracturing of the restaurant trade. And by “fracturing” I mean that larger open-always eating sites have been broken down into smaller, part time ones. The latest example in Calgary has been the course of Pure, one of our favourite Vietnamese restaurants that was at 8th and 8th downtown. It has now reappeared as Pure Saigonese Kitchen in Marda Loop—an evenings only site, sharing the space with Diner Deluxe and is also in a more fast food mode as Pure Street Food at 1327 1 Street SW. We’re going to give them both a try. You should too.

New Growth

Holy Grill, another Calgary favourite, may now have a location near you. Look here.

Main Course: Restaurants recently updated

Caffe Trieste     Green Bean    Second Cup    Blue Star Diner    La Gallina Bianca         

Dessert: So who are these brash people who dare to rate restaurants?

at%20the%20Nash.jpeg

Dorothy Dawson

Dorothy is now an officially retired RN with a passion for good food and beading. She enjoys activities as diverse as traveling and the excitment of the hunt while engaging in the occasional sale or two when out shopping.

At%20the%20Bumpkin.jpeg

Grant Dawson

Grant is a retired minister (2013 for the thrid time) of the United Church of Canada, although he doesn’t understand this yet, as he still runs around doing churchy things. His hobbies include languages, Lego, computers, travelling, breathing, eating and writing—but not necessarily in that order. 

Search by Food

Bakery: Just stand there and breathe it all in.

Banquet Facilities to impress your friends and amaze your family.

Bar Food for the after work gang who keep saying they should be going home

Belgian: My son in London, England once took the EuroExpress to Belgium, because his office craved waffles for lunch. We don’t need to go nearly that far.

Brunch: For late risers or big noon eaters, this is it.

Cajun with a touch of jazz and you think you're in New Orleans

Caribbean: They got the good stuff, Man.

Cheese, portable milk

Chicken. Yes, you may use your fingers.

Chinese, with or without chopsticks

Coffee, with conversation and maybe even a cookie

Crepes, Pancakes and Waffles, thin, medium and holy

Danish, more than smørrebrød

Deli: Definitely delicious, with a dill pickle, of course

Diner: Coffee, hash browns, bacon and eggs: all the major food groups

Dinner Theatre: dinner and drama. What more could one want?

Dutch: More than cheese and chocolate.

Eastern European: from schnitzel to porogies, from sauerkraut to latkas

Ethiopian, for those of you who wonder what the Queen of Sheba ate

Food Truck: They bring it right to you!

French: Bon appetit!

Friends: Yes, you’re on here too.

General, a bit of everything cooked just as you like it

German, just pile on the schnitzel and sauerkraut

Gourmet, without the pretention

Greek, olive your favourite dishes

Grill: Basted and barbecued ready for your fingers

Hamburgers, big and juicy

Hawaiian, pineapple may be included

Hot Dogs, fully loaded

Hungarian
: Much more than just goulash

Ice Cream: Grant's other addiction

Indian/Pakistani: Europeans brought home the spices of the east, but have never learned to use them quite like the people of the subcontinent.

Indonesian: Thousands of islands with thousands of flavours

Irish, with a pint of Guinness

Italian: OK, they stole the pasta from the Chinese, but they've done a good job with it.

Japanese, simple and tasty

Juice: Squashed and squeezed just to please

Korean: Annyong haseyo?

Latin American: And in Calgary, you can even drink the water.

Middle Eastern, a pleasant way to spend warm Arabian nights

Mongolian: If you don't like something they have, then don't put it on your plate.

Moroccan, or for those who aren't quite as hungry, Lessocan

Nepalese: food from the mountains for a city in the mountains

Noodles with interesting sauces hiding lots of delights to be enjoyed ( See also various oriental cuisines.)

Pizza with all the trimmings

Portuguese, hearty food with spicy flavour

Poutine: Go wild! It’s not like you’re going to eat it every day. Unless you want to.

Russian, more than just borsch and perogies

Sandwiches: Peanutbutter made with jam or otherwise

Seafood, straight from the depths of the Glenmore Reservoir

Spanish, with tapas and beyond

Steak: It's Alberta; we have to include this.

Sweet Delights: Candies, cookies, doughnuts, cakes and cupcakes

Swiss, for those fond'a fondue

Tea: Steeped, not boiled

Thai, nice and spicy

Turkish, a delight (But now, of course the Republic of Türkiye)

Vietnamese, lots of noodles and vegetable

Search by Name

#      A      B      C      D      E      F      G      H      I      J      K      L      M   
N      O      P      Q      R      S      T      U      V      W      X      Y      Z      

Search by Location 

Beyond Calgary

                     
Northeast                                                                 Northwest
                                                                                      
36 Street NE
                                                            

                                                                
                                 
Kensington                                            
                                             
Downtown        Chinatown   
                                                            
17 Ave./ 4 St.              Inglewood
                                    
                                                                 
Marda Loop     Macleod Tr.
 
                          
Southeast                                                        Southwest               

Search by Rating

10   EXCELLENT     NOTHING MORE NEEDS TO BE SAID.

7 TO 9   A FINE CHOICE     YOU WILL ENJOY YOUR MEAL HERE.

5 TO 6   GOOD     NO MAJOR FAULTS, BUT NO GREAT STRENGTHS EITHER.

3 TO 4   BELOW AVERAGE     YOU CAN DO BETTER THAN THIS. 

1 TO 2   DESPICABLE     DIE, IF YOU WANT TO.

0   BEYOND REVIEWING     NOOOOOOO! 

                                    And to find out more about our rating system click here.

Contact us.

And as you leave Eating Calgary filled with delicious wisdom, remember…



Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie.
     Jim Davis, 'Garfield'







Thanks for visiting. Please, come again.

made on  macHostpapa.jpeg
Monkey%20Logo
The hungry Dawsons
blocs for Mac
Blocs for Mac
House of Dawson will not explicitly distribute user information to third parties. But we may share aggregated, non-identifiable data for analytics. This happens just because you follow a link from our page to theirs.
Warning: Using the facilities listed here may lead to euphoria and weight gain. Please, eat responsibly.

© Grant and Dorothy Dawson 2025