The dining experience at Hawthorn was amazing. The restaurant located in the Fairmont Palliser Hotel is a gorgeous blend of old timey charm and modern decor. The restaurant as well as the hotel is full of picture perfect moments and you can spend hours starring at the architecture. The food was delicious and amazing, I highly suggest the brussel sprouts and steak frites to anyone that goes there. I had the chance to try several dishes and they were all very good. The waiter (and all staff) was very kind and attentive and were happy to fulfill our request for pictures, which did happen a couple times. Overall a perfect dining experience and can't wait to return. read more

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Stay Away! Sadly this experience was extremely poor and it's stunning that fools are given a place like this to run, a place that should be a great dining experience but isn't, what it is can be described as the worst attempt at dinning that I can recall. I should have known when there wasn't even anyone to great us at the door, but I ignored it, I would have left after spending minutes in this place of former glory and current decrepitude but I ran into someone accidentally and I was able to get seated in this nearly empty place- yes, it's amazing that for dinner there was more staff than dinners. Alas, the meal was nothing but a bait and switch and the staff was anything but accommodating or helpful. The dirty glass of water was a poor sign as well, so much for a glass of ice and a glass of water which I ordered but was ignored. Certainly with all the poor signs this place needs to be boarded up and turned into a fast food restaurant, anything would improve the experience. Was looking forward to it, but Hy's was the choice we decided upon next, it was as usual, full, friendly, and delicious. What a dump this was. :( read more

We were staying for a couple of nights in the hotel. Decided to have a breakfast there. It was about 8:30 on a Monday, and there were plenty of empty tables. We had a group of 6 and were seated without any wait. The entire hotel is a gem. From the dark wood paneling, to the tile floors, retro lighting, and fresh cut flowers. Got greeted by our service, who did a great job throughout the entire meal. Friendly, efficient, and helpful. The menu had lots of very good selections. However I didn't see one of my favorites, avocado toast with smoked salmon. I asked the server, and she said "no problem". It came deconstructed, so I was able to make it up fresh. Everything about it was good, including the capers, and pickled red onion. It's a little pricey, but for the experience, it a good value. Would stop in again. read more

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Came for the vibe and was not disappointed. Came here because we were told the environment was excellent and it's correct. Old school formal vibe reminiscent of where the rich in the early 1900s hung out. Had the Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt inspired cocktail and it was delicious. read more

We went for Mother's Day. They seemed to have no idea it is one of the busiest days of the year - they were so disorganized. They seated us late and then totally ignored us so that we had to go to the front to ask for a server. The server we got was okay but certainly not up to par for the establishment (I was a president's club member for ~10 years). The food was good when it came but considering that you pay premium prices for the experience it was very disappointing overall. We'll go to Earl's instead next time, they seem to understand that quality of service matters. read more

Stopped by during our lengthy layover en route to Paris. Very elegant space and even had a coat check. Fancy! We lucked out and got seated pretty quickly on a Sunday brunch day without a reservation. Service was prompt and friendly. Kiddos had a burger and chicken tenders. Mama and I shared the absolutely delicious Farro bowl. It was amazing. Lots of people having Tea Parties while we were here. Nice place and we highly recommend. read more

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Wonderful lunch and great service. Fresh ingredients! Friendly staff. Very accommodating with the orders.. read more

Hawthorn Dining Room & Bar - Romaine bowl with chicken - Bars Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

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I am here every Christmas for the beautiful scenery and amazing service. This year was the ultimate disappointment. The server was inconsistent and absent. And when paying made me tell him my tip to enter would not give me the machine. I will not be back. read more

That hawthorn vibes!! All I can think of was "Welcome to Hawthronnnn". The Menu! IYKYK!! Came for Mad hatter theme afternoon tea. I came right after I landed/ took longer than I expected to get a car, check in and ran to here. But they were flexible to move the time. But the service was very rushed. Tea picking was fun. Then came all the food. So much food. I like the tea sandwiches. The cookies were cute but such a let down. Overly sweet! Way too sweet to consume. Also the desserts/ so pretty but almost frozen. Not fun to eat. Not good to eat. Overall, I came for the vibes and Mad hatter theme. Love the ambiance and tea. For $89 per person for afternoon tea: I expected better food and cakes. They lacked that! It's inside Fairmont so the walk-ins was fun and gorgeous. Left feeling like we overpaid! And still hungry. Oh well' read more

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We chose to dine in the dining room of the hotel simply because we did not feel like venturing out on a rainy night. We were pleasantly surprised. The food was excellent and the wait staff both friendly and helpful. The clam chowder and the shrimp and fish with mushroom risotto were excellent. The steak was prepared perfectly and the deserts were delicious. read more

Went here for a bachelorette dinner and for a fancier (expensive) downtown restaurant it did not meet ANY expectations. Prefacing that the restaurant was not busy at all The service was horrible - took over 15mins of being sat down before a server Came to take drink order. Forgot to bring water when asked at time of ordering drinks. Then it took about 15-30mins before anyone came back to take the food order. The ordering didn't take long - maybe 5 mins. We waited over an HOUR for our food to come out. I understand we were a large group but an hour seems very excessive. When the servers were bringing out the food they couldn't remember who had what. I ordered the burger and fries ($30) - the fries were over cooked, hard and crunchy, and the burger was extremely salty with a stale bun. I was so hungry by the time the food came out, I ate what I could salvage. The bill took another 30mins before getting out and it was split up wrong; took the servers 4 try's to finally get them correct. For the price and location of Hawthorn - it is not worth it. For 1 drink and burger and fries, my bill was $65. Do not recommend this place at all. read more

Hawthorn Dining Room & Bar - Bartender's choice drink White wine sangria - tasted VERY gingery - Bars Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

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Super cool vibe. Great atmosphere. It was like being transported through time with the the decor being modern in a historical setting, great music playing. We went only for drinks and dessert (before dinner). The drinks are definitely the priciest I've ever paid ($31 and $19), delicious but definitely a splurge to say the least. We went for the cinnamon crepe cake. Perfect to share. read more

Hawthorn Dining Room & Bar - Bars Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

Hadn't been here since 2012 and bar location within the Palliser had changed. But: the current bartender, Chris, is out of this world. Perfect martini for me, and an elegantly balanced Emerald Lake Dream for my wife. read more

Stayed at the Fairmont so naturally went downstairs to try the breakfast buffet. $32 on a weekday. Slim Pickens for a hotel buffet with a hefty price tag. Fruit selection was nice as it included fresh berries in addition to the usual out of season melons. Bread selection was fairly weak but I had a croissant which wasn't bad. Smoked salmon was a bit off don't know what it was but I didn't enjoy it. They had some interesting cheese that had jalapeño bits which was nice. Coffee was a bit weak but they gave me a mini pot so I could refill and warm up at will. Eggs were scrambled. It was ok and they offered eggs cooked to order but I didn't partake. No omelette station as you would find down the street at the Hyatt. Sausage and bacon were both undercooked not great. Not much else. read more

Great ambiance and complementary valet parking is nice but the portions are incredibly small and the service was painfully slow. We had reservations at another place for drinks after that we had to cancel because we couldn't get out in time. We payed $145 for 2 drinks and 2 main courses. Our table time was over 2.5 hours. The food we got was good, but like I said the portions were SO small. Not sure if this was a one off but can't say it was worth the price. read more

Tried it for the first time since moving to Calgary, it does not live up to it's hype unfortunately. We ordered $250+ in food and all 3 of our beef tenderloins were supposed to be medium rare and it was beyond dry and the manager told us that it was a little less than medium rare??? I've eaten at many steakhouses and I'm pretty sure it wasn't medium rare. The 2nd round of steaks came out again after complaining about it and they overcooked it just a bit still, we gave up because we waited 30-35mins for the first round of steaks and 20-25 mins for the 2nd round and were too hungry to bother having them re-do it but atleast the sauce was good, I don't know why this restaurant cut the steaks in half, of course it's going to dry out. The service is SUPER slow as well. It took about 15 mins to get my cocktail and another 15 to get the bill when there wasn't even that many guests and it was a Sunday too. The birthday girl got a cute little mousse cake with a sparkler on it for her bday by the restaurant, it tasted very good until the crust on the bottom of it had a very crunchy dirt like bite that was very similar to eatting an eggshell on one side of the dessert. Overall, it's a cute place but if you don't like your steaks overcooked and slow service with a pricy bill then this place isn't for you. Will never come back here again after that and i'd recommend The Keg instead. read more

Hawthorn Dining Room & Bar - Bars Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

The staff are absolutely amazing and they are the reason why I continue to visit this gorgeous hotel restaurant, plus it's always bustling and it's nice to be at the centre of attention in such a beautiful beautiful lobby. I love ancient historical hotels and this one is very special. It was my son's birthday and they treated him like a king and gave him a free dessert. Thank you so much to the amazing waitress! read more

A "Benny" - as Hawthorne calls it is the distant cousin of Eggs Benedict. It looks nothing like a Traditional time honoured Eggs Benedict reliably found In every top hotel worldwide All doing it as expected and Up to par. Think : Martini or Old Fashioned. You just cant creatively mess with the recipe beyond recognition. Hawthorne has done that herein - and unapologetically so. The "Benny" as Hawthorne calls it is not done with the classic poached eggs. They do it - Its sunny side up. A traditional english muffin sitting Below a beautifully positioned poached Egg ? Forget that. "Benny" likes to borrow Texas toast, make it extra crispy and Lay the tiny eggs on top - So when you go to cut the crispy thick Texas toast with a knife it all falls over, including the very salty ham reminiscent Of luncheon meats - like the leaning tower of Pisa - falling. (Eggs Benedict's dont tip over - they always stay put.) Now, I let multiple parties herein know about this. That what you think is a Eggs Benedict, in fact is Eggs + Toast. They would not budge. Completely unapologetic about it. I appreciate Benny May want to put a creative spin On something no one puts a spin. Just like you cant mess with other great traditions like an Old Fashioned. Eggs Benedict is one Of the consistent Luxuries of The civilized world. Wherever you Go on whatever continent. The top Luxury hotel always deliver on The classic Benedict. Always. Here ? Benny wants to waltz in and pretend sunny side up Egg on a Texas toast = Eggs Benedict. No. It does not. Despite repeated assurances That the customers.love it, i highly doubt anyone looking for a classic Eggs Benedict will be happy w a phoned in version in the name of being cool, while missing the entire point of the Eggs Benedict experience. It is always reliably the same wherever you go - outstanding and full of timeless grace. That Eggs Benedict is nowhere to be found herein. Benny has took over. The Coffee was crap as well. Undrinkable. That was my AM experience. My noon time experience on display was a beer in a common glass, unchiled. You trying to be a 3 star hotel ? Your on your way. Late night fared no better. It was very obvious the bartender doesn't know what he / she is doing. The early AM, noon + Late night experience was consistently disappointing. On top of that - when the House fails it usually offers something better. Thats Five Star policy. But this is actually a four star hotel reaching for three. And that is my rating herein. 3 Stars. One star for Breakfast. One Star for the unremarkable beer at noon. One Star for the failed cocktail late night. 3 Stars. And that is my being - very - very generous. read more

Probably wouldn't dine here again. Currently eating breakfast and I wanted to get the Eggs Benny which was $21. The server asked if I wanted it with salmon or ham. I asked if the salmon was extra (extra price), and she said no. So, I ordered the salmon. She only came by once at the end to check on me, and also provided the bill. The bill had the Salmon Benny at $29.00. I then told the server that I had asked initially if the Salmon was extra, and she said no when it's clearly an additional cost. She did change the price to discount it back to $21 as she provided me wrong information. This hotel overall has a lot of extra/additional charges. I personally would not come back, although the Salmon Benny was good, but not worth nearly $30. read more

This is a review of the high tea service at the Fairmont Palliser. It was, in short, fairly atrocious and I'm only giving two stars because the scones were good (not great but good) and everything wasn't completely inedible plus the renovated space is nice. Also, service was pleasant if not a bit lacking in actually providing said service. Tea selection was average - nothing really special or standout. The server had us wait for our full party to be seated before "explaining" the menu but proceeded to simply read the menu out to us like we were 4 years old and were not literate enough to peruse the menu for ourselves. We then had to inquire about pretty much all of the teas as there were quite a few that were vague in name and there was no description of the teas in the menu. For example, teas that were called market fresh, waterfront, etc. require an actual explanation; she also did not offer information in which were herbal without inquiry. This also seems like a basic detail that should be provided. My mother ordered the earl grey tea and I thought it was worth mentioning that it was quite pedestrian. I had had earl grey tea from a tea bag the night before that I thought was better and the tea was extremely watered down by the second pot. The food started out well as the scones were fresh and tasted delicious with the strawberry jam and clotted cream. However, the tea sandwiches were completely unacceptable. There was a roast beef sandwich that tasted like the meat had gone bad and only one person at the table was able to eat the entire sandwich. There was a smoked salmon pinwheel comparable to those that I've sampled at Costco and a chicken salad sandwich that should have just been called a mayo sandwich because that's all you could taste. The cucumber sandwich was fine but presumably, you shouldn't be able to screw that up. The desserts were all right, the lemon macaron was sweet but tasty. The hazelnut financier tasted like a chocolate chip muffin but luckily I like those. My mom ate two of the fruit tarts so that must have been good because she's picky about sweet treats (I was too full to taste one at that point) and the raspberry chocolate mousse was so sweet I had a small bite and my teeth immediately hurt. The lavender shortbread while tasty was also on the sweet side. Again, nothing special and this selection was mostly edible especially in comparison to the sandwiches. At the end of our meal, we proceeded to ogle the room searching for our waitress while we waited probably at least 20 min to get a refill of water for our tea and another 30 min to get boxes and our bill. The room was nice, a lot of mirrors which made the space lighter and airier and the dark wood and cognac leather decor seemed true to the Western naturesque roots of Alberta. I entered the women's restroom and initially thought it wasn't operational because it was so poorly lit. You can barely see yourself in the mirror. A larger lighting fixture above the mirror would greatly improve the space. I liked the floral motif and thought it was a nice space otherwise. It's sad because I'm really proud of my city and history and do not feel like this Fairmont experience lives up to its sister hotels. If it was cheaper, I would have said the experience was passable. However it was overall a dismal experience for the $65/person price tag. read more

We had a wonderful dinner at Hawthorn! The setting is so beautiful as well. Local wine paired with endive pistachio salad, grilled bread and fresh shrimp cocktail. The flat iron steak was perfectly cooked and the asparagus was topped with delicious bread crumbs. We eaten at many of the Fairmont restaurants and love Hawthorn! I saw 2 stars in YELP and went anyway. 2 stars is a mistake plus you can't beat Fairmont service. It's the Best! read more

Everything was so tasty and perfectly seasoned. Service was attentive and friendly. Will definitely be coming back.

Spur of the moment reservation with family. We had a very enjoyable evening! Started with cocktails, shared plates and a bottle of wine. Notable dishes: fresh oysters, pork belly, amazing bread, andouille sausage with burata cheese. Finished off with cinnamon toast crunch and chocolate tart with caramel sea salt dessert. Joseph was our knowledgeable, professional guide as server. We will be back!! read more

Had a great supper on Valentine's Day. For a hotel restaurant this was excellent. But even compared to high end restaurants it was quite good. Had their three course fixed menu. Everything was delicious and the atmosphere in the lobby area is elegant and classy. Endive salad was nice. Hawthorn bread was sourdough plus some nice garlic butter. Shrimp cocktail and oysters were fresh and tasty. The sauce for the oysters made the dish. Steelhead trout with cous cous was very well done and flavourful. Flat iron steak and the sauce was done perfectly to medium rare. The fries were only ok but I have had them a lunch before and they were fresher and crispier. The dessert was a bit too sweet for our palettes as there was. A chocolate piñata heart wth some berries and truffles.overall highly recommended. Pricy but comparable to other high end restaurants. Service was impeccable. Not sure why the review were are so marginal! read more

I had the shrimp toast Benny - warm soggy bread ( not toast) with a smear of avocado, topped with a layer of cold shrimp, cold cucumbers and a cold fried egg all drowning in room temperature hollandaise. It tasted worse than it sounds. Inedible. read more

Had lunch on July 17th with 6 other ladies. Lovely surroundings and atmosphere! But the food was really bad! Could not understand this given the high quality I have enjoyed here over the past 60 years! The Protein bowl at $19.00, which a couple of my friends had, was nothing but a large bowl full of over dressed red lettuce (?) with a very few little pieces of chicken thrown in - should have been called a salad and, even at that, should have had more ingredients than just lettuce. How disappointing! My Lox Toast was better but not by much. Side was the same, but did find a couple of small thin onion rings in it. Main was a slice of bread (toasted? should have had a steak knife to get through the crust) overcome with a deep thick layer of cream cheese/sauce and a few slices of smoked salmon laid on top, scattering of capers. As regards these two particular menu items - there seemed to be an extreme lack of competency/creativity/appeal in the concept of the dish and the execution could not do much to improve it. Not sure of which dishes were ordered by the other 2 ladies. On the plus side - the volume of the music was turned down when requested. read more

This was the most disappointing service I've ever received from a Fairmont Hotel dining room. I wasn't offered a tasting glass of my own when I arrived five minutes after my friend started picking wine for dinner. We asked the waiter for glasses for me and he very rudely told us to share the tasting!!! Disgusting to say the least. From there it went downhill even further; he walked away leaving us bewildered as to this sub par level of service, proceeded to leave us for another ten minutes while we "figured it out" in his words before he walked away. I had to pour my own water, I guess he was too busy in a half full room to do that too. When he did come back, it was to chat with the couple behind us and then to walk past us without a word. Needless to say, we decided our evening was not going to be a pleasant one. We walked out and went to Ruth's Chris which is right next door to the Palliser. I still haven't received an apology or explanation from The Hawthorn Dining room Manager, or F&B Manager; although I was told I would be receiving a call. To add insult to injury, The Hawthorn Dining Room also blocked access to booking a table on Open Table on my friend's app. WOW. Save your time and money and go to any of the surrounding restaurants. I'd suggest Ruth's Chris, the service, food and wine were impeccable. read more