The great Calgarian Beer Hall! It's places like National that have helped turn beer geekyness into total awesomeness and changed the whole vibe around what it means to go out in Calgary. National is styley enough that you won't feel out of place if you're still donning your power tie from the that international deal you closed like a boss earlier that day and are now pounding back pints with with your colleagues. And it's casual enough that you'll still feel at home in a pair of jeans and your best ironic moustache. I gotta say, I'm a pretty big fan of the picnic table style seating that National is known for. You just get a little more interaction with the people around you. Believe it or not, 9 times out of 10 your neighbours will turn out to be pretty decent humans and you'll wind up making some new beer friends, even if only for the next hour. At the very least you go, "Excuse me, is anyone sitting here?" and they go "No, go ahead." Crack. That little bit of ice is broken. The beer selection is... I believe the correct term is "off the heezy", possibly "hizzle", I'm not sure, but it's really really good. It's broken up by category so you can go with a type you love and then go to town. And if you REALLY want to go to town, they've got "Session Sundays." $6.50 20oz pints of EVERYTHING. Village Brewery Blonde? $6.50. Rogue IPA? $6.50. Bud lite? GET OUT. Scotch Egg - This is a wonderful piece of beer hall food I happened upon last night. It's a soft boiled egg coated in in sausage and breading and then deep fried for $5. It's a great little one person snack for when you get the munchies. It's also a pretty good conversation starter. People can't fight the mystique of the scotch egg. They'll ask you about it with a slightly jealous curiosity and it's not big enough that you'll feel obligated to share with your friends. read more

Went there mid week for a bite after work. Luckily I was there for the $1 oyster night. The bar was not busy so the service was fast and efficient. The bartender really pointed me in the right beer direction. It is nice to have some samples before you commit to a pint. I also ordered the burger. It was clear that the beef was fresh. I really enjoyed it. All in all the service and food were excellent. read more

In an effort to take over Calgary with interesting bars and restaurants, the owners of Model Milk give us National. Complete with popcorn for your table, tatter tots with Franks Red hot dipping sauce, floor to ceiling windows with views of 17th Ave and long picnic tables forcing you to mingle with strangers, National is a pub rethought, and I like it. National is loud, clangy, huge and crowded with a beer menu that is extensive, sourcing all their brew as locally as possible, and their food menu impressive featuring great salads mixed with old-fashioned bar favorites like pickled eggs and nuts and all-day breakfast. Although the beer and food selection is striking, they neglected to put as much love into the cocktails and wine lists, leaving the occasional beer drinker a bit lost. I wish I could give National 3.75 stars, since this stumble only deserves 0.25 marks off a four-star review; but alas, it cannot be overlooked. I don't think I will be a bar-fly on the wall at this place since I like a little more selection for drinking and I only occasionally like to be accosted by strangers in a pub; But when I am looking for beer, I like the beer selection at National, the crowd it attracts, the location it sits in and the food on the offer, so I think I'll make a habit of going to here, sometimes. T. read more

came here 2x with the bf for drinks - he LOVES this place b/c the atmosphere is pumping...always super busy! we came once in the summer and it looked like a huge party! so many people outside on the patio it was great! the 2nd time we sat at the bar, again super packed but too cold to sit outside. i loved the beer signs that look like train stations (see pic) along the bar - super cool! he ordered oysters and we were quite close to the area where they prepare the oysters - ladies there is a mighty fineee looking gentleman that works at the oyster stations good too look at while waiting lol my bf said the oysters were fresh and tastey! will def come back for drinks, can't wait for summer patio season too! read more

National on 17th - Pubs Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

See all

Ah National - I still remember how excited we were to find out a craft beer bar was opening just a block & a half away. Then I remember the acute disappointment we felt when we discovered that knowledgeable beer fans were not National's target market. Who is National on 17th's target customer? Well, let's just say that the real reason Melrose Cafe had to close was that, surprisingly, there is not an infinite supply of douche bags on the Red Mile, & Melrose couldn't survive on National's leftovers. But anyway, let's just skip over the early days of finding NO vegetarian meals on the menu (and finding nothing that wasn't a saturated fat bomb), the times we ran dry for ages without service, the times the staff knew nothing about the beers on tap, & even the time we thought would give them one more try & ended up with poutine without curds (& then when they finally brought me proper poutine when my partner was almost finished his meal, they ended up charging me twice!) Yes, I've decided to forget all that because almost a year after what we thought would be our final visit, my partner & I started chatting with a guy at the Ship one night who commiserated with us on our bad National experiences, then said he was their new manager. Jason & I really love craft beer, & apparently you have to be absolutely appalling for us to never return. We decided to give National one more try. Good news! It has improved, somewhat. I haven't had a serious service issue in 2014, although we did run dry a few times (but nothing severe). Food has improved for vegetarians. The mac & cheese is very yummy, and is so large I had to take half home with me. The menu does vary, though, so you never know how many vegetarian offerings will be available. Last visit I had something called the "GLORY BOWL" described as "tofu, pea shoots, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, tahini dressing, brown rice". I asked the server if there were other vegetables in there (as that sounded a bit lean) & she assured me there were others, & mentioned carrots. So I ordered. But what she didn't mention was beets. I detest beets, as I am not fond of the taste of dirt. (I know the proper foody phrase is "earthy" but c'mon, dirt is dirt) If you are going to add beets to a dish, you need to mention it! Diners need to know that if they want to stir their food to blend the flavours, one dirt-tasting ingredient is going to bleed all over the rest of the meal in the colour of bad '80s lipstick. You can't just surprise them with that! Still, the tahini sauce was not bad - you might like this if you like beets. The beer is still excellent. The on screen menu done as a train station schedule is interesting but hard to read & often not accurate; I usually just stick to the paper menus. Those screens change to tvs during live sporting events. Currently they only serve North American craft brews - limits them somewhat, but on the other hand you don't catch them padding their numbers with crappy beers from anywhere (looking at you, Craft Beer Market). National on 17th wins my award for best lengthy tap list in the city at the moment. Accessibility - yes, although the main seating is long picnic tables which I honestly find difficult to navigate with a cane. There are also tables with free standing chairs which would definitely work best for wheelchairs. Bathrooms are out the hall on the main floor & I believe they are wheelchair accessible (will check & update next time I visit) Good patio around the corner of 17th Ave & 5th St SW. They also have heaters for cooler nights. Shaw Open is available for Shaw customers; otherwise there is no wifi. I am putting this on my Vegetarian Friendly in the Beltline List for now but I may have to remove it depending on how the menu changes in the future. I may also have to update this review to more stars if my 2014 experience continues, but at the moment I am still wary after being burned so many times. read more

I thought I would update my review, as this particular National - on 17th avenue has now continually disappointed in regards to service, quality, and staff. We love the National chains throughout Calgary, and go to all of them frequently for their great weekly deals, $5 happy hour, and great menu. This location seriously has some issues with staff and quality control it seems, as the past 3 visits have all been terrible. Our most recent trip, our server knew absolutely nothing about the beer selections - how do you hire someone at a beer market who has no knowledge of beer!? Whatever, we made our choices and then our friends ordered food and appetizers. The appys came out promptly. We then waited almost an hour for the entree. Clearly there was some disconnect between the server and the kitchen, or the server forgot to enter the entrees. Something went wrong either way. We got a quick apology and the server did remove the entree from the bill. However, when it did arrive there were multiple hairs in the food!!!! Our 3 hour visit to this National, the server barely asked us how we were, was extremely abrupt, and we basically had to flag her down to get a new beer. Frequently she'd miss 1 of us at the table and then walk away leaving that person without a beer until she decided to show up again. I decided I wanted to order a dessert, and asked for the fiasco gelato cookie dish. The menu doesn't really explain what it is, but my impression it was gelato with cookies, or some kind of ice cream sandwich. A few minutes later a guy walks over and plops a big bowl of ice cream down without saying ANYTHING. Definitely didn't match the description on the menu and no one even bothered to communicate with us. Had our server said they were out of cookies I'd have definitely not ordered it, but was now expected to eat this makeshift dessert... I will definitely be going back to other National locations, but am now avoiding this one, as there is a clear disconnect between customer, server, and quality that patrons have come to expect from the National brand. read more

I did lots and lots of research on where I should go while visiting Calgary. National did not come up on any of those lists. I passed by National while walking around 17th, and thought it was as great space. I decided to give it a try. I walked in and was blown away by the German Style, open table/space concept. They had TONS of beers on tap with some tv screens displaying what beers they had and where they were from. I sat at the bar, and the breakfast poutine was highly recommended by someone sitting next to me. Glad I ordered it! It had great vegetables, tater tots, cheese curds and some really good gravy, all topped with a fried egg. it was very very good! The only thing that it was lacking (and this is just a personal preference of mine) was some spicy. Luckily, they had tons of hot sauces to choose from! read more

I can only attest to the beer since we got there too late and the kitchen was closed. They have an AMAZING beer selection... Being from California, this was the kind of bar I was looking for - selection! We ended up sitting next to a girl at the bar that worked there and she was there just having fun... She was SO helpful and let us to the right beers to try on their "flight" (sample paddle). If I ever get back to Calgary, I'm coming here again. I'm actually trying to get over there before leaving in a couple of days. CHEERS to National!! read more

Ok so it has beer. On a cool sign. there are others that have done that with out the sign. Food- pedestrian at best, frozen diner at worst. the truth as always lies somewhere in between. Really expensive for what you get- london, or nyc pricing has nothing on this place for price. What calgary does, what calgary does best is make everywhere else look awesome. Especially with the food, the National enforces this natural order of mediocrity well. read more

Great place to visit and have beer and pub food. They have big long tables, so you will be sharing the table with more people but that might be actually a good opportunity to make new friends. They have inside and outdoor seating, whatever you feel more comfortable with. There is a big beer variety, the server will be able to suggest something good for your taste. I also learned they have buck-a-shuck on Tuesdays, so I'll be going to check them out :) read more

Met my Dad and sis at National for dinner on Sunday evening. We got there at 5 pm and the patio and indoor area were both very busy. Just as we sat down inside, a big storm started and everyone from the patio had to come inside. Luckily we had our seats already! At this point, I think the indoor area was completely full. I tried the Chicken Club Sandwich and the Tree Blonde Lager. I love the variety of the drink menu and the options on drink sizes. The chicken sandwich was good, but I'm not a fan of ciabatta buns and the meat was a bit dry. Considering all of the other options on the menu, I probably wouldn't order it again until I've tried some of the other items. The deep fried jalapenos are calling my name ... The service was great and the food came out pretty quickly, even though they seemed to be at capacity. I love the look and atmosphere of the restaurant, but we all agreed that it would be too loud for mom to enjoy. read more

Beer - Great Service - Okay Steak Sandwich - Awful Decided to grab a beer and a bite at National before one of the Flames preseason games. Came in during their shift change (5:30-6ish), so they only had one girl serving the entire place. She brought us our beer, and said our actual server would be starting 'shortly'. It was a while before we could flag our new server down to refill our pints and take our food order. Once we had her attention however, she did a good job. DO NOT ORDER THE STEAK SANDWICH. I know not to expect A+++ AMAZING PRIME beef when I order a steak sandwich, but I do expect it to be edible and cooked properly. This was neither. I ordered medium rare, it came out looking like ahi tuna. The steak had long stringy gristly things throughout and I couldn't cut through them. I asked the server if I could get another one, and she was very apologetic and said a whole new plate would be on its way. Once the new steak arrived, I cut into it to see that it was very, very well done. 0/2 on the steaks. My advice, stick to the drinks and appetizers if you're going to eat here. Pretty hard to screw up popcorn. read more

This location is much smaller compared to the one on 10th. They have a great beer selection. This is a great place to start the night off. It's not so great if you feel like dancing or hanging out for a while since there's not much sitting space, and not much else to do other than watching a game on TV. The servers were pretty good considering how busy the place is. Overall, a decent bar. read more

I went here with my sister on a sunday afternoon. It was pretty busy, but we were greeted and seated promptly. We started with a beer each, I got the huckleberry and I don't remember what she got because mine was incredible. I ordered the lobster poutine, which was very impressive. Big pieces of actual lobster, and a cream sauce. Could have used a little more garlic and lemon, but it was still amazing. My sister got the porchetta sandwich, (sorry for poor spelling, I don't feel like googling it) and it was delicious. The french fries were also delicious. The service was amazing. We'll be back for sure. read more

I've been to National a few times. I've eaten food/consumed beer inside, outside and have also attended a private event. I have mixed feelings about the community seats. As other reviewers have said, don't try to have a private conversation. Because people will be listening. It is one thing being a pair at one end of the table with another pair at the end. But when 3 or more try to join your table...well I'm not sure how I feel about that. The beer selection is pretty great. Something for everyone and then some. The wine selection is fairly ample for a pub too, although I haven't tried it to know the quality. Which brings us to the food. Burgers (beef as well as the turkey) are great although on both occasions the bun has fallen apart before I was halfway through. They have great flavour and are cooked really well. I also like that you have the option of a healthy side green salad or fries, depending on how calorie conscious you are being. I've had a few of their appies as well...good but nothing stand out. Service...pretty attentive but not overly friendly. They seem really rushed all the time, like they are short staffed. I do like the wrap around patio although 17th Ave traffic can sometimes drown out conversation. With all the windows, it can get quite warm on the inside on a sunny day (even in the cooler weather). read more

I should have came here first before going to the National on 10th street and then my review won't be so biased. This place is still worth the visit. The patio is nice and large and right on 17th. The food is delicious. The beer list? lacking compared to the new National on 10th. Came here to grab some lunch during the weekend. It was nice how busy it felt and the people watching was great. read more

I was very excited to try this establishment out and left very disappointed. It was very busy with all indoor seating full. The patio was open so we sat there and waited and waited and waited and waited. No greeting, no server, no busser to clear the dirty table. As I looked to see if I was missing something, a couple girls sat at the next table informed us we had to order at the bar. There was no service on the patio. So my friend and I went to the bar leaving our ladies to hold the table. After waiting a good 15 min to order a drink and not even being acknowledged by the bar staff, we said screw it and left. Easily wasted 45 min here and got nothing out of it. Went next door to the Ship and got a table, got beers and lunch all inside an hour. I guess I will likely give National a try again but WOW what a let down! ! read more

Brutal: Great location, great facility, clean bathroom. The service was the worst I've had in years, maybe ever. It took 90 minutes from the time I entered the establishment to the time I left. I had a ceasar salad and a water. How...? How...? How...? Could this order take over 60 minutes to prepare. Most establishments want to turn over the table and get the next customer. The salad itself was wilted and on par with fast food quality which is OK for 8 bucks, but not for 18.00. I won't return until I've heard there is a change of management. read more

Great service, fantastic food, huge beer selection OVER PRICED I live across the street so was stoked to find a new watering hole that wasn't the ship...that place is growing tiredsome to me. It's super trendy, the decor is great, floor to ceiling windows lots of light, great ambiance. The server we had (I want to say Amber??) she was awesome, she had a little cheat sheet with the beers that helped her describe over 100 of them. She was friendly and personable. The only thing she didn't mention (which I noticed on other people's reviews this wasn't an issue) she didn't ask us how we wanted our burger done and assumed med rare...eeeekk!! I like my steak that way but prefer my burgers well done. When I brought it up to her she did explain they grind their meat in house and offered to remake it (she genuinely wanted me to have a good burger rather than roll her eyes and be upset about it)...I hate taking food back but in this case I just couldn't eat a raw burger. I almost lost my appetite but glad I didn't because the burger was AWESOME!! However...the price tag was about $17 after I added bacon and cheese with no side...ouch! The beer is amazing...great selection and lot of things to try if you are a beer enthusiast...they have sample platters (great presentation) for the beer if you'd like to try a few. Again the beer is about $8.5/pint a bit pricey in my mind and I live on 17th ave. I'd say it's like Wurst and Craft combined...I"ll go to National here and there, but it's steep prices don't enable me to be a regular there :( read more

Great food. Great beer menu.. Slow service! But excited to come back and try the rest of the beers eventually! read more

National on 17th - First 6 - Pubs Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

There is bad service and then there is no service. Today on such a nice sunny day I went down to National on 17th the patio was very busy but there was not one person inside. I decided to sit at a bench in side and 15 mins past almost 20 mins and no one person came over to see was I having any drinks or Lunch. After leaving the place I called to let them know how crap it feels that as a customer you no longer matter. I spoke to TJ an owner / manager he seemed very nice and assured me in 5 years this has never happened. Now in the past I have been a big fan of National and have been there many times but now there is so many places to choose from. read more

I went here for their NYE party and was extremely disappointed. For $50 I spent most of the night in a nearly empty bar with music that was deafening so I couldn't even carry a conversation with my friends. They served free food which was good, and had beer samples. But nothing else promised was there. I was there with 6 people at a table and we were constantly passed by, when hats were given out, and more to my dismay when they were giving out champagne for the countdown. They walked right by ignoring is and gave us nothing, although our servers were constantly preoccupied by their own friends and boyfriends. They forgot to pay attention to the clients who paid $50 to be there. To top the night off, after 10 they began letting people in for regular cover charge, so they received everything we did and we paid 5X the amount. Not impressed. read more

Food: 2/5 Drinks: 5/5 Service: 3/5 Ambiance: 4/5 Overall experience: 3/5 I won't be going back here unless I'm not planning to eat. The beer selection was incredible for Calgary, but our waitress had no personality and knew nothing about beer. My friend and I only ordered a couple appetizers, but the jalepeno poppers seriously looked like the came out of Costco box. The crustini was ok, but way over-priced for what you got. That patio was great as it was a beautiful sunny day. I liked the ambiance and the way they have the tables set up like a beer hall. It's a great place to go and drink, but don't expect your server to know anything about beer and skip the food. read more

We visited here not too long ago and went out with our cousins and friends for a bit of Sunday Funday action. Foodwise we ordered several dishes - and everything I ate had really good presentation. To drink, I ordered a moscow mule which was made really well. Overall, I had a blast. What I didn't like was the staff - though our server/waitress was fine and nice enough. We asked several waitresses a question about wifi and they were dismissive and not really helpful. Had the staff just been overall more helpful I would have rated this higher because this is a great spot to hang out at otherwise. read more

Good scene but the many is pretty bland. Patio is amazing, and location is top notch. The servers are pretty quick and the beer is always cold. read more

My sister beat me to reviewing The National first. So Ill just say, it will definately be up there in the running with all the new eateries on 17th Ave. The service was great. It was very busy on the Thursday early evening, and very loud, so not a "first date" kind of place. All types of clientel, from the buisness suits to the casual, shorts and tattoos crowd. The food was excellent. The four of us had only one complaint, that the pretzel bread ordered was a bit small for all the mustard and beer cheese provided. Even if you dont get a table outside on the patio, being indoors is just as nice, due to the large floor to ceiling windows that are opened up when its sunny out. National also serves up a huge beer list ( as its a beer hall), plus a few selections of wines and spirits. Cant wait to go back and try more eats! read more

Now this is a spot for people watching, beer drinking and getting your grub on! I do the first and second on my first trip here. Being an out-of-towner this was a fun place to enjoy a cold beverage while chatting with a co-worker and getting to feel like I was out in it, and a part of the town. This feels like a hardcore local spot and I am glad it's so inviting at the same time. The beer selection was great, and we even got our table neighbors extra fries that they mysteriously had show up at their table, and more mysteriously decided to give to us! Yes! Next time I'm on the 'Red Mile' I'll want to come back for sure. read more

Stopped by here for brunch last week. There's been lots of hype about this place, so I thought I should finally check it out. Now, they don't exactly have a brunch menu, they have 4 all day breakfast choices. When I asked if they had a brunch menu the hostess said yes, but then the waitress said not really. Anyway, they do have a brunch special on the weekends I guess, but on that day it was stuffed french toast which I can't have because of gluten. Ah well. Pros: Clean place, nice decor. Great atmosphere inside and an awesome patio outside. Alright menu, beer selection alright Service was ok Cons: No gluten free options (food or beer) Beer prices expensive Food prices relatively expensive Breakfast was nothing special - eggs not fully cooked, but the hashbrowns were good Coffee press expensive - ordered 2 coffees, then looked at menu and realized their only option was a $5 press. Cancelled one of the coffees, I'm not paying $10 bucks for 2 coffees. Was a little curious as to why she didn't mention it was a press and that we could have shared that amount of coffee. I might go again, maybe I need to experience this place in the evening or something. Or maybe I just came at a bad time of the day... I don't know. I wasn't entirely turned off from the place, but I am in no rush to go back. read more

On our first night in Calgary, we decided to head up to 17th Avenue in downtown. This pocket of the neighborhood is known for its patio bars and restaurants, so there were plenty of places to choose from. Eventually the crowd and patio at NATIONAL made us choose this resturant. Inside, the ambience is is interesting; long wooden patio style table with attached benches all around, long bar counters, electonic billboard menus of all their beers on tap, open concept, dim lighting, etc. Its truly a one of a kind, and I see why this place can draw many patrons. Since we ate earlier my coworker and I settled for their local draught and shared their Lamb Sausage pizza. When this dish came out, though it had a gamey type of smell it tasted awesome! ingredients used was quite unique; tzatziki sauce, mint, topped off with zuchinni strings. Overall we both took a chance on this dish, and it paid off! the presentation was bang-on! our server was great! the ambience is great. National is definitely a hotspot on 17th avenue...but if you're looking for coziness, or a nice quiet place to eat, this should not be your venue of choice, but great place overall if you're with a group of friends. read more

See all

Sunny Saturday on the patio! Excellent beer selection. Love the nibblies! We had deep fried pickles, and tater tots to complement our Rogue beers. Delish. I also had a small clam chowder, which was creamy and yum, but a bit thin for my liking. I love a chunky chowder. The food that was coming out around us looked delicious, albeit a bit pricey for the portions. Our server was pretty good, wait time was fine. Thought the patio was a bit cramped though. We sat at a two-top, and you had to sit sideways to eat. Meh. Next time we will sit inside, cause it looked fabulous and open. Beautiful decor. read more

I did go here during Stampede week, so not sure if this is typical or not. The atmosphere was lots of fun, and the beer choice was excellent! The food was also quite good when we could get a server by to take an order. I would recommend checking them out! read more

Great place after work or on weekends and the staff has been awesome considering. I love the beer selection.

I went to 17th ave this afternoon with a friend with the intent of trying out a place we have never been to before. We came across The National. Great atmosphere with big windows and rustic decor. A very enjoyable place to people watch. I ordered a beer and their burger and we shared a poutine. They had a ton of beers which seemed to be a great selection. I am not a beer person but I was hoping to have a Richards White but they didnt have it. But our waitress had a great recommendation for me anyway! Their burger was fine but in all honesty nothing special or memorable except for the big price tag of $13, not including any extras like cheese or bacon. The waitress asked how we wanted our burger cooked and we had it medium well and it was cooked wonderfully. They do grind their meat fresh, however this was not enough to deliver an incredible burger. In fact the tomatoes were cut too thick and for some reason I couldn't seem to bite through the lettuce, which was really weird! I kept yanking the whole lettuce out of the bun with every bite. Annoying!! 2.5 stars for the burger! For $10 you can buy their really incredibly delicious poutine! YUM. The cheese and the gravy was fab and not too salty but flavorful and it looked as though there was some finely ground pepper on it, but I didn't really taste pepper. I give the poutine 5 stars! Yum! the best poutine I've had in Calgary so far! read more

I had been itching to try this place since it opened, and then i found out they had mini corn dogs, and popcorn on the menu and i was sold. Went on a Wednesday night at 6:30, and it was super packed, but they were able to squeeze us in at the oyster bar, which i honestly didn't mind at all. I ordered the Cesar Salad ( corn dogs will be on my cheat weekends- because i will be coming back!)- Salad was delicious, but FULL of garlic, so if you re going out later and don't want to be stinky, pass on this one. There were huge shavings of parm cheese, and giant chunks of bacon. My GF ordered 3 oysters and our server was nice enough to bring her an extra one for free. She said the oysters were delicious and very fresh tasting. Also ordered a few vodka waters, and they were served in mason jars! I LOVE MASON JARS! haha. The people here were 25-35 crowd, seemed like young professionals. I really liked it, and love their menu options, but our server was very slow, ( so slow to the point where we had to flag him on several occasions) so i do need to knock it down 1 star for that reason. read more

An excellent selection of pints is what you'll find here. If you want to check out a new brew the possibilities are enormous. If beer isn't your thing, don't worry, they serve up a great cocktail. The food is like something your talented Mom made and can satisfy an appetite. The communal seating inside can make for great conversation. Be sure to visit in the summer and take a seat on the patio for all the people watching you enjoy. read more

We went to the National eventhough we were told not to by a friend. It was actually quite nice for a Wednesday evening, but busy. We sat down at the bar and had some beer and wings (a bit over-seasoned- but I do like it that way). Beer and Wings were just ~5$CAD each- normally it's way more expensive. The bartender were all really nice, attentive and helpful. We went here last minute to watch the NHL season start-off. We would come back, but not for watching a game, as you can just watch it without sound! It's not a sportsbar ;) read more

Food and service was great. They were busy but they ware also on it and organized. My wife ended up losing her wallet there and when we called the morning after they were super helpful and had found it for us! Will definitely go again! read more

After waiting 20 mins for our first drink. We waited 56 mins for our meal. I started the timer on my phone. The manager gave me my meal for free but 2 hours of my time is not worth $20. Never returning. read more

National on 17th - after 20 mins for 1 drink, 56 mins for my meal... never going back - Pubs Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

Home of the best damn beer guzzling happy hour in this city... with real 20 oz pints- something that is near to extinction in Calgary sadly.

So, the first thing I thought to myself when seeing there was a beer hall opening up next to the Ship was, 'that's stupid', they can;t compete with the Ship. Then I realized that's not the case at all. It's a great idea. They'll get the overflow from the Ship, especially with a patio on a busy spot of the 17th Ave. strip. After I went and visited, I decided that I'd go to national regardless, because thus far, it can hold it's own. I can't help but compare it to it's old incarnation, the Mercury, which was too dark. National opened up the place by putting windown from ceiling to floor, which let's in a lot of light. It has communal picnic table seating, which encourages strangers to talk to each other, which is another thing I enjoy, and cool chandeliers hanging from above. The server was prompt to take our drink and food orders, and was extremely friendly. I had the Pulled Chicken sandwich ($14) with srichacha mayo and pickles. Amazing! The only thing I didn't like was that there's no side, and it costs $3-5 for a tiny portion of salad that took 4 bites to eat. I need more greens. My sister had the quarter chicken dinner that came with potatoes and a small salad ($14), and again, amazing. My friend and his gf shared the prezel bread ($*) that came with a mustard dipping sauce and a creamy chesse (we think) type dip, both quite good. However, thw absolute best dish was the Lobster Poutine ($16)that they let me try. This was the best poutine I have ever had. I'm definitely oredering next time. We all finished off with the deep fried Mars bar and vanilla gelato ($8). It's served cut into small pieces and with a custard dip to use for both the Mars bar and the ice cream. One serving was sweet and satisfying enough for the four of us. All in all this was a great experience, and though the prices are slightly more expensive than regular pub food, it's worth it. They had a creative menu that wasn't the same old - same old. I'll be visiting again soon. read more