We came here a month ago on the last leg of our honeymoon as our "splurge" celebration meal and we were severely disappointed... We used to live in Calgary, work in the industry, and we have been to many restaurants including Model Milk (which we really enjoyed) so we thought Pigeonhole would be a safe bet. We came in on a busy Friday night - a bit later in the night (around 9:30pm). Our server/bartender was great - the cocktails we ordered were not very palatable though (although they were strong!). We ordered a few plates to try: Salted cod crepes - these were delicious! Perfectly cooked and great flavour combinations. Charred cabbage - also tasty, but a bit greasy Cauliflower - it really was as amazing as the reviews say! BC Pine Mushrooms - definitely not a win - our sourdough baguette was burnt (not toasted, not "charred") and so burnt in fact that it was all you could taste - we had to take the mushrooms off the bread to fully enjoy the subtle taste Milk fed veal breast - do NOT get this - we literally had the taste of sesame stuck in our mouths for the rest of the night. It was SO salty and SO doused with sesame sauce we couldn't even finish it, much less taste the actual veal (I'm sure it was delicious). Not sure if it was late and the kitchen dropped the ball, but for such a high rated restaurant you'd think their quality & service would be on par no matter what time it is. Yes we did like 3/5 dishes, maybe we just made bad choices on the other 2? But the thing that left us with the most sour taste in our mouths (after the saltiness of the sesame) was the management style. My husband (a former chef who has worked in some of the best restaurants in this country) talked to the manager (or supervisor) about our "abysmal" dishes - he removed the veal off our bill that we barely ate, but was in no way sympathetic, or willing to go the extra mile to change our opinion of the food and restaurant. We were still STARVING but after being treated like we were somewhere that we didn't belong and didn't deserve to be taken care of, we just paid the bill and went somewhere else. Absolutely terrible hospitality on his part and the restaurant's for that matter. read more

We had an infuriating experience with their haughty hostess. I made a reservation online. I responded to their email the day before and confirmed my reservation. Then when we showed up for the reservation, the hostess couldn't find it. I showed her my confirmation email and she said, "Ohhh, we switched reservation systems to open table yesterday. Maybe that's why we don't have your reservation." You think??! What a moron. I informed her that if that was the case, they should have done something to ensure they didn't lose reservations, which apparently never occurred to her. There was a long back and forth that consisted of her not apologizing and doing nothing to accommodate us, even though the fault was completely the restaurant's and not ours. She eventually offered to seat us at the window, which was not acceptable as it was a birthday dinner. When we objected, she informed us that a reservation only guarantees a seat in the restaurant, not a seat at a table. Well since that was the case, I asked her why she didn't take one of her upcoming reservations and move them to the window and give us their table. She didn't respond. The three of us ended up sitting at a table for two, with two of us sitting on the bench. Needless to say, the table adjacent to us was not happy with this arrangement. The restaurant did not comp us anything in an attempt to right their wrong, and they didn't even apologize. I can appreciate that it's a new trendy restaurant and they can afford to piss of customers and still be full all the time. This attitude is apparent in their total lack of customer service at the front of the house. read more

Completely disappointed with the arrogance of the staff. Raw fish, regardless of its nature should never smell and taste "fishy". When we politely pointed this out and the staff politely took it away, all was good. Things quickly fell apart when we were reminded three times that the calamari was supposed to smell "fishy". The fishy issue is somewhat inconsequential at this point, the need to correct your customer is not. read more

One of the best meals I've had this year. Partner and I had seven plates: watermelon with smoked tofu, cauliflower, ricotta dumplings, crepes stuffed with cod, veal, octopus, and cabbage. Each was masterfully complex and not one wasn't delicious, but if I had to pick ones I'd order again they'd be the cauliflower (one of the best treatments of one of my favourite vegetables), the cod crepes and the cabbage... but ask me again if the menu shakes things up. Service was absolutely perfect, smart, friendly, and the pacing of the dishes was very impressive given how complex managing this format is. So SEVEN shared plates, two glasses of wine and one excellent Village Kölsch were $120. Stunning deal, beautiful experience all around. read more

Fantastic tapas with share-able portions. The beef tartare is incredible. Great whiskey selection. Reasonable prices for the quality and portions. Service is good and servers are friendly. The flatware is adorable. read more

This place is wonderful. We usually sit at the bar (best view of the cheeses, drool) the manager is awesome, probably the best service experience I've had in the city. We've only tried a few of the dishes they were both amazing. Love the rotating menu, always something new. This place is a must visit. read more

Keep in mind : Tried pigeon-hole with a group of friends. I'm picky and prefer to eat very clean with low amounts of fat in my diet. Positive: Ambience was perfected through excellent service, lighting, and decor. The drinks were high quality. Negative: Although a person is aware this a pricey/trendy place, the portions were too small and the ingredient choices didn't pass my scrutiny for an expensive meal. What you have here is very average/inexpensive ingredients beautifully dressed up by a talented chef and presented on small side plates (think high-fat sauces and fatty meats). Conclusion: Reminds me of many other tapas places where you pay a lot to eat like a pigeon- Ultimately the value just isn't there for me. read more

Extremely impressive restaurant. The best restaurant experience I've ever had in Calgary, and one of the best I've had period (including Michelin star restaurants). We ordered four items for two people. The dishes come out one at a time, at a good pace. Every single dish was absolutely wonderful, and the portions are perfect. In particular I recommend the haloumi dish and the linguini. Price was suitably high, but the quality is so good that it doesn't feel overpriced. If you're in Calgary, you must go at least once. read more

Really wanted to like this place, and I had high expectations as I am a fan of Model Milk, but I left pretty disappointed and underwhelmed. The food is average, at best. The atmosphere is decent and the staff were great, but that's about all Pigeonhole has going for it at the moment. read more

We had a good experience here a couple months ago. The restaurant was nice and open, you can see the chefs making your dishes depending on where you sit. The service was prompt. We found that the food was pretty good. We had some yummy duck, and mushrooms. The charred cabbage was a bit too salty for our taste. The portions are on the smaller side, but perfect if you have a group of 4 or more to share. Overall, one of the better restaurants in Calgary. read more

Food was great, for large plates, chicken was awesome, probably main knock is it's expensive and the small plates add up fast, so just be ready for that when you go. Overall though most of the food we had was awesome. read more

Enjoyed a treat on their patio- great location fabulous service. Wine list was disappointing, and pricey. the tapas were pretty good, but the vinaigrette over powered the ceviche flavours. Can't go wrong with Oysters! Enjoyed the ambience read more

We enjoyed a spur-of-the-moment dinner with friends. Pigeonhole was able to accommodate our preferred booking time and our allergy requests. The ambience is casual. Loved the decor and set up of the restaurant with three dining areas. When the restaurant is full, it can be noisy. Our server was pleasant and helpful. She gave us a list of all GF menu options (about 2/3 of the menu) and checked on a few more items that were modified for us. The restaurant was packed but our table service was well-timed. It was laid back but attentive. Our water and wine glasses were re-filled promptly. We shared 5 plates and were pleased with all the flavours. The presentation was lovely and the food was at the right temperature. This is tapas with a twist (not just spanish dishes). Our favourite was the grilled cabbage! We will return. This was an A+ dining experience and our food bill was reasonable for the level of service and food quality. read more

I dined here on a weekday night and was, thankfully, accommodated quickly without reservation. The food was incredible! Our server made several recommendations upon request, and each was excellent! The charred cabbage, despite sounding uninteresting to me at first, came highly recommended from the server and turned out to be delicious. We also ordered the Arctic char larb, the wagyu beef tartare, and the roasted Alberta lamb, and we were delighted by each dish. I look forward to trying the eggplant, shrimp and pork popcorn, and the pork belly the next time I visit! read more

Came here as part of a medium sized bachelorette party. Our server offered to choose our plates for us and was very attentive the whole time. The dishes were nothing less than what I have come to expect from pigeonhole - delicious and varied and the desserts are probably my favourite in Calgary. Favorite dishes were the softshell crab and the charred cabbage - and of course all three of the desserts (you really can't go wrong with any) but the lemon madeleines were the star of the show. Came out fresh from the oven...enough said. The only downside to our night is that in the flurry of activity we all forgot about the included gratuity in our bill and the server made no mention of it at the end, puzzling as good servers always do. As the first few people started paying (and double tipping) he continued to say nothing and it wasn't until we were all done that we realized we had just paid a 35% tip for our $900 bill. Pretty shady, definitely won't make the mistake of returning with a group to avoid this! Pigeonhole please tell your servers to remind large groups of the included gratuity - it's just a classy touch. read more

Excellent tapas style plates perfect for sharing - although very tasty a full meal is a little rich for my palette. List of new takes on classic dishes and beautiful ingredients. All wines are organic/bio-dynamic and the cocktails are excellent. read more

Unfortunately I am thoroughly and utterly disappointed. We flew in from Toronto and after spending weeks to plan for this getaway trip, we decided on Pigeonhole because of its reviews of being the "top 10 restaurants" in town. How they managed to get this title? I have no clue. Here are my thoughts about the food (that the server recommended): Ricotta Dumplings - nothing spectacular. With this being one of their signatures, there was no wow factor. Grilled eggplant - with miso and beets? I guess this was average. No one was over the moon. Charred Cabbage - I thought there were supposed to be jalapeño peppers (as noted by the staff) to give it a kick. There was no kick, there were no jalapeño peppers. Chicken Schnitzel - okay, it tastes like a slab of chicken breast meat. Some parts were tender and some parts, overcooked and dry. The rest of the food that appeared on the same plate? More than my required sodium intake of the day that I needed to down a few glasses of water before continuing with my food. Arctic Char...lettuce wrap? Too much sodium that the back of my mouth was burning. Could someone please fill another glass of water for me? Atlantic Cod - why did the server even recommend this? It was the opposite of the sodium-heavy-dishes that I had earlier that night. The Atlantic cod tasted boiled and bland while it went swimming in a pool of salty water that had peas in it. I was left very confused about this dish. Jasper Brewing Co. Crisp Ale - thank goodness this tasted the way it should've tasted (because it was from a can...) I rarely give out low ratings and would've given it 2.5-3 stars, but after the interaction with the server, I have no choice but to drop it to 1 star. In simple terms, it went along these lines as we were clearing the bill: Server: how did the food taste? Me: ok. Server: just okay? Me: (reasons stated above) Server: oh, sorry. Well, have a good night. *takes credit card machine back and leaves* So, I'll leave it to your discretion about trying this Top 10 restaurant. The fact that my opinion did not seem to matter and the admin team was probably not even made aware of this issue really makes me wonder how they got such good reviews. Needless to say, I won't be coming back to try this place nor would I recommend trying this place to friends and family. read more

Beautiful decor, fun atmosphere, and delicious food! I probably had the best duck dish ever (besides Peking duck...). The duck is so tender and flavourful, feels like dream. A must try place! read more

After reading the great reviews I must have really been here on an off night. I don't know that I have ever had such a combination of poor food, poor service and crowded, unenjoyable atmosphere. Both myself and my friend felt ill afterwards. So disappointing. After such a poor experience I was in shock that this Resteraunt was so highly rated in Calgary. There are many far better places to eat in Calgary, with staff who are welcoming, cheerful and helpful. We had an oyster mushroom dish that had no oyster mushrooms in it, but full of button mushrooms. Most disappointing and false advertising to say the least. We had some cabbage that initially tasted amazing but was so full of oil or fat that it became inedible after a few bites. Considering the dishes are really only a few bites, this blew that dish into the weeds. Feeling ill after dinner guaranteed that we won't be back and won't recommend this Resteraunt to others. There are so many better places with better service in this great food city!! Perhaps someone made an error in the voting process that rated Pigeonhole so highly!! read more

Fantastic location, great patio, service was top-notch. The menu has many unique dishes which I haven't seen elsewhere (their friend cauliflower dish - Delicious!) Great spot for my group of 5 girls. Definitely pricey, but the service and quality of the food reflected that. Will definitely be back! read more

Delicious and flavourful. You can tell each dish has been poured on with love and meticulousness of artisans. They are served in small quantities but are meant to be shared, or not. I will definitely come back. read more

This spot is GORGEOUS in a total Gatsby-esque way... which is what I hope they were going for, otherwise I'm totally off. They have a great collection of cocktails that come in vintage glasses. Beware though: these are potent. Delicious, but potent. You won't notice because they go down smooth but the sugar and gin will hit you later, right around the same time as the tab. At $13 a pop, this isn't the venue for a frugal evening out, but perfect for a girls night or a something-special date. Staff was lovely and attentive, and particularly accommodating to our rowdy group of 7, god bless them. This is a great new addition to 17th, and I'll be back to sample more of the menu soon! read more

Food was good but not worth it at the price point. A friend booked for a group of 10, things were ok, service was sub-par, thing's took a long time to get moving (ordering, splitting the bill, etc.). However at the end when we all paid our portions of the bill, there was a surprise MANDATORY "service charge" of $40-45 ???? That's on top of tips and all. Did NOT disclose that to my friend when she was booking. Very unprofessional. Will not be recommending or coming back. read more

Holy a-lot-of-swear-words, this place just knocked my socks off. Service? Great. Decor? Adorably quaint and cozy and tasteful. Food? DELICIOUS. Tartare was amazeballs. Beets rocked my world. Broccolini killed it. Crepes were good. Dessert tasted as creative and yummy as it looked. Wine list is beautiful. I don't even want to tell people about how amazing it was because I want to keep it all to myself. However that's insanely unfair to the chef and the staff and as much as it pains me to share this delectable secret, I must spread the gospel. I. Love. Pigeonhole. New favourite. Hands down. read more

Had a really good anniversary dinner. 3 separate dinning areas, if you have a good size group you want to sit up by the chefs for a good view of the kitchen. All meals were really done well..overall it was a great experience. read more

We'd heard lots about this restaurant, especially given it's high ranking within Canada's top 100 (10th spot), and were anxious to try it out. Making a reservation was easy using the OpenTable service on their website and a follow-up phone call from the hostess the day before. We were brought here by our waiter at Model Milk where we'd enjoyed drink prior. We were quickly seated at a rather small table near the big and bright windows. Our waiter was friendly, knowledgeable and always handy and suggested some dishes for us to try. The dining style here is more like sampler plates and we ended up ordering 6 such plates with drinks to accompany them. Everything we ate was delicious - and inventive - and we thoroughly enjoyed the culinary experience. The kitchen is open and feels like it is right there in the dining room, and in fact you practically walk through it to use the restrooms! Our only criticisms are that the tables are a bit small, and the atmosphere was a little subdued - we didn't get a huge vibe - it was more like eating in a library. But then, if you;re here for a quiet dinner date, it is fine! We can't wait to come back and try some of the other dishes! read more

Great food and bourbon cocktails. Excellent service. The Dry Aged Wagyu Steak Tartare, Charred Cabbage, and Smoked Ribs are all excellent.

The stars aligned tonight. The food was everything It was reputed to be, and the service was superb. Every single dish we had was absolutely delicious: the Fogo Island shrimp toasts, the chili shrimp, the kale salad, the burrata, the grilled cabbage, the cauliflower, the pork secreto, and the madeleines. Our server was a delight: friendly, funny, polite and attentive. The only quibble is that the water glasses are stupid small; the upside was more time with our server. read more

I have been here thrice in less than a year; each time I had the same server Ashley. Firstly, she's amazing...bar none. Attentive, caring, funny; had wine pairings down to a tee. Secondly, I have significant allergies and each time I arrived, both the wait staff and the kitchen were prepared to accommodate. The ambience is reminiscent of my favourite haunt in NYC, and while it is a titch loud, I always enjoy the background music and leave with a full belly. Fantastic. read more

Group of 4 of us had dinner here prior to the Peter Gabriel/Sting concert. The food was amazing! You have to like the whole small plate sharing thing, but it is worth it. Our server was great as well (sorry can't recall her first name). Will be back! read more

I really wanted to like this place after the hype I heard. I thought it was good, but not great place overall. The server was a friendly enough guy, but it has started to bug me when these restaurants focus on non-GMO, sustainable, organic as rubber stamps of quality. I was offered to sample any wine on the list before buying a bottle. However, when I asked to do so I was met with "well all our wines are good, the one you want is organic, non-GMO...blah blah" then indirect pressure just to buy the bottle. Kind of disappointing. I don't care what kind if methods the winery uses if its good wine, but hey I am not pretentious hipster like that. The dishes were very good to inedible. Ricotta dumplings and charred cabbage were excellent. Duck leg was good, Angus beef was average, crumpets average, lamb breast was awful. Seriously, it was a solid piece of fat I couldn't chew, totally disgusting. Cheese plate had excellent blue cheese, but the cheddar and Bree were average. Overall a good not great place that is overhyped. Seeing as I hear that it is related to model milk I am not surprised. They need to turn up the substance and turn down the kitch. Ie: The record player was a cool idea, but would have preferred not to chew the fat. read more

A solid player in the variety of sharing style restaurants available in Calgary. I went for a larger group dinner and enjoyed the attentiveness of the service, ambiance, and food choices. Unique dishes (charred cabbage, green beans with strawberry and feta), and delicious desserts (poached rhubarb and white chocolate make a great pair, who knew?) It is on the more expensive side, but the quality is worth it and I would definitely return! They also circled the auto gratuity on the bill, which is a nice reminder and helps avoid confusion when dining with a larger group. Overall a great experience! read more

First of all you need to know... Earl Grey Martini! It's not on the menu so it is a secret gem. Second if you are looking for a quick meal this is not your joint. We had a 6:30 reservation and didn't get seated until 6:45 and it took 1.5 hrs to complete our event. It was still worth it and understandable for the number one new restaurant in all of Canada. The food combinations are unlike any other you've had before. That said the food is excellent. The servings are small and you can expect to order 3 plates per person. This allows you to share and try more dishes. The roasted scallion aoli served with the beef was perhaps my favorite steak topping I have ever had. The blue plate chicken special was my next favorite. The chicken is on the bone and a bit difficult to manage on a small plate, but set the pretentiousness to the side and dig in. This dish was phenomenal. The jus served with this bowl had me dipping the ladle for more. We loved this place and the ambiance it offered. Love love love love..... read more

Good service and ambiance. The food very average. I had great expectations and will never go back. Overpriced, very average dishes and very small portions. I don't mind small portions if the food is well prepared with exceptional ingredients but they fail in both. Thus this restaurants days are numbered. read more

We thought this place was extremely over-rated. The ambiance was nice and the service was good. We thought the food was less than spectacular. I'm vegetarian and so my partner and I ordered only veggie dishes and there were a few to choose from. I like trying new and unique things but the food at Pigeonhole was over-priced and not really as good as it could or should have been. read more

First time I went to Pigeonhole it was instantly my favorite restaurant in Calgary. Now that we've been a second time, it's still my favorite! Food, service, atmosphere all amazing. So many delicious & unique food options, that I'll never get tired of coming there! Can't wait to be back! read more

Excellent service. Interesting choices on the menu, all very tasty. Do not forget to order some sourdough bread to make sure you can soak up all of the sauces. They need to have some Lambic fruit beers. Will definitely return here. read more

The cabbage!! dont sleep on it. Good service, inventive drinks and the price is right. Desserts were a little lack luster but it's my least favorite part of the meal no matter what anyway. read more

Didn't get food.. But oh my god the drinks. I looked at the menu and it consisted of extensive wines, many beers and 5 cocktails.. We came for the cocktails so it was a little confusing. We ordered a first round off the menu and they were amazing. Our server came around again and asked him about our second round and he was so helpful and suggested cocktails that were not on the menu based on what we liked. Such a good experience, amazing drinks, and very helpful and knowledgable servers. It's a mainstay on 17th ave based on the drinks alone. read more

awesome food, good atmosphere! charred cabbage was my favourite