Ordered the chef special Monterey chicken meal. It was literally five slices of pre-sliced chicken breast (the cheap already cooked in store stuff), one slice of ham,and a handful of cheddar cheese on a single piece of burnt Texas toast (garlic bread) with side of small house greens. For $15 I literally got something I've made while drunk off my ass at a friends. I'd give this place zero stars if I could. Worst food ever. read more

I ordered through skip the dishes. I found hair in my food. Especially in the middle of a pandemic that is disgusting and I am under the impression they use hairnets in kitchens in Alberta. read more

The Black Swan Ale House - Hair in food - Bars Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

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Good pub environment. Lots of space for large groups. Good food, made with "true taste" ! Poured a perfect cold Guinness! Server was good- checked in often Good was a little slow but it counted where it needed to. read more

The Black Swan Ale House - a plate of food - Bars Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

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Went for Wednesday wing night with my wife last night. Wanted to give it a try after reading the reviews. Big disappointment- what a bad review to give it a 7.5. We sat at a table that had a dirty napkin on it- it stayed there throughout our evening. No attempt by the sever to remove it. Just left it there!! Now go or the wings- we ordered 3 flavours, that was fine. Presentation and taste- disappointing. Wings were so dry that we should've ordered chicken jerky!! No flavour, no sauce, no moisture left in the chicken!!! Wings were gross. To top it all off ordered veggies with dip- celery was so curled that they could've been curly fries!! To pay $7.50- what a waste of money. The place itself has character or a run down business. Booths were dirty and place smelt old. read more

Tonight, I did the unthinkable. Something that I have rarely felt compelled to do. Tonight, at Black Swan, I returned my entire order of chicken wings from their 35 cent deal. My companion, did the same after also discovering my reasons on his own orders. What was it, do you ask? What was so bad, that a man who loves food, and craves chicken wings had to return an entire order of delicious finger food? Well, these wings, as Black Swan claims, have a 4 step process. One of those steps...obviously missed de-feathering the bird. Not just a little itty bitty missed featherette, but a full sized, stretched from one end of a drumlette to the other feather. Breaded, deep fried and sauced before plating for order. Absolutely shocking, that in the preparation, cooking, plating and delivery that not one of the Staff noticed a single feather still attached to multiple wings. Let me restate that, not once did anyone at Black Swan notice SEVERAL chicken wings in single order still had fully grown feathers attached. Now, add my companions same issue where we counted at least 3 full sized feathers throughout his one order of 10, upon inspection. Now one can ask, what did management do? Well, there is no management. Obviously the quality control left with the severe lack of ownership and professionalism in what one would assume as a business. So we were left with waitress Jessica. Who failed to apologize, express concerns or address the situation laying before her. Luckily, we were not charged for this clear health code violation but we certainly weren't considered customers. Anything you order here, I would be very wary and completely inspect before sending past your lips. read more

Was just here tonight for the first time. The old decor gives it character and charm for a neighborhood pub. Ordered wings before our meal and they weren't to bad at all. I ordered the Stuffed Yorkies and when I saw 5 come on the plate I was pleasantly surprised by the portion given for the price. My boyfriend had the Jack Daniel's Meatloaf and it was so good. Seen this pub for years but never been til tonight and I will definitely come back as I like touring and checking out new pubs. Our server, Tamara was friendly and funny. read more

The best place to be!!! The server made it even better. I forgot to grab his name but honestly made our night he can come play laser tag with us anytime! Totally recommend!! read more

What an atmosphere. As soon as you walk in you can tell why it's been around for so long. A busy place on wing night but the staff made sure we were taken care of. Make sure you ask the bartender what her favorite chicken wings are for an inside scoop on where to start. Delicious. From pool, to darts, to Buck Hunter and Golden tee, you don't just have to sit around and tell tall tales. I had a great time and looking forward to heading back. read more

Apparently this place has been around for a very long time. And you can kind of tell. Its dark, not run-down but not overly updated either. I'd call this a real neighbourhood spot except there aren't really any houses nearby. But there are clearly a lot of diehard regulars there so that says something. The service is solid - the owner/manager was there and recognized my friend who had last been there 10 years ago. So thats something. Our server was friendly and very laid back which was fine for a Sunday lunch. On weekends they only serve food from their brunch menu which isn't overly extensive so be prepared for that. The other weird thing was that they were out of key ingredients (that are not hard to buy at the grocery store right behind the pub...) for a couple of the breakfast dishes on their short brunch menu. As a result I ended up with my third choice of a meal and it was tasty (a short rib breakfast hash) but really filling. Would I go back? Probably although not if I was choosing. Now that Ive read some of the wing reviews though I'm more tempted. So maybe! read more

This is right beside my work, so one day a friend and I decided to swing by for lunch. It was dark and dreary inside, and there were only a few tables occupied. With groups of middle-aged to older men. My friend and I went and sat down beside a window which was shuttered down and I commented on how dark the place was. My friend asked the table next to us if they were okay with us opening the blinds. One of the guys were like "its TOO BRIGHT".... so we only partially opened the blinds. I didnt want trouble, but I really needed some lights if I was going to see what I was eating. I ordered the steak and kidney pie, cuz I'm adventurous like that. I asked the waitress if the kidney was overpowering in the dish. Her response was "oh, IIIIII have never tried it", vigorously shaking her head, with her eyes huge. Way to make me feel confident in my order, lady. I ordered it nonetheless. Anyway, when my food came, the pie was actually quite good. It was steaming hot. And pretty delicious. I may/may not go back. If I do go back, it would mainly be for the steak and kidney pie, which I dont usually get cravings for. I wouldnt be returning for the atmosphere or anything.. I usually like my regular haunts to be bright or cheery. Or sexy. Black Swan was unfortunately neither of these. 5/30 read more

The Black Swan has some of the best wings in town. They're meaty and full and cheap some nights of the week. It's also a great place to watch the hockey game and have a few beers. But they won't let you take wings with you for the road. No, that is strictly prohibited. We must have been hungry that night, because I remember my friend stuffing a bunch of wings in some napkins and hiding them in a bag. Our waitress didn't seem to notice. She must have thought we swallowed the bones. Anyway, the Black Swan is a great little pub to check out. read more

This is a tough one. Been here twice so far with friends... I love the old and aging decor, the place is packed with guys after work and the music is good. Def a local spot. I don't mind the darkness as an Irish pub has to have a personality and this has it. great for crowds. The issue is sub par food and drink prices. I think they can do better. Tried a number of dishes and it was just meh. I would go for the social and atmosphere, but wishing food quality and drink prices were better. read more

Landed this joint hoping to taste its wings since black swan ale (bsa) restaurant had special on Wednesday. It started bad - no one greeted us or tell us to wait for a minute when we arrived &assumed to be seated! All the waitresses ignored us & did not dare to give us eye contacts, just hustling & bustling as if we did not exist! We waited for about 5+ agonizing minutes whilst on the distant multi-tv screens, 2016 final World Series championship game was being played between Cubs & Indians... If I were alone or with my family, I would have been long gone with no question . When I started to order the wings, the waitress began telling me the small-print-version-detail regarding the minimum quantity of wings must be made for the special. Furthermore, a drink must also be purchased with the order. So the order became big now. After all the red tapes to qualify to order the special wings, the order I made taste under par! I ordered a 10 "five alarm" wings, & when my order arrived, it seemed the cook added a few spicy sauce to upgrade low grade spicy wings to 5 alarm wing. The 5alarm wing came out dried (not juicy like any other good wing places) & not spicy at all... 2 spits out of 5 is too much grade I gave this place. It should deserve perhaps a 1 spit on yelp... Good luck eating there... read more

I stopped in at The Black Swan Ale House a couple of nights ago. Although I didn't stay long (with no more hockey to watch, I get a little antsy at pubs these days), I got the gist of this place. Allow me to summarize: - Pretty typical pub atmosphere - A variety of beers (30 of them to be exact) - Delicious wings (if you're into that) - A full menu - Very spacious - Pool tables - Darts - Big screen TVs Questions anyone? read more

Delicious Wings for a cheap Wing Wednesday! The garlic butter wings are amazing. The "hot" wings aren't super hot...but tasty! I'm a little sad that the wings don't come with complimentary carrot sticks/veggies so you have to order a separate side order of veg. but the food quality more than makes up for it. The Wait staff seem pretty good. I've been on several different occaions and sat in different sections and had good service each time. ALTHOUGH on the last occasion, I sat in a section where it seemed the waitress had some regulars, who she paid MUCH more attention to. But as I said, she was a good waitress and food was brought fast and hot, and there were no problems. I'll definitely be returning. read more

Went to go get wings tonight. They weren't the best wings. Service was absolutely terrible. We watched our waitress walk past us numerous times. Never asked if we needed anything. When we ordered wings she asked if we wanted ranch, I said no, my friend said wanted some. When it came time for bills, we both got charged ranch. When I asked her about the charge she said well you had ranch.. I said no.. I didn't. There was only one ranch and my friend had it. Waitress said oh well then I guess your friend owes you a dollar. Lol... Really nice decor though! read more

The Black Swan is right by where I get my hair done, so I have passed it a number of times but never actually tried it. I joined my parents for dinner there. The first impression was the pub seemed very dark. Not a lot of windows, so lacking some natural light. While I love the look of dark wood, it made the pub seem very dreary because there wasn't much lighting. I wasn't overly hungry, so I just ordered the poutine lattice fries. The fries were cooked well, but it needed way more cheese. It ended up being gravy and fries basically. Also the gravy was super salty which made for some unpleasant bites. My mom and dad got the steak sandwich that was on special. They both said the steak was well cooked and the portion was a good size. I kind of wish I got the steak sandwich because it looked quite good. Oh well, live and learn! I give 3 stars because the server was friendly and attentive, the beer I ordered was nice and cold (it's surprising how many times I've received warm and flat beer at pubs) and the steak sandwich was well received by my parents. Perhaps I will return to try this famous steak sandwich! read more

Tried the brunch, smoked brisket, hash browns 2 soft poached with toast Eggs overcooked Toast with margarine no jam Brisket hard and dry and pulled the long way into strings 4 inches long Service is always good but this is not a brunch place read more

I came here with my dad on a weekday afternoon. The server was friendly and came over to our table, he was also bartending. I asked "What's on special?" He said "It's happy hour, everything is on special." I ordered a Coors Banquet and he said they were out of that. So I ordered a Mill St. Organic Lager. My dad decided to have the same. We had two each. Our bill was over 30 dollars for four beers. The price was $7.95 per pint. We asked if he had forgotten to put the happy hour price for us. He said no, that was the price. We asked what the regular price was if the happy hour price was $7.95 and he said it is always $7.95 it just doesn't go up at 7pm. Other drinks go up at 7pm from their happy hour price. How on earth is this a happy hour price then?!!! I wouldn't be so mad if I hadn't specifically asked what is on special. I don't want to have to ask the specific price of all beers and I don't think it makes sense to tell people everything is on special if some things do not have a different price for happy hour. Very poor! read more

Lets start with the worst steak ever served to me in my life. I was really hungry and I didn't finish it. I wrote this place off and have gone back because of work. Clients going there, co-worklers, etc. That original impression scared me but Ihave had nothing but good food and pretty awesome service since. The atmosphere is nice and dark. Sorta old world cool. Read Old World as 1979. read more

Wow the worst food I've had the place is disgusting dirty the service was really bad will never go back stay home an burn your money an you will get more out of it then coming here read more

One of south Calgary's longest serving pubs (I guess technically an "Ale House), The Swan has always been a comfortable place to hang out. Even though it's still a decent place for drink and food specials, not to mention great staff, it just isn't what it used to be. What it really comes down to is the crowd, or should I say lack thereof. Not bad for a nice drink with friends. read more

I used to come here for Friday night name that tune with ally friends. As of late this has just become a great place to hang out and have a few beers. Good selection, good food, and good staff. read more

Great wings, had the garlic butter and pepper wings and French onion soup. Very tasty Good atmosphere and very friendly service. Will be going back the next time I am in Calgary read more

I have had good times every time! It has something for everybody! Especially fri and sat nights. With a dance floor ,a DJ with a good variety of music , good pub food, a big bar, pool tables, darts, games , and tables to sit drink/chill and still talk. Good atmosphere and not cramped . Lots of parking too. read more

Went here for lunch as it was on the way to my destination. I had the Steamed Mussels. More than half a dozen of them were closed, rendering them unable to eat. Not only are they a pain in the butt to get into, but who knows if they have been properly cooked? I was rather unimpressed with this. $13 for a pound of mussels and I thought I'd be able to eat them all. On a side note, there was a fly in my refill of water. Lovely. At least the sauce tasted okay on the mussels I did eat, and my brother said his sandwich was edible. read more

Great hang out. If there ever was a local "Cheers" this would be it. After attending here for so many years and you just need a friend you can pretty much guarantee to walk in and know someone else that had sauntered up to the wood sippin a cold one. Food has never been disappointing and so worth the visit. They gave a coupon in the SUTP so why not head there and giver er a go. Ambiance is nice with lots of tvs for the games. Live bands and DJ nights too. Head down and get Swaned. read more

I wandered into the Black Swan found a table for two and sat down. While I was waiting I was checking the messages on my phone. Eventually the waitress wanders over and announces the table is reserved and I have to leave. So I did as che clearly had no intention of serving me. I spent a few minutes in this place and never sampled the food or drink therefore I am unable to comment on it. I can however comment on the service as I now have a new candidate for the worst and rudest service ever. There was nothing on the table indicating it was reserved and I am pretty sure she made this up. I'm also pretty sure the Black Swan does not take reservations, especially for two people. My impression of the experience is I am from the wrong background, the place is misnamed and should really be called the White Swan. read more

I was eager to go to black swan tonight to try their prime rib Yorkies on special. Due to the long weekend I wanted to double check their hours to make sure they didn't have holiday hours in effect. I checked their website, Instagram, and Facebook, none of which had any indication that they'd have holiday hours. However when we arrived there at 10 pm it was closed?! Not even a note or sign was left. We weren't the only ones who expected them to be open, while in the parking lot we saw numerous other cars park and head to the door only to find that it was closed. read more

Food is passable if you don't mind lukewarm fries. Reasons to avoid this place... I was charged $2 for a dollop of regular mustard for my hamburger! My partner has dairy allergies so ordered her burger and salad without cheese - both came with! Despite the place being mostly empty on a Saturday evening, service was slow, so we scraped the cheese off instead of waiting another 10 minutes for the waitress. Was charged for large soup when ordered small. Poor service from young waitress who kept using "I'm new" as an excuse. When paying the bill and asked about the extra charges, she said many of her customers complain about the same thing! We'll, then maybe you should mention to customers the little things like basic French's mustard will be $2, or that despite the menu you will receive and be charged for a large soup, at the time of the request. Never mind that when you arrive, you'll find the actual prices are 30%+ more than their on line menu indicates, plus different ingredients - online fish & chips indicate halibut, but arrive and it is cod. Don't know whether the "bait and switch" is deliberate, but overall there is a distinct lack of integrity evident. With pub-style restaurants in every neighbourhood, there are many better places to choose. read more

My wife and I went to the Black Swan for the first time a few weeks ago and have gone three more times since. We were very happy with our meals and the atmosphere. Out of the four times we went there our waitresses were pretty attentive with the exception of one time that we were practically ignored. Not complaining too much though... it was our cheapest night because she got zero tip. read more

Very dark in there even during the daytime. Decent service but slow. Over 8 bucks for a pint of Stella Artois seems expensive.