Right off the bat, our group was confused by the decor because the mascot on the menu was a horse with a lampshade on its head. Our server had some communication issues to understand and convey information. Food leans towards expensive end, though the salad was quite large. They did provide free soda refill. read more

We went here for the first time and definitely not the last. It wasn't very busy at all and that may have made the service fantastic. I had booked through OpenTable and totally forgot that I'd put down our anniversary ages ago and when the restaurant saw it was only two days away they wished us Happy Anniversary and even gave us a complimentary glass of sparkling. We did the five course chef's tasting menu with wine pairings and it was all amazing. A good layering of flavours as the courses progressed. The restaurant itself is cute and full of eclectic decor. I really enjoyed it here. read more

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Truly unforgivable for the price. I can honestly say that this is the worst restaurant I've ever experienced at this $$$ price point. On a busy Wednesday night there were two people in the whole place. The decor may have been "classy" in 2005 but it just feels like a sad airport lounge. Despite being totally dead, somehow my appetizer took 20 minutes to arrive - and it was duck rillettes, something that literally takes zero preparation. The rillettes were ok. A little bland but ok. What was weird was the HUGE serving. That sounds good right? Well it was a glass tureen with at least a quarter pound poured into it and refrigerated... but it came with only four tiny rounds of toast. I found out when I paid the bill that they charged me an additional $3 for four more tiny pieces when I asked for them. I managed to eat about half, and even that was a mistake. The "home made pickles" were from a jar, as were the onions. The appetizer cost over $20. The bartender was friendly but had to prepare their "signature" cocktail from a laminated plastic binder of instructions. It was $20 and absolutely dreadful. The bottom-shelf ingredients included "acid-corrected pineapple" which turned out to be out of an old looking carton of Dole. The ice smelled bad. Their burger was ok for a $10 burger. Good cheese mix, good bun. The problem is, it was $32. Oh and it came with no ketchup or other condiments. It also came with wilted iceberg lettuce and grey onion slices. The "house made" fries looked good. They were over-seasoned to the point of making me nauseous after a couple of bites. Basic grocery store wine as $20+ per glass. This place should not exist. It is the worst value, most depressingly bad restaurant I've ever eaten at. Why did I go there? Because it was late, I had just flown in from the UK and was staying at the hotel. Big mistake. read more

There was so much hope just by the decor vibe and menu options of the YDB. Wow. What a reminder that things are not always as they appear. It seemed strange that on a Friday night the place was literally dead. It made it weird to be in such an ostentatious place with one other table eating. The menu boiled down to pretty simple options with really fancy names. I give the chef credit for creativity. The food was ok...overpriced for what you received. But then again it is downtown Calgary so probably for par. The service was good but again only one other table until our last 20 minutes when another couple came in. The waiter was the one person show. Slightly disappointing for my choice for my birthday meal. read more

Yellow Door Bistro - Menu 8/2024 - Canadian (New) Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

Staying at Hotel Arts again. We like the hotel, and the resurgent area around the hotel, but once again the restaurant lets the hotel down. The $24 breakfast buffet is pitiful. Our first morning the food was bad at the buffet so we ordered poached eggs and toast hoping to get something edible. Nope! The interior of the eggs were like water, no congealing at all was evident and whites were rubbery. Inedible. The food the second day being a Saturday was more plentiful, but if possible even worse than the Friday. Our server the first day tried, the second day we didn't seem to have one. There are a number of really good restaurants around the Hotel Arts. Do yourself a favour and spend your money elsewhere, you'll be glad you did! read more

Yellow Door Bistro - Creamy scrambled eggs?? You be the judge. - Canadian (New) Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

We stayed at Hotel Arts during our Calgary visit and Yellow Door Bistro was the restaurant that connected to the hotel. Though we didn't eat at the restaurant, we ordered some dishes by the pool side. We were pleasantly surprised that the food was actually really good. Sadly we didn't bring our phone by the poolside so we didn't take pictures. The tamarind glaze spare ribs were legit and finger licking good (maybe 8 pieces). Even our extremely picky 2.5 years old daughter and 1 years old son were eating it. Their prosciutto and arugula personal pizza was delicious too. They are on the pricey side but food was enjoyable! read more

This review is in reference to the New Years Eve Take-Home meal that we ordered in advance from Yellow Door Bistro. Ordering online was easy, and curbside pick-up on the day-of was convenient and friendly. We loved the seafood portion of the meal. We hadn't realized the entree needed to be baked, but it allowed for the beef in the Wellington to be done to perfection. The peppercorn jus and the raclette pomme purée were so incredible it led to plate licking :) I wasn't blown away by the chosen dessert of chocolate fondue. We hadn't been aware that we would need to make the fondue and by the end of the night didn't feel like it. I was going to take a star off because of that, but the meal was SO good and we weren't left hungry so I'm not going to. The meal was $95 per person. I think I would have preferred to spend a little more and have had a prepared dessert more fitting of the night. This was a beautifully prepared and presented meal. I see Hotel Arts To Go (the YD Bistro is located at Hotel Arts) is offering Italian, Swiss etc dinners and I look forward to trying more. read more

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It was a disappointing Mother's Day Brunch. The place is whimsical & the service is good. The food is not that great. I took a lobster slider. There was more mayonnaise & celery than lobster. There were mini lemon meringue pancakes. They had graham cracker crumbs on. It was strange. The rest of the food was under seasoned. The fresh fruit was good but that just involves chopping. The desert bar was petit fours. It was ok. I've paid the same price to get much more. read more

First time here at Yellow Door Bistro for Sunday Brunch and it was delicious. Selection ranged from yogurt parfait, lemon pancakes, roasted potatoes, bacon, sausage, eggs cooked with yogurt, Eggs Benedict, muffins and vanilla Panna cotta. Standard coffee, juice and tea for drinks. Dining area super modern with funky chairs (Modern not sure). Tables decorated nicely with small shot of strawberry smoothie. Service was fantastic and they will validate parking so bring your parking ticket. Overall great selection and priced at $24 for adults and $12 for kids. Well worth it. read more

Food is bland and overpriced for what you get. I was shocked by the Cobb salad size. The ambiance is okay - decor is eh. Service is good. read more

Yellow Door Bistro - Cobb salad from dinner menu to go - Canadian (New) Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

Boyfriend and I went for breakfast our first day in town. It's a civic holiday, there's no civic holiday hours anywhere. Only Stat holidays which it's not. So we go in thinking the buffet will be out but it's not, it doesn't come out for another hour (it's 8AM). So we ask for menus, expensive, small selection. I asked if I could grab a small snack while we wait for the buffet and she says of course, there's fruit and croissants. What I didn't know is that we'd be charged 2 buffet fees plus our meals we ordered. Our server was nice but I wish she would have told me that we'd be charged for 1 croissant I got 2x. Would have left and gone somewhere else had we have known. Ended up being delicious but can not believe we paid $110 for breakfast for 2. I will say that the interior was absolutely beautiful and maybe that could have distracted from the price but.. it did not. read more

Unimpressive. We had a girls night out, during Big Taste of Calgary and thought this posh spot would be a good place for drinks and a bite to eat. The wine list for glasses is quite limited, but bottles is extensive. Selection is mediocre at best. Cocktails really saved the day at the end of the meal. $35 for 3 courses sounds like a steal! Menu: Course 1 Heirloom Carrot and Fairwind Farms Goats Cheese Salad golden raison, orange cardamom dressing, toasted almond foam Course 2 Braised Ewe-versial Lamb Shoulder creamy corn polenta, baby vegetables, natural jus Course 3 Mini Treat Platter cream puff, chocolate cone, creme brulee Well the salad was extremely small. For the price we expected small portions but it was a degrading amount of salad. The almond foam could have been anything but almond, and was really just tasteless foam. Lamb was a bit dry, and honestly very unimpressive for a piece of lamb. It was hard to finish because it was just really boring. It came on a bed of polenta which was equally unimpressive. The only good things that came out of this dinner was the Valrhona chocolate cake, and the exceptionally friendly staff. I hope this isn't a reflection of their regular dinner menu, as we all felt a bit cheated, even for a $35 dinner. 3 stars for effort, and perhaps growing pains. Parking is also a pain. read more

Yellow Door Bistro - Carrot beet and almond foam salad - Canadian (New) Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

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Well tonight was a rough dining experience. I had a 3 course dinner for two with wine pairings from the hotel as part of a package I booked. First, I was surprised I wasn't given any choice to my dinner (usually you can choose soup or salad, chicken or fish kinda thing). Falafel, pickerel, chocolate cake. Where in the world does that menu make sense? Secondly, I'm very particular about the fish I eat and I told them that I don't eat pickerel, and they did substitute it for short rib (small win). The habernero falafel came and it was tasty, and surprisingly the heat level was perfect. However the naan bread wasn't charred, it was completely blackened. So I sent that back. The short rib came out perfectly cooked, however it was drowned in glaze (even the glaze was wrong and far too peppery). It was served with an inedible (near raw) pasta that was drowning in the glaze. There was another sauce on the plate but it was mostly covered in glaze. I sent it back with only the meat touched. The dessert was forgettable and mislabelled (not what I expect from a chocolate hazelnut torte) but it cleansed my palate from the prior two courses, and that was necessary. I'm really glad I didn't directly pay money for this meal, because I would have had words with manager. On a positive note, my server Charm was very sweet. This restaurant needs to stick to breakfast (which they do decently) and poolside snacks. read more

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Looks can be deceiving, and this restaurant fits that phrase perfect. The decor was amazing, probably one of the best I have ever seen. The food "looked" great, but as I said it was very deceiving. Firstly, the COFFEE was super super super diluted, and it was pretty much sewage. Has to be the worst coffee I have ever had. It was practically water with a hint of coffee. Secondly, we ordered the French toast with peach custard cream. There was barely any cream though. We had to scramble hard to look for cream but could probably find a drop only of it. Absolutely garbage, and as I said, was very misleading when they say it is peach custard cream. Furthermore, we ordered salmon eggs Benedict. The eggs was extremely runny. How can you screw up poached eggs? We also ordered the double fried fries. It was stone cold! All in all, the restaurant is all looks. It doesn't taste good and you might as well go somewhere else for a proper brunch. Coffee has to be the worst thing I have ever had in my life. Funny enough, I ended up paying $50 for such a garbage breakfast. read more

Yellow Door Bistro - Peach custard french toast without the peach custard in it - Canadian (New) Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

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I have horribly inconvenient food intolerances: eggs + milk. They're in everything and very hard to avoid. The Yellow Door was extremely accommodating and even comped my lunch when I had to wait a long time for my food. They made me a non-menu flatbread and it was delicious. Many places are rude to me because of my food issues but the Yellow Door went above and beyond. Very impressed. Five stars read more

Such a fun dining experience, came to yellow door bistro on a whim with a girlfriend. We initially wanted just appetizers but ended up with real food. We sat at the bar as the restaurant was suprisigly empty. It was a Tuesday night but people eat during the weekdays no? The head waiter was this cool looking guy with a thin mustache and his hair slicked back lol looked like a villain from batman or something. He made sure we were happy with everything and made recommendation which I literally live for. If the staff hate it then it must suck right? We ordered a beef dish can't remember the name but it was delicious and the potatoes were awesome too. Loved dining here, went back for the big taste a few months ago and got the chefs choice/plate and they made accommodations for me not being able to eat pork. I'll be back just haven't had the time! read more

Yellow Door Bistro - Beef & potatoes yum! - Canadian (New) Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

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Top notch food and service. The vibe is so cool inside this restaurant. Good place for a fancy brunch spot. I had the chefs special pancakes. The flavours change often. I was lucky enough to get the Ferrero Rocher soufflé ones :) read more

Yellow Door Bistro - Canadian (New) Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

Excellent service! Excellent people! Jonny was our waiter & he was really nice & attentive & gave an excellent wine suggestion. Also many thanks to Ash who made it a wonderful night for us. read more

The hot buffet is awesome. Lots of different food and all really good. My wife had the beef burger which was cooked perfectly. My son had a really well put together traditional breakfast which he inhaled in one breath and then sat licking his lips. Really nice clean place and glad we went! read more

Voted on is Calgary's best brunch spots, I was excited to try this place. Buffets are usually disappointing, but Yellow Door does a great job with offering unique dishes alongside the usual. The day we went, the dishes included your standard scrambled eggs, sausage, Bacon, eggs Benedict, breakfast potatoes, oatmeal, fruit, yogurt parfait and pastries. The special dishes were a croissant strata (really delicious), mini coat cheese and red pepper quiches, beef sliders, and there were a few small desserts. These guys use the delicious eggs with orange yolks, not this pale yellow or liquid stuff. Brunch is $24 (or $15 if you don't go for any of the hot selections). Includes juice, coffee, and tea. The service was truly exceptional. The guy serving us was very friendly, and genuinely seemed to enjoy his job. The price is fair as this brunch is definitely a notch above the regular brunch items. And don't be afraid to call ahead and ask what the selections are for the day! We did, and the girl on the phone was awesome and happily listed everything. When we are staying at a downtown Calgary hotel again, we will definitely be back. When compared to other "hotel-style" brunches, this place is definitely 5 stars. read more

Yellow Door Bistro - Canadian (New) Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

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Went here a few weeks ago with my partner and a friend. We were in Calgary for the weekend and this place had great reviews.  When we arrived, the hostess made us feel sub par for not having reservations and was not at all friendly. Our server was pleasant but largely absent. She checked on us once and did not refill our drinks until the end of our meal.  The server highly recommended the brunch buffet, so my friend and I tried it. Every last thing was cold, burnt, or poorly cooked. Even the cookies were hard to chew. When we complained to the server, at the very at of the meal, because she had not come around to our table for such a long time, she apologized and went to get the manager.  We then waited another 10 minutes for the manager who explained that everything was cold because nothing on the buffet had lids due to the type of food that it was. I let her know that I felt this was a good safety issue. She offered hot food from the kitchen but we were at the end of our meal so we declined. In the end she took 10% off of our bill, despite the fact we'd barely touched our food. On a side note, my partner ordered from the brunch menu, and had great food, even though it was overpriced. While her french toast was good, it didn't make up for the stone cold experience of the food and the cold attitude of the staff. Overall, this was expensive and overrated. Take a hard pass and go elsewhere. read more

It was a pleasant surprise coming to this place for a Sunday brunch. We decided to try the buffet as it had a good variety of food and it looked very tasty. Brunch is $24 which isn't very expensive considering that one of the guys from our group decided to order from the menu and he ended up paying $21 for his omelette and juice ($17 + $4). Brunch included scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, baked squared potatoes, eggs Benedict among other things including some cheeses and cured meats on a Charcuterie board. Additionally, there were pastries including croissants, muffins, cookies and tiramisu :-) Our server Daryl was super friendly and was constantly checking on us in case we needed anything. read more

This was a tough one for me to rate! I was first blown away by the decor. We were the lucky ducks who got to sit in the lovely round booth with the incredible light fixture. That was fun all by itself. Our server was really sweet and kept our coffees and waters topped off. She seemed to forget about us near the end of the meal though, and we had to wait for our check for about 45 mins (one of our group members actually had to go find her in the restaurant and ask for it). The breakfast buffets looked like a lot of fun, and they have both a continental and a hot buffet option with two different price points. I opted for the eggs benny (my absolute favorite breakfast item!) Our meals took quite a long time to arrive, but were beautifully plated. Unfortunately my eggs were essentially raw but the meal took so long to arrive that I didn't want to ask them to take it back. The hash browns were really tasty, but the hollandaise didn't quite have that rich flavour that I love so much. So the food was a pretty big disappointment. I don't think I'll be returning, but the ambiance was nice! read more

Came here for some cocktails with a lady friend, while waiting for an event at Hotel Arts to start. For the short while that we were there, we were very well looked after, and our waiter was extremely friendly and kind. Despite their fancy-rustic ambience, the price point on the drinks was similar to what you'd find elsewhere in downtown Calgary. I would come back here on a date, or drinks with the same friend :). Some of the cocktails are named after the bartenders! Try one and make sure you make eye contact with the guy it's named after, while you sip. Because that's not creepy at all. ;) read more

Yellow Door Bistro - I think this cocktail is called The Mark (Marc?). It's named after the bartender who made it & it's full of bourbon-y goodness. - Canadian (New) Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

We're ladies who love to lunch, well in this case - brunch! Enticed by things such as chocolate chip pancakes, smoked salmon eggs Benedict and breakfast bowls, who wouldn't love brunch? Add a few mimosas and you're set! You can tell on the presentation of the food that they take pride in the fresh and quality ingredients that they use. The furniture and pops of color from flowers and throw pillows gives this place a modern bistro feel - great food paired with great atmosphere make the experience that much better. read more

Yellow Door Bistro - Eggs benny - Canadian (New) Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

Went for the breakfast buffet this morning. Cool decor and spaced out so I wasn't in anyone's way. Our server was a little off her game, having to be reminded to get the things we had already ordered, but very friendly. There was a decent selection of food with toast and cereals being brought to your table. A wide selection of olives and pickles to go with the cheese and meat selection but only two kinds of cheese and two kinds of meat. Also a large selection of nuts and dried fruits for oatmeal. There were amazing mini lemon meringue pancakes, traditional eggs, bennedict, sausages and bacon. There were monte cristo and Reuben sandwiches but they were cold when I got to them. Tasty despite being cold. All in all, I expected a little bit better of quality and service but I would come back to try it again. Everyone has an ordinary day now and then :) read more

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Yikes - had no idea I never reviewed this gem. I ate the best steak and frites here. The fries were perfect - crispy and mealy inside. Nicely seasoned with a wine reduction that took me over the edge. I also really enjoyed the cobb salad. It was refreshing, the flavours were subtle but still lively. I also ate one of the most amazing desserts. It was like a refine, deluxe twix bar. This post does not do Yellow Door Bistro justice, but I'm tired, and have no more energy. Sorry Yellow Door. read more

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Food was highly average. Thought we were getting roasted vegetables, ended up getting a fresh garden salad

I was invited to this bistro with some friends, and as a vegan, I called ahead to check their options before accepting the invite, especially since I could see it is a pricey bistro. The hostess who answered asked if she could take a few minutes to ask the chef, and said she would call me back. Sure enough, she called back in a few minutes and described a yummy sounding dinner with zucchini noodles, sauce, and some veggies. It was priced at $18, which I did think was steep for the ingredients, but it sounded good and interesting, so I went for it. But then, when I actually ordered, I referenced our earlier conversation and said that I would have the vegan option with the zucchini noodles, etc, and she did one of those, "Oh yeah, about that...we don't have that but we have a nice pasta with veggies." Well, I was not pleased, but now what could I do but smile and say "Sure?" so that's what I did. And I paid $18 for a bowl of corkscrew pasta, with a very very few pieces of onion and bits of tomato, and some herbs. I can't explain how disappointing it was. The worst is that I called and was told one thing, and then was given another. For a restaurant that bills itself as serving exciting, innovative food, the chef ought to be able to do better than what I was serving my kids when they were toddlers. If not, then it should be priced more appropriately, like 4.95 or something. I get it that not everyone is vegan, but come on. If you're a professional chef or restaurateur, then you ought to be able to imagine a plate besides plain pasta. Beets and garbanzo beans on a bed of grain with a nice sauce? Tofu stir fry? A bed of greens with navy beans on it and lots of veggies? These are all extremely simple and any vegan would be happy to see these types of nutritionally complete and interesting plates. Needless to say, I won't be back, and that means neither will my family of five non-vegans, nor our extended family, nor my neighborhood dining group, etc. Sorry, yellow door, all the cocktails and fancy lighting in the world won't make up for that! read more

Great experience, our server and host was Sebastian and excellent food knowledge and perfection of the dining experience. I had the halibut and it was cooked to perfection, the gnocchi that I ordered was not what I expected, Italian Style but rather Persian style which I didn't really care for, they were gummy and flavourless. Definitely a dining experience with exceptional service and flavour bursts to blow your pallet. read more

Yellow Door Bistro - Roasted Haida Gwaii Halibut - Canadian (New) Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

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How can you not have a fabulous night in a place as cool and chic as Yellow Door! The room is just so fun, so chic, so well designed. The staff is just fantastic and the menu (while I only had an app) all looks lovely. I also have to say, I came in on my own, lap top in toe and used their free wifi to get some work done while enjoying a wonderful glass of wine. It was perfection of a spot for this! This is most definitely one hotel restaurant that is way above the average. Even if you are not staying in the hotel it is worth checking out for lunch, dinner or a drink and dessert. If you are over at the BMO Centre or Stamp grounds, it is definitely the closest nice restaurant and worth the stroll. read more

Yellow Door Bistro - Cheese plate - Canadian (New) Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

I am a very forgiving diner but I truly cannot find anything positive to say about our brunch buffet experience. The hot food was cold. The cold food was warm. The pancakes tasted raw and were obviously a pre-made mix. Our server was invisible. Or maybe we were invisible because no one asked us if we needed or wanted anything after we were seated. My hubby had to ask for juice twice. We had to ask for our plates to be taken away. We had to ask for our bill. There were 4 servers walking around the restaurant completely ignoring us the whole time. At a cost of $34.00 each I would expect a whole lot more. I would give Zero stars if I could. read more

Maybe it's the pandemic but shouldn't you be trying a little harder?! This was once our favorite cocktail bar in the Beltline but the door has lost some of its luster. read more

I received a call from Yellow Door a day before my reservation I made 3 weeks earlier though OpenTable letting me know that my reservation was cancelled for the pool side lunch table at 11:15 AM on July 1st because 'the hotel is so busy'. Even though I had the reso for weeks and I had even called on June 13th to confirm the reservation and their OpenTable information stated (until yesterday) that pool side are the only tables available. I spoke with Hotel Arts and was quoted that yes it's poolside table but only for 2 hours with a 20 minute swim based on capacity. When I booked it the restriction were already being lifted then for July 1st so there is NO excuse why it is canceling reservations. Not professional at all. read more

Must have arrived too late for brunch buffet, most selections were picked clean. Americans is actually coffee. Salad was old coleslaw Manager cut bit in half because food didn't meoour standard read more

Absolutely fantastic place for brunch. Reasonably priced, high quality, great ambience. It's 100x better than the brunch across the first street at the First Street Food Market. Probably one of the best brunches in Calgary. I'd recommend going. You won't regret it. read more

We had stayed overnight at Hotel Arts and of course it was one of the coldest days of the year so decided not to venture out for breakfast. Instead, we headed downstairs to the Yellow Door Bistro. The decor was beautiful and I loved the big HORSE statue! We opted for the a la carte menu and chose two delicious items: Eggs Benedict w/Smoked Salmon and Pancakes with Caramelized Bananas and a a dulce de leche whipped cream. OMG! Both dishes were amazing. So tasty and very filling. Their coffee and tea selection were great. Service was very attentive and we had a great time. We will be back! read more

Yellow Door Bistro - The best pancakes ever!! - Canadian (New) Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

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It's a really nice looking place and very swanky. The food though is standard but priced too high. I had the crab salad which was good but lacking crab. I also had the tuna pasta which was pretty dull and very under seasoned. My wife had the braised spare rib which was actually good though! Look It's a cool place and the food is ok but that's it. read more

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Enjoyed my experience here for sure, not sure if the food was the best part about it but would likely return. The manager and all the staff we interacted with were very personable, and the decor was super modern but at the same time pretty warm and comfortable. An interesting note is how the menu is a standard paper menu but for drinks you get handed an iPad - a novel idea but its actually not very helpful as you have to click down into and back up from menus so you get a bit lost in the process. Food wise I would say this place is above average for sure, but not sure I would put it in my list of 'must go' for Calgary just yet. For this visit, got the tuna tartare which was really good (not the best in Calgary), bacon wrapped halibut was nothing special, and a specialty burger stuffed with duck that was fantastic. The drinks were awesome, got some of the specialty cocktails (got with with Laphroaig which was sneaky strong) and wine and all was good on that front. As said, it was good, has potential, will probably come back for another try at some point. read more

Yellow Door Bistro - Bacon wrapped Halibut, not bad... - Canadian (New) Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

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Booked brunch at the yellow door for a friends birthday day celebration. Have to say that every one that seated us and served us were very accommodating and help full. Food was great and it was all finger side portion so normally I would only hit the buffet one maybe for a half a plate more but I found myself going up to the buffet 4 times just to nibble on things. Because they would run out of things. But because of the set up I found it was a small selection and food was on the cold side. Favourite part was the little glass jars of jam and jelly. read more