403 Local — Restaurant in Calgary

Arrived at 6:15.

Server got to the table at 6:20 which was enough time for us to settle into a spot. She dropped off menu’s and said she would be back. Great so far. She came back and asked if we knew what we wanted to drink. First time here so we asked what was on tap as we like a choice. She asked what we normally like, to see if they had something similar, which was smart. I asked if they had a wild rose raspberry and she said no and we should go walk to the bar and check what was on tap because she didn’t know. Understandable sure but we just worked all day and wanted a simple response, or at least a rehearsed response even if she had it on paper.

We ordered full nachos with no onions, or peppers, xtra cheese, and Cajun chicken, as well as an order of hot Parmesan wings “To Start”. She came back around 10-12 mins and asked if we would like to order anything else. My bf ordered a burger with an extra egg and an extra patty which I pushed him to get because he worked outside in the cold all day and I hoped it would help replenish the calories he burned throughout the day. Somehow our appies and mains arrived at the same time with all three being room temperature/ cold. Nachos were beyond pathetic. I honestly can’t think of another name. I don’t even know know they can describe the sad cheese they dropped on. Probably 15 tiny pieces of cheese that were coated in flour for weight 🤦‍♀️ I was shocked!!

If this is what an establishment considers nachos then perhaps specify on the menu “Nacho chips with a cheese sprinkle garnish”. We would have chosen something else.

The entire kicker was when people say cold all the time when describing how their food arrived but everything was set/congealed.

I specifically said “to start”! when we ordered the appetizers.

We always order extra meals to go so we don’t have to worry about food for work the next day but this was so bad and a scary indication how awful anything else would be going forward that we didn’t even bother! I was really hoping this could be a home spot but I was shocked at how bad the entire experience was. Still gave the server 18% because we felt bad for...

I ordered fish and chips with a side of gravy. The fries were excellent. The fish coating wasn’t crispy which was disappointing but the fish itself was nice. The gravy though, was truly awful, thin and tangy and didn’t taste right at all. So I asked the server if she was sure that was gravy she brought me because it didn’t taste like beef at all. She surprised us all at the table when she said, “oh that’s because it’s vegetable gravy” and then she further confused us when she said “there’s no beef on the menu”. My husband had just had the beef dip and there are plenty of burgers on the menu as well. Then she told us the GM is a vegetarian and that’s why the gravy is vegetarian. Gravy is made from the drippings of MEAT. There is no such thing as vegetable gravy. I felt and feel that there should have been a disclaimer or warning when I ordered gravy, that I wouldn’t be getting actual gravy. It is unacceptable and dishonest to call that weird sauce gravy at all, but the lack of warning is a deal breaker. I won’t be back.

Post Script: after receiving a reply from the owner it’s clear they are missing the point. If it simply ‘wasn’t to my liking’ I would not have bothered to spend my time writing a review. The point is, it is deceitful to call this vegetarian sauce, gravy. It is not gravy.

Given that the GM is a vegetarian, I would assume they would understand that honesty on a menu is important. If a vegetarian orders a beyond meat burger and then, after eating it is told it’s beef - that would be wrong and this is not different. The menu says “Gravy”.

Do the right thing and call it what it is, a tangy vegetable sauce. Or at minimum call it vegetarian’gravy’, yes I mean on the actual menu, not just burried in a reply to a Google review. Do not continue to deceive unsuspecting patrons. Vegetarians, Vegans AND meat eaters all have a right to know what they are ordering / eating.

And please do not belittle my concerns again. It’s not about what is to my liking. It is about truthfulness and transparency. It’s about respecting your patrons - even if they are...

Came here for the dog friendly patio. As our last night in Calgary we looked around all the dog friendly patios and landed on this place based on seeing some decent reviews. I wish we hadn’t. Our service was decent. We walked in through the restaurant, with our dog in a carrier, and were shown to the patio outside. After being seated for about 10 mins, our waitress luckily came outside to clear a table, when she first found out we were there. Our server was very kind, but it sucks to know she was not even notified we were sitting outside. It was a September evening, quite chilly. They had heat lamps, but when we asked our server to turn it on, she said there was no propane and that it was locked so she couldn’t even access it. Great management system you got there. Our waitress even felt bad for us. When we ordered our food, we were all hungry and anticipating a good final meal in Calgary. Everything served was pretty bad. I am not one to bash a chef but my burger was about as hard as a tennis ball and the toppings did not taste fresh. The pizzas were below store bought frozen pizza standards. Dough was still white and flaky on the bottom. The best thing we got was the fries which I know for a fact are not made fresh but at least that tasted as they should. This place is probably great for a beer and watching the game, and maybe after a few the food will taste good. But unfortunately for our group; we were left disappointed, cold, and even stopped for takeout on the way home. Thanks to our server for doing her best, thumbs down to whoever is in charge of food quality. I will say however, I was very impressed by the washroom. It was extremely clean, like next level clean. You get one extra star...