Acme Pizza & Pasta Co. — Restaurant in Calgary

Opened only a few weeks ago, Acme is a pizza and pasta restaurant located in a 1912 edifice, originally home of the North Star Grocery store from 1915 to the late 1980's.

The new owners have maximized the charm of the historical building, which makes it a nice setting for an intimate, casual dinner. The restaurant is walking distance to the Sunnyside train station.

We shared a "Beef short ribs mezzelune", recommended by our waitress and a "Parmigiana DF" pizza. (DF means it can be served dairy free)

The service was welcoming and attentive. The restaurant was full. Despite a busy service, our food came quickly and it was hot.

The beef short ribs mezzelune consisted of 5 half-moon shaped large ravioli. Each was stuffed with a plump helping of pulled beef short rib meat, accompanied by a creamy sauce. The meat was good but I found the pasta slightly undercooked. Either way, for me, this dish did not scream Italian, despite its evocative title. Perhaps a tomato sauce would have helped?

The Parmigiana pizza was about 10 inches in diameter (not a precise measurement), thin crust style. I liked the crust. Each ingredient listed on the menu made an appearance but somehow it felt more like a collection of components than a combination of flavors. The basil oil was probably there, but I could not taste it. For me, this pizza conveyed a skimpy, timid, awkward feel.

I wanted to like Acme more than I did. All the reviews I read before I came were very enticing.

Perhaps a matter of taste, perhaps a matter of expectations, I did not get that wow food moment, from either of the two items I tried.

The most memorable part of our evening at Acme was the staff's enthusiasm and ability to deliver during a busy service. With this in mind, I hope...

I would give this a 2 for overall experience - but Google is giving it a 1 star. I don't agree with that. You're offered "tap water" for free or you can purchase water. They make it sound "less than" (for the upsell) & don't tell you the tap water is filtered, but I asked and it is. We didn't appreciate that. Just be upfront, pls. We both ordered the Chili-Crab Cappelletti and the portion size was disrespectful. To spend $27/per and still be hungry? No. You are offered nothing with this meal - not even pepper. It should be an appetizer not a main. Also, zero wow factor to this dish - it was bland - which is why we never considered photos. There is so much sauce, it begs for bread which is upsold for $5 and ordered it because we were still hungry... then the salt level of the bread was over the top extreme. Others have said it in reviews, I can confirm as a salt-lover that this was horrible. The hostess was off-putting immediately and not friendly when we walked in w/out a reservation, the service was adequate and the place was not slammed. The music was fantastic, but it didn't make up for this experience. The most openly friendly and customer-oriented server we encountered wasn't even our server - she addressed a need on the way out - she was brunette and had an accent (Spanish, maybe?). I most likely won't be back - my friend absolutely will not be - and that's a shame after waiting all this time for it to open. There are better tasting friendlier options...

Good new place with outdoor seating (and umbrellas) just near sunnyside LRT station. The cocktails were really nice and there was some interesting choices - not just a boring mojito/aperol etc. Good choices on the menu, some lighter salads and pasta's as well as pizza's. The pizza's are pretty big, so unless you have a large appetite you might want to share a pizza or you'll have some to take home (not a bad thing). Prices are reasonable.

I'm vegan and there was one vegetarian pizza on the menu that could be adapted with dairy-free cheese - it was very tasty. A couple of the salads could also be adapted (take off the cheese), and a couple of the starter options were vegan too. It would be nice to see more than one pizza choice with no meat that can be done with DF cheese - lots of the pizzas had a white-sauce/cream base which meant they can't be done dairy free. The aubergine parmigiana pizza has sausage on it but perhaps if I'd asked that could have been swapped out for a different topping. And it would be good (and so easy!) for a vegan pasta dish to be added to the menu. For Calgary standards of vegan choices at meat-serving restaurants it does a decent job, and if you are just veggie (not vegan) you've got lots of choice.

$3 supplement for dairy free cheese or GF crust substitution seemed a bit steep too - I appreciate these are more expensive per serving but $3 seems a bit much.

Service was great, and I would...