Auttarote Thai Cuisine (Aut-Ta-Rote) — Restaurant in Calgary

One of the most magical places in Calgary. It is a true hidden gem that is reminiscent of the Tales of Narnia where the enchanted land is concealed in a wardrobe. Auttarote is a lot like that.

When a person is outside you wonder if you are in the right place or you are lost. All you see is an ordinary looking two story storefront. Luckily, it has a colourful sign above the door to let you know you are in the right place. All you have to do is step inside.

Inside, there is an intriguing with painted portraits, glittering lights, and a golden-tiled path on the wall to lead the way. Does this remind anyone else of the "yellow brick road" at all? At the end of this path is a restaurant that is both picturesque and prismatic. It was like a rainbow everywhere you looked and it just fills your heart with joy to see the wonder of it all. Who knew that paper lanterns and crystal chandeliers look so magnificent together?

The service was low-key, easy-going, and absolutely perfect. Our server greeted us with a smile and showed us to our table immediately. When we sat down she gave us a big smile like we were old friends, a respectful bow, asked us how we were and if we were celebrating something special. We told her that we weren't but that did not stop her from making the night good for just a couple of gal pals. She also served us quickly and then gave us some good suggestions from the menu. Of course, we ordered them and loved the food.

That is what comes next. The food was an absolute delight. We ordered the Creamy Tom Yum Soup, Pad Thai Noodles, and some Red Curry with Jasmine Rice. Each dish has its own unique flavours. The Pad Thai noodles were soft but had a wonderful crunch thanks to the peanuts in it. It was also delightfully sweet but in a way that you know it is not a dessert but something even more nourishing. The Red Curry had a lovely bite to it but not too much if spice isn't your thing. It was filled with fresh vegetables and tofu that not only sated a person's hunger but warmed their soul. The soup was a companions so that was not tasted by this writer but was told by the companion that it was delicious.

The place has some serious artistic boho vibes that is mixed with exotic elegance. The atmosphere is one very good reason to go back. Another reason is that the people working there are so happy and kind that they want everybody to feel welcome to join their own celebration whether it was another table's birthday or life in general. The food is absolutely unforgettable, accessible to any dietary restriction, and the best part is that not only does it taste amazing but it is so unique that you want to discover more of it.

With that said, it is safe to say we will...

I came across Auttarote when looking up Thai Food in Calgary, and it had such great reviews my friend and I decided to go for dinner.

The restaurant is up a few flights of stairs, so it's not accessible which is a shame because the food is amazing! The vibes are fun, with bright paper umbrellas, murals, beautiful art of Thailand and mismatched, unique chairs adorning the space. I felt transported to somewhere other than Calgary as soon as I stepped in. I also liked that the dishware was very beautiful - from elaborate Thai gold pots being run out of the kitchen to cutesy floral plates with gold cutlery for serving, everything was like art work.

My friend is a pescetarian, and they were able to easily accommodate this for her. We shared a bowl of Tom Yum soup, which was fresh and fragrant. The shrimp inside were massive and it had great portions of tomato, mushrooms and kaffir lime leaves.

I had the Crying Tiger for dinner with coconut rice and my friend had Pad-Sew-Ee with shrimp. I love chili and crying tiger, it was divine but could have been spicier. I didn't specify spice levels and maybe they assumed I don't want it too hot. The flavour of the sauce was incredible and the beef was so tender, it was the best crying tiger I've had! The real flower garnish was a beautiful touch.

My friend said she really enjoyed her dish and we both ate everything!

We also had a small dessert of sticky coconut rice with fresh sliced mango, and it was divine. The mango was so fresh and sweet it was like candy!

I only removed 1 star from atmosphere because the washrooms were not super great. They were clean but had an unpleasant odour. I also removed 1 star for service because we did wait a long time to order and it wasn't very busy, but these two setbacks were not enough to diminish our experience. I can't wait to go back and try...

I have been wanting to check this place out from seeing the reviews and the photos. We came here for a date night. I was quite excited about the decors. It was very eclectic and colourful, giving the North Eastern Thai vibe. Some of the food arrangements were beautiful and came decorated with rose buds! All the photos taken here were instagram worthy! However, in terms of flavours, it was just so so. We ordered the Auttarote Flower dumplings. It was beautiful to look at, but that is as far it goes. It was actually pretty chewy and lacking flavour. We also ordered the Moo Yang skewers, Tom Kha soup, Hoi Tod pancake, ginger lover stir fried, sticky rice, and mango sticky rice. Nothing tasted bad, but nothing stood out either. The food flavour was probably equivalent to any other authentic North American Thai restaurants, but the price tag was higher than a typical Thai place. Our order for two people came up to $120ish (before tips). I guess you are paying more for the beautiful presentations (and the rose buds!), and a chance to take instagram worthy photos. Next time if I am craving the typical Thai food, I'll probably just hit the nearest Thai restaurant to me. If you're looking more for the dining experience and decors then it is worth a visit. In terms of service, we came on the weekend and as it got busier the service slowed down as there were only two waiters for the entire place. At the end we got billed for a tea that we didn't order. It was ordered by the table next door. Since it was busy and we didn't want to wait for the waiter to rectify the bill we just...