Blowers & Grafton (Shawnessy) — Restaurant in Calgary

My service was quite poor and when I was reading some of the one reviews, I was like “that was my exact experience”. I came in and the hostess rushed to the host stand which I didn’t notice at first to the left. I greeted her with a “hi” and she said “hi” back then stared at me like a lost goldfish. I asked after a pause “do I seat myself?” And she just replied “no” and another long pause. I actually almost left then and there but I then said “just a table for one please” which then I was promptly seated.

The way this should have gone is the hostess should have greeted me (or after I said hi) and then gone “how many people in your party today?”. I should not have to lead the conversation to get myself seated, some training is needed just because she looks good in a short skirt is not good enough. Which she kept pulling down, so if that’s the case she should be wearing something longer.

The service at the table was slow, 15 minutes before I was recognized. The waitress had great selections for food. But then never offered another drink. Brought my food out then didn’t check on me until I was done. The only reason for not as low score as I was saying is the people at the bar were getting great service from the bartender. He was personable, attentive and quite funny. So I think the staff is capable of good service but a 1-top will “not give a great tip” as the amount is lower on the overall bill, which is I am sure why I was largely ignored.

Food was good. I had the fish and chips as recommended. The menu is very donair based - donair pizza, donair quesadilla, donairs, etc which I didn’t feel like. I almost got the clam chowder as it is the top of the menu but reading the reviews it might be a good thing I didn’t order it. Fish was Haddock which is a cheap fish and $22. Fish was really good and I love lemon with my fish and the grill a half lemon and serve that with it which was great. They either have traditional fries or chips (potatoes cut like potato chips), I ordered fries. I read in other reviews that they had old oil, I can see how people would think that. It seems more of a case of precooking in the foil and recooking them. That’s why the fries would be soggy, oily, dark colored and not good. I also did not have salt or pepper at the table. The gravy I ordered was a small container that is typically used for ketchup and was $1.50. Coleslaw was bland. I rarely leave food, I did this time. Had a Caesar (Canadian drink) a little spicy for my liking but decent. I’m not a fan of the red rimmer which a lot of pubs use. The fried pickle with it was great but I would not reorder. I think their specialty items are great, but typical pub stuff is well below par.

I like the atmosphere and it’s got a style I like. I have been mulling over wanting to try it there with my roommate. I was in 4p to 5p, and found out happy hour was until 5pm by hearing the bartender - I would have liked to know what drinks were part of happy hour as I had been given not discounts there for happy hour, not did I know what drinks were included. Glad I did try it but the atmosphere should not be the only positive to...

Update 10 January 2025: I'm happy to be able to update this review on a very positive note. Over the past month, I've been in contact with Chris, Asst Gen Mgr by email and phone, where we were invited to give the team another chance to make a different impression on us. I just got back from dinner and I have to say that I was very happy we tried it; everything was really good.

Janelle was serving us and she was so nice. She treated everyone in her section with the same attention and speed of service with an amazing smile on her face.

Tonight we had the Chowder and Lobster dip for appetizers; it was SO good. Highly recommend both.

For the main course we had Lobster roll, Halifax Donair and the Fish and Chips. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the meal. The donair is very messy, so I used a knife and fork, but the donair meat was incredible. The haddock for the fish and chips were thick, flavourful and the French fries were abundant. For the lobster rolls and donair we had the house chips and they crisp and delicious 😋.

The In House Cheesecake was both really good and really sweet; but really good 😊.

If there's one suggestion I would make, is that the paper used for the chips is too big and ends up covering most of the entree and gets in the way. If they used a smaller size it would allow people to enjoy seeing the food before they tasted it.

Thanks Chris and team for an amazing experience tonight. Based on this experience, I will certainly go back and recommend it to everyone. The customer after care and commitment to trying to make things right is off the charts. Well done 👍.

Update 25 November 2024: In response to the owner response below, I did email them as requested, and never got a response; so perhaps their response to reviews are similar to the food, it's there but not to be taken seriously. 🧐. I'm reducing the Service ratings as a result. Georgia was still good 😊

I finally got to try Blowers and Grafton after them being open for almost a full year.

We were there for dinner just as happy hour was ending, so it was pretty busy and I was happy I had a reservation.

Our server Georgia was prompt, friendly, attentive and very helpful despite the restaurant being so busy.

The atmosphere was very loud which made having a conversation doable but not as comfortable as one might want if you're wanting to catch up with friends.

Now to the food. For the hype, price, quality and quantity, the food was just okay. We had hoped for something special, but it was not. If you're looking for an experience instead of something to eat, you might be interested in another place.

At the end of the meal, we were ready to head to Dairy Queen for some flavourful dessert. Glad I checked this place out after all this time but, doubtful I would make it a first choice...

My food was burnt but I didn't even complain because when the server asked how our food was and my husband mentioned that his poutine was cold and the cheese was cold and not melting even a little so asked if it could be warmed up she said no they would have to remake it, but that that is how it's supposed to be... never heard that one before that poutines are served cold lol. She took it back to the kitchen and then came out and said "they would remake it this one time for us." Don't worry, we will spend money here this one time for you guys. Such a joke that I actually laughed. What a response to a question of how everything is when we actually had an issue. Anywho, after that I didn't even bother saying anything about my overcooked food because it probably wouldn't have had a welcomed response anyways. I didn't eat much just enough to feel full which was about half my not great, over cooked food. The chowder was mediocre with hard as rocks potatoes. They need to change their fryer oil and their reaction to honest feedback about cold food. Ps. Not only was that poutine cold the first time, but the rest of the food other than the donair was burnt but after the response we got to the poutine seemed pointless to say anything to the know it all server and kitchen. Sorry but most people don't like their poutine cold af with hard cold cheese curds. The fries and gravy should be hot enough to melt it and if they aren't it's been sitting and waiting too long before it's assembled. Clams were like chewing fish flavored gum. So bad. Lol. Waited over 5 minutes for hot sauce. The ceasar was good though. So was the artichoke lobster cheese dip. Our kids didnt care cause they are little and hungry but their food was also overcooked and you can tell the fryer oil was old. Won't be back. Try the north end. Much better food. Glad we at least got a costco deal for $20 off at this place because it sure was not worth it without that today. I honestly don’t even think with that it was...