Cowtown Beef Shack — Restaurant in Calgary

This place was by far one of the most disappointing food experiences in this city.

The Cowtown Beef Shack may have one of the worst beef dips currently in Calgary. I'm not sure when or who voted for this to be "the best", but I will never return expecting anything but the worst.

Firstly, the bread was extremely mediocre. I could see getting a better, more inviting bite from a clearout sale at Safeway. Next, there was ZERO balance of flavour; the onions were diced and mostly raw, there was no mayo/sauce/horseradish, the beef tasted chewy & bland, and the au jus was just brown water. No elements of the sandwich did anything to entertain the palette, in fact, all I could think as I chewed was how much I wished I was anywhere else eating anything else.

I do not understand how or why this place has any praise until you consider the speed. While the product may be brutal, nobody complains that the food came out slow. After all, it arrived nearly 45 seconds after the order was placed. The only issue with claiming speed is that I paid double what would be expected at a Drive-Thru. Furthermore, the premium mac & cheese recommended by the server was even worse than the sandwich with mushy, over-cooked noodles and a processed & mealy cheese sauce.

After driving across the city for what was meant to be the "Best in Calgary", I can confidently recommend that no other people in Alberta dare to see how far this poor place has fallen. Or at...

Food is delicious and portion is massive so I would say the food is worth the price. However, the service is an entirely different story. I mean I am not at all expecting a stellar service in a place like this because it is a fast food restaurant, and restaurant services are subpar pretty much everywhere because duh Covid. But let me just say that the service we received from the lady cashier who was at the counter yesterday afternoon was a different kind awful. She took our order and I understand that we took a while to decide because hello it’s our first time at this place. Btw, the place wasn’t busy at all. She rolled her eyes when my husband asked what are the options for drinks then said ‘behind me’ (referring to the fridge with drinks in it behind her), and another eye roll when I said my husband will get the side of mac & cheese for his sandwich because she thought I was ordering a kid’s meal mac & cheese which she said you can’t get side mac&cheese. I do not even know what she meant as I was ordering a sandwich combo with side of mac&cheese NOT a kid’s meal. Awful experience with that particular...

I really liked this place when the owner was around. The past few times I've come here, he hasn't been around. My son and I came here yesterday, and the place was empty. We shared a large sized beef dip. My issue that I had today wasn't related to the food, but rather the service. I felt like there was indifference from the lady working behind the counter. It's not like she wasn't friendly, rather she was more like she didn't want to be there. I observed her watching the big screen t.v. and her phone more then focusing on us(the customers). After we were finished our sandwich, we cleaned up our table and trays. I said thank-you to her on my way out. She replied "thanks guys" without even looking up and away from her phone. I certainly felt under appreciated. In my opinion, the problem I have with businesses in general is the lack of appreciation. They have to remember who is paying their wages. It's us the customer. Without customers, it would be hard to make money and pay your employees and grow...