Park By Sidewalk Citizen — Restaurant in Calgary

Another fantastic dining experience in Calgary. Looking back at some of my other reviews, I noticed I tend to rate pretty highly, and thought that maybe I should be a little more critical. But then I realized that most of the places we choose to eat at come from reading other reviews and best of lists and tend to be very good restaurants and there is nothing wrong with enjoying these fine establishments. And Calgary certainly has a good number of these, including this new addition in Central Memorial Park. Though Sidewalk Citizen is not a new name for people in town, their first full service restaurant is. Situated in the quaint little building in Central Memorial, this is a win on all fronts. The atmosphere is cozy, and welcoming, not much has changed from Boxwood or Provision who were housed here previously. The menu is very unique and interesting in the current food scene lots of vegetable focus, but still some nice protein dishes as well. We had 2 small plates (Mezze) and 2 large plates which was just right for 2 of us. From the Mezze section we tried the Charred Eggplant which comes out as a spread with some of their famous sourdough bread. It was just on point, smoky, smooth, creamy. And Fried Halloumi, though you really can't screw up Halloumi, the flavour profile they added to this dish with honey, lemon, mint and rose, just took this to a whole new level. If you have not tried Halloumi before, you are missing out my friend.

Our large plates were the Roasted Kabocha Squash and Pan Roasted Trout. We were debating between the Squash or the fried Cauliflower, and opted for the squash because we didn't recognize most of the ingredients. This was easily the best dish of the night, a bit surprising, and also the best squash anything I have ever eaten. It is a bit daunting when it comes out, it is a large dish, you get a whole half of this squash and man is it tasty. The trout was also pretty great, my wife didn't love the grain it came with, Bulgar, but I thought it was nice. Light dish and well balanced, a good lighter companion to the monster squash.

All in all just a great evening across the board, will definitely be back, probably for brunch. It's not the bakery you know and love, and if you don't know and love the bakery, go there.... now! But also go to the restaurant. Another strong addition to the thriving...

Park will always hold the most special place in our hearts!! It’s rare to find a space where the food, atmosphere & people are equally amazing but park really is just that incredible. My husband and I discovered park about two years ago and it quickly became our favourite place to bring friends and family for a visit. When it came time to plan our wedding, naturally, we couldn’t think of a better place to celebrate. David, who is an absolute dream to work with, truly has the most impeccable taste in everything. His passion for great wine & delicious food as well as his extensive hospitality experience really are at the forefront of everything he does and it shows. He made the planning process an absolute breeze & pleasure from start to finish. The entire team at park are so fun and are some of the most welcoming, sunshiney people you’ll ever meet. The atmosphere they’ve created is so cool & well-curated and has the most amazing energy, we really are so happy we got to share it with so many of our favourite people. The space is also incredibly photographable, with some of the most stunning natural light, decor & architecture I’ve ever seen. The food & drinks at Park really are unlike anything else in the city, everything from the quality of the ingredients to the presentation (both in regular service and at our wedding) are in a tier of their own. The food & drinks mattered most to us for our wedding and we couldn’t have been in better hands. We’re obsessed with the fact that their ever-talented chef ferments drinks & dry-ages meats in house, just a few of the many special things they have to offer. Everything about Park is so tasteful, unique & inviting, they really go above and beyond to curate things for you. They’re incredibly accommodating about dietary requirements (gluten free etc) and did an amazing job creating a signature mocktail option for some of our guests. This really is a love letter from us to the entire team at Park, you blew us away even when we didn’t think we could love you more! Thank you endlessly for everything- if you haven’t had the pleasure of dining with them or planning a special event here, PLEASE...

Went back to this neighborhood gem last night. Versatile spot, great for dates, or outings with friends. It’s quiet, warm and intimate and the service is fantastic. Shareable plates as is the norm in too many restaurants these days but I didn’t mind as the food was truly outstanding. Not exactly cheap but the quality of the food makes for good value.

OLD REVIEW:

Great location and fantastic decor. The indoor/outdoor patio addition is a great idea and very well executed. It's both cosy and "natury"(™️). As far as the food is concerned, we had both some 5-star and some 3-star dishes (hence the 4-star average). The chopped liver sort of gave meaning to the idiom. As much as I typically love chicken livers, this simply wasn't great (the texture was too (dare I say it?) moist and rendered the toasted bread soggy - which is otherwise sheer perfection). A lot of the dishes are wonderfully inspired by Middle Eastern cuisine but the use of spices/flavours is liberal at times: the panna cotta style dessert I ordered could have done with fewer garnishes (rose petals, mint, pistachio, cardamom, coconut). The selection of beers and wine will satisfy most, but I wish they served the wine in stemmed glassware, as opposed to the tumblers they use. I appreciate that it's a look they're going for, but wine simply doesn't taste as good out of them. All in all though, it's definitely worth the visit. There's something for everyone: meat eaters, vegetarians, vegans, GF, sharers, non-sharers etc... And I stand by my assessment that Sidewalk Citizen simply has the best...