Porch — Restaurant in Calgary

Went on New Years Eve, for a "tasting menu and wine & cocktail pairing". Point form below, but the summary is that this is lounge that is good for beers with your buddies on a summer day. I would never host a client or a corporate night here, this is just simply a glorified pub with a beautiful patio and interior decorating. Initially I felt like I shouldn't post a negative review of this magnitude, but the experience was both expensive and the service was so bad, I felt like I needed to write this.

Pros: I want to start by saying that the kitchen staff created a beautiful tasting menu, and that the food and atmosphere were both above our expectations. To the Chef who put this together, well done!

Cons: Server informed us that "wine & cocktail pairing" was not a pair, but in fact, just choose random wines or certain cocktails from a broad list. This is not a pairing, this is just alcohol being served with food. Upon hearing this we kindly asked to see the wine list. The server informed us that their by the glass list could also be ordered by bottle. Poor wine selections on the by the glass list, but we ordered BTG anyway. By the 4th course we later discovered there was in fact a by the bottle wine list that our server did not offer us. Truly upsetting because the by the glass wines were terrible and I imagine we would have jumped at the opportunity to order anything off the list we did not get offered We had napkins for 2 of our 5 courses. The server brought them around near the 3rd course. First course was slammed on our table before we ordered drinks.

I have a few other issues, but no need to go on. I don't place much of the blame on our young server. She definitely slipped up on a few things, but the main issue here is with the GM who organized and managed this "not really pairing event" and inability to prepare bar level servers for a dinner service which they planned.

Again. Bravo to the Kitchen and Interior decorator, but in the future if you plan to host a dinner event, have your chef pair the dishes properly, and prepare your staff for dinner service. It is not the same as beer and...

--- Replying here as google review won't allow to follow up.

I appreciate you looking into it, I would have liked to see a documented policy on handling guest complaints, which I didn't receive in your previous response. Additionally, none of my follow-up questions through email have been addressed. In the spirit of moving forward, I'm willing to let this matter rest.

This establishment is a complete nightmare. I purchased a drink, left a big tip, and even shelled out extra to move to a quieter area, aiming for a relaxing experience. But guess what happened next? The waitress tramped mud all over the new seating with her footwear! Absolutely filthy. New spot, new hassle.

Attempting to make the best of it, I struck up conversations with some nearby folks, just being sociable. Out of nowhere, the manager storms in like a wannabe security officer, questioning everyone if I was disturbing them. They all said no, twice! Yet, this person wouldn't let it go, insisting I return to the loud, packed section I just paid to leave. Clearly, there was some profiling going on. He refused to listen for even a second.

But here’s the real kicker: the overt racism. This bar is saturated with it. As a person of color, be cautious! Porch caters to a specific clientele, and it’s not us. The entire atmosphere was hostile from the start. The manager couldn’t stand that I was interacting with the people around me, who, by the way, were white. It seemed like they only tolerated us when we were spending money and staying quiet.

This level of racism is intolerable. Don’t waste your evening or money at this terrible place. Calgary has plenty of friendly bars that won’t judge you based on your skin color. Porch management, if you have any integrity left, you should be embarrassed. Reflect on how you treat your patrons because it’s disgraceful. Steer clear of Porch. Consider...

⭐️⭐️✨ (2.5 Stars – If I Could) The food here is actually quite good—flavourful, well-prepared, and the portions are decent. They also offer a fair selection of gluten-free options, which is important to me as someone with celiac. That said, the prices are a bit on the higher side for what you get.

This was my second visit. The first time, I had a great experience, which is why I decided to bring my friend here for her birthday. Unfortunately, I regret that decision. It was such a letdown because I was genuinely excited to celebrate her special day here. But the lack of service and cleanliness made the experience disappointing.

I booked a table well in advance and even selected the birthday option during the reservation. However, it seemed like they didn’t care or even acknowledge it. To make matters worse, we were seated in the worst spot—right next to the staff entrance. You’d think being so close to where the staff frequently pass through would mean better service, but no. We were completely neglected.

Other establishments usually go above and beyond to make special occasions memorable, but here, there was zero consideration. Honestly, why even put the option for occasions during booking if nothing changes?

Throughout the meal, no one checked on us—not even once. We wanted to order drinks, but after taking our food order, the server never returned to our table. No refills, no follow-up, nothing. She disappeared after dropping off our food and only reappeared when I had to flag her down for the bill.

The experience was further let down by the state of the bathrooms—unclean and poorly maintained, which is unacceptable for any dining establishment.

While the food is worth coming back for, the service and cleanliness need serious improvement. I hope the management takes these...