Second Son Kitchen & Cocktails — Restaurant in Calgary

This was the most disappointing experience! I typically don't leave reviews unless the experience is truly awful, but I feel compelled to share my thoughts as a regular customer, not a social media foodie.

We decided to visit because we had heard good things about this place, especially as it was recommended for its authentic Hong Kong flavors. When we first walked in, we loved the authentic decor—it definitely brought back memories of Hong Kong. But when we looked at the menu, we were shocked by the prices. For example, $9.95 for just two pieces of siu mai? At that point, we were curious whether the quality would justify the price. So we ordered two appetizers and one main dish.

Interestingly, our main dish arrived first, and we had to wait quite a while for the appetizers. To make matters worse, the portions were very small, especially the Lo Mein, which didn’t match the price tag. While we were eating, we noticed several people getting up from their tables to take pictures of their food. I could almost guarantee they were social media foodies for two reasons: first, their portions were noticeably larger than ours (same dishes), and the presentation of their food was much nicer, likely for the photo ops. Second, they all received a gift after the meal.

I get that they’re advertising their business through these foodies, and I’m not bothered by the gift, but what bothered me was the overall service. For one, a staff member, not our waitress, cleared our cutlery after we finished the Lo Mein, even though we still had food coming. When we pointed this out, she apologized and explained that she thought we were done (this was likely due to the order being served out of sequence, with the main dish coming first). Throughout the meal, there were only two instances when staff checked in on us, and one of them offered chili oil for the Lo Mein without mentioning that it came with an extra charge. We only discovered this when the bill arrived.

After finishing the meal, the same staff member (who had offered the chili oil) cleared everything from the table except the water. She did not ask if we wanted anything else or the bill. We sat there, drinking our water, for nearly 10 minutes before finally having to wave someone down because the staff was standing around the bar area or chatting with those foodies.

Overall, this experience was incredibly disappointing. The service was terrible, the food was overpriced, and there are definitely better, more affordable Hong Kong food options in town. The way they treated customers differently was especially...

Calgary's Best Hong Kong Vibe! 🎰🇭🇰

This place isn't just a restaurant - it's a time machine to old-time Hong Kong！

The moment I step inside, I am transported into a Wong Kar-wai film🎬 with its moody neon lights, vintage mahjong tables, and that iconic "Second Brother" sign glowing red.

🔥 Atmosphere (100000/10): Authentic HK dai pai dong replica Instagram heaven: Snowing CRT TVs📺, street sign walls🌆, special tables🀄️!

🍜 Must-Try Dishes: ✔️ Char Siu Fan - Tender, caramelized perfection ✔️ Stewed Beef Rice- Rich broth, fall-apart meat ✔️ Won Ton Mein - shrimp & pork Wonton, tastes fresh ✔️ 🌟Tuna Tartare🌟 - VERY COOL❗️Smoked under glass dome (with addictive house chips!) ✔️ Shumai - Plump shrimp filling

I like to say the taste is Chinese- Flavor, not Western style Chinese Food, that’s SURPRISED for me🥰

🍸 Cocktail: • Enter the Dragon- It is use Chinese Rice Vodka & Dragonfruit decoration! • Lan Kwai Fong - Lychee vodka, and named with Hongkong famous bar area’

Huge portions for each dish, If you come to fun and hungry, only $17-18 can feeds you well!

⚠️Only open 2-3 days/week - plan ahead!

Perfect For night bites after casino & Moody...

Okay, so the idea of this place is amazing. I was really excited for a cool, kind of hidden spot that reminded me of Hong Kong, but a bit more upscale. The vibe and the decor were definitely on point, super unique. Plus, when we walked in, they told us the chef was an executive chef from Hong Kong, which made me think, "Wow, this is gonna be good!"

But honestly, after that first impression, it kind of went downhill. The service felt really disorganized. We had to keep trying to find someone to get drinks, which was annoying. The food was... fine, but it didn't live up to the hype. No one explained the menu or what was supposed to be special about the dishes. Like, what were they going for, exactly? And fried chicken wings with ranch? That just felt really random and didn't seem to fit the whole Hong Kong thing, or even a fusion thing.

One good thing, though, the chili oil was really good, but seriously, it's spicy. So, be careful with that!

Basically, the place has a really cool concept and atmosphere, but they need to seriously work on the service and the food. It just didn't match the promise they set at...