Spicy Here (辣味) — Restaurant in Calgary

The Place to Eat in Calgary is Here, Spicy Here! For over 30 years we regularly ate at or ordered food from the Spicy Hut, last February Kong Lee of the Spicy Hut retired. We were heartbroken as we loved this place and the food. They sold to a new couple but they had to make many adjustments before they could open. We did not go for a while after they opened as we were trying places closer to home. Nowhere did we find comparable food. A particular loss to us had been the Hot and Sour soup, this was bar none, the best we had found anywhere. When were continuing the hunt I looked at the Spicy Here's website and saw how they had got recipes from Kong Lee we immediately went there, sadly they did not have our Hot and Sour soup on the menu. We ordered a meal that include some of our old favourites and I spoke with the lovely young lady of the restaurant and mentioned how we loved that soup above all. She said they could do that. We assured her we would be back to try it.

We returned and ordered the Hot and Sour soup, still the best, exactly the old recipe. I have tried many such soups around the city and nothing I have found compares. We also ordered Salt and Pepper Seafood, again exactly the crisp, fresh brilliantly delicious salty and spicy dish we remembered. We also ordered one dish from their daily "specials" board. I seriously hope this stays as a permanent special. It was the Chicken in Yellow Curry, I hoped it might be like the old number 57, Kang Ka Rhee Gai, a standby favourite and to our delight it was. This is not like a typical yellow curry I have had elsewhere that is usually a golden yellow with limited flavour. This is a darkish yellow and you can see dark specks in it. These are the other spices, giving it a complex web of flavours.

The food here is NOT simple Cantonese that was the mainstay of Calgary and the prairies for decades. The flavours here are rich and complex. It isn't just about the heat of spice, it is about the complex of many spices at Spicy Here.

If you are looking for flavour rich Asian food this is a must try. It might not look like much more than a hole in the wall but trust that it is a flavour adventure.

I should also mention that I have developed a sensitivity to MSG and they do a good job of keeping it out of the...

Spicy Here used to be Spicy Hut; it recently changed ownership, but their food is still good as they have the same head chef. This is a fantastic spot for hearty Chinese-Canadian cuisine in the heart of Bridgeland, Calgary.

We are big fans of their ginger chicken/beef as the sauce is unique with its vinegary-spicy-sweetness; I could drink the sauce, but I also love it on white rice…a must try! Their wok-fried vegetables are not overcooked, and they retain that “wok-hei” (wok-soul) sizzle. Try their shrimp & veggies in garlic and black pepper sauce. The grilled pork dumplings are large and juicy - pan fried to perfection. The veggie springs rolls are amazing too.

New owners, Xu and Olivia, are incredibly warm and welcoming. We stopped in a few weeks back close to closing time as we were craving the ginger chicken, and we had a great conversation with this lovely couple about their new venture with this restaurant. They shared about the new membership program where you can pre-load a card for easy pay of future transactions both for takeout and dine-in. Depending on the amount that is initially pre-loaded, you can qualify for bonus items every time you order, such as spring rolls, dumplings, and wonton soup. It’s a neat bonus offer, so ask about the program the next time you...

After many years of enjoying ‘Spicy Hut’ with Kon, Jeannette & crew and wishing Kon all the best in his well deserved retirement and then anxiously awaiting eight months for the city to finalize the permits, the new owners of ‘Spicy Here’ finally opened up! They had a high standard to live up to The wait was well worth it. The new owners, Xu and Olivia are kind, sincere, friendly and very welcoming! The food is as absolutely amazing. The appetizers: dumplings and chicken spring rolls, were served hot and fresh and very tasty. Our main courses: salt & pepper calamari, ginger chicken, lemon chicken, chicken chow mein, tiger prawns in mushrooms, chicken fried rice and coconut rice were all absolutely delicious. They absolutely knocked every dish out of the park. We sincerely wish Xu & Olivia all the very best and look forward to seeing them again soon for our next family celebration! The...