The Beltliner — Restaurant in Calgary

Have been to the Beltliner twice now, with the same results, overall not impressed.

I have to admit, the place looks great, the service is top notch and they have nailed the Beltliner feel. Their location is spot on, with the hotel and the local buildings / high population I am sure that this will be a hit.

The issue? The food, its quality, and what they are trying to achieve. A friend and I went there for breakfast, and while I was mildly disappointed previously I figured I would give them another chance. They have a very limited variety of breakfast items, and do not seem to know how to handle substitutions. Due to training restrictions, I do not eat carbohydrates (bread, wheat) so I wanted the steak and eggs. What could you have as another side? Nothing.. Tomato slices? No. Fruit? No. Spinach? No. So i was offered an additional egg.

Meal came, eggs were rubber (I ordered over easy) and were visually browned (cooked on too high of heat). What bothers me about this, is that the chef who was pushing out the meals would have seen this, as would have my server, that is 3 sets of eyes (one who cooked eggs as the first) who were fine by this going out as is. I received my additional egg, however I also arrived two confusing cubes that I had to ask "What are these?". They were my hashbrowns that I didn't order, nor did I want. My steak was cooked quite well and was great for a breakfast steak, that being said it was over seasoned (salty) to taste.

My friend didn't fair much better, he likes omelettes and unfortunately omelettes aren't on the menu. As luck would have it, they had a blue plate special that was an omelette which he ordered. Sadly much of the same, his toast was incorrect, and he tried to eat the hashbrown cube, but disliked it. Upon his prompting he asked me to taste the hashbrown, and I too felt it tasted greasy.

Overall, I would hope they improve the food, they have everything going for them. They have nailed the decor, nailed the feeling of a diner, it is open, is busy, was filled with attentive staff, however the chef is trying to be too cute with the menu items vs. offering great food, cooked well, and presented well, having overcooked eggs is simply lazy.

Breakfast is my thing, I have been to many of the breakfast places in town (O.E.B., Reds, Blue Plate, Diner Deluxe, Galaxy, Pannenkoek House) and I think the Beltliner has great potential. Run a weekend breakfast menu, increase the menu items (they only have 14 breakfast choices, where are omelettes?) and pay attention to the quality of the food. Make these adjustments and I will glady be the first to eat my words, hopefully at...

I might give The Beltliner a second chance but it won’t be soon.

I do my best not to leave negative reviews unless they are completely warranted. My review is almost solely based upon the server.

I visited on Canada Day with my mum, sister and brother upon my brothers recommendation based on his previous experiences.

I was greeted by a gentleman in a black hat, black t-shirt and black shorts.

My disappointment was not based on his attire as it did fit the vibe of the establishment which may have been better had his service and attitude not been so terrible.

Firstly, he was the one who greeted us. This seemed like a chore from the start. He ended up being our server which didn’t get any better.

He sat us down and barely paid any attention to us. It took an excessive amount of time for him to return to gather our orders. He made no attempt to engage us as patrons. His demeanour was unpleasant and hurried. He was the least attentive server that I’ve dealt with in a very long time.

Another thing I noticed was that his attention was directed to the young woman serving along side him. I found it very unprofessional that he seemed to be flirting with her more than doing his job. I didn’t think it right that he was interrupting her from trying to perform her tasks and furthermore, it was entirely inappropriate for him to be caressing her behind the bar. I do feel bad that I didn’t not say anything when I was there as it didn’t seem like the attention was felt from her.

We had finished our meals and waited at least 20 minutes before our server finished his meal to bring us our bill so we could leave. It wasn’t until I got up and left did he notice that we were prepared to leave. It was the only way I could think to get his attention away from his food or his coworker without me causing a seen due to my frustration. (I did not dine and dash).

I ordered the Smoked Salmon Benny which was good. My mum ordered the veggie burger which she said was a little too salty (reason for the four stars) but she did like it enough to finish it. My sister ordered the Moroccan soup which she thought was good as well.

I honestly didn’t notice the atmosphere because I was so disappointed and distracted with our server. At initial glance, it does seem like a nice place as far as decor and...

I'm in Calgary on business for a week, and The Beltliner was my breakfast location of choice. What I found after eating there every morning is that your experience 100% depends on who is working that day.

My first three days, same server--most times alone--where I had your typical 4- or 5-star restaurant experience. Food was fine. Service was fine. Everything was fine.

On my fourth day, he was not working, but FOUR other people were. I'm not the kind of guy that demands to talk to the manager, but I came close that day. I was sitting at the bar, and saw when my food was put up. And the next table's food. And the next table's food. And the next table's food. Four people, and not one person was expediting plates to their tables. They were making drinks or greeting new customers or standing at the front talking with each other. When one of them finally came to deliver food to tables, she only took those plates where she had taken the order. She had not taken my order. So despite being the first in the breakfast log jam, mine was left up there while all the others were delivered.

For the next ten minutes, I tried to get someone's attention. I should have just gone and grabbed it myself. It certainly was close enough.

I had planned on going back the next day, but I tried somewhere else instead. I doubt I'll be back unless I see that one server working through the door.

(I gave three stars total, because the first three days were fine. If my experience had only been like the fourth day, it would be zero stars with a big warning for others...