Varbar Wine Bar — Restaurant in Calgary

I just want to start by saying that the staff of this place is wonderful. They work very hard and Kim and the lovely chef were top notch. But I feel robbed. The bill was $187. We had 6 drinks, cheese fondue and added a 3 meat charcuterie. Even though we had a decent amount of drinks what's disappointing about this place is the ABSOLUTELY UNREASONABLE PRICES. The quality of the food and drinks are decent but not for this price. The location offers only 4 cocktails that are very run of the mill but charge over $15-19 for each one. 5oz of champagne about $20... The fondue for 2 is $60 (the cheese itself is good) but the bread and charcuterie meat ($10) tasted like they were store bought and not fresh at all. Overall this place would get 5 stars for the service and if the price was 50% less expensive. The place has 4-6 tables, it is small and located in a not so attractive shopping area. I don't leave non positive reviews but after a generous 20 ish % tip (because the service was great) the whole bill was $225. You can go to big ticket BOUJEE locations in Calgary or steakhouse that will run you about $50 less than this for twice the food. Disappointed but unfortunately I would not recommend...

First-- yes, it is the place that has the vape shop sign (for now, I think they're working on getting a sign)!! If you are willing to splurge for a cute experience, and don't mind a very cosy restaurant, I would highly recommend this place. There are only 4 tables and 2 extra spots that are the 'bar'. I went with my boyfriend and we were seated at the bar, so we had a different experience than the other tables. It seemed like after a couple glasses of champagne the tables were chatting with eachother and being friendly, you almost have to since the tables are so close. If you want to have a more intimate experience with just a partner or friend I'd recommend asking to be seated at the bar when you make your reservation. Charcuterie was amazing, fondue was great, but we were too full for dessert at the end unfortunately.

If you're going to be picky about where you're seated/don't like crowded places, or aren't willing to spend a bit of money for a fun experience, just go to a different place! This place is made to be tiny...

Checked out Varbar for the bottomless fondue. It's extremely tiny in there, only 3 tables but it's very cozy and trendy, Iove how it's decorated. If you have a bigger group, they will open earlier for you so they can accommodate your group, which is what they did for our group of 6. Which was amazing, thank you Kim!!!

The food was great but just a little pricey for me. I totally get that inflation is happening so prices have to go up but. My bill was 107 bucks. For two glasses of sparkling wine and some bread dipped in cheese with a few pickled things. Couple pieces of meat.

But it was a really fun experience!! I enjoyed it and Kim was phenomenal always making sure we had what we needed. So thanks for the...