Veranda at The Stables — Restaurant in Calgary

Finally tried Veranda last night. They are in the neighbourhood for us, so it was a long, overdue visit. Since we went for dinner, it was already pitch black out by 5:30pm in December, so it was a bit hard to find (parking & entrance). The exterior doesn't look like much but once inside, it was busy and lively. We waited by the hostess stand for about 10 mins, and then were acknowledged and brought to our table. Service wasn't fast but it was friendly. Even though we were seated across from the pizza ovens, we chose to pass on the pizzas. The table next to us did order the feature pizza for the month? It was a squash, short rib, blue cheese, arugula, and peppers pizza? It sounded interesting, looked yummy, but after a slice or two, they commented to us that they weren't sure if they really tasted or saw the short rib on the pizza? So my hubby was glad we passed on that even though he loves short rib and blue cheese. Instead, we shared an order of truffle fries, hot wings, garlicky spicy prawns, and the salmon entree. All the food arrived hot and no major complaints. My hubby was surprised the wings didn't come with a dip (blue cheese or ranch), but upon asking our server, she said the wings don't come with a dip but she can grab a side of ranch for him. He also does prefer a "crispier" wing; even sauced wings can have a "bite" to them, but he felt these were more "soft and rubbery" although they were cooked and coated well in the hot sauce. Can't go wrong with truffle parm fries, and the garlicky spicy prawns were good, but no spice? More on the sweeter side, which I didn't mind as it came with bread to dip and soak up the sauce. The salmon entree was a "staff pick" and I wanted something more hearty than the small plates we shared. We both shared the salmon and my hubby said it was "okay" as I make something very similar at home too. I probably wouldn't get it next time, as it's true, I can make that dish at home but it was hearty and hit the spot last night. Overall, it was good and we would go back to try a few more items and maybe see what their new feature pizza would be, and check out the patio in the summer. Thank you Veranda for...

I have now been here twice, so decided I had experienced enough to write a review after last night’s dinner.

First, the food is delicious. The pizzas are very good. They have a legit pizza oven (and a second one designated only for gluten free pizza for those who need that). The Hawaiian style is really tasty. It comes with jalapeños and pineapple- a great combo.

There are a lot of good choices for wings, and I intend to work my way through them, but I started with the Korean ones. Very saucy and tasty.

There are a good number of appies and sharing items too, so you don’t have to pick one thing! Bring friends and try them all!

Now, while the food is worth coming for, let’s be honest that the food intentionally sits between a brewery and a distillery. I did a flight of the beers, from light (Crouching Tiger) to dark (Hidden Dragon) with some others in between. And they are all good (though admittedly I’m not a big IPA guy and they have two of those). The Hidden Dragon is a salted dark beer, and it’s a definite try!! Highly recommend!

The sheer number of house made alcohols is impressive! There is a thread of honey throughout their alcohols, but it’s not overwhelming. I am not a gin guy, but they have a good selection of flavours of gin if you are into gin.

One last thing, if you can, ask to be seated in Renee’s section. She is a fantastic server, and she makes the experience. She knows the menu inside and out - food and drinks. (And that’s helpful because they have two menus and don’t put all the drinks on either. It makes no sense and is really confusing - I don’t know who thought that was a good idea). Anyway, Renee had great information and suggestions that were spot on. The place was packed (weird for a Wednesday I would think), but she was totally cool and calm, and made you feel welcome and wanted.

(There was a manager there who looked really stressed out with it being busy. I never saw her smile or engage with customers, and she always appeared frustrated…maybe there was some back of the house issues, but everything looked fine in the dining area.)

Overall, I’d say this is an absolute must try for you. I’m a fan and...

Quite possibly the worst service I’ve ever received on what should have been a straightforward meal. Keep in mind all of the following occurred on our wedding anniversary and with our” patient 2 year old in tow. Waited 15 minutes to see our server but only after my wife went inside to get someone. Ordered a beer and wine and asked for two waters. Didn’t have drinks or water after 45 minutes of waiting so my wife went in again and spoke with the server. She apologized and said she would get the manager. No one came. Our pizzas came at about the hour and 15 mark of being at the restaurant. They were brought over by a young man who we later found out was the manager aware of our concerns, but rather than addressing anything, he was prepared to just drop the pizzas and run. I asked him to see a manager and to our surprise, he was the manager. We expressed our displeasure with the poor service and he said the drinks would be comped (after my wife asked), argued a bit over how long a pizza should really take to make and then offered us MORE NAPKINS. After that point one would think the service would try to correct itself. Nope. Both our drinks had been empty for quite some time. No water refill. No customary “how are the first few bites?” immediately after filling your mouth with food (mediocre at best). No check in after we had finished our food. Rather than waiting another 20 minutes to get the bill we just went inside and asked to follow up with the manager. We explained that they had completely blown it this evening and we asked for the pizza to be comped. My wife explained that we love going to breweries and it was a shame that this was our experience. He said he couldn’t do that but our two drinks would be free. He felt the wait time for the pizza was adequate. My wife then asked him to discount the food and he said he could only give us 15% off. For context, this is the first time my wife has voiced a complaint at a restaurant ever. There are similar reviews about service so I would strongly suggest skipping this place and going to Mardaloop Brewing Co or Wild Rose or the Garrison instead—all excellent options with...