Allegra Restaurant — Restaurant in Cranbrook

We were looking forward to trying this restaurant and hoping to find a gem, but sadly we were very disappointed. The restaurant itself is quite cute and has space between tables for more privacy which is great. The hostess had a script when she seated us and there only seemed to be one server working so she was very rushed and seemed quite inexperienced. We ordered the salmon starter to start which was fine, but underwhelming. For entrees we had the lobster/crab ravioli and the chicken piccata. The ravioli was a small portion and the balsamic reduction on top made it very sweet. If you have a palette for sweetness in a main dish you may enjoy, but the flavour just doesn't seem to pair from a culinary perspective. Chicken piccata is typically a lemon/butter/caper sauce but this chicken dish was covered in tomato sauce. Another very strange way to prepare. Very surprised at the number of reviews where people rave about the food. The overall experience, disappointment in the food and corresponding value was poor and we won't be returning. We go out for an "experience" and good food, but it seems very hard to find these days. If you have not been here before, you should also know that wine prices by the glass are not appropriately listed in the menu and they charge for...

Very cute decor. Unfortunately there was a small hair in our butter and the bread was stale. The smoked duck appetizer was sub-par as it was a bit tough.

We ordered a tuna steak and lamb dishes. The tuna was cooked and flavoured well. It was on a bed of rice that was far too big and lacking flavour. It was also topped with fried tortilla pieces that were oily and did nothing for the dish.

The lamb was the best part of the meal. It had a delicious crust on it and was nice and tender. It also came with fried mashed potatoes bites that were seasoned perfectly and fluffy. The rest of the vegetables were over cooked and under flavoured. The sauce was a bit sweet and there was too much of it.

The toblerone mousse at the end had a rich chocolate flavour and the whipped cream was nice, though I didn't get much of the toblerone coming through.

The service was fine. Not overly welcoming, but they were attentive.

All-in-all I would rate a...

TLDR: fantastic food at a reasonable price, great presentation, friendly staff, comfortable atmosphere.

I came in as a single diner without a reservation, I was given a friendly greeting and was seated at their bar. It was a comfortable seat, though the height of the bar was much closer to my face than the average table would have been. All the better to shovel the fantastic food into my mouth though!

I ordered the Caesar salad starter, which they milled fresh cracked pepper onto, it was a very well balanced homemade dressing, lovely. For my entree I had the lobster and crab ravioli with the cream pesto sauce and balsamic glaze. With milled pepper and fresh grated parmesan, this dish had me dancing in my seat. Delicious. The presentation and quality of the food is well worth the reasonable price in my opinion.

I highly recommend...