District 102 — Restaurant in Edmonton

The racist restaurant I've ever visited. RACIST.

I (Asian), and a friend (white) visited this restaurant last Saturday (Dec 31, 2022). This was actually my second time visiting this restaurant because I really liked its vibe on my first visit.

We sat at the bar and this Indian bartender asked me to present him my credit card to ensure I could pay for my drink and food. While my friend (white) told him that he would pay by cash, the bartender didn't even bother to ask any further questions but insisted on actually seeing my credit card before serving us. Since this was not my first time here at District 102, and I was never asked to present a credit card before getting served in my entire life, I was like ok if that was your policy, and gave him my credit card. FYI Mine was a black credit card in case you are judging me.

Then the bartender kept my card and put it next to his register. When the bartender was busy serving, I was looking around and was surprised as he never asked anyone else for the credit card before serving them. There was four white people (two men two women in their 50s maybe) sitting next to us at the bar (we entered District 102 at the same time), one white woman came after us and was sitting at the table probably waiting for her friends. None of them was asked to present a credit card. Nobody was asked to present a credit card but me, an Asian customer.

Very quickly, I realized that this restaurant was totally a joke and this Indian bartender is a racist, I told him I wanted my credit card back. Then he said I could order and he would just put it on my tab. Jesus Christ, that's how every single restaurant does and that was what he should have done in the first place. But no. The bartender decided to be a racist, and I decided not to spend a dime in this restaurant, not ever again.

Then here I am, very happy to give this restaurant one star and share my experience.

P/S: to the manager or the owner: check your camera to see what happened that night. I...

Bland, massively overpriced, and misleading.

I had the misfortune of ordering the "spaghetti carbonara", and calling it that is an insult to my intelligence, my taste buds, and pasta in general. A carbonara has eggs, egg yolk, cheese (pecorino romano and parmigiano reggiano), and guanciale (traditionally) or pancetta. What I was served was spaghettini (not spaghetti) in a bland, unseasoned cream sauce with mushrooms, asiago and pancetta. I was fine with the asiago substitution because it was mentioned on the menu, but carbonara is NEVER a cream sauce, and if you're going to add mushrooms you must at least put that on the menu. Guanciale is also widely available in Edmonton so there is no reason to use pancetta other than it being much cheaper. The dish was utterly tastless, it was like they forgot to salt or season any part of it. I have had more flavorful water. Even if they hadn't called it carbonara and charged $28 for a dish that didn't cost more than $8 to make, it would have still been terrible. I've had more flavorful dishes at Olive Garden. The "berry" mojito was made with a sickeningly sweet storebought syrup and was absolutely disgusting. I'd rather drink rum and kool-aid mixed for me by Jim Jones. The food tastes like the chef hates their life and their customers, and it is obvious that the only thing they are passionate about at this restaraunt is using cheap ingredients to cut costs. I did not finish my spaghettini in mushroom cream sauce, and needless to say I will not be back. Good presentation is nice, but if the food is tasteless and devoid of passion, it's absolutely meaningless. Even the asiago, which was used in conjunction with cream to cut the cost of parmigiano and pecorino was a cheap, powdered version. That alone says it all. What a scam of a restaraunt.

PS: IF IT HAS CREAM, DON'T CALL...

"Our first visit to District 102 Drink + Eatery left us impressed by the very nice decor. Despite it being a Sunday evening, the place was surprisingly empty during supper time, giving it a unique blend of a sports bar and a high-quality restaurant atmosphere.

We opted for the 8oz Chuck Burger and were blown away by its amazing taste and perfect quality. The burger came with a great fresh bun, and we especially appreciated that they donate $1 of each purchase to the Stollery Children's Hospital. Having tried many burgers before, this one is truly worth every penny.

However, our experience was slightly dampened by the service. Although the waiter had an empty restaurant, we didn't see much of him, and the service was not as prompt as we would have liked. As a result, we felt that he did not earn the 15% tip we usually give. Despite this, we still recommend checking out this place for its fair prices and great food. Overall, District 102 Drink + Eatery is a place you will...