Primal — Restaurant in Saskatoon

One of Saskatoon's best restaurants

Order: I stopped by this city for an event while on a business trip as well. My companion and I went to this restaurant as a walk in. Tried the 5 course meal. Took the dessert home.

Location: 4.5/5 Heart of downtown Sask. Easy to find on main street. It isnt busy like other major cities but I can imagine parking being an issue if the city was busier.

Venue: 4/5 A nice cozy atmosphere. Definitely will need to book reservations next time. We sat at the bar but that is expected. Will make for a nice night out.

Service: 5/5 We were greeted by a very friendly gentleman at the bar and the manager who was working is wonderful. She made excellent recommendations. The staff elevated my dining experience.

Food: 4/5 Beetroot Salad: very tart, fresh and vibrant flavors to kick start the taste buds. Lovely way to start the meal. The candied pistachios were a great complement to the acidity of the dish.

My date had a Caesar salad. I tasted it. Unremarkable.

Fried bread: phenomenal. It reminds me of a savory funnel cake but lighter.

Bison carpaccio: I like the idea of the bison carpaccio. Typically this is my favorite Italian appetizer. This underdelivered unfortunately. It was very standard. It isnt bad. Just not memorable.

tagliatelle with pork and beef heart bolognese. Pasta cooked al dente. Sauce was flavorful and bold. The smaller portion definitely tantilized my taste buds leaving a craving for more. Excellent.

I tried my partner's spaghetti and meat balls. I think it was not fair to rate because I had mine first.

Beef dish. The rotating cut was sirloin cap. This was the best dish of the night. The potatoes ruined French fries and Hash browns for me. This will leave a positive lasting impression of Saskatoon cuisine.

Pavlova dessert was light, airy and as if I was eating a cloud with a sweet and sour citrus punch. It was a lovely way to end my night.

Overall 4.5/5: great restaurant in Saskatoon. I will come back again when I'm in town. Next time I will know what to order and bring...

My boyfriend and I visited Primal after hearing many great things, and overall it was a wonderful experience.

We started with the Fried Bread, Bison Carpaccio, and Bone Marrow. The Fried Bread was served hot and fresh, and the Bison Carpaccio was excellent with a bright, fresh salad. The Bone Marrow portion was very generous—half was rich and buttery, but the other half unfortunately had a strange smell and aftertaste.

For mains (which I forgot to take a picture of), I ordered the Carbonara. It was tasty, though a little runny and not as cheesy as I had hoped, but still enjoyable. My boyfriend had the Bison steak, which he loved. The portion size was good, and the vegetables on the side were exceptionally well cooked and seasoned.

Dessert was the highlight of the night. As a tiramisu lover, I can honestly say, it is the best I’ve had in Saskatoon in a long time—rich, traditional, creamy, and full of flavor. We also tried the Butterscotch Budino, which was incredible: sweet, toasty, and perfectly balanced with sea salt.

Service was excellent throughout. The staff checked in often, and even small touches like cleaning crumbs between courses made the experience feel thoughtful and professional. We’ll definitely return—especially for the Tiramisu and Butterscotch Budino, and to try more of...

I have nothing but amazing things to say about Primal. For my partner's and I's anniversary, I wanted to do something special and I had heard about how great this place was. Firstly, the staff were amazing; very personable and friendly and elevated the experience. Despite them being busy, our server was so attentive and helpful! Knew the menu very well and could explain any questions.

We decided to do the 5 course meal, and holy crap we were not disappointed. Whole meal took just over 2hrs, it was spaced out very well with perfect portion sizes.I love how it's a "choose your own adventure" versus it being a set meal plan, so you can get all the things you've been eyeing up. I dont want to list out everything we got as we each got something different and shared, but every fricken dish was amazing. We also got the oysters, and I was blown away by the quality and freshness. Everything was plated beautifully, portion size was perfect, you can taste the quality of their ingredients! Everything just melts in your mouth, I cannot hype these Chefs enough. We were very full leaving, and incredibly satisfied.

Definitely was expensive, but worth the price for the quality of service, atmosphere, and food. It made our anniversary into a really special night, and we can't wait to come...