ParkerHouse Grill & Wine Bar

Poor service and inability to think outside the box. Wanted a BIG steak at lunch but they would not provide a dinner menu nor would they let me talk to a manager, I got the head server instead.
Apparently the servers don’t need extra money as all I was trying to do was spend more by getting a bigger steak.
Pretty bad considering the price and all the buildup prior to coming here.
NEVER AGAIN!!!

Very good restaurant in Calgary. Ate lunch here before headed to the airport. The restaurant is huge and looks formal– probably is for dinner. Good, quality food and great service.

This is a slightly restricted review, as we were only in the basement for an event.
It was my boss’s retirement party, and we had picked here to go celebrate. First awesome part was the free food and booze. We were waited on hand and food. I was only able to eat a few of the bite plates that came around, but the ones I did have were delicious!
The downfall was it was so bloody hot down there. It was an overcast day, but then you cram 40+ people into a space and they had the fireplace on. Which they didn’t turn off after numerous requests. I was only able to stay for an hour or so as I was nauseous from the heat.
All my friends rave about this place, so I’ll have to come down for dinner one night.

Reviewing Thurs oyster night!
$ 1 Oysters… Yeeeeaaaahhh!
yummm!
sad that they don’t serve it with cocktail sauce and tobasco/​horseradish tho (hahah maybe that’s not that ‘fancy’ way of eating it but I like it!).
Also had their pizza which was also good.
They have different specials on different nights, and my friend also said the king crab claws is good and good portions as well.

We came during ‘Dine out Calgary’ week. It was our first time in this restaurant, and although it was ok, we probably won’t be back. The set menu contained 2 choices for the entrée, neither of which are on the regular menu, which is odd. Three of the four of us had the beef bourginone, which was pretty terrible. Honestly, I could have done (much) better. We all were very underwhelmed with our meals.
The room was lovely, the service was good, but the food was sorely lacking. Too bad, I expected much more.

Our First Thursday newsletter advertises the $ 1.00 fresh oysters. So that is what drew me in. But when we got there, my freind who loves a classy upscale décor noticed the chandaliers, rich wood, quiet, classy ambience and felt instantly at home.
The décor and quiet after a busy evening of art viewing, outweighed the questionable first service. It was not busy this partiuclar night, so our initial service left something to be desired. However, content to view the gorgeous, made here in Alberta by a ‘local’ artisan chandaliers, we were impressed by our second server, who immediately gave us more to go on. We’d missed dinner and this was a light evening meal for us, so, yes, I had my oysters, raw, on the half shelt perfectly iced and accompanied by a garlic vinagrette and a bottle of hot sauce, which I made good use of. But we also ordered wonderful food. The Manattan Rose Seafood chowder was fantastic. So was the Spinach fennel salad. We wanted something light, and I asked for somethiing ‘bready’ as well so I received a real ‘parker huse roll’ with my soup. The wine list is simple, but it has a great to see the 3 oz taster wine. This should become an offering in all of the restaurants nowadays in Alberta with that stupid .05 alcohol law now in place! A smaller glass was perfect accompaniment to the seafood soup which I would go back for again and again and again. It was delicate, flavourful and perfectly balanced. Not too fishy, not too creamy, not too acidic, considering the blend of flavours. The spinach fennel salad was again so well blended it soothed the palate as well as entertaining it!
The lovely classy upscale atmosphere sort of extended outside. We exchanged smiles, a young woman and I. She was wearing a sleek coat dress and the cutest shoes. And working her part of the street. So, if you want an intimate, classy meal, you can face away from the windows and enjoy the rich copper coloured pillars, starched white tableclothes and good cutlery or you can watch the events out side while you sip a wine or beer and have a delicious seafood meal. Yes, we will go back to sample more of the menu.

If you like fresh oysters, This is the right place… They have a lot of them… And they are just fresh & delicious! In addition, this place has an excellent location… In downtown, and close to everything… The service was great too… It is also a great place to have a drink. I would recommend it. And I want to go back there soon…

Couldnt find a table anywhere in the area for lunch and was lucky to get one here. Maybe not so lucky… 1.5 hour lunch due to poor service, we sat for 10 minutes before we where even asked if we wanted drinks and then had a 45 minute wait on food which came out not as ordered. The manager came by promised a 25% off the incorrect ordered items but when the bill arrived it wasn’t adjusted. I’ll give the place a second chance as it has great atmosphere I just think it was an off day for the place… lets hope

I really loved the chandeliers in this restaurant. They are made from blown glass. The atmosphere is warm and the lighting is perfect (not to dark but not bright either).
When we went in for our reservation there was one other table there. I asked to sit in the warmest seats and he sat us by the fireplace. Our waiter was talkative and funny but I had a few guilty snickers at how uncoordinated he was. Colin and I each got bottled water and they had Evian which I love.
I asked the waiter which appy he liked and why our of the two I was stuck between. I have been doing that more. I like to see if the employees actually eat and know their menu. He suggested the beef tartar which was very flavorful. I’ve had it a few times in the last six months and it’s been bland and boring but this time it was good. I could smell the truffle in it as soon as he sat it in front of me at the table. It was very fresh and I guessed correctly all the flavors in it.
Colin and I shared a bakers dozen of raw oysters. By share I mean I begrudgingly watched as he ate three of them. I ate the remainders and they were very fresh and well shucked. On Thursday nights they do one dollar oyster night. I love to share my food with people and often force people to share in my joy but when oysters are involved I’d rather burn myself than share.
For our mains Colin had a steak which he felt was small but well cooked and not that special. I had the scallops which were cooked to perfections on a cheesy bed of artichokes and a tomato and soybean sauce. The dish would have been perfect if it weren’t so salty. In fact that’s the only complaint I had about the tartar as well. If both dishes had less salt they would have been perfection. I love salty food so it was too salty. The best part of the night was the dessert, I had my favorite; crème brûlée. The crème brûlée was my second favorite all time. It was a pumpkin brûlée cooked to perfection the only exception was that it was served cold with a frozen solid cookie. Crème brûlée should at least be warm when you serve it.
Basically the whole night was just a bit off with everything. Had the food been less salty and the crème brûlée not been cold with a frozen solid cookie in it the who dinner would have been perfect. I’d love to go back again and find out if it was just an off night. I’d love to have that tartar again.
Overall it was a nice night that can I’m sure can only get better. I will definitely give them another try.

It’s Christmas lunch time in Calgary and that means finding a restaurant for lunch is hard. Finding a restaurant with room for a large party with great food & service is even harder. I’ve been to Parker House many times and I’ve always been happy with my experience so I thought I would give it a whirl with a large group.
Our group consisted of 10 people… half coworkers and half customers. Our waiter was very conscientious and helpful with food and wine recommendations. He did accidentally ring in one lady’s order as a steak sandwich instead of the steak entrée. He corrected it right away and took her meal off the bill because she had to wait for it to be cooked. The manager also came over to apologize.
In our group, I was the only person that had been to Parker House before. Everyone commented on what a great restaurant it was and that they would definitely be back. It’s always nice to hear because picking restaurants can be stressful (especially if it doesn’t go well!)

Great service, amazing ribeye/​lobster special. Absolutely loved it!

My go-​to spot for a business lunch. I have never been disappointed here. The service is great, and the noise level is not so loud that you can’t have a conversation.

My boyfriend and I went for a late-​ish dinner, around 8pm. Finding parking was a nightmare, but we finally did get a good spot infront of the restaurant. We decided to go on a Thursday because we heard it was half price oysters on that day.
Upon entering, I was immediately impressed by the very upscale décor of the place. Our waiter seemed to not know that it was oyster Thursday, but we sent him to ask the cooks and he came back saying that it indeed was half off oysters, and apologized for not knowing. We forgave him and went on to look at the menu. Overall, I was not impressed by the waiter, who seemed a bit clumsy and did not seem very ‘smooth’ or knowledgeable about the food. I was pleasantly surprised to see a ‘Under 475 calories’ menu, and everything on that mini-​menu looked scrumptious too, just like the rest of the menu. I wanted to try so many things! We finally ordered the rib-​eye steak, bison tenderloin, tartar trio, oysters and a bottle of wine.
The oysters which came first, was okay. They were not the best I have ever had, but it was half price night, so it was not a big deal. The tartar trio was excellent. It was beef tartar, bison tartar and tuna tartar served with 3 different kind of freshly-​made crisp chips the chef (or sous-​chef) explained to us himself. The tartar was well-​seasoned, fresh tasting, and the chips were perfect with them. VERY good start to the meal!
When the steak and the bison tenderloin came, I was blown away. One would expect bison to be tough, and especially since it was from the ‘475 calorie menu’, I was not expecting an amazingly hearty dish. BUT, both and steak and the bison were cooked to PERFECTION. We had ordered medium-​rare for both, and these were literally the softest, most TENDER pieces of meat I have EVER had in a restaurant. I am convinced I would have been able to happily cut into the steak and the bison with a butter knife. They were also perfectly seasoned and just the most delicious thing ever. I was beyond impressed. Definitely the best steak I have had, ever. Period.
We ordered 2 desserts after the meal, and even though I always love dessert, and these were good too, they could not beat the amazing steak experience I just had.
The total bill at the end of all this was $ 160 to boot! For oysters, an appetizer, 2 main meals, 2 desserts AND a bottle of wine, this was amazing! I left an extremely happy customer, and will DEFINITELY come back again for the steak and to try out the other things on the menu because they just sound so darn good!

I really like the Parker House! I like the service and the food that I ordered. I had the Reuben Sandwich and double up on the salad as I skipped the fries. The Reuben was soooooo good; the sandwich was still warm with ooey-​gooey cheese, sauerkraut, Russian salad dressing and a little container of delicious mustard. The bread was freshly baked, I’m sure. The salad was the usual mesclun mix with a oil-​vinegrette. Wolfed that sandwich down.
I would definitely come back here!

We had our office Christmas party dinner at Parker House. It has to be said, firstly, that this restaurant is beautiful. When I first moved to Calgary from Vancouver in the 1990s, «Husky House» was literally on the vanguard of cuisine in the city. Thankfully, with restaurants like this, the tide has turned, and this once steakhouse-​dominated city has a chance of becoming a «real» city. But I digress.
The Parker House is located in the beautifully and sensitively-​restored Lougheed Block in downtown Calgary. The restaurant is a sight to behold, and has been very nicely designed.
As for the food, the appetizers and hors d’oeuvres were very good. I would have rated these alone as being 4 stars or more. However, the main course/​entrees (which, as their name suggests, is the most important part of the meal) were merely so-​so, a few notches above an Earls in epicurean quality. I had the rack of lamb, and it was merely… ok. This is possibly the first time I’ve ever had a rack of lamb that elicited such an uninspiring result.
Will I go back? Oh yes, I will. However, I hope that they take the opportunity to «bring up their game» quite a bit.

I have eaten at the Parkerhouse Grille and Wine Bar on a number of occasions. It is located in a historic building downtown and is well suited for casual and formal business lunches. The décor is grand, sumptuous, elegant and charming, with lots of dark wood panelling and wood window blinds This décor is offset with bright white tablecloths.
The staff are equally charming, attentive and attractive. And on one occasion, our waitress was definitely on a high! Much to our delight!
Food is superb with fabulous steak and seafood choices. The Oyster bar provides decadent and copious oysters supplied from Nova Scotia and the east coast. The cellar/​wine list is vast and there are many choices of wine by the glass. My type of place!
Unfortunately one needs to be temperate at noon, so my choices for desserts and liquors are somewhat restrained during the day. A place worth visiting and trying.
I would recommend it without any hesitation to anyone visiting Calgary, who wants a fine dining experience with equally excellent service.

Parkerhouse opened just over a year ago in the Peter Lougheed historic building on 6^th Avenue, and I’ve been meaning to check it out ever since.
You really can’t get a sense of the vibe inside based on the façade — stark brick building, big windows half obscured by wooden shades inside, very hidden signage, and Sinatra belting out the tunes on outdoor speakers.
Inside, it’s a very hip, trendy upscale restaurant, with oversized leather benches, high ceilings with wooden accents, and there’s even an upstairs area with a few skylights (which I don’t totally understand, since this is on the main floor of a 6 story building, but I digress).
I selected this restaurant for a lunch get together that included a diverse crowd with even more diverse tastes, and the Parkerhouse menu that I viewed online promised a wealth of moderately priced options to please any palate.
I was not disappointed, and neither were any of my guests.
I’ve heard their burgers are spectacular, but I opted instead for the Smoked Chicken flatbread at the suggestion of the server.
I assumed it would be a small personal pizza, but the square thin-​crust pizza was overflowing the large serving plate.
Now, this pizza sounds weird, and I admit I was pretty sceptical, but I tell you, it’s really really good.
Smoked chicken, red onion, brie cheese, tomatoey pesto sauce, and… red grapes. And I swear, it’s those grapes that really make the flatbread go from so-​so to dyno-​mite. The sweet, smoky, tart flavours go really well together, and I ate every last bite.
I will definitely remember the Parkerhouse the next time I want to take someone out downtown for lunch.