The Fine Diner-In Inglewood

Must say I’m not impressed, and after reading other reviews I can see exactly where they were coming from. I should have believed what I read and saved my money and time.
Food: On the food side I ordered the spicy meatball sandwich with provolone with fries. The «spicy» sandwich had no detectable spice to it and the mysterious orange sauce was simply bland. The meatballs were simply forgettable, and the fries (how do you mess up fries?) were pale, dry and limp at the same time. Most of the others at the table had few positive comments leaving me to realize I wasn’t alone in my disappointment.
Service/​Experience: Neither of our servers managed to crack a smile or make the effort to be anything other than functionally aloof during the entire meal. While we could have been seated in the front, our party of 11 was seated in a private room in the back of the restaurant and we ended up isolated from the rest of the space and other diners. Seating was horrible with wooden chairs that had a cover but no padding whatsoever and more than one person in our party commented on having a «numb bum» as we were leaving. The amount of time between submitting our order and receiving our food seemed like an eternity and became the topic of conversation — never a good sign. Finally, the staff added the automatic gratuity of 18% (or was it a full 20%?) to an already over priced meal (and disappointing service) which seemed like an insult after we waited for so long for our meals. If the food was at least worthy of conversation, it might not seem to bad, but «Meh» is about all I can muster.
Summary: I’m sure this place has it’s fans, but I’m not one of them. Giving them 2 stars seems generous and I can’t bring myself to do it, or to suggest this place to anyone. It will be a very long time before I bother going back. If I’m looking for a great breakfast, the Galaxie Diner, Over Easy Breakfast or Diner Deluxe all (in my humble opinion) offer better food and better prices.

We went here for breakfast and ordered a wild mushroom frittata and the croque madame with a breakfast poutine substitute. My partner raved about his breakfast and we both loved the breakfast poutine (actually the best breakfast poutine i’ve ever had!)
The mushroom frittata was okay. For $ 16 I was pretty disappointed it only came with three little pieces of fruit as a side. I also found it really «eggy» and expected more mushrooms. The sides were pretty expensive as well, to get a breakfast dish with hashbrowns on the side would have brought my breakfast to over $ 20. For two breakfasts we paid over $ 40 which I thought was pretty pricey.
If we go back (which we probably will) I will be getting a large breakfast poutine and having an unreal breakfast for under $ 10.

Food: Good but nothing special. My cured salmon was a bit fishy.
Quality: OK.
# diners: 2
Prices: A bit high compared to other breakfast places like Dairy Lane, Red’s or Blue Star
Service: AWFUL & UNPROFESSIONAL. Felt like a truck stop instead of a «FINE» diner.
The waitress was inattentive and unfriendly. In fact, right after we finished our meal and asked for more coffee, she told us we should leave soon because there was a line up… I found this very unprofessional even though I understand their need for faster turnover. However, this is their business and they need to foster much better customer loyalty.
So we put our money on the table with the bill and she NEVER came back to get it. Nobody asked if we needed any change. Instead, the hostess came by and actually asked us to leave because of their wait list.
In total we were there for less than 2 hours. They made us feel like we were a nuisance and not valued at all.
With so many great diners such as Diner Deluxe (Aspen and Edmonton Tr), Red’s (Beltline and Ramsay), Dairy Lane, Blue Star, Monki, Holy Grail and The Loop, I won’t be going back here soon. And if I did, I would first check to see if the same waitress was working!

I was walking through Inglewood looking for a place to eat lunch and randomly chose The Fine Diner-​In Inglewood, and I am glad I did. The restaurant is a quaint place. I ordered the Roasted Squash Duck Confit Salad which was superb. The waiter said it had just recently been added to the menu. The rest of the menu appeared to have some other fine choices. A chalkboard indicated that they served modern comfort food which based on my lone experience I would agree.

This place is a joke. The veggie burger is a pile of slop, cannot eat it without it falling apart. The fries were cold. Staff aloof and incompetent. We ordered a side of roasted vegetables. It was roasted potatoes. They said «potatoes are a vegetable» and were satisfied with keeping the extra $ 1.50 charge on our bill. I asked to speak to the manager or owner. No one was on site to listen. The waitress was not apologetic nor did she even attempt to try her hand at customer service. Save yourself the disappointment and avoid this crappy diner.

For such a nice setting and beautifully decorated place, there seems to be an atmosphere of bravado. The middle age lady who greeted us was ok but not accommodating. Her face was flat the entire time we were there. One server for the entire diner. The coffee we had wasn’t at par with the other diners we’ve been to. The blueberry pancakes weren’t fluffy, they were also under seasoned and slightly burnt. Tasted like paper unless you closed your eyes and soaked them with real maple syrup, then yeah, you won’t know you’re eating crap. With the price you’re paying, they couldn’t even provide you real maple syrup, seriously… Aunt Jemima!!! You would expect something very good considering their price command with all their menus. Honestly we came here to check the place due to it being covered in a TV cooking show. We were wrong. Not much to say with the rest of the food we ordered, they all tasted the same like the ones you find at the corner of each busy thoroughfare. Totally dissatisfied and disappointed.

We were looking for another diner and found this one by ‘mistake’ and boy are we glad we did. The spot is small but tastefully decorated. I would even call the décor classy. The server was friendly and polite and the food was amazing! Most diners at 11:50am on a sunday would have a waiting list a mile long. I was surprised that we only had to wait 15 minutes. I think it was because not a lot of people know of them yet.
I had the steak and eggs ($ 17) and it was delicious and perfectly done! My son had the chocolate chip pancakes which are huge! Let me tell you that for a set of three at a price of $ 12 they are worth it. These pancakes are the tastiest chocolate chip pancakes I have ever had (and had the pleasure to steal from my son’s plate)! The servers could not believe that a 5-​year old could finish all three :).
And let me tell you about the bacon… oh, the bacon. Best bacon I’ve had in a while. All sweet, tasty, crispy goodness. I believe they use maple syrup on it. Delicious!
The only reason I gave them four stars is because the kitchen was a bit on the slow side and the cleaning of tables could be done a bit faster so they don’t have people waiting while dirty tables sit empty.
Oh, another thing. I don’t believe they have a kids menu.
I would strongly encourage you to try this diner. I know I will definitely be back and try their poutine!!!

Went for lunch last week and love the fact that I should still get breakfast! That really is something that is hard to find. Cute space, and there were a couple of other tables in there, can see how it would be a little crowded when they are full. I had the lobster eggs benny, which had a small tempura fried lobster piece on the top which was delicious and not quite the way I was expecting. Sauce was good and not too rich, nor did it taste out a packet, muffin was crisp toasted which meant it didn’t get too soggy by the time I was finished eating and that was a nice change. Would have liked there to be more lobster though. This dish is $ 18 and could use some a bunch more lobster to justify the price point. My mom had their special which was maple pancakes with pork. When the dish arrived we both commented that 2 waffles was too much food — but they are done lovely and thin so are crisp and delicious, with me helping her we almost finished it all. Her pork was delicious and soft with great flavour. Between the 2 hers was best for sure.
All in all would give the diner a second try and go for the croque madam, as saw another table having it and just love some melted cheese! Little over priced for what it is and hope that over time their prices average out with over restaurants.
Like that they have half price wine on Tuesdays!

These guys have some seriously delicious breakfasts. The croque madame and pulled duck hash are excellent. If Super Seth makes a recommendation, listen to him — he knows what he’s talking about.

We enjoyed a Saturday brunch. A good atmosphere and friendly staff, including the owner taking orders. We had a vegetarian benny and frittata, Both were very good. Highlights include the excellent medley of veggies used in the home fries (beets, etc) and the generous side of fruit. Like most brunch places in Calgary, the non-​meat options could be improved (we used to live in Vancouver — much more interesting options). Also, the hollandaise sauce on the benny could be more piquant– it was quite creamy and should have a sharper edge. We’ll definitely come back when we are in Inglewood again.

We were excited about breakfast this morning and going, the Fine Diner was my choice after seeing it on TV. I think customer service is paramount and the Fine Diner Waitress had none. The restaurant was empty except for two other customers it was around 11 am.
We asked for a table for three and she wants us to sit right next to the customer already seated. I asked if we could sit at another location and she said no. The only table we could sit at was the one for three. Really think she should rethink her career.
The food was good.

Went for a group lunch. We all really enjoyed our meals and had great service. I enjoyed the alberta Benny that came with steak and soft poached eggs with a nice hollandaise. The duck poutine looked awesome as did the mac and cheese. Yummo! I liked the little details like the salad in the mason jar. Our server was great too!

So what do you do when you can’t find the restaurant you were looking for? Well, if you’re in Inglewood just drive another couple of blocks and you’ll surely run across the Fine Diner like we did!
My BFF and I wanted an awesome breakfast with some gluten-​free options and… WOW, the choices were amazing. I ordered the Pulled Duck Hash, and she ordered the Gluten-​Free Banana Bread French Toast. We couldn’t pass up the in-​house smoked bacon, and I suggest that you don’t either because it was stellar!
The Duck Hash was… well, it left me speechless for about five minutes. My poached eggs were absolutely perfect and the hollandaise wasn’t too heavy. The pulled duck was soooo dreamy… sorry, drifted off into Pulled Duck Hash land there!
The Banana Bread French Toast did not disappoint either. The portion was huge, and the fresh bananas, strawberries and whipped cream were a nice touch as the banana bread was very dense and rich. So delicious!
The. Bacon. THE BACON. I don’t think any other bacon will ever do in comparison now. Thick-​cut, caramelized, cooked to perfection. I can say that this is some of the best bacon on the planet.
I have to give some extra thumbs-​up for the service as well. They were busy, but we were well cared for the whole time we were there. Don’t pass up an opportunity to eat here!!!

I had my first and last experience here today. The wait staff were awful. We showed up 10 minutes early for our reservation and as such, the hostess actually kicked out another table. It was appalling. Our waiter snapped and one our guests when she asked if her bacon could be crispy, She was told there is only one way to cook it and to deal with it. We were not asked if we wanted any beverages until we were ready to order our meals. They «will not serve you until you close your menu». The same waiter was serving the table next to us and told told the gentleman who was still deciding what to have «last chance, what do you want».
The food is overly priced and mediocre at best. The wait staff have a superiority complex and think they are on a Seinfeld Soup Nazi episode. I will never return to this establishment nor recommend it to anyone.

i was recommended to come here, but I was very disappointed by the service, food, and the environment. The 4 of us each ordered something different, the burger was decent, the mushroom frittata was not bad either, but my steak hash was problematic. I ordered the steak medium rare, but it came out very well done, and it was very hard to cut without a steak knife. The waiter didn’t offer an apology but just said that he asked for a medium rare and would get me another one. The poached egg covered in hollandaise sauce and home fries on the plate were pretty good, but the flavor was too heavy without the steak, as the steak was sandwiched in between them.
We waited for about 20 minutes before the waiter came back and took away all of our plates, including mine, and instead of the whole entrée, he just gave me a steak on a small plate without any sauce or anything. The steak was done right and tasted great, but the service was mediocre at best, especially when I couldn’t finish the egg and fries in the original plate without the steak to offset the flavors. Meanwhile, we had some very loud neighbors who were talking at the top of their lungs, and the waiter didn’t do much about it after we mentioned this to him.
When the bill came, we couldn’t get separate bills because «the system isn’t set up that way», and I was charged full price for the entrée that came out wrong the first time and was only offered partial entrée in the second attempt. These small things really added up for me and I simply would not recommend this place.

I was excited to try out a new breakfast place in cowtown and branch out from my usual go-​to (OEB). I had the Alberta benny, my friends ordered the 3 egg breakfast and spicy fritatta’s. The Benny was fine, nothing special. Spicy fritatta my friend wasn’t wowed by. The 3 egg breakfast looked like it had one slice of bacon cut into two.
Service wasn’t the greatest. Server wasn’t particularly friendly and was fairly short with us. Don’t think I saw a smile once. I know this isn’t McDonalds where smiles are free but there are a few fantastic breakfast places in Calgary that know how to do service right. If you are going to charge the same prices as Calgary breakfast elite, then I expect the same food and service.
I really wanted to like this place. It failed. Dammit.

First of all let me start by saying, I wanted to love this place. I have wanted to go FOREVER and I was so excited to get the chance.
But I could not WOULD NOT love this place… it failed to put food in my face… :(
#1. we were put in the waiting room to wait for the last person to arrive… I understand if its a large group… but if 90% are there to wait for one? … hmmmmmm ok…
#2. Service. Our server didn’t seem to happy to be there, nor did he seem to care to explain the daily special to us. i had to ask, and also ask what the difference between the special and the menu item with the same name was.
#3. After ordering, everyone else’s food came out… except mine. I had asked for my eggs poached medium-​hard. he said my eggs broke all over the plate so they had to re-​do my order. I asked how they would have broken if they were cooked as I asked, he said when eggs are poached they can break easily… ummm usually only if they are soft but hey I like being argued with first thing in the morning…
so I waited… and waited. everyone else ate, my food came out… the eggs were barely poached with the whites still runny. I had to send it back AGAIN, by this point most of the table had finished eating… and sharing hashbrowns and toast with me so I wasn’t left out… no apologies, nothing. I changed my order to one egg, ate it and left, and for the record it was cooked wrong too.

Shut up… you had me at bacon.
Instead of a classic diner, Fine Diner is a «classy diner», who partners with local producers to serve up some delicious brekky, and they’ve got some of the best bacon going.
I’ve been around the bacon bend, sampling all this city has to offer, and there’s something about Fine Diner’s bacon that is a real standout — very rich in flavour, and not overly salty or fatty tasting. Just. the perfect bacon. If I knew how they cured it, there is no doubt I would go mad with power.
Bacon aside, the Eggs Florentine was delicious, and very colourful. In a breakfast word dominated by beiges and browns, Fine Diner really spruces up their food with fresh green onions, and a colourful fruit selection. See my picture of this one because there’s no way doing it justice.
If you’re into Calgary breakfast spots, this should definitely be on your list of places to try.

I am not a bacon girl. In fact, I don’t eat it very often. But when I ordered a three egg breakfast at Fine Diner, there were 3 fat pieces of bacon on my plate along with the three eggs (of course), hash browns, 4 fluffy slices of multi-​grain sour dough bread perfectly toasted with just the right amount of butter, and a fruit garnish (a handful of blueberries, an orange slice, a strawberry and a slice of melon).
I’m hoping that Wendy P or Jennie M, my dining companions, will be posting a pic of my meal since I happened to go here the day after my iPhone took a little plunge into a bucket of ice water. But I digress…
Back to the bacon… Wow. The bacon at Fine Diner is the perhaps the best I’ve ever had. In fact, if I lived in Calgary, I’d likely become a bacon girl just because of the bacon at Fine Diner! Everything else was also delicious and our service was attentive. Prices are moderate and the neighborhood of Inglewood where this restaurant resides is super cute. I just wish I had more time to explore. Thank you Wendy P for suggesting Fine Diner — that was some damn fine bacon. So fine, in fact, that it blows my mind! (Hey Mickey, Hey Mickey!) —- Sorry, had to go there!

I wish I could’ve liked The Fine Diner better, I really do. Service is friendly here.
But that’s really all I can rate them for, because there wasn’t much for me to eat.
And what was there, I almost couldn’t eat, because the ingredient I asked to be left out of the salad, was piled on top of it. I took one look at it, and saw grapefruit all over my salad.
«No, there’s no grapefruit on there.»
Strike. I know I asked you to ask the kitchen not to put grapefruit on there, and you took their word for it rather than checking for me before you brought it out. But, I can see it plain as day, and you’re arguing with me. You won’t even take it back until two other people at the table tell you, yes it is in fact, all over the top of the salad.
And as I discovered later, midway through the salad; GRAPEFRUIT ALL UP ONS.
Thankfully, I only asked for it to be without the grapefruit because it conflicts with my medication and could exacerbate the side effects. Because that already sounds like a barrel of fun.
What if I had a grapefruit allergy? It took 30 minutes for the salad to come out, and less than 2 minutes after I sent it back, it was in front of me again. I initially assumed that it had taken so long before, because they wanted to serve me with everyone else (because seriously, how long does it take to put together a new salad, unless you are harvesting it from the Earth) — but nope, someone just spooned it off the top.
So yeah, she was friendly otherwise, and I know the arguing was more absentminded than intentional — but I have zero faith in the kitchen. The two stars is more for how well everyone else was treated. And the inexpensive drinks. Yay.