Great upscale casual food and service in downtown Calgary...
People having fun, staff smiling, good food and service:
We had dinner at Cactus Club Cafe while visiting Calgary this summer. You should too.
The downtown Calgary pedestrian district is fun to walk during the summer. There are lots of people dining and drinking outside, smiling, and having fun. You will be in a great mood by the time you arrive at Cactus Cub Cafe. They have wonderful outdoor, lounge, and dining room dining options. The decor is fun, upbeat, and inviting. We ate in the dining room but all options looked great.
Cactus Club is popular but they can handle it. They are staffed the best of any restaurant I have seen in a long time... anywhere. It's clear that the management wants the staff to smile and create an inviting upscale experience rather than work them into the ground. Bravo! And the staff... dress very smartly in basic black dresses or suits... always a great choice. And oh, they can carry on a conversation, smile, and are nice. Bravo again!
The clientele is diverse and well-mannered. No ball caps. Bravo. We enjoyed dining with polite and energetic people, some families with children (none of which were ignored by their parents,) many office workers enjoying a drink together after work, groups of young ladies enjoying dinner (and not screaming!) and the hubs even said the group of middle-aged men we saw on our way out where a group of queens. Yep, diverse and you will love it!
We listen to Justin Bieber sing Sorry from the house's playlist.
Our dinner of two cocktails, and app and two entrées was about $100CA including tip. Service was quick, professional and polite. I can highly recommend the Mediterranean bowl.
The plain and simple promise:
- Upscale casual dining
- Creat location
- Wonderful service
The surprise:
Our server started off the experience by asking if we had any food allergies. Since I have celiac, this is a breath of fresh air. When I asked about possible cross-contamination, she of course said she would double-check with the kitchen however they have a dedicated gluten-free fryer! This is a homerun for someone like me!
If you go:
- Calgary is surprisingly not too large of a city, and has a population of about 1.5 million.
- The Cactus Club Cafe is located about 23 1/2 hours from downtown Palm Springs and 10 1/2 hours from Vancouver.
- Open 7 days a week, at least 11a-Midnight, slightly more hours a few days a week.
