Elbow Room

Really good food, great service and very nice vibe. I've been to Elbow Room a few times and I love it here. Service is always exceptional. The brunch and dinner menu are really good. I will definitely come back!

The food is excellent and the service is friendly. One of my top choices in Calgary

Brunch at Elbow Room was very good (hollandaise is wonderful!). However the service was abrupt to the point of being rude. The bartender clearly resented having to service the upstairs dining area. We will likely return, but only to sit downstairs.

Food was outstanding and the presentation was fantastic. Our server was attentive and knowledgeable and added to the overall experience of the night. This was a girl's dinner to celebrate a birthday, and cake pops were brought out after, along with the other desserts we ordered. They were soooo tasty!! I recommend the arancini, tiger prawns, carpaccio, and lobster pasta. We will all be back!!

The food and service were great, we ordered cappuccinos and they were not hot when delivered to the table. The only thing that could be improved.

Great food, service and a good all round vibe. Would def... go again.

Great Mussels

Food was outstanding. We all ordered from the tasting Menu. Every bite - delicious. Service was attentive and professional, but not at all obtrusive. Would definitely return.

This was the second time at Elbow Room; I had dinner there a few months ago and wanted to check-out the "hype", but I wasn't terribly impressed.
This time a group of friends wanted to meet for lunch and someone suggested Elbow Room. I made the reservation and was fairly curtly greeted by a server who turned out to be ours, and who was rather curt throughout the meal.
Elbow Room cleverly offers a choice of three small dishes for lunch, and we mostly made choices from the generous list. However, two of the selections were way over-salty (chicken soup and otherwise delicious shrimp). One of our party told the server who said (again curtly) that he'd mention it to the chef.
After two not-great experiences I don't need to go again. Unfortunately this is not a "downtown" restaurant and the prices aren't much less.

Great choices and delicious food, I’ll be back again!

Recently went for a late dinner here with my partner. We both ordered the tasting menu which offered a fun selection of proteins and sides, the lobster crusted steak and potato salad being my personal favourites. We found a couple elements lacked salt, but overall it was a really enjoyable experience, and the peanut butter cheesecake lollipops were incredible!

Our server, Lori, was fantastic. She made great recommendations and was engaging and funny without being over attentive.

We'll definitely be back!

It was a birthday dinner, very nice.

We sat upstairs and enjoyed a great dinner with friends. Brussel sprouts, tomato salad and halibut were all excellent.

Sadly, repeat visit to the lovely restaurant wasn't quite as nice as the first time. Over-intrusive service staff, who tried to make it sound like she was worth a 20% tip simply by refilling a water glass - very annoying and not what we expect here.
Added to which, how can you have a restaurant between two great coffee places, and yet have a button-operated espresso machine? Really?? The latte was appalling, and not up to what you'd expect here where the brunch menu is really great. A simple thing to fix surely - or buy the coffees next door!!

Food was great as always. While we waited for or server (15 mins while they finished with a table of 6) we watched staff light candles at empty tables but no one approached us or offered us water ... Our dinner was very good and our server was friendly. When we got home we saw an email saying the restaurant had canceled this reservation ...?!?

We sat at the counter for lunch where we could chat with the chefs and watch the food being prepared. The staff both preparing and serving the food are friendly and helpful. We had meals prepared over the wood burning grill which were both excellent. The suggested wine pairing was perfect too. We are regulars at the ER and recommend it to everyone

Atmosphere was great. Patio was amazing. Lots of pillows and blankets if you get cold.

Went for dinner before a show, and we both had the flat iron steak cooked medium rare. Mine was more medium, and my mom’s was more rare, but both good. The portions were great! That applewood cheddar potato croquette is delicious!! We ate early, so the noise level wasn’t too bad, though I’ve been before where the downstairs has gotten quite echoey with all the chatter.

Lovely patio

Fantastic execution on the birthday surprise! And wonderfully attentive non-intrusive service. Lovely evening.

Great food, impressive wine list and amazing service !!

Friends birthday

Delicious meal and wine

I am torn writing this review. Would I recommend the Elbow Room to a friend - yes but only for drinks and maybe appetizers.

My husband and I took my parents and sister out for dinner hoping to have a wonderful meal and have to say I was disappointed. My sister and dad ordered the flat iron steak and while the potatoes were hot and wonderful the steak and broccolini was cold. I had the duck and while the meat was flavourable and the sauce was wonderful, everything was cold and the gnocchi was burnt and cold, French beans well overcooked and also cold. My mother and husband's dishes were hot and very good and no issues (woodroasted chicken and lobster radiator).

The desserts were also a mixed bag. The chocolate mousse was more like a chuck of chocolate ganache, my carrot cake slice was 1/3 the size as the slice my father got and the pistachios were super soft a sign it was an older cake. But the Lemon Meringue Parfait was to die for. Unfortunately the real shocker came when we asked what type of coffee they serve we were told Mother Parker's - a real surprise given the price point and the higher end of casual dinning the Elbow Room is presenting. Also Starbucks and Monogram coffee shops are right around them. The Service was really really slow but we would not blame the server as it appeared she was the only one on the floor and it was full. My sister and I had a cocktail each and they were outstanding.

Overall I was underwhelmed/ disappointed with the visit. I would not take my parents again but maybe if I am looking for a spot for a drink with a friend and maybe some nibbles I might go back.

Wonderful food and friendly, professional service. Really enjoyed our experience and will be back.

Had the 8 oz. steak, expertly cooked med rare and great jus. Halibut also great as well.

Great restaurant. Got my order wrong but it didn't matter as the food was good.

We enjoyed our meal but by 8.45 pm we were the last customers in the restaurant and the staff were clearing and tidying up for closing. The staff were quite noisy whilst they did this and we felt uncomfortable.
This is the first time we have experienced this at this restaurant, perhaps we should go earlier on a Sunday evening.

Great service and great food. The restaurant was recommended to us by a friend.

The Elbow Room, has a lovely layout. The seating was comfortable and the staff very courteous. Our meal was delicious and the Summerfeast menu gave the perfect introduction to what the chef has t offer. I would definitely revisit this restaurant again.

We went there for brunch and we're very happy with the food. Lobster Benny's were awesome Service was good too. Overall good experience. We'll be back!

Sadly we tried this with the summer feast festival in calgary and we’re rushed through the meal

Overall a great dining experience at Elbow Room. Our server was excellent and provided us with the time to visit without rushing us to order. The food was great as well. Most of our party ordered the Summer Feast menu.
We look forward to coming back and having the Elbow Room Experience.
The only short coming was that the wine menu is somewhat limited.

Went for lunch with a group of friends. My first time here. It’s a bit loud but the food was soooo good, I’ll definitely be back. I had the Lunch Sampler with: Brussel sprouts, Caesar salad and mushroom flatbread. All amazing! Friends said the tiger prawns are to die for - they looked really good. Friend had the tomato salad which was also beautifully presented and looked really fresh. Beignets to finish...my mouth was in heaven!

Overall experience good
Food was ok. Halibut was tasty but dry.
Duck was good but ends dry also. Too bad we hoped for better.

We sat on the patio and enjoyed the lovely summer
Feast.

I love that you can order a half bottle of wine, as a glass is not enough and a bottle too much!

We had the Summer Feast, the starter Cobb salad was tasty, then one of the Boar and one of the Risotto. The food was served hot and pretty!

Rounded out with a coffee and the creme brûlée and it was a nice evening out!

Servers were pleasant, polite but not intrusive! Thank you for a great dining experience !

A lovely meal on the patio! Perfect summertime activity...

We had a 7:45 reservation but weren't seated until 8:40. We tried to make the best of it and ordered some drinks while we waited on the outside patio. They had some heaters so a couple of us weren't freezing, but most of us were. Once we were finally seated it was a fine experience. Not sure we would go back if they can't keep a reservation times.

Chose Elbow Room because the patio is one of the best in Calgary but wasn’t expecting the food to be so very, very good. The seafood is from sustainable sources so I had lobster for the first time in years and, it, was, awesome. Seriously, I haven’t enjoyed a meal so much in I don’t know how long. Everyone at the table seemed to agree.

The service was friendly and knowledgeable but could have checked in more often. Or at all. To be honest, though, it wasn’t an issue since we were so busy talking and eating.

Four of us had the 3 course dinner with wine pairings. All the food was very good, but the seafood risotto was wonderful. The 3 wines were matched perfectly.