Weekend late lunch in Calgary
Sometimes Saturdays and Sundays get off to a slow start. As a result, the usual lunchtime may pass you by, leaving you out and about on the weekend with a mid-afternoon hankering for food. While options can be somewhat limited, these restaurants keep afternoon hours on weekends and lend themselves to lackadaisical lounging and late lunches.
Cibo Urbano Cucina
1012 17 Ave SW, Calgary, AB T2T 0A5Wine and Italian food is a classic late-lunch combination. A casual, two-level Italian spot on 17th Avenue Southwest, Cibo serves delicious handcrafted pizzas, pastas and an inventive list of drink-friendly appetizers. Eat a little, eat a lot, but feel free to take your sweet time.
Midtown Kitchen & Bar
302 10th St NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1V8This Kensington bar and grill serves a contemporary pub grub menu that features pastas, flatbreads and burgers as well as small-plate snacks and charcuterie plates. The Midtown Kitchen & Bar also serves East Coast and West Coast oysters by the half dozen. Pair your repast with a selection from its lengthy craft beer and wine menu.
Selkirk Grille
1900 Heritage Dr SW, Calgary, AB T2V 2X3Family-friendly and lightly upscale, this restaurant outside the Heritage Park Historical Village main gate is decked out like a vintage Canuck resort hotel. Serving updates on classic Canadian dishes, its chefs incorporate the best Western Canadian ingredients. Try wild British Columbia mushrooms on toast, Alberta Angus beef tenderloin or a scallop and prawn risotto.
Big T's BBQ & Smoke House Co
2138 Crowchild Trail NW, Calgary, AB T2M 3Y7Succulent, messy barbecue with multiple sauces and sides are the order of the day at Big T’s. Sharing is a natural impulse whatever dishes arrive at the table, though the restaurant’s two sampler platters are stacked high with a finger-lickin’ selection of everything from pulled pork and chicken to Andouille sausage and cornbread. Arrive hungry.
Korean Village Restaurant
1324 10 Ave SW, Calgary, AB T3C 0J2Korean food is largely about wholesome ingredients such as rice, vegetables and delicious red-pepper paste (gochujang). At critically acclaimed Korean Village in downtown Calgary, try the signature barbecue beef (bulgogi) or dolsot bibimbap, a savoury dish consisting of rice and veggies served in a smokin’ stone pot.
Nick's Steakhouse & Pizza
2430 Crowchild Trail NW, Calgary, AB T2M 4N5Open all afternoon Saturdays and Sundays, Nick’s is an old-school steak house. Its slabs of fab are served with veg and potato (including baked) options. Choose from several beef entrees including the 10-ounce New York strip loin, 12-ounce rib eye, steak Neptune and the monstrous “Calgary-cut” 24-ounce top sirloin. Also choose from a lovely list of pizzas prepared with house-made sauce and Nick’s secret blend of cheeses.
Bocce
110-2207 4 St SW, Calgary, AB T2S 1X1Casual and contemporary, Bocce serves unbeatable Italian pizza, pleasing pastas and a wholesome array of great greens in a sunny setting with a view of the Fourth Street Southwest shopping-and-dining strip. Standout pies include the calabrese topped with spicy fennel sausage, olives, peppers and mozzarella and the funghi dressed with mushrooms, arugula pesto and pine nuts.
