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Aida's Mediterranean Bistro
Category: Restaurants Mediterranean Mediterranean [Edit]
2208 4 St SWCalgary, AB T2S 1W9
(403) 541-1189
- Hours:
Mon 11 am - 9 pm
Tue-Thu 11 am - 10 pm
Fri-Sat 11 am - 11 pm
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
25 reviews for Aida's Mediterranean Bistro
Review Highlights
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"Best middle eastern food that I've found in town." In 3 reviews -
"We had the kibby, fatayer, and sfeeha to start which are..." In 3 reviews -
"We always get the veggie mezza for 2, with fattoush salad..." In 3 reviews
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25 reviews in English
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Review from Crystal W.
Calgary, AB
4/14/2012
I just ate, hands down, the best Lebanese food I've ever had. Thanks to Erin D's accompaniment and recommendations, I was able to share The Veggie Mezza for Two, Burma and Layali Loubnan. I cannot even begin to describe how flavorful and exquisite every morsel of this cuisine was. The spices were plentiful but not overpowering. I don't feel like I could kill fragile beings with my breath, which is how I recently felt after eating falafel elsewhere.
This is a smart and simply decorated bistro. Casual attire is all you need in this laid back atmosphere. Prices are reasonable for the quantity. I had more than enough food. I like to eat my entire meal and be totally satisfied, yet not take home leftovers. Service was fine.
I definitely would recommend Aida's to friends and out-of-town guests. -
Review from laura r.
4/4/2012 ROTD 4/23/2012
My family has started going to Aida's a lot over the past year or so, and I never seemed to be able to make it. Last night I finally got to try it with my mom and sister.
We ordered the mouhammara, fatayer, shawarma platter, falafel platter, and the grilled chicken sandwich. I was reluctant to order the mouhammara, thinking I would prefer another type of dip. My sister insisted the mouhammara was the best choice, and I am so glad I tried it! Definitely recommend ordering this. Great combination of sweet and nutty. I also recommend trying their iced tea. It is house made with rose water.
The grilled chicken sandwich was amazing. I am going to have trouble ordering any thing else when I return. Garlic paste, grilled chicken and pickles inside a pan fried crispy pita. What more could you ask for? I love garlic and this sandwich had plenty of it.
The service was great, and the restaurant wasn't too busy. Sounds like reservations may be required on fridays and saturdays. -
Review from Shannon M.
Calgary, AB
2/9/2012 1 Check-in Here
My friend chose Aida's for a dinner out when she came to town on a regular visit. We've made a habit of tracking down new places we've heard good things about, but this one was a surprise to me. This cozy restaurant on 4th street is a bit of a tight squeeze on a busy night, but well worth it. The decor is warm and inviting, and the music selection was light and intriguing - a blend of Mediterranean beats that only added to the experience.
The menu is quite varied, offering a broad selection of combinations or al la carte items. Everything we had - from appetizers to dinner to beverages and dessert - were delicious, and served by polite, very accommodating staff. For our friend in the party who's vegetarian - lots of options to suit his needs, and they were more than willing to make substitutions.
I will certainly go back to Aida's for a future Mediterranean fix. -
Review from Emilie C.
4/30/2012
Mouhammara. Enough said. As a self-proclaimed dip connoisseur, I like to think I have somewhat of an exercised ability to judge creations as these. Aida's does a crazy amazing Mouhammara, which is made up of roasted red peppers, walnuts, breadcrumbs, spices, and olive oil. It's vibrant colour is enticing and the taste is perfection. Served with triangular slices of pita bread, this is the reason I go to Aida's, and I must say that the dip never disappoints.
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Review from Kourosh A.
Calgary, AB
1/9/2012
Not impressed at all.
This place has the potential to be much better because of its location but unfortunately the service was meager, and our food was COLD !
The Couscous was more like mashed potato, however the appetizers were very good.
Overall, it was not worth the money. Not going back. -
Review from Sabahat N.
Calgary, AB
9/27/2011 ROTD 1/17/2012
Middle Eastern food is tricky for me. I dont crave it too often, so when I do, it better be good. I have been to restaurants where they make it too dry or too bland.. and I have been to restaurants where its delicious.
Aida was more on the 'delicious' side of my radar. I ordered the lamb kabob platter, with the Tabouleh and baba ganouj. The tabouleh salad was great, the baba ganouj was tasty - you cant go wrong with eggplant - and the lamb skewers were delicious! I only wish the skewers werent as small! I wiped my plate clean!
The location of the restaurant is great, and the atmosphere is pretty relaxed too. -
Review from Wendy P.
Shawarma and falafels seem like fast, late night food to me. But they're on the menu at Aida's! It's Mediterranean food, go figure! And pricing for that part of the menu is on par, yet with a pretty sit down atmosphere and beer and wine selections to boot. That's not what we ended up ordering this afternoon though. Instead, a friend and I shared the seafood mezza for two. Delicious and plentiful! Squid, prawns, Feta and Majdool cheese, Fatayer, grape leaves, and falafel. We ordered it with hummus and pita. That Majdool cheese was something else, it looked like cheese strings already strung, except tasted so much better... although its a very salty cheese.
When (not if) you head in to try it, look up. It's one of the few places in Calgary I've seen an old-style painted ceiling. You know the kind, white with gold painted designs in tiles. I love the space as well. It's an old building turned restaurant, not an old building gutted and turned restaurant.
Nice work Aida's! -
Review from Natasha K.
Calgary, AB
Updated - 5/9/2011 1 Check-in Here
I'm here a few times a year, but my last visit wasn't as good as the others. Nevertheless, I still give this place 5 stars.
After growing up in the middle east, and Lebanese was always a common meal, this place still reminds me of our old take-out nights. The shawarmas aren't like the ones I'd get street side back in the day, but the falafels and hummus always bring back the memories.
We always get the veggie mezza for 2, with fattoush salad - what makes it delicious? sumac, lemon/olive oil dressing, crispy pita - yummm!
Along with that we get a side order of our favourite tabbouleh salad.
The mouhammara (roasted red pepper and walnut dip) is amaaazzzzing! A while ago they gave a newspaper a version of the recipe, I'm sure they kept a few secrets out, my mom and I will make it quite a bit and it always delivers.
On my last visit we were invited by a very gross smell of cigarrette smoke, it was overpowering, the waittress said perhaps because there was a man trying to fix the front door, who knows... it was unappetizing though.
The falafels were overcooked and very dry.
Now, the tabbouleh they make isn't the one that has the large amounts of bulgar, because recipes do vary, however this time it was a very minimal amount, less than I've ever seen - even here. I like the versions that use less bulgar than parsley but I think they missed quite a bit here. There was barely any bulgar.
Overall - a few misses on my last visit but I remain a loyal fan of Aida's.Listed in: Comfort restaurants
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/12/2010
As I often get cravings for Aidas, its safe to say I love this place!
I wouldn't give the service 5*… Read more »
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Review from Angela L.
12/12/2010
Not only was our server incredibly friendly, she was also very enthusiastic about helping us make decisions off of the large scrumptious menu. When asked about the difference between the platters and the entrees, she admitted that the latter don't feature as much variety and take much longer to prepare. She seemed to have read our mind as we were both quite hungry and always prefer nibbling on a variety of flavours.
My Vegetarian Delight included crunchy falafel balls, dense little fatayer (which are like spanakopita wrapped in thick pastry), and juicy grape leaves which were perfectly complimented by the sides of hommous and yogourt dips and wonderfully marinated tabbouleh. My lunch date's Kafta Kabob served over rice were reported to be savoury and satisfying too.
The sparsely decorated dining room features an ornate ceiling with a number of small two and four tops. The double doors at the front really made a big difference in shielding out a lot (albeit not all) of the cold wind from the outside whenever someone entered or left. -
Review from Brodie R.
Calgary, AB
10/15/2011
Great little spot, the food is very good! Lamb kebab sandwich tasted amazing. Also very good hummus :] service was slow but I think she was new. My cousin says its normally better.
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Review from Erin D.
1/13/2011 1 Check-in Here
The food is OUT OF THIS WORLD. Aida's is always my first choice when entertaining people from out of town and in town. The food has been consistently delicious since the day Aida opened her door. I noticed there were some comments about this restaurant's service, I have never had an issue. It is attentive, not intrusive. It's not a fine dining restaurant and I think some people need to adjust their expectations when dining out.
Do yourself a favour and order one the Mezza for two if it is your first visit. It's an excellent introduction to what will be one of your most delicious dining experiences and whatever you do, try the Mouhamarra at all costs.
I LOVE AIDA'S!!! -
Review from Mike R.
1/12/2011
Went to Aida's last night for a family dinner. The food was really great!
We had the kibby, fatayer, and sfeeha to start which are all super flavourful. The sfeeha were my personal favorite, with well seasoned meat and soft fluffy dough tart.
The Lamb kabob platter was very good, the lamb portion could have been a bit larger as there were 2 small skewers with 6 1 inch cubes of lamb on each. Either slightly larger cubes or a third skewer would have been nice. The Tabouli salad was very good with lots of parsley and lemon flavour and just the right amount of tomato and onion. The real star for me however was the Baba Ghannouj it was absolutely amazing and I could have had a dinner of solely it and pita. -
Review from Sergey S.
1/9/2011
Glad to see lots of people happy with Aida's, but for me that was the kwappiest experience not only in Calgary, but in all Canada so far. The only place where I literally wanted to leave the infamous 25 cents tip, and barely agreed with my wife to leave a dollar (still sorry about that).
Food was ok - not a big deal, but ok. Like, really - you can go to a roadside shawarma like Cedar's on the Edmonton Trail and get something at least as good, if not better! But this place had a restaurant tag, and even if it looked like a rathole (maintenance, guys, maintenance!) there still was an expectation to get something decent. Which just did not happen in our first and last visit.
The worst part was "service"... I don't know why that girl was so nasty, maybe it was just one of those days, but she literally was ignoring us and brought food for two other tables before even attempting to take our order. Than the order took like forever to arrive - and the food was as described above, plus cold. Than she never passed by to offer anything like a dessert, or whatever, and just duly brought up a bill. Man, and we did not do anything bad to her - been cheerful and friendly as always!
The number on the bill just did not make any sense, but to hesh with that, we were happy to simply pay it and bail out - what a place, man... And we were living literally around the corner, but never ever attempted to give that place another try. -
Review from Sapna G.
Calgary, AB
9/16/2009
Last week, I met a bunch of friends at Aida's. I hadn't been there since being back in town (5 years or so), so I wasn't quite sure what to expect.
Let me tell you - IT. WAS. FANTASTIC!
First of all, it is right on 4th Street, which has an impressive stretch of great restaurants on it. But let's be honest, once you've had Aida's, WHY would you go anywhere else on the stretch?!?!?
Yes, Aida's is very tiny. Yes, it gets very hot (I don't think they have air conditioning), but honestly, all of this is outweighed by the excellent mediterranean cuisine!
Very few places know how to make good Middle Eastern food. Usually it ends up overcooked and underflavoured. At Aida's, I ordered the vegetarian couscous. Other entrees at our table included the falafal, the sampler plate and the mousaka.
ALL of it was DELICIOUS.
We even found a way to make room for dessert.
I would highly recommend Aida's to anyone who enjoys great food and a welcoming atmosphere. -
Review from Vanessa G.
4/21/2011
This is one of the first places i went to when i moved to the Calgary, and the last place i ate when i left. It is by far one of the best Lebanese restaurants i have ever been too. We would order the vegetarian platter which is perfect for two people. I miss this place.
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Review from Katie C.
Calgary, AB
12/10/2009
While there is a reason Aida's has been in business for so long, I find the spectrum of service runs from okay to awful. This would never be a place I would go to if I was in a hurry, as the total time seems to crawl... by... It d-r-a-a-a-a-g-s before you even get your food. If you're hungry (I was starving) it isn't so much about enjoying the food but fighting off your own stomach!
Still, the food is good enough to be a decent reward for your patience. Great Lebanese food. I prefer the appetizers, I really don't think you can go wrong with them. Even those take a long time to come from the kitchen. I don't know. The service is slow enough that they get three stars, but the food is worth four at least.
I think the call is based on your own food-values. Are you a foodie, willing to fight through anything (bears, mountains, etc) for a good meal or are you a service stickler? In this case, I am more in number 2. -
Review from Mitch S.
Toronto, ON
7/6/2009
So after testing some amazing Middle-Eastern in Montreal, I was led to this place on a visit to Calgary by an extremely reliable source and was definitely not disappointed!
We opted for the the vegetarian meza to taste as many things as possible. Everything we tasted was delicious and from my understanding, this is pretty much the only place to get quality Middle-Eastern in Calgary. I can't recommend anything specially as I very much enjoyed everything. -
Review from Steven H.
Calgary, AB
12/8/2009
I prefer Lebanese over almost all other cuisines and have found that Aidas is the best in Calgary. The prices are reasonable, the service is good, although sometimes slow, but then again food is about enjoying slowly with a glass of wine.
I suggest the humus, falafel and spinach & lentil soup as flavourful starters. I usually follow-up with a shish taouk or beef platter. Try it, you can't go wrong and won't beat it for flavour and price. -
Review from N L.
Calgary, AB
11/20/2011
Delicious every time - I recommend the lamb kebob platter, the vegetarian platter and my all time favourite - the muhamara (a mild red pepper and walnut dip). The only thing is they don't store their red wine at the proper temperature, which is unfortunate. Also they don't do any substitutions so if you have allergies or food sensitivities it's not flexible.
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Review from Steven E.
Calgary, AB
9/10/2010
Food was very good, as was the service. So many interesting flavors and textures, I will definitely be back. The servers are also quite nice to look at ;)
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Review from Adam G.
Calgary, AB
3/7/2009
Best middle eastern food that I've found in town.
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Review from Patrick J.
Calgary, AB
8/6/2009
Make reservations!!! This quaint little place is often full regardless of the night so if you don't want to be disappointed call ahead.
I suggest you start with the Muhammra, which is a spicy, garlicky dip made with ground walnuts, red peppers, garlic and pomegranate juice. From there just about anything on the menu is great (and made fresh) but I lean towards the Mediterranean chicken dish. If I was ever on death row THIS would be my final meal. I suggest having it with rice rather than potato.
If I could get away with licking the plate clean, I would. -
Review from Starkie S.
Calgary, AB
8/22/2009
This past Friday its 5:30 pm and looking for a place to eat on 4th Street and walk in to this restaurant and the staff must have thought we were invisible as they failed to acknowledge our presence. On top of the fact the place was EMPTY - not one table occupied!!
This place is small, cramped and the decor is cafeteria style.
My advice keep walking...based purely on the staff's lack of "service" -
Review from Beni D.
Calgary, AB
11/8/2010
yum yum falafel, nom nom grilled cheese
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Review from Sara A.
Calgary, AB
7/11/2009
Friendly, if slow, service. The food was lacking. Each item I ordered was "off" by a bit as compared to home-prepared versions of the same dish. The Fatoush was too soggy, the orange-blossom scent of the lemonade was barely there, and the muhammara was too salty and oily. I didn't find it a good value for the price.
