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Belfry Gastro House
Categories: Restaurants Gastropubs Event Planning & Services Venues & Event Spaces Gastropubs, Venues & Event Spaces [Edit]
630 8th Ave SWSte 102
Calgary, AB T2P
(403) 457-2700
- Hours:
Mon-Thu, Sun 11 am - 1 am
Fri-Sat 11 am - 2 am
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
22 reviews for Belfry Gastro House
22 reviews in English
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Review from Diane F.
4/11/2012 1 Check-in Here
I went here just over a week ago for a Stella & Dot meeting. It was a Monday night and the place was empty upstairs. Our meeting was downstairs in the Bell room(I believe it's called). I only had one glass of the house wine(red) and observed(damn lifestyle changes) the nachos being devoured. They looked delicious and smelled just as good.
The service was fine. Nothing stellar, but fine.
The ambience is dark. It's all dark wood and much like what I'd expect and Irish pub to resemble.
Would I go back? I don't think it'd be my first choice, but if someone suggested it I would not be against it. -
Review from Joanna C.
Calgary, AB
1/26/2012
I went here for a business lunch recently and had the chicken sandwich with the apple fennel slaw. There was nothing terribly wrong with my experience, and I thought it was fairly mediocre. The chicken breast was on the dry side, and I thought the portion size was fairly small. I did like having the option of getting the apple fennel slaw as opposed to just the regular fries or salad.
Note, this place does not take reservations during the lunch hour, so you have to make your reservation for 1145. -
Review from Nick S.
Updated - 12/21/2011 5 Check-ins Here
I need to downgrade my last review of this place.
The Belfry is fine for lunch IF you get through the door at 11:30, seated, and order ASAP. But if you get into 11:45, or God help you,12:00-12:15 territory, you are going to wait for it.
Today a group of 5 of us ordered around 12:00... and we didn't see our food until it was pushing 1:00.
All entrees, excluding the grilled veggie and fries for sides, had clearly been sitting for a while when they were served. To summarize: burgers barely warm. Veggies hot. Nothing was in sync.
Clearly the kitchen is overwhelmed everyday at lunch, and something is wrong.
This is a shame, because if you make it early enough, the food and service is typically very good. But there is a threshold for volume that, when crossed, things go south.
That's a shame... because other restaurants of similar size and capacity seem to be able to cope. So clearly, the kitchen management needs work to right this ship.
If I'm there at 11:30: It's 4 stars. However, only 2 Stars during the rush.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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3/18/2011
Sometimes Friday lunches require a couple of pops, and this Friday was no different. So we decided… Read more »
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Review from Kurt B.
Calgary, AB
5/6/2012
Had their Duck Confit Tacos at beerfest this weekend and would have to say it was the best bites down there. Can't wait to stop by the restaurant one day soon.
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Review from S W.
Calgary, AB
5/3/2012
This place is okay. They were out of two of the beers that I wanted. Which is extra disappointing in a place with a very limited beer selection. The service was mediocre, as was the meal. If I wanted frozen fries I would have gone to a fast food place. For a "gastropub" I was expecting more.
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Review from Kenny M.
11/20/2011 1 Check-in Here
Not good, in fact the food was terrible. Seriously I could get food with more self worth, integrity and pride at 7 11. Where do I start??
First off I wanna say that this place is deceptive, its in a location where you would expect a nice experience , the atmosphere though a bit quirky seems perfectly fine and nothing ( other than the fact that hardly any customers were here at prime time ) even gave me the hint that this place would drop the ball and then pop the ball ....
The prices ( for what you get) are WAY too high! To be fair , they're is at least some "average" food here that I tried off my friends plates but my fish and chips were probably the 2nd worst I have ever had in my life. Dry, tasteless and very chincy portion size.Even Captain highlander would roll in his grave at the sight! I tried my friends Mac n cheese, wow! It was THE WORST! Stale pasta, dry and no flavor at all! Shameful. And the portion was even more pathetic, I believe it also came with a shriveled pork belly...
The chicken wings were an abomination.SO Bad, they tasted freezer burned and stale and they were soggy and just plain YUCK. This was the kicker for me when I tried these i lost all hope for this joint....
The service?? Well I have had worse service, but at its peak it was average. Honestly the food was just so off putting at every level not even good service could save my experience... I was displeased, i kind of hid the fact because i didnt wanna embarrass my friend who chose this place.Very very displeased. I might has well have flushed my money down the toilet!! that's how cheated I felt after I left!!!
I really wish that this review had a redeeming factor but it doesn't.... I can't and won't tolerate this establishment so a generous 1 star will be awarded...
20/30Listed in: Kenny's 30 day challenge!!!
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Review from Gabe A.
10/17/2011 1 Check-in Here
Tucked away on a block that includes the Uptown Stage & Screen, Vern's, Opus and Soul Korea karaoke (maybe the most awesome block in Calgary on name status alone?), the Belfry is a pretentiously named, modestly decorated gastropub that was suspiciously empty for prime time on a Saturday night.
Our group of eight was seated promptly (maybe because we tripled the number of patrons instantly), and the food was brought out succinctly (again, I am sure there was little in terms of kitchen backup). We were offered free pint glasses with our purchases of Strongbow, and the waitress did her best to keep things going smoothly. There was drama near the end when an order of chicken wings was forgotten, and resulted in the kitchen manager's polite shit-eating grin being erased by my sister-in-law's barbed-wire comments . Our polite group was silenced and impressed.
The food itself was decent, especially if you stuck with the burgers and branched out with the chicken wing flavors. I tried the regular burger and found it to be juicy and flavorful. The mango hot sauce chicken wings were also TASTY (more on that), with a subtle heat that crept up and stayed. However, there were some complaints that stayed within our table's confines:
- the macaroni and cheese was neither cheesey enough, and the advertised bacon was a far cry from delicious.
- the wings were made from frozen, and not as crispy as can be expected; hence, the interesting flavors were outmuscled by mediocre meat.
- the portions were disproportionately balanced between meats and starches.
The Belfry is a good enough place if you are within that block of 8th Ave, but I wouldn't go out of my way to patronize it again. -
Review from Arc P.
This was an challenging establishment to rate. An old friend of mine once had thoughts on pubs that may apply in this case ... the question ... is said facility more like a porn star or a real lady? The star will titilate and tantalize, but ultimately she wants your money. A real lady, she wants you to be a part of her.
This is a nice looking place, a little polish and dim light can do wonders. The beer is all the big brands and nothing that is good-local. The food, very standard. The service is attractive which oddly enough makes me spend money. The atmosphere ... apparitions of corporate Calgary. It does what it does very well.
Ordered 8' Hawaiian Pizza and had a glass of Grayson Pinot Noir. Both specials on Thursday (all wine is 50% off on Thursday). Reasonable prices will make this place a consideration on certain days. Not my first choice for leisure, but a great place when I want to be alone looking over some work ... not a place I feel a part of though. -
Review from Angelo T.
9/12/2011 1 Check-in Here
We stopped at Belfry for pre-party beers and dinner. The place was oddly empty for a saturday night at a downtown location where there were a lot of patrons walking the street. We suspected it might've been a slow night.
However our meal experience had mixed reactions. Those who ordered burgers were quite satisfied, but everyone who decided to take a chance on the "gastro" experience ended up disappointed. The food wasn't as impressive as it was portrayed on the menu. I ordered the Bangers and Smashed. My Wild Boar sausage and smashed potatoes were ok. I was expecting a larger meal but only gotten half a sausage and several pieces of potatoes mashed down. I think there were veggies but who is really out to eat healthy on a weekend night? My friend's mac n' cheese wasn't cheesy and had unimpressive strips of bacon. My friend's wings had to be thawed before fried so this meant the wait had to be longer. I was impressed with their wing flavours though: mango hot sauce and cola bbq.
Our waitress was pretty friendly and was probably as diplomatic as anyone I've ever seen, considering there were quite a few things we weren't happy with and could have easily blown up. She was cool enough to hook us up with a few prizes courtesy of a beer promo/contest and was smart enough to butter me up with several "happy birthdays"... :P -
Review from Cornelius V.
Calgary, AB
10/25/2011 2 Check-ins Here
The woman and I go in for lunch because I made the mistake of buying a groupon for this place.
We walk in and a waitress cuts us off as we walk in. Great. We sit down and we are greeted by the usual slutty waitress dressed in black. Suits everywhere. Oh boy.
I get the fish tacos, the woman gets the mac n cheese without the pulled pork it comes with.
I asked for some Tabasco and being this is Canada, they made it as difficult as possible for everyone. They served about 50-100ml of tobasco with the meal in some massive bowl. What. THE FUCK. Tobasco is INTENDED TO BE SERVED OUT OF A BOTTLE, NOT A FUCKING BOWL. THE BOTTLE CREATES A NICE SPLATTER ACROSS DISHES, WHILE THE BOWL CREATES A POUR. COMMON SENSE DICTATES THIS. THIS IS WHY TOBASCO IS SOLD IN BOTTLES WITH A SMALL OPENING, SO IT CAN BE CONSERVATIVELY SPLATTERED SO CONSUMERS CAN HAVE A LITTLE BIT ON A DISH, NOT A BLOT LIKE I WOULD DO WITH FRIES+KETCHUP. WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH ALMOST EVERY BAR IN THIS CITY!?!?! DO THESE PEOPLE EAT THEIR OWN FUCKING FOOD? HAVE THEY EVER HAD TOBASCO BEFORE? HAVE THEY EVER CONSIDERED THE WASTEFULNESS OF THIS? I PUT TOBASCO ON EVERYTHING AND IT TAKES ME A WEEK TO GO THROUGH 100ml. Anyways I politely ask for a bottle from the woman bringing out the food and she eventually complied, making it seem like she was doing us such a special favor, like a concierge at a hotel getting in his car on his own time and expense to get me the exact type of cake that I want for my girlfriend's birthday.. CRAZY FUCKING CLEATUS and his CRAZY FUCKING DEMANDS; Tobasco in a bottle!
Her mac n cheese was pretty straightforward and bland. Real cheese was melted on it, though, and it still lacked any flavor. The garlic toast it came with went crusty and eventually so hard it was inedible after five minutes. My fish tacos were terrible. The tortilla (just one per taco, of course, using two or three tortilla per taco cuts the profit margin) was stale and going crusty. The fish had nothing to it, the tacos had nothing in it except these weird roots that I have never had in a taco. They came with some salsa which was more like bruschetta. Why do I try ordering fish in this city, expecting to get something half decent? It wasn't awful garbage, but it was most certainly not worth the $15/plate. For that much at lunch, you gotta serve something that took effort. If this took effort....fuck me this city is doomed.
Out comes the bill, and I get charged $1.50+gst for Tobasco. This must be a mistake. Waitress says no. I fucking lose it. I demand to see a manager so I can tell her that this place went from a 2.5 star to a 1 star review on yelp and they are forever losing any fucking business off this attempt to make one buck and a half. The server politely deflects my demand to see a manager and says she will take it off the bill. I am still fucking furious.... a surcharge for tobasco. What the fuck is wrong with restaurants in this fucking city? Paper chasers should not run restaurants. They belong in banks...in toronto. -
Review from Carrie P.
I was at a retirement party for one of our IT Managers at Nexen, and much to my surprise, the Belfry Gastro House has a large room to accommodate events. What an amazing find! Since a few other yelpers have already reviewed the pub, I will take the angle of event space, since attending an event was my purpose for being there.
The Belfry has a large room in the basement that seats approximately 50 people, and it is GORGEOUS! it is done up with two 100" HD Projection screens on each end of the room. If that isn't enough, in between the two 100" screens, is an additional 4, 42" LCD televisions. At this event, we had all six screens going wishing our friend and colleague fairwell.
Since no retirement party isn't complete without a 'roast', there is also a podium and a wireless microphone. It was amazing to be in a venue like that, and for all the speakers to be heard. Well done!
The food was very good. They had standard pub fare, delcious pizzas, and even a well presented (and delicious) polenta, with a cajun mayo dip.
The event ran smoothly, and the staff were extremely kind. This is definately a venue that I will return to. It is extremely close to where I work, but for whatever reason, the Belfry and I have never crossed paths. I intend to make the effort for either lunch or bevvies in the future. -
Review from Koz T.
Calgary, AB
12/28/2010 2 Check-ins Here
Food Quality: 4/5
Decor: 3/5
Value: 3/5
Kitchen Speed: 1/5
Service: 2/5
Catering mostly to the lunch and after work downtown crowd, the kitchen here is WAY too slow to keep up with the crowd. We've made a few attempts to have lunch here on weekdays and each time its been 35-40 mins to get our food after we order. That's not going to cut it with the downtown lunch crowd. The servers are also spread too thin to refill your drinks on time. I don't mind coming here after work when I have more time but for a place that charges this much, they should step up to the plate more. -
Review from Melissa L.
Calgary, AB
2/18/2011 1 Check-in Here
I don't mind paying top dollar for a great meal... but I do mind paying top-dollar for a run-of-the-mill meal. I was downtown recently and went wandering from steakhouse to bistro, tapas bar to chophouse... and none of the menus looked appealing. I know there's a big business lunch crowd, but everything looked too basic AND too expensive AND too meaty! Yes, I'm a vegetarian, but that shouldn't mean I have to eat salad every time I go out!
Finally we stumbled upon Belfry Gastro House. About time! A menu that had more than one HOT vegetarian choice! In addition to the house salad, there was a vegetarian pizza and a roasted vegetable sandwich. Plus, the appetizer of sundried tomato polenta fries (with roasted garlic aioli) sounded great. There was also a full menu of meaty choices as well. I opted for the vegetarian sandwich which was very good and the perfect late lunch. Belfry also offered lots of beers on taps and interesting mixed drinks. Our server was very polite and attentive, and they accommodated an allergy above and beyond what would normally be expected. When I'm looking for a place to satisfy a crowd, I'll definitely be returning to Belfry. -
Review from Mike M.
Calgary, AB
10/3/2010 1 Check-in Here
What is there to say about my first experience at The Belfry?
I could talk about going there after seeing a movie at the Globe. I could talk about the trendy and hip atmosphere or the great service. I could mention that the salads are really boring and below even fast-food standards.
But...what I really want to mention is this:
If you ask really, really nicely, they'll serve you wine in a goblet! A goblet! And not just any regular old goblet, an Indiana Jones sized one that only Sean Connery could love.
Whether you frequent downtown after dark or not, this should make the Belfry a must experience. I'm not joking, did you see what I said? A goblet. I felt like I was royalty or Harry Potter. Or one of those really old celebrities that thinks they are way too important to drink out of regular wine glasses.
Either way, a Goblet. -
Review from Sapna G.
Calgary, AB
6/10/2010
I stopped in at the Belfry to meet up with some people a couple of nights ago and I had a great time.
The food was great (they have a healthy assortment of vegetarian options) and the ambiance was interesting. It IS really dark inside, but if you're lucky enough to grab the seats by the open window facing Stephen Ave., then you wont have many complaints.
The service for us was good and I found the prices very reasonable. -
Review from Erin D.
5/9/2011
The food here was great. I found it completely reasonably priced by Calgary standards (which are obscene). The service was quick but that could be because we chose a table close to the bar (and servers). I had a bison burger with grilled vegetables on the side. I was honestly expecting standard greasy pub food and was happy to be presented with a nice portioned meal! There was even butternut squash in my veg!! I didn't even have to ask for a refill of my soda, it just arrived (and I ALWAYS have to ask....hunt down and ask even). I can't review the bar part of the place because I didn't indulge. It's a great place to eat before catching a movie at The Globe or The Uptown. Enjoy!
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Review from C T.
Calgary, AB
8/26/2009
Decided to give The Belfry a try with my friends. It was packed. Lunch was all right - better type pub food - had the soup and sandwich special. Waited 45 mins for my lunch. That's terrible!
They need to get better organized. They actually lost my reservation. -
Review from Patrick P.
Calgary, AB
7/7/2010
This place is an basically an upscale pub.
The food is great, a bit more pricey than other pubs but paying the extra buck or two a plate is worth it in my opinion.
The beer selection is really good, and if you go try the Fernie, a nice and fruity dark lager I've never seen elsewhere.
I've always found the service promt, and if the waitresses are curt occassionally its only because they're busy.
Not a big fan of the atmosphere though. Its skin-deep coziness makes it awkward to hang out in for long periods.
A great place for a quick and tasty bite if you're downtown, but its definately not the public house its trying to be. -
Review from Frank P.
Calgary, AB
4/14/2011
Lunch here yesterday was decent. Place was packed, so make a reservation. Halibut with caesar salad combo was very good. Salads look great -- heaping plates. Friendly and professional service. Reasonable value for location and atmosphere. Kilkenny on tap!
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Review from M J.
12/10/2010
Visiting Calgary for a job and was told that this pub was a good place to sample some Canadian brews. Was a nice dark place, made things interesting. Waitresses were very accommodating and very easy on the eyes! Our waitress helped us select several Canadian brews. I must have gone through around 7-8 pints of different beers. The waitress suggested the fish and chips, always good for bar noshing. It was standard in taste and presentation. I would definitely go back!
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Review from Merry K.
8/28/2009
I stopped into the Belfry for an early lunch with a coworker (it was about 11:45). The service was very fast and our lunch arrived very fast too. I was pretty surprised. I had the Cobb salad which was very good. The tomato vinagrette is awesome! My coworker had the fish & chips which he said was very good. The restaurant got much busier as the lunch hour proceeded so I could see where it might be slower if you arrive right at noon or after. I would definitely go back. The one negative I would give is that the room is very dark. We sat near the front windows b/c the place seemed almost cave like.
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Review from Starkie S.
Calgary, AB
Updated - 5/26/2011
Oh oh. On a return visit this establishment fell of the pedestal to which I raised them on my first try. F&B providers in Calgary the secret is consistent and repeatable experiences - not excuses and ditzy servers!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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2/26/2011
Friday lunch can always pose a challenge as this is the day that most people are winding down for… Read more »
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