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Brasserie Kensington
Categories: Restaurants Canadian (New) Restaurants Brasseries Canadian (New), Brasseries [Edit]
1131 Kensington Road NorthwestCalgary, AB T2N 3P3
(403) 457-4148
- Hours:
Tue-Wed 11 am - 10 pm
Thu 11 am - 11 pm
Fri-Sat 11 am - 12 am
Sun 10 am - 10 pm
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Has TV:
- No
21 reviews for Brasserie Kensington
Review Highlights
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"even if its just for the duck fat fries." In 4 reviews -
"...beers or perhaps more commonly known as the "gnome" beer." In 2 reviews -
"...you're into poutine, my favourite is the pork hock poutine." In 3 reviews
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21 reviews in English
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Review from Crystal W.
Calgary, AB
4/1/2012 1 photo
Never in life would I consider ordering poutine before noon had I not read so much about the fries and duck gravy served here. I visited Brasserie for the first time today and ordered the Breakfast Poutine. Well only smokes, this is a bad-ass morning meal, my friends. What made it guilt free was the egg on top. The fries are petite, there's plenty of cheese curds and the gravy is very flavorful and not overly salty. I cannot fathom how many calories are in this small sized brunch feast, but just know that it's heavy. I only ate half because I didn't show up starving but it probably is the best poutine I've ever had.
We sat by the windows which provides a nice view and bright atmosphere. Service was friendly and mostly on-the-ball with the exception of when it came time to pay the bill. That was a bit slow, but didn't taint the experience at all. -
Review from Ce V.
Calgary, AB
5/10/2012
TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE AND TERRIBLE SERVICE:
I am very sorry I suggested this place for dinner with my friends. First of all, I don't know if the managers of Brasserie Kensington realize this but their menu online is NOT UP TO DATE (as of May 9th 2012). I looked up the menu in advance and so did my friends, when we arrive to the restaurant we get a substantially different menu, not only with different items but with different prices (HIGHER PRICES in the new menu of course) and also I must mention that one member of our party got the old menu so there was literally TWO different menus in our table!
Second of all, the service was probably one of the worst I have ever had in Calgary, our server was CLUELESS, INATTENTIVE and she really did not know the menu at all. She was LACKING that confidence and knowledge of the menu that you expect in a server when you are about to spend a lot of money on dinner.
Needless to say, our food took ALMOST ONE HOUR to come, it was not impressive and I would strongly recommend other restaurants in Calgary with similar menu items over this one. Also, for me it is not only about the food, a DISAPPOINTING surprise like the menu disparity or the bad service are enough to make me not want to come back.
And for those looking for FOOD advice: the saffron broth in the bouillabaisse was not really good, the duck rillete sandwich was really rich and it became really heavy to eat after a while, specially paired with oily fries!, the lamb burger was dry (overcooked), the duck breast was tender but then again it was not spectacular and the nicoise salad was a waste of time.
And there you have it, maybe they should make this restaurant a poutinerie since that is the only thing people seem to like from this place. -
Review from Heather I.
Calgary, AB
3/31/2012
Oh Brasserie, why you gotta be this way?
My friend and I headed out for brunch the day before my birthday. We knew we didn't want to wait in line somewhere, but we wanted something a litte more glamorous than a donut and a double double - afterall, I AM turning 30 again.
It's dead when we arrive and the restaurant is freezing but our server brings us our coffees quickly...along with ice cold milk and a single packet of sugar. I don't know about you, but I really enjoy my coffee, I like to savour the creamy richness of it, and pouring ice cold 1% in a good cup of coffee is like eating turkey bacon - it might sound like a good idea, but it's obviously a poor imposter for the real thing.
Our server raves about the french toast and sugary carbs seem like the responsible thing to do since we're both drinking diet coffee. Our meal arrives and it's gorgeous - 5 pieces of french baguette stacked up in a french toast tower, fruit on each piece and pre-syruped. Wait a second...pre-syruped? Well maybe that's just to keep the whole tower together....
We dive in and it's immediately apparent that the Brasserie do not understand my syrup needs. No worries, our server helpfully brings me another teaspoon of syrup. My friend is less concerned with syrup, and more concerned with the fact that her knife is unable to slice through the crust-heavy nature of the french toast. I'm having similar difficulties, what the hell is this crust made of? We both just pick up a piece with our hands and attempt to eat it that way.
I'll admit it, we should have told the server that the french toast was awful. Though, our quality check was late because she was drinking wine behind the bar and maybe didn't notice us playing Jenga with our food.
We left hungry and unsatisfied, walked down the street to Crave, got our damn sugary carbs and picked up a hot coffee and felt much better. The cupcakes helped our mood immensely. I'm going to chalk this up to ordering the wrong thing but I'm not eager to go back. Damn you Brasserie, you were on my list of places to go and if you can't make french toast that worries me more than a little bit. -
Review from Anna D.
Vancouver, BC
5/14/2012 Seated via OpenTable 1 Check-in Here
Came here for brunch because of the yelp reviews. It 's beer selection was surprisingly varied - this alone would warrant four stars. La chouffe, coffee, halfsies of the special of the day, bacon wrapped meat loaf, and duck rilette with Brie cost about $30 including taxes and tip. The meats were tender, moist and well seasoned but not served warm however. Same for the duck fat fries, which were too soft for my liking and served cold. The house salad vinaigrette was the tastiest item surprisingly. Good food and beers but not the tastiest.
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Review from Mike C.
Calgary, AB
5/4/2012 Seated via OpenTable
Tasty rich french food with a cool atmosphere
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Review from Jenn D.
3/2/2012 1 Check-in Here
Meh, I'm not totally in love with this place....but it might have been just the experience I had because everyone else I know is a big fan. We had a very awkward server who just seemed to be off his game this night. He was interrupting us, didn't hear our questions, suggested awful food (IMO), and just ...didn't' work for me.
Unfortunately I didn't particularly enjoy my meal, but I do believe that was to no fault of the restaurant, I just didn't want what I ended up ordering. So this is my fault.
The place itself is quite cute with great views of Kensington. I could see it being a very romantic date night if done right.
I'll have to be back again and update my review cuz this visit just didn't sell it for me! -
Review from Erin D.
I love the Brasserie, I have sung it's praises to everyone I know and have visited them at least fifteen times in the last six months. I recommend them to anyone that asks for a great place to eat in Kensington, which is why it sucks to write this review. The last few times I have been there I have experienced disappointing service, one night in particular we were served by an incredibly awkward, inattentive server, at the end of our meal we asked for the bill three times which was not brought to us. After waiting over a half an hour we finally had to approach the hostess station and ask someone if we could pay. I brought my mom and stepfather there a couple of weekends ago and asked if I could substitute the fries on the side of my club, something I had done several times during my multiple visits and I was informed it would cost me the price of a full bowl of soup in addition to my entree to make the slight change. I totally get that the restaurant industry is a difficult, having worked in customer service for over 12 years I appreciate people are challenging to accommodate and please which is why I consider myself low maintenance, particularly when eating out. I occasionally ask for something special (like soup instead of fries) but outside of that I am a dream customer. I will even tip you when you provide horrible, awkward, inattentive service, as I did when dealing with the forgetful waiter.
The final issue for me is that several months ago I spoke with the manager at the Brasserie about potentially hosting my birthday party; he seemed enthusiastic when we discussed the possibility and even offered some suggestions in terms of food and seating. He gave me his card and told me to contact him closer to the time to make the arrangement. I emailed him twice and have never heard anything back. I even sent them several tweets asking for someone to contact me and received no reply. All in all I am left kind of disenchanted with the Brasserie.
Is it weird of me to expect a little respect given that I am a regular there and have introduced multiple people to their restaurant? It would be nice to be repaid with a little better service and acknowledgement. For now, I am on hiatus from the Brasserie which is so disappointing because the food is so exceptional! Cam Dobranski is an incredibly talented chef and I will miss eating his wonderful food. I love the place so much; I just don't love the disrespect.Listed in: Restaurants I will risk a…
2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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9/18/2011
Attention Calgary brunch lovers! The Brasserie is open for brunch!!
We made our way there yesterday… Read more »
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Review from Wendy P.
Dear Brasserie... this review's been a long time coming.
Whenever someone asks me what my favourite resto in Calgary is, it's without an ounce of hesitation that I reply "Brasserie Kensington." It's an ideal mixture of great service, quality food, an amazing wine and beer list (imported), atmosphere, and prices that don't make me swallow hard once the bill comes.
The first time I ever set foot in Brasserie Kensington was about 6 days after it opened last spring. I was there with a crew from Chef Meets Grape. It was this night that I became familiar with the gnome beer (La Chouffe, it took me several visits to remember what it was called, but the fine folks at the Brasserie always knew what I was referring to when I asked for the beer in the gnome glass) and what gets my vote as my favourite poutine in all of Calgary.
This is the kind of spot that makes me want to move into the neighbourhood, just so I'll be within walking distance and can frequent it on a much more regular basis. The only thing that keeps me from the neighbourhood in general is parking. I hate paying for parking. If I can walk, I most certainly will.
What does it do well? Everything IMO. From the slowest of weekday afternoons to much busier evenings and weekends, service here is spot on. And the food is something to yelp home about too. I love sitting near the big windows in the front and looking out onto the street. It makes me feel like I'm in a little mountain town.
If you're into poutine, my favourite is the pork hock poutine. But there are 5 kinds in total (even a gluten-free one I think I recalled seeing on my last visit). The fries are cooked in duck fat, and a lot of the gravy is made from duck fat as well. Soooo delicious. *insert drool here*. For niblets, try the onion loaf and pickled treats. At $4 a pop, they make for some lovely bar snacks. On my most recent visit I also ordered the pretzel with mustard. Careful on that mustard, It tastes dijon and it's STRONG! It cleared up my sinuses on the first bite.
For lunch, I suggest trying the lamb burger. Lamb is my absolute favourite meat, and the burger certainly didn't disappoint, while the wild boar burger is worth porking over too.
I haven't had occasion to try any dessert yet, I've always been too full. Dessert and port sound like yet another reason to make my way over here soon... oh and brunch. I keep reading ridiculously good things about brunch.
Keep it comin' Brasserie. You're doing something right! Well... everything actually.
Loves!!!
Yelp's 30 Day Challenge: 5/30 -
Review from Linda C.
Totally enjoyed my meal and would definitely come back!
A small place on the 2nd floor of Kensington Rd this place is a brasserie (had no idea what that was so i googled of course and it's a casual place that serves lots of drinks!) hahah.
Started with foie poutine. Everything apparently is fried in duck fat which is good for you?! I didnt' know but yayyy for duck fat! hahah.
I asked about the pork burger and waitress recommended it w/ a fried egg on top and she was spot on. It was delicious (plus I added a piece of seared foie which is just pure gluttony!) haha.
My friend totally fell in love her steak and my brother ordered some german sausage dish w/ saukraut which was the only dish we all didn't like (the sausage did not have a crisp snappy skin, it was all just mush - would not order again).
Their side salad was tasty (my friend devoured hers cuz she loved the pickled julienned carrots that were in the salad). Love that they serve seared foie as a side add on (I'm not complaining but be forewarned it's sliced thinly - I'm just happy they offer it!)
Place has the right combo of great service, great food, great atmosphere, great location! Bring a date here and afterwards, take a romantic stroll down the twinkle lit tree lined street :) -
Review from laura r.
10/17/2011
I agree with the previous reviewer, Erin G. I can't believe Brasserie isn't busier at brunch time! Although I am reluctant to tell others about Brasserie because I appreciate being seated immediately, and not having to wait in a line outside!!
My bf and I had friends staying with us from Edmonton, and we wanted to go out for brunch on Sunday. We arrived around 11 am and there was only one other person in the restaurant! As we got to the end of our meal, the restaurant got busier, but still not even close to 50% full.
Between the four of us, we ordered two different kinds of eggs bennies, french toast, and cobb salad. The potatoes on the side of the bennies were my absolute favourite kind, sliced in circles and baked or fried, like beefy potato chips! I ordered the cobb salad, which looked and tasted great. I wish I took a photo to show how pretty the salad was! The salad had mixed greens, egg, avocado, bacon and crab cakes. I think cobb salads traditionally have ham? The substitution for bacon was an excellent decision.
The restaurant interior has a contemporary style, and they take advantage of the great view onto Kensington Road with huge windows on the north side of the room.
I will definitely return to Brasserie for brunch, and intend to try out the dinner menu too! -
Review from Steven E.
Calgary, AB
10/15/2011
OMG.
These guys really know how to handle their meat. I haven't eaten that much pork in ages.
Great service, great food, and a great atmosphere. The place was packed with beautiful people.
Can't wait to go back. -
Review from Adam R.
8/28/2011 1 Check-in Here
The best fries in Alberta, hands down!
Not only that, but a warm, inviting room, a multitude of foreign beers on tap, an outstanding wine selection, and food that will get your taste buds hoping. The Brasserie is one of the best, tucked-away pubs in Kensington.
Came here for lunch on a quiet Friday afternoon. Had the club sandwich, which was delicious - and their fries, which were absolutely to die for.
They have Grolsch on tap, which is pretty awesome, and the servers were terrific, taking time to explain the menu and keep our bevvies topped up.
I will definitely be coming back here on my next visit to Calgary -
Review from Queenie M.
Calgary, AB
5/17/2011 ROTD 5/19/2011
Food and Drinks: 4/5
Atmosphere: 4.5/5
Service: 4.5/5
Overall experience: 4/5
(1- Terrible; 3- decent; 5- Fantastic)
Right when I walked in, sat down, and looked at their menu (all within 5 minutes) I knew this was a clear winner in my restaurant books and a place I will definitely come back to check out again. Brasserie recently opened up (about 2 months ago) and is located right above the Wine Bar in Kensington.
My bf and I came here early in the evening but since it was on a UFC night the place was pretty full and we only managed to get seats by their beautiful hardwood bar. The place isn't too big with around 8-10 tables and maybe 6 seats by the bar and a few right by their open kitchen which I love seeing in restaurants. Brasserie exudes a chic, upscale, yet modern and cozy feel to it. The service is fantastic! Since my bf and I sat right at the bar, the bartender (as well as the host standing near us) was really friendly, engaging, and had a good knowledge of the menu and drinks.
Their drinks cost about the same as everywhere else with a few selections costing a couple more dollars like their pints for about $8. They have a fairly big selection of bottled beers from Canada, US, Germany, Belgium, etc, and a few but unique selections on tap from England, Belgium, Germany and Netherlands. Compared to most places they have a considerably large selection of wine by the bottle and glass.
What I also love about Brasserie is their unique menu which although contains the usual fair of soups, sandwiches, burgers, and steaks, it has a french flair to it. Then you also have your typical french cuisine like escargot, foie gras, croque-monsieur (french version of grilled cheese), crepes, and creme brulee. Defiantly not too extreme for North American tastes and very affordable! Sandwiches/burgers go for about $13-$15, and specialty mains (veal, pork hock, trout, bouillabaisse, duck) from $20.
They also have a selection of unique poutines including the classic, foie gras, pork hock, and mushroom gravy with cheese curds and truffled porcini gravy ($13.50) which my bf got. The portion size was enough to fill my bf up. My only disappointment was that their fries were a little too small and thin, but there was definitely enough gravy to distribute all the way through. The first couple bites were tasty, but became overwhelming too salty to enjoy the last couple bites. I got the Saffron Cream Mussels with fries ($16.50) which was to die for! The mussels were cooked to perfection (not chewy or gritty) in a very rich, savory, cream sauce full of garlic, saffron, and buttery goodness! Once the mussels were all gone I used the fries to soak up every remaining bit of sauce - it was that good. I loved the flavors of the dish but once again i found it a little too salty.
Overall, this place is an absolute gem- great food, fantastic service, and an amazing decor. I highly suggest a visit for dinner or even for their brunch with a french twist (sat and sun from 9am-3pm). -
Review from Danelle W.
Calgary, AB
3/13/2011 ROTD 8/23/2011
I visited Brasserie in the first week it opened - was not disappointed. My friend and I shared a mushroom poutine and potato skins. Both were excellent. The tastes were vivid, which I love - why eat anything unless it tastes awesome? Instead of little bits, there were big pieces of bacon on the potato skins. Not only is this better for the average diner, but also for me, as I'm a pollo-vegetarian, so I had to pick them off ;)
The drink menu is unique - you won't see your typical beers or ciders on it. A great opportunity to try something new.
The one thing that chafed a little was the "Q" water. I drink a lot of water, so it's a necessity at any meal, but I'd prefer not to pay $3 for it. Apparently other restaurants have a similar system but charge less - perhaps Brasserie could consider lowering the cost a little.
Otherwise, I highly recommend a visit, especially for the poutine!Listed in: Poutine places
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Review from Mia T.
7/19/2011
I cant say Im the biggest fan of the restaurant layout of Brasserie, I was there on a rainy Friday late afternoon. Its not cozy to me, but who cares, when the food is this good!!
I had the oven roasted "poulet et frites" (chicken and fries for those who dont speak french) and my friend had the Brasserie Club sandwich. THe chicken was not a huge portion, but extremely delicious and moist, not over seasoned. The fries were KILLER. I believe they are all cokked n duck fat. The sandwich was huge, and was also delicious. Simple ingredients of bacon, gruyere,avocado and chicken, but the quality is what made it so tasty. Didnt get to try any deserts, but am looking forward to returning..even if its just for the duck fat fries. -
Review from Michele G.
Lloydminster, AB
11/28/2011 1 Check-in Here
I loved this place! On a Saturday night out with a friend, we found it energetic and easy to chat and nibble. We sat at the bar in front of Sous Chef Richard and enjoyed the movement and his quiet and deliberate attention to ever dish he put out. I could tell it was his passion to cook. We sampled appetizers and, of course, had a bottle of wine. We spent hours chatting and watching the kitchen move through its courses. The service felt and was extremely personal and we enjoyed every minute of it feeling treated to an evening out "Brasserie-style".
Listed in: Best Date Nights
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Review from Arc P.
Unfortunately, I found myself at Brasserie after the kitchen closed so this review is from the perspective of the couple of drinks I had on a Tuesday night. We had a couple of Belgium La Chouffe beers or perhaps more commonly known as the "gnome" beer. It was excellent having a subtle sweet taste.
The atmosphere is what stands out. We had a seat near the window giving one a nice view of Kensington from the second floor. Candles on the table give the perfect lighting to the restaurant's darker interior. Very hip place, looking forward to coming back for a meal. -
Review from David C.
Calgary, AB
4/19/2011 3 Check-ins Here
A nice surprise in the awesome neighbourhood of Kensington. A small, if solid beer selection and great mixed cocktails too.
The food was very good! At our table we had poutine, a lamb burger, split pea and pork hock soup, trout, a salad and another poutine (yes it was that good). It was all cooked well, very tasty and none of it was leftover!
Their desserts are also very good.
Although the dinning room faces North, vampires should consider choosing another spot, as there is a lot of light when the sun is out. -
Review from Sarah T.
8/22/2011
Ever since I heard that they fry their fries in duck fat, I decided I had to visit Brasserie.
My gf and i made a reservation for 630pm on a Saturday, and the place was actually dead until about 730pm, and remained on 3/4 full.
We started with a shared soft shell crab appetizer. Not bad, a little too deep fried that overtook the taste of the crab inside. But the creamy butter sauce made up for some of that. It came with a delicious asian slaw.
I had the hanger steak with mushrooms, and they were concious to cook it the way I liked, it came with their duck fries, and we got duck gravy on the side. I wasn't overly impressed. I found the fries a bit salty and couldn't tell they had been fried any differently. The steak however, was perfectly flavourful, and only $19, which I found quite cheap for the size of the cut.
My gf had the Clam Papardelle, which is clams in a light sauce, with pasta, as well as mussles on top. It was delicious, and the pasta wasn't overcooked. Unfortunately we were too full for dessert, but they had a good array to choose from.
Service was great, and our server kept tabs on us, but at the perfect times.
I would go back again, since there were so many things we wanted to ry - it took us 30 minutes to choose our two mains! -
Review from Alyssa A.
Calgary, AB
3/7/2011 1 photo
My boyfriend and I did the Big Taste lunch at the newly opened Brasserie. We started off with their version of a split pea and ham soup, which was awesome. It was served with just a few pieces of tender pork, a perfect size for a starter and not overwhelmingly salty!
Our main course was an open faced corned beef sandwich on what looked like marble rye bread which had a lather of some sort of pesto sauce, topped with tender corned beef and either brie or camembert cheese. It came with fries and housemade ketchup. This was nothing short of delicious, although it was one of those things where the flavours were stubborn so each new bite wasn't as thrilling as the last. I'm also not a huge red meat fan, but the beef was so tender and well cooked that a true carnivore would love everything about this.
Lastly was what reminded me of my late Grandmother's deep fried donut holes (I know there's another term for them but I can't recall) that she served with honey and cinnamon. I believe the waiter said they were "brigets"(?) but that is exactly what they were warm "timbit" sized pieces of fried dough with subtle traces of honey and cinnamon. I like sugar, so I could have used more honey, but I scraped up every last drizzle there was and enjoyed it nonetheless!
Overall the place was cute, reasonably priced, service was great, and food was delish. The only thing I wish different was a better description of what we were eating (especially because it was off of a pre determined menu), although the guessing game was fun. And the Q-Water, I understand the concept of it but I appreciate places like NotaBLE who only charge $1 for it rather than $3.
But on an awesome note, this place had great music! Everything from Radiohead to Broken Social Scene and even some Arcade Fire! -
Review from Adrian B.
Calgary, AB
5/19/2011
This was the second time I have dined at Brasserie Kensington and I am a huge fan. Friendly staff, perfect portions. I chose the Croque Madame with fries and duck gravy. It was a perfect lunch. The wine list is incredible, location right above the Winebar. Prices are very competitive based on the quality of food. Also, the have recently gone all duck fat in their fryers which makes their fries even more delicious. Do yourself a favor and check this place out as I doubt you'll leave disappointed. One of the owners is almost always there and it's highly likely they'll ask you how your experience was. Top shelf and professional all the way. This place could easily become my new Kensington lunch destination.
Listed in: The Best of Calgary IMHO
