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Chinook Centre
Category: Shopping Shopping Centres Shopping Centres [Edit]
6455 MacLeod Trl SWCalgary, AB T2H 0K9
(403) 259-2022
- Hours:
Mon-Sat 9:30 am - 9 pm
Sun 11 am - 6 pm
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
24 reviews for Chinook Centre
Review Highlights
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"The new wing is open and the stores in it are a welcomed..." In 4 reviews -
"I do love the selection of stores, which is why I love..." In 3 reviews -
"I love their tasty and open food court, which is a great..." In 8 reviews
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24 reviews in English
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Review from Kenny M.
11/15/2011 17 Check-ins Here
Why review a mall?? Because I can!
So since last year or so chinook has a fresh new wing! I call it the "west wing" hahaha... It's pretty sweet and makes the mall feel more complete. Though the majority of stores are clothing which does not interest me that much.Though certainly is enough here to make me want to come once in a blue moon. I definetly come here for Christmas shopping every year.
The food court here is quite good! A lot of seats as I rarely have trouble finding a seat, even during peak Christmas season. Another feature I really like is the new underground parking lot , when I get a ride here during winter I greatly appreciate avoiding the cold on those -20 days.
The bad?? The parking lot that tells you how many spaces are available is buggy and faulty. Droves of mall rats of course, myself included! And also the security are very snooty towards smokers like myself and apparently are banning smoking completely in 2012. Little do they know.... Anyway Me and one of the Calgary transit bus drivers think its ridiculous !!
It's a mall, it's a decent size and if I am their for more than 2 hours I loose my mind! End of this review....
15/30Listed in: Kenny's 30 day challenge!!!
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Review from Clara A.
4/6/2012
I dislike this mall for a number of reasons. Parking can be a major pain in the ass sometimes, and some of their parking lots are creepy. The mall in itself is huge, making it pretty difficult to get from one end to the other, add a Saturday crowd to that matter and it is even more difficult. Personally some of the store they have that can only be found in Edmonton (Hollister, Abercrombie, Forever 21, etc.), I don't care for so that's not an appealing factor for me to go to this mall. Their fire drill seems to go off fairly frequently too, but you can't hear the announcement over the general sound of mall goers so there's this constant questioning of "Is this another drill, or should I really be running for my life right now?" Also, at Southcentre there is security constantly walking around, creating this sense of security, but you don't have that at Chinook so I wonder what happens in emergencies? Oh and there are far too few washrooms considering the size of the place (a complaint that can be made for every mall from Cross Iron to Southcentre).
What are my positives? I guess it is like a one stop shop. Wanna see a movie? Go bowling? Grab dinner... maybe some drinks? Do shopping? It can all be done in this one location that is easily accessible by road or transit! And it's a kind of central location so it isn't too difficult to access. Yeah... that's about it. -
Review from Jenn D.
1/18/2012 1 Check-in Here
Meh... I use to love this mall. It use to seem so huge and full of everything I've ever wanted. Lately, I've been struggling to find the stuff I need when I go here. It's not that the stores have changed, it's more than it just doesn't seem to cater to the late-20-something-yyear old. I think it's a great mall for teenagers, rich people, and kids. And I'm not in that group...
For me, Market Mall and TD Square have this mall beat.
On the weekends, this place is packed. Parking is incredibly frustrating because of MacLeod Trail. The food court is just ok, doesn't have anything I'd really run for. There aren't very many healthy options, so I usually end up settling for a sandwich at Cultures.
The new extension of the mall is pretty fancy. It's got all the high end stores that I like to go into and pretend I'm rich. I never buy anything though. Talk about off the target market. The building itself is kind of outdated now...especially compared to TD's new redesign.
For me, Chinook is just ok. -
Review from Matt B.
12/1/2011 7 Check-ins Here
Ah, the Chinook Mall. It has morphed so much over the years. At one point back when I lived in Canmore, this would be the mall we would *always* hit up when we came to town. They have always had a great variety of shops, which was a godsend as a kid. I have two older sisters, so while they and my mom would spend hours clothes shopping for this and that, my dad and I would hit up the electronics stores and anything else not related to clothes.
I quite enjoy the expansion they have done, except the part where it's made parking that much more of a pain. These days, I'm more likely to just avoid it all together unless I'm looking for something specific (ie at one point the Phil and Sebastian coffee shop there was the closest one to me).
On the upside, their food court is quite spacious, with lots of windows at one end - that makes it feel quite huge, and depending on the time of the year, the sun will blast through.
Inevitably, I'll be back. However, I will likely opt to go via transit, as parking can be quite nightmarish. -
Review from Peter T.
10/22/2011
While visiting in Calgary, stopped by the Chinook Centre. It's a great mall. There's utilitarian stores like Sears and Zellers, Apparel stores like Hollister and Roots, as well as Electronics retailers like Best Buy Mobile and Apple Store. It's a good Middle Class mall. The food court has a lot of variety. It also has a large movie theater on site. It's appears to be a good one-stop shopping place. A good place to kill a few hrs.
The only thing missing are ultra -Luxury stores like Rolex and Louis Vuitton. There is a Burberry store though. -
Review from Cory D.
2/5/2012
I really cant stand this place. Reason being is its very hard to get in and out of there in a car let alone on foot. It seems the whole of Calgary comes to this particular mall! Sure you have your Chapters, a nice Sheffields & Sons, and decent food court but in the end its just too cramped for me. Mind you since they built the new underground parking it has helped immensley....but before that this place was an absolute nightmare to get out of! With its cramped design, tons of shoppers and sitting just off a very busy street I try to stay away as much as I can!
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Review from Dustin H.
9/29/2011 75 Check-ins Here
I'm just going to assume this is for people not from Calgary... because if you've been in Calgary for more than about a month and HAVEN'T been to Chinook, I can only assume you've made the conscious choice to avoid it, and thus don't need my review.
This is basically THE mall in Calgary. If there's a major retailer that routinely shows up in malls, there's a pretty good chance it's in Chinook, and it's that kind of "it has everything" mentality that brings me back here again and again and again. It's a well known and accepted fact that most guys aren't mall people, but I'll be the first to admit I'd almost rather go to a store at Chinook rather than a standalone store, cause I know chances are I can kill 3,4 or sometimes 10 birds with one stone here.
To add to that, it's not only nice and close to a C-Train station (about 3 blocks away), but if you're too lazy to walk THAT (and sometimes I am) there's even a FREE shuttle bus that runs from the station to the south end of the mall, right in front of one of my other main reasons to love this mall.... the movie theater!
Sure, these days lots of malls are located right by movie theaters... but there's the catch. This one isn't NEAR the mall, it's ATTACHED to the mall, which (especially in cold Calgary winters) is a very good thing. Add this to the fact that this is, I believe, still the biggest theater in Calgary, the only one with an IMAX screen, and home to one of the cities 2 Ultra AVX auditoriums AND D-Box motion seating, and this is one "best in the city" location attached to another. How do you beat that?
Of course, if you're driving, you should be aware that parking here can get a bit crazy at times, and leave some people pulling their hair out... but given that you're going to the most frequented mall in the city which is built at the intersection of two of the main drags (thus negating the chances of a big lot) that's to be expected, and I think they do a lot better than I would have expected, given the circumstances. (Bit of a tip, if you enter from the west into the area behind, or park in the garage beside the theater, these are probably your best options in terms of finding a spot.)
...and besides, how many times can you say you've been to a food court that practically looks like an amusement park? That alone should win it some cool points there. -
Review from Merry K.
12/12/2010 1 Check-in Here
Love, love. love the new addition at Chinook. It has definitely added a new feeling to the mall. Here's why I liked it so much....
1. Parking in the new North parking deck. The ceilings are high enough for my ginormous SUV to fit no problem (just make sure when exiting you don't go through the West parkade because it is very short). The lights to tell you which stalls are open are awesome too. Even on a busy Sunday there was tons of open parking.
2. High end stores & stores that you don't see at every mall. Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, Hollister, Burberry, etc. Awesome stores even if you are just there to browse.
3. All that extra square footage means that even on a busy Christmas weekend it wasn't that crowded.
All in all, I will be back to finish my Christmas shopping! -
Review from Wendy P.
10/21/2010 5 Check-ins Here
I was heading over to the Chapter's in Chinook Centre when I remembered that I hadn't checked out the new wing yet. Coming down MacLeod Trail South, I spotted a new turn off, which I thought would lead me into the parking lot in front of the new wing. Instead, it lead me straight down into the new North Parkade. This was the start of my venture into the new wing.
The new wing is pretty swank. The parking lot itself just smells new. Its got high ceilings, it's well lit, and the little green and red lights above the stalls to tell you whether a spot is open or not actually work. While I walked to the escalator, I even noticed some background music playing. That's right, music in the parkade.
Featuring higher end stores that I'm used to seeing in Vegas rather than Calgary (think along the likes of Coach and Burberry), the new wing certainly sparkles in comparison to the Chinook I'm used to.
If you're worried about parking, go on a Tuesday evening like I did. You shouldn't have any trouble finding a parking spot, and if you stop in the middle of the mall to look at all the shiny new sights, you won't have to worry about causing any collisions for the people behind you.
When I left, I followed the parkade through to the backside of the mall so I could head back downtown. It linked up with the West Parkade before it let me surface. There was a definite transition. I felt like I was crossing over to the wrong side of the tracks. The low ceilings, the dim lighting... the new and the old just don't quite match.Listed in: Shopping malls in Calgary
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Review from dinah g.
Calgary, AB
I went to the new Chinook Centre opening last night and although I have been to hundreds of store inaugurations in my life, this one has to be by far the most glamourous and the most stupendous.
First thing that stood out for me was how amazing the organization was, the registration so easy, and parking was basically a breeze because of dozens of parking guides.
The red carpet leading to the entrance was actually the skirt of a chinook centre goddess who led you to the elevators.
You entered two floors of newly remodeled Chinook centre floors with over 14 kiosks of free alchohal and food. We are talking all you can eat and an endless supply of personally shucked oysters, chicken and beef skewers, funky chinese to go boxes complete with fresh sushi and chopsticks. There were miniature tacos and burgers and half a dozen desert tablesbrim filled with dark chocolate, and truffles, and carrot cake and and and.
Lets not forget the sleek goblets of champagne, red and white wine, hearty portions of scotch and scrumptious apple martinis.
I was reeling with all the options, when you saw a station next to empty it would be replemished in a bat of your eye.
The stores were bright and glistening and people were given beautiful red and white gift bags, brimming with chocalate and calvin klein undies.
If this opening is an indication of the new Chinook Centre, it will undoubtedly be a huge success with over 40 more new shopping locations. 5 stars1 Previous Review: Show all »
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12/16/2009
The Chinook Centre is celebrating its 50 year existence in Calgary, undergoing many incarnations… Read more »
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Review from C T.
Calgary, AB
10/9/2010
I went to check out the Chinook Expansion today. Parked in the North Parkade, in the basement of the new expansion building. The parkade is very well lit and lots of aids to help you find your parking spot. They have thought of everything, especially for handicapped parking spots, which are close to the entrance of the shopping centre.
The escalator took me to the main floor of the new expansion buidling where the fancy shops are. It's like being in mini Las Vegas Premium Outlet Shops with all the designer and fancy stores like Burberry, Coach, Fossil etc. I can see many shoppers buying expensive handbags and walking out of the store with their purchase.
It's nice and airy in here. It's not so claustrophobic as CrossIron Mills, I find. I think the rest of the mall may have to keep up with the new expansion side. -
Review from Philippe G.
Calgary, AB
When it is done, I will re-review. I generally like where this place is going, and the sculptures are fantastic.
They have digital touch maps that are really great for finding your way.
Put your walking shoes on, as this place is massive, or at least to me..
Happy Shopping for the holidays! -
Review from Chris P.
10/13/2010 8 Check-ins Here
The new wing is open and the stores in it are a welcomed addition. I used to work in the mall at Old Navy and seeing the transformations since then are great. With so many stores that Calgary has been missing, it's hard to believe that it's taken this long to attract some of them with all the oil money floating around the city. I'm glad to see that Cadillac Fairview was able to do it.
Sure the mall is crowded most of the time, but just like their marketing messages have been saying over the years: PARK IN THE BACK. I've only had problems finding parking at this mall once, and that was on boxing day, which was a stupid idea to go to the mall anyway. -
Review from Geoff B.
Strathmore, AB
12/8/2010 1 Check-in Here
The new wing is nice, and adds a lot of great stores that are new to Calgary and/or Canada. There's a great cafe in Phil and Sebastian's, as well as "new" stores such as Coach and Abercrombie & Fitch that will be intriguing to some.
The new parking lot is cool, with lights above each stall that indicate if it's open or occupied, lots of lighting to make it bright, and fans to keep the air circulating. However, the stall status lights often don't work, which is uncool.
The food court is average, with a good assortment of foods that should allow almost anyone to find something to eat. It loses points for the merry-go-round smack in the middle of the food court, which takes up space that could be used for seating and is generally annoying.
As Sapna mentioned, this mall is usually packed. In November and December, it's a write-off. I went in November and there were police helping direct traffic into and out of the mall. The week before Christmas I can understand, but November? Those police would be much better allocated trying to catch the guy trying to steal the stereo out of some guy's Escalade. (Speaking of Escalades -- what ever happened to those spinner rims that were all the rage a few years ago? Those sure died out quickly. The worst were the fake "spinner" hub caps that cheap people put on their Honda Accords. But I'm not judging.)
Chinook is definitely one of the best malls in the Calgary area, along with CrossIron Mills, Market Mall, and South Center (eww...that last one is actually not that good). In fact, maybe Market Mall isn't that good either.
Even being so crowded, Chinook probably beats out CrossIron Mills as the best mall in Calgary (and area -- thanks Sapna) because of greater selection and a good coffee shop (P&S, mentioned above). -
Review from Lynn H.
Toronto, ON
10/16/2011 1 Check-in Here
Now with the new part of the mall I'm a big fan!! :)
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Review from Moez T.
Calgary, AB
10/30/2009
Chinook Centre is, for lack of a better phrase, a constant and consistent gong show. Easily Calgary's busiest shopping centre (including the new one out in Balzac, as Chinook is still far more convenient for most Calgarians), visiting this place feels like entering a war zone. It scares me a bit.
Chinook is big and filled to the brim with anything you need. My personal favourite is Mexx, although truthfully I don't go there to buy anything. I tend to save my money for the outlet stores, but their Mexx is a good size with great selection.
I absolutely love the theatre here, but avoid it on the weekends. It is not designed to accommodate the massive amount of people who show up for new movies. Going up the stairs is depressing, because you see the mess you're about to get yourself into. But they partly make up for it with a Tim Hortons (timmies and a movie = awesome).
Chinook has the same flaw found in most malls that I absolutely hate. The open space in the middle to look down or up to another level. Aesthetically, it makes sense for a few reasons. Functionally, it's a complete wast of space. When the mall get's busy - which it does, often - the narrow room fills up quickly. All malls should be designed without that void in the middle. Compared to Market Mall or the new CrossIron Mills, it's like playing frogger on a busy day.
But, despite the frustrations found at most malls, Chinook is a great place to do some shopping. -
Review from Christopher W.
Calgary, AB
12/15/2008
Probably the biggest mall in Calgary, Chinook Centre has everything shoppers would need. The parking situation has always been an issue however, and now they're giving away my secret on lame radio ads. Park behind the place. How stupid are people, that they need to be told to find parking around the back of the building? I know how stupid they are because I've witnessed these lunatics drive in circles waiting to pounce on an available spot in the heavily congested front end.
So, there. If you're stupid or just have a tendency to drive in circles, you can park around back. I can't believe they have to take out ads informing people of this, but what the hell. It must be some prestige thing to park in the front, because you know, that way people...can SEE me....
That's sad. -
Review from Chad W.
Calgary, AB
11/17/2008
Chinook Centre is the bane of all that is good. Here, rampant consumerism spreads like wildfire and purposeless zombies walk wide-eyed down the seemingly never-ending hallways that lead to hundred and hundred of name-brand stores and shops.
Chinook is a beast. And not one I care to frequent often. Despite my hatred of most any malls in general, though, Chinook is one of the better ones in the city. They offer a huge selection of stores, a movie theatre, a food court to dwarf all food courts, and virtually anything and everything else you could possibly imagine. Restaurants, department stores, specialty shops and more can all be found within the confines of Chinook Centre.
They redecorated the outside with these really lame cartoony bugs and colours. With that, I was totally unimpressed.
Here's something cool: the place is so big, a joint within the confines of this place or near one of the exits usually goes unnoticed by their clever bicycle-riding security personnel. Many a time, I've slipped out during a movie for a hoot and haven't been hounded once. -
Review from Jenny W.
Calgary, AB
7/1/2011
Parking sucks, I hate that it takes cars right up to the pedestrian traffic but the new parkade is pretty good. The addition of the new shops is awesome, love this mall!
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Review from Katie C.
Calgary, AB
1/3/2010
My love hate relationship with Chinook Centre shifted to hate after battling it out for parking a few days ago. It was insane! I drove slooooooowwwwwlllly around the entire parking lot before scooping up a spot, only to fight the crowds in the mall to do some shopping.
Chinook is one massive rectangle which is giant pain in the ass when you want to visit two stores on opposite ends. It's great exercise but bad for time and stress levels. I do love the selection of stores, which is why I love Chinook. I love their tasty and open food court, which is a great place to catch a break, and the events. I love the movie theatre and bowling alley (although I wish they had a grocery store) and I can't wait until they finish renovations... They have all the big box stores in Calgary, a Zellers, Sears and a Bay, a Zara, a Lululemon, an Aritzia, a Rickies, tons of shoe stores, a FCUK, a Mac Store... I could shop forever and the new stuff is going to be tops.
But the parking. ARGH. Basically, if I visit Chinook it has to be a day trip to make the huge ordeal worth it. Chinook is great for shopping but badly designed for everything else. Unfortunately it also appears to be the main hub of activity for all of Calgary's High School population. No wonder it's so busy. -
Review from Koz T.
Calgary, AB
6/6/2011 3 Check-ins Here
The new renovations are great! The new heated underground parking lot has tons of space if you ignore the faulty "free spot" indicators that aren't calibrated properly and they're getting great anchor businesses such as the Apple Store and Tiffany's. This mall is family friendly and conveniently located if you live in the south.
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Review from Sapna G.
Calgary, AB
9/29/2009
Yes, Chinook Centre is the biggest mall in Calgary (I specify Calgary because I realize that CrossIron Mills mall in Balzac is much bigger now), but I rarely go there.
Yes there is a HUGE variety of shops there, but It's ALWAYS packed. Especially during this time of year, it's unbearably packed and it's only going to get worse in the weeks approaching December.
And although I absolutely LOVE their movie theatre, I find the mall and the store owners to be rather pretentious.
The last time I went there, I asked a store owner if I could try something on and she just looked at me and responded by saying "ONLY if you're seriously considering buying it". Well I'll tell ya what, I wouldn't BUY something I didn't try on, so I just turned around and walked out.
Definitely not the greatest mall I've been to, and quite frankly even if it was, you wouldn't catch me there very often. -
Review from Ryan T.
7/14/2010 1 Check-in Here
Sure, it's not dissimilar to many malls I've been to in the U.S. This one offers an Egyptian theme, particularly in the attached movie theatre to the south-side of the mall. I was taken aback by the amount of multiple locations of various vendors (Jugo Juice, some of the technology vendors etc.), to the point of having 3 or more locations, which seems to me as unusual in U.S. malls. I enjoyed having lunch from Thai Express, walking around the mall in general, and also browsing the Chapters bookstore (although it seems to highly resemble Borders stores in the U.S., I can't seem to find any info the two store chains are related in any way). Last Saturday the place appeared to also provide a haven for Stampeders escaping out of the rain. Certainly a more enjoyable mall than others I've been to across the continent.
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Review from Anu A.
7/3/2010
yeah nice place too spent a day...
