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Raw Bar
Category: Restaurants Canadian (New) Canadian (New) [Edit]
Hotel Arts119 12 Ave SW
Calgary, AB T2R 0G8
(403) 206-9565
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 6:30 am - 2 pm
Mon-Sun 5 pm - 10 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Valet
- Attire:
- Dressy
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Late Night, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
22 reviews for Raw Bar
Review Highlights
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"To start, we ordered the Dungeness Crab and mango roll." In 1 review -
"My partner had the Pad Thai and I had the Brazened Rib with..." In 2 reviews -
"Comfy sleek lounge chairs will enfold you." In 3 reviews
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22 reviews in English
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Review from Kenny M.
2/17/2012 1 Check-in Here
Came here for a yelp charity event and it was fun! The food was quite good but perhaps because I had heard from a couple of my friends that raw bar was "AMAZING!!" or ""the best" my expectations were not fully satisfied.
To be honest the thing I liked least about this place was the vibe. Weird lighting, strange music, that didn't quite fit the mood, it just felt off a little or incomplete or something. It just had a slight identity crisis. BUT it was still cool and I did enjoy the experience.
The food was all good, well prepared though not super memorable, I would go back here again though and hope to come again spring time. I would say its definetly worth a try! And some cool food and drinks that they are known for . RAW -
Review from David H.
Calgary, AB
5/12/2012
A - List. Recommended. One of the more interesting places to visit in Calgary. Inside the Arts Hotel downtown. Interesting club like atmosphere. Good service. The food is excellent. In general, very small, high quality and creative portions. This is a B-Back.
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Review from Arc P.
11/4/2011 1 Check-in Here
Why is it that most things that Hotel Arts touches turns to gold? My place of employment has used their catering several time with tremendous results. So I was expecting good things from Raw Bar seeing as how they are under the HA umbrella. Floored, I was!
Dinner and dessert consisted of Haida Gwaii Halibut and Yuzu and White Chocolate Cheesecake. The golden beets and arugula complemented the tenderness of the halibut. Taste-wise the bitter/sweet/light fish flavour collage were a beautiful marriage; however, the textures of the mix were also a marvelous meld. Semi-solid beets with tender fish ... Art! The Cheesecake was ok. It felt too sour for me though.
However, what earns Raw Bar its five stars are its cocktails. The two cocktails I had were among the best in my life. The Yuzu Sunrise was so citurs fresh it made me actually enjoy my Vodka (not my spirit of choice). However, the winner of the night was Blood and Sand. Besides having the coolest name ever for a cocktail (sounds like another US-military-in-the-middle-east-Hollywood-movie). The name also made ordering my drink fun. In a deep-voice and fist clenched I dramatically ordered my drinking stating "I want Blood and Sands." Always a bonus when you can do that! The surprising thing about the drink itself was that it made me finally find a Johnie Walker cocktail that I actually love. 2 for 2!
Decor-wise I love it here. The subtlety contrasting red-orange and green shades blend beautifully. The crowd is young and hip. And the DJ spinning in the background is the perfect cherry on this fine dine sundae.
It isn't cheap here though, but sometimes its nice to go somewhere that is hip, cool and makes awesome cocktails. Well done RB!
4/30Listed in: Restaurants/Lounges I Can't…
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Review from Angelo T.
9/26/2011 1 Check-in Here
I decided I had to at least try one night of "Yelp Eats!" and found Saturday night a convenient night to drop and to say hello to my Yelp-pals. Props to Sabz for representing for Saturday!
I had the lobster thai bisque and the angus burger. The bisque was good and it was interesting to taste a bisque that used coconut milk as an alternative to cream. But in honesty I think they should've stuck with cream. The broth tasted like a Filipino seafood stew I couldn't quite get my finger on.The angus burger was delicious and meaty but I was really impressed with their fries, which was simply garnished with parmesan cheese and rosemary. We had a lengthy discussion about fries and agreed that the best pieces are the tiny crispy kernels that always fall to the bottom of the basket, where it acquires a high density of seasoning.
The atmosphere of the lounge was great. I enjoyed the music which wasn't loud enough that we had to yell at each other. and the room wasn't too crowded with people. We definitely stayed around for a long time and enjoyed the conversation.
I'm not sure how much our bill came to exactly, but Wendy figured that we bought 80 lunches with the meal our group had alone (as every dollar donated to Yelp eats goes towards a children's lunch). There is going to be one FAT kid walking around this city! -
Review from Jenna S.
Balzac, AB
6/24/2011
We went to Raw Bar on Father's Day. SLOWEST SERVICE EVER.
I was first (as in not late for once in my life) and waited a half hour before the waiter even asked me if I wanted something to drink. He came by, dropped off water. It was horrible service for the price we paid, though the food was pretty good. Their portions are fairly small as well. I wouldn't go back. Both restaurants in Hotel arts have been disappointing. -
Review from Wendy P.
I've had a couple of cocktails and the odd appy at Raw Bar, but last night was my first full dinner. I was surprised it wasn't a little busier. Maybe everyone else was enjoying their cocktails poolside. What, wait? Poolside? Yes, one of the charms of Raw Bar! You don't need to be a hotel guest to lounge by the table with one of their summer cocktails when the weather's warm. If you're there for a cocktail, I've had the Tea Jito and the Maple Colada. The Tea Jito is well worth trying, while the Maple Colada is an interesting take on a Pina Colada. I'm not usually a fan of Pina Coladas, they're just too coconut-y, but the Maple Colada cut down on the coconut, though I don't think the maple flavour was all that evident. Maybe the pineapple overpowered it? Not sure.
Anyway, dinner during Yelp Eats was inside and it was great. I was tempted by the $45 Chef's Tasting Menu, but opted for a couple of items from the regular menu.
To start, we ordered the Dungeness Crab and mango roll. Lovely presentation, it was sliced into 8 pieces and made for a nice appy for a few of us to share. This is the kind of sushi I first started eating back when I didn't know any better and didn't really like sushi. It's a pretty safe appy for all. It also came with a bit of calamari on the side. That I loved! Another of our party ordered the BC Spot Prawn and papaya salad roll. Also not a bad starter in my mind, though if you've got guests with you that get weird about food texture, they may not enjoy the "roll" part of this appy.
Next course for me was the Heirloom tomato salad. It came with soft goat cheese (have you ever seen hard goat cheese?), forest mushrooms and aged balsamic. I liked that the aged balsamic came in a little Chinese spoon at the edge of my plate so I could decide how much or how little of it to drizzle on. The server bringing me my salad told me the tomatoes came from Lethbridge and were grown on vines more than 100 years old. Really? 100 year old vine? That didn't seem possible to me. And yet, a brief internet search brought up a few results saying this very same thing! Either way, the salad gets a 3.5 star rating. I think it could've used a few more pieces of goat cheese. Also, I'm no tomato expert, but I do like my tomatoes sweet (the Roma tomatoes I ate in Italy spoiled most tomatoes for me, except for grape tomatoes, I could eat bucket loads of those, popping them in my mouth like candy). These were not all that sweet, but they were firm and a lovely shade of red. Definitely on par with a good ol' Alberta right off the vine.
For my main course, I ordered the Pad Thai. It was incredibly plentiful! Which is great if your walking in famished from a day of exploring Calgary. Don't get your hopes up on authentic Thai food though, Raw Bar is not the place for that. I didn't think it had quite enough spice in the sauce and it was more a bowl full of noodles and I don't think they were stir fried. Don't get me wrong, I still ate about half my order and brought the rest home for later.
I wish I had room for dessert! Instead I opted to finish off with a cappuccino, which came with rock candy to sweeten it. Tasted a-ok to me!
If you're having trouble finding a spot to park, the website mentions surface and underground parking at Hotel Arts. So check with the boys at the front door.
In retrospect, part of me is happy the resto wasn't busier last night. By about 830 it had filled up to about 2/3 capacity, but the noise level remained low and the DJ kept the tunes to a nice background beat (Sabz & Angelo, I was right! That piano bit I was trying to figure out IS from American Beauty http://www.youtube.com...). Our party trickled in between 7 and 8 and we stayed until nearly midnight chatting.
What would I improve about Raw Bar? A couple of things in the decor. Raw Bar feels like a theatre set to me, which also means it feels a bit unfinished. Sabahat N noted the curtains along the walls and felt like something was missing at the bottom of them. And though the red chairs look cool, they're hard when you sit down in them and complete that feeling of a theatre set. But maybe that's the point? It is Hotel Arts after all.... -
Review from Natasha K.
Calgary, AB
5/19/2011
Went here for drinks and snacks, was late on a Thursday (after 11pm) and I don't know why but I was expecting the kitchen to still be open and it wasn't.
Instead I ordered a delicious rasberry drink that had ginger beer, I think it was gone in 2 seconds. It was SO good. Normally I don't like berry juices like cranberry but this was so light. If only I could hire the bartender to make those for me all summer in my back yard? Hmm....
Delicious! After looking at the menu I have to head back for dinner some time.
The look of the place is amazing - dark, sexy, comfortable. -
Review from Alex L.
Calgary, AB
10/21/2010
Went for dinner, got food poisoning.
Went with the girlfriend for dinner. The design and decor is very cool. It is very dark so people watching is not really an option.
Ordered the lamb chops and the gf ordered the sashimi noodle salad.
Was extremely underwhelmed with both entrees when they arrived.
The lamb chops was 3 small pieces of lamb (about 1/4 of a full ring). It came with oversauced and overcooked peas for $36.
The sashimi salad was sent back after one bite. The fish was NOT sashimi grade, it tasted very old and a poor quality cut. To top it all off, the "sashimi" still had the skin attached. I eat sashimi at least once a week, I can say that I have never had a piece of salmon that bad before.
The waiter came back saying that the kitchen agreed that the salmon was subpar and that it had been delivered that morning. So apparently their supplier is selling them fake sashimi grade fish and no one in the kitchen noticed. I think that says something about the calibre of the kitchen staff that they didn't catch this until it was sent back at 10pm at night.
Overall, it may be a decent place to have a drink or two but try out Taste next door if you want a decent meal. -
Review from Doug G.
12/11/2010 1 Check-in Here
If they dropped in a live jazz band and you'd have a Calgary destination
Raw Bar is a classy restaurant in a boutique hotel near Calgary's downtown. Extremely friendly and attentive service. Excellent appetizers, terrific main courses, and some nice desert options. We thoroughly enjoyed our entire evening, and left commenting that if they had a live jazz band playing in the corner, it would truly be a Calgary destination. -
Review from Heather M.
9/1/2010
The decor is very chic, the staff so well-intentioned, friendly and helpful, and the presentation of the food was so beautiful.
However, the food leaves a lot to be desired. Me and a couple of friends went here in the evening, and ordered a bunch of appetizers :
Trio of House Marinated Satays: the meat did not seem marinated nor satayed. There were some good dips, but the meat (chicken, beef, and lamb) was a tad dry.
Halibut fish tacos: the fish was extremely bland and the most flavour in this came from the tortilla wrap! Not what you want!
Dungeness crab roll: this was good, I was curious as to what was on the outside (not seaweed!)
Braised beef poutine: a tad salty, and cheese curds were not quite melted. But kudos to them for actually using cheese curds all the way out in Alberta!
Charcuterie Board: Pretty good. Liked the venison sausage, and the incorporation of pickled schmidji (spelling?) mushrooms.
Artisan Greens: pretty good, liked their in-house pickled carrots.
Dinner and drinks for each of us came out to about $35 each.
This would be a good place to impress a date, provided that your taste buds are slightly muted. -
Review from dinah g.
Calgary, AB
11/15/2009 16 photos
I am a very new yelper and let me just say how much I love you Yelp. I wanted to go for an unforgettable meal with my partner to celebrate simply how amazing we are together. And I researched the highest rated restaurants in the city. I wanted something funky, avant garde and breathtaking and thanks to the Yelp crew I found it.
Raw Bar at Hotel Arts has to be one of the best dining experiences I have had in my life. And I have travelled the world folks so this statement says a lot. From the moment you enter the doors until you leave you are transported into a culinary journey.
The foyer of this hotel is so well decorated with modern art and welcoming staff. It is like visiting a very posh, stylish and hip place in New York City, yet it is not pretentious and is most affordable.
We were led past corridors of abstract art and furniture to the alcove entrance of the Raw Bar; we were immediately seated in this moody, red lit, modern restaurant, with the most impressive layout.
The waitress was delightful and quirky, water with cranberries and lemon were brought to the table. And we splashed our palates with: for my sweetie a canton swizzle (whole lychees and fresh grapes that are pulverised with fresh lime and ginger ale) and I a lemon tree (a flute of sparkling plum wine blitzed with a fresh lemon sorbet). My drink had a good amount of alcohol in it, Raw Bar is very generous when pouring drinks.
We started the evening with delightful salad of beets, pear, pine nuts and camembert cheese. My partner had the Pad Thai and I had the Brazened Rib with an artistic rouse of creamed potatoes and scallops. We then rounded off the meal with coffee and a pumpkin, white chocolate cheesecake with dribbled caramel sauce.
All this in total came to under 100 dollars; which was unheard of, I nabbed 5 business cards to hand out to friends. By the time it was 10 the place was full with bling and fashion. Everyone there was in the high spirits and we realised that we were amidst Gemini award celebrations which gave the evening an even more Celebrity tone.
I will return many times to this establishment. It is truly one of the finest hotspots in Calgary, thanks so much fellow yelpers you are doing a truly amazing job of highlighting the best we have to offer here.Listed in: Best Places to Eat
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Review from gilles P.
Calgary, AB
11/16/2008
Great vibe at the raw bar...
The food is great and they also have DJ spinning some sexy chill tune on Friday and Saturday. Unique place in Calgary. -
Review from Jollean C.
Vancouver, BC
12/4/2009
If I had neverending deep pockets o cash, this is where I would choose to do my drinking.
Raw Bar is gorgeous, sexy and chill. Red, white & black decor will seduce you. Comfy sleek lounge chairs will enfold you. The dozens of suspended glass balls over the bar will impress you. And the drinks will entice every fibre of your being that salivates for something new...for something way off the beaten path.
I haven't eaten here yet (so I will someday be back to update this review) but I'm really here to lead you by the example of a single drink. It's called the Snowglobe. It is $14. Thus I can't give 5 stars cuz, well, ouch. It was something like vanilla vodka, galliano, soda, roasted lemon zest, curly cucumber strips and white carnation petals. Not only a clever take but a divine meshing of tastes. This kind of drink makes you feel really special and Raw Bar pushes the limits by combining thoughtful decadent flavours.
I've checked out their current drink menu and now that I've piqued your interest, you'll be sad to know The Snowglobe isn't there. But I can tell you that the Sabai Soul still is with its 7 year white rum, vanilla vodka, coconut milk, lemongrass ginger beer and kaffir lime leaves. It will knock your socks off too if you like any of these ingredients. It's Thailand in a glass.
Raw Bar's drink menu is EONS ahead of everywhere else. Extravagant quality. Be seduced. -
Review from Mike M.
Calgary, AB
7/21/2010
Before you Raw fans get yourselves all worked up, my review is based on Breakfast alone. I can't speak for the lunch or the dinner, so I'll go back and try those too!
Can I just talk about how sick I am of boring breakfasts? Especially when you pay $15 for the buffet, which is really just a continental breakfast that most Best Western's offer for free. The food was so blah. I probably won't even think about it after this review is done. There were the usual suspects: yogurt, bacon and of course dry scramble eggs. Don't the chefs want to even try to make their buffets exciting? I would much appreciate it if they did.
I also want to talk about the chairs and tables. If you are going to have a chair, can I at least have it cover most of my back. I get the whole modern/retro thing, really I do. But why sacrifice comfort just to look cool. I feel like an old man complaining about my back being sore, but if I'm going to pay $15 bucks for a boring breakfast, can't I at least be comfortable?
Raw is just another example of how Calgary is still in desperate need of a good, tasty and reasonably priced breakfast place.
We are taking offers! -
Review from Matthias S.
Calgary, AB
3/13/2010
Me and my girlfriend went a year or so ago. Raw bar had a really nice atmosphere. And the food was great. I thought it was a bit on the pricey side, but taking into consideration that it is located in the downtown area and it is really trend.
I cannot say anything about the atmosphere in the evening, since we went in the mid-afternoon and it was really nice. The waiters were super nice to us and knew when to give us a little bit of space to breath and enjoy the food. -
Review from Sapna G.
Calgary, AB
3/18/2010
Over the weekend, I was deflowered by Raw Bar at Hotel Arts. Can I just say: What A Cool Place!
Not only was I feelin' the vibe, the music, the crowd, the decor, the location and the ambiance, but the prices weren't as outrageous as I had initially assumed that they would be, and the service was impeccable.
I have yet to visit Raw Bar during its evening hours, but even in the afternoon, it was the perfect place to escape the city, chill with a friend, and dapple in snacks and bevvies.
One thing's fo' sho: I'll Be BAAAACK. -
Review from Zoe L.
Calgary, AB
2/14/2010
My Husband and I, along with a couple of friends, decided to go to Raw Bar for a drink late in the evening. I had been to Hotel Arts before when my sister stayed here, but never had gone to Raw Bar.
This place is magical. I was taken back by the cosmopolitan decor and atmosphere. We choose a small table in the middle with 4 large chairs. We were greeted and menus were brought to us. The drinks all sounded amazing. I decided on the pineapple mojito. It cost $15, so it had better be amazing I thought to myself. It didn't disappoint, that drink was heaven!
We all chatted and enjoyed a second drink. This place has money and style written all over it, but it was quiet and had a laid back feel. The service was excellent even though we didn't try any food.
I loved Raw Bar and cannot wait to return. I'll be saving my pennies! -
Review from Starsia E.
Calgary, AB
4/11/2011 1 Check-in Here
The decor is dark and dim which to be honest is how I like it but may be too dark for most. The service was pretty good and my glass was always full with ice tea before I could run out. The food was mediocre for the price. I'll probably go again to try a few more items on the menu and see if I went on an off night.
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Review from Heath F.
Calgary, AB
2/19/2011 1 Check-in Here
Very tasty steak! wicked apple cake with bacon for dessert.
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Review from Timothy D.
Calgary, AB
8/27/2010 2 Check-ins Here
Always fun to hit the RawBar Pool on a hot day but the service is horrible. Everyone seems miserable and the service is is extremely slow. Also why would you make your servers wear black on a hot sunny day? I would be miserable too
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Review from Adam G.
Calgary, AB
3/7/2009
Great food and a unique atmosphere.
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Review from S W.
Calgary, AB
4/26/2010
This place is okay. I don't find the food to be all that spectacular (don't get me wrong it's good, but I expect great for a place like this) and the service can be a bit slow.
I did enjoy the music (which wasn't over-loud as it often these days), but the lighting left something to be desired. I have only been there in the evening though, maybe it's better during the day.
