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The Main Dish
Category: Restaurants Canadian (New) Canadian (New)
903 General Avenue NortheastCalgary, AB T2E 9E1
(403) 265-3474
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 7 am - 10 pm
Fri 7 am - 11 pm
Sat 8 am - 10 pm
Sun 9 am - 10 pm
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- No
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- Yes
19 reviews for The Main Dish
19 reviews in English
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Review from Corey W.
3/24/2012 1 Check-in Here
I love Main Dish. In the four years I have lived in Bridgeland, I have been to main dish about 50 times or more-and for various reasons. Sometimes it's for an eat in supper (the turkey gnocchi is to die for as is the burger), sometimes to take home supper, sometimes to grab quick meals from the deli (mac and cheese, stuffed chicken breasts, meatloaf), sometimes to grabs dips for a party (tzatziki is deadly), sometimes for breakfast (scrambles rule) but always for the DELICIOUS FOOD. Main Dish sells itself as "healthy and nutritious" which I believe they are doing well. Everything is fresh, clean tasty and not over processed or stuffed with junk ingredients. The make home deli items are easily heated in the oven with mains, sides and desserts all available to round out dinner after a hard day at work.
The staff are very friendly and helpful and seem to rarely turnover, so I'm going to assume they are treated well and like their jobs- which is encouraging to see. The atmosphere is casual, outgoing, quaint, cute and fun. Brunch and breakfast is always good and their coffee bar is quite delicious. During summer they setup tables on the sidewalks which makes for a awesome supper in the sun with wine and great food with friends, and within walking distance for me (think drinking more wine than planned trying to absorb as much sun as possible).
Regularly they also bring in olympic athletes to talk about food and their stories about eating and exercise, which is fun and very interesting to hear (not to mention afforded me the opportunity to actually touch a gold medal:). Jazz nights are also a regular occurrence with live musicians which we have attended and enjoyed.
Favorite items:
Mac and cheese, turkey gnocchi, burger with mushroom ragu, Italian stuffed chicken, vanilla bean cheesecake and without a doubt the feta cheese and chick pea salad. Life changing in my opinion.
I recommend dropping by to check it out and see how decent food should taste. The price point is about the same or cheaper than trying to cook your own dinner... -
Review from Sabahat N.
Calgary, AB
3/19/2012
2 for service, 3 for atmosphere, and 4 for variety of food.
Thus, 3 stars overall.
Let's start off with the good. The concept is pretty cool. It's like a market, where you wander around and look at the different food, but its still a restaurant. The food is varied and the menu is interesting. I have had their broccoli salad and it was delicious. I have tried their west coast eggs benny as well, and it was alright. Not the best eggs benny by ANY means, despite what the other reviews say.
Service is not the best. You won't get any smiles or pleasantries here, at least I never have. Maybe because I am not a Lululemon-wearing, dog-walking soccer mom who lives in the area and shops and brunches all day. Food takes YEARS to arrive, but when it does, it's pretty good.
But it looks like I am the only one in town who expects a pleasant experience with friendly service when I go out for brunch because the place is always packed anyway. -
Review from James W.
Division No. 6, AB
3/4/2012 1 Check-in Here
We were on our way to the Blue Star Diner, one of my more favorite places for a delicious breakfast, however because we were pressed for time, we headed down the street and endewd up at The Main Dish. This cafeteria like restaurant just happen to be serving a weekend brunch which was quite good and worth a good blog.
First impressions of the restaurant were nice. It was seperated into stations where you would go to order hot meals, deli, soup/sandwiches, and coffee/alcohol. The place was bright with ample sunlight and provided are very confortable atmosphere for a saturday morning brunch.
We found a table and headed straight over to the hot meals station and ordered our food; Quinoa Oatmeal, Ham and cheddar stuffed frenched toast, and their West Coast Eggs Benedict. Presentation was nice and being able to see the food stations and the chefs prepare the meals were well considered atmospheric perk.
The Quinoa Oatmeal was an excellent comfort food. There was a good mix of oatmeal, quinoa and fruit. It was an excellent take on mom's good old oatmeal when we were kids. The consistency was what you would expect however I found that over time it was turn too mushy. I know that's probably normal of oatmeal, however it got pretty thick pretty fast. Good thing is still tasted good.
The stuffed french toast was enjoyable. It was well portioned and had a good ratio of bread to filling. Although enjoyable, it wasn't something that I would remember forever. The combination of savory with sweet was a good idea and it wasn't too sweet for my palate. I am not much of a sweet tooth and this was pretty much the perfect balance.
The west coast eggs benedict was a little disappointing. It was a hard poached egg on a bed of shrimp over a croissant as opposed to the traditional english muffin. The croisant was a nice change, although I would have preferred the english muffin since that is what I would normally expect with an eggs benedict. The shrimp were of a decent size and the eggs would have been much better had they been soft poached. The most disappointing part of this whole dish however was the hollandaise sauce. It was sour to my tongue. So much so that at first I thought it had gone bad but then realized that it was just an over zealous chef and their lemon juice. When it comes to eggs benny for me, it all comes down to the hollandaise and had that sauce been done right, it probably would not have amplified any of the other faults.
Accompanying our meal was their coffee which to be honest, was quite good. I had a double americano and it was rich, bold, and delicious.
I think I would come back here to the Main Dish. The open concept is great and it's a great place to meet with friends to catch up. The atmospere is definitely a plus here. The only thing is that I would not make specific plans to come here for brunch, a light lunch or afternoon coffee would be my ideal visit to The Main Dish. -
Review from Jane S.
Calgary, AB
4/26/2012
breakfast was good there. Like the concept of the restaurant and market. I do find most things overpriced there, including the dinner menus.
I enjoy there menu selections but wondered how often they change over their menu selections.
One time came in when they had a singer which was great. Wanted to just come in there to eat but could not find a seat because most were occupied by people who reserved for the singer. Wondered how do they cater to those who just want to stay in at that time to buy their food/drink? Understand that it happens for a reason but it is such an inconvience to those who want to eat there and don't reserve for the music events. -
Review from Pritma D.
Calgary, AB
5/15/2012
This past Saturday (May 12th) I met up with a girlfriend for breakfast at main dish to catch up on life. I had the Italian Benny and she the vegetarian omelette. The benny was absolutely amazing, and I can't say enough about their savory potatoe cakes! I hear the veggie omelette was quite good too. Main dish is unique to Calgary with a made to order walk-up menu using whole foods and crafting home-cooked meals to go. Although its a casual atmostphere similar to a 'cafeteria' its certainly more intimate and upscale with cozy seating - perfect for catching up with an old friend over good food and coffee. I will definately return to try their lunch and dinner.
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Review from Jarett L.
Calgary, AB
12/21/2011
One of my favorite brunch items is eggs benedicts. Whenever I go to other brunch diners I never order their eggs bennys, main dish has THE best eggs benny, my favorite in particular is the italian benny. Cannot go wrong with this dish.
Now that my friend lives right behind the Main Dish, you can bet I'll be there more often! -
Review from Janna L.
1/14/2012
I think I have been to this restaurant/market about 101 times. I live right behind it for now - not in the alley (haha!) but in a cozy condo that matches this stunning neighbourhood. I love Bridgeland. Today I had an old friend come by and see me from out of province. I took her to Main Dish for lunch knowing that she would likely love it. I had seen before that they had a nice selection of wine and we were ready to try a glass! Being a foodie, this place draws me in all the time. They always have a good variety of fresh food to go behind the massive glass displays and it changes somewhat day to day. What a great place for single people or couples or anyone to drop into after work especially when the urge to cook is just not there. What I have ordered in the past to go has been pretty good. Staff, hit and miss, today they were pretty good and not all looking like they wished they were elsewhere. Now, this place is not cheap. We did not come here to save money but I wanted to see what the "stay in and eat" meals had to offer. It was lunchtime (late lunch) so we split a pasta alfredo, the pasta being penne. The pasta was cooked to perfection, to the tooth! The alfredo sauce was to die for as were the big chunks of mushrooms and fresh chicken breast. The staff agreed to split the meals for us on 2 plates and the "75" wine we ordered was very tasty. I wish bread had come with the pasta plate but, no.
I got a couple of items to go including my husband's favourite lemon dessert bar from there and strangely, the bars are the same price as usual but in the last few weeks, the bars have been cut in half so you get less bang for your buck. Hmmm...
For some reason I knew the prepped meal at this casual spot would be quite good. The dining atmosphere was casual and we went at a slower time which was very good for conversation.
I like this concept of dining. Not necessarily for a first date but it offers something different than the norm. I feel that even the pickiest of eaters could find something here that they like very much. -
Review from Ernest B.
Calgary, AB
I'm often in Bridgeland on business or biking through so I've been introduced to Main Dish by a few friends.
Food's great, freshly made and there's usually plenty of seating. While most lunch choices are great, I've had their Italian Benny for breakfast a few times and it rivals the best i've had anywhere. Highly recommended.
On another note, I've had really great service as well. A number of times, the cook himself would come out with a hot plate and deliver it to our table. I had the chance to meet the owner and he's really passionate about this business and the idea of fresh food.
*PARKING TIP* - If you drive around back and towards the Bridgeland C Train station, that street has free parking for 2 hours. Also, if you drive across 1st ave into the residential area you can find free parking as well. -
Review from Alex L.
Calgary, AB
5/9/2011
Good fresh breakfasts, found some of the workers a little snobby.
Breakfasts are your standard eggs, sausage and toast combinations but they are well made with good ingredients. A little bit more expensive than you might expect (around $12-15 per person).
Main DIsh's focus is on providing prepared meals to eat at home. For some reason, the prepared dishes cannot be eaten at the tables in the store. Only the smaller selection of freshly made items can be eaten there. Asked a couple of workers why this policy was in place and received a reply of "that is how things are." Thanks, but not really that useful. -
Review from Erin F.
Calgary, AB
3/8/2011
Huge fan of the breakfast at Main Dish, it is a common Sunday destination. breakfast is tasty and they have a good assortment of choices. The hash browns are awesome and the little smoothie shot is always a nice treat!
Also love the lattes and London Fogs.
I've never tried lunch or the takeaway food, but it looks delish. -
Review from Alix Laura W.
Calgary, AB
7/13/2010 1 Check-in Here
Lunch pre-reqs: casual, reasonable, fresh. In Downtown Calgary, you might as well wish for donuts and diamonds to fall from the sky.
But just outside of DT, across the 4th Street flyover, is the lovely little neighbourhood of Bridgeland. Still somewhat affordable and only just having it's first Starbucks blossom a few years ago, Bridgeland is on the cusp of becoming another one of those chic neighbourhoods with all those the brand new duplexes.
In the same complex as the Starbucks is a corner restaurant called the Main Dish. It's a treasure. The deli style atmosphere and sporadic seating arrangement gives it an extremely casual feel. The counters are filled with fresh vegetables, side dishes and dinner ideas and alternatives. Walk towards the back and two chef's will take your order from a selection of at least a dozen full plated meal options. The portions are generous and I don't think I saw anything over $14. Take a look through the desserts for something to take home or just grab a cup of coffee brewed fresh. It's that easy. -
Review from Ian L.
Calgary, AB
9/30/2011
This restaurant is OK and the price of food is not bad. The food has always been really good! Their burgers are really tasty and they make a really excellent steak!
But if you decide to have a glass of wine be prepared to spend $9 on their basic house wine which I think is absolutely ridiculous! For this reason I rarely go to Main Dish and look elsewhere when wanting to dine out.Comment from Carissa L. of The Main Dish 10/4/2011
Hi Ian, thanks for your review, glad you enjoy our food! … More » -
Review from Carrie P.
4/19/2009 9 Check-ins Here
I love this restaurant! I have been for dinner about a dozen times -- I keep coming back. The concept is quite different. It almost has a Sunterra Market feel, where your latte comes from one kiosk, your meal comes from another. However, you browse the kiosk and place your order, then when you sit down, your drinks and meal are served to you like any other restaurant. There are very few seats to eat in, but the food is absolutely delicious!
As far as price point, I find that eating in is more reasonably priced than take out. It could have been what I ordered for take out. However, consistently, their dine in meals are $15 or under. However, for a party, I took out an artichoke dip, bruschetta, and some gourmet chips and it was almost $40. Having said that, I received lots of compliments on how delicious the dip was, so it was worth the money to bring a high quality product. -
Review from Trace F.
Calgary, AB
10/14/2009
Let's be honest, I would never have discovered this place if I didn't live on top of it. Now I live about a block away from it, and don't want to move much further from it!
It is perfect, gourmet take out for a young professionals face paced lifestyle. Superbly decorated (love the concrete floor) with a rich atmosphere and amazing food to choose from (herb crusted mac and cheese :)
Staff is happy to greet you with a smile and help you out with all your questions. Sit in, or take out you... won't be disappointed.
One more reason I love my little Bridgleand. -
Review from Bethany W.
Calgary, AB
7/20/2010
Love Main Dish! My only real complaint is that I don't live closer.
All the food (hot and ready to eat or cold to take home) is wholesome, fresh and filling. Brunch/breakfast is good, and their teas and latte's are great - and the dessert, even better! Go and enjoy. -
Review from Lesli K.
Calgary, AB
10/9/2008 1 photo
While visiting with some girlfriends the other night, we decided to check out The Main Dish.
The idea is that you can go and pick up some entrees and side dishes to take home and eat, or you can eat in. There's all sorts of food. Dishes like lasagna, meatloaf, stir frys, casseroles, and chicken dishes. The types of main dishes are always changing.
But, that's not all, you can just go in to enjoy an espresso and dessert - try the chocolate cake with all of the gooey icing - yum! There's wine and other drinks for those that need some alcohol to get through the night. There's even a happy cappucino, as opposed to the usual sad cappucino.. -
Review from Jason G.
Calgary, AB
5/11/2010 3 photos
The Main Dish in Bridgeland is an open concept market-style restaurant that's reminiscent of a Whole Foods or Sunterra Market.
They offer an enticing variety of chef-prepared meals to eat in or take away. The evening I was there, they had ribs, chicken, mac n' cheese, fancy ravioli, as well as several ethnic and vegetarian options. You can choose items from their food counter and heat it up at home, or you can select one of the daily hot dishes made starting at 5pm. They also offer daily hot breakfast, and lunch options, as well as a sandwich and cappuccino bar.
So many options, so little time.
And if time is of the essence, and you want to eat gourmet food fast, the Main Dish is where it's at.Comment from Carissa L. of The Main Dish 6/1/2010
Thanks for the great comment! We just wanted to add that… More » -
Review from Jimmi S.
Calgary, AB
4/9/2011
Great gourmet take-away with good service and good food.
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Review from Wilbert C.
Calgary, AB
11/10/2010
Love the place for lunch especially for their salads. Nice wide windows. Cool concept.
