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The Metropolitan Grill
Categories: Nightlife Bars Lounges Restaurants Canadian (Traditional) Lounges, Canadian (Traditional) [Edit]
317 8 Ave SWCalgary, AB T2E 0P9
(403) 263-5432
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Music:
- Juke Box
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- No
- Coat Check:
- Yes
- Good For Dancing:
- No
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
16 reviews for The Metropolitan Grill
16 reviews in English
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Review from Merry K.
11/10/2011 1 Check-in Here
I headed to Met Grille with 2 customers per their suggestion. I haven't been to the Met in a while so I wasn't sure what to expect. I was happily surprised by how great it was.
I ordered the Delmonico salad which was a great melding of medium rare steak (you can order it how you like), blue cheese and pork belly served on crisp salad greens. One of the best salads I've ever had.
My lunch companions had the steak sandwich and the bbq burger (I think). They were both happy with their meal as well.
The only negative was the group of workers that seemed to be speccing out the place for renos. They were milling about measuring things, etc. It really seemed like they could have done that when the restaurant wasn't serving customers. -
Review from jon h.
3/5/2012
Went Sat Mar 3rd for lunch - wasn't busy, but got a crummy table anyway.
Almost $8 for a pint of beer. Italian panini was not very good. Bread had too much seasoning, and the meats were nothing special.
Good location on Stephen Ave. -
Review from Aymie R.
Calgary, AB
12/17/2011
A good place to go for lunch with co-workers or a bevie or two on the patio in the summer.
The Mount Royal location is....well, everyone should experience it for themselves. When I have girlfriends visiting from out of town, I like to take them here so they can pick up. They usually leave pretty happy. -
Review from Natasha K.
Calgary, AB
9/15/2011 1 Check-in Here
We went for a bachelorette party and I was VERY disappointed.
We had a private dinner room, and were there for 2.5 hours. In that 2.5 hours the bride-to-be got one drink. That is how slow it was.
The food, some came out after a bit, some came out 20 minutes later - annoying
My second drink of the night, the server drops it off and asks what I would like to order, as I was turning and moving my menu to ask about something, I accidently knocked it over, spilling the whole thing. Note, I had only had 1 drink, this was just a silly accident, not a drunk one. Well, the server, who was standing next to me, watched it happen, made no offer to clean it up or replace it. I had to ask 3 times to get a wet cloth to wipe down the sticky table, and based on her frequency, this took 30 minutes. The food wasn't very good and overpriced, the ahi tuna tacos had barely any tuna.
But seriously, when anyone spills their drink at a decent restaurant they replace it. Way to get customers to return, knowing you're that cheap.
Everyone at the table who ordered drinks didn't actually get them until they asked twice, or even 3 times. I think I put in about 5 orders in total and got and paid for 3, 1 of which was spilled.
I will NOT return. -
Review from Arc P.
7/18/2011
Honestly, I kind of went into the Metro Grill not expecting too much. Probably because I've never heard of anybody having a mind-blowing experience at one and I only ever hear complaints. However, on a quest to try a few more elevated patios, this was pretty close to my apartment so I figured, why not? Impressed, I was.
The food was above average, we had the fish tacos and the number 42, which was a Asian lemon chicken dish. Upon questioning why the dish has such a strange name, the waitress actually asked the chef. Apparently, the lemon chicken is no. 42 on the menu of a majority of Chinese restaurants. This of course isn't true, but the fact that the waitress actually asked the chef for us was a testament to good service.
Furthermore, the fact that the staff managed to get the patio ready just hours after a major rainstorm passed through the city shows how hard they work. That impressed me as well.
The Guinness was fine and the view from the patio onto 17th (thought you may have to maneuver around some potted plants) was nice.
All in all, a good experience at the Metropolitan Grill.Listed in: Calgary Rooftop Patio
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Review from Reginald T.
Calgary, AB
2/24/2011 1 Check-in Here
In February 2011, the Met debuted a new menu along with a new head chef, and new management overall.
Now, I'm a born-and-raised Calgarian, and I had never been to the Met before. But it's been around for as long as I can remember, and people kept telling me about how great it was back in the day.
Then it went through a rough patch and there was a time when its reputation took a hit. Many people complained that it wasn't the same, the service was bad, the food was bad, etc.
Not having a baseline to compare it to, I was able to visit this location with an open mind.
I came for lunch with a bunch of my friends. We all had different dishes; I had the Chicken Club Sandwich. It was really good. It came with the standard chicken, bacon and tomato, but the bacon was candied. Talking to their new head chef Rusty, he told us that he brushed each bacon slice with Grade A maple syrup. I went with a friend who knows her maple syrup inside and out, and she said that Grade B is actually what you want to use for food applications like this as Grade A is more suitable for pancakes. Rusty took the suggestion to heart and expressed a willingness to try new things.
Another friend and myself ordered the Grapecicle, which is a grape-infused ice drink with vodka. It was really tasty, although hers and my drinks were colored differently each time we ordered one; mine was consistently darker in colour, while hers was lighter (and they weren't even the same shade between batches). I guess each time they make it, it's different depending on the amount of syrup they use, but we couldn't help but chuckle that the guy got the bluer drink while the gal got the redder drink. They made for pretty pictures though.
Dessert was the chocolate molten lava cake, which was a chocolate brownie cake with a gooey chocolate centre. It was really good, but our order took a long time to arrive as one of the cakes broke in the mold and they had to make another. Unfortunately, they never told us that and many people chose to leave before dessert arrived as they had to get back to work. The chef personally apologized for the delay.
So what do I think of the new Met?
The food is excellent. Everyone had nothing but good things to say about the items they tried.
The service is inconsistent though, but they are trying to do better. The staff seem to be reinvigorated with all the recent changes, and I could tell that the new head chef is working hard to please. The waitress was always near by to service us, and despite the mix up during dessert, the service was always prompt.
Would I go back? Definitely yes, if only to try another bacon dish. Will those who have had bad experiences in the past come back? Hard to say, but with the recent managerial changes throughout their entire operations, I would urge people to give them another shot, especially if they're the type of people who had a good experience years ago and were lamenting on how recently things just weren't "the same." And I look forward to reading more reviews of people in that situation, to see whether or not the new Met can regain the reputation it seemed to have when I was growing up. -
Review from Danger D.
Calgary, AB
12/3/2010
I suppose in some ways my 'dislike' might be in trying to lump The Met on Stephen Ave. into the 'pub' category... which really isn't fair (but then neither is life...). The Met (and again, I'm talking about The Met on Stephen Ave downtown not the skanky cougar Met on 17th...) is a lively lounge restaurant on Stephen Ave right across from Banker's Hall and Earls. The Met tries to be upscale and cosmo; expect to see (and see a lot of) service staff in skimpy little dresses and lecherous suit and tie guys.
On the good side, The Met does have a fantastic summer patio space that's always in heavy use in good weather and I think they manage to get the vibe they're looking for in the lounge.
In many respects I'd put The Met in the same space as Belgo down the street from it and while I'm not really a fan of either, I think The Met achieves it's goal better than Belgo does.
On the bad side, it just feels icky to me... pretentious, self inflated (and not just with silicone), and shallow. I suppose they have food there but really, people go primarily for drinks. It's heaving many afternoons and on Fridays gets so packed you need to be coated in a lubricant to get in. The only time I go is when I'm with someone who really wants to go and I can't convince them to go somewhere else. All of my personal bias to one side, I think management at least understands the space they're trying to fill and they seem to have a winning product. -
Review from Melanie J.
11/8/2010
Came on a Drambuie promotion night- 2 free drinks per person- not bad....definitely will agree that this is a place geared more towards the 30 something crowd and is quite the "meat market" others say it is. Funny to people watch the people watchers....
Arrived to two lines-what I call the unknowns and the other for the "pretty people/sweet talkers"......if u know what I mean....
Got in with some sweet talkin' and did enjoy the music. Dance floor was quite small, but that's okay. Settled to dance by an open window and that helped with the ventilation.
Not bad for my 1st night out in Calgary.... -
Review from Chelsea W.
Calgary, AB
2/5/2011
3 times the charm in receiving bad service and bad food overall.
Located just off of Stephan's Avenue, the Met usually brings in customers from the downtown core, as well as those that enjoy a classy night with mixed drinks and martinis. Although I do give credit to the Metropolitan for having beautiful modern design and decor...and although I do admit that their drinks are good, it doesn't mean that the staff working there have to have inflated egos and be arrogantly bitchy to their customers. The Metropolitan is a popular place to hit up for a night out - however my review is based solely on the business during the day.
My boyfriend and I were walking around Stephan's Avenue and decided to pop in to the Met for a nice and cozy lunch. We were warmly greeted by the hostess at the door who promptly seated us at a booth where we waited momentarily for our waitress.
Either our waitress is a socially awkward person or doesn't know how to socialize, however she was not the most pleasant person in my opinion. My boyfriend had ordered a steak and asked for it to be medium rare. Upon it being initially served, his steak was practically beating as it was literally to the point of being blue rare. He showed the waitress and asked for it to be cooked a little more - she did take it back (obligingly) to the kitchen, but not before a few lippy comments of "it looks medium rare to me". After the now-medium rare steak was returned to him, our waitress sarcastically asked if he wanted to have it cooked a little more. Wow miss, way to give attitude to a now very grumpy guy.
I have been to this location about one or 2 other times for dinner, and the service even then was unprofessional where I once had a waitress refuse to take my meal back as it had meat in it (which I specifically stated I was vegetarian and requested for the meat to be taken out) and told me to eat around it.
If you're looking to go out for drinks, the Met definitely has the space and a beautiful patio. The place is fun to go out for the night to dance and drink...if you like cougar bars. However if you want to go somewhere for lunch or dinner...stay away from this place! -
Review from Katie C.
Calgary, AB
11/24/2009
My biggest exposure to the Met has been walking by the patio in the summer while bar hopping. I would sometimes suggest it as a place to go, but my friends would glance over and look at the plastic girls and the disturbingly metrosexual guys and it would get vetoed. Always vetoed. I'm also a bit young for the night time meat market... The Met after work and the Met at night are two very different animals.
I've been in a few times for work functions and nice dinners. I really love their cocktails - yummy and girly and well presented. Very sex and the city. The food was pretty tasty, though expensive, but not quite to my tastes. All a little too standard, although excellently executed. I loved the decor. And the bathrooms. Beautiful. Bathroom heaven, my friends. -
Review from Sapna G.
Calgary, AB
9/23/2009
Last weekend was a girlfriend's bachelorette party and she chose to host it at The Met. At first, I was a little put off because The Met. in Calgary is known as a bit of a cougar bar. I'm not a cougar...not yet anyways, so I wasn't sure I was gonna fit in.
We got there around 8pm and it was DEAD. Seriously, it was like everyone had chosen to go everywhere BUT the Met. I was secretly hoping that we would start bar hopping, but it didn't look like my prayers were going to be answered anytime soon. In a weird way, I'm actually GLAD we ended up staying there.
When midnight hit, the bar was PACKED. I don't know what happened, but it got to the point where we could barely move! The dance floor is teeny weeny, but they were playing good music, so it took a lot to keep us off the dance floor.
There was an interesting mix of people there that night. There was your standard bachelorette party crowd (we weren't the only ones), there was your standard bar hopping crowd, there was the older crowd, and there was the 'really nice and didn't have anywhere else to go' crowd.
A couple of the people that we met there that night were some of the nicest people I've ever met at a bar. I was pleasantly surprised.
Last call was around 2, and all in all, it was a fun night.
I don't know if I'd recommend the place as the 'go to' place of the evening, but being new in town, it was a cool place to chill on a Friday night when the alternative would've been staying home in my PJs and watching rentals. -
Review from neil m.
Calgary, AB
11/22/2009 2 photos
Metro grill is a very happening place but I feel a little like an outsider. (maybe I just don't get out enough)
We had the "private" room booked for a friends big 3oh and it was awesome! We kinda felt important sitting in a secluded area away from the crowd but, at the same time we were missing good people watching and all the action as the night wore on.
The food was top notch, though (kinda like you would find on the Iron Chef show) the portions are more like what you would get for an appetizer and not what I'd call entire size.
Even though, it was tasty, its not what I'd consider a big menu selection. Maybe because Metro grill is more of a night club than a restaurant .The menu had lunch, brunch, appys, dinner and desserts all at one quick glance.
The line up outside grew(20-30 people) as the night wore on and I noticed a change in the behavior of the door men. Way to much testosterone and machismo. Come on guys, 6 of us just went for a smoke, you saw us leave( for the forth time) then you give us attitude when we go back inside??Like we were line jumpers?
Over all it looks like a great place to go for a night out dancing and hanging with the bar crowd but unless your "that crowd" its just not for me and certainly is not "my crowd".
I might try it again for the good food, except next time we'll go for brunch. -
Review from Daryl D.
Calgary, AB
4/12/2011
My hubby & I recently went here for the first time in a couple of years. We have nothing against it, it's just that typically we're not 'high-end' people. Last time, we found the waitress was a tad stuck up and not all too polite, but we see they hired new people since then. Now the hostess & waitresses are all very accomodating and friendly. Rob got the burger & fries (which are quite good. Shoe string-style with pepper). I got something called the #42, which was an Asian-inspired lemon chicken dish. It was actually quite good, I felt like I was eating like a pig lol. If you have a $20+ per person budget, and want to indulge and enjoy a trendy, upscale dining experience, I recommend this place located just along Stephen Ave downtown :)
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Review from Marco N.
4/12/2011
First time in downtown Calgary and a business acquaintance took me to lunch at the Met Grill. I had a lunch special, a lamb wrap with salad. It was great and tasty. The place was mostly full of business attire having lunch, and skimpy dressed waitresses..
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Review from Yo U.
9/26/2009
I always enjoy myself at The Met. When it gets too crazy and the meat market gets to be too much, you can always go somewhere else. The Met is a good place for happy hour drinks.
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Review from Tim K.
Calgary, AB
10/4/2009
great music, than it's standing room only somewhat easy to meet people.after midnight.
