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The Yardhouse Restaurant
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Music:
- Juke Box
- Best Nights:
- Fri, Thu, Sat
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- No
- Coat Check:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Good For Dancing:
- No
- Ambience:
- Trendy
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
16 reviews for The Yardhouse Restaurant
16 reviews in English
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Review from Sarah B.
11/25/2011
The Yardhouse probably won't dissapoint. Unless you're looking for yam fries.
I've actually never been to either location, and we ended up here for a drink because Higher Ground was packed and had a concert going on or something.
They had Malbec and Pinot Grigio on special for $5, so I got that. I think their beer selection could probably be stepped up a bit - both guys I was with mentioned that they weren't able to find the beer they wanted, and had to settle for an 'ol faithful.
Overall, clean, bright, friendly service, and very good Root Chips, which we ordered because they didn't have yam fries. A great neighbourhood pub. -
Review from Emma G.
11/17/2011 1 Check-in Here
I have to say, I really like the food here! Recently in Kensington, I noticed they had a "2 for $22" type of deal where two people can share an appetizer, then each get an entree. It was around $22 anyways, and it was fabulous.
I've been here twice now (granted once for lunch and once right after work, so like 5:30ish?) and both times it was quite empty. Also both times the service was unremarkable...both servers were nice but disinterested. Not a big deal - at least this time we got our drinks, haha.
As an appetizer we got root vegetable chips - yum! They give you a giant bowlful and some dips, and they're awesome. I am craving them right now, in fact...
For an entree I got a Margherita pizza. It was SUPER salty, but somehow still delicious? I like salty foods, I guess. I enjoyed it and it was a pretty generous portion, I had it for lunch the next day as well. They could probably salt it less but I'm not complaining, haha.
One cool thing I noticed: on the back of the beer taps, they have tiny TVs! Finally, those sitting at the bar watching the game won't have to get a sore neck! Very cool idea. This seems like a great place to hang out and watch a game. -
Review from Angelo T.
3/8/2011
Great food, great service, great ambiance for conversation
If I actually meant the words said above, I would be the worst liar on this planet.
It took me 10 minutes to get a drink from the bartender. And it took the waitress infinity to attend to us. If that doesn't make sense, it meant that she NEVER CAME.
FYI don't sit by the door, theres too many people coming in and proclaiming their arrival with a boisterous "WHOOOOOOO!! PARTY!! WHOOOOO!!" followed by the chaos of high-fives, man-hugs, and butt-grabs
I doubt any conversation that has taken place in the Yardhouse has been actually 100% recieved and understood. I have to confess that a few times I deployed my "pretend to listen" bluff , where I politely nodded and smiled, and repeated the last words spoken that the narrow net of my mind managed to catch :S....which FYI, is a GREAT technique to use for those long drawn out meetings -
Review from Nick S.
12/29/2010 1 Check-in Here
A quick disclaimer -- I was here with co-workers for a Christmas get-together. Our manager kept the food and drinks coming non-stop, and picked up the tab in the end. So I didn't even look at the menu, OR, know what was being charged.
Eliminating the "it's too pricey" bias, and just commenting on the food and atmosphere, I really enjoyed it.
The waitresses were continuously streaming to our tables with a variety of pizzas and appetizers. So rather than trying just one item as a meal, I sampled a LOT (let's be hones: too much... ) All seemed very good. Actually I thought the pizza was well above average for a pub. I even tried the "veggie" pizza that included asparagus. I was impressed.
I like quality and diversity, and they delivered.
The second thing I liked about it was the atmosphere, inside and out.
Busy, yes... but when a place is buzzing, busy can be good. As someone mentioned, it did feel like a house party... and you felt fine "mingling," which I prefer to being pinned down.
The other aspect is the atmosphere OUTSIDE. It was Christmas season, so dark early. Walking around Kensington reminds you that you are in a more vibrant area of Calgary. So heading down with a significant other, and exploring a bit before or after the pub adds to the overall experience. Definitely different than parking in a typical strip mall and walking into a pub. You come away feeling you had a more fulfilling evening. -
Review from Kaeleigh E.
Calgary, AB
12/13/2010
I had a fantastic Sunday lunch at the Yardhouse.
I see all these comments about being crowded, but this obviously does not apply to day-time dining because this place was NOT crowded, actually I think there were only 2 other tables in the whole restaurant.
The food was FANTASTIC. I had a spicy chicken sandwich. The chicken wasn't one giant chicken breast that came out of a freezer in the basement somewhere it was fresh slices of delicious chicken. The marble rye bread was delicious. We also got these root vegetable chips with some sort of creamy delicious dip. They were really good. Crunchy, salty, fresh, tastes like the fair to me. Every component of this meal was really, really good. Way beyond my expectations.
If it was just the food this would be a solid 5.
However, there were some other issues.
We didn't get refills on our beverages the whole time. That's right. We sat through an appetizer and a main course of a meal and had to last one one drink. That was when the waitress FINALLY came over to us. She was nice, but she was just more concerned with talking to the bartender than helping her tables.
They also don't accept debit here, something I was kind of shocked about. It seemed like a restaurant and that seems like a bar kind of thing. Really who doesn't take debit??
Alas the food was definitely able to make up for the less than wonderful service.
I also love that you can see at least 1 TV from every spot in the restaurant. We were able to watch football and enjoy a delicious meal, although they play music not the sound from any of the games. -
Review from Genre S.
Calgary, AB
12/4/2011
This place gets full stars for the service. Maybe I have been fortunate, but the times I have gone in the servers and bartenders have been very grounded sincere humans who do their job very well. However the ambiance and quality of product places the Yardhouse firmly in the realm of Fifth Avenue and Tenth Street (aka FATS). Too demographic-specific. The food matches Original Joes in the competition to create the lowest common denominator items -- not bad at all, but 'industry-standard' fare. The plating of some items makes it worse, because you can tell that the cooks know what to do, yet the ingredients indicate that the kitchen isn't allowed to make decisions.
As context, it should be pointed out that I have not eaten at the Yardhouse of about a half a year. There was an obvious tendency towards the less-than-miraculous, yet things may have changed. The review says two stars, but understand that you should at least try the place once -- the quality of the food may have increased to match the perceived potential. Enjoy. -
Review from Mike M.
Calgary, AB
The Yardhouse is a great place for socializing. Everytime I go there, I always end up talking to the people around us. It seems like a giant house party with a some of Calgary's coolest. Which is why I never feel like I fit in there. :-) It is also popular with people who went to the Plaza across the street and want to talk about the movie they just saw.
I agree with Lindsay's review where prices can be a bit steep. I usually just get what's on special, I consider it a happy day if it is wine. There is nothing I love more than cheap wine.
Also, if we ever get a summer here, they have a great patio that isn't on the street. It is tucked behind the restaurant and generally pretty quiet. But it is super popular, so if you get a table http://hold.on.to.it.
I'm not much of a sports guy, but if you wanted to watch a game, this seems like a great place to do so!Listed in: Drunkity Drunk Drunk
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Review from Sabahat N.
Calgary, AB
3/19/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Went to Yardhouse yesterday to do the "2 courses for 2 people for $20" because it seemed like a fabulous deal (We all know by now that I like fabulous deals). Anyway, upon arrival, nobody came to greet or seat us. I felt ridiculous standing there for 5 minutes so I told the bartender that we are going to find ourselves a table thank-you-very-much. Anyway, the waitress did finally come and give us the menu, bring us our drinks, etc. I ordered the Yardhouse burger. She asked me if I wanted bacon, cheese and mushroom in my burger. I told her I wanted everything except the bacon. Then she asked me if I wanted fries or salad for my side. I ordered the salad, at which point she asked me if I wanted spinach or caesar or tossed greens. I finally ordered the spinach.
(Upon getting the food, it was actually quite good. I enjoyed it). Now, the reason I gave you guys all the details about my order above is because when the bill came, it was a shock. I was charged a buck for EACH of the toppings she mentioned, AND I was also charged a buck for the Spinach Salad!
It was ridiculous, so I called the waitress over and informed her of my surprise at the bill. She kept saying it was extra, and she assumed I knew. How can she assume?? Anyway, I told her I would pay for it, but the whole thing was deceptive. At that point she suggested she would remove the extras from the bill - which she did.
I tipped her, downed my drink and got out of there. I would probably be back because it is near my house, but I would be extra careful next time I order. -
Review from Chad W.
Calgary, AB
10/9/2008
The Yardhouse looks pretty cool inside. Centered around a bar in the middle of the room is average seating at average-looking tables. Thank goodness the blindingly large TVs everywhere distract you from the piss-poor plating that arrived on my table. You certainly don't need glasses to see the TVs here.
The food, while palatable, is bland and sub-standard. To my surprise, I managed to get my food while all three cooks sat at the bar gabbing with the equally lazy bartender.
The place is all right, but if you're not an old man go somewhere else. -
Review from Lindsay K.
Halifax, NS
11/28/2009
There are things I love about this place, and things I hate.
To save the best for last, let's start with the things I hate:
- It's usually too crowded for comfort
- The people in the place sometimes seem rude and a little edgy
- Unless you're drinking the special, drinks can be pricey
- It's always too dark, even at 4pm
- The music is too loud to have an intimate conversation (and I'm no grandma!)
- Instead of the expected trendy people, it's full of yuppies and hosers.
Okay, now the things I love:
- The service is fast and attentive
- The workers are nice and can tolerate the rowdy crowd
- The specials are wicked
- Even though the music is loud, it's usually good stuff
- Those yuppies are quick to buy random ladies drinks ;)
- They have a whole wall of windows which open onto Kensington Road!
So, there are equal good and bad things about this Yardhouse. I still enjoy the occasional drink here. It's usually a pretty good time. -
Review from Aymie R.
Calgary, AB
8/9/2011
I love going to either location! One of my fave pubs in Calgary. Casual and laid back without the typical Calgary pretentiousness. Tried a fruit beer on Saturday night - delicious! It was like having beer and wine all rolled into one - a nice way to end the evening!
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Review from Sapna G.
Calgary, AB
6/3/2010
My date and I spent last night watching game 3 at The Yardhouse. First things first - BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I'm just sayin' - Giroux may have saved Philly this game, but trust me, Toews and the rest of my boys WILL recover. Mark my words.
Right, back to The Yardhouse.
At the beginning of the night (pre-game), my date and I scored a table out on the patio. The weather was beautiful, and the patio is quite intimate (with only about 5 tables out there). My only complaint is that the patio isn't facing the Kensington strip. Although my company was exceptional, it would have been nice to also be able to people-watch at the same time - you know, multitask ;)
Our server was pretty good. At times she ignored us, but I was actually grateful because we didn't feel rushed or pressured to leave.
Once we headed inside to watch the game, I did notice that Lindsay K. is right - it IS really dark inside, however everyone was so into the game that the vibe made up for the lack of inside ambiance.
Overall, a cool place to catch a game or two and to have a few drinks. If they re-jig their patio and lighten up the insides, then this place would earn a perfect score. -
Review from David C.
Calgary, AB
4/1/2011 1 Check-in Here
Good place to grab a pint and some appetizers. Friday and Saturday nights seem to have a bit if a scene to them.
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Review from Cornelius V.
Calgary, AB
12/10/2009 1 Check-in Here
K here's another thing I hate about our restaurant scene in calgaree: they allow a few people to take a table without the entire party being present. This occurred at about 4 tables during wing night at 1830hrs. Oh, and there was a table reserved but wasn't occupied until 2000hrs. We ended up sitting on some stools along a table, hoping to snag a spot where we could sit together with the other two people in our party, seated at the other end of the establishment.
We asked our server if she could grab us a spot if one comes up. Normally, this isn't a big deal. Actually, I would argue that it is obligatory; any decent place that takes pride in itself would do it, we showed up first, we are her customers (who TIP HER), therefore it would make sense to make our visit to her employer's establishment enjoyable, right? Well, no. She told us "you just need to keep a look out yourself hehehe". NO TIP FOR YOU.
Eventually, we grabbed a spot at the bar, seinfeld moment ensued amongst the four of us. We got the wednesday night 100 wings for $15. This is just stupid, you should at least offer smaller denominations because I'm pretty sure the average party here is 4 people. We couldn't finish them, and three of us were pretty big hungry guys. I won't get started on the "we cannot box these for you, they're just going into the garbage" policy. Not that it matters, because they were tiny, dry, bland pieces of meat on a bone. The hot wings taste the exact same as every other half assed hot wing because I'm pretty sure they get their food from a commercial food wholesaler like all the other crappy places. However, they had a unique flavor: parmesan garlic. It wasn't too bad, except that this delicious flavor was on a crappy wing.
The prices are slightly short of obscene for such a sub-standard bar. I asked for whatever drink specials there were and her reply was "$5 canadian draft". Wow, what a steal of a deal!
The interior is nice but the high stools and flat screen tvs are getting lame. Well, wait, they were always lame. They're just repetitious.
This place is spared a 1 star review because I save those for ruined night experiences. At least the yardhouse didn't ruin my night. street-side entrance is nice, at least?
Actually, I should give it one star simply because they also serve beers in a...HALF YARD. wow. -
Review from Ku M.
9/12/2008 1 photo
When I was in Calgary fall 2007 I stopped in the Yardhouse to watch a Packer Monday night football game. The burger I had there was one of the best burgers I've had....EVA!! A Calgary head told me it was the Alberta beef...maybe? I also tried the gravy with my fries..didn't like that so much. Lots of TV's and good food=goodtimes
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Review from Yo U.
9/26/2009
The Yardhouse is alright. I've had fun there.
