This restaurant is an amazing find! It has a very cool vibe, great service, and a great chef! I had one of the very best Cioppinos, ever! I will certainly be coming back and I encourage any Italian Cuisine lover to try it out, immediately! read more

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WOW! We were looking for a nice place to enjoy dinner after a day at Stampede and YELP did us a solid! The vibe was warm and friendly, the service was exceptional (shout out to Andrea!), and the food amazing! We shared the bucatini and their version of a Caesar salad, along with some pillowy focaccia and tiramisu. Everything was superb! read more

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I found it difficult not to give this quaint and classy place anything less than 5 stars 5 stars for the food, service and ambiance The calamari fritti was outstanding ... and this was the only thing we ordered where the portion size was disappointing The Bucatini, Radiatori and the Spaghetti were outstanding too and very healthy portion size as well ( try their chilli sauce ... it's quite fantastic ) When I'm in Calgary next, I'm certainly going to have dinner here read more

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We had such a good dinner here. Wonderful service, tall pours of line, great wait staff. And it was before a flames game so it was pretty crowded but they still got the food out quickly!! Will absolutely be back. read more

Cardinale - Tiramisu. To die for. - Italian Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

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Not impressed. Small portions big prices average food. Not a good combination. Server was pleasant and efficient. Comfortable seating and not too loud. Nothing I experienced would compel me to return to this establishment. read more

Amazing experience and highly recommend, first of all. . We got the following: 1) Focaccia ($5) - 10/10 recommend. Fresh and airy. . 2)Calamari Fritti (16$) - not pictured, but my fave. The portion is a bit small but they are so fresh and would get again. Would get 2 orders next time instead of mussels. . 3) Zuppa di cozze (mussels) (16$)- the broth was delicious and dip that bread in . That said I didn't love it enough to need it a second time and you don't taste the prusciotto much. . 4) gnocchi (24$) - Another table fave and would get again. You could get this to share for tapa style experience. Very fresh and fluffy pasta. It really tastes homemade. . 5) Linguine (23$) this was another pleaser. I'd probably recommend this and gnocchi the most. That bone marrow makes it so delicious and elevated the flavor. . 6) bucatini (26$) I was excited about this, but I think I liked linguine better. Still tasty and worth trying. . 7) Mezze Maniche (22$) tasty but not notable. . 8) tiramisu (9$) this was the only thing I wasn't impressed with and wouldn't get. Generous portion but not flavorful enough so no grazi. . 9) pannacotta (9$)this was actually very good and different with peanuts. You have to like peanuts though. . Drinks were bomb and great selection. . Cocktails - (13$) but they have great flavors and liquor, so worth the splurge. . Wine -we enjoyed our wine a lot actually - Tenuta Cappellina (55$/bottle) . Overall the experience was lovely, intimate and exceptional service. Would recommend and will come again :) read more

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Wow. The Best lasagna I have ever had. Such a wild flip on the traditional. Braised short rib indeed! Best Burrata I have ever had Genius addition of capers and green olives. Dressing to die for. Our friends had the Calamari and the cowboy rustica or whatever and loved both. Our waitress was wonderful. read more

The half price pasta after 9pm is our new favorite late night dinner. The appetizers are also great, especially love the calamari. Good cocktails and wine too! read more

In town for the weekend. The calamari was lovely. Tried their lasagna and was very pleased. Also had their cake & gelato.

So my friend wanted to try out this "new" Italian place. Being vegan I was a little hesitant as there may not be any options for me, but I figured I can try. As we pulled up I realized it's the old La Vita Bella restaurant. I only went to La Vita Bella once before and it was pretty bad and mega pricey but this revamp could change my mind. Our waiter was awesome. I just want to state this. He was pleasant and tried really hard to make us happy. Nothing wrong with service. I love risotto but the kind they had there had chicken in it. I asked the waiter to take out the chicken and sub mushrooms. He said he had to ask the chef. U Comes back "no, the chef won't do that". I'm like "he won't take off the chicken and throw some veggies in it?" "No she won't". I'm like whatever, I'll get it without chicken or veggies. So it comes and it's oily and salty and not that great but I'm hungry so I'm eating it. All of a sudden I'm like what is in my risotto?? Oh just ANCHOVIES!!! Like come on. Again, the waiter felt terrible, offered me something else. I was done at that point. He did give me a free glass of wine which was really nice. My friend had the lasagna, she said it needed salt. My other friend had a gluten free pasta with pork and she said it was good. I'll give them points on bread (cuz it was the only thing I really ate), it was delicious fluffy focaccia bread! This place is just trying too hard. Just make good food at a decent price and if a customer asks for a change, maybe don't shut it down. read more

We ate here today for the first time. Very nice environment, comfy patio. A nice and authentic Italian menu, the gnocchi was a good choice. I also had the gamberi appetizer which was a salt baked prawn with aioli sauce: delicious! A little expensive, but a good choice for the area. read more

Cardinale - Italian Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

The restaurant is located in a heritage building, which is refreshing for Calgary. We went on a Monday so it was fairly quiet. The menu features various pastas, cocktails and wine. You can get a full meal size pasta ($22-24) or a "taste" size ($14) which I imagine would be a good option if you wanted to try various dishes and/or appetizers. My dining companion and indulged in two full size bowls and cocktails, both of which tasted fresh and flavourful. The full size will leave you stuffed, or with leftovers. The cocktails were made wonderfully and the service was excellent and didn't feel too pompous. Some of the lower scores given on yelp surprise me. The food is fresh, tasty and priced just fine for Calgary. We had great experience and I hope to return to try other dishes. read more

Cardinale - Italian Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

My partner and I joined a group of friends here for a late after-show dinner, and having already eaten earlier in the afternoon, we weren't intending to order another full meal. So we ordered calamari to share, while our friends ordered their pasta (only two varieties made it to our table - apparently the two most popular: seafood linguini and the carbonara). The calamari was nicely grilled, not overcooked or chewy at all, and complemented well with the glaze (balsamic, if I remember correctly). We were not fans of the radicchio salad, but I blame it on the vegetable, not the cook (I don't know any way to prepare radicchio that would make me like it, to be honest). When the pasta orders rolled in, my partner had a taste of each and was convinced it was worth a second dinner. Personally, I would have been okay ordering dessert instead, but curious at how he changed his mind over a single bite, I agreed to share a half plate of the seafood linguini. Why not both pasta and dessert, you ask? Well.. it was last call for the kitchen, and gluttons end up with tummy aches and undeserved negative reviews on the establishment... So probably best that it was just the pasta this time. The pasta was excellent. The noodles were fresh and hand-made (you can instantly tell the difference); the sauce light and well-seasoned. Good portion of lobster too. Very enjoyable dish that I would not hesitate recommending. Half of half a plate was a good portion for us as it was already our second dinner, but I can probably devour a full plate myself had I been hungrier. I can see why it's one of the most popular dishes, for sure. Atmosphere is cozy and not too loud, but I did find the room we were in a bit dark for dinner. Service was attentive, but a bit cold, perhaps because the gratuity was already guaranteed for large parties. I wasn't particularly fond of being offered only pop/water when I asked if I could order a virgin drink, especially when the establishment had a dedicated bar. Overall, a good dining experience with highly enjoyable food. Plenty of street parking, and a stone's throw away from the Saddledome/Casino. Pro-tip: I would book a date here on your next show. read more

I have recently moved to Calgary from California (originally from Toronto). I have traveled throughout Europe, Latin America and Japan. Needless to say, I have a pallet for great food, amazing wine and above par customer experiences. Discovering Cardinale was beyond an absolute pleasure. I have been to most popular and contemporary restaurants in Calgary and have not experienced the level of service, quality food, wine knowledge & selection. The venue was very relaxing, quiet and intimate. A very special acknowledgment to server Jennifer was great & Manager Graham, who went above & beyond to ensure our experience was next to none. Needless to say, Cardinale is Calgary's hidden gem. I look forward to returning very often with my fiance. read more

Enjoyed lunch at Cardinale. We ordered Insalata and Calamari. The Insalata was well dressed and there slices of peaches, pistachios and mesclun greens. The Calamari was a grilled squid, slightly overcooked but came with a nice dressing with pine nuts and a grilled radicchio. For our main meal, we decided on the smaller portion sizes of the following: LINGUINI - saffron linguini, lobster, fennel, sambuca, grape tomatoes BUCATINI - confit pomodoro, fresh mozzarella, basil SPAGHETTI - capers, olives, anchovy, pangrattato All pastas were well made and tasty. I would probably order the Linguini again if I came back to Cardinale read more

Meh to bad appetizers, good pasta. I hope this restaurant works on their appetizer game. We had the PANE to start, I expected a delightful honey poppyseed bread but received dried old bread with poppyseed baked on top. The cool thing about popyseeeds in batter is you can bake it inside! This wouldn't matter if the taste was outstanding but honestly tasted like boring dry bread. Gross. Their CAESAR was OK. The dressing was heavy on the anchovies and missing some citrus. Calgary is a Caesar salad city, there is room for improvement here. The PANZANELLA was oh so dissspointing! This is one of my favourite dishes. The worst part is that the "heirloom tomatoes" which really were tri coloured grape tomatoes were rotten :( add that to barely edible tough bread, it was sad. Italians would have torn that bred into squares and sautéed it before serving to mask its age, but here it was served bruschetta style. The buffalo mozzarella was delicious though! The capers, olives and cucumber were odd additions as those are more Greek salad ingredients, but I guess it was good they were there because they were the only edible things to pair with the mozzarella. Check your tomatoes guys! Buy big tomatoes so you can check them easily ! I probably sound harsh but I am providing this feedback so the resturaunt can improve their appetizers. All pastas we had were good. Regarding the MEZZE MANICHE egg yolk "carbonara", the smoke flavour was very overpowering, I'd recommend not having the bacon smoked on that dish. I advise guests to order the PAPPARDELLE, it was a delight. read more

Had reservations for for 7:30. I am a patient person but at about 8:45 I had to inquire when our dinner would arrive. I can not even review the food because the service was so awful. At that point, we were told that the kitchen is slam. That's a risk you take dining on a Saturday but it would have been nice to have someone to let you that the kitchen is slammed. Obviously they knew but just did not care. In a very competitive dining scene, there is a reason why this place was empty by the time we walked out at 9. PS Nothing wrong with appear menus but pls make them crisp. read more

The company I work for made the shades for the windows here and I installed them so I wanted to come back and check this place out. My wife, friends and I were going to a Roughnecks game so I made some reservations for dinner before the game. We had the first table inside the door, which I was a little worried about being winter and feeling a draft, but it ended up being fine. Our server was great giving us a rundown when we first arrived, making suggestions, and getting us all sorted out. I had a couple of cocktails, of which I can't remember the names of, but they were all spot on. The menu descriptions were solid so you're sure to find something here for all different types of boozy taste buds. We started with the grilled prawns which hit the spot for a starter. We all of course went with various pasta dishes. The one warning I'll give here is that if you order the "taste" size, with some of the dishes that's exactly what you get. Just a taste. It was a little bit of a let down for my friends who shared a couple of things. Though our server said they weigh it out in the kitchen, it seems that some of the pasta dishes are a smaler portion than others. That being said though, they were all delicious. For the location I would definitely suggest a reservation on the weekends. The place isn't overly small, but being beside the casino, BMO Centre, and Saddledome, it does fill up quickly if there's anything going on at any of those venues. read more

Mmmm gnocchi.. Environment was very relaxing with comfortable seats. Service was friendly and just happy with the experience. read more

Went for dinner before an event at the BMO Centre. Had the linguini, gnocchi, fish, and sausage roll. Great food, drinks and service! I will definitely be here again! read more

We came here for our 1st wedding anniversary and were not disappointed. We love Italian food, so I feel we have high standards. The food was impeccable, service was prompt and the ambiance was delightful. We highly recommend going here for any occassion! read more

A new venture from the owners of Hayden Block, in the spot of a former Italian restaurant, comes a new Italian restaurant. We stopped in on a Friday night and although there was a concert happening close by and the restaurant being mostly filled they were able to find us a nice spot on the patio. From there we dove in and began to conquer the menu. They had a long wine list but the dwindling days of summer had us craving a cocktail, with lots of unique options there was something for everyone. My wine focused take on a cocktail was refreshing and delightful. From there we ordered a variety of dishes to share including the meatballs, fried risotto, a salad, a pasta dish and of course bread. Our waiter was very friendly and attentive throughout the evening and he was the one who suggested the bread, which of course we weren't about to turn down. The food was fresh and tasty, I do wish the risotto balls were a bit cheesier but they were still delicious, just a bit different than I was expecting. Our two cocktails, salad, two appies and pasta dish came to just over $100.00. read more

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Lame Experience. No idea about the food and don't care. We made a reservation, entered the establishment and were immediately confronted by a brusque waiter disguised with the usual slave mask. I do feel bad for people who's brains are being starved for oxygen and have to re-breathe lung waste all day long, it's cruel and inhumane treatment of workers. He motioned toward his face. 'You'll need a mask.' he ordered. We had brought one each and obliged by putting them on, even though my impulse was to turn and walk out. We walked the 11 foot distance from the door to the table, saved the lives of everyone in the restaurant, then removed the masks and sat down. The waiter's attitude and energy screamed 'not welcome!' He lumbered up to the table and asked 'sparkling or still water?' 'Nothing for now' I answered. Before we could even get settled, he was slamming glasses down on the table and sloshing in tap water from a bottle, then wordlessly turned away. Never felt so unwelcome in a restaurant. I looked at my wife, she had the same incredulous look on her face that I no doubt had. We decided to leave, even though we had walked for 30 mins to get there and were pretty hungry. We peaced out, walked over to Teatro, were welcomed in and had a fantastic dinner, served by charming, kind, professional people who remarkably, seemed to be glad we were there. Unlike Cardinale, where the vibe was hostile, unfriendly, like what i would imagine a post war communist east Berlin kind of feel would have been. Note to management: consider that whoever was the main server guy on the night of September 16, 2021 may be not the most effective host, maybe he had a really bad day? If so, I can sympathize, give the poor dude the night off and get somebody in with a more welcoming energy, who could help keep customers from fleeing the building. read more

The manager was so rude and short-tempered. You could obviously tell he cannot handle criticism and crowd too well. He was constantly using "F" words in front of people and even pushed a lady who was standing by the front door and waiting for a table. Do not go there, if you want to have a nice family dinner. They have certainly lost the custom of all of our friends and family! read more

Thank you Cardinale for dealing with the table of excessively loud and obnoxious women. Unfortunate a table would publicly act like they did with complete disregard for all other patrons in the restaurant. Always interesting to see people the are self consumed and act as though they go out to dine never! read more

The atmosphere of Cardinale was very minimal. You feel like you're in a home with close tables. However, we had a very nice time with excellent pastas. We enjoyed the Panzanella salad, Linguine and the Tortiglioni. Well executed, great flavors. We also ordered the veal Ribeye to share as our entree. It was mediocre at best. Very tough and fatty. I would omit that from our meal and go again. We also had the chocolate/pistachio sorbet which was fabulous. read more

Was in town and decided to celebrate a birthday before heading to the Stampede. The Carbonara dish I ordered was excellent. Full of flavor and perfectly cooked noodles. I wasn't a huge fan of the focaccia as the bread was soaking in the oil. Overall, I would highly recommend. read more

Really fresh/tasty ingredients. The only downfall is the price and the size of the dishes.

I can't believe I forgot to give this place a review, my friends and I met up at the stampede we had a blast, hung around eventually getting hungry but we wanted something more healthy so we ended up walking around downtown and accidentally stumbled upon this place. When we came in we were immediately greeted and the atmosphere was great very comfy and cozy, the service very good as our server was fast to respond and polite. I ordered the Spaghetti Bolognese, my friend got the Carbonara and another got the Squid Ink Pasta, after our first bite into the Pastas we deemed Cardinale as the best pasta we ever eaten it was fresh and very authentic and different from the Pasta we were used to. We tried to come back the following week only to find out it was closed on Sundays! Bummer! Would definitely recommend trying this place if your down near the Saddledome or Stampede Park, only downsides I can say are It's a little bit Small in there would like it if there was more room and it's closed on Sundays, but everything is worth it! read more

Found this place on Yelp. It had some very good reviews so we thought we would check it out. Very impressed. The service was quick, friendly and extremely knowledgeable about the menu. We had the carbonara and the meatball dishes and they were both over the top good. We highly recommend this restaurant and those two main courses. read more

What really makes this restaurant amazing is the service. The manager Graham always has time to stop by your table and make sure that everything is to your liking. His leadership skills are obvious as he has a great staff. The restaurant is filled with individuals who are engaged and enjoy working in the restaurant industry. As we know relationships are everything and customers feel the warmth and kindness from the staff as soon as you walk in the door. After a hectic day at work it is a great place to unwind and decompress. A great dining experience from the moment you walk in to the moment you leave. read more