UPDATE: After having so many great memories at this fine establishment and unfortunately one bad experience where I was told I'm no longer welcome. I snuck in because I'm so in love with the food. I was chatting with one of the many amazing team members, Daniellis. I communicated my poor experience and she connected me with the REAL manager Leon. Leon gave me the time of day to communicate my frustrations. After given the opportunity to be heard he ensured that I am and never was banned. Leon offered to cover our bill today as a thank you for my patience. I am beyond grateful to be welcome here as I believe this is the best restaurant/lounge in the city. Thank you Daniellis and Leon! read more

One18 Empire - Lamb - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

This is connect to the Marriott hotel and across from the Calgary Tower. We had our last night cap here. The table side old fashion was a hit. We ordered form 5 rounds of it. We also tried some cocktails and they were delicious as well. Daneillis made our experience comfortable and enjoyable! read more

Stopped in here because we heard you could customize your Old Fashioned cocktail. You can pick which wood to smoke it with, the bitters, the sugar, and the bourbon. Very cool experience and a great tasting drink! read more

One18 Empire - Custom Made Old Fashioned cocktail - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

This place knows how to present a smoked old fashion. They have a barrel head that is pieced together in a pie shape with all the good smoking woods. Apple, Maple, Cherry, etc. They burn and scorch the wood, covering the fire with your glass. Very cool! Check out this place when you can. read more

We received an invitation to a complimentary whiskey tasting in the saloon / whiskey bar at our Marriott hotel. It was whiskey Wednesday & our host was very knowledgeable & fascinating. We spent about :15 trying 3 types of scotch. A plate with a delicious bite of pork belly, 3 small peppers, and tomatoes with cheese on a bread round were served. This was a delicious and memorable happy hour. read more

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Let me start by saying the service was great. Now the food, it could have been way better. We ordered the garlic bun, smoked chili shrimp, smoked cheddar croquettes and the baked oyster mushroom fondue. You would think among those five items that something would be amazing but nothing was. Everything was bland with just a ho hum presentation. Convenience is the key to this place just because it is located in the hotel. Skip this place. read more

Drink review only- went there as recommended by friend to try their old fashioned. Wow- very nice whiskey selection, my husband and I had a couple of whiskey flight and their smoked old fashioned. Very good performance- definitely a wow factor in a date and very impressive. Enjoyed the night and thank you for making it special. read more

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Great food and atmosphere. This restaurant is connected to the Marriott hotel and they also have a rooftop patio. However, my husband and I never really got to enjoy it. We ordered 2 different styles of burgers. 1 regular burger and 1 chicken burger. Both were very delicious. It is on the expensive side though. Both of the burgers with the sides were around $25. Overall, good food, am I blown away? Not really, it's just an average restaurant downtown Calgary. read more

One18 Empire - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

Went to One18 to do the "build your old fashioned" experience. Was really cool! You get to pick your smoke, sugar type, bitters, and whiskey selection. They smoke the glass in front of you which is a nice touch. They also have appetizers - pretzel and chips were good. I heard their burgers are good but didn't have one while I was there. They have tables for reso but also lounges with comfortable seating. read more

One18 Empire - Old Fashioned - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

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Wow, was not expecting that kind of experience here. We came solely for the amazing views of Stephen Ave and the Calgary Tower from the outdoor patio, and were absolutely blown away by the delicacies on their menu and the quality of cocktails and service. Super friendly staff that were willing to go the extra mile like to get us an umbrella and have a nice conversation. We shared a number of the tapas appetizers and made a meal out of that, highly recommend the beef tartare and the charcuterie board. It is a whiskey bar so if you like a menu of old fashioned's, this could be your new fav spot. We'll be back for sure! read more

One18 Empire - Charcuterie board, beef tartare. - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

This year One18 Empire had a booth at "Taste of Calgary" and it was delicious. On their menu they had: - stuffed and smoked pork belly slider with red pepper relish - Dill Pickle Fried Chicken and Waffles with Maple Syrup - Goat Cheese cake with Salted Caramel which was vegetarian The cake was amazing. It was upsetting that from their food option they didn't have more food accommodation such as: vegetarian, dairy free or nut free for people with nut allergies. Since they didn't have them on the menu at "Taste of Calgary" I don't know if they have it on the menu at their restaurant or not. They also had drinks which were: - Black walnut old fashion which was gluten free - Temperance which was gluten free - Row's Return - House made Gingerly which was gluten free It was nice to see gluten free accommodations here but still throughout all their option there was no sign or dairy free or nut free options. read more

One18 Empire - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

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Checked out one 18 Empire Today... and here's what we had/thought: 1)Brandt Lake Wagyu Tartare (21$)- tasty, but I prefer when it's mixed by yourself or table side. I would say 16$ would be a more reasonable price point, but didn't hate it at all! . 2) Flight of 3 - $16 truffle honey chips with French onion dip (V, GF) rosemary almonds (V, GF) soft pretzel with bourbon pimento cheese dip (V) house marinated olives (V, GF) valbella beef jerky sticks ONE18 popcorn (V, GF) We chose the jerky, pretzel, and honey truffle chips. This was probably my fave snd highly recommend the platter with a few drinks for a Friday night. . 3) Burger (21$)- didn't like this one at all, but it was decent and the price is normal. . 4) Cocktails: old Fashioned Central and made our own (16$ & 20$). Something you gotta try and part of the experience. They were strong and tasty. Recommend a little water for the faint of heart, like myself. . Overall: service was great and lovely staff, would recommend for a cocktail and snack vibe or meeting friends staying at the hotel. I'd probably come back for the snack platter and cocktails. read more

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So was looking for a good place for lunch and came across One 18 Empire. Looks like a good restaurant in my mind. So made a reservation. To my surprise they have a pretty good lunch deal. For $18 you get a main and a side. So I got the steak sandwich with the tomatoe bisque I loved it. I was forewarned that the steak will be cooked medium well. I was ok with it. The steak was juicy and tasty on a garlic toast. The tomatoe bisque was tasty and you can tell that it was made from scratch. Décor was nice. Basically a fine dining restaurant décor or what you would expect at a fine dining restaurant. Service was good. Our server came to us and told us about how it would get really busy and that we should order soon if we are in a rush. I also like how many options they have. The server did a good job explaining each dish. Overall, I had a good experience and I really like the food here. Price is very decent. read more

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We had a lovely Christmas brunch here. The portions were large and the food delicious. It was a bonus not to have to leave the hotel to eat great food and enjoy a Bloody Caesar! read more

One18 Empire - Wagyu Beef Hash - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

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Third time visiting this place. Great food, including their trio of snacks. Amazing whiskey menu, you have to ask for it as it's on a tablet. Husband enjoyed a flight of bourbons and I had a Red Rage from Tool Shed Brewing. Service was attentive and personable. read more

We really enjoyed the friendly service and the personalized table-side old fashioned. They did a very good job of making my wife's birthday special. We would definitely come back! read more

Had a nice experience here and is an up and coming new trend to serve customized beverages to your taste. They tailor make your drink to how sweet, bitter, Smokey you want it by using a wood plank of different species of wood that they set a blaze to smoke off the flavour into your glass. It is quite a show and a unique experience. For the non drinkers the homemade sofas are quite tasty but some are very sweet. Go for the show and stay for the drinks! read more

Came here for a late brunch on a beautiful Sunday in Calgary. We had just landed and came from the airport. Starving was an understatement. We were staying at the Fairmont downtown and wanted something to eat that was walking distance. We came across One18 Empire and thought we'd give it a try. As soon as we walked in we were greeted and seated by the friendly hostess who provided the drink and brunch menu. We got mimosas and immediately ordered our food. Our waitress was super friendly and helpful. Our food came out piping hot which is a major plus for me. I had the prime rib omelette which had cheese, mushrooms and arugula also. Their hashbrowns were these little crispy nuggets of hash, almost like a tator tot. My fiancé ordered the burger and it was pretty monstrous. Luckily we were hungry so he was able to finish it the giant burger. We left the restaurant feeling full, satisfied, and ready to start our trip to discover Calgary! Side note: the restaurant is part of the Marriott. Restrooms are located in the Marriott lobby. read more

One18 Empire - Prime rib omelette - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

This place is amazing. The nitro coffee bacon burger has a lot going on but you still taste the meat. And it's so good. Bacon wrapped dates were also excellent. Drink menu is insane. Get the smoked old fashioned - they smoke it tableside which is way cool. I was shocked to realize this was inside the Marriott as we came in the entrance directly off the street. But if I get back to Calgary, I'll be staying here for sure (In the Marriott, not the restaurant!) read more

One18 Empire - Nitro coffee bacon burger and beet salad. - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

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It's a lovely atmosphere although a tad snobbish. We wanted to sit in the restaurant not the bar and even though there were empty tables, our attire, faces, hair or eye color was not appropriate enough. The scattered hostess "managed" to accommodate us in the bar after we showed her a place we could sit. WTF? We have to do your job for you?? The bar menu features lots of great drinks and a myriad of wines and beers. Everyone was happy with the food, wine and beer. Oh yes to the bacon wrapped dates! Plus the mini burgers that went down so quickly. Even the Tri Beet Salad was delish. read more

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On Super Bowl Sunday night the game was on quietly on large screens at opposite ends of the restaurant. The restaurant was quiet. The shareable food was consistently delicious - we tried shareables: scallops, wings, roasted veggies, octopus. Very creative and very comfortable. read more

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Staying at the Marriott for work, my colleague and I would stop each night for a drink before heading to our rooms. On the second night, Paul, a totally kick-ass guy from behind the bar suggested to me that I try the "New York Sour" (a twist on a Whiskey Sour)... It was amazing! The taste, presentation, and the service was totally nailed! Paul is the guy to talk to! I highly suggest the drop-in- the atmosphere is wonderful and the food looked fantastic. As a side note: Later in the night, there was a bit of a 'brew-haha' as some very inebriated patrons made their way to the bar. I won't divulge much from there, but what I can say, Paul, again, stepped up and handled the situation, controlling the room like a rock-star. So, a second round of applause to this master mixer. *PS: Great thanks to Leia (Leha?) this AM, for the chat and coffee :) read more

One18 Empire - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

-----Food----- Wow, I am blown away by the quality of ingredients and the rich flavors that they use in every meal. I was sitting at the bar, and the Bartender was squeezing fresh limes, lemons, oranges for each cocktail. He burnt maple, hickory, walnut, and other woods inside whisky glasses, and decorated them with all sorts of different sweets, sugars and bitters. So the entire time I was waiting for my food to come out I got to smell a variety of exquisite aromas. A truly Marvelous experience. -----Condition----- High class luxurious, clean and tidy, clean bathrooms. -----Service----- Relaxed, friendly bartender, talks to everyone like they're good friends. Seems like a great guy, I'm sure the rest of the staff are just as friendly. -----Cosmetics----- Beautiful interior design downtown right down in front of the Calgary Tower -----Accessibility----- Typical downtown city restaurant read more

Enjoyed the smoked whisky prepared at my table. The experience was great but been other places where the smoke is much deeper. I had a classic old fashion. You get to choose the wood you want smoked for your drink. Their food selection is also well prepared. Service was great. It Hali's s to be in the Marriott which was a bonus with the weather. read more

One18 Empire - Smoked whisky table side - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

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Great whiskey flight. Great ambiance. Was a good soot for a first date, and service had no issues.

We came here for a late brunch on a quick trip to Calgary and found the ambiance to be nice - rustic chic decor and comfortable seating. Being attached to the Marriott, you can use the free lobby WiFi from the Marriott and the bathrooms are located in the hotel and they are clean. They have a few good healthy options on the menu with the calorie counts next to them. All the unhealthy options don't include calorie counts as to not scare you off. As for healthy things, they have 2 smoothies, oatmeal, greek yogurt parfait, and an egg white omelette. I got the kale/spinach smoothie ($7) and this was huge, I split it with my fiancé and even half of it was a lot. It's definitely enough for a meal. We also got the Breakfast in a Barrel ($16) which had breakfast potatoes, 2 poached eggs, sausage, roasted red peppers and sour cream. The potatoes were definitely deep fried and crispy which was delicious but probably not the healthiest. The eggs were cooked perfectly but the sauce / sour cream was a little too much for the dish. I'd probably ask for the sauce or sour cream on the side or on the lighter side. Between the breakfast in a barrel and the smoothie, this was enough food for the 2 of us. The other brunch things like the fried chicken sandwich or French toast looked delicious and I'd come back to try these. Overall, good experience, good service and reasonable prices. read more

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Went last night prior to going to theatre. We all ordered the burger as it is a limited menu with overpriced choices. It was the most disgusting burger ever, 2 burnt crunchy patties covered in some type of red sauce. All three of us left half of it. The French fries were cold. Overall revolting. The service was really good. Unfortunate that restaurants are struggling downtown between food prices and staff. read more

The food was great and great customer service the Virgin mojito tasted so good I had to order another one and my friend and I got free drinks read more

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Love service and love the extensive scotch selection for my honey! But some food was not as good as first few times tried here! Love that you can invent your own old fashioned, but you would have to try many different combos to figure it out!! But interesting. read more

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Why One18 in a place whose address is 110? Well, before a fire in 1920 destroyed the building and claimed two lives, this was the site of the Empire hotel, located at, you guessed it, 118 9th Ave (Atlantic Ave?). There you have it - One18 Empire. This was one of several stories our enthusiastic server told us with an excited interest in both the heritage of the area and the prohibition era foods and drinks the menu incorporates into an old fashioned, Canadian/New Whisky/ey bar. Located in in the Marriott Hotel, One18 Empire provides enough differentiation from the other establishments in the area and is a great enough deviation from the "Hotel Lobby Bar/Restaurant" that, as a local, I would definitely entertain coming here. It meets the needs of the area, as well as the often corporate needs of the hotel. Their whisky/ey selection is very approachable and impressive to both the pallet and the wallet. Interesting whisky starting at $6/shot and going up to $130 if you are so inclined. They have a whisky menu to satisfy the high rollers, but they definitely aren't pushing you in that direction. Regardless of your price point, they seem to have put effort into building a menu that will have a scotch or bourbon for you. The food menu is very approachable by both taste and price-point, containing modern spins on western classics - small snacks at $5 or so and many appies in the $8-$12 range. I went with their pretzel ($8, I believe), served with a grainy mustard and cheese sauce - Definitely worth your while for fresh bread to pair with you local beer, whisky, or traditional cocktail. read more

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I was quite impressed with my visit at One18 Empire. I went to try out their Big Taste menu at lunch. Service was extremely prompt - I was with my coworkers, a party of 10, and were able to get in and out within an hour! Our server made sure to ask us right away what our timeline looked like to ensure we wouldn't be late in getting back to work. For my lunch, I went with the smokey tomato soup and the grilled cheese sandwich (gruyere, tomato, fontina, dubliner, avocado mayo). Both were such great pairings (hello, tomato soup and grilled cheese, that's like a match made in heaven, duh!). I made sure to alternate each bite between sandwich and soup, while dipping the sandwich in the soup. I was also super excited to discover that their regular lunch menu is also only $15 (which includes the grilled cheese and tomato soup and many more options available). For dessert, I opted for the vanilla bourbon cake. Honestly, it was meh.. but then again, I'm more so a savoury person, so I walked in bias to begin with. I knew I was there for the soup and grilled cheese sandwich. It was a pretty darn good deal, $15 for a lunch that was super filling and tasty too! I'm very tempted to return outside of Big Taste to try their other lunches now.. or even just to get the grilled cheese again.... read more

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One18 Empire is located at the bottom of the Marriott Hotel and a close hop, skip & jump to Stephens Avenue & the C Train. On Fridays they have happy hour specials as well as food specials. A private room off to the side offers whiskey tastings for the public and events. Visited for my second time and brought hubs back for his first time. We shared a few snacks with friends & enjoyed a few cocktails on a Friday afternoon. It's a great date place and we both enjoyed the ambiance and how comfortable it is to just "be" there. From small bites to burgers, to a few bigger bite options it suits all hunger levels and budgets. A place we keep coming back to. read more

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Having been here for a couple of events (mainly for drinks), I've never actually sat down and had a meal here. Lunch was the perfect opportunity for me do just that. The special of the day was cajun shrimp & grits and I really had my heart set on the bacon wrapped meatloaf. WHAT DO I DO?! Thankfully my coworker (who never shares food!) said he'd get the meatloaf and I could try it. (Yes, I did count my blessings that day lol) Our server chatted with us about their happy hour specials that they have going on and we were quite intrigued. I've seen a lot of other Yelpers talk about the HH here but have never gone myself. Maybe I'll have to tag along one of these days :) No regrets on going with my shrimp decision. Bacon crumble and shrimp on a bed of hearty grits - so yummy! And the sample of bacon wrapped meatloaf was enough to make sure I'd come back again to get an order to myself! I'll be back and see you soon! (That's me, talking to the meatloaf lol) read more

One18 Empire - Cajun shrimp & grits - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

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Knowledgeable staff, friendly, laid back atmosphere, delicious food. What's not to love? If you're a whiskey connoisseur, a scotch aficionado, or an admitted foodie (or a closet foodie for that matter) this is the place for you. We had the Discovery Flight, which was a tasting of five distinct whiskeys, which was absolutely lovely. Our meal consisted of the pretzel (which came with a garlic dipping sauce and mustard), the bourbon-honey wings (OH MY GOD!!!) I had the one18 burger which was fantastic, and my wife had the pickled chicken sandwich, also, you guessed it, fantastic. We got a reservation on OpenTable before we left, and I'm glad we did, because while not uncomfortably so, there is definitely a good crowd for a Tuesday evening. With an easy walk to the Jack Singer concert hall about a block away, this is a prime place to grab a bite to eat before or even after a show. read more

One18 Empire - Discovery Flight whiskey sampler for the win! - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

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At the end of a day walking around Calgary, what could be better than a Whiskey Sour and a Old fashioned? How about scallops on pork belly? Short ribs in yorkshire pudding? A beet salad with roast salmon? The small plates were great for sharing. Now, about the drinks: hundreds of whiskeys. The old fashioned was smoked at table side. Top shelf ingredients. They're hard core about their cocktails. read more

I was hanging out with a few friends in Houston, and one randomly mentioned the best old fashioned they had in was made at this bar in Calgary. So I came here and was not disappointed. Leah was not only able to make the best old fashioned I've ever had, but was also very personable. I highly recommend coming here. read more

I've been here several times and overall I've liked this restaurant a lot! Aside from their great mini cocktail and whiskey workshops I've had dinner here a few times. Service has always been impeccable with really friendly and kind staff! Food: The scallops have always been great! Sweet and perfectly cooked. The steak is less consistent! Sometimes amazing, sometimes just meh. The Calamari is unconventional but super good! It's not fried but grilled and in larger sections (I posted a pic) really well prepared though! Deseret is a also hit or miss, if you love dense cake it's really good otherwise I always recommend sharing their desserts! Drinks: The whiskey selection is why you should go!! They have happy hour specials that change daily (look on their website!) sometime there are 50% off certain whiskeys (really great deal!) Overall: highly recommend going plus try their vast whiskey selection!! read more

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So delicious! The brisket and nitro coffee burger were so flavorful. The sweet potato soup was light and whipped to perfection. Will definitely be going back while we're in town! read more

One18 Empire - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

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We tried this downtown local hot spot as its website led us to believe the ambience, quality of the food and service was above standard. We waited 40 minutes for our dinner and when it arrived it was "substandard" ....it almost tasted like leftovers reheated.... and "stone" cold. The server neglected us as he was serving a large party. When we mentioned we would give them a poor review due to the fact they over promised and under delivered they responded by telling us they would compensate us not to give them a bad review. I therefore cannot provide a positive recommendation for this restaurant. read more

The lunch specials here are $20 and worth it. I often forget about this place unless I'm around the same block. But everytime I go back in I remember why I like it everytime. I love the scallops! read more