Visited on a Thursday night with a friend around 7pm, bar was pretty busy but we were quickly seated upon arrival. Drinks: Cucumber Salad - fantastic, slightly tart with refreshing cucumber, perfectly balanced, with a touch of savoriness from the sesame oil, loved this drink Staycation - sweet, creamy with notes of pineapple, coconut and rum, really rich but delicious if you like a sweeter cocktail Food: Banh Xeo - so good, super crispy crepe, filled with shrimp, pork and bean sprouts, we made little lettuce wraps and dipped it in the fish sauce Lemongrass chicken - comforting and delicious, chicken was well seasoned, tender and juicy served with rice and veggies, really enjoyed the staff meal Passion fruit coconut cookies ice cream sandwich - sweet but tasty, coconut cookies had a nice chew and a great texture, passion fruit ice cream was creamy and rich with mild passion fruit flavor, decadent dessert Service was great, friendly and welcoming. Water was refilled throughout our meal and pacing was solid. Overall love our visit to paper lantern, great food and drinks with a nice variety of options! Definitely worth a visit to this fun Vietnamese speakeasy. read more

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What a delicious meal! Plating and seasoning were on point. Our server was also attentive and checked in on us multiple times to make sure everything was good. read more

Paper Lantern - Asian Fusion Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

"I never heard anyone pronounce it," waiter who took my order on the Salted Plum God drink. My friends and I enjoyed our drinks as we spent our last rainy night in Calgary walking the town. The place was packed and it took over 40 minutes for our party of 3 to receive a reservation. My friends were hesitant coming as the entrance was like a speakeasy down the stairway of a shady Chinese restaurant. The cocktails (5/5) are creative and many are Vietnamese themed. I have to give credit to the people behind the drink menu as there was something for everyone. Even for the one who doesn't drink. The food had some traditional Vietnamese dishes. However, I opted not to order any based on other reviews. read more

This is a cute place to grab drinks and have a little bite. We enjoyed the food and atmosphere. Everything we tried was great- you can't go wrong. read more

Paper Lantern - Bun, spring rolls, papaya salad, and bahn mi - Asian Fusion Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

This place is hands down one of the undisputed gems of Calgary! Maybe you've heard of this place by word of mouth, on the internet, or just happened to wonder what that red lantern in the window actually is. This speak easy has to be one of the truest hidden gems of Calgary. The owner and his wife are incredibly nice. The chef is their mother, so this is as authentic as you can get. The food is out of this world. Truly this place is not rated highly enough. It's a little hard to find and there is no sign. All I'll say is look for the open sign, go down the stairs and through the door on the right. The rest is up to you. Just go here, do yourself a favor and go order food from this amazing place, enjoy the ambiance, and challenge the bartender to make you something good. Order drinks off menu, it's worth it. They are truly artists. Also all the food is amazing. Just everything is full of flavor. read more

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Such a cool spot! Very hard to find, there's no sign. Just an "open" light. Fantastic service, great drinks, great time.

So happy we tried this establishment during our visit to Calgary. I loved the Asian inspired drinks and bar snacks. We even tried the dessert soup (che) and was very impressed. Great service and soundtrack. Brought me back! read more

Exclusive vibes and ambiance. Local gem. We went Saturday at 10pm and our server was fantastic! Food tasted authentic & homey. Plates are small, so prepare to order multiple. Hidden away but worth the find! Favorite menu item: Chicken Curry Least favorite: Crispy Crepes read more

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We were excited about this place on our recent trip to Calgary. We made a resy, planned our day around this meal, and came hungry. The food just didn't hit the mark - we ordered four items and only two were good and by good, I mean average. We ordered the spicy saucy wings which were amazing! So much so that we wished we had ordered the ordered the salt and pepper wings instead of the Crackling Salmon Spring rolls which had NO flavor or seasoning. NONE. For our mains, we got the Shaken Beef which was aight. And the Crispy Crepes which again had not one ounce of seasoning - no salt, no spices, no heat, no acid. NONE. All you could taste was egg and bean sprout. The drinks were great but we found the food to be so disappointing. The vibe and the decor here are amazing - it's got a speakeasy feel and you get the fusion of Vietnamese and Canadian culture in the decor. So go for the drinks but get your meal elsewhere. read more

I saw this posted on instagram on curiosity calgary. I followed them to see the spots I should not miss on my trip to calgary. I love speakeasies and this was right up my alley. I am Vietnamese myself and I will say this is the first of its kind that I know of. I was able to get a last minute reservation for a Saturday. The place is truly a speak easy and easy to find thanks to other yelpers. I got literally everything on the menu. Everything here is sooooo cute. They nailed it! The decor was everything to me. The ao dais, the calendar, coconut milk and more! So much detail in such a small space. The drinks were super unique! I tried the : one month, a cognac based drink, and the cinnamon is almost silentg Pandan pain killer - not much pandan which I was sad Trader Vic Mai Tai - Delicious Banana Old Fashioned - Unique old fashion drink. I was not a fan. Cuong Thi - I honestly didn't even know this was the word for zombie hahah. This drink was delicious! Strong and very unique in flavor Diem Huyet - Prob the best drink I tried. Definitely strong. Con Chim - Another delicious drink. I am a ducker for lychee. That's all you need to know Penicillin Fizz - my bf got this one. He loves johnnie walker. This was a nice off setting drink Passionfruit Paloma - They did a really good job with this drink! Not your average paloma. BETTER. I even got some banh tom, canh ga chien, and what's the kitchen having (which was a noodle soup). Good, but not amazing to what I'm used to having in the San Francisco Bay Area. I wish I have something like this back at home, but a girl can keep dreaming! read more

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A welcoming and intimate spot that is indisputably cool but in no way pretentious. The cocktails are fun and the menu has items that you might not find at your regular neighborhood Vietnamese spot. I recommend visiting with a group so that you can try several things and share. read more

This is a new restaurant/bar "speakeasy" with VERY affordable prices and great food and drinks. The plates are small and inexpensive enough to eat by yourself and are pretty worth for the prices. If you use google maps, it'll lead you to the place. You just have to walk down the stairs, where you'll see a "You Are Here" sign and enter a rundown looking area with chairs. But the blue door on the left hand side is what you open to go into the cocktail lounge. FOOD Pork Belly Bánh Mì (pretty good! But I wish they had more Thai chilli peppers to give it that kick) Mango Salad Bowl (good but would've like a Thai chilli kick with it too) DRINKS Mai Tai (really good!) Saigon Sling (it's like a cherry white claw except with more alcohol = YUMMY) This place is known as a cocktail lounge so it's gotta have great drinks (and it did!). From the food, you can't go wrong with a banh mi and from the drinks menu, you can't go wrong with anything. All of this amounted to about $42 which if you think about it, adds up to a lot for one person. However, each item was worth the price and small enough to fill one person. I would still get two drinks (as their menu is quite extensive) and 2 appetizers. You can always share if you're not hungry though. All in all, this place was great for both food and drink and I would definitely go back a second time now that I know where to go! read more

Paper Lantern - Mango Salad Bowl - Asian Fusion Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

The boys and I wandered in on Canada Day, not knowing what to expect. We were pleasantly surprised -- this is a nice speakeasy cocktail bar(which is open until midnight on stat holidays or 1:00am on regular nights) with unique cocktails like pandan and minty pina coladas. The Vietnamese food is served tapas style; our pork belly skewers, rice noodles, and shaken beef were delicious and seasoned perfectly! The area is clean and the patrons were a mixed crowd (dating couples to larger groups of eight). Although I didn't care much for the loud rap music (which included f bombs and n - words), we had a memorable experience in this hidden spot. read more

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Their small shared plates, especially the skewers, are delicious, but the cocktails and the ambience make the place memorable. It's unmarked and in the basement of a nondescript building in Chinatown, so it's hard to find if you don't know where it is. Once you enter, it's as if you've gone through a portal into a hidden world. read more

Paper Lantern - Wall art on the way to the washrooms - Asian Fusion Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

We were there for dinner. Vibe is great and the flavor are good. But if you don't enjoy load music, you shouldn't go there. Order a bo luc lac (rare beef) which come with rice and salad. The beef which are not even cubed but sliced and I swear, maximum 10 slice not long then 1inch. Order other items but not worth mentioning. Portion is ridiculously small for the price. The Go there for the ambiance but not for food. Our bill was over $60 and had to find food elsewhere. If you enjoy Vietnamese food, find a Vietnamese restaurant as the food is fairly typical. Else, plan to spend $$$$ to get a descent meal. read more

Hard to find but dang, great spot! Love the atmosphere and build of the place. Attentive and knowledgeable staff. I highly recommend the paralyzing touch cocktail and pork belly Vietnamese sub. Dang tasty. Will definitely go back! read more

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Affordable prices, the cutest underground Vietnamese lounge, and yummy bar snacks! What else could you want? This is something Chinatown needed - a hip bar/lounge. Loved my pina colada, the 90's R&B music/traditional Vietnamese music in the washrooms, the break even shot, and the food. You must try the pork belly, shrimp and pineapple stir fry. When I visited, staff were diligent in cleaning and maintaining COVID-19 safety precautions in regards to spacing. read more

The cutest speakeasy vibe + Vietnamese restaurant with Flo Rida playlist. Such a fun atmosphere. The drinks are strong and well balanced. The Shaken Beef was our favorite. Our server was so friendly and we had the best time! read more

Great atmosphere, great food, great service. The cocktails have interesting and fresh ingredients and are well crafted. The bartenders know what they're doing and clearly the kitchen does too. An absolute gem in Calgary. read more

Lovely and dark spot. It's a bit hard to find at first but when you discover it, you'll understand. It's a cute little speakeasy place located in a basement. Food and cocktails are delicious and very special. We ate there once and took out some food as well. Best banh mi and wings in town. Will go back! read more

This place was suggested to us as by a waiter at a another restuarant we enjoyed as his locals favorite. Since our hotel was close to Chinatown we checked it out. Wow. We had an amazing meal and really creative delicious cocktails. I wouldn't change a thing. Will be a must do for us every time we go back to Calgary. read more

OMG I can't even tell you how much fun I had here last night. The food was extraordinary (we ate SO many pork belly skewers) and the drinks were delicious and POWERFUL (beware the Saturn which goes down like fizzy lemonade and makes you crave another). But also the entire staff was fun and kind and welcoming. I loved every moment I was there. Going back as soon as I can! read more

Amazing spot. Excellent food and cocktails, we had such a great experience here. Service was so friendly and fast, cool and casual atmosphere. 10/10 recommend and we'll definitely be back! Cocktails favourites were the Asparagus Pina and the White Lily. We tried tons of the food, highlights were Bahn Xeo (my fave), salad rolls and pineapple stir fry. YUM! read more