My first visit to Teatro was to celebrate my sixth wedding anniversary last week. The anticipation was great, which can promptly kill any dining experience, but gladly, it was a fabulous evening all around. My husband and I were in no hurry whatsoever - we sipped cocktails and wine while taking our time perusing the menu and chatted with our waiter who was very accommodating in helping us put together the perfect menu. We started with the olive plate and the foie gras which was BY FAR the best I've ever had. Decadent. It is a dish that will bring me back again and again. To top it off, our fabulous waiter brought us two glasses of dessert wine which paired perfectly with the foie gras to cut the fatty nature of the dish. For our entrees, we ordered the lobster orzo and the duck. The lobster orzo was simply divine, with our waiter imploring the chef to put in just a little bit more lobster as he felt it a little on the lean side. Nice touch! The flavours were delicious and seasoned perfectly. The duck was also amazing. Julienned on a bed of pistachio mint couscous. Wow - absolutely delicious. Teatro is perfect for "date night", a group of two couples or a business lunch or dinner. If you're looking for a hip atmosphere for a big group, this isn't your place. We enjoyed everything from the food, the service, the atmosphere, the extensive wine list and the espressos post meal. We will definitely be back. read more

After I visited with Occupy Calgary to fill them in on happenings in Oakland (Ha! You guys protest in sub-freezing weather despite already having health care and progressive government!) I stepped into Teatro, despite the 1% vibe offered by the menu and the presentation of the front of the restaurant. However, as I was traveling solo, I went straight to Occupying a barstool. The staff was friendly and casual, in the right way, and I was soon talking friendly politics with the bartenders and a regular customer. The staff guided me through the menu, and I went overboard. The bison tartare was just insanely good. It was the Canadian grandson of the battuta di manzo from Milan, but with the deeper and gamier bison flavor, plus a serious heap of spices, like black pepper, infusing into the raw meat. The egg dressing mixed in perfectly. The caesar salad had a brilliant spread of pork-belly chunks, fried and rendered to crispness, releasing flavor into a partly deconstructed dressing. But damn, the seafood cannelloni was pure decadent heaven. A filling of lobster and other seafood (and lots of it) stuffed the pasta tube, which was then buried in a lobster-tomato bisque, cheese, and grilled/sauteed scallops and shrimp. Expensive, hugely rich, and extremely satisfying. The wine selection was great, and the staff was helpful with the pairings. I love how every wine bar in Calgary has Montefalco Rosso. I'd like to try this place for a formal dinner, which I suspect would be a very different experience. Perhaps the next visit to Calgary. read more

Had lunch here. Our server was amazing and thank you, thank you thank you, for the purse stool! haha As for the meal, Rustiche alla Pomodoro and the Lobster Ravioli was delicious. Lamb dish was a little disappointing-a little too dry on the outside. I have to admit that their wine list was pretty impressive and also expensive. But do not despair, they had a great list (decent wines) for those who just wanted a glass to accompany their meal - I personally don't like to order a bottle for lunch and be drunk for the rest of the day. I had a glass of one of their 2004 Bordeaux wines, from Haut-Medoc (I can't remember which Chateau it was from) and it was fantastic. In general, their pasta dishes were impressive. I will definately go back to try the rest of their pasta and antipasti dishes (here I come Beef Tartare). Teatro is definately not a diner, so expect to see a lot of business crowd and couples on their fancy dates. read more

Teatro is a grand and impressive restaurant in a true European Style. At first glance, it may look like a pretentious place. But I do not get the feeling that it is. It's in an old historic bank building downtown, with high ceilings, majestic classical columns, and a gracious ambience designed for fine evening dining, with dinner jackets, port and cigars. (Pity we cannot indulge in these aromatic smoking pleasures any more!) I cannot help but relive my colonial past when I enter this restaurant. The service is always superb. The servers know their stuff and know how to romance the menu. They also know how to correctly serve a bottle or glass of wine! The quality of food and service is consistently exceptional and impeccable. They have an impressive and expensive wine list. While I've been there for lunch, and after work drinks, it's really the kind of place that you want to visit at night for a special anniversary dinner or with special friends. Well Worth a Visit. I'm tempted to give them an extra star for the wonderful space they are in....it's simply fabulous. But there may be some local Cow Boys who may feel intimated by the white tablecloths and white napkin service... read more

Teatro is a great historic building in Calgary, I'm not super fancy schmancy so I hadn't prioritized stopping by for dinner. This weekend though there I attended a big deal birthday in the Opera room, you enter the room from 1st on the side of the building and it's nice and private, great for an event or private function. The a staff were very friendly and accommodating, they were quick to take our coats, offer drinks and chat with us throughout the event. They had both cocktail tables and smaller sit down seating on the side which was very nice, you never know when you need to give your toes a quick break. The wine was delicious and they event improvised shooters when requested (so maybe we're not that fancy after all) the passed appetizers were delicious and the risotto in the cheese wheel was two thumbs up. Great evening and a wonderful venue for a special occassion or celebration. read more

Great food. Waiter was attentive and personable - just right friendly without being overbearing. Appreciated the wine recommendations. Quick service. Went for Big Taste Gourmet tasting menu and enjoyed everything - the pasta with duck confit & wild mushrooms and the pork belly were especially excellent. (Cod was a little bland but still enjoyable.) Was puzzled as to why their "wine pairings" for the menu were the cheapest swill available when they could have easily upselled much much better wine with the Big Taste menu. Yeah it was cheap, but who goes to Teatro for a "deal"? Would definitely return. read more

What goes better with a trip to "the Theatre" than a stop beforehand at Teatro? This upscale riff on Italian fare provides its audience with a series of stages worth applauding. Everything is very well prepared and full of complex flavour. It is in the end, however, the service that deserves a standing ovation. From the front of house to table service, every move is choreographed in such a way that your every need is thought of and taken care with swift accuracy. This is by far one of the most well-managed restaurants I have ever been to. The interior of the restaurant is elegant. High ceilings, pillars with decorative capitals, a massive copper range hood; from the moment you walk in, there is an air of breathability and class. It is unfortunate that some of adornments (such as tea-lights from Ikea on the table and child-like stars on the glass) slightly cheapen the place. Other than that, it is very well decorated. Some of the dishes (like the Vine Ripened Tomato Tart) I am certain will beckon me back to Teatro once again. But great food does not often come without great price, so sadly, it cannot be TOO often. read more

We came here for a wedding and it was awesome! The venue is great for a wedding. There is also an outdoor patio space. We had steelhead trout and sous vide chicken. The chicken was dry. The trout was delicious! We also had a very creamy butternut squash soup and salad. Dessert was chocolate mousse. So sweet. As the night went on, they also fed us snacks. Sliders, cupcake bites, and mini pizzas. Service was excellent. I asked for butter, they got me butter. We spilled wine, they cleaned it right away. We broke a glass, they swept it up in a second. read more

Reservations for 6 adults for a business meeting over dinner on a Wednesday night. Sure, why not right? We were seated to our table within 5 minutes of arriving. We were shown where the coat room was and I thought it would have been a nicer touch if the hostess offered to take our coats, but she didn't? You usually expect that in a restaurant that is fine dining to take your coat. Didn't want to let this spoil it, so didn't let it. Minor negative. Our waiter was great, wish I got his name since he was funny and very friendly. I want to say I think his name was Miles. We ordered a couple bottles of wine to start, after all it is 6 adults. Plus a few beers by some of the men. While we waited, we decided on a couple appetizers. We ordered Calamari and Beef Carpaccio to share while we sipped some wine + beers. The appetizers were good however not everyone at our table agreed. 4 of us thought they were good, 1 thought they were great and 1 thought they were bland and better at other places that were casual dining. Mixed review but to be fair, they were good - not great. For dinner: 3 of us had the prime rib, 2 of us had the special which was scallops and 1 had the seafood lasagna. When dinner arrived we all had a taste of each other's so we could decide who had the best entree. The prime rib was nothing that made me say wow, but was still good. No complaints. The scallops were really disappointing. It was the special that night and only arrived with 6 scallops on the plate with some sort of shredded veggie? Obviously after eating it, you were still very hungry. I was one of the ones who ordered the Scallops - Boooo. The best entree had to be the seafood lasagne, I regret not getting that since it was so good and hardy too. Why I did'nt, I have no idea? For the prices you pay in this place, you would expect the food to be Steller however it was good and okay in most instances. Nothing that would warrant, "wow, those 6 scallops were so good it was worth $44.00" or "wow, that prime rib was cooked perfect for $42 and awesome to have". Defiantly not. Only two people ordered dessert, which was Tiramisu and some beet cake. We all had a nibble and both were good. We also all had coffee and that was good as well. No complaints. The restaurant itself is beautiful and open. So noise does travel and at times was a bit loud. I would come back again to give them another chance, maybe for lunch or a drink however not sure about dinner? It was a very expensive business dinner for food that was just good/okay. There menu does change often and maybe worth checking out again if I am not paying. Keyword - IF I AM NOT PAYING!!!!!! The service from our waiter deserves 5 stars however the food and the whole "check your own coat" thing would be about 2.5-3 stars. Sorry Teatro, would have loved to give you 5 stars since I had high expectations. read more

Haven't been here in a while, however over the many years I dined here, I've always had a fantastic experience. At first when you walk in, it seems a bit cold, but once you are whisked away by the hostess, the servers make you feel right at home. The lobster lasagna was my favorite, however that may have changed in the last while. I always enjoyed the various menu items. This place is one of the original great modern yet classical (I know that's an oxymoron) restaurant that has lasted so many years before Calgary became as 'metropolitan' with it's dining as it is now. read more

Disappointing. Here's my experience with Teatro: When we walked in the door: the decor was very nice. Main seating area was half empty, yet they seated us at the corner of the restaurant. We ended up asking to change our table to the main dining area. Pre-appetizer on the house: a tiny bite sized (1cm x 1cm) bruchetta sample, one per person. If you are so stingy about a free sample, I'd rather not have it. If you want people to actually taste it, at least give me 1/4 of a normal bread size. Bread: Nothing special. And I like it with balsamic vinegar and olive oil, not olive oil with salt. Just personal preference. Appetizer: Tomato tart. Nicely done, pretty small for $18 though. Tasted pretty good, but the vinegar on the plate stood out more than the tart itself. Main: Ragotoni (Rabbit meat + pasta): WAY TOO SALTY. I couldn't eat it. Pasta was a little undercooked for my taste. My fiance ended up having most of it. Aside from that, rabbit tasted just like pork, the sausage was ok. Second Main: Lamb leg: Sauce was pretty good, overall very heavily tasted. There were 2 lamb steaks and one lamb sausage; one of the steaks they threw in a big chunk of pure lamb fat with the meat (not the nicely fat veins in the meat, but a 1 inch fat layer), I wouldn't suggest anyone to eat that unless you want to clog arteries. Might as well throw in a bone on my plate. (Speaking of bones, I did find a bone in the pasta) Dessert: Hazelnut tart with banana ice cream: Sounds good right? Hazelnut and banana is pretty much the fail safe combo. WRONG!! Just how can you mess that up?! The ice cream ended up masking everything else on the plate, the pastry has no taste, the sugar paste in the tart was very chewy. If I could eat them separately, I'd leave out the sugar paste and the tart, and keep the banana ice cream with hazelnuts. Service: Nothing spectacular. Not too bad. One thing I absolute hate: When I (or my fiance) said thank you, I expected a "You are welcome". Don't ignore me because I said thank you every time he refilled my water or took our empty plates. Is that so much work to say 3 words?? Washrooms: They are located downstairs. The staircase is pretty much for one person at a time. I can't imagine how people with disability would go down those stairs. One more thing: As we were done our meal (before dessert), the server came by, without saying a word, stuck his left hand to his back, did something that looked like either he was scratching his ass or un-doing a wedgie for about 5 seconds, then took out a ruler looking thing to clean up the crumbs on the table. That was pretty cool except it took him 5 full seconds to search for that thing from his butt. I don't recommend this place. I'm going for 2 more times ONLY BECAUSE I have vouchers that I've already paid for. This restaurant is banned from my list after that. I will try the calamari next time coz it looked pretty good and there are some good reviews about it, definitely will try other dishes! read more

After living in Calgary for many years, I finally got a chance to eat at Teatro. I knew that it was ranked as one of Calgary's best, but thought that perhaps with that might come pretentious servers, and overpriced food. I was wrong. From the moment we arrived, I knew we were in for a special night. The door was opened by a handsome young man - ( discovered later it was the maitre d ) and we were welcomed in as if we were guests in someones home. We were seated right by the kitchen pass and our chairs faced the kitchen ( like a chefs table almost ) and felt like we had the best table in the house. We got to watch the chef and his team work. They worked quietly and with precision, putting out wonderfully plated, clean gorgeous plates of food. For starters, we ordered the Caprese Salad - it was made with Heirloom tomatos and Buffalo Mozarella.. The ingredients were fresh and the tomatoes were bursting with flavour. As a vegetarian - there were a couple of options - not a ton, so I asked if it was possible for me to have a selection of the various side dishes - and like any great fine dining restaurant, they happily obliged plating up a great dish with pureed parsnips, potatoes, rapini, aspargus, mushrooms - each vegetable was delicious and treated with care. My guests ordered the Pork chop and both said it was without a doubt the best Pork Chop they had ever had - butterflied and breaded in something similar to Panko - but wasnt....they still dont know - but they loved it. The service was excellent - the servers were "authentic" real and without pretension. Although it was busy, it never felt manic in there - always calm and professional. Smiling staff and the sense that you were there to be pampered. The restaurant itself is gorgeous inside- an old TD Bank with high ceilings and a grand feeling to it all. The whole experience at Teatro was lovely - great staff -great food and a great night, and not a hint of pretension. read more

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I'd always wondered where Teatro was located and was pleasantly surprised to find it tucked away between the Telus Convention Center and the Olympic park. Getting here doesn't take me out my downtown core zone so I'm happy about that. Once inside, I found the decor arrangement a little confusing. The eating areas were arranged for a heightened feeling of privacy with a few nooks spread around which is always nice in a restaurant. However, I also found it dizzying watching the servers navigate the area. I went in the middle of the Calgary stampede and they were not too busy for lunch at this time of the year. Service was friendly but could have been quicker especially when it's billed as an express lunch. I got my express lunch special ten to fifteen minutes after I placed my order. Prior to my first course showing up, a bread basket was offered and I tried the olive-infused baguette slice. I would have loved for it to be warmer. The food itself was good without being memorable. Curiosity satisfied on this one, I doubt I will be returning. read more

2 stars for the decor and -3 because the food wasn't that good. Had to add additional salt and still wasn't happy with it. Especially when the bill came. I don't mind paying for good food and service. I won't be back anytime soon. read more

Still one of my top restaurants in Calgary and my visits to Teatro have extended over a decade now so that says something about the staying power of this fine establishment. I most recently had the duck which was excellent as was the presentation. My loss of a star is for listing wine in the menu that they do not have in stock.certainly not the end of the world but then again, for a high end establishment re: $$$, details count. Fantastic environment, excellent food and almost always top notch service for when you want that special dining experience. read more

Outstanding ambiance, tasty and well prepared food offerings, extensive wine list - lovely experience. Visiting Calgary for a conference and went to Teatro on a recommendation. Not disappointed. Great setting for a restaurant in a historic site. Friendly and knowledgeable servers. Started with appetizers. Only disappointment was soggy calamari. Superlative tagliatelle with bolognese made up for it. Highly recommend. read more

I've lived in Calgary for almost 20 years and only as of recent have I finally stepped into the lovely Teatro. I'm not one who usually choosing fine dinning as I like to eat a decent portion of food, especially at dinner. Normally fine dinning charges high prices for barely anything on your plate. Well, I was pleasantly surprised by the perfect amount of servings for this place. I enjoyed a salad to start, that was not some small side plate like most places. But it wasn't over portioned either. Then I enjoyed the perfectly cooked rotisserie half chicken. I was nervous to read "half chicken" and expect too much for this plate. But again, perfect. And every side and taste added to this dish was fabulous. I even had room for desert, which I never really go for. This apple crust desert though... was beautiful and so delectably good! My added favourite is the side table they provide for your purse. True Italian style. As I learnt that it's bad luck to put your bag on the floor in Italy. read more

Seafood a little salty Seemed a little faulty Duck was great I couldn't wait Pineapple panna cotta was amazing Everything was really great and I'd come back Staff were receptive to feedback Which we really appreciated. Wine pairings - Bourgogne Blanc 2011 and Pinot Noir by the glass read more

Very good, didnt feel rushed at all. Waiter was extremely polite. Had the seafood lasagna and beef tenderloin, both were excellent. Definite recommendation from before I was veggie. read more

Eight years in YYC and I only just now make it to this famous, oh so famous restaurant! WELL WORTH THE WAIT.. (or time lost?)... With tickets to the CPO Lord of the Rings event (Amazing btw..) we went to Teatro for supper pre-show to give it a whirl...and its 10 steps from the Epcor center. Immediately wowed upon entry.. how beautiful, and refined, and glamorous, and old, and.. they let me actually in...good start. Service is amazing right off the bat, but thats going to be expected. We're seated close to the kitchen with a nice big round table for eight of us. A ridiculously handsome server asked for some drink orders, introduced us to the menu and allowed us as much as we needed for anything...it was clear they were giving us the evening.. it was quite nice. We ordered a number of wines/beers and started on the menu. For a high end resto it was bigger than most and of course EVERYTHING looked amazing. Picking stuff out is ridic challenging at times. It was cool to see almost everyone order something different. I chose the pickled root veg for my appie and the sable fish for the main (FOTD). My appie arrived like art on a plate. It was a bunch of tiny veg standing upright in a circle with some local bits of goat cheese and some japanese white liquid that I simply cannot place a name on at the moment. It was literally beautiful. The oysters arrived pretty amazing looking with some caviar on the side and a mixture of sauces. The fish for the main was also quite amazing and perfectly paired with delicious veg. My partner had the salmon with lemon foam and lentil accompaniment. A couple of us shared a stuffed pasta that was provolone stuffed for half and mushroom stuffed on the other half. This was also beautifully checkerboard plated and was very rich and mouth watering. This was highly recommended as a share plate - 10 out of 10 on this for sure. As we had time, we did a round of desserts that were clearly winners!! The creme brûlée was heaven, the tiramisu was some of the best I have ever had and another person ordered a salted caramel sorbet that was not on the menu but was A-MAZE-ING!!!! This place lived up to its name for sure. Food was outstanding, service was perfect and the atmosphere was kinda relaxed and romantic for such a classy spot. Great location for a night out or specifically a date night to go "sharesies". read more

This was the second time that we experienced Teatro and it will be the last. The problem with this restaurant is consistency. First, we triggered the sommelier and we asked to split a glass of wine to pair with our starters. Instead of bringing us each a taste, he pours us a glass each (and charged us). My wife and I ordered 2 courses each and the first course were a good start. The oysters on the half shelf were amazing and the panzanella salad was beautiful. Wonderful textures, flavors and presentations. The mains were a disaster, I ordered the Seared Giant Scallop with grilled chorizo, soft polenta, arugula pesto, caponata crostini. The presentation was an absolute disaster (polenta looked like smeared baby food) and the only thing that saved the dish was that the flavors worked well together. My wife ordered the seafood special, which was seared Halibut over asparagus and curried beet compote. The halibut was overcooked, and the waitress neglected to inform my wife that the compote was very, very spicy. The night was capped by a $14 tiramisu, which was good but not 14 bucks good. There will be no return, there will be no 3rd chance for Teatro or its staff. I'd like Gordon Ramsay to pay these guys a visit and get the cobwebs shaken out of this institution. For the prices they are demanding, there is no room for the mistakes they seem to make again and again. Also, having a waitress wearing a shirt that is two sizes too small looks absolutely unprofessional. I mean, seriously....this is indicative of fine dining in Calgary? C'mon. read more

Made a reservation prior to our show as the theatre is across the street. Teatro has always been fine in the past. However, tonight marks the first time in history I have ever walked out of a Resteraunt shaking my head in disbelief. Firstly let's understand that we are great customers at any Resteraunt as we tend to eat out most week nights do to our crazy office hours. Let's also keep in mind that when it comes to great dining money is no object and we typically prefer non franchise higher end establishments. So here is the deal. I have a rule and it is quite simple. Charge me what ever you want for your food but it better be darn good if you are tipping the high end of the scale. So they have this $55 prime rib and it comes with some cheesy potato and green salad. I noticed that they had mashed potatoes on another dish (think it was pork). So the long story made short I was going to order a pasta dish $32ish and my prime rib as I was kind of craving pasta to start my meal. While ordering the waitress said that they would not give me mashed potatoes instead of the potatoes and salad it came with. So let's get this straight, I spend $87 for a meal and you won't make the effort to insure I am happy with my order? Should I have to order a meal that I don't want (pork) just to have to mashed potatoes? Perhaps putting one type of potato on a plate versus another can be a complex endeavour or perhaps our waitress was just too lazy to accommodate a simple change. Heck, charge me even more if you want! Instead I just got a snotty NO they won't do that. It was not so much the mashed potatoes as the attitude and the lack of care to accommodate a guest. I must say that it is too bad because I really don't mind this place and perhaps this is just the case of crappy staff. That being said the manager made no effort to rectify the situation when we got up to leave. None the less we walked across the street and spent our $200 at Centini. Calgary has lots of great places to eat and these days many of them are not seeing the business they were seeing when the economy was better a few years ago. I prefer to give my money to those that appreciate our business. Snotty lazy and rude service is never acceptable to us. read more

Now, everyone else seems to rave about Teatro, and I'm going to go against the flow. I feel it's my duty to stand up for all the people out there that don't get off on overtly classy, "fancy for the sake of being fancy" restaurants. I enjoy good tasting food no matter what the setting - be it uber-chic or a total dive - but I felt Teatro just didn't deliver the tasty goods that the upscale décor promised. The setting of Teatro makes you feel like you're dining at Buckingham Palace with the queen - white linens and four-course place settings with multiple wine glasses for pairing with dishes - at lunch? Are there really that many people out there that require this level of class during their noonhour? I am obviously not part of this elite. But alas, I did find myself dining at Teatro for lunch on one occasion. Calamari Frito was ordered for the table by my dining acquaintance, and to be fair, it was pretty good. The dipping sauce was a tasty housemade grape tomato ketchup (they've changed the menu and the accompanying sauce is a spicy mayo), but I do prefer it when places use only calamari rings and not the baby squid - I hate the idea of eating the poor little things whole. For my main, I selected Lobster ravioli. I expected that to be plural for the $25 pricetag, but when it arrived there was one lonely pasta square on my plate, sitting on a "shazaam" of roasted red pepper coulis. The lobster inside was very fresh, but they did nothing with it, and why hide it inside a pocket of bland pasta with no sauce? - I scraped up every bit of that coulis underneath but it wasn't near enough. I just didn't get it. I'm sure the chef has a vision, we just didn't see eye to eye. read more

I go to fine dining restaurant time to time to treat myself. I have been to numerous famous restaurants in NYC and other major cities. I have been to Michelin three star restaurants suh as Pierre Gagnaire, Per Se, Jean Georges to name a few. I have also been to two or one star ones like Jungsik, Aureole, BlackBird, etc. That being said, I didn't expect my dining experience at Teatro to be as great as some of the Michelin three star restaurants I have been to. However, I was still looking forward to my dining experience here as I heard this restaurant has always been rated as one of the top three restaurants in Calgary. I am fairly new to Calgary, and I was more excited as this was the first fine dining restaurant I was trying out in the city. I recently had the eight-course Chef-Tasting menu, which is priced at $135/person. Actually, if I include the sorbet, cheese dish, and fruit dessert that came before the actual dessert, I guess I had total of 11 dishes. The service was good enough for me. What I wasn't satisfied was the actual food itself. In short, my overall experience of this restaurant was just so-so. None of the dish I had was bad, but most dishes were mediocre at best. There were about two dishes that were good, but nothing excellent or very good. Because this restaurant is still a fine dining restaurant in Calgary, I guess they do try using some of the pricey ingredients like caviar and truffles, but the quality of these ingredients were not very impressive. This is especially true for truffles. They amount of the truffle that was on the dish was actually quite generous, but they barely tasted like actual good truffles. Also, some of their dishes seemed to be bit salty, yet other dishes were bland and under-seasoned. By the way, their bread seemed to be quite salty as well. Overall, I would rate this restaurant 2.5 at the best. Don't get me wrong. It wasn't bad, but I was disappointed because I was expecting something quite lot better after reading all the positive reviews and hypes about this restaurant. I really hope Teatro is not actually one of the best restaurants in Calgary. If it is, I guess there are just no good restaurants in Calgary. Again, I didn't expect this restaurant to be as good as some of the Michelin three star restaurants, but I was expecting it to be at least somewhere near the level of Michelin one star restaurants in NYC and other cities in the States. After trying it out, I totally have to agree with Ardy down there who left a review before me. "Teatro is not even close to the quality and flavor of a Michelin star restaurant.", which is very true based on my fine dining experience. I would say even one star Michelin restaurants are so much better than Teatro in terms of taste. I am also well aware that Michelin Stars aren't everything. In fact, I have also been to many non-Michelin star restaurants and have had excellent meals. Unfortunately, Teatro just wasn't good enough. Maybe I will try other fine restaurants in Calgary, like Rouge. Hopefully I will have a better experience there, but I would be really disappointed if the other top fine dining restaurants in Calgary offer similar experience to that of Teatro. read more

Solid Food - Poor Service I've been to Teatro four times over the last three years, and have been consistently disappointed. Food at times excels, although too many dishes lack flavours and/or presentation to get overly excited about. Overall though, I'd rate the food at 4/5. There are better places to go in the city given the pricing at Teatro, with very healthy markups on wines taking away from the experience for those that enjoy wine with their meals. The biggest issue we have is the service - the experience for my wife and I has been that it is repeatedly one of the worst places in the city for service. I've been through an entire dinner pouring my own $200 bottle of wine, with empty water glasses sitting there. To be fair, we did see the head waiter give our waiter a lecture while pointing at our table. Our last visit in May 2018 was for lunch, we sat for close to 20 minutes before being able to order drinks. The "express" lunch took 1 hour and 40 minutes by the time we were able to pay (waiting 20 minutes after requesting the bill). Unfortunately, this has been similar to our other visits - and we give up. Sorry Teatro, but four chances is more than enough. If I was in the kitchen I'd have a few words for the servers if I was staring out at tables with empty water glasses or dishes sitting for ages after the entire table had finished eating. read more

I love Steven Ave, it's my favorite spot in Calgary and Theatro happens to be on Steven Ave right next to the park in a beutiful old building. For the location alone I would give 3 stars, but the food is awesome and original and they have an excellent cocktail menu too. One of my favorite parts were the old pictures they had of downtown Calgary back in the early 1900. Very cool. If you're planning a date night this place is very romantic and after you can stroll Steven Ave or hit up many of its cocktail lounges and pubs. read more

Came here for the Taste of Calgary event, and thoroughly enjoyed my meal. I had the Bistecca (sirloin) for the main course, but also tasted the trout, which was quite nice. Service was friendly and helpful. I would recommend it! read more

Wow where to even begin...this restaurant is fantastic! Located in a beautiful historic space with soaring ceilings the drama and the art alone are enough to impress. Add to that some of the most delicious Italian food and amazing service and you have everything needed for a memorable experience. Diners tip: the chefs love to get creative so don't be afraid to ask for something not on the menu. One of our friends was a vegan the night we went and they made him both an entree and dessert that could easily be featured on Top Chef or any other cooking show. So delicious and wonderful, we cannot wait to return. Oh and the service was top notch and so welcoming...loved it! read more

Amazing food in a beautiful decor where the staff deliver an upscale service while still keeping it casual enough to fully enjoy yourself.

From the moment I walked in I knew we would have a special anniversary night. I'm not sure why we waited so long to dine at Teatro but now I just can't stop thinking about the meal we enjoyed there. First I really want to say that this place is gorgeous! It used to be an old bank and there are several architectural features remaining from days gone by, like the large pillars and archways above the bar area. The tables are not set too close together, allowing for a bit of privacy whether you're on your first date or your 19th anniversary... But that kitchen! Wow, it's a stunner. There are an Italian white marble pass and gorgeous copper fume hood running almost the entire length of the kitchen. Service was excellent from the coat check, to the purse stool provided as well as impeccable timing and personality. Now for the food. I could have just sat there and ate the house bread and olive oil all night. It was that good. We ordered the Beef Tartare and Caprese salad to start. I thought it was nice that the tartare came preportioned on top of little potato crisps so we didn't have to worry about filling up on more bread. The tomatoes in the caprese were quite nice though I didn't think the micro basil had enough flavour on it's own. Maybe add a basil pistou? For our mains I ordered the Dungeness Crab Risotto and was quite happy with all the chunks of crab involved. I didn't like the dehydrated cauliflower because I'm not really a cauliflower fan at the best of times. Hubby ordered the Agnolotti Al Plin and loved every bit of it. The pork ragu was so rich and the preserved egg yolk was a neat way to get that cheese flavour without adding cheese. Since it was a special occasion we decided to order dessert and cappuccinos. Hubby had the house specialty Tiramisiu which I think is quite popular..I saw more than a few of them being ordered throughout our stay. I went with the Rose water Creme Brulée. I thought it was a really great idea to serve it in such a shallow dish because that way the torching warms up the entire custard. It was delicious! We have a theatre subscription again this year and I'm hoping we can visit Teatro again on one of our theatre evenings. read more

One of my favourite restaurants in Calgary. I don't go often but when I do, it's usually for a special occasion. The food is always great, love the ambience, and always great wines to choose from. Definitely try it if you haven't before, Make sure to save room for desert. I have always lucked out with parking, there is lots of downtown parking lots and free street parking close by after 6pm. read more

3.5 STARS. Downgrade. I agree with the real reviews scattered among the 4 and 5 star posts. This restaurant appears to be living on its location, marketing and name recognition. The food is still pretty good but the service, although prompt, can't squeeze a smile or any thing close to what one would call good and friendly service. This, after several visits. There has been little noticeable improvement. There is better elsewhere. read more

Awesome food and service in a tastefully restored bank building. The wait staff was fabulous and very attentive.

For the caliber of the name and the hype that Teatro garners, I can't help but say that my experience has fallen short of the high expectations set for the restaurant. I visited Teatro for the Chef's Tasting menu to celebrate a friend's birthday. The ambiance is wonderful - the décor is tasteful and the high ceilings of the former TD building made for a character dining experience. The kitchen is open concept, which is cool. We were seated at a "desirable" table which was a round table for two with a semi-circular booth seat, which personally I didn't find very comfortable as I found myself with a neck kink after having my head 70 degrees to the side to talk to my friend over dinner for 2.5 hours. I personally prefer traditional seating, but I suppose some people like that intimacy! My friend let the waitress know that he had a seafood allergy and if they could please modify the menu so that there was no seafood - they were wonderfully accommodating about that, but this would come back to complicate things later that evening, as apparently HIS allergy meant that I wasn't going to receive the original tasting menu with seafood. I wasn't informed of this fact, and obviously by the time I had found out, it was too late to have that addressed. Over 7 or so courses, I found that in general the food wasn't to the mind and tastebud blowing quality that I've come to expect from tasting menus at restaurants of this caliber and price range. A few specific comments about the courses: The "modern/hip" style caprese salad with heirloom tomoates was not appropriately seasoned. With only a few small pieces of tomato and an unseasoned soft mozzarella-like cheese, the cheese had no flavor and a touch of salt and pepper would have made a world of difference and brought out the flavor of the cheese. In fact, it was so bland that I couldn't even finish the conservative portion. The butternut squash soup - exquisite, it was smooth, velvety, rich, and absolutely a treat. The "gnocchi" with pancetta and cheese "strips"? I found to be a over salted, dry, and really not that tasty. The first main, which was a rolled pork tenderloin? cut, served with a tangy berry based sauce and a creamy sauce with mushrooms, I was actually disappointed in. I suspect this was supposed to be a seafood or fish course, which was swapped out on account of my friends dietary restrictions, so perhaps it wasn't perfected.... The salt used to season the skin side of the rolled meat cut was chunky, and used too liberally to the point where I could literally feel the salt melt in my mouth and made for a less desirable experience. The second main was a cut of duck that was absolutely a redemption - it was tender, juicy, and delicious. I would have chosen to have double that! Service, in general, was 100% excellent. Upon realizing that the dessert was chocolate and that my friend didn't previously inform on his chocolate allergy (yes, he's a difficult one), they were extremely thoughtful in offering him sorbets on the house instead. (I had both chocolate desserts, oops.) I think for this caliber of fine dining, our experience definitely left a fair number of missed opportunities on the table (or rather, in the kitchen). For this price range ($300 for two), I routinely had my mind blown on tasting menus in Montreal, so I'm hoping that this was just a bit of an off experience due to the unusual dietary restrictions, so with that in mind I'll definitely give this another shot eventually after I've tried some of the other tasting menus around town. read more

Very pricey and a little too stuck up for my likings. I felt the service was very shallow, not very personable. Food was of great quality but not the most enjoyable experience while out for a meal. Most likely won't be back here again. read more

I had always wanted to go to Teatro my entire life yet somehow never ended up there. I guess I always had it built up to be something amazing but it wasn't something that blew me out of the water. Our service was good but it seemed almost a touch unprofessional as you would expect with a fancy restaurant. The food was good but not something I keep as a memory to rave about. The building is beautiful and the décor is stunning. read more

I've enjoyed the food here on all previous visits, but this set meal for Mother's Day brunch was very disappointing. Had the "grilled" chicken, which was actually prepared sous-vide. Should have been billed as "boiled" chicken since sous-vide is essentially meat boiled in a plastic bag. Meat ends up very soft and lacking in any texture and often tastes like it is underdone, especially when done for poultry. Had to send my chicken back and have them actually "grill" it (as advertised on the menu). Waiter was very sympathetic, but the manager only took a couple of drinks off the bill as compensation. Meal still ended up costing over $200 for three of us.... pretty pricy for a pretty disappointing brunch. read more

Simply the best...and not only in Calgary, but literally in our top 5 from around the world! Top notch in atmosphere, service, wine AND food. Great for a special, romantic meal - they never rush you out, and go the extra mile to make your experience memorable. read more

Teatro had good reviews so g/f and I decided to try it out. Place looks ok. Service to the table was decent. The "fun" started when we ordered. Here we go: basil lemonade: refreshing but borderline flavorless. Sun dried tomatoes soup: fancy presentation. Edible. Waitress brings an almost empty bread basket. Poking old, stale pieces of bread she says: I dont like this bread so I wont serve these to you. Lol!! Really? Why bring it to the table. Caprese salad. Good. Fresh tomatoes and buffala cheese. The only part of the meal that didnt suck. Keep reading..G/f orders Tagliatelle and I the Pollo with a side of Spaguetoni with Pomodoro sauce. Food arrives....holy crap! My chicken was tasteless, served with burnt veggies and potatoes! When I say burnt I mean burnt! My pasta with "pomodoro" sauce was utterly disgusting. Not only was it not pomodoro but the so called "chef" made a heavily buttered concoction that was nowhere close to what I ordered. The tagliatele...well..have you ever cooked pasta and leave it out too long? To the point where it sticks and bundles up? That's what she got. The sauce was supposed to be beef and pork with other things in there. You ever had chef boy-ar-dee canned pasta? That's what her dish tasted like!! Exactly the same. For a so called italian restaurant this place is totally out for lunch. Not only are your main dishes far from italian but they taste utterly disgusting. How in the world do you have such good ratings? Either get new chefs or just close the place down and call it a day. Some nerves calling yourself an Italian restaurant. You've been warned. Avoid at all costs!! read more

Very disappointed in the food. We shared the steak, ceaser salad, calamari, the carbonara and the spaghetti.