Went to Teatro's for their express lunch special - 3 courses (+ bread!) It was awesome. The gentleman I was meeting and I were both in a rush but the food was brought to the table quickly and even better, it was delicious! I'll definitely be back soon. read more

My Family went to Teatro to CELEBRATE my daughter's 15th bday and it was a SUPERB experience from food to service. They exceed my expectation. read more

We had a delicious birthday celebration dinner at Teatro. The service was stellar, and the food was awesome. I was surprised at how bright and grand the main dining area is - for some reason from the outside it looks like it would be darker on the inside. The big windows and tall ceilings made the ambiance a lot more modern than I was expecting. We started with the Calamari, based on Joel K.'s positive review. It really was the crispiest calamari I've ever had! It was served with a korean chili aioli dipping sauce which went perfectly... just enough spice without being overwhelming. Mike had the rack of lamb, which he declared was cooked perfectly. He particularly enjoyed the polenta served on the side - fried crispy on the outside, and creamy on the inside. He even commented on how perfectly cooked the asparagus was. I had the Pacific Halibut which was really moist and flavorful. It was served with 'crispy potato' which were essentially really thin spiral-cut french fries. The potato sat on top of a rich, creamy cauliflower puree. The dish was extremely decadent, and my only complaint was that it was maybe a little *too* rich... perhaps I should have had the foresight to order one of the veggie sides. Oh well! Instead, we had ordered a side of risotto. It was delicious!! The serving size was much larger than I was expecting, and could have easily fed 3-4 people as a side dish. Perhaps I needed a smaller serving of it due to the already rich nature of my meal selection. The prices are on-par with the fancier restaurants in town. You can't afford to eat here everyday, but it was a lot of fun to dine here for a special occasion. read more

Amazing! I went on a date here and we had the chefs tasting menu. John pulled out all of the stops and even took us on a tour of the place afterwards. It helps that I know him but I believe any customer would be treated this way. The ice cream for the final course was fun to watch and my date and I had a hard time deciding on which course we liked the best. Next time we go we will try a few items off the menu as they read very well. read more

I was there for a corporate party, and people kept telling me how good the food is, to me food is food and if it's even remotely edible it's Good enough for me. Honestly though I have to say that was the best steak I have ever tasted. And the staff were really cool and lots of fun. read more

I've heard really big raves about this restaurant and I was expecting something excellent, but it was far from it. I came here yesterday evening with my boyfriend. We came an hour early and thought of just asking the restaurant if it was okay if we come in early. To my surprise they accommodated us, which was great. Although, I think they had no choice considering they might as well have since there was only a party of 4. We were seated and I started to notice that the waiter was treating me and my boyfriend as if we were lower class in comparison to the party of 4. I thought I was going crazy, but there were 3 women and he welcomed them and made conversation. I overheard the waiter telling the party of 4 what the special was (unless I was hearing things) but he treated them very special. I also noticed once the party of 4 and party of 3 got their food they had each waiter tell them exactly what was in the food. My boyfriend and I were just told what we ordered and that was basically it. The food was alright (to be honest, I've had better) We ordered the calamari for starters and I ordered the bolognese and it was pretty salty. My boyfriend got steak and he enjoyed his meal. The calamari was basic, nothing exciting. I've had better calamari in pubs then this place. At one point I kept adding pepper into my bolognese and the waiter came out of nowhere and just put chili flakes on the table without saying anything. So I just looked at it with surprise and moved my glass of water to give him room and he looked at me and said: "did you want this?" and I was like: "oh, sorry, no thanks!" he responded with: "Oh, I noticed you kept grinding pepper that you'd want some chili flakes." And I was polite and said: "no thanks" again. I thought it was pretty weird and the way he responded was kinda rude with a little bit of attitude. Even when the waiter was placing our plates he just tossed the napkin on top of the plate. It just seemed very unprofessional for an establishment that seems fine dining. Later on in the night he asked the party of 4 and party of 3: "how was the food?" Not once has he asked me and my boyfriend anything. We were handed the dessert menu and I just told my boyfriend I wanted to leave because I felt disrespected and I was also full too. I noticed a family had walked in and they sat across from us. They were treated the same way everyone else was treated, not surprised. I felt discriminated because my boyfriend and I look young and we were the only Asian guests in the restaurant. I think I was more thrown off by the service. The waiter had some sort of attitude like he hated his job or he only cared for those who looked like they have money (he wants that big tip) Honestly, I would have rather spent the time going to McDonalds vs. this place. This place is way too bougie for me. read more

Best thing I've ever eaten... Duck Magret. It was perfectly cooked to a medium rare and nicely balanced with celeriac puree. The gnocchi were interesting with a unique flavor of poppy seed, however they weren't my favorite. The peanut and chocolate mousse is the best dessert I have had. for beginners the chocolate mousse had a very good texture and is served frozen which was a surprise to me. The mango encapsulation that came with it had such an apperance. At first I was unsure if it was a small raw egg yoke or not, but soon figured out that it was a perfectly unsweetened mango puree that nicely took the sweet edge away from the mousse. The pea shoots were also very interesting and served nicely as a palate cleanser. read more

Went to Teatro after not visiting it in 10 years or so and was very pleasantly surprised. The menu was diverse, the food was delicious and the service was superb. The architecture and decor have always been a cut above everyone else. I look forward to going back soon. read more

A little pretentious, but they have great food and excellent service.

I've been here twice, both with large groups. The staff is great at servicing a large group well and making everyone feel like they're in a luxury restaurant. It probably helps that they are in a luxury restaurant, but still great service. Food was very good. What you would expect from a place with a strong reputation like this. If you ask a concierge where to go, good chance they will point you here. I'd definitely go again, and also be interested in trying it with a small group. read more

The food was great!!... But the service reaaaally sloooooow!!... It took them more than 40 min to bring the main dishes... We didn't order appetizer, as it was a business lunch, and we expected to be there only for one hour... We had to stay there almost 2 hours just waiting for the main dishes. And we ordered as soon as we arrived. In addition, to get the bill we had to wait about 15 min since we asked for it... Definitely not a place for lunch if you don't have 2 hours available for it!!.. The only good thing was that at least the food was very good, really nothing to complain about it.. If they would have had a good service they would be rated way better!.. This is one of those places where you say, having good food is not enough, you definitely need to offer good service as well.. read more

I was very disappointed with this restaurant, I have heard so much about the creativity of the food and the elegance of the plating. However, when I got here the menu was painfully simplistic (steak with potatoes and green beans....? Didn't I just have that for dinner last night at home?) and it gets even worse when you look at the prices. Even the features were embarrassingly simple, a rib eye steak with grilled vegetables and potatoes....sounds exactly like the menu option and just as overpriced. In short I will say that pretty much any restaurant in Calgary can produce a similar product at a better price. I don't know if they just think people don't know better when it comes to value or quality, but as far as I can tell this is more of an overpriced steakhouse than a fine dining restaurant; with little care being put into crafting the menu. But hey, at least the ambiance is nice. read more

Incredible! Had the chef tasting menu with wine pairing. Not cheap by any means, but the food was first class, the wine pairing perfect, the service outstanding. Couldn't have asked for anything better. I'd give them 6 stars if I could. read more

Had a wonderful lunch with thoughtful service. They know how to treat teachers right! #cctc2013

Our group first time in this evening. Best Of...everything here. Beautiful setting, great service for all our dining desires. My dinners was the octopus on a spinach pasta. Most flavorful things I have eaten for long time. Also had the wild mushroom risoto on side. We had a calamari app and I had a pistachio dessert first up. Really good. One guest had the guinea bird and said good. Beautiful presentation throughout and very gracious ladies attending all our requests. A wonderful dining experience here. read more

My rating is a compromise between my experience & my wife's. My meal of scallop crudo followed by scallops & pork belly was outstanding, with beautiful presentations and sophisticated flavors. And my wife started with a thick, rich delicious tomato soup, but while her halibut entree was also presented beautifully, it was so salty it was inedible. The restaurant offered to replace it with another entree, but somewhat in the interest of time she had a very nice caprese salad. Also, the restaurant is in a old bank building, with very high ceilings and an open design that was a bit cold and drafty on a cool, rainy night. read more

It was raining so we had to sit inside, otherwise it looked like they had a great seating area outdoors. The waitstaff was helpful in selecting menu items but for this type of place the service was a bit slow and the Wine Director was slow to retrieve bottles from the cellar. The food was tasty but the portions were small. I ordered the duck, and it was a unique take, but I would have expected larger portions. I ordered a scotch after dinner and for the price the pour was only 1 oz, not typical even for ordering it neat. The apps. were well prepared and the menu selection was great. I would go back to try their menu items again. read more

There are certain things not up for comparison. Shakespeare plays, Stanley Kubrick movies, the Bugatti Veyron, Ava Gardner, Robotech, elements of our society which cannot be rated alongside others despite sharing similar traits. Reasons can be varied, from being so far beyond the quality of others that such comparisons are meaningless, to the subject in question being so far removed from the standard tropes associated with the others that comparing them is like rating which is better, The Simpsons or a peanut butter and banana sandwich. Teatro falls into this latter category--a restaurant offering an experience so detached from any other I had encountered thus far as to preclude any comparison. I mean, is it Italian, French? It's not a family restaurant; it feels like a posh bistro. It has a tasting menu with I eventually ordered. Yet with all these common attributes, the resulting meal still cannot be measured to others, not even to Claridges. That's not to mean it's better by any account, just different...and yes, it's also better. But that superiority comes with a price, a hefty one preventing one from repeating such a visit weekly or even monthly. Despite my desire to return to Teatro again, I can't see myself taking in the tasting menu for a very long time. Even if I moved to Calgary, I'd still save Teatro for only the most treasured of special occasions, like if I had a special date or a...a...okay, that's really all I got, and it would be one to secure a second to be sure, or actually more like a fourth. She would have to be Ava Gardner in The Killers to warrant Teatro on a first date. So what makes Teatro special? It's something called molecular gastronomy--a subdivision of food science dedicated to unique and obscure approaches to cooking in order to create, in many situations, wholly new results from traditional ingredients. It involves the study of chemical interactions and physical changes depending on temperature and pressure. Admittedly, this can sound a bit elitist as some of the techniques involve the use of vacuum chambers, evaporators, and ultrasounds. The end product is often served in small portions with multiple courses to showcase the various examples of the craft. This is what Teatro offers with their extremely pricey tasting menu, all eight courses of it. I made the reservation for the last day of my trip, a consequence of downtown Calgary being three feet below water not two weeks earlier. I was lucky to get in when I did. I was offered a spot in sight of the expansive open kitchen, next to a window where wind and rain was molesting the unsecured patio seats outside. There really isn't much I can say about the decor of Teatro, other than its simply magnificent. I adore the fact that the plating area is brightly lit from low hanging lamps so patrons can see the attention to detail given. I adore the high ceilings, the wrought iron rails, the Greek pillars. I made a point to cherish each course--I needed to considering that the whole experience was setting me back $135. I was presented with a platter of salt, a spoon, and some olive oil. I still have no clue what I was supposed to do with that other than perhaps make an impromptu bread dip, but I lacked the balsamic and a plate to use other than the one the bread arrived with. I ended up leaving it alone. After an amuse bouche, the experience began. I could go into details of each dish, but half of the time, I didn't even know what I was eating. Each plate was barely three bites, four tops. I recognized homemade pasta, truffle shavings, and sea scallops. What I didn't recognize was the grilled compressed basil, the lemon garlic foam, the focaccia lace, vegetable ash, parmesan custard, confit de' grapefruit and the halibut basted in squid ink. Yes, you heard right, vegetable ash. What, you were hanging on, the squid ink? Well, yes, that is kind of odd. Most of the time, I didn't even know what the waiter was saying as he switched from a flawlessly spoken French pronunciation to English, often times mid sentence. Despite these unique combinations and textures, was it any--well, of course it was good, amazing even. The pasta with compressed basil with parmesan custard was a particular highlight. However, the real jewel was the last, the raspberry sorbet made in front of me with liquid nitrogen and a stand mixer. These are only two examples of the eight courses. In all it took almost two hours for the evening to end. I felt satisfied but not full. The waiter was incredibly adept in his craft, on equal stature with the chefs. Value on the other hand is probably up to opinion. Everything was at the top of its game, an upper echelon of the industry, but is it worth $180 with tax and gratuity. I would say yes with the caveat that it's an experience that you may only have once. So why not try it once? read more

This review can't carry too much weight considering we were only there for 10 minutes, but we managed. We got there for an early appetizer and the 4 of us were the only ones there. By early I mean like 2:30, so wasn't surprised to see the place empty. The server sat us, took our drink order and then we told her we were in a hurry for an appointment. We just wanted to have an appetizer and have a drink. She came back in 5 minutes with the burrata we ordered, we ate, had a drink got the bill and were out of there. The drinks were perfect, the cheese was amazing and the patio was just beautiful. Our server had no problem dealing with our request to speed things along and managed to keep our drinks and waters flowing the whole time! Thanks Teatro!! read more

I recently went here for my birthday, and I can say the restaurant is forgettable. They fitted us in the such an inconvenient spot, and the waiter did not pay attention, even though there was hardly anyone in the place on a Thursday night. They do not cater to vegetarians, and the options they do point out are appetizers. The restaurant has quite a wine/liquor selection, it's better for a casual place to grab a drink. The food was decent, nothing I would take away. read more

We picked Teatro for New Years Eve dinner and were completely disappointed. They went with a 4 course tasting menu where the 4 courses cost about 50% more than they would on the normal menu. I had chicken broth, mini caprese salad, beef tenderloin and teramesu. This cost $120! Add a martini, manhattan and a beer and the bill exceeded $300. I was doubly disappointed as this place was hyped as a top pick. Not so unfortunately. read more

The food was amazing to say the least. The promptness of the serving staff was great. I didn't have to go to the bar once to get a drink, it was like bottomless Caesars and wine were sitting in front of me all night. I can't comment too much on what the prices are like because it was a wedding and everything was paid for. As for having a wedding here, it would be awesome for small intimate functions like the one we were at. read more

They've still got it. I have to say it has been a while but mmmm mmmm good. Nice appys, nice room, nice waiter, nice service. Really good menu. We were just there for drinks and snacks after a Jack Singer event but I was impressed. Congrats Teatro, you've still got it! Although I'd love to see some more Canadian wines on the wine list - especially on the By The Glass list. read more

A favorite place of mine. Theres something about the atmosphere that I really enjoy. Oh yeah, the food never disappoints. Honestly a first rate establishment. read more

Love going to this place for special occasions. It is quite pricey, but you definitely get what you pay for. The food is the best in Calgary, and the waiter will always bring around samples from the chef, so no need to even order appetizers. The guests can be a bit snobby, but I have never felt that way from the staff. In fact, they are always very welcoming. I can only afford to go once a year, but it is definitely a favorite of ours! Great place to go when you want to dress up. read more

Very nice food. Great for a night out in a lovely setting. A little opulent for the setting but nonetheless very nice food and wine service to match the setting- even if you need help with the wine (which is well worth asking for - great staff which excellent knowledge). read more

Unless Teatro is the Italian word for "mushroom" I don't get it. Beautiful atmosphere, amazing staff and a menu that only seems to exist for the sake of being trendy. Small portions (but beautifully presented), high prices and a general feeling of "meh". Normally I want everything on the menu, here I was hard pressed to find something that didnt have mushrooms (as you can guess I hate them) and sounded somewhat appetizing. They gentleman at the table next to us joked about stopping at A&W on the way back to work. I won't go back, but I think my wife and her friends would enjoy it. read more

The inside has great ambience and is a neat building. The service wasn't what you would expect, our waitress was efficient but abrupt and very emotionless service. Waitress was not engaging but almost as if a robot was serving. For an appetizer we shared the calamari which was very bland. The lasagna was also lacking in flavour. It was covered with a tomato sauce and topped with a scallop. Our last item was the Lamb which was ordered medium rare but came out rare, this even lacked in flavour. Was a disappointing experience unfortunately. Maybe this was a one off night and steps were missed to taste the sauces and food and maybe our waitress was having a bad night that left her checked out. Left and went somewhere else for desert read more

PRE-PARTY EXPERIENCE: Called and left a message to make a reservation for 8 people for my fiancé's birthday. I specifically asked them to text me back and to refrain from calling as I didn't want to blow the surprise dinner. Well, they called me back and woke both my fiancé and I at 1:00 in the morning to confirm the reservation.... let's say we were not amused and it did blow the surprise. FOOD: Food was ok, nothing to write home about. The calamari was too salty, and was also a bit saggy. The waiter talked us into ordering the lasagna, which was OK, but not great. WINE: Good wine selection, but takes a little while to get the bottle. If you don't want to be out of wine as you start eating your main course, make sure you order the bottle in advance. TIPPING: They added 20% gratuity on the bill which is fine, however, they failed to inform us so we ended up double tipping. When I asked them to get a refund, the waiter said that he had made it clear to everyone that the gratuity was included. Funny because absolutely nobody heard him say it and why would we tip 20% twice? Anyway, they ended up reimbursing the extra tip. DECOR: Amazing decor in a very old and historical building. The decor is likely the best aspect of the restaurant. OVERALL: I don't understand the hype about this place. They are plenty of good restaurants in Calgary and this one doesn't make the cut in my opinion. read more

Horrible service for a fine dining restaurant. The wait staff, Mike had no personality or consistency. He didn't even complete a quality check. He told us that he was sending over the sommelier, instead sent over the bartender. He didn't clean our table between courses, or provide us with something to clean our palates. The sad part was is that he seemed to be providing the other patrons with a higher level of service. Overall, the food and the service aren't worth the money. The actual building is beautiful...Very disappointed!! read more

We were greeted by incredibly warm and welcoming staff who even took our coats for us and hung them up. The service was probably the best I have ever had in Alberta so far. Food was delivious although I have to admit I have had more flavourful italian food but it was still great. The portion sizes were just right and the tiramisu was my favourite! I definitely recommend this place! read more

Delicious Food!! I took a client here for lunch and they were vry impressed. Neat décor, good service, highly recommend.

Very nice location, really classy; excellent food, wild mushroom risotto was my fav. Went there for a wedding event so I have no idea about the prices, however we had a great time. read more

I wish there were six stars to give this restaurant! We went for dessert and wine after the play and as usual everything was perfect. The waiters were amazing, the food was excellent and the wine was the perfect pairing thanks to the sommelier. Thank you teatros for your continuing excellence over the years. We will be back very soon!! read more

I've been to fine dining restaurants all over the world, and this restaurant is far and away the absolute worst service and cuisine, I've ever had at any such establishment. The pork belly was so tough that it was inedible and when I asked to have it sent back I then had to deal with their kitchen staff from their keen kitchen, glaring at me for the remainder of my meal. They sent me a salad to eat while I waited for my new order to be ready, which was horribly bitter and otherwise utterly bland. Then when my duck finally arrived, the sides were absolutely disgusting. Though that may be personal bias, as it was essentially a raisin based stuffing, and I despise raisins. Especially when heated and mixed with a mystery mush. It was also the only time in my life, that a manager has not come to speak with me after having a dish sent back. Also it is the only time I've ever been to such an establishment, where in my husband had to poor our wine for us, as our server so rarely returned to our tale. I will never come back to this establishment, which is unfortunate for them. As my husband and I frequent Calgary very regularly, and prefer fine dining during our stays there. The fact that this restaurant has such a high rating frankly is astonishing to me. As I wouldn't even recommend my enemies to eat here. I would give this restaurant zero stars if it were an option. read more

Impressive customer service and cleanliness, possibly wine list. Had better lasagna at Safeway grocery store. A place for show off, fine-dining 30-50y crowd set in a European-style artistic elite surrounding. read more

There is no doubt this is Calgary's premier restaurant. We am from Edmonton and Teatro is always a must for us

Went here for a Christmas lunch and won't be back. Like one of the other commenters, poured full glasses of wine rather than a taste, definitely not what is expected from a restaurant of this supposed caliber. I am pretty sure they mixed up their sugar and their salt as there was a layer of salt in between our chocolate mousse, rendering it absolutely inedible. When some of our party ordered Spanish coffees, there was no whipped cream and they lined the rim with salt!! When we tried to direct the waitress as to how we had expected the Spanish coffee (not to mention where it is served everywhere else) she was sarcastic and rude asking if we wanted to send it back to the kitchen to have whipped cream put on the top. I had their pasta pappardelle as an entree which seriously tasted exactly like the spaghetti with the meat sauce that I make at home. They never mentioned beforehand the 20% gratuity that was slapped on the bill, but were kind enough to point it out before we paid them a tip. It was twice the cost of our Christmas lunch as last year's at Rouge and was a serious ripoff for a $600 luncheon. read more