Smuggler’s Inn

My friends and I love this place. The soup and salad bar are sensational. Every waiter and waitress I have had there have all been so nice. Excellent service and excellent food!

Hands down the best steakhouse in the city. Also still have a salad bar which is awesome. I recommend the Cajun filet. Prime rib is fantastic too. I wish they were closer to where I lived, but the trip across the city is worth it.

I love Smuggler’s. The prime rib is the best in town and I love the old school soup and salad bar. The wine list is adequate albeit a bit down market. The waiters have been here for years and also offer great service. My only complaint is that I wish they hadn’t chopped this place up into several smaller restaurants. We went to one of the other restaurants and didn’t like it and haven’t been back. That being said we go to Smuggler’s at least a couple times a year and always have a great dinner.

I don’t know why I’ve never reviewed this place before, I’ve been here several times over the last 15 some odd years and have found the food to always be pretty much on par every time. Of course my main reason for going would be for their pride and joy, the prime rib.
The restaurant itself has been there forever, there’s been a fire, they rented out space to other restaurants, but the fact remains that it’s still a Calgary institution, even though it needs an obvious reno /​facelift, they do one thing right and that’s the prime rib. Do yourself a favor and get the prime rib. If you go to this restaurant and do not get the prime rib, let me just say you’re missing out on one of the best prime rib’s served in Calgary.
They offer a salad bar which is lovely, I’ve never had issue with the fresh offerings served, but I do always wander to that back bar where the fresh breadsticks are as they do taunt to me every time, damn you delicious carbs! They also offer soup as part of the salad buffet, but I usually steer clear to save room for the main.
They offer several main choices from fish to chicken and of course their beef offerings which are AAA quality, the richest creamiest mashed potatoes and crispy charred seasonal veg are served alongside this holy hunk of meat but I usually I ask for a double veg portion and steer clear of the potatoes just to make myself feel like I’m eating healthier– I’m pathetic, I know.
The only reason they lose a star is because of their crème brûlée, it’s too eggy and they add coconut flakes to it. I ordered it thinking it would be made with coconut milk, but instead it was a thick, chunky, eggy concoction that would be considered an abomination to what a true crème brûlée is supposed to be. Let me say that the portion was huge! Easily enough for two people but it just wasn’t right. The waitress was great and apologized (and agreed with me that coconut flakes have no place in this custard desert) she removed it from our bill and even offered a replacement dessert. I kindly declined as it was getting late and I literally could not move anymore.
I will always return for the prime rib alone, it was magnificent! Thank you smugglers for doing meat right.

Excellent service, an the ambiance of the place is perfect.
The food is very delicious, and it isn’t a long wait for it either. I have been there when it was its busiest and still received excellent service.

If I were writing this a couple years ago, it would have at least 4 stars. But my last couple experiences here have really dragged it down. I’d actually give it a 0 based on tonight’s service. For starters, we were there for over 2.5 hours! I could not figure out why the two tables next to us seemed to have the same server who I did not observe serving anyone else, and we had this guy who seemed to be serving half the restaurant. He would come set something down and run away before we could ask for anything. He gave us water and said «do you need a minute?» I said no we’re good and then he turned and walked away?! Plus when he took away dishes, he reached right into my mother in law’s face across her food every time. That’s got to be an inexperienced server error.
Now, for the food. We typically love the salad bar but they have changed it recently and it sucks! They got rid of the big bowls of pasta salads and replaced them with tiny plates of bland, flavorless «salads.» I tried this basil-​barley type one and after I took a serving, the main plate was half empty. I also went to grab a pickle and a server swooped in and took them literally out from under my nose. There were still 6 left, at least left me grab one! It was downright rude. EVERYTHING needed salt. Salt only helped some things. It was mostly cold, mushy zucchini, tomatoes and other vegetables. The ranch dressing was definitely off. I normally love the steak soup (as in, I could drink it). Well tonight it was near empty so I politely asked a server if there would be more. He peers in and sneers at me «there’s at least enough for one more bowl.» I said no thanks I will wait for a fresh batch to which he gave me a dirty look and stormed off. I was very taken aback.
Prime rib. Mine was a very generous cut and cooked well, but my poor husband got this gritty, fatty piece with a huge bone in it and the meat was raw in parts. When he politely said something to our slow server, the guy acted like he didn’t believe him and was squinting down at it going «I doubt it’s raw.» He was offered another cut but we were pretty much done eating as we had to wait forever for him to check on us. The brussel sprouts were hard as rocks and had nothing on them. Who chooses that as a vegetables anyway? It’s kind of known as a less loved side dish! And the yorkshire pudding was this dry, almost burnt sad little thing. I have made better from a package at home.
We sat for 15 – 20 minutes to wait for an offer of a dessert menu and then another 10 for the bill, before getting up and going to the front because he was so slow. He didn’t do any type of discount for the inedible prime rib, so we had to explain to the hostess about the whole awful experience and luckily at least SHE was apologetic and comped his meal. The server stood there to whole time we talked about it and didn’t even apologize for the slowness. He looked irritated. I am really disappointed but seeing as this is about the 3^rd time in a row w’eve gone and experienced sub-​par food, I don’t think this will be our main spot for prime rib. Our local Keg down the street does much better! And without the snotty attitudes. We are grateful for the nice hostess though!

Tonight was my first experience at the Smuggler’s Inn, I had been anticipating going for awhile. Went with my kids (8 & 5) And felt ignored for the first 7−10minute and even when the server finally did come around we had to ask multiple times for water and a pop. And even tho it wasn’t busy it felt like she was too busy for us. Eventually the manager (on her own accord) came around to ask how things were. I told her that the truth was for my first time I wasn’t really enjoying it. Heidi (the manger) was really, really great. She said she was sorry that it was such a bad first experience and I really appreciated that. And went on to comp our dinner which was above and beyond and very thoughtful. Because of Heidi we will back she’s a great manager.

The brunch has a good variety and service is excellent however I have noticed that lately once there is a table ready we are told that there is a limited amount of time due to reservations. Generally the time is sufficient but have noticed that there are many tables available. Are we being told this so that we limit our time eating at the buffet brunch? It sort of feels that way.

If you are hungry and want a crazy, giant, enormous brunch… go here! It’s super old school inside. It looks like an old 1960’s steak house with big heavy wooden chairs. But the breakfast buffet was good.

Smuggler’s Inn staff know how to accommodate and please their clientele. Marco, our server, was one of the best we have had when dining out. Our party of four enjoyed two quarter chicken dinners as well as two prime rib cuts. The chicken was flavourful and you are given the choice or white or dark meat which one doesn’t always get at other establishments. Smuggler’s Inn chefs do their prime rib to perfection! Medium rare is spot on! The full salad bar accompanies the entrée and is one of the reasons we chose going to Smuggler’s. The appealing, fresh selections at the salad bar not only provided a nice way to start our meals, but following our entrees, we went back to enjoy the fruit to finish. We didn’t sample the dessert menu on this visit. I asked that the mashed potatoes be omitted from my plate and perhaps extra seasonal vegetables be added — that didn’t happen, which ended up being okay, as the broccolini that was plated for all our meals was definitely undercooked and fibrous. That was the only drawback to the experience. We were with friends we hadn’t seen in a long time and we didn’t feel rushed to free up a table.
Next time we visit Calgary, a trip back to Smuggler’s Inn will most likely happen as well.

I can’t help it, I love this place. My family has been going here since I was a little kid when the whole restaurant was still intact and it was like walking through a dark maze to find your table. It may be the nostalgia and the ambiance combined with the food we love that keeps us coming back years later.
Every meal comes with a salad bar that includes soup as well. I love the steak soup, it hasn’t changed in ages, please keep it that way! I have had most of the offerings on the menu from the prime rib to steak to chicken, but my favorite? The ginger chicken stir fry, I know it sounds weird since this is a ‘steak house’, but it is what it is!
There used to be a bar in the basement (Back Street?) that we used to go to all the time that is gone now. It is too bad they have chopped the place up even more into different restaurants that take away from the real attraction being Smuggler’s. This is why you should always make sure you have reservations.

Absolutely love it here — our go-​to place. Consistently fantastic.

STELLAR brunch.
I know I’ve gone there a few times with family/​friends for birthdays and Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, etc.
Lovely eggs Benedict, the smoked salmon just melts in your mouth. And the grilled grapefruit is perfect.

My sister and her fiancé have been raving about their prime rib and had a $ 10 birthday coupon so when my older brother was in town we decided to try Smugglers. I also creeped photos of the food many times and I was happy to finally try Smugglers. Located on Macleod Trail SW and in the same complex as Tango, they have their own parking lot. If that’s full you’ll have to find parking on the street somewhere and walk a bit. My sister could only get a reservation for 8:15PM but we were fine with it because we had things to do beforehand.
We arrived on time and got seated right away. I found the environment to be very… old school, country with a bit of a pirately vibe… haha maybe it’s the name? The lights were quite dim but it was alright. I read about the salad bar so I was excited about that. As we were looking at the menus, some dishes came by which looked delicious. There were 5 of us total, 3 went with the smugglers inn cut for prime rib, I went with the prime rib sandwich, and my younger brother went with the lamb. All of our meals came with the soup and salad bar. Our waiter gave waters and ice tea as requested and took our order. After, he pointed to where the soup/​salad bar and we walked around the corner to grab some food. There was a nice selection of salads: greens, pasta, noodle and waldorf salads with many different dresses and fixings as well as some fruit and jello in the salad bar. There were 3 soups available that night: steak soup, some bean soup and another one that I had forgotten about and some bread and butter. We put some croutons in an empty bowl and filled it up with soup. The steak soup didn’t have any pieces of steak in but it was tasty, almost like a tomatoy thick soup, salty as expected. We then went for some salad, my older brother made himself a beet salad because he loves beets and the rest of us got a little bit of everything. I grabbed a soup bowl and filled it with jello :) hehe
Shortly after we finished our salads, the mains came out. My brothers lamb looked delicious, 3 generously sized pieces of lamb, side of beans and a half tomato. I’ve never been a fan of lamb but I wanted to have a taste… he really enjoyed it but it’s just not my thing, I find it gamey and I don’t think it tastes all that great but that’s just me and lamb. Both my other brother and Kenny got a piece of prime rib with a bone in them, my sister got a normal piece without bone and my prime rib sandwich looked just as good as the smugglers cut just a little smaller. Each of the smugglers cuts came with yorkshire pudding, beans and half tomato and my ‘sandwich’ came with a piece of garlic bread, yorkshire pudding and mashed potatoes. I tasted a piece of my rib with some horseradish and it was juicy but tough. I thought it was just mine because I had the sandwich but my sister gave me a taste of her and it tasted the exact same, juicy but tough. I wasn’t overly satisfied with the prime rib, maybe because my sister and Kenny hyped it up but they weren’t happy either. They said it was tougher than normal and just wasn’t the time as their previous visits. I did say that it was later in the night so maybe it’s the scraps of the last batch but it shouldn’t be that tough. Although not the best, it was edible but, there were a lot of fatty pieces. The horseradish was perfect, not too nostril burning, it did help with the eating the prime rib.
Overall, my first experience at Smugglers was not as enjoyable as I pictured. I had high expectations from word of mouth and reading reviews but it just didn’t measure up. Over waiter was great though, attentive and cracking small jokes here and there. We did ask to see the neat dessert menu which is pretty neat. We left, full but not completely satisfied.
Hopefully if I visit again, I will go earlier in the day.

We mostly come here for the salad bar, but the food is great too! We used to come here alot in the late 80’s. The food is still top notch and we have rediscovered a really great salad bar. I do not know why we have not gone in so long, but are glad we rediscovered this Calgary classic. Except on one occasion recently the service is great, with enough attention from the server without being too friendly. In the last couple of months we have tried everything from there beef dip to steaks and chicken. All made to close to perfection.
It’s no wonder that you usually need a reservation to get a seat on the weekend.

Nostalgia. They do some big cuts of prime rib here! 22 ounces of Alberta beef goodness. We ended up sharing a plate of it, the second person pays $ 8.95 for access to the salad /​soup bar. Pretty good value.
I really like the ambiance indoors — feels medieval. Eating steak out on the patio was chilly, but we didn’t have a reservation on a Saturday evening so that’s where we got seated.