Teatro

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.

The first thought that comes to mind when I think Teatro is fine dining — that’s definitely what they’re known for!
Although it may be pricy, you are paying for an experience of top notch ingredients, phenomenal service and gorgeous atmosphere.
Here you get to take the time to really appreciate their food and enjoy your time here (if you’re in a rush, this is not the place to dine!)
I shared the arctic char, duck breast con l’olivia and the mango lemon panacotta the last time I was here and all the dishes were amazing. The portions are a bit smaller than I’m used to, but the richness of the food makes up for what volume I think I’m missing.

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

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.

I was at a private event at Teatro in the Opera room. I had never been to Teatro for more than just a glass of wine before but it’s been «on the list» for some time so I was beyond excited to get an invite here.
Teatro and the Opera room (which has a separate entrance around the side) are gorgeous. but that’s to be expected in a renovated historical bank building. Service is stellar but I wasn’t mesmerized by the food which was pretty sad for me.
They started with bread which was great except I got a fragment of olive pit that could have broken a tooth. The wine selection was good (I already know Teatro has a great selection). We had arancini which was above average. A mixed green salad which was so boring it may have been a garnish. Wild mushroom risotto which was good but nothing amazing. Dessert was tiramisu which was pretty tasty (there is a layer in the middle that’s so juicy and refreshing and the rest is a creamy dream).
Overall it was a good meal — olive pit aside — but I know what the organizer paid for that meal and that’s where it unravels for me… Even 50% would have been pushing it but justifiable for a private catered event in a beautiful building downtown based on what was served. Maybe that was acceptable when oil boomed and Teatro hasn’t caught up. I don’t know.
Eating on the other side is still «on the list» but I’m a bit worried after this experience that the food and price tag don’t live up to the hype or historical reputation of the establishment.

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.

Teatro has seen better days
The last time I ate at Teatro was over 15 years ago and at that time, it was very good. However 15 years later, the restaurant seems to be stuck in old times and more intent on filling the private dining area which probably offers a set menu at a volume discount, rather than advancing the food and service of the main dining area.
The interior is a renovated version of the historic Dominion Bank building and is indeed wonderful. High ceilings with large windows and tall support beams encase a variety of seating options. The interior view is indeed pleasant.
The menu itself is an attempt to modernize basic Italian cooking and offers some eclectic dishes such as rabbit and wild boar. The average entrée prices are above $ 30, the seafood lasagna is a hefty $ 39, and the lobster risotto $ 38. The lobster risotto was loaded with butter and weak in texture.
The Caesar salad is a small collection of romaine leaves with a garlic citrus dressing which altogether is very underwhelming and at $ 16, almost absurd. The Tagliatelle Bolognese is a small clump of (to my liking… overcooked) pasta with parmigiano on top. At a restaurant of this magnitude (i.e. «these prices»), I would expect a waiter to come over with a block of parmigiano and shave a desired amount on the dish. And the same goes for fresh pepper which instead of being applied in a desired amount by a waiter, is relegated to a small acrylic grinder that had been handled by loads of previous guests and surely not cleaned every time. It is sure a strong carrier of germs.
However if the prices and the lack of personalized services don’t mesh that’s one thing, but having a waiter who seems to be paid a commission on the size of the bill and his penchant for pushing cocktails on the guests at every chance, is a tad «old school» and very annoying.
I arrive with one other guest and the waiter asks «can I get you a cocktail». I reply, «we are waiting on two other guests and I think we should wait. The waiter replies «I assure you it is not impolite to go ahead and order a drink». I reply, «no thanks, we’ll wait». Waiter comes back 2 minutes later and asks «Are you sure you don’t want to order a cocktail». We finish our meal and are ready to leave because we pre-​advise the waiter we were going to the hockey game and the waiter says «sure you wouldn’t like one more drink before the game?». Are you serious?
You can fool some of the people some of the time but not all of the people two times. I would recommend the waiters be a bit more humble and back off on the sales pitch. Or, lower prices by 30% and pitch away!
Teatro does have a convenient location and a nice interior and I would think the private area would also be attractive for corporate events. However as far as service and food quality, there are many other places that are better and less expensive in Calgary.

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.

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 décor 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.

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

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 19^th 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 Crème 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.

I have found myself at Teatro’s for its express lunch again. It’s such a perfect venue with a grand, white interior and just $ 25 for three courses of deliciousness. Service was surprisingly slow this time however… My «express» lunch went from 12:15pm to 1:50pm today. I only meant to be away from work for an hour so I’d have to say I was quite disappointed in the snail-​pace service of everything today.
Teatro’s food itself was solid as usual however. Today perhaps was an off day as I have never seen it this slow in my past 20+ visits.

That was a fabulous dinner and experience! It was my fifth time at Teatro, and although some experiences ranged somewhere pretentious and boring, this last experience was excellent. Our server was great, all staff that waited on us were fabulous. We came on a Sunday night so it wasn’t too busy, i’d say at least 60−70% full.
We ordered a Caesar salad. Probably one of the best I’ve ever tried in my life. It was simple and unassuming but packed with flavor, fresh ingredients and so happy about the quality because that’s what you expect when you come to a restaurant like this. The staff explained the courses as they came out, another bonus.
My date and I shared everything. They were accommodating with that, very understanding and split plates for us. Next came the pasta course. It was delectable. I close my eyes with delight. The textures, the flavors, all to such a high standard.
Then we ordered the lamb. It was very good. Throughout our meal, we had our glass of wine, which was so lovely. Our server helped him choose and that was great.
We saw a couple of famous actors come in for dinner. That was exciting. I guess they are shooting AMC’s Hell on Wheels. It was a fun and unexpected highlight.
The bill came up to around $ 120? Expensive. Was it worth it? We used some gift cards I had saved from a couple years ago. There was no problem with that. It was a fun night :)) I’ll say four stars.

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.

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.

I’ve heard a lot of good things about TeAtro so when Big Taste was here, I was excited as they offered a 5 course gourmet dinner for $ 65.
Reservations were made Thursday night for 7:45PM. Teatro is located downtown so you could imagine parking can be impossible to find. They do have a small lot but I would say it fits about 8 – 10 cars and its quite tight.
There were 5 of us ladies who came to dine. The Big Taste menu was handed to us and waters were immediately filled and our server introduced himself. We all saw the menu ahead of time and I was scoped out some photos on social media so we knew what we wanted. We were handed a basket of complimentary breads and I took a piece of what looked similar to focaccia, I took a bite and it was unexpectedly salty. Other breads were nothing special but we were starving so it made do.
First course, the majority of us ordered the house-​cured bresaola which is air dried salted beef and it came with arugula, pickled apple and shaved foie gras. The portion was tiny and I could swipe the beef with my fork and it would all be gone in a bite. The other option was carrot and saffron soup which my one friend ordered Course 2 was between beef tartar and eggplant. I ordered the eggplant and tomato terrine dish which apparently had house cured egg yolk and fennel. I could only taste tomato throughout the whole dish — not impressed. I tried a bite of beef tartar and it was good! Flavorful and much better than the eggplant. As time went on, our waters were filled and it was nice that each dish didn’t take too much time in between. Course 3 options were sweet pea risotto or thyme gnocchi. The sweet pea risotto came with little pieces of pancetta, it was mixed with some mascarpone and micro greens. I enjoyed this dish and if it was 4 times bigger, it would have been perfect. It was smooth and creamy with the crunch to the peas and the saltiness of the pancetta, a great combination. I tried the gnocchi which was in mushroom bolognese sauce and I found it way too soft. I like gnocchi that has a bite but this gnocchi just melted away with no flavor.
Moving on to the main course and the options were braised pork shoulder and salmon. I was the only one who went with the salmon and was rather disappointed when it came. It was a very thin piece of salmon on top of cauliflower mixture with a little brush of lemon preserve, it didn’t take me long to finish. The rest had the pork shoulder and I was quite jealous when I saw their decent size of meat. Their pork was on top of some cicerchia which is similar to chick peas and mixed with some sweet and sour onions. I had a taste and it wasn’t anything special and my gfs weren’t impressed either — some didn’t even finish it all. Last but not least, my favorite part of dining… dessert. I went with the chocolate hazelnut torta, and a couple went with the lemon meringue tart. I’ve been pretty excited because I was looking at photos on Instagram. The chocolate torta was OK, I was super sad to discover that the ‘ice cream’ on the side wasn’t ice cream but vin cotta :(the candied hazelnuts were nice but overall the torta again, wasn’t anything special. I tried a bite of the lemon tart and immediately regretted ordering the torta. Although it was super sweet, it was better. The meringue was a nice crunch and there was a balanced tartiness.
Our overall experience was meh. I had really high expectations for Teatro and I was sadly let down. The service was okay — not once did they come by and ask how everything was but they did come and top up our waters frequently. Luckily they did offer complimentary bread at the beginning or else we would have been hungrier even though we were still hungry at the end. The presentation of each course was nice but the taste just wasn’t worth the price to me. Yes, I do understand fine dining but if the portions are tiny and taste amazing it’s definitely worth it but these portions were just tiny and didn’t blow me (or us) out of the water. We all left hungry.

I had such high hopes for Teatro was was terribly dissapointed. For the prices you pay, the food should be excellent and the service should be even better. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case here.
The food itself was just alright. I didn’t find it to be anything special, although I did enjoy the lemon dessert. What surprised me the most about Teatro was the service we received from our server, Adrian, who clearly didn’t want to be there and was rude and dismissive for the duration of the night. His attitude made my boyfriend and I feel extremely uncomfortable on what was supposed to be an enjoyable celebratory birthday dinner. It certainly wasn’t all the servers that were responding shortly and failing to pay attention to the restaurant patrons though. When we looked around, we noticed that all the other servers had smiles on their faces and were pleasant. Even the girl at the front was understanding when we explained our lack of a good night. So all in all, maybe we just had a negative experience because of our particular server. Regardless, I don’t think we will be returning.

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 entrée. 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 entrée 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.

No matter where we try, teatro remains one of my top 2. This place is a go to for romance, and a leisurely meal. Do not come here to eat and run, you come to stay awhile and relax… The outter world doesn’t exist while here.
Enjoy the tasting menu, or just the entrees. The best calamari I’ve ever had, and an amazing ceaser salad.
Wasn’t a fan of our waiter, too snobby for my liking. I love great food, I have no problem paying for great food, I just like it sans snobbery. I asked for a glass of rose and was informed that its a poor choice as its low quality… Umm I dont care, I like it, now be a dear and go fetch it. Thanks.
Apart from that I will return whenever my hubby allows me ;)
Merci teatro, I love that I can rely on you when my mouth wants to party.

A lot of mixed feelings about this place, in general I am not a big fan of fine dining. However, when I dine at such restaurants I have ultra high expectations.
We went there on a Saturday night for the chef tasting menu. There was total of 8 courses paired with different type of wines (Almost 300 $).
Before I describe the food, I should mention that the service is excellent and nothing short of Michelin star restaurants. On the other hand, the food for me was a lot of hit and misses during the night with more miss than hits.
We started the dinner with an asparagus soup which was not that tasty and too watery in my opinion. Then we had the beet salad which was tasteless. Afterward was the biggest disappointment of the night, the cured meat and melon course. This is a very classic combination which does not required any cooking at all. However, they managed to process the melon to a state that ruined the taste and texture. A good example of keep it simple stupid analogy. However, the next course, was the highlight of the dinner, smoked coconut pasta. A truly unique flavor and perfectly balanced. The fish and meat course was good but nothing special. The cheese and apple course was a disappointment again. The cheese was again transformed in to a very unpleasant soup. The meal was finished with probably the best ice cream of my life. Salted caramel, soft and creamy.
In general, I do not believe I will go back there. For almost 300 $, I was expecting more. It was good food but when you go to a restaurant you expect to be wowed. You don’t want to eat a very good steak and potato mash which probably you can have a much better version of it at any good steak house.
Somebody told me that Teatro deserves a Michelin star, I should say not even in their dreams. They are not even close to the quality and flavor of a Michelin star restaurant. Most people cannot be amazed by the gimmicks and at the end of the night they will just remember the taste.