The Trop

Tried the Trop last night for my first time and it was a ball! Their live band was loads of fun, the bartender, Joaquin was charming, and the Trop burger was juicy satisfaction. It included perfectly salted/​crispy fries costing only $ 10!!! Some Friday night exclusive special I guess. Will go back again.

Love love love this place the food the staff all of it. Love seeing the owner as well pitching in and helping out. HIs staff seems to really like him .
been going here for years.

Just moved to Calgary and checked out The Trop last Thursday! Good atmosphere, good drinks, but it was our server that made our night! D was AMAZING. Not only did she keep our drinks full throughout the night, she had us laughing all night too! Honestly the best server ever. If you head to the Trop make sure you ask for D’s section… she will make sure you have a blast! Can’t wait to explore the rest of Calgary, but I’ve definitely found my regular drinking hole at the Trop in D’s section!!!

If you like disrespect and moody staff that hate their job. That would be the place to be ., also creepy old man hitting on younger girls ., again that’s the place to be!
Owners have no business sense no respect ., no professionalism
I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone

We must have gone on an «off» day… There was no heat. Our server was super unenthusiastic and despite it being almost empty, the service was pretty slow. No one there knew how to change the channel on the TV for football (all the customers there were watching football) so the games that people wanted to watch were not on, and the volume was only turned up on a game no one was interested in.
The food was decent.
They don’t take debit as a form of payment, so you have to use their expensive ATM or credit card. A bit of an inconvenience.

I liked this place a lot more than I expected to. I cringed when we came in, seeing a standing crowd of people – the place was packed. Our friends had somehow snagged a table. Oddly enough, it seems the clientele here prefers to stand.
There was a live band, and I kinda liked them. They played older stuff, like the Hollies and Fleetwood Mac. Birthday girl wasn’t happy. She wanted to dance, but the tunes weren’t exactly dance club stuff and there wasn’t much room anyway. I liked it. I sat back and enjoyed excellent service from a young and on-​the-​ball waitress. My drink never went dry. The shots came quick.
I noticed one reviewer here refer to this as a ‘Cougar Bar’ and i realize she was right! That might explain all the attention our table got from assorted twenty and thirty something males. Even I got a little action from some late twenties hoodie guy who insisted on putting his arm around me to ask dumb questions.
And I say go for the people watching. We observed a table full of people refuse shots from another table. One woman crossed the bar to pour her shot into the buyer’s beer. I went outside for a smoke, and listened to an intense conversation between two men about respect and the lack of it. An apology was flippantly offered. Apology was declined., and both left without any fists flying, arguing at the entrance. They stopped long enough to open the door for me and give me a polite hello.
Some big guy started staring down my friend’s boyfriend after she ignored him so we had to leave. Someone paid my tab, the waitress didn’t really notice who, so I gave her a twenty and told her she was a fantastic server.
Where I come from, this is an interesting night. I’d go back.

I love pub food, so using my handy dandy Unilocal app we found a perfect place for lunch. My gf and I decided to share the BBQ chicken lettuce wraps and Forest Pizza. Being that it wasn’t busy, our food came out relatively quickly and it looks awesome! The lettuce wraps came with an array of toppings — 3 sauces (soy, creamy sriracha and vinaigrette), pickled veggies, crispy wonton strips and rice.
I assembled my lettuce wrap as best as I could (FYI lettuce wraps are and will always be messy no matter what!) and introduced my mouth to a wonderful world of deliciousness! The melody of flavors from the chicken, sauces and veggies were awesome!
Next up was the pizza. The arugula gave it a fresh look, and after taking a bite, I also realized it complimented the roasted mushrooms with a woodsy taste. The parm cream sauce was great, and be forewarned that there are quite a few cloves of roasted garlic hiding under the layer of cheese.
Quite impressed with the food here, and although this place is a bit far from neck of the woods I wouldn’t hesitate to come back for the lettuce wraps!

Cougar Bar! Went with friends and were at least 20 years younger than any other patrons.
Creepy old men everywhere and the service was meh.
I’m interested in going during daylight hours and trying the food. I’m scared I will leave in mom jeans and with a leather bomber jacket.

The Trop is my favourite neighbourhood pub in the city. OK fine, I also happen to live nearby… but regardless of my neighbourly bias, I think these guys have figured it out.
No matter the night of the week, you can walk into The Trop for anything from a casual dinner, to a swifty or even a night out dancing. The menu has a wide variety of options — as Conlan S. mentioned — the waffle poutine is to die for! If you’re looking for something a bit healthier, the lettuce wraps are also amazing. They even do gluten-​free pizza crusts.
The Trop has figured it out so well, that Friday and Saturday often have a line up! Every weekend, you’ll find a lively band entertaining the diverse crowd (seriously, the crowd will range between 18 – 75 years old on any given night), the dance floor packed and friendly servers trying to keep up.
Looking for a summer patio? The Trop is also fantastic on warm summer evenings. Although they have a north facing patio, it is a great place for an early afternoon pint before the sun gets too low.
My favourite night at The Trop? Definitely Wednesdays, for a wide variety of wing flavours and a glass of wine.
Overall…
Good food? Check
Great bands? Check
Diverse customer base? Check
TVs showing sports? Check
Daily specials? Check
Comfortable seats? Check
My only suggestion for improvement? Stock more ciders for us non-​beer drinkers out there!
–
L

This is my second review of The Trop, but highly necessary.
The Trop, where to start. It’s the local dive bar that has been dramatically cleaned up and the clientele is an absolute gem!
The Trop is by-​far the best bar in Marda Loop, and it just barely qualifies for being in the neighbourhood. Closer to Mount Royal than anywhere else, it sits on 14^th street at 34^th ave SW, only a $ 5 cab ride from 17^th Ave, and worth every cent.
They have a daily special ranging from wings nights to half priced wine and even Jäger is on special on Sarurdays… Which is unheard of.
Friday and Saturday is always live music and it’s always packed and often with a lineup so don’t forget to come early. The bands are amazing, mostly playing 70’s through 90’s cover songs with a great space for dancing!
The clientele is generally 30+, with a great group of 40+ that are out to drink, sing, and dance to their favourite songs. Everyone is incredibly friendly, all the way from the local sitting at the bar to the bar owner Brad, who is always around and checking to see that your night is turning out just perfect!
This bar is an absolute must-​visit and remember to bring friends as you are always in for a treat!
Finally, this bar was extremely kind to us in June after the floods. The management treated our entire group of «floodees» to drinks and were incredibly hospitable.
6 stars to this bar!

Waffle Poutine is a must try! And you have to add the pulled pork and ranch.
The Trop has become a gem since they spruced the place up. They have a good sized patio (although it doesn’t really get afternoon sun) and the servers are always fun.
I have been here numerous times and have not been disappointed. On the weekends, they have rotating bands. The best of which was a Beatles Cover band. AMAZING!
The bands they have attract an older crowd which is nice. There are still a ton of people dancing and singing, but none of the teenage BS.
The Trop is a great place to go if you want to have good food and drinks!

Located stumbling distance from our place in the SW, it’s a great place to watch the game. Pretty dead a lot of the time, but the wait staff and bar staff are really nice.
Food is kind of gross… but I’ve sat in there on a Sunday from 11 until 7 — I know, my liver is still hating on me.
Good spot.

I ordered take out from here one night and after looking at their lovely menu I decided on the burger and caesar salad. It came to $ 15 once I added cheese and the tax. A little pricey but the description on the menu sold me.
I walked into a surprisingly nice modern pub. Not at all what you’d expect from the outside. Very nice décor. Small but lots of seating.
I was not told on the phone when I ordered that they only take cash or credit. Luckily I had my credit card but was a little annoyed I wasn’t warned about this.
The salad was possibly the worst Caesar salad I’ve ever had. Literally just lettuce, fake bacon bits and runny dressing that most likely was just Kraft dressing.
The burger was a decent size and came with all the fixings. It left a burnt charboiled taste in my mouth and definately did not match the mouthwatering description in their menu.
All I was looking for was a good pub burger and Caesar salad. This place is overpriced for subpar food.

After coming back into Calgary after a morning drive out to Canmore was hankering for a lunch and to catch the start of the Spain vs. Italia game. The Trop was the choice based on good food and mostly friendly service on a previous visit.
Spicy shrimp wrap is awesome — in my opinion — and comes with two sides of your choice — mine was mixed greens and fries. There are lots of big screens to capture games if you like. One of the owners– Mark — is friendly cruises around ensuring the food is up to expectations and ensures all is good. Wednesday is ‘wing nite’ and the flavors and quality are very good!
There is good value for food and the beers are well priced. Nice part of this place is there are few to no ‘kiddies’ which makes the place vibrant yet sedate which most places along 17^th are wrought with.

³⁄₃₀
The first time I went here, it cost me over $ 75 because the cab driver took me to a similarly named place in Forest Lawn. Then he informed me that he was glad to be taking me to a place in Marda Loop because picking up customers in Forest Lawn is scary at night. Horror tales of ladies of the evening vomiting in his back seat. Um… gross.
Fun, cozy place to go to see local bands and have a couple of pints. I can’t comment on the service, because whenever I’ve gone here, it was for shows, so I went to the bar for drinks rather than wait for a waiter to come around. This place is certainly cleaner and less sticky than other rock clubs in the city.
From the looks of the photos, I should come back for the food. Some day soon :).

Apparently this resto was recently refurbished from a somewhat place of ill-​repute to that of a brick fireplace, brew and sports bar spot. Going in — it was a bit dark for a bright afternoon, but the décor was fairly modern, and the food was a decent price. We were surprised that each meal came with two sides — a pretty decent bunch of options too (soup of the day, sweet potato chips, salads).
The food itself was very good — I had a quesadilla, and it was melty to perfection; I ordered along side the soup (a ‘nothing to write home about’ carrot ginger, but it was okay) and some chips and salsa. Others at my table got the monte cristo sandwich, and a club sandwich with fries. Food tasted great by all accounts.
The only negative that I had to say about the space, was the length of time to get our meal — for a quick lunch it might not be the go-​to. I’m not sure if the length of time it took us to get our meal was indicative of the wait time usually, or it was just a glitch. Either way, I’d definitely go back again to find out.
All in all — great spot, it wasn’t that busy, decent cost, and great food. Just don’t have plans scheduled for right afterwards, as you might be a while.

The Trop ain’t the Tropicana. Upscale and cozy with a good menu and primo décor. Prices are in line with the neighbourhood, albeit less expensive than the Garrison.
For something a bit different be sure to try the fingerling potatoe salad as a side. It’s a hot salad with ample bacon in for good measure.
I’ll be sure to come back for live music as the venue should make for intimate shows.
I can easily recommend the bar.

This seems like a somewhat random place to have a pub. There isn’t much going on around it, save for a café, hair salon, and a bunch of houses. Still, this is quite an interesting place to have a drink and some food.
They’ve got some killer drink and food specials every now and then, which makes partying here easy and cheap. The food is pretty tasty for a pub. I especially enjoyed their fries. I don’t know what they put on those bad boys, but man, are they delicious!
Another cool thing about Tropicana is that they have live DJ’s from time-​to-​time. I haven’t been on a Thursday yet, but they have a lot of advertising for that particular night. Perhaps I’ll check out it sometime.
The people at this place are pretty chill and casual, too. It’s nice to be able to have a decent conversation with just about any person in there and not feel strange or awkward. It’s definitely a nice place to enjoy a drink with a couple of friends, or make a few new ones!

A seedy little bar just off Marda Loop with a ton of live music, the Tropicana can be a really fun place to be. I love the rock crowd that has showed up to see some pretty good local bands — the bar has a great energy and feels a little anything goes. The crowd, however small, has been really good to the bands, and really gotten into the music. There is nothing like that energy that comes from being at a really hopping show.
It is really small, and long and has a bit of a biker bar atmosphere. The drinks are pretty cheap. It is a great place to check out if you want something unpretentious, rocking and fun.

The good ol’ Trop. I had heard, on several occasions, that the Tropicana was the place to be. Of course, I heard this from a friend who works there and another friend who lives across the street from it. Biased, to say the least.
But I was dragged down there one night near the end of the summer by the employee to drink with the regular friend (my life is a series of these types of coincidences). It did not disappoint.
The Trop is a pretty standard bar. Although they recently renovated, it is by all accounts a dive bar. Not somewhere I would take a date, but definitely somewhere I would drink myself to incoherent speech.
They have bands playing regularly, which is great for you music-​watching folk. I myself am not a big fan of live bands. I have my list of bands that I will see, should the opportunity arise, but beyond that I’m not interested. The Trop had a band that night and they put on a great and entertaining show. It does get loud though, as I discovered when I mistakenly tried to have a conversation with my future mother-​in-​law over the phone.
It’s not a big bar, so I wouldn’t recommend it for a large group, but it’s definitely worth it for a smaller group looking to hear some live music. The music also sounds really good, which is surprising for any local bar, but especially for one as small and narrow as The Trop is.