4 Best Restaurants in Calgary, Alberta

Victor and Cathy Caracciolo opened Mercato 15 years ago and it has been a local favorite ever since. Mamma Cathy is still in the kitchen every day, whipping up delicious contemporary Italian fare for a constant stream of regular customers; try the family-style mixed grill or Mamma’s handmade gnocchi using the same recipe she learned from her own mama. There’s also a spacious market that sells cheese, meats, fresh-baked bread, handmade pasta, and ready-cooked meals to take home. Either way, you can’t go wrong.

Named for the former dairy it now inhabits, Model Milk serves upscale comfort food (think burgers, fried chicken, and roasted cauliflower) beneath chandeliers made of glass milk bottles and brick walls, concrete floors, and steel beams that recall the building’s industrial heritage. This trendy restaurant has been on every best restaurant list since it opened in 2011; don't miss the small plates to share like the roasted Alberta carrots or the house pickles or cabbage chips. Some Sundays, the chef whips up prix-fixe three-course meals served family-style. 

Although Calgary is 500 miles from the nearest salt water, Modern Ocean manages to serve up mighty fine seafood---Hawaiian ahi tuna is a local favorite, as is the BC halibut. The sister restaurant to Modern Steak, Modern Ocean provides diners with the same upscale experience in a sublime dining environment. Sustainability is also on the menu: their seafood is ethically caught or farmed in Canada. It's a great place to dine for a special occasion.

Inspired by the natural surroundings of Prince's Island Park, on Bow River, this restaurant has the look of a fishing lodge. The exquisite regional Canadian cuisine includes Northwest Territories caribou, British Columbia oysters and Pacific salmon, Alberta Black Angus beef, and Alberta lamb. The wine list has earned Wine Spectator's Award of Excellence since 1997. With 24-hours advance notice, the restaurant can prepare you a picnic basket to enjoy in the park.