Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Major Tom  
Forty stories above downtown Calgary, the slowly waning sun sets fire to this sprawling, mid–century modern rocket lounge filled with a dressed–up crowd prepared for joyous lift off. It’s also a steakhouse reimagined for the modern age, delivering crispy egg halves topped with pepperoni jam, extra–terrestrial prime rib, and butter–tender chicken slices wreathed in braised button and oyster mushrooms. We may be far above the Earth, but the menu is firmly rooted in the pastures and farms that surround the city. It’s so seductive up here, we may just cut our connection with ground control a little longer. Longlisted as part of Canada’s Best New Restaurants 2022.

Một Tô  
Immigrant kids born in one country and raised in another call themselves the “1.5 generation,” which makes Một Tô the chill, 1.5 gen child of crosstown mom Phô Dâu Bò. “Crunch” could be its own category on the multi–hyphenated menu, judging from the crackly crab pork and taro spring roll and the pho grilled cheese served with a pho broth dipping bowl – an homage to the Western classic and French dip. Not to be missed, the sweet–sour beef carpaccio comes topped with a raw quail egg yolk and a shower of aromatics. And we haven’t even gotten to the pho yet. Longlisted as part of Canada's Best New Restaurants 2022.

Roy’s Korean Kitchen  
Plates of elevated Korean cuisine glide out of the open kitchen on waves of high energy ’80s pop at Roy Oh’s Mission neighbourhood successor to his late, acclaimed Anju. Anything goes here, from Korean spirits–forward drinks and salty and spicy snacks to elegant shared plates and traditional Korean barbecue – making it a good destination for any occasion. Long–time fans of Oh can devour his signature soy maple brussels sprouts with double–smoked bacon alongside newer dishes like black garlic–steamed Salt Spring Island mussels that deliver a surprising serrano chili punch. Longlisted as part of Canada’s Best New Restaurants 2022.

Lulu Bar  
Picture a Pacific Rim surf shack designed by Ralph Lauren. Ceiling fan spinning lazily; outdoor patio in high revelry and tiki drinks on the move. Welcome to Lulu Bar on a summer evening. Beyond the mahogany and surfboard wall art, pineapple makes a (menu) statement, from a Negroni made with aged pineapple rum to lightly pickled in a raw salad served atop macadamia butter (a vegetarian foie gras cooked with liquors and puréed with butter) to a wood–fire–grilled branzino with pineapple apple garum (a saucy combination of pineapple, chili, maple and a little fish sauce mixed with grilled chunks of pineapple) garnished with dill and toasted peanuts. Even the sparkling sake screams summer with Fukucho’s citrusy, champagne–like Seaside Junmai. Lulu Bar was a contender for Canada’s Best New Restaurants in 2019.

Bar Von der Fels  
A mod little wine bar on 1st Street is home to some sneaky–serious good cooking. The tiny open kitchen serves aioli black with activated charcoal and ink to accompany grilled Humboldt squid. The assertively oenophilic owner plucks an open bottle of creamy Jura chardonnay from the 200–year–old enamel ice bucket. Call him over again and he’ll pair something biodynamic with a 10–year–old baked Cortez Island oyster flavoured with tangy yuzu kosho paste and house–dried scallop.

Pigeonhole  
Pigeonhole serves favourites that have been on the menu since day one, such as chicken and dumplings and red Kuri squash with burrata and honey. Nominated in Canada’s Best New Restaurants 2015 by the Air Canada enRoute magazine, don’t miss the Hakurei turnips with pear and chawanmushi (a delicate egg custard) or the duck, parsnip and sea buckthorn.

Charbar  
Executive chef and part–owner Jessica Pelland puts the focus on locally sourced meat, vegetables and fish. Pelland knows her way around the restaurant’s 900°F hardwood coal–fuelled parrilla: There are short ribs, grass–fed butcher steaks and ultra–dry–aged porterhouse steaks as well as the accompanying Argentine–inspired pit sauces and sides. (Hello wood–roasted beets with seeds and queso azul.)

Phil & Sebastian Coffee Roasters  
Start your day with a trip to Phil & Sebastian Coffee Roasters for a single–source–origin espresso and an egg and crispy smoked meat sandwich. This Calgary chain’s latest outpost in the Mission neighbourhood is decked out with white–marble countertops, blond walls, original art and a state–of–the–art Kees van der Westen “Spirit” espresso machine.

Cluck N Cleaver  
Former Top Chef Canada contestant Nicole Gomes has partnered with her sister Francine to open Cluck N Cleaver. Choose from quarter, half and full rotisserie chicken dinners, fried chicken sandwiches and several sides, including potato salad, coleslaw and handmade buttermilk biscuits.

Ricardo’s Hideaway  
Just off 17th Avenue, Ricardo’s is loved for its kitschy island vibe and $10 cocktails. Rum is the house act, with a list that features favourites like mojitos, mai tais, piña coladas and dark ’n’ stormies. Dishes are casual and include a variety of snacks and tapas–style starters, such as plantain and yucca chips and ahi tuna ceviche, with jerk chicken and spicy curries rounding out the mains.