BottleHouse

I gotta remember to go to BottleHouse more. I’m writing this review as a reminder to myself and everyone else that they should go to Bottle house more.
The Food is great as is the beer, and they’ve even got a south facing patio overlooking the river. It’s also overlooking the often noisy Memorial/​10^th Street intersection. But hey, it’s still a great place to soak up the sun, people watch joggers on the paths and laugh at road-​ragers along Memorial.
Grabbed the fried chicken as per Paul G.‘s suggestion and it lived up to the hype! THE place for fried chicken? I don’t know… but it’s definitely a fantastic place for fried chicken! It’s also a fantastic place for beer.
I would say that BottleHouse is a lot along the lines of a Local (510, maybe) or a National (17^th maybe) but removed from all the hype that is 17^th Ave. You can have the same sort of high end pub food and drink experience but with out as much of a crowd. If you want that cool, trendy, Calgary gastropub feel that’s just a little more laid back, this is the perfect spot.
Sounds good, doesn’t it?

I really like this place! It reminds me of Bier Market in Toronto but with better food. Huge selection of beer (not as many as Bier Market but it has all of the good ones). It’s very clean and cozy inside too, which is a plus. Must try :)

We went on a Saturday morning and it was pretty quiet. I love the location, lots of light and the place was really noticeably clean. Everyone was friendly and helpful, but the food was SO good! I had the apple pancakes and everything even the butter or bacon was excellent!

For whatever reason this location has never been a success for the various businesses that existed before Bottlehouse. It has a lot going for it when compared to many places — the place is located in a high-​traffic corner /​highly visible /​centrally located /​etc. I think it’s a nice little pub. I would give it 3 stars or more except the last time i was there we waited quiet a while before getting menus, when we got our wings they were the tiniest wings I’ve ever had — they looked more like quail or frog than chicken wings.

Great service, great food. Have been multiple times now and have always left satisfied. The burgers are super tasty and the Rosemary lemon fries that you can substitute are to die for! Service staff have always been friendly and attentive which is not very common at most places these days. Will definitely return!

Had the beef dip. They an overly sweet sauce on it. Was not what I expected and not to my liking

The BottleHouse has been around for a while now under this name but I believe it is under new ownership as of shortly after the floods of June 2013. The outdoor seating seems much tidier than it has in the past and I notice they got rid of the plant pots with clematis vines that were along the sidewalk. While pretty they were a constant source of smoldering fires thanks to smoker’s discarding their cigarettes in the peat moss filled planters (some people just don’t seem to get it). The menu is gastro pub style so a bit fancier than typical pub fare. You will see traditional pub menu items but the ingredients are fresher, tastier than you will find and your suburban local. I had the burger which was juicy, flavourful and cooked perfectly. The dressing had a nice tang and the tomato and lettuce crisp and fresh. The on tap draft selection is quite nice and the happy hour specials for friday included bottles of wine which was a nice surprise. There seems to be a real interest in providing good service and we had the opportunity to witness on the job training which was very focused on being effecient while providing the customer a great experience. Wish it was just a bit closer (although maybe that would be dangerous) as its still a bit of a stroll to get home. As it is its right on our route from work which may prove itself just too convenient. Oh yes I should mention for sports fans, there lots of TVs and they do get the premiership footy and in the past have done the rubgy championships as well as cricket.

Came here for brunch. The lack of people there should have been a sign that this place wasn’t good, but we went anyway.
I ordered the chicken and waffles. Mistake. It was the flattest, grainiest waffle I’ve ever had in my life. The chicken was also super dry. I would have preferred freezer chicken nuggets and an Eggo waffle. My boyfriend ordered the granola which barely had any granola. And the granola that was there was worse than store bought generic brand granola. We also had the street noodles, which basically was noodles soaked in soy sauce. Disgusting. The menu overall was all over the place– too many items that were so random. Gordon Ramsey would be horrified by this restaurant.
To top it off, the service was terrible. Considering there was only 2 other tables there, we still waited 45 minutes for our food. We were literally about to leave as it came out. We asked for a refill on coffee and our waitress came by, holding the coffee carafe and didn’t give us any. We had to ask again and she admitted forgetting. Wtf.
Needless to say, I’m never returning here. The only good thing was the view from the deck.

This is a great little spot that’s totally underrated! I bought a Groupon for two to dine ($ 15 for $ 30 of food) and my boyfriend and I came for brunch! It was great! I had the pork belly eggs benedict and was super impressed. I had low expectations because 1) it was a Groupon and 2) because when we arrived the restaurant was totally deserted, but it ended up being an awesome place. Our waitress was very friendly and nice, and we had a great patio seat that looked out onto the river. Don’t be wary of this place, it’s rad!

I had purchased a groupon online, knowing that we were going to be in the area and I was looking for discounts.
When we first arrived, it was difficult to tell if the were open. However the server came out promptly, and allowed us to sit anywhere in the restaurant. There is a bar with stand up tables, and a back section with more sit down eating where we chose to sit. The place looked nice upon first arrival, but wasn’t overly fancy.
The washrooms, although clean left a little bit to be desired and the one thing that detracted from the overall visit. They could use some maintenance, or replacement as they had some very bad lime and calcium deposits, and would benefit from some sprucing up.
Server was very prompt and polite, making sure to keep our water full. When we first sat down I made a point of asking if although we had a group on for four, if the fact that we had three people only would make a difference and it did. Unfortunately this was my fault as I should have ensured they would accept it, and instead got the coupon for two. However, where in most cases servers have treated us differently if we were using a coupon she did not, and that always goes a long way.
We had not eaten all day, and the use of the coupon was a big reason for choosing the establishment so what we ordered did change a little bit in order to try saving some money. My mom got an Italian sausage flat bread, while Karen and I split a buttermilk breaded chicken, which we opted to add caramelized pineapple to and substitute for the rosemary lemon French fries. They did not disappoint on ANY of the foot that we received. From the minute we took our first bite, we were impressed and due to that fact we decided very quickly that we were going to have desert.
I have heard of Cro-​nuts before, but have never been to an establishment that served them. We the quality of the food here, there was no option not to and they were equally as good. However, this was the one point where the cost was not really justified for such a desert. It was good for three people to split, and although they taste great, there are literally almost like eating air.
By the time we had finished are meal, the restaurant had started to fill up considerably. It is evident that there is likely a considerable lunch rush, but would say they are probably popular all day. We would likely come back here, with or without coupons.

I went here a couple of times with Groupons and each time had a very good experience. The staff here are pretty good. They have a more extensive drink menu than most bars, although some of the bottles were a little bit expensive. I did notice they have some pretty reasonable (for Calgary) happy hour prices. The food was definitely above par but would have been kind of expensive without the Groupon. I recall most of the meals were somewhere around $ 14-​$ 17. The patio here has a nice view of the river and downtown, which makes this a great spot to chill on a nice day. This location has long been kind of the «black hole» of restaurants but I really hope BottleHouse is around for a while, I really like it.

Went here today for lunch with my family, and I will say that I have been here before and loved it. I don’t remember what I had then but I seem to recall it being a positive experience!
First off, I am a waiter’s worst nightmare, and I know that. I am not only a vegetarian (pescatarian to be precise, I occasionally eat seafood) but I am also gluten free. Which is usually not too hard to accommodate. I’m not the kind of special eater that feels like everyone should bend around my weird digestive system, I can always find something to eat anywhere (yay for salads!)
That being said, the Bottlehouse does not have one single vegetarian entrée on the menu. Not even a vegetarian flatbread! This is bordering on unacceptable, really. Loads of people don’t eat meat. I could understand not including a veggie entrée if it was a steakhouse or a BBQ place… but it is neither.
They did have GF bread and flatbreads though, so if I did eat meat I would have been excited.
Anyway I settled on the Ahi Tuna Salad which was supposed to have tuna, fresh veggies and a passion fruit vinegarette with some sashimi style tuna and edamame. Sounds good right? (Well if you like raw fish, it sounds good)
After what seemed like forever the food came and it looked beautiful, I wish I could say the same for the taste. The dressing tasted like hardly anything which was par for the course for the rest of the meal. Which was basically raw tuna, some carrots, beans and a bland dressing.
Also to note, two of my family members had cold soup, that was not supposed to be cold.
This makes me sad to write a less than glowing review of this place because I’ve liked it in the past — and that location is tough and I think this is the longest one place has stayed there in recent memory.
I felt really frustrated that if I didn’t eat fish, I would have been chomping on a house salad as the only option. That’s pretty sad, Bottlehouse (that being said, I probably should have done that)

My second time here, almost time to become a regular the food is so good!
First go around we stopped in for lunch. Great atmosphere, very modern yet comfortable. I had the short rib sandwich, delicious!
This time we happened to arrive before 1:30 so they were still serving brunch. Crab cake Benedict it is! The most expensive Benny on the menu at $ 14, it was worth every penny. I would definitely recommend to check it out, seems every meal here is a great meal!

Can’t tell you how many times we’ve driven by this place and wondered what it was like? They had a groupon on so why not give it a shot? Sure glad we did! Ordered a crispy chicken sandwich and the short rib sandwich both upgraded with poutine fries.
Both sandwiches were delicious! But between the two we both agreed that we would order the chicken sandwich again. Chicken was indeed crispy but still moist juicy.
Service was excellent, our server very friendly and attentive and we in fact told him that it was the groupon that brought us in but the food and service is what will bring us back.

THE place for fried chicken in town. I went here in the early days and was not impressed, but decided to give it another try recently as they have a new menu, and have managed to survive a long time at the intersection of 10^th and Memorial, a.k.a. The Corner Where Restaurants Traditionally Go To Die.
The menu is 20 or so items, with unusual but tasty sounding indulgences such as tempura fried cheese curds. The dishes that came out to other tables looked good and were gobbled up quickly. We got the seasonal fish, moist and flakey sablefish with citrus butter sauce that was perfectly pan fried to crispness. The underlying couscous with cranberries was a good match. The manager came and checked on us as it was a new preparation. Nice touch.
The «Bucket of Chicken» was recommended by our server and did not disappoint. You get a high quality whole half chicken worth of pieces (larger than your standard fryer bird), with the breast (cut in two) and thigh deboned. The meat is well seasoned from the butter milk marinade without losing its firmness. Even the dark meat is pretty light, and is not sinewy at all. The crispy coating has a good spice mix in it, and fine cornmeal for added crunch. The bucket is served with a large wedge of respectable cornbread (fairly moist, a bit sweet, fairly crumbly), and an addictive maple-​butter dipping sauce.
Both entrees were $ 15, good value for money. The Caesar was good and spicy, with an olive-​sausage-​cheese spear, $ 5 on Sunday. Very accommodating on making a delicious sugar-​free mojito for my wife. The south facing patio is a bonus.
Good service, good prices, quality drinks, great chicken. Five stars!

First real day of 20+ weather means patios and since my friend and I were in the area we decided to go hit up this patio for some drinks.
I found the beer selection to be alright — by the bottle; pint selection was so, so. As we sat and had our first beer we decided to have some of their wings (they were on special) but we waited for quite some time for our waitress to come back.
We ordered hot and chili jalapeño ginger wings and I have to say they were just ok. Some seemed a bit dried out and the others had way to much sauce.
Overall this experience was ok but not anything special.

I think this is the first update I’ve ever done!
Service here has GREATLY improved. Light years. We had a delicious Friday lunch. There were 5 of us and we were in and out in about an hour. Great service, well timed and the food was really good. I like how they have standard pub fare with creative, tasty twists.
Its also nice that they’ve made it two years now. I’m glad they have found their service rhythm because the food is worth trying.

Dear Calgary,
This love affair with mayo, oh… I’m sorry, ~*aioli*~ has got to end.
I can understand putting it on sandwiches, especially when your protein component is dry and not the freshest, so you’re making up for it by slathering it with whipped sauce.
I can understand serving it with sweet potato fries, even though to me; fries = ketchup, but you want to make up for the pseudo-​healthiness of deep fried vegetables by, again, smothering them in whipped sauce.
I can understand that you want to lure the mayo haters in to a TRAP by putting garlic in it and then calling it ~*aioli*~.
But only in Calgary, do I ever have to utter the words:
«Please, no mayo on my tacos.»
Why. WHY. Why is this the default sauce up here? And on a taco? It’s bad enough that the tacos here are a ridiculously loose interpretation of what an actual taco is, but then you add insult to injury by drowning it in emulsified embryo. When a soft shell is used for this hot mess, it just turns the entire bottom of the taco in to a goopy vegetable baby-​food-​esque-​mush that will wind up in your lap if you aren’t savvy.
I guess it could’ve been worse. At least it wasn’t raspberry vinaigrette.
— end rant —
On to the good! Bottlehouse is very clean, with cozy seating decorated with kitschy memorabilia from all over Canada. Our booth had a license plate from Quebec. Lots of TVs to watch the game, but quiet enough that you can talk to your friend across from you in comfort. The bathrooms are well maintained, also.
The prices here are pretty reasonable for drinks; $ 5 – 6 a pint, and they have quite a variety to choose from. The waitress was pretty meh at times; reacted very strangely when I told her I hadn’t tried my tea yet (waiting for it to cool, because you know, burnt tongue and palette isn’t very appealing), and didn’t know what a blueberry soda was. Those quirks aside, she was accommodating when two of our friends popped in to join us toward the end of our meal.
They have «Know Meat» burgers on their menu, a vegan burger made by a local company in town, but they didn’t have them available when I came in on a Friday night. Hence, «taco» Friday. But I do appreciate that they make some effort to accomodate various dietary needs.
The sweet potato fries had a decent flavor to them, but weren’t crunchy at all, and they weren’t crinkle-​cut as mentioned in another review.
So… on the fence about Bottlehouse. Will have to come back again to see how they serve up the veggie burger.

I really like Bottlehouse. Its in a great location, they have a really great menu, a decent beer list, and a chill atmosphere. The music isnt so loud that it does not allow conversation, and the service seems pretty good too.
Their old menu used to kick ass. I am a lover of paninis, so I loved the fact that a pub had paninis on their menu. I had tried their turkey, brie and cranberry panini. SO good it was hard to believe it was coming from a pub! But that menu is no more. Its been switched up for a new more conventional menu. Alas.
I was also a HUGE fan of their sweet potato fries. They were crunchy, crinkle-​cut and just plain delicious, and was served with a tasty chipotle dipping sauce. YUM! In fact, once I went there JUST to have the sweet potato fries. Although they dont have this item separately on their menu, upon my request, they made me a little (cute!) plate of my beloved sweet potato fries and the dipping sauce. It was a glorious moment.
I am yet to check out their new menu, but I hope its still fantastic. I should go check…
Review #1 of Unilocal’s 30 Day Challenge 2012

Businesses seem to turn over a fair bit in this particular building, though I’ve never heard reason why. The layout is fantastic. It’s a longer room with seating all the way from the front to the back. The back would be ideal to rope off if you wanted to book a small function. The place is more dimly lit with lots of wood. It’s clean and cozy feeling.
If you’re going for food, consider the nachos as your appetizer. They are served with sour cream and chili (instead of salsa). Tasty. I ate the Hoser burger with cream of broccoli soup. I’d give that particular burger three yums up. I was told though that their clam chowder is «to die for.» Verbatim from the people I was there with. So, I guess you should go for the beer that Spencer B pointed out in his review and the nachos I just mentioned and stay for the chowda.