Candela Lounge

My wife’s and my new favorite date night place is Candela Lounge. We really enjoy the fact that we can sample so many unique flavours all in one outing. We have yet to try a dish that we did not like and are quickly forming some «go to» favorites. I like the fact that all dishes are made for sharing.
Another plus is that even when this place is full, conversation is easy with sound levels not as high as you would expect in an open environment like this. I do not know if it is by fluke or design.

Good atmosphere but a bit pricey. $$ on Unilocal shouldn’t equal an $ 80 tab for 2 with no alcohol.

My first experience at Candela had us leaving after 30+ minutes without even so much as getting drinks. This was when they first opened, so I decided to try it out and see if things had improved.
I had high hopes, but none of them met. The food, what everyone really goes to a restaurant for, was alright. There was nothing special about the dishes and they were way too overpriced. $ 18 for two medium sized scallops?!
The chorizo and gnocchi were fine, nothing especially exciting on the palate. They were mostly tomato based without much further seasoning. The best dish we had was the crispy pork belly.
The cocktails were tasty, but again, nothing special. The service was more attentive than my first visit, but again not what I would expect from this caliber of restaurant. While Candela is only a few blocks from my home, I can’t really see myself going back there.

Hits and misses, but it’ll cost you a pretty penny to find out (unless you’re fortunate enough to read the reviews ahead of time). Finally made it in here for lunch but was disappointed with some of the dishes, especially considering Candela’s perceived reputation and price point.
Crispy Pork Belly…5 stars. Excellent! Perfectly prepared cubes of porkbelly… a light but flavorful crispy exterior and tender, juicy interior. The light green apple slaw helps to balance the hardy protein, but still, you’ll want to order a carb or veggie dish to tame the porkbelly’s immense flavors!
Vegetable Tempura…4 stars. Tempura broccolini, carrots, and yams drizzled with a candied ginger sauce. This is a nice take on the Japanese staple. The vegetables are perfectly fried but needed a few more seconds on the draining tray/plate…the tempura was a bit greasy on some of the vegetables. Also, it would’ve been nice to have the ginger sauce on the side as the bottom vegetables had little to no sauce on them. In addition, a side of soy sauce would’ve made use of the accompanying pickled ginger slices and as an alternative for those who didn’t care for the sweet ginger sauce.
Calamari…3 stars. Fried mini calamari rings and tentacles topped with ancho chili mayo, coconut sprinkles, and lime salt. Well seasoned calamari and tasty toppings. it’s a nice blend of the sweet and savory, almost too much for the taste buds to handle (but in a good way). Unfortunately, the dish was held back by an exuberant amount of oil… just way too much grease left at the bottom of the dish, as well as on many of the calamari pieces leaving them soaked and soggy.
Beef Short Rib Tacos…3 stars. Shredded beef short rib topped with sour cream and mango salsa. A generous portion of short rib in each taco. There’s plenty of sour cream, as well, and just a touch of mango salsa. At best, this was an average dish. There’s just something about these tacos that’s missing. The taste of the short ribs is decent and the dressing added another layer of flavor, but the tacos just didn’t wow me.

This is a fun restaurant for upscale cocktails and tapas. The décor is modern and fresh, the server was absolutely helpful, professional and pleasant.
The tapas servings were small for our expectations but tasted good. We went in pretty hungry and left with a decent size tab and still a bit hungry.
Maybe go when you’re looking for a drink and a snack as opposed to a whole meal (unless you’re okay with dropping some $$$).

The food is excellent here and the service was way above average. Someone said service was poor and I just can’t imagine why I thought just the opposite. Some of the items weren’t my favorites (a little heavy) but most delivered what they promised. This is trendy and upscale so don’t expect otherwise but if you are in the mood for a delicious cooktail and tapas then that is exactly what you will get with a big smile.

I was very excited to eat here but was extremely disappointed. The food was nothing special (Korean tacos, meatballs and calamari), the menu seemed confused with a bit of an identity crisis.
The service was subpar, we were forgotten about despite sitting at the bar in view of the staff. A group sitting next to us also seemed to have an issue with their seating and it was embarrassing watching how the staff handled the situation.
Cocktails were below average.
Food, service, vibe all below average.

I moved from the Mission area in November, but many times walked by this place. From the street, it always looked dark (during the day) and quite frankly I had my doubts that this place like many restaurants may not last. Boy was I surprised when I recently went there for dinner.
We went for a friends bday celebration and had the private room located to right when you first walk in. First impression– Wow! The room had one large table and overhead was a collection of punched tin lanterns, and globes of varying sizes… elegant and stunning. The room itself was tasteful — only complaint is that the room was a bit bright — but that was a minor complaint.
Our server was fantastic! A young girl who was professional, poised and polished. She handled our large group so well.
As a vegetarian there were plenty of options from the menu. I ordered 2 items, the roasted beets and the zuccini (sp). Both were delicious. Everything else that the others ordered were also exceptional. A standout was the broccolini in candied ginger. The server said think of it as broccoli in a donut. She was right –bizarre as it sounds, it was delicious — we all couldnt get over how amazing it was.
I wandered through the other side of the restaurant to use the washroom, and was impressed at how beautiful it was. Considerably darker– with a strong morrocan vibe. Relaxed and warm.
All in all, this restaurant was wonderful. We had a great night. We will be back.

This is an adorable little lounge that seems actually quite hidden! The bartenders were great recommending and curating fantastic drinks for my co-​worker and I and the food they served was very different. They combine spicy and sweet together for many of their dishes and it’s absolutely fantastic!
The lounge area is quite large and I love sitting there and watching the bartenders make drinks. The dishes are generally for sharing there are small plates and big plates so definitely something for everyone.
The décor was very much that of modern art. Some of the pictures I feel like I didn’t understand but at the same time they definitely added a nice touch. I’ll be back!

Had dinner here last night with my fiancé and another couple. We started with sangria (2 white and 1 red) which took soooooo long to come out. Probably about 20 mins. The waitress apologized and said they take long to make. Wasn’t impressed. The white was way too sweet. We started with the Meat and cheese board ($ 25) the board is really big but not that much on it. Most of it is taken up by toasted bread. Tasted good but should def be a bigger portion of $ 25. We also had the tomato & buffalo mozzarella ($ 19) again these two starters are listed under their «large portions» but they were both medium sized at best. We also had:
2 beet salads $ 10 each (only thing that was a decent portion)
Kale salad $ 12
Calamari $ 12
Crispy chicken lollipops $ 9
Seared scallops $ 16 (4 tiny pieces in a small bowl)
Lamb meatballs $ 11 (4 meatballs in a small bowl)
Manchego brûlée $ 8
Bunuelos $ 8
(I think that’s the whole list)
Overall we were still hungry after all of this. The place is expensive for the small portions you get.
Totally understand its tapas but not worth it. Everything should prob be a few $ each to make sense. We also had a ton of wine/​mixed drinks too. Bill was almost $ 300 at the end.
Better places to go downtown Calgary.

What can be better than killer cocktails and tapas dishes that change early and often. We’ve been here twice and the food and the service has been outstanding both times. Going in to detail on the dishes doesn’t help much because the menu changes so often that it’s printed on your paper placemat!

An offshoot of Alloy, Candela has a beautiful vintage décor with an interesting colour palette. We went there for a late afternoon lunch and had the place almost to ourselves.
I loved the large bar in the center of the restaurant, and the vintage leather couches. The tapas are delicious and complex. I absolutely loved the ahi tuna sashimi with watermelon — such an amazing combination of flavours.
We will definitely be coming back.

Finally had a chance to check out Candela! I love the ambience in there and think its a great place for drinks. Has an upscale feel, but does not seem pretentious. Definitely more of a mature crowd, which is what I prefer anyways. A place like that wouldn’t be the same if there were tons of raging teenagers.
We arrived a little early for our reservation, which gave us a chance to order some drinks at the bar. The selection was pretty good and I love places that have unique beers. It wasn’t too long before our table was ready. I was a little turned off by the fact that the hostess expected us to carry our own drinks to our table as she just pointed us in the direction to where our table was. So with both our waters and drinks in tow… we found our table and despite the lack of «hostessing», we were excited to eat. The food for the most part was good, however I did feel like every dish had me longing for that burst of flavor. I was not at all unsatisfied, but I did want something more. The chicken tacos however, were awesome! The chutney was delicious and was exactly what I was looking for. Despite where it fell short, i will be back to give Candela another shot.

My friend and I dared to show up without a reservation on a Saturday night, knowing it would be packed, as it had just opened. The friendly hostess told us it would be about a 40 min wait, and we were directed to the bar for a drink. There were no chairs at the bar, as there are tables right behind, so it was a bit awkward having our derrieres really close to some people trying to enjoy dinner.
Lucky for us, we only waited ten minutes until being seated.
Im a big fan of the tapas style menu, and Cadela’s had quite a few options organized neatly into columns.
We tried so many different plates, that Ill just say every single one was amazing, and the service was top notch.

Met up with a girlfriend here the other night for a bite & a chat. Candela has been on my radar for awhile and I was very happy to be able to finally check it out. We made reservations so no problem getting a table. Since my gf was running late I decided to have a cocktail and went with the Rhubarb Mojito. Since I grew up eating Rhubarb by the truck load (my mom grew it) and I love Mojito’s…it sounded like the perfect pairing. And it was.
While I was waiting I took some time to visually take in the lounge. I loved the décor. rather Moroccon-​esque with an old style feel. The lounge is cozy but extremely loud and as such not somewhere I would want to bring a date (unless you wanted loud lol). The bathrooms thrilled me. Typically restaurant bathroom stalls are smallish. so small at times the door touches the toilet and you end up doing yoga moves to try and figure how to get in and out. Here you have at least 4 feet between the toilet and the door and no I’m not kidding. This is a real treat and will make those with claustrophobia happy.
My girlfriend arrived, we ordered some wine and got right to business. So much to choose from made it challenging (we wanted to try everything) but we decided on 4 tapas to start: Calamari, Crispy Chicken Lollipops, Shrimp taco, and the Beets. The chicken lollipops were my least favourite and I wish there had been more shrimp in the tacos but everything had superb flavour and the Calamari was outstanding. Feeling full we still wanted to try more so we ordered the Tomato Salad and finished the evening with the Chili Chocolate Pot Du Crème. The salad was simple & tasty and while I adored the pot du crème (love chocolate & spice), I wish they would have strained the chili seeds and chili pieces out as I really didn’t enjoy chewing on them while eating my dessert.
We really did enjoy our experience here and will most definitely return to try some more of their yummy goodness in all it’s variations.

I seem to be in the minority here. I had high hopes for Candela due to the reviews, but unfortunately was not blown away. Candela was not bad by any means, but it was not spectacular either.
We had a variety of dishes:
— Braised short rib
— Japanese eggplant
— Tuna ceviche
— Some sort of taco (which I cant remember because it honestly was not that memorable)
— Some sort of dessert which I also cannot remember
They were all okay. Nothing stood out, or made us go ‘wow!’. Service was spotty. Our waittress seemed a bit overwhelmed and forgot one of our plates but went back to the kitchen to get them when we reminded her.
The cocktails were the best part of the night. I had the rhubarb mojito, which was really nice. My dining partner had another cocktail which he seemed to enjoy.
3 stars at best.
Review #25 of Unilocal’s 30 Day Challenge 2012

You can tell that a lot of thought and effort has gone into Candela. Everything from the décor, the chairs and the lighting to the menu’s food and beverage options just seem to… fit together, in a way that doesn’t mesh quite as well as at other places. Our server was amazing and introduced us to the restaurant’s concept as well as sharing his thoughts on which dishes were his favourite.
The Tuna Ceviche wasn’t exactly what I expected — rather than small pieces of cut up tuna, each slice of tuna was placed atop a square of watermelon. This made an easy-​to-​share tapa that we all enjoyed. One of the highlights was the Fennel — which was roasted and topped with goat cheese, pomegranate and orange making it an unusually delicious combination. The Striped Bass, with crispy skin, was well seasoned and served with large saffron israeli couscous. It was one our favourites, although it was a bit more awkward to share, because you had to cut the fish into pieces. The Chicharron, Beets, and Bok Choy were also favourites at the table.
Our only regret is that we didn’t have room to try the many other tapas that look incredible… Oh well, we’ll have to be back another time!
Review #5 of Unilocal’s 30 Day Challenge 2012

Review #2 of Unilocal’s 30 Day Challenge 2012
Oh baby… I like your style. Unfinished Moroccan tiles, dark red velvet bench seating, and an all round chill retro-​ish vibe, Candela’s one of those places that make me wanna go «Mmmm…» The first time I walked into Candela, I felt like I had entered the lounge of the most chill hotel in town. Candela’s got style. In fact, it may have a little TOO much style for the city. What am I saying!?! Impossible.
My favourite time to hit Candela is mid-​afternoon. Like, 2−5pm… the designated happy hour. If you’re looking for your next business meeting location, skip the coffee shop and come here.
Once you’re here, you’ll want to order one of the following:
Drinks:
Cherry Sour
La Amante
Rhubarb Mojito
Food:
Tuna ceviche
Bok choy
Tunisian carrot hummus
Short rib
Flank steak
I’m sure I’ll be adding to that list soon… but for now, these are what have stood for me. Especially the tuna ceviche. Nom nom nom.
Also of note, the private dining room. It’s the only spot you can make a reso for and ideal for 10 or a few more guests. You can see right into the kitchen from there as well. Otherwise, if you want in, you’ll have to get there early (I mentioned happy hour, right?) or try your luck.

I love a place that has a playful name, especially one that rhymes with a great world leader, played by Morgan Freeman. Say, did you know he almost died the other week?
*creepy whisper* «CAAAAAAANDEEEEELLAAAAA»
And so carries the conversation when you’re sitting with a finely mixed cocktail in your hand. When you’re friend (s) also have an equally great mix in their hands, they make even better listeners.
I strolled in here hoping to make a cheap cameo on Danelle’s yyceats, I was training and was looking to only try a cocktail. But instead I ended up trying three of their amazing beverages. Each were fairly priced but I almost felt bad for getting LIT because folks…
Men (and women) drink for taste, getting drunk off great cocktails is for teenagers
Also this is what I get for skiping their tappas, they looked like they tasted AMAZING. I’d love to come back. But the three drinks I got were: La Amante (tequila came through quite nicely), eden (girly drink but the kalamansi was lovely, ahem), and side car (BOSS LEVEL).
–1 star for relegating our table from their private room because we didn’t seem to have enough people attending. Listen, WE CLASSY CANDELA, now you let us discuss economics, judo, etc…
Unilocal’s 30 Day Challenge 2012 — ²⁄₃₀

Where to start…
Well, it’s new!
Tapas are super delicious. Best of the evening? Tuna ceviche, but I will be happy to try short rib, fennel, calamari, paella and swordfish all over again!
Dessert… Bunuelos! small, crispy with a soft center, and you get to dip them in dulce de leche.
Service? Excellent, really friendly and professional, you are well taken care of.
Definitely going back for more!