Rose Garden

Fresh Thai spring rolls were quite fresh and delightful.
Pineapple curry with prawns was excellent. Nice and sweet with lots of flavour.
Green curry chicken had just the right spice and was amazing. Only way to explain it.
Mixed both dishes with a large coconut rice that was shared. The large coconut rice incredibly tasty.
Highly recommended.

Stopped by for buffet lunch. The food was just okay, not particularly special, but certainly edible. The buffet selection, though, was tiny. Just not much to choose from. That and the price for buffet earn a solid three stars. I may go back, but this time to try some of the items off the menu instead.
The restaurant was long and narrow, but had a nice ambiance anyway. Service was decent and as friendly as could be expected. It’s on 8^th Ave., which makes it a part of the fashionable part of town.

I went here for lunch with my husband on a week day. The buffet looked old and dried out so we decided to order off the menu. The food was good but very expensive, probably due to the 8^th avenue location. Unfortunately the service was dismal. Our server seemed indifferent to our presence and never came back after dropping off our food. It was quite spicy so we were desperate for a water refill.

Pretty good food! Went for a buffet and it was delicious.

Upon meeting a friend for a relatively late last minute lunch, we wandered up to Rose Garden thinking if the buffet was over we could always just order off the menu. We were pleasantly surprised that the buffet was still fully (and freshly) stocked.
I started with the hot and sour soup which was awesome, they didn’t skimp on the veggies and the broth had the perfect tartness to it. We made our way around the buffet, grabbing spring rolls, pad thai, variety of skewered meats and tofu/​seafood stews. I really enjoy Thai food because most of the time it’s spicy, but it enhances the flavours of the dishes not overpower them with intense heat.
We probably ate more than our fair share of food, and ~$ 20 seemed like a steal for the quality of food we got.
I’ve heard that it is really busy here during lunch so I think we lucked out going later than the usual masses.

This Thai food is not bad… Nothing really impressive, but I cannot say it was not good. I think there are better Thai restaurants in Calgary; however, the location of this place is very convenient: I don’t know any better Thai restaurant in Stephen avenue… And if you are walking around, and feel like Thai food, you can try Rose Garden; just be prepared for Thai food that will be just ok. Nothing really wow!

When we entered the restaurant at about 7:30 it was quite busy, but one hour later there were only two more tables occupied.
Well, the food was quite ok, but nothing special. So were the Tom Yum soups. We chose the large portion and were really disappointed about the small bowls that were placed in front of us. I would like to see what the small portion is like. All in all I cannot recommend this place.

This restaurant seems like it’s way past its prime. It seems like it might have been a decent place at some point in time but they’ve just lost interest.
Everything about this place was terrible. The staff seemed disinterested, the décor was elaborate but dated and unkept and the food was just about average. I guess we should have followed the usual rule of thumb and not entered a nearly empty restaurant at dinner time.
Please don’t waste your time and money on this establishment.

Best Thai food I’ve had in Calgary thus far. Portion sizes are good, little pricey but worth it. Coconut rice is delicious, also ordered cashew chicken and red curry — looks a little rundown on the outside, but the interior is another story.

Small and cramped sitting area. Buffet is overpriced and limited in variety

The food is decent, and a very good thing is that the hot sauce and spices are on a separate table, so you can mix it yourself.
If you are allergic to hot and spicy Thai food, you can still enjoy this place!

Another lunchtime secret… except it’s not because lunch hour is a busy, busy time! One of my friends is a sucker for sketchy looking food spots… restaurants, food stands, it really doesn’t matter. If it looks questionable from the outside, she’s in there faster than Peter Pan pouncing on his shadow.
Thankfully for me, Rose Garden is not sketchville. It’s just a never ending buffet of Thai yumminess that I could’ve easily filled up on 2 – 3 more times if room in my stomach would allow!
The buffet isn’t huge. Expect about 8 – 10 different items including some meats, noodles and the like. I’m not sure if they change out the buffet items each day or if they remain the same. The soup is likely to be different each time though. When we went, they said it was chicken noodle. What we should’ve known that it was the Thai version! Think chicken noodle meets sweet and sour soup.
On the list for favourite lunchtime buffet spots? I think so!

In the last couple of years, we have been blessed with a real growth in the number of Thai restaurants in town. Once upon a time I might have given this place four stars, but the competition has gotten stiffer in this category. All of the Thai staples are served here, but the flavours are not as bright, and the presentation not as refined, as at places like White Elephant or Khao San. For example, the pad thai is too sweet, and not peanut-​y enough for my taste. The curries are spicy, but lack some depth. Don’t get me wrong, if you’re in the downtown core and need a sweet/​spicy/​salty fix, you’ll be sated here (tip: the rice is great and plentiful), but it’s a interlude rather than a symphony.
The décor, a cross between a Buddhist temple and a thatched-​roofed beach hut, feels really Thai but is also a bit tired. This feeling is compounded by the low but unromantic lighting. The prices are average, but they have also have a 2-​for-​1 deal in the Entertainment Guide, which ensures I come back.

We came here for lunch. One of my co-​workers had been here before and said it was really good. In the end, I would have to disagree. The décor is pretty cool. It reminds me of a tiki bar with a twist of thai. It’s pretty small but warm and inviting. There were by the windows that overlook Stephen Avenue Mall. Might be nice to sit there with the windows open a bit and watch everyone from above. (this place is on the second floor)
The service was pretty good. Our waitress kept our water glasses filled during our meal. We all had the buffet. Of course when I hear buffet I get excited and think I need to wear my stretchy pants. But not here. The buffet was like a dining room table size with the food warmers on it. Not a huge selection. It was just ok but really nothing memorable. I’m sure there are better places in this city. They had deep fried squid & shrimp, satay chicken, a coleslaw like salad, some interesting dipping sauces, and a small selection of deserts (didn’t look that exciting). It gets busy at lunch so it’s best to make a reservation. An even better idea is to make a reservation somewhere else.

I can only visit downtown restaurants for dinner, so I never know what is popular and busy at lunch. However, I was missing Thai food and picked up a Living Social voucher for this restaurant; I finally got the chance to cash it in this week.
When I entered I was pleased to find the restaurant was busy– about eight to ten other tables had customers. I was greeted and seated quickly, and throughout the course of the meal service was prompt. I’m a vegetarian, so I started with vegetarian spring rolls and then had vegetarian pad thai and vegetarian masaman curry (on steamed rice). I was VERY impressed when the staff came back to the table twice– once to ask if I ate fish sauce (no) and once to inquire about eggs (yes). In seven years of eating meat-​free I don’t think anyone has ever been that thorough!
The food was excellent. The spring rolls were hot and crisp. The pad thai was flavourful and had abundant tofu and eggs. And the masaman curry was a stand-​out… it had a decadent, rich flavour that contrasted the fresh vegetables perfectly. Serving sizes were ample– the two main dishes easily served two people with leftovers to take home.
I will definitely return to Rose Garden, even without a coupon!

This review is mostly just for Rose Garden’s Thai food buffet. I have not ordered off the menu from Rose Garden.
At $ 15.95, Rose Garden’s buffet is a pretty good value but the quality is not the greatest.
The restaurant is nice, the service is good, although I think it maybe sets itself up to be little bit «fancier» than it actually is.
I was surprised how many people coming in had reservations during a workday lunch hour, but the staff were still able to accommodate me and seat me at the bar.
Not too many of the dishes in the buffet were very memorable, however the calamari was maybe the most tender I have ever had and I went back a couple of times for the Red Beef Curry alone. Very delicious (especially when you hit the pockets of Thai basil).
I may not go out of my way for Rose Garden, but if I am hungry and wandering aimlessly around Stephen Ave., I could see myself stopping by.

Food: 4.5÷5
Atmosphere: ³⁄₅
Service: ³⁄₅
Overall experience: ⁴⁄₅
(1– Terrible; 3– decent; 5– Fantastic)
After reading positive reviews I finally decided to come here for their $ 15 lunch buffet. Definitely did not disappoint, some of the best Thai food I’ve had in Calgary for cheap! It may cost more than your average buffet but you get to try a variety of quality Thai dishes that you can decide to order on their menu another time. I highly suggest going early before the lunch rush (11:30 or even earlier is ideal) because:
1. the lineup gets pretty long (almost out the door)
2. and so you can try a bit of everything since they unfortunately are a little slow at restocking the buffet during the rush and there wasn’t much left at the end of the rush.
If you decided to take a group of people here make reservations in advance because my friend and I ended up sitting at the bar to eat.
The restaurant is pretty tiny and cooky with buddha/​cultural statues placed near the entrance and bunches of dried flowers hanging down from the ceiling. Nothing too classy. The service was nothing to rave about.
There are about 15 items for you to try including two cold salads (one with some spicy beef and the other was papaya), coconut rice, Thai fried rice, various fish and meat curries, pad thai, Thai styled meat skewers, Thai spring rolls, spicy chicken tom yum soup, and desserts including mango sticky rice, fried bananas and coconut jellies/​pudding. Everything was packed with flavour! The coconut rice was light and fluffy with a strong coconut flavour and the curries had a well balanced, light coconut curry flavor. Not one pad thai is the same and although I thought Rose Garden did a good job in terms of flavour (it wasn’t overly sweet like candy) i thought it was missing some oomf. I think it needed maybe a squeeze of lime, nuts or the addition of more veggies.
I especially love their tom yum soup! It’s a little greasy but über delicious! If you love spicy foods this is the dish to try since it has a nice kick of spice, yet just the right amount of sourness from the lemon grass. Only complaint is that they didn’t strain out that hard chicken cartilage and lemongrass pieces you from the stock. Their desserts round off the meal and if you are like me who loves deep fried goodness, you have to try the deep fried bananas there which had a nice crunch and wasn’t overly battered or soggy.
Overall, if you’re working downtown and looking for something new to try, give Rose Garden a visit. I beware you though, you might need a long nap afterwards. This is also a great opportunity for people who haven’t had Thai food to try a little bit of everything from the buffet. Definately will come back!

I ended up at Rose Garden looking for somewhere to satisfy a bunch of different constraints… vegan-​friendly, and not a chain… and everyone in our party was satisfied.
The food ranked up with some of the other amazing Thai I’ve had. The pad thai was excellent, and the various curries we ordered were also very tasty.
My only complaint about this place was that the service was a bit… awkward. The servers were nice enough, but kind of seemed a bit scared of people. Also, we all ordered coconut rice and each received a small order of rice… I would have thought that they would have suggested we get a few large orders to share, but oh well.

I am no Thai food expert, but the dish I had was Epic! I ordered The Spicy Peanut stir-​fry, Cashew Chicken, and Red Curry and it was really good. The restaurant people are friendly and there are cool looking statue decoration things.
On another occasion I came in 30 min before close and forgot some important medication. Well they looked me up (I had called earlier in the day) called, and stayed late 45 minutes for me to return and grab my medication that night. I am a diabetic and without my insulin I would have been in huge, huge trouble. When I got there the lights were off and it was just the owner waiting reading the paper all dressed to go home.
So I must say go to this restaurant. The food is great and the service is AMAZING.
Please support this business

If you love Thai food like I do, DEFINITELY try the Rose Garden’s Lunch Buffet (cost is around $ 15/​person)
Everything from the salad rolls, all the way to the sticky rice mango dessert is DELICIOUS. Plus, being a vegetarian, it’s nice to see they have meatless options in their buffet.
The décor is beautiful & welcoming, and the service has been good every time I have been.
Be warned: this place is PACKED during lunch hours, but it’s definitely worth the wait.