The Kensington Pub

This pub has been in the neighborhood for decades, and my husband and I love it, almost feel like home every time we go there.

Attended the open mic session last Sunday afternoon. Had a few beers and then we decided to order food as we were getting hungry.
Being Vegan and Pubs don’t mix well I am learning… Asked if the vegetarian burger was Vegan and was told no. it contained egg. Sad to see that no one thinks to order Vegan patties which would please vegetarians and vegans…
We had fries.
Could of had a salad I guess but I can eat salad at home.
Another place off my list.

$ 2 off wine Wednesday. Nice chill place with a good selection of vino, cheese and meats.

How can you go wrong on a Thursday night.
$ 3.95 per pound of wings?! I’m definitely going again. Salt and pepper wings here will set your standards high. The server was so — so that’s why I’m giving it a three start review. Other than that it’s a gem.
Park at safeway and walk on Thursday. Parking is a zoo.

Our last 2 evenings in Calgary were spent (partially) at Kensington Pub. We had the pleasure of having Cassidy for a bartender. This guy is hilarious. Hands down one of the best bartender experiences that I’ve had in years. Great beers, great fun. Certainly plan to visit again when we’re in Calgary.
Didn’t have any food, so can’t speak on that. Beers were fair in price, service definitely puts the icing on the cake.
Thanks Kensington Pub! We’re gonna miss you!

The night before returning the the U.S.
We happened upon the Kensington while trying to find a place open to grab a late dinner. After finding surrounding restaurants closed, we took a chance after finding it open. Once inside, we were made to feel very comfortable in this very fun and cozy pub. The menu had many options in addition to standard pub fare. The fish and chips, onion soup, and Yorkshire pudding were great. The evening was made even better through the great service we received from our server Kaitlen.

My friends and I were out for a birthday celebration recently and we’d not been to Kensington Pub before. I’m approaching fortysomething, so sadly, pub time is rather infrequent these days. Maybe it was the novelty of going out on the town, but I thought the place was cool. I liked the décor. Despite the full house, a table quickly opened up for us and we had excellent service all night. A regular heard about our party and bought the birthday girl a shooter. What a lovely gesture from a kind man who the server swore was harmless. I thought we’d turn the evening into a pub crawl but we had such a good time that we stayed all night.
I’d definitely go back. It may take me a few years, at least it’s on the radar now.

This quaint little pub tucked away in a corner of Kensington is a neighborhood gem. I love the little four table patio off the upper level. The food is always good with fairly large portions. The French onion soup is very flavorful. I wish they had more of a happy hour

When the directions to a place end with the sentence: «Turn right at the Tardis,» I can basically guarantee a 3 star experience in the least. When the Whovian directions are matched by a sweet little neighbourhood pub, with a decent craft beer selection and some fairly ninja-​esque service standards? Yup. I dub thee my part time Calgary home.
I have said it before and will say it again — Vancouver sucks at pubs. Which is why, the more proper pint pouring pubs I find in Calgary — the better. You do good things Alberta, carry on.
Here’s the scoop:
They have a good beer list and Harp on tap.
*Hearty tip of the hat.*
They have decent pub grub, with a damn fine beef dip but iffy caesar salad.
*Golf clap.*
They have Strongbow on tap but it’s the only cider they carry.
*Confused jazz hands.*
They have TVs that aren’t at an ear spitting level.
*Awkward hug.*
But what will keep me coming back to this little gem and erupts in me, the most enthusiastic of *Kermit The Frog style arm waving yays* (the highest of emotional responses): The service.
This crew is amazing. The last time I was in, I watched a woman in a striped tank top (i’m a nerd for not getting her name) totally dominate her section. Service was quick, friendly and attentive while she juggled multiple orders from what I could count, a 10 table section like a pro. As someone who once slinged pints with much less grace — you lady, are a badass.
Service ninja awarded indeed.
See ya next time Kensington.

What a fantastic little pub, affordable and yummy, Had the fish and chips there and thought it was great, so did my friend! Our server was also awesome, she made insightful recommendations making it easy for use to order not only food but beer. Will stop by again and again!

I used to go here quite often when I lived downtown, I loved the Happy Hour specials, and the ambiance was always exciting.
More recently I’ve been and the service has gotten a little more harsh, and the beer selection isn’t as great as I remembered it. I love the European style of the pub, and their food is like nostalgia from my grandfather’s house. Its just lost its lustre to me as I’ve found other pub hangouts I enjoy better.

It’s like grabbing a beer at your good friends house — if your friend is a fierce gentleman from Britain in the late 1800’s, who holds doors, offers his coat, and could fist fight a bear if the situation arose. He’s also a pretty darn good cook!
Kensington Pub (K-​Pub or KP for all you locals) is one of my favourite warm and cozy spots for a pint (or six) of some local or Euro brews and good conversation when the weather outside is frightful. Brick and woods walls, stained glass windows, and heavy wood tables and bars give this pub a real authentic, old-​time feel.
It looks to be an original Calgary century home that’s been converted into a a tavern. If it’s not, they do an bang up job of making it seem like it, and I love the multiple rooms and levels that give it that old house feel.
There’s a variety of table sizes throughout so if you want to sit at the bar with a friend, no problem. You want to hang out in a booth with 6 friends? No problem! It’s a popular spot that fills up fast, so getting the perfect spot that works for you and your posse of english gentlemen can involve some lurking about at the bar to pounce on favourite table when a party leaves.
They’ve got a good sized menu full of English comfort fares and Canadian pub classics, that have been delicious and consistent every time I’ve been. Ask if they have Curry and Chips! They seem to come and go, but if they have them, you are in for a treat!

This is a great spot for a bite and brew!
Nothing beats sitting on thier patio (super small though) and having the most delish spinach and artichoke dip with an ice cold beer!
normally this is our go to place if we want a bite and beer and you can watch sports highlights or whatever game is on.
they also have awesome french fries!!!
i like the upstairs portion for sitting and relaxing the best and if you can get a spot on the patio in nice weather its perfect!
I’ve always had good friendly service here!

The perfect little hidden gem in Kensington… although me thinks it’s not so hidden based on the reviews, cutesy nick name and buzz it has.
Thing is I’ve walked passed it numerous times and always been über curious. Then one day hubs & I decided we wanted to do a pub crawl of sorts. Like a low key «married still have to drive» type of pub crawl where we try out a few pubs (one drink, one appy at each)…take in a flick… the try out a few more pubs. Well we made 2 that evening and happily this was one of them.
LOVE how small, old, homey & cozy this place is. So European and so welcoming. So far so good. Instead of an appetizer we decided on a meal since our next stop was a flick. Hubs went right for the Beef & Yorkshire Pudding and proceeded to inhale it without breathing when it arrived. I take this as a very positive, delicious experience for him. I decided on the Cod & Chips. Very pleased indeed! We enjoyed our bites with a mug of beer… bringing the entire meal in the $ 40 range. So impressed.
I can’t wait to run back here KP and bring everyone I know.

Review #21 of Unilocal’s 30 Day Challenge 2012
I hadn’t been back to the Kensington Pub since we had our first and only meeting of Unilocalaholics Anonymous (are we all just enjoying our addiction way too much?). But I found myself here after a Thursday meeting just down the street. And if my experience on Thursday is what KP is typically like, I can see why y’all keep giving it such great reviews.
We sat at a table by the back bar (I didn’t even know it had a back bar) and enjoyed attentive service, beer and wings all evening long. In particular, I think I’ve fallen in love with the winter ale from GIB. i stopped myself at two pints.
KP held another surprise for me as well last Thursday in the form of a new flavour of wings. Thai! Yes, Thai flavoured wings. How do I explain them? A little bit saucy, kind of sweet like curry… and definitely something I’d order again. Especially on Thursday when wings are $ 4.00/lb.

Had the opportunity a few months back to visit K-​Pub with a friend of mine who is a regular patron.
I have to say, it did kind of change the experience a little bit to sit right up at the bar, while he chatted up the bartender and the brews kept flowing. It’s probably just my imagination, but it was almost a little sitcom-​y. (Given our conversation topics, think Seinfeld, really).
Sitting at the bar also allows you to meet very interesting characters. For example, sometimes dudes who look exactly like Sean Penn who keep asking if your synthetic peacock feather in your hair is a pheasant when it is clearly a peacock, in order to make a conversation.
The beer selection is the same pretty generic stuff as always, but at least it’s not pretentious. Given other options in Kensington that I would never visit, K-​Pub is a pretty solid place for a drink or three. Especially if you are as depressing as me and like to drink excessively on week days to beat the crowds. Much quieter here during the week than on any given Friday or Saturday evening.
*Review ¹³⁄₃₀ for Unilocal’s 30 Day Challenge 2012

I really thought this was going to be just another «pub» when I walked in with my BF and 4 others… But in the events that happened shortly after made me really impressed… Read on my fellow reviewers… Read on!
So it was a Friday night at 7:00PM the place is packed and for a group of six… that kind of means you have to either wait or leave. A server came straight up to us and asked us for how many and said she’d see what she can do. We were waiting for only about 5 minutes but one of the couples with us was getting antsy so we started to leave.
(Keep in mind we were visiting the pub in March, so it was still cold outside)
The server who just previously talked with us ran out in the snow and said «Don’t leave! I found you a great table!» Color me impressed…
We sit down in a roomy and cozy table and looked over the menu which had many selections to choose from. We started with the goat cheese/​bruschetta dip which was quite delicious.
I was happy that they had Kronenbourg on tap, not sure if they switch it out every now and again but it is one of my favorite kinds of beer. I had a chicken burger for my main and it was huge and juicy, I couldn’t eat it all!
Our server was wonderful and pleasant and very attentive. I would defiantly go back!

I like Kensington Pub because it’s a pub. It’s a good watering hole. Food is edible, atmosphere isn’t pretentious or stuffy or boring, and it’s not a Boston Pizza.
Price wise, it could be cheaper. But honestly, it’s hard to come by a place in Calgary that’s really all that much cheaper. And since it’s in a trendy area, what can you expect?
My biggest beef with K Pub is the service. It’s hit and miss. Some people are great. Others not great. And when they’re not great, they’re really not great. I mean double-​charging-​you-​for-​two-​beers-​when you-​ordered-​one not great. But I think that’s more to do with the individual vs the establishment. Because I’ve also had great and accommodating service here. So it’s anyone’s call.
My personal recommendation? My friends have been coming here every year for St. Patrick’s Day for about 6 years and it’s always a blast. Plenty of green beer and Irish-​themed party favors. It’s a good place to be.
Food is standard pub food. Mostly it’s ok. Wings are average, fries are below average, the rest is pretty much what you’d expect. Caesars are decent (good amount of spice).
See you here next St. Patrick’s Day!

Love this place, it’s my go too if I want to kick it in kensi for a pint.
The service is always spot on, and they have grasshopper on tap so I’m pleased as punch. The patio upstairs is good now and again, but it’s most certainly not the best patio going.
The food here always shocks me, my expectations of average pub food are repeatedly blown out of the water. Whenever we come for eats, we always get the steak bites — so delish. I have recommended them to others and they were also shocked at how awesome this app is.
Parking is a bit of a pain, but there are plenty of spots around to lock up your bike. And nothing like a nice post pint cycle around kensi!

I actually had a different idea of what the kensington pub would look like, my silly imagination mistakenly deduced that everyone that frequented the Kensington Pub wore suits/​ties/​argyle socks/​coach briefcases and spoke words like «synergy/​syntax/​metacorp/​datagrouping»
But to my surprise it was actually a laid back tavern. The outside has a particular charm to it that made me feel like I just came back from an arduous quest.
Anyways, I had the poutine which was huge and plentiful. I was fighting back a brewing stomach flu and was unable to consume anything that day, but the poutine hit the spot. Later on I learned that I wasn’t actually supposed to eat stuff like this but it was delicious! I also had the onion soup which was rich and delicious as well. The service was also quick and prompt.
I came here for a Unilocalaholics anonymous meeting with fellow Unilocalers. We really didn’t get anything done nor was the issue of Unilocal addiction addressed. In fact things are much much worse now: S. My hands are trembling in euphoria as each of my fingers dance to key in every letter for this review.