🍽️ Restaurant Review:
📍 Quick Facts
- Location: 89 Bowridge Dr NW, Calgary
- Phone Number: (403) 247-3327
- Website: Find them on Facebook
- Cuisine Type: Italian, Casual
We were in the North West for a sporting event when we decided to grab a bite to eat. After a quick Google search of the area, Geoff stumbled across some reviews for Bona Roma. It came highly recommended for its pizza, bruschetta and lasagna. We decided to give it a go.
We discovered it was literally across the road from the Canada Olympic Park area, making it a great place for sporting teams or their fans.
The owner himself greeted us and sat us at one of the booths. His manner was warm and cordial, and we felt right at home in the cozy dining area.
Bona Roma is a long-standing family-owned and operated restaurant in the Bowness neighbourhood; it operates primarily as a popular takeout and delivery hub but also boasts a very unpretentious and intimate seven-table restaurant.
A chilled swing-top glass bottle of water and two glasses were promptly placed on the checkered tablecloth in front of us; it elevated the look and feel of the table.
The open kitchen allowed us to see the chef actively working, preparing the pizzas and pastas.
Small decor touches around the room, like the cowboy hat hanging on a coat hanger between booths and a rolling pin serving as a makeshift door handle for the water cooler, added to the relaxed and comfortable ambiance. All helping to set a casual tone that seemed to say, ‘comfort food lives here’.
The bruschetta that we had looked forward to had already sold out that evening, and the owner was quick to recommend the Melinzano Salata with pita, a traditional Mediterranean roasted eggplant dip made from charred or baked eggplants, olive oil, lemon juice or vinegar, and garlic. He explained that he didn’t even like eggplant, but he loved the stuff. We took him at his word and ordered the recommended starter, then followed through and ordered our full meal based entirely on recommendation.
Geoff ordered the Fettuccine Casanova, which the menu described as ‘Spolumbo’s spicy sausage and banana peppers in a spicy cumin cream sauce’. My choice was the Chicken Parmigiana with Baked lasagna.
While we waited for our food, we continued to chat with the owner. He explained that the restaurant was truly a ‘Mom and Pop shop’, with himself and his wife sharing front-of-the-house responsibilities, while their son worked the kitchen.
He explained that he had started working at the restaurant as a young man and spent over 40 years there. In 2019, he learned that the owners planned to sell the place in 2021. He and his wife decided right then to buy it and make it their own.
Our starter arrived; the eggplant dip was served on a still-hot-from-the-oven flatbread or small pizza crust. We dug in.
Geoff was very surprised when he really liked it. He came in with the same ‘I don’t like eggplant’ frame of mind, but he happily gobbled down his share and a portion of mine as well.
It was tasty; I thought it was very similar to a baba ghanoush except there was no tahini in this traditional Greek dish.
As he was polishing off the last of the bread for the dip, our mains arrived.
The spaghetti was served with a piece of garlic toast alongside. You could see lots of sausage and peppers peeking out from under the pasta.
As soon as I saw my meal, I asked for a take-away container. I knew it would be way too much for me. The chicken parm and generous side serving of lasagna were both on au gratin boats (long, narrow, boat-shaped serving/baking dishes). There was garlic toast alongside, and both of my dishes were covered with a heavy layer of cheese.
Geoff immediately fell in love with his Alfredo; it was rich and creamy and just enough heat for his palate. He did end up pushing most of the peppers to the side, as they were plentiful and they were hot. He declared this to be the best Alfredo he had ever tasted. Big words.
My taste buds were detecting something very unfamiliar that I couldn’t identify in the dish, or at least something that wasn’t ordinarily in Alfredo. The owner rattled off the standard ingredients when I asked, but the secret didn’t click until I read the menu at home: it was the cumin.
My lasagna was lazy; a simplified, deconstructed version of traditional lasagna that skips the tedious noodle-layering process. There was a little too much sauce for my liking, and the only cheese was the hard layer on top, which was overcooked in my opinion.
The accompanying chicken in the chicken parm was crunchy, but it was over-herbed. I like a lot of Italian herbs in my pasta, etc., but this tasted more like raw dried herbs. The usual bright, grassy notes were gone, leaving a flat, condensed version of the herb. There was little sauce, and this cheese topping was also overcooked.
I’m sure many would love this version of chicken parm and lasagna, but to my palate it was a swing and a miss.
I would go back to the restaurant for the ambiance and great service. I would love to try the pizza and bruschetta that is recommended by their customers.
📊 Scorecard
🍴 FOOD — 3.5 / 5
✨ EXPERIENCE — 4.2 / 5 Average of Service & Hospitality, Atmosphere & Vibe, and Value for Money.
- Service & Hospitality — 4.0 / 5
- Atmosphere & Vibe — 4.5 / 5
- Value for Money — 4.0 / 5
