🍽️ Restaurant Review:
📍 Quick Facts
- Location: 7 Mahogany Plaza SE #700, Calgary
- Phone Number: (587) 3333-4333
- Website: The CanadianBrewhouse.com
- Cuisine Type: Standard Pub
We were looking for a patio rooftop, and Canadian Brewhouse fit the bill.
Located just off 52nd St in Mahogany, this sports bar and grill is known for heavy Canadian decor (red and white, hockey and maple leaf motifs), massive TV screens for sports, vibrant patios, and playful marketing – such as an April Fools’ rumour in 2021 that Ryan Reynolds had purchased the whole chain to turn them into his own brand ‘flavoured’ gin joints. Who knew?!
I was surprised that this was a sports bar; I think I was just expecting a standard run-of-the-mill pub. I did a little bit of research and found out the chain originated in West Edmonton in 2002. The owner transformed an old pool hall into a Canadiana-themed restaurant because he noticed there were lots of Irish pubs and English bars, not much celebrating Canada’s heritage
We bypassed the main part of the restaurant and headed up the (many) flights of steps to the rooftop.
My first impression was ‘high-energy, open-air space’. Next, I was struck by the décor: yellow umbrellas, red patio sectionals and red sofas with lush green plants nestled alongside, high-top tables with black metal chairs, and under it all was green artificial turf flooring. I wasn’t sure if I was at a restaurant or at a resort down south.
Somehow it all worked though; it looked like a fun place to hang out on a hot summer day. As we were shown to our seat, I noticed a cool mist and immediately realized there was an integrated cooling/misting system in the rafters, designed to keep guests and staff cool on the hotter summer days. Brilliant, except for anyone who had just got their hair ‘did’ and wanted to maintain the look. I’m shouting out to all the curly-haired girls to bring a rain bonnet.
There were fire tables for cooler evenings, and I could only imagine how the space looked in the evening with fires lit and the twinkle lights aglow.
The only downside for me was the view; it had a grand view of a gas station and, beyond that, Mahogany Village. Not ugly, but not the quaint countryside you’d like to see as you sipped your glass of vino.
We were shown to a high-top and were given menus and water.
It was a standard menu: poutine, pizza, burgers, wings, a little pasta, etc. We played it safe and ordered a Drunken Fish and Chips (Tasty haddock dipped in our house-made beer batter and deep-fried to perfect, crunchy, golden brown. Served with French fries and house-made tartar sauce.)– always the NLer looking for a decent fi & chi – …
…and the Creamy Grilled Chicken Alfredo. (Fettuccine noodles, grilled chicken and roasted mushrooms tossed in our creamy Alfredo sauce and topped with Parmesan petals and parsley. Served with garlic toast.)
The cutlery and napkins arrived while we were waiting for our food. Not usually noteworthy, but these, in keeping with the sports theme, were shaped like hockey sticks and golf clubs. Cute, but a little kitschy, and they proved a little cumbersome.
The food arrived with small wooden Canadian flags on top. I wondered if it was something special for the dishes we had ordered, but then noticed ALL the food was coming out similarly. If I were going to flag pasta, I would probably flag it as Italian, despite the restaurant’s Canadiana theme.
The pasta was rustic-styled and almost seemed homemade; it was perfectly al dente. The slices of chicken breast that were mixed in with the Alfredo sauce were tender and well-seasoned. The garlic bread was standard fare.
The fish batter was thick and crunchy on the outside but soft and airy on the inside. The bubbles in the beer had made the shell puffy, although it was a little too thick for Geoff’s liking. The fries looked and tasted like crinkle-cut super fries; these did not taste like fries from house-cut potatoes at all. Disappointing.
The house-made tartar sauce was good but not spectacular, to me, it would have passed for bottled.
We did not opt for dessert.
The food was better than we expected for pub-quality food, but we were disappointed with the fries.
📊 Scorecard
🍴 FOOD — 4 / 5
✨ EXPERIENCE — 4 / 5 Average of Service & Hospitality, Atmosphere & Vibe, and Value for Money.
- Service & Hospitality — 3.5 / 5
- Atmosphere & Vibe — 4 / 5
- Value for Money — 4 / 5
