Eat it raw! Tartare is on-trend at these Calgary restaurants

Once exclusively the domain of ultra-fancy French restaurants, tartare is in! With casual pubs and creative high-concept restaurants all adding it to the menu, tartare is no longer a rare delicacy in Calgary. Here are some recommended spots to sample this “It” dish.

Eat it raw! Tartare is on-trend at these Calgary restaurants
Elizabeth Chorney-Booth By

Home & Away

1
1207 1 St Sw, Calgary, AB T2R 0V3

Tartare in a sports bar? With its cheeky decor and chef-driven menu, Home and Away isn’t your typical sports bar, and its slam dunk of a beef tartare – made with Brant Lake Wagyu and served with deviled egg aioli, mustard greens and pork-butter toast – is not your typical appetizer.

This business is featured in the following Smart Lists:

Cannibale

2
813 1 Avenue NE, Calgary, AB T2E 0C2

With a one-seat barbershop out front, Cannibale is the pinnacle of cocktail cool in Calgary, but its kitchen also puts out some bites that go far beyond typical bar snacks. The beef tartare is made with AAA Silver Sage tenderloin, simply dressed with truffle powder and an egg yolk and served with crostini.

This business is featured in the following Smart Lists:

Eleven Kitchen & Bar

3
11 Freeport Cres NE, Calgary, AB T3J 0T4

Located in the Wyndham Garden Hotel near the airport, the stylish Eleven Kitchen and Bar has a surprisingly sophisticated menu that includes a classic beef tartare with cornichons, egg yolk, crispy capers and horseradish. For something different, there’s also a vegan “tartare” consisting of roasted beets, apple chips, cashew cheese and pea shoots.

This business is featured in the following Smart Lists:

Bar C

4
340 17 Ave SW, Calgary, AB T2S 0A8

Outstandingly creative cocktails are Bar C’s biggest draw, but its menu of small, medium and big plates offers some pretty tasty fare. The restaurant’s raw bar mostly features oysters and other delights of the sea, with a bison tartare served with potato chips representing land dwelling livestock.

This business is featured in the following Smart Lists:

Custom Kitchen

5
113-1803 60 St Se, Calgary, AB T2B 0M5

A proper Parisian-style brasserie should serve an excellent beef tartare and Parc, thankfully, does not disappoint. Served in the traditional style with pickled onion, egg and crostini, Parc’s expertly seasoned tartare is available either as an appetizer or an entree.

This business is featured in the following Smart Lists:

Cassis On 17th Inc

6
105-2505 17 Ave SW, Calgary, AB T3E 7V3

One of Calgary’s best French restaurants, Cassis was doing tartare before it was fashionable, and the Killarney restaurant’s version remains one of the tastiest in town. Its beef tartare au couteau is made of Alberta Prime beef and comes with a side of duck fat potato chips for an extra indulgence.

This business is featured in the following Smart Lists:

Alloy

7
220 42 Ave SE, Calgary, AB T2G 1Y4

This elegant oasis in the Manchester industrial area just west of MacLeod Trail features a menu full of classic dishes with a touch of Mediterranean flair as well as subtle Asian and other international influences. Chef Rogelio Herrara’s Alberta beef tartare is made special with mole verde, chipotle jam, potato chips and heirloom tomato.

This business is featured in the following Smart Lists:

Fassil Restaurant

8
3504 17 Ave Se, Calgary, AB T2A 0R7

For something completely different, try kifto. The Ethiopian equivalent of French tartare, it consists of minced raw beef, a chili spice blend and clarified butter infused with herbs and spices. Fassil, a friendly Ethiopian place on International Avenue with a varied and flavourful menu, offers a particularly good kifto alongside its other meat and vegetarian dishes.

This business is featured in the following Smart Lists:
More from Elizabeth Chorney-Booth Elizabeth Chorney-Booth
Elizabeth Chorney-Booth is a freelance writer and Best of Bridge cookbook co-conspirator. A Calgarian obsessed with retro dish ware, she avidly collects vintage recipe books, Pyrex and jelly salad molds. She writes food, travel and lifestyle stories for Avenue, Today’s Parent, The Calgary Herald, Swerve, Culinaire and City Palate and co-edits Rolling Spoon and Wapawekka Travel.‬
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