10 signature dishes to build a trip to Calgary around

One of the greatest pleasures in visiting a city is discovering the food that is special to that place. Calgary is full of restaurants offering almost every kind of cuisine imaginable, but there are a few dishes that are uniquely Calgarian. Whether you’re in town for a quick visit to connect with family and friends or planning a trip to explore the city’s vibrant restaurant scene, these 10 dishes are must-tries that are not only delicious but worth building a trip around.

Kale Caesar Salad at Una Pizza + Wine

Una’s  bread and butter is obviously its pizza, but the expanding restaurant chain’s Kale Caesar Salad is probably its most famous and satisfying dish. The anchovy-rich dressing is an essential part of this salad, but the secret to its success lies in the high ratio of crispy prosciutto and pecorino cheese to hardy kale leaves. Finished off with breadcrumbs and boiled egg, it’s a delicious exploration of flavours and textures.

Address: 618 17 Ave SW , 69 7a St NE #110 , 4034 University Ave NW #300 , 8529 Broadcast Ave SW , or 10816 Macleod Trail SE #408

Tiramisu at Teatro Ristorante

Teatro  is one of the jewels of Calgary’s fine dining scene. Located in a historic bank building right adjacent to Arts Commons , the restaurant has been Calgarians’ special occasion go-to for over 25 years. Many of Calgary’s best chefs and restaurant professionals have come through Teatro’s kitchens. The menu changes regularly, but one thing will never change: the tiramisu, made with a family recipe from owner Dario Berloni. Rich, creamy, and a true pick-me-up, this dessert is an Italian — and Calgary — classic.

Address: 200 8 Ave SE

Vietnamese Sub at Bánh Mi Thi-Thi

Obviously, Banh Mi (or as they’re more commonly called, Vietnamese subs) are not a Calgary-specific item, but the city’s robust Vietnamese-Canadian community has resulted in a significant number of excellent Vietnamese restaurants. There are few Calgarian food quests more quintessential than standing in line outside of Bánh Mi Thi-Thi  to get one of these shockingly affordable sandwiches. The subs are delicious and made to order, dependent on your tolerance for heat. The restaurant - which has been around for over 35 years - is takeout only, which gives sub lovers a chance to sit by the Bow River and enjoy a delicious lunch.

Address: 209 1st St SE

Flapper Pie at Blackfoot Truckstop Diner

Flapper pie is a Canadian prairie classic. The cream pie consists of rich vanilla custard on a graham cracker crust with a meringue topping. The pie has been a highlight of the Blackfoot Truckstop Diner’s  menu for decades, famous for the six-inches of meringue that towers atop every slice. The diner itself is also noteworthy for its pure authentic kitsch with waitresses in pink uniforms and a model train that circles around a track installed around the ceiling of the restaurant.

Address: 1840 9 Ave SE

Modern Benchmark Black Angus Steak at Modern Steak

No list of Calgary’s signature dishes would be complete without a perfectly cooked steak. Modern Steak’s Benchmark Black Angus isn’t just locally sourced from a ranch in Warner Alberta, but the cattle that provides the steaks are exclusively sired by a bull owned by the restaurant. Both dry and wet aged and available in a range of cuts,  this is one of the most hyper-local beef experience in the city.

Address: 100 8 Ave SE, 10606 Southport Rd SW

Red Lentil Hummus at River Café

With the restaurant sitting in one of the most picturesque spots in the entire city, any meal at River Café  is a signature Calgary experience. But since the restaurant is built on the concept of seasonality and sustainability, not many of its dishes stay on the menu for long. The red lentil hummus is one the few mainstays that has become a true signature of the iconic restaurant on Prince’s Island Park . Since Canada is the largest lentil producer in the world, this regional dish served with locally sourced canola seed flatbread and Okanagan sumac is a delicious representation of River Café’s culinary philosophy.

Address: 25 Prince's Island

Pig’s Head Mortadella at Charcut

Charcut  is one of Calgary’s most heralded restaurants and while the lively contemporary eatery is also known for its poutine and big cuts of meat, the house charcuterie board is the star of the show. And the superstar of that board is Charcut’s house-made pig’s head (or, if you choose the University District location, full hog) mortadella, studded with pistachios. While the mortadella has long been Charcut’s signature, anything on their charcuterie boards — particularly the Portuguese sausages reflecting co-chef Connie DeSousa’s heritage — is going to be incredible and made in house.

Address: 899 Centre St S or 4150 University Ave NW

Sourdough Bread at Sidewalk Citizen

It may seem odd to name a loaf of bread as a city’s signature dish, but Sidewalk Citizen’s  sourdough captures the soul and spirit of Calgary. The bread was developed by Sidewalk co-owner Aviv Fried who set his mind to learning how to bake the best bread in the world and delivered his small batches to customers via bicycle. These days Sidewalk is a sit-down bakery in the Simmons Building and also operates the sit-down Park restaurant in Central Memorial Park.

Address: 618 Confluence Way SE

Ginger Beef at Kam Han Szechuan House

Sticky, crunchy ginger beef was invented in Calgary in the 1970s and remains a staple on most local Chinese restaurant menus. You're not going to go wrong with most local ginger beefs — chefs all over the city take pride in this Calgary classic — but one of the best versions can be found at Kam Han Szechuan House in Ramsay. A testament to the ingenuity of Chinese immigrants adapting traditional dishes to Canadian ingredients and preferences, ginger beef is not only important to the history of Calgary's cultural make-up, but with its sweet and spicy flavour and crispy coating, it's pretty darn tasty too.

Address: 2318 Spiller Road SE

Chili Goma Ramen at Shiki Menya

This is another exclusively Calgarian dish that has become a local favourite. Shiki Menya’s  Koki Aihara got the idea to make this bowl of rich ramen topped with spicy ground pork, mushrooms, pickled radish and bamboo shoots when he tried a similar dish in Japan, then helped to make it a reality at his family’s now defunct Shikiji restaurant. The soup lives on at Aihara’s very popular Shiki Menya noodle bar where patrons line up daily for a bowl made with the restaurant’s deeply flavourful 20-hour pork bone broth.

Address: 824 1 Ave NE