Review Royale - Calgary

Easy to find and centrally located in Calgary. Royale has great decor, while not being excessive. However, the washroom is located in the lower floor with a set of stairs, so it is not the most accessible for folks with mobility issues. It can get very busy on the evenings and weekends, so I would recommend having lunch on the weekdays for a more quiet and cozy experience. The tart pickled cabbage and sweet corn grits with poached egg paired well with the crispy fried chicken. The white wine and tomato broth of the steamed mussels was delicious. The Black Truffle Mac and Cheese was rich and creamy. For the price you are paying, the quality, portion size, and friendly service is worth it. I would visit again to try out their dinner and brunch menu.

We went to Moët & Chandon Grand Day brunch event and purchased the event tickets in advance. A very nice interior and they also have a nice outdoor seating area. Staffs were very friendly and they provided a great services during our brunch time. Food and drink were amazing! However, we felt it wasn't a really special event because you can still enjoy the same menu and drink with a less price every day. Welcome drink served in a very small and low quality of the glass and felt nothing fancy considering it says Moët & Chandon Grand Day. No performance or music inside of the restaurant which was weird. Even-though we paid in advanced, they were struggled with a pay system because we have ordered one more extra drink and they charged 'Group Fee'. And it wasn't clearly listed in my receipt what we have ordered which is unacceptable and looks unprofessional. Hope they improve those system better next time.

Fancy as heck and we love it! We are obsessed with the menu (try the mac n cheese!!) Wine menu is superb, staff is professional and friendly! Location is nice! There is outdoor seating which is nice in the summer! We've been here for the Rosé Bébé event in August which was really fun! This place seems to not be busy in the afternoon making it perfect for lunch and quiet meetings. Live music here is nice as well and everything is appropriately priced.

A friend and I shared lunch at Royale this past Friday and it was a lovely experience! To start we enjoyed a delicious glass of wine and a cocktail, then shared a few dishes tapas-style -- including the Heirloom Tomatoes, Steamed Mussels and grilled Chinook Salmon. The ingredients were simple, fresh and expertly prepared. We finished things off with cappuccinos (mine with almond milk as I'm dairy intolerant). Service and atmosphere were superb! We will definitely be back.

If you are looking for an exquisite place for a weekend brunch, you definitely should give Royale a try. Trust me your enjoyment experience starts way before you get to food. It actually starts as soon as you step into the place where each piece of its interior take you out to Paris gems. And this great interior is perfectly paired with skylight! The staff are very knowledgeable and friendly. We visited this place on a Sunday for a lunch but we found out they only start serving lunch at 3 pm. But didnt matter much because the brunch menu was WOW. We tried mushroom benny bowl and Royale and cheese burger and both were beyond perfect when it cones to taste and presentation. Like we literally enjoyed every bite of it!!! Bonus: on Sundays brunch they have $5 mimosa! I truly recommend you give Royale a try for brunch. As for us, we’re definitely coming back again to try their lunch menu sometime soon.

Always trying to support my 17th Avenue neighbourhood, I was looking for something nearby me for a bit of a special lunch, (something a little elevated from just grabbing a quick bite), and happily remembered I hadn't been to Royale for awhile. First of all - the room is gorgeous - classic French brasserie-style with a long zinc bar, bistro chairs, comfy banquettes and Moroccan tile floors all filled with sunlight from the peaked skylight above. The lunch menu follows suit - offering a tempting array of French classics, reasonably priced, and offering incentives during the roadworks construction still plaguing 17th Avenue (50% off bottles of wine day and night Sundays through Thursdays). A good deal! Service was attentive and professional and we started with a glass of rose and a starter, for my guest - caramelized onion soup with Oka croutons and I had a Caesar salad, (one of the BEST Caesar salads ever, with double-smoked bacon, fresh grana padano and a perfect dressing). Lunch mains for us were hard to decide after the filling starters so we doubled down on salad and shared a delicious heirloom tomato salad and a succulent braised short-rib sandwich. No room for desert, but they looked good. I'm going back to try other menu items, some that fell into the French bistro classics like steamed mussels, but also included some different twists of favourites like fried chicken, black truffle mac & cheese, and a lamb merquez ballpark dog. Overall - Royale really stands out on the 17th Avenue strip, sure it's relaxed and unpretentious, but it's also a classic, classy, and an elevated lunch experience!

Hands down my new favourite go-to spot. I was absolutely blown away by the lunch we had at Royale. Truly. Whether you’re looking to catch up with the in laws, gossip with your girlfriends or a business lunch spot, Royale is it. PRO TIP: ask for a table in the southwest corner it channels the perfect Calgary take on Balthazar NYC with food to match. We started the day with a couple of their cocktails: the Smoked Old Fashioned and the Aviation. What impressed me was that their old fashioned is made with their own in house simple syrup. It takes 24-48 hours and uses smoked oranges in a 50/50 sugar water mixture. It was perfection. The Aviation, made with Maraschino cherry liqueur, Aviation gin, Giffard Violette and lemon juice was one of the smoothest cocktails I’ve had. Onto lunch. For starters, we ordered the steamed mussels and Elk carpaccio. We were both in heaven. The mussels I STILL think about and the carpaccio was some of the best I’ve ever had. I cannot get over both of them. Side note, the mussels are the perfect low carb, high protein choice for any diet conscious eaters out there. Plus, they are seriously amazing. Next up was the Chinook Salmon and Mushrooms on Toast. The salmon was cooked to perfection on every side. It paired beautifully with the kale and puffed barley salad. The mushrooms on toast was divine and an absolute treat. The sauce was creamy and rich in flavour, the mushrooms were perfect and the egg was the cherry on top. I must mention that the service was impeccable with changing settings between each course. If you want to impress a business client or first date, this type of service does not go unnoticed. We will be back and are already planning our next meal. xxoo Drea Marie @dreamarieblog

Have only even gone here for brunch, but it’s great and the prices are very fair. The potatoes are amazing and come with almost every meal. They used to have salted caramel pancakes, and they were heavenly. Definitely need to bring that back.

Love love love!! The atmosphere is fantastic, the service was stellar, the food, WOW! I decided to get the Salmon & Avocado toast for Brunch, I don’t usually choose fish as my preference but I decided to try something new & it exceeded my expectations, definitely recommend this place!

The food was top-notch the patio was awesome the service was great the menu was interesting the friends all enjoyed it it was definitely a five-star experience

For context - it was opening weekend, so perhaps the kinks will get worked out eventually. Pros: great wine recommendation with my steak, and excellent design/layout. Cons: we had a reservation and still had to wait 15 min, had to ask for bread (which when received, had a hair in it), waited 2 hours to ultimately receive cold food (example - my steak was cooked correct, but it and the sides were cold) and received the most disingenuous of apologies for the numerous service errors (don't offer me a free dessert, take ownership for your failure). This meal was absurdly over priced, and is not in line with the quality of the food or the experience. It's also important to note that the little things matter: don't pour still in my sparkling, serve the béarnaise when you serve the steak - not 5 min after, bring butter with the bread - I shouldn't have to ask for it, and figure out your billing system - "just let me pay for this permutation of the bill" is a bad ending to a bad experience.

Service was great and the food was amazing! I highly recommend to give this place a try.

I came this weekend woth a group of my girlfriends. The Service was good until we got our food our plates sat in front of us for about 20 minutes dirty wth empty water and drinks. Then we had to ask for another round of drinks and water. When that came and we asked for our bill that took another 15 minutes and then the bills were wrong. The food was ok nothing special for eggs benny. Nice atmosphere nothing that great for the price.

The service was amazing and good was divine ! The beef tartare is well done ;)))) beautiful cocktail list !!!! I love the very Paris ambiance !! Beautiful restaurant

Beautiful restaurant. Love the decor and bright setting with the skylights. Food was delicious, nice selection to choose from. Will definitely have to come back again to try the seafood options. Great spot for date, groups or special occasion. Our server Julia was spectacular, she was super sweet and attentive. Thank you for making our evening extra enjoyable. Great service goes a long way and is noticed.

Their fries are so addictive!! Descent menu - descent service.

Chicken liver pate on a Toasted baguette was heavenly ( I normally would never have tried it but glad I did ) …The mimosas had a nice balance of champagne… Their bathrooms are simplistic ( was expecting something glamorous ) could use a little art :) maybe more roosters as I learned today it is popular French symbol ... will be back

Amazing food-especially the butchers cut. Definitely will be back.

Terrific! Chacuterie plate was amazing bang for your buck! I was hesitant about menu prices but was totally proven wrong... The food is amazing and so much made in house! Portions more then generous. Staff super friendly. Being a tourist I was made to feel at home and didn't want to leave! Wine selection is great and they even offer happy hour! Carla and Patrick literally have this place on lock! Well done Royale team!

The interior is so beautiful and the food makes it better. Like real french food.

Super staff and food

Perfect execution of food and room ET AL . ...lite on the service sadly. ..young and dialed out...I am oldschool and prefer professional service by adults with real experience.....the server is the link to the brand to the consumer...the front person....why not a professional? .....a pro builds and nutures clients and grows a business. ..an "order taker" does just that and nothing more.

Great food! Awesome bartender and servers! We loved it! Order the absinthe if you want a cool experience!

I had the best Quiche I've ever had and the service was perfect!!!

Had a nice evening out with friends. Was half-priced wine night. I had a mix of numerous appi’s and desserts. Although everything was wonderful the portions as a friend said: “ were elf like “. Takes a lot for this friend to comment. I’ll go back knowing that $150 per person is expected.<br/><br/>Don't let the staff pick your wine on wine night, you will end up with the most expensive.  Just saying

Very nice decor! The patio is an awesome space too. Service was attentive. The tartare was pretty standard but I thought the presentation could’ve been better. The elk carpaccio (I love raw beef) was a miss for me. The toppings complimented each other well but the meat itself was over cooked and stuck together which made it hard to eat. I got the duck break which was an impressive portion, with a layer or incredible mixed veggies! My sister got the pork belly with scallops and didn’t seem to like it.

We ordered multiple starters and mains but the stand out dish was definitely the roasted breast of duck served with potato gnocchi, caramelized honey and rhubarb. The fat on the duck melted in my mouth and the sauce to protein/greens ratio was perfect. The seared scallops and pork belly was mouth watering as well. I’ll be back to taste more dishes!

The atmosphere at this restaurant is quite lovely and the service I experienced was great. The food, however, was a bit of a disappointment. The grilled red spring salmon ($31) was a bit bland, and slightly undercooked. The portion size was quite small. The steak frites ($33) was good but again, had no depth of flavour. My favourite part of the meal was the 'Cafe de Paris' butter that came with the steak frites. Other than that all the food was just a solid 3/5.

It feels fancy. It’s quite chic. Place to go to for brunch and impress. Maybe even dress up to be seen and take pictures against a beautiful backdrop while sipping mimosas. The food is good, service is equally impressive. I had eggs Benny on toast which was delicious and just right.

AMAZING! The food was perfectly plated and tasted delicious! The drinks were super tasty too! We will be sure to return to this restaurant soon as we thoroughly enjoyed our dining experience! The ambience was nice and the staff were friendly. Royale is a gem right in the heart of the city!

Royale is a french cuisine restaurant located on 17th ave sw. Inside the restaurant the interior was more upscale with a cozy / romantic feeling. They also advertise and offer 3 course meals for tinder dates. Looking at their menu they had a wide selection of appetizers and entrees (seafood, pasta, chicken, beef and pork). I ordered the oysters (half a dozen), elk capricho and royal cheeseburger (yes feeling the burger day). The elk capricho was flavorful, tender and sweet (probably the best dish). The cheeseburger was okay but not great (had a tomato sauce with licorice flavor and beef patty was charbroiled with no flavor). Prices here are about 20 dollars and higher per dish (anything French always seemed higher) but they current offer a groupon. Service was okay.

Not a bad place, but really nothing special. Interior is absolutely gorgeous; although, it still looks quite a lot like Corbeaux that was in that location before. As for the food - it’s alright, at most. We’ve enjoyed the dessert more than anything else.<br/><br/>I did feel a little robbed there. A bottle of Whispering Angel for $75 was a huge rip off, considering that it’s a $26 bottle at a liquor store. I get that restaurants typically raise wine prices, but I’m sorry, when you raise it by three times and hope no one notices, it doesn’t make you look good.

Staff 5/5<br/>Ambiance 4/5<br/>Food 4.5/5<br/>Price 4/5<br/>Comfort 3/5<br/>Location 5/5<br/>Excellent food and atmosphere, great location to hangout with your friends but wouldn’t recommend for a romantic date especially if you like a quiet place.

This restaurant was amazing. We both ordered fish dishes that were exceptional. The bread and butter is unreal. We went to Cassis after to compare two French restaurants and both agreed Royale was superior.

What a gorgeous little find! Excellent service, great food, great wine! Could not recommend this any higher!!! Love love love. Expert tip; ask for Anthony's section. The best server in Calgary! (And Im fussy) they really accommodated my 2 crazy (6&3) boys. Soo happy we popped in for an sunday afternoon smorgasmbord!

The food here is to die for. We had the half size charcuterie and the house made chicken liver is incredible. Along with their rabbit terrine and duck. The cured meats on the plate were pretty anticlimactic in comparison! I had the tortellini which was absolutely delicious and my fiancé was happy with his fish of the day<br/><br/>Our service was very attentive although at some point in the evening our server(s) kinda tag teamed. Which was a bit odd but had no impact on our experience.<br/><br/>All in all, we had a lovely time! Decor was on point and can't wait to come back to try the brunch menu!... but I still might order that tortellini anyway.<br/>

So not impressed.  We had the onion soup, which should have been called "tomato" soup as the tomato was so overpowering.  We hardly tasted onion even though there were lots of onions. Then our typical bread basket came and the bread was so holey that we wondered how and where to put the butter on.  Then came our escargot, which we both love, but it was more parsley than escargot.  Seriously, it was just green, green, green and it wasn't even St. Patrick's Day.  Too much parsley!  Hardly any garlic (was there even any?).  We shared the beef poutine which tasted fine, but there was hardly any beef or sauce.  So chintzy!!  I had the Fish of the Day which was Ling Cod - very tasty, but rested on a soggy mass of vegetables (not crisp or even fresh looking) which I couldn't even contemplate eating.  Partner had the mussels which were about a 5/10 - he said they were bland and some weren't even open - sorry, but how do you overlook that when you're serving mussels??   The server was okay but never asked how our meal was or if we enjoyed it.  Not very personable, actually more perfunctory.    I give it 1.5 for my Ling Cod.  We didn't even want dessert there and went elsewhere.   Overall, I would not recommend this restaurant and I would not go back.

WILL NOT BE BACK.<br/><br/>Really nice patio (old Melrose patio), beautifully decorated and the staff were very nice as well. Ordered quickly and got my lunch quickly as well. That's where the goodness stops. The Special Sandwich was a Duck Rillette. Tasty but spread very thin with some thinly sliced pickles on some baguette - not much to it at all and not much food really. Not even some lettuce, which is ironic given that lettuce is all that was in the "salad" I got on the side. <br/><br/>I had the choice of fries or salad, but the salad was an up charge - fine. $7 for a salad up charge is highway robbery!!!! Even for an amazing salad that would be ludicrous! This didn't even make it past basic salad - had to send it back because the "dressing" was literally just oil and maybe a drop of vinegar. Don't get me wrong, I like oil and vinegar, but this proportion was so off and the leaves were drenched in it. The new salad was a bunch of lettuce in a new bowl, with dressing on the side. This is because I am told it is "pre-made" so my only option was to just tone down the amount. For the record, the pre-made dressing was different tasting than the previous salad. Not even a tomato on it - though I did find a small stray corner of a tomato slice in the first bowl so maybe it does get some from time to time.<br/><br/>Just saying things might be a little off if your waitstaff are embarrassed by your salad up charge.<br/><br/>

Let's get something in the open up front, I don't like to give 5/5 often.  It indicates there's no improvement and it was indeed a perfect experience and offering.  This is inaccurate.  A 5/5 from me means I was in the perfect place at the perfect time in the perfect mindset.  This place achieved that.  There is always room for improvement however.  So a better way for me to indicate a 5/5 is that it is a must try for reasons in my review.<br/><br/>Food<br/>Was awesome with great tastes and flavours.  I went to town and we ordered:<br/>- Escargot (flavourful and buttery)<br/>- Chicken Pate (completely changed my perception as it was super smooth and unique)<br/>- Beef Tartare (great contrast of soft chewy bite on amazing waffle chips)<br/>- Lamb Shank (fall off the bone feature, no need for a knife)<br/>- Pork Chop with mushroom sauce and gratin (perfectly cooked)<br/>- Vanilla Creme Brûlée (portioned perfectly)<br/><br/>I'd order all again happily.<br/><br/>Service<br/>Lucy our server, and Henry the bartender were both giving us ample attention and were great service.  They showed great poise and perfect responses to questions we asked.  Big fans.<br/><br/>Environment and Ambience<br/>The old Melrose location retired and the old Corbeaux Bakery had unique takes.  Royale now hits the mark as fine dining with great views and ambience that is worthy of taking real date nights here.  Location is easy to get to on 17th ave.<br/><br/>Here's two things I didn't like:<br/>1.  Pricing is always an issue as people want best bang for their buck, so the lower the cost the better.  But for quality food, I am okay with it.  Who doesn't love a good deal? <br/>2.  The charge on water was a poor decision on the establishments behalf to money grab or force patrons to up size to wine or alcohol.  My bill was $140, I think the charge on water should have been omitted.<br/><br/>Other than that, amazing experience.

Was very excited to finally try Royale. We made reservations on Fri night at 7:30pm. There were still some empty tables. The ambience is very romantic but a bit too dim for wine drinkers (I was getting sleepy haha)<br/><br/>We started off with the chicken pate - generous sized and with thin slices of toasted bread or untoasted. I love pate and thought this was good but could use a little less jelly on top. Also had the escargot served piping hot with pesto - this was excellent in 6 pcs. I had the wild mushroom and carrot purée tortellini- this was mediocre, didn't come with a lot and the plate cooled really fast. Friends had the two person ribeye which was done just right and the meat melted in our mouthes. For $85 I thought this was overall an excellent and worthwhile dish. <br/><br/>Overall great ambience, service and good food. I'd like to come back to try some other things on the menu!

Royale is where you can find classic French dishes executed perfectly and served in a friendly environment. You won't find anything too wild or creative on the menu here, but if you want a hearty and delicious French meal, this is where to go.<br/>The skylit dining room in Royale is a beautiful, calming place to share a meal with someone special or to catch up with some girlfriends. There is a coziness to the space that makes it hard to tear yourself from the booth when it’s time to leave – it’s either that, or the large portions and easily drinkable wine. I highly recommend Royale for brunch or dinner.

I recommend this place for some good french food - although expensive like many french places around town. Good location, nice decor, solid food!

I had the beef tartare, escargot, mushroom soup, and sea bass. All were excellent. The creme brûlée was amazing. I would definitely dine here again.

Love the atmosphere and love the food! Have been a few times excellent fish dishes and appies. Baked mussels, escargot are amazing. Can't wait to go back !

Went here on a Friday night and it was quite busy.  Ordered the Mussels and they were bland and small.  Had the Lamb entree, the lamb was cooked and seasoned really well, but it came out tad cold, and the sides are disappointing.   My date had the Sea Bass, and it was also cooked really, just the sides were sub par as well.  I would come back and give it another chance, but it's not high up on the bucket list.

It is a fancy little restaurant with beautiful open kitchen and bar! Interior is very fancy and I liked the atmosphere!<br/><br/>Pro: interior, bar<br/>Con:price<br/><br/>I visited for Sunday brunch. They open for brunch only for weekend. <br/><br/>The restaurant was very nice and fancy. Service was good as well. <br/><br/>They do not have huge range of menu for brunch but in my opinion it is good enough. On that day they had 1 sand which, 1 omelet, 2 Benedict, Croque monsier, etc. <br/><br/>We had Croque monsier and egg Benedict with salmon. <br/><br/>Croque monsier came with green salad as side. The food was average, no disappointment, no amaze either. The potion wasn't big(just two pieces of small toast with decent amount of ham!), for guys maybe it is a little bit small, for me it was ok. <br/><br/>Benedict, the bread was interesting. Instead of English muffin, they used a slice of sour dough bread. The eggs were beautifully cooked and sauces was good too. It came with green salad and potato. <br/><br/>For the price, I think they were both 16 CAD. I'd say it's not a great deal, considering it's a fancy restaurant at night it's understandable. <br/><br/>They also charge you for water. We got still and they charged us 1 dollar per person. We were a little surprised for that because we weren't told and it was brunch time and i don't think other fancy restaurants charge for water for lunch/brunch. <br/><br/>For the table setting, they had a piece of paper lined on the table. I believe they take the paper out at dinner time. <br/><br/>In my opinion, brunch was just ok, however, they have dessert menu during brunch time, I didn't have chance to try in this time so I'd come back for that. <br/><br/>

Food and service were very good. We had a very enjoyable meal. Portions are a bit small, but we expected it. Atmosphere was quite lively for a weekday (likely because it was right before the holidays).

I am extremely picky, and my husband wanted to take me out on a date. I love food but good food, not mediocre food. My husband was skeptical to take me here as he knows how much I hated Teatro. It's been a while since going there but it was disgusting. Anyways, the food here was anything but. I loved every moment and savoured every flavour. I haven't had a meal that amazing in a long time. Possibly the most amazing meal of my life. The oysters were incredible with the marionette, but the steak was to die for. Cooked to perfection but the sauces added took it to another level. Also the little potato pillows were amazing, like a mashed potato donut with a delicate garlic aioli. One thing I did find was the mushrooms were a tad over seasoned, but I love salt... Dessert was vanille creme brûlée which was heaven. I cannot wait to come back. I'll dream about this experience until I do come back.

I’ve been really feeling the travel itch lately. We love traveling and have tried to make it a part of our lives, but with the birth of our son this year traveling has been limited. Since we couldn't leave the city to celebrate our wedding anniversary we decided to enjoy it here at home at a wonderful new French restaurant called Royale which opened up in Corbeaux's old space.Atmosphere: They’ve updated corbeaux's decor by making it their own with added French touches to warm up the space.Price Range: mid $10s - $20sFood & Wine: I always have trouble deciding on what to eat since I want to try everything! It’s even harder when it comes to French cuisine because everything sounds delectable. We decided to try some dishes that are our favorites including the Tartare de Boeuf or Beef tartare. The tartare came with the egg and mustard to the side, which is then mixed in to the beef itself. This provides the dish that extra creaminess that makes it just right.

Day off. I wanted to try Royale. I heard it's great. Now where is it? It's on 17th somewhere...oh, look, there are the infamous Japanese maples that were returned after having been stolen in the night. Stopped in for lunch. Mushroom soup. Really good. Their bread...perfect. Some pasta, a wonderful white wine...profiterols for dessert. Beautiful room. Attentive staff. Clean cutlery. (It's not as common as you think.) <br/>Now I have guilt....my wife would love this place. So, I took her there that night. <br/>We had the lobster bisque. Best I've ever had. Ribeye for two. Chicago, medium please. (They did it perfectly. Again, not as common as you'd think.) Everything was delicious. The gratin, the vegetables. ..and what a selection of wine! The most incredible slice of lemon meringue pie we've ever shared. It tasted like limoncello. Julia is a smile with shoes. Carol, the manager, adds that touch of British charm every great restaurant can benefit from. If you want to let someone know they mean a lot to you, take them to Royale. It's like going to Paris without the flight.

Everything from food to service and the place itself is good.  No trick, no pretension, just solid in a classic way.  We had oysters, beef tartare for appetizers, pickerel and ravioli for the main, and profiteroles for dessert...all good!