Review The Living Room - Calgary

Really enjoyable service and excellent food. Everything tasted amazing, fresh and flavourful. The tartare and coconut margarita are worth trying. The watermelon salad was surprisingly good and refreshing.

Two colleagues going for dinner from out of town, I regularly visit the living room when I’m travelling to Calgary. I love bringing colleagues here as the flavours and flavour pairings are absolutely incredible! The beef tartare is absolutely fabulous as well as the chips that it’s paired with. It makes for an interesting flavour and texture combo that is to die for! Definitely try the cheese fondu with the pork rinds! I mean pork rinds on their own are natures Dorito, And dipping them in cheese makes it even better! Service was fantastic as always! We loved the chocolate fondue dessert as well. Can’t wait to come back!

Went for our anniversary dinner and was not disappointed. Our server was great! Sat on their spacious patio and enjoyed a wonderfully cooked meal. A must - the cheese fondue!! 100% The Ahi tuna was amazing, and to finish, the chocolate fondue. Couldn't get better! Thanks!

This place has a great patio to people watch. We got the beef tartare and it was insanely good. The staff were friendly and the bar made us some great drinks.

We came for an amazing anniversary dinner. If you have kids like us I would suggest coming earlier for some privacy as it will get busier later. Great staff, amazing suggestions for plates. We will be back for the fondue.

We passed by this place. As we were tired and hungry, couldn’t afford “wandering “ around looking for restaurant. So we just walked in. It was Friday, we got a table wIthout waiting😚. Surprisingly we found fondue on menu. Cheese lovers must try. A chic spot, serving upscale French and Italian cuisine. Just the lady next table was talking and laughing out really loud that had a bit disturbance. Otherwise it was a nice dining experience.

Wonderful experience with private dining! Very accommodating and easy to work with staff! Tried the braised beef short rib and the duck breast which were both done excellently. The food was delicious and reasonably priced, will definitely be back again!

Fantastic menu that never disappoints. Some of the best service in the city, consistently. Amazing hospitality every single time. We had a guest that was celiac and they went over and above accommodating her! Nothing to complain about other than maybe the comfort level of the seats for a long period of time but if you drink enough your back doesn’t hurt anymore!

Wow, what can I say, our server Joe who handled our table of 17 like a champ, was unreal! All of his knowledge on everything on the menu was incredible (especially for our few vegans) the drinks were never empty and all delicious we tried almost every cocktail on the menu (the plum) was my favorite. Half off appies made it super affordable for such a large group because we basically shared everything. Also the scallops were AMAZING! I would eat them everyday if I could!! I would absolutely recommend hitting this easy going yet classy vibed place up! � I know I'll be back!

Can't deny the Living Room patio is a great atmosphere, however, the service is definitely lacking. The hostess was rude and the waiter neglected to mention the price of a bottle of wine he recommended. I can't say I'll be back anytime soon.

If you like being treated like your beneath the waiter or the manager of a restaurant then this is the best place for you! By far the worst service I have ever received, especially considering how much money we spent here. The manager "greeted" us as if we shouldn't have been there and only after the second time I said we had a reservation did he even acknowledge us by showing us our table .The waiter wouldn't even respond to us when we asked for our drinks and food he just walked away like we weren't even talking to him , and after forgetting our drinks we asked for our bill and found that he had added $100 dollar tip to our bill, which we would have been glad to pay had the service been at least mediocre. I wish I would have read the reviews on this place before going.

Literally the worst service I have ever experienced. Came there with a group of people. The waiter was pretentious and rude. Neglected us the entire night. When the bill came they had the nerve to add $100 gratuity to the bill. Unacceptable. My sister had left a review awhile ago and it looks like it was deleted. Hopefully this stays up to warn people of the experience they could have.

Our server (can't remember his name) was amazing and explained the menu very well! We went for a girls night and loved it! Great atmosphere and even better dinning experience:)

Wow! How is it possibly bike that we’ve never been here before?!?? The food, the service, the ambience....it’s perfection!! My new favourite!

Really great place good food beautiful atmosphere, Calgary needs good places like that.

Amazing atmosphere accompanied with incredible service and a fantastic menu and wine list.

Used to love this place, but food has been average the last two time we have visited. Service has weakened, and even when asked a few times, they forgot items. Way too long between courses. Too bad - used to be great!

Fantastic upscale eatery with laid back atmosphere. Awesome service and the food was exceptional. This place is meant for foodies. I will be back!

This restaurant is absolutely amazing! You will not be disappointed! Love, love, love it! The charcuterie board, the ravioli and oysters! Do not hesitate, make a reso and enjoy! Famtastic

Both the food and the service were spectacular thank you so much

Original selection of food; we had the rabbit and halibut and both were tasty!

Love the place and mostly the ppl are amazing there �

The Living Room is unbelievable. The food, service, and atmosphere is always exceptional.

I went there once and this guy made me an olde fashioned and I liked it. Also, this one time I ate there and it was really good. Like I mean reeeeaaallly good. Go try for thineselfe. #butisitglutenfree

Caught them pouring imitation Kahlua into their shafts. So disappointed. Food was very substandard, especially for the price.

Best steak tartare in the city! And the wine?! Even better!!

They have opened up the patio, have a great seating area along the railing for people watching or more intimate tables on  the patio.  Great new menu for the summer,  Went for happy hour, had a number of appi's.  Dinner last week was great <br/><br/>Stopped by for a Martini the other night. Fantastic. Tony. I will be back <br/><br/>If you are going by late night pop in for the famous SHAFT.  If you have to ask, you have to try it.<br/><br/>Can't wait to go back.   

If anyone was to ask where I’d like to go, I will most likely suggest The Living Room! The service is impeccable and the food is outstanding. Their beef tartare is still my favourite. Finish off with a chocolate fondue as dessert. What more can you ask for?? Oh yeah, a really great wine selection! It’s busy here and for good reason!!

I’m very impressed with this place! I ordered through DoorDash and initially the arancini I ordered didn’t come. I called the restaurant and they were very apologetic, and said it accidentally hadn’t been packaged with the rest of the order. They had a waiter head out and I had the item within 20 minutes, and they threw in a couple extra for the trouble. They also made a small change because of a dietary restriction and the taste was still great. Awesome level of service!<br/><br/>The packaging of food was excellent - I ordered tartare and they packaged a container of it surrounded by ice!<br/><br/>The food quality was excellent too. I’d definitely order again, and might have to actually venture down to 17th to check it out!

Wow! We must have came on a good night because our experience does not match that of most people. The food that came to our table on this night was fantastic. Every dish was well thought out, unique and down right delicious. Yea the portions may be be on the smaller side and yes it is expensive...but to me great food and impeccable service makes it all worth it.

After much hype I must say that the 4 of us were disappointed but not completely dissatisfied. First of all, the atmosphere is cozy but god damn is it hot. <br/>The food was good but very small portioned and overpriced. 30$ for a cheese fondue is a bit much. Very salty....<br/>The scallops so were really good. Cooked perfectly. And the chorizo succotash was delicious. <br/>Service was mediocre. Our waiter was slightly annoying....he tried to hard. On the fence about going again.

This restaurant was pricey and mediocre. I went for a friends birthday party and a couple of us ordered dishes to share. None of us were blown away, and some of the dishes were downright disappointing. I had a crab salad that tasted like canned crab and was quite expensive. The ambiance and service was very nice tho, and I would probably return for cocktails.

This is some of the best service in Calgary.  I was there for a celebration recently and we were treated as though we were the only two people in the room.  The oysters were fantastic, the tartare is one of the best in the city and this is the best spot for an interactive dining experience.  Always a go-to on a special occasion!!

I was not impressed with the food or service. The steak was gnarly and the risotto was hard. When the waiter asked how our meal was we told him about our steak and risotto and his response was 'that happens sometimes'. We were not impressed.

The best thing about Big Taste is that gives you a chance to explore restaurants and dishes you would usually find intimidating or too expensive. When Matt and I saw the Living Room on the list of options, we jumped at the chance to book a table at the fancy place we walk by on our usual expeditions down 17th Ave.

I came here for Big Taste of Calgary and I found the food to be average. Some things tasted great, but others were overly salty, especially the beef carpaccio. The service was also exceptionally slow, considering that they had pretty much limited their menu to only Big Taste items. Our waiter was very professional, so that's a plus. Not sure if it would be enough for me to go back again though.

Our favourite go to restaurant. Best beef tartare in the city!!! And I have tried them all. Amazing truffle cheese fondue too. Wonderful service and ambience.

Apparently Friday night is when this restaurant is filled to the gills with loud cackling drunkards. It was so bad, we chose to have a quick drink and beat it. Even our waiter was commenting on how bad it was. I get this isn't the restaurants fault but man - did it ever suck. Ruined a night out and we didn't even try any of the food. I felt bad for the wait staff - it's taking money out of their pockets as we apparently weren't the first table to get up and leave. Too bad.

Good food and good service. I came with a big group and we shared five dishes and a few bottles of wine. The intimate atmosphere was really great, and I would love to return for a date night and try the outdoor eating area next.

Not sure why there are so many poor reviews for this restaurant, we had a spectacular lunch here today. It was a late lunch so the restaurant was deserted... Prompt and efficient service for drinks and meals. Two of us had the spaghetti bolognese and we both agreed it was some of the best we've ever had, homemade pasta with bolognese and sausage. The third in our group had chicken with dumplings and that had rave reviews as well.

Really it's quality over quantity for food. BUT YOU HAVE TO PAY FOR WATER????????? They said it's "filtered" but Calgary has the cleanest water system AND if I wanted "filtered" water I might as well brought my own water bottle or britta filter to this damn restaurant. Water is unlimited, WELL I HOPE SO if I'm paying a flat rate 10 bucks.<br/><br/>BUT YOU HAVE TO PAY FOR A GLASS OF WATER???????????? <br/><br/>Shitty rating because you have to pay for a glass of water.

I went to this place once and did not enjoy it at all.  Our server was not interested in advising us on best options.  The food was expensive ($200 for a part of four) but not worth it at all.  We were still hungry afterwards.  And sadly very disappointed.  I would not recommend this place to anyone. I am sure our experience would have been different had our server been kinder and more informative....Reading the reviews below I recollect a friend telling me that the beef tartare is good here.  Even then given my experience I will not go back.

Last Friday marked the kick off of the Big Taste 2016. If you’re in need of a little background info, or perhaps feeling overwhelmed by the list of participants, check out my previous post here on my 2016 recommendations. With dollars saved and reservations booked, Cole & I were ready to kick it off with a bang.

Highly overpriced for the portion size. Great place for a date but not for a family. <br/><br/>I'd go for the fondue, but not waste my $$ on the other entrees.

We celebrated a friends birthday here. Their menu involved a lot of interactive options that require sharing of plates. I was sharing the lamb which I thought was good. It was cooked differently than I'm used to, a little bit more raw. The portion of the lamb was fairly small considering it was 65 dollars. The prices were very steep for other things on the menu as well. Everything tastes good but not good enough to justify the price. The service was also not up to par with the standard they set by charging these amounts. Our waiter seemed distracted and kept loudly talking about when he is bringing out the cake after I had already told him it's a surprise and my friend doesn't know about it. He didn't seem to care he kept talking about it in front of her. I found his service to be tardy. It took over an hour to receive our food after we had ordered and he was slow to clear up plates. It was a good meal to try but I won't be back. I feel like I could get better food for this price elsewhere.

We came here after dinner on a Sunday for dessert. There were 8 of us, and we got the chocolate fondue. The waiter told us that the order was quite large and two orders of the chocolate fondue would be enough. After the orders came out I was glad we had only ordered two. For a dessert there was quite a bit of food. I'm don't usually like sweets, but the chocolate fondue was just perfect. Not too sweet. I haven't tried any of the other items on the menu yet, but after a great first experience here, I would like to come back and try dinner as well.

I love this place. I've always wanted to try this place out and I finally got to! We came here for my friend's birthday dinner. Their tartare was amazing! One of the best ones I've had. The ravioli was awesome too. Also they have really good selection of wine. However the chicken we got was pretty dry and dull. I highly recommend their tartare.

A lovely place for desserts. Friends and I shared a fondue and had some cake. It was a lovely seating area as well. Although it was a bit dimmer than we would've liked for the evening, service was great. Their fondue is quite generous, better than some places around town. Would recommend here for their dinner menu as well!

I had a Travel Zoo coupon for lunch for two – a cocktail or wine each (up to $13 value) and an entrée each (up to $22 value).  I paid $35 for the coupon so it was a pretty good deal. This was my first time at this restaurant, and it’s been on my wishlist for over a year, so I was pretty excited!

Never again will I go here. Bad service, mediocre food, horrible alcoholic beverages. How could a high end place like this get it all wrong. Not worth your hard earned money. I messaged them all the details of my night there and they essentially responded with "too bad, go else where." Don't worry, I will.

One of my favorite restaurants in town!!  I love the ambiance, it's dimly lit and very comfortable/romantic when needed. (not to mention the awesome patio in the summer)  I've thrown a birthday in their private dinning room as well.  The service is always excellent, the food is always above superb and the cocktails/wine list will never disappoint.  Always make sure you end your night with a 'Shaft' as well, it's what they're known for.

Went here for a chef tasting menu back in the beginning of June. It was fantastic! The food was amazing. The best beef tenderloin I have ever tasted in my life. You did not even need a knife it was that tender. The host found our reservation right away and the table was prepared ahead of time. Only reason for not giving 5/5 was that the service was a little slow. It took a long time to get drinks to the table. The kitchen staff here are unreal though. What they can do with food is amazing! <br/>

This was an enjoyable experience. Our server was very friendly and helpful. Our group enjoyed the oysters, cheese fondu, and charcuterie to start. For our entree we shared the interactive whole chicken, while cauliflower head, asparagus, and squash. It was a fun experience for the family. The interactive portion was a longer wait, which we warned about in advance. With the sides, it was the perfect amount of food and perfectly timed.

Excellent and knowledgable service at this lovely restaurant. Had a variety of oysters, fondue, charcuterie, a whole chicken, and some veg. Everything was delicious, would eat here again!<br/>

Love this cozy little house-like restaurant. The cheese fondue is easily my fave and reasonably priced. Service is great. Ambiance is warm. Enjoyable!

Cute little restaurant with a decent menu. I love the fondue and that's all that I usually have unless I am with a larger group. The patio is nice if you are eating here in the evening.

Great food, server was fine, host / door staff was nearly a walk away experience. Two friends, and myself, wandered to the entrance to check the place out. And, without even asking what the place was about / see a menu, we were pointedly told by the host (very pregnant, very rude, very rude to everyone that walked up) that "this isn't a bar" and, then said nothing. We all were a bit confused, as if we were just accused of stealing a candy bar, but had been reading comics at the magazine rack for the last half hour. We said ok, and mentioned we were looking for dinner. She then told us, "If you order a drink, but no food, you can finish your drink and will then be asked to leave.". I was confused still by the attitude, and one friend was ready to offer her a pile of salt to pound. But, I was hungry and walked past her anyways. <br/><br/>The server was great, the food was super good. I would go back for that. But.....being on the patio, and ten feet from the entrance. I heard her treat everyone that walked up to the door with the same threatening rhetoric. What nonsense. Will not come back because of that, and don't recommend they put her up front when she does. Perhaps, somewhere in the back of house, back, back of house.

Six years of being a vegetarian down the drain. Went to the living room with my mother to celebrate my birthday. Really excited to try to cheese fondue as ive heard amazing things about it. Ordered the asparagus as well we the spinach gnocchi as i am a vegetarian. Food came out and looked amazing, took my first bite of the pasta (which i thought was gnocchi) and it tasted a bit odd, almost like bacon. We then cut one piece open to find that that was exactly what it was. I raced to the bathroom because i was so upset and came back to the table to find out they had run out of the spinach gnocchi and the chef had taken it upon himself to substitute my pasta for a pasta dish that was filled with bacon and didnt even tell our waiter he did so. The afternoon manager didnt even apologize and only came to our table to ask if we needed a menu to order something else. Our waiter Michael was amazing and apologized multiple times and comped our dessert but that was all. On top of it all they then told me after that the cheese fondue has chicken base in it. worst experience ever. DO NOT EAT HERE IF VEGETARIAN!!!!!

Had the chocolate fondue, was very delicious and had a wide selection of fruit. Service was slow, however server Justin was very friendly.

...we were looking forward to experiencing the wonderful food again.  The complimentary bread was awesome enough for us to comment on!  It was really soft and the butter provided a light yet delicious creaminess with notes of honey and garlic.  Ceviche- sweet Nova Scotia red striped baby shrimp, lime, onion, tomato, plantain chips, micro cilantro What an abundance of shrimp!  

Service is terrible. Went in for a glass of wine on a Saturday evening. not many in the bar when we went in. myself and my partner went in and sat at the bar. after about 5 minutes of staring into space the bar man came over and said "whats going on over here" thats how we were welcomed. The barman and the manager were whispering to each other and talking about everyone. They were both arseholes and made the experience very uncomfortable.NEVER GOING HERE AGAIN

We went for the big taste gourmet menu and weren't disappointed! <br/>Our server (Justin) was absolutely fantastic. He was attentive, funny and we didn't feel pressured or rushed. The atmosphere inside was warm and comfortable.<br/><br/>The food was incredible. The menu was set and it ranged from seafood to steak. Get the creme brûlée! It comes out en flambé. Definitely a highlight! <br/>We would for sure return.

Elegance and Poise, this restaurant is for people who enjoy fine dining.. People are always more inclined to complain rather than compliment. The food is delicious here and the bartender is a professional who can whip up a millions different types of cocktails in the blink of an eye. The Chef tasting menu is always the way to go here! Another must have it the cheese fondue and the beef tar tar!<br/>I recently had a party of 32 in the private dining room, the service was impeccable, friendly and knowledgeable! We had a set menu and yet they still catered perfectly to our Vegan and Gluten guests. Living Room is a fine dining restaurant designed to cater to people who enjoy quality, seasonal food. If your meal doesn't come exactly like the menu specifies it's because the chefs know better about what's in season and how to build your plate.

Good atmosphere. Great patio with fireplaces and live trees! In winter, the indoors are cozy with lots of seating options. The wine list is great and the food is well prepared. Must try the tartare - best in town, the fondue and always start or end a meal with the infamous "Shaft", invented here at the Living Room. If there is any room left, their deserts are really nice and so is the Port selection. Their wine cellar experience is one of a kind. We got married here! Kudos to the team for making this place a staple along 17 ave. for so many years.

We were a bit hesitant after reading some of the latest reviews but were very pleasantly surprised to find great service! Our waiter Joseph was attentive, patient and informative, not to mention honest when we accidentally left too high of a tip (embarrassing!). Be sure to try tartare and ravioli - best in the city that we have tried! Mains left more to be desired but to be fair we didn't go with recommendations and should have listened to our waiter. Portions were actually quite large which is not what we expected based on reviews. Great meal overall, will definitely be back

I went to Living Room with a couple friends for drinks and possibly having dinner and the experience was horrible. The bartender was arrogant and very condescended. We had couple drinks there and after the unpleasant time wasted there we headed to The Clive where we had such q great time. <br/><br/>If you really care about service, stay away from Living Room.

Overpriced & underwhelming. Agree with what others have to say about the fondue. I found it very garlicky and salty. Our server didn't recommend that for 4 people, fondue for two would have been a sufficient amount of cheese, especially because the very expensive sides were such small portions and hardly enough for us to share. I wouldn't go back.

Disappointing. We held our company Christmas luncheon here, and when given the 'Private Dining Room', we had high hopes... When asked for my order, the server recommended the Club sandwich because it 'came with a full chicken breast'. Based on that, a couple of us chose the option. When the meals came (spaced out a bit in delivery, as the room was the downstairs section) the sandwich seemed to be lacking chicken. One gentleman asked the server about the chicken and he said "They must have sliced it today, but I know it is definitely fresh." As it turned out, when opening my sandwich, what we initially thought to be ham, was in fact, deli style sliced chicken breast, as you would receive from the grocer. <br/>I wanted to express my disappointment to the server, but he did not return again until the end of the meal.. At which point, when he saw the sandwich still sitting on my plate, he did ask what was wrong. I told him and he apologized for misrepresenting the item. <br/>This restaurant adds the 18% gratuity to parties over eight, which, sadly, appears to give servers the reason to give less than stellar service.<br/>Disappointed. Will not return. Did I mention there were several chefs in our group?

Overpriced, shaky service.. Private room meal. 18 people and we cannot get separate cheques. Odd since with everyone eating the same food, it's just some overpriced drinks. Portions are smaller for the price. Pretty tough to spend over $200 for the wife and I and go home still a bit hungry after 3 courses. Wine servings are small. A lot of the reviews say the same thing. I'd rate it as barely better than The Keg for near twice the cost.

Surly server mediocre entrees. The ambiance is lovely but our server was terrible- rude, dismissive and cold. Should have read the reviews about the bad service people have received here. From the get go it was just awkward with her unusual behaviour. She did the basics but was such a grump that it felt uncomfortable. The appetizers were very good, the entrées only so so because they came out semi cold, chicken dish was lacklustre - dull and dry. Was really looking forward to a night of dining out here but definitely won't be returning. Save your money and dine elsewhere.

I took my mother here tonight and my server was brutal. Very rude. Hostile when we ordered. Not accommodating at all. Also, as a vegetarian, very limited options.

Great dining experience!. My spouse and I went to the restaurant a couple of weeks ago. It was recommended by a co-worker. The restaurant was small and quant, loved it! Our server was prompt and friendly. We started with an appetizer, the scallops, and they were delicious. For the main course I had the gnocci and my spouse had the chicken. Very good. Chicken was fresh and tender and my gnocci was flavorful. For dessert we shared some ice cream. Tasted more like frozen yogurt, so even better. Great night!

My friend and I decided to try the living room tonight and we were really disappointed. <br/>We ordered the cheese fondue and what was delivered was an extremely salty/runny "gravy" that did not taste like cheese. After mentioning to them that it didn't taste like fondu, they tried again. While the fondu was marginally better it was still so salty that we couldn't appreciate the cheese. Our next meal, scallops, were undercooked and when we embarrassingly mentioned this to the restaurant manager he instantly belittled us and implied we didn't know what we were talking about. <br/>While we aren't food critics, we are foodies and know when meals aren't prepared as they should be. When we received the bill they charged us for the scallops, which we didn't eat! Our server was nice, but the curly haired restaurant manager was defensive and made us feel unwelcome, an inconvenience and inexperienced.<br/><br/>Would we go back? No. Calgary has plenty of better restaurants. Try Ox and Angela or Mercato.... You won't go wrong!

Tartare. Delicious

Worst service. The food here was great but be prepared to be treated horribly by the staff. Rude and innapropriate the manager of this establishment could not be more innapropriate and rude honestly the worst dining experience I have had in the city of Calgary

Trendy hangout. Nice place for a glass of wine with friends..

Rude service. Took very long for food to arrive and server was incredibly rude regarding the service. Very expensive for what we had.

Poor service. Food was good. Won't return.. We had terrible service with a rude waiter, however the food was good. The meals were extremely late and our dinner took four hours. Would highly recommend skipping the experience.

Wonderful experience. Took my boyfriend there yesterday for his birthday celebration, so glad that he loved it. Easy reservation, beautiful meals, nice & helpful service.<br/>We ordered grilled chili & garlic calamari for appetizer, the taste was amazing, the texture was amazing, the calamari melted in mouth.. hmm.! Next: interactive entrée CAB Alberta beef prime rib - medium rare, perfect! First class!<br/>Been there twice before, all wonderful experience.<br/>First time for a friend's stagette party. We (only) ordered 2 appetizers and some drinks (for 4), great service, beautiful taste&presentation, great cocktail.<br/>Second time, came late at night just for their famous fondue (no reservation before). The best chocolate fondue I'd ever tasted.<br/><br/>Will be back there soon for another celebrations. Highly recommended :)

Poor service and sneaky add ons. We experienced poor service although we were the only table in the restaurant. Waiter forgot many requested items, and more often was found chatting to his friends. We shared a bottle of wine, and he opened a second and kept pouring although no one requested it. The waiter recommended cheesecake was dry, heavy and overy sweet. Was not impressed.

My husband and I went last night to celebrate his birthday, my husband is a chef and a foodie so picking restaurants for him is always challenging. I pick the living room because he had never been and I've always had good experience. Unfortunately this wasn't one of those times. <br/>1) staff isn't on the same page with restaurant policies (corkage)<br/>2) service was very lax and unprofessional ( was seated by the service station and our sever kept reaching over our booth and holding things out for us to grab rather then walk around and place them on the table) (also got to listen to majority of the servers and manager shoot the sh*t, swearing and speaking loudly (romantic))<br/>3) main entrees weren't that spectacular, dry chicken (rookie mistake) didn't eat half and no inquiry if everything was ok<br/>4) wishing we had gone to Teatro's, for the same price we could've had delicious food and professional staff. <br/>Disappointed is an understatement<br/>Way to make me look stupid living room.

Went for a birthday lunch. Sadly disappointed. <br/>Menu items not available. Ordered items forgotten. Over cooked seafood. Not impressed. <br/><br/>Waiter wasn't attentive & slow.

I'm new in town and was told I have to try The Living Room!<br/>My oh my what a delightful experience!! Friendly and knowledgable servers and delicious food. The interactive style was new and exciting and every bite was fantastic. Kudos to all involved. <br/>My friend and I will be recommending this establishment to any who will listen. <br/>And I'm definitely coming back for some fondue!!

Humble Restaraunt. It was a humble, welcoming restaraunt. It was busy when we walked in, almost left because we were told it would take a while. We were held there by the manager as he was having a good conversation with us, and we were taken to our seats. Cozy place. We chose to do the interractive menu, and it was really worth it. Ostrich, Cod, Venison. Venison which was the main was the star of the evening; temperature of the meat, the seasoning, and the other components, had me giving this dish a 4.5/5. Venison is a hard meat to cook, due to it being very lean and having a different marbling and fat content when compared to beef, it was served perfectly rare. I can say 1000 things about the other 2 and the desert, but this post will be too long.

One of my favorite in Calgary! Luv the service and the food is always amazing. Have been many times and will keep going

Awesome B-day!!!!. Tonight my boyfriend surprised me with dinner at The Living Room for my B-day and it was fabulous !!!! He researched top restaurants downtown and came accross this place. We had a wonderful evening. The service was great. The sommelier attentive to the type of wine we preferred . Holly was our waitress and helped us patiently with our choices; she was very sweet. They have an interactive menu where you share whatever you pick from appetizer and entree. Their menu is not extensive but it is really nice. The Lobster and shrimp salad was my favourite !! Not sure why some reviews are so negative; we really had a lovely time and we'll definitely go back.

Unwelcoming attitude. Wanted chocolate fondue and wine on a wednesday with a friend. Came in and the place was empty except for the bar. Sat down and ordered. When our server finds out what we wanted, she makes a face and says "technically i'm not suppose to serve you if you aren't ordering any food. But i'll let it slide." ....wtf? Then she out down our food and never came back. Terrible service. I wouldnt go here unless you wanted to be treated badly.

Horrendous Experience- Terrible service and food. When deciding what to do for New Years 2013 a group of friends and I decided rather than going out to a bar we would much rather spend our money and time having a nice dinner and good wine. And what better place to get both of those then at The Living Room....WRONG!!! <br/><br/>We made our reservation well over a month in advance for 8:30pm and at that time we were told it was a set menu. We were happy about that, we thought that means less menu options, quicker food times for a larger table, again WRONG! It really is hard to put in words what a disaster the whole experience was. We did not receive our first course until 9:30pm, seeing how this was the beginning of the evening and it was New Years Eve, we were understanding as we knew they were busy, so if the food was going to take a while we would just enjoy some drinks, well we couldn't even do that! At one point no one at the table had a drink...no water, no wine, NOTHING for 30 minutes! When we could get the waiter to stop for 2 seconds to actually listen to us and take a drink order the drinks would never come. We ordered 2 bottles of champagne 30 minutes before midnight, got the champagne with no flutes, we got those 25 minutes later. By the time midnight rolled around we had only been served an oyster (decent but way over salted), soup (mediocre), and a salad which tasted as if it was marinated in salt. I have a gluten allergy so for the pasta meal they assured me they would be able to accommodate accordingly (I called 4 days in advance). What they came up with was literally a massive mound of pulled rabbits meat plunked on a plate, nothing else, it was revolting. For a 'fine dining' establishment they should be embarrassed for putting out a dish like this. We did not receive our entrees until 12:45am which were terrible. <br/><br/>The service was incredibly bad, the manager has a terrible attitude and the server was unbelievably disorganized and scattered. When a couple people at our table started to express our concerns we were treated as an inconvenience. They did comp some of our bill but what we did end up paying was still WAY over priced for what we received which was a joke.<br/><br/>I really could go on and on with other details that went terribly wrong but I would be here for a while. The bottom line is that none of us will ever be dining at The Living Room again and I would NOT recommend it.

Not great experience / food. I was really excited to try out the Living Room, but was surprised at the service and food. The "host" when we arrived was snobby, really wasn't welcoming at all. Our server was nice enough, but rushed us. Kept asking if we wanted more wine when our glasses were still half full. The oysters were amazing, but our entree's really were sub-par, and not worth the price. My fiancee's steak was quite overcooked. We dine out often, and will not be going back here.

Awesome dinner!! The best dessert I had in awhile

DISTASTEFUL - Not the food the attitudes!. I wrote the following letter to the restaurant rather than posting on here originally. When the response was a voicemail from the manager stating "I received your letter, if you'd like to hear my side of the story call me back" I decided to post here. His SIDE? There is no excuse or side for me to hear. I don't go and spend my good money to get excuses for terrible conduct and service. Here was my experience:<br/>Hi there,<br/><br/>I was about to put a review on Urban Spoon but after reading many familiar experiences, I thought I would contact you directly so you could perhaps address this issue with your staff rather than continuing to get these poor reviews. Honestly had I checked Urban Spoon’s ranking of The Living Room I wouldn’t likely have gone as only 73% say they like it. I do depend on these reviews when I am considering a new restaurant to try. I don’t typically risk spending money on a place that more than a quarter of people don’t enjoy when there are so many fantastic options in this city. However, my girlfriend invited me for lunch last minute as she’d bought a coupon that was expiring the next day.<br/><br/>Off we went from work on September 19 and arrived to find a gorgeous restaurant, warm and welcoming. Our waiter sat us and brought us the menu’s then disappeared. We both chose the beef tenderloin (I believe), and requested the wine menu, which we’d not been given (despite having handed him our coupon when we arrived which indicated 2 glasses of wine came with the meal). He brought us the wine menu and then again disappeared for some time. Worried the food would arrive, I told my friend what wine I’d like and went to the washroom. When I returned he still hadn’t come back to take the wine order. The service was beginning to feel poor, which was surprising as there was only 2 or 3 other tables in the restaurant. Our food arrived and was lovely! I mean delish! We were both in heaven for a short while.<br/><br/>At the end of the meal we decided to order a dessert. We knew we were pushing our lunch a bit, but most restaurants are aware of lunch expectations for the working crowd. He brought round the menus and we chose the cheese tray. 30 minutes later it arrived!. 30 minutes wait is unacceptable. But it gets better. He dropped it off and disappeared. We looked at it and said “shouldn’t we get crackers or bread with it”. Our waiter was nowhere to be seen. Tack on another 5 minutes waiting and we flag him down for crackers. 5 minutes later they arrive. We ask for the bill as the crackers arrive before we try to scarf down the cheese. We could only eat a portion of it as the timing was an issue.<br/><br/>Bill arrives, we pay. Then I get to thinking...how the bill get so high? We call him back. He explains the tip was already added in. Oh! But he didn’t say that, and sat there as I punched in an additional tip. Greedy. Dishonest. Distasteful. He offers to get a manager and see if he can refund it. I just said forget it. We couldn’t afford to be there any longer.<br/><br/>I think your restaurant has all the fixings for a better rating that 73% liking it. It really is fabulous. I’d say your issue rests with servers like this fellow, who did not make us feel like we were welcome appreciated guests in your Living Room. <br/><br/>I would love to come back, but honestly after that experience, I have a bad taste in my mouth.

Never going back. There were 5 tables outside on Saturday lunch. Took 1 hour to get our food. 2 waiters should be able to handle 5 tables but never came back & checked on us. Food was lacklustre and over priced. Boring salad side, just leaves & dressing. Fries drenched in oil like they sat soaking in it for a while. Portions & quality for price not worth it was still hungry when I left. Only when my friend said she wasn't tipping because of no service did we get an explanation/excuse of short staff, too late at that point.

Got a travelzoo coupon for here and ended up paying more as We were vegetarians and the high service tax they added themselves. The rules for travelzoo holders are strange and awful!!<br/>Had a bitter afternoon!! Will not return

Aug. 13th my partner and I had out second anniversary at The LIving Room. We made reservations and let the restaurant know that we would be having the 5 course Chef's Tasting with paired wine. <br/>I can say that we were not disappointed. The chef had made an effort to plan the whole meal in advance. We did not get the 5 course as we had asked but they had prepared a 7 course to allow for 2 pallet cleansers. <br/>We left this place so impressed with the entire meal. The wine choices were perfect every time and the food was new, exciting and tasty. <br/>The set meal was $90 each plus the wine cost. Excellent value.<br/>We will do this again. <br/>Thanx to the chef for creating a great 2nd anniversary and coming out to our table to greet us and thanx to Jared for taking care of us.

Strong Spot. I've seen people complain (especially lately) about service and "attitude" at this place. In the last 7 years I've probably gone to this place about 20 times and have never experienced poor service or a rude attitude. Perhaps I've been fortunate, but I'm serious..... 20 times. For me its always been a pricey meal for sure, but you know that going in, and always worth it.

We went for supper to The Living Room tonight. It was my wife's birthday and we had wanted to try this restaurant for some time. We were terribly disappointed. The service was absolutely awful. Staff gathered near our table and chatted for most of the evening making if difficult to talk over their discussion. One waiter was so obsessed with a female customer that he sat down with her and flirted (with physical contact) for everyone to see. It was distracting for everyone including other wait staff. Food was decent but overpriced. We will never return to this restaurant and would not recommend it to anyone we know.

Awful Lunch Service. Instead of owning up to forgetting my girlfriend's steak, they cut it in half so it would cook faster and brought it out 10 minutes after everyone else's. So instead of tenderloin, she got minute steak. Besides that, bad service, bland food (except the prawn ravioli, I have to admit it was delicious), and horrible value. From management to the kitchen to the servers, it was obvious that nobody cared. I won't be back.

Service was very poor for lunch. Food came late, one persons order was missed, and then the bill come which was exorbitant for the quality. Will not return.

Always great.. Every time I come to this restaurant the service is always so great, very genuinely friendly. The food is very good, and the atmosphere is unbeatable on 17th.

Superb!. I have been wanting to try out The Living Room for awhile now as I have heard great things about this restaurant, I was finally able to see what the fuss was all about a couple of weeks ago. My husband and I went for dinner on a Saturday and were so impressed. The server was amazing, attentative without being pushy.He gave us some great food and wine suggestions. We had the ravioli, tuna tacos and risotto to start. All excellent choices, the tuna on the tacos was huge and the risotto was cooked perfectly. I ordered the beef tenderloin and my husband had the lamb, both very good, cooked perfectly, and the portion size for the price was remarkable. I have had some very small entree plates with large prices in the city which were not remarkable to say the least. The food here is some of the best I have had in the city. Kudo's to the chef that was working that night! We will definitely be making a return trip to be able to enjoy their patio this summer.

I've always been a fan of the Living Room. Patio one of the best in the city, beef tartare heavenly, however I'm sad to say it's lost its lustre. 7 people for a birthday - food seemed bland, less flavour somehow. Service terrible!!! Inattentive, boarding on rude. Drinks forgotten, coats not checked, never asked how the food was, if we wanted anything else, sometimes hurried and then forgotten. Such a disappointment. Not worth the price.

One of my favorite restaurants in the city! Love the steak tar tar. Always good service and I love the atmosphere.

One of my favourite spots. Amazing food and service. They also have a shot called "The Shaft" I highly recommend it! They also have a nice private room down stairs for functions.

Prickly Pear. The waiter that is. We were there Saturday evening. Food was good but the server was a real ass. He took an immediate disliking to me as I didn't want a glass of wine and had a beer instead. I'm afraid I am not a wine snob, and that set the tone. Probably will not return.

I liked this restaurant only because the food we had was amazing. The service was novice and awkward, and the seating was cramped, but the food trumped everything else as we truly enjoyed our meal... Which was not cheap.

Only $$$ Count!. Welcome to a money sucking restaurant where you need to pay for water!! Worst of all you pay per glass & the waiter sells it as environmentally friendly. <br/><br/>They welcome you only if you come across as a rich snob with endless pockets. We sat on the patio but were seated at the back corner as we are NON-white and don't come across as rich snobs. <br/><br/>For the entire duration of our dinner, we felt uncomfortable and won't ever go back again.

WTF!. My girlfriends and I went to grab a drink there on a Tuesday night. When I got there the owner asked if we were going to order food. I said we weren't sure. He then stated while the restaurant was half empty at 8:45 that it was his dinner hour and if we didn't order food we'd have to sit four in a row at the bar. We went to Ox and Angela instead where we have always felt welcome. I should have known this as I've previously read reviews the owner expects you to order food.

The best of Calgary. Listen up - Living Room (LR) is a top contender in Calgary for fine-dinning (Alloy, Muse, Rouge and Catch are the other contenders). The great thing about this contest is we don't have to decide! <br/><br/>I take my wife to LR for amazing meals and I've never been disappointed.

Pretentious. I am one of those who don't normally write reviews, but my experience at Living Room left a sour taste in my mouth. As soon as we declined to order alcohol, the server's face fell and my date&I immediately felt judged as not being good enough to be seated there. Trying to ignore the feeling aside, we ordered a few dishes to share. We ordered a pork version of a dish, and the server accidentally brought out the fish version. The wrong ingredient wouldn't be immediately obvious to guests who are engaged mid-conversation (wrapped in a shell, chopped and seasoned with sauce, etc) so my date took a big bite - thank god he didn't swallow it or he would have ended up in the hospital (highly allergic to fish). 1) The server should be paying attention to what he is bringing out to his tables. It may be the kitchen's fault, but the server should have noticed that it's the wrong ingredient in the dish. 2) My date claimed that the server profusely apologized to him when my date excused himself to spit the food out, but when he came back to the table to collect the dish, he didn't say a single sorry to me and just said he'll take it back. I have been a server before. You must say sorry to all your guests for a mistake your restaurant has made.. you're the face of the restaurant! I don't care who's fault it is. 3) He merely offered to give us 2 free glasses of wine to make up for the incident and still charged us for all the food we ordered. <br/>My date & I don't like to make a big scene and complain so we tried to ignore it and enjoy the rest of our evening. But it could have been an evening at the hospital, it was that close. You cannot always go back to the old method of giving out free things to make up for mistakes. It doesn't always work that way. <br/>Yes, they do have a gorgeous patio there, and the food wasn't bad, but only 1 dish was amazing. The rest weren't bad, but weren't worth the price. There are far better dinner options (price & taste) on 17th, I wouldn't come back here again unless I had to.

Don't go there for the food. The food is overpriced and has way too much salt. <br/><br/>For us, the service was very good, though; however, I equate the service to customer service at a high-end clothing store. If you don't appear to have money, they will ignore you. I suspect they only want people that appear to have money and are willing to spend it.

Not bad. The food was pretty good, I especially loved the beef tartar. The only thing that I was not too happy about was the fact that we had to pay for the water.

Amazing - had the halibut. Perfectly executed, taste was phenomenal. Dessert was the dark chocolate mousse and it was absolutely perfect. Cannot wait to eat here again. Everyone polished off their plates!

Watermelon salad. The watermelon salad is to die for. Great service.

Awful. The food tasted like hospital food no flavor at all.

Excellent with a few missteps. We had the fondue for two on a Friday night. The service was excellent and we both loved the fondue. The cheese had a complex and delicious flavour. For sides we had the mini raviolis, the brocollini, the beef tenderloin and the chorizo. Everything was great with the star being the chorizo. The tenderloin was flavourful but cold in the middle. We had wine by the glass as their bottles were out of our price range. Not sure if it came from a box in the back, but I didn't care for it. It was very sour. I'd recommend getting a bottle so you can see it and taste it.

Dreaming of Banana Bread. I was on a date last night and we stopped by the living room for a quick bite of dessert. The Banana Bread has got to be the BEST I have ever tasted. The staff were charming and helpful. Loving the Living Room!

Great Meal - Big portions. This was a good experience, for two reasons:<br/><br/>Firstly, the food was great. To start, I had the oak leaf salad with grilled haloumi, and Boyfriend had the spinach ravioli. <br/><br/>The salad was the low point of the meal, only because it was overdressed. The haloumi also tasted like it had maybe been grilled at the beginning of the day, and put in the fridge, which was a little disappointing. The salad itself was enormous. I could have honestly eaten it as my meal. <br/><br/>The ravioli was amazing. Three big ravioli in an amazing sauce. Lots of butter and truffle tastes - delish. The sauce was so good that, once Boyfriend had eaten the ravioli, we drizzled the rest on the salad. (green leaf and butter, together at last)<br/><br/>For mains, I had the Greenland halibut (which was on special) and Boyfriend had the rack of lamb. The halibut was absolutely fantastic. It was on a bed of beet greens, with an "apple hollandaise". The hollandaise was maybe a little heavy for a fish as light as halibut, but I am a massive sucker for hollandaise on anything so I loved it. It was also lightened up by a really great apple slaw, which made the dish. There were sunchokes as well, but I found them tough (they were very large and weren't peeled - I find you can only get away with leaving them unpeeled if they are small chokes). I was very happy with the meal overall.<br/><br/>The rack of lamb was also great. On the side was some of the most perfectly cooked yam I've ever had. I was struggling to finish my dinner, so I didn't try the other sides (and so can't remember what they were). Boyfriend was very happy with his food as well.<br/><br/>The second reason that I thought this was a great experience was the portion sizes. There are a bajillion places in Calgary that charge 30-45 per main. A LOT of these places are very disappointing, doling out tiny servings of sub-par food, mitigated by some artistic drizzle of balsamic reduction on a bare white plate. This, however, was great food and good sized portions. We am very happy to pay 45 per main, but not if we leave hungry. I was worried that the Living Room might have itsy bitsy servings, but was happily mistaken.<br/><br/>Finally, we had a great waiter named Adam, who was friendly, attentive, and generally very good at his job.<br/><br/>We will go there again, most certainly.

Overpriced and underwhelmed. Fondue appetizer was good, but the rest of the meal was mediocre. Apparently they don't own spoons; this was the response when asked for a spoon for their 'country style dinner' offering.

Visit again? Most likely not.. Was excited to try this place but was very disappointed. Mostly due to the service and confusion on the bill. The atmosphere is perfect for a quiet gathering with friends or date. Food was good. Not spectacular but good. Server had a very bland personality and manager was unimpressive. We had a discrepancy with the bill and they were trying to overcharge us for what we ordered. Be careful when you order the fondue as the menu is deceiving and should be more clear. There was no sincerity to the misunderstanding and we were given the cold shoulder after.....left very unhappy and will not return.

Waste of money. If you want a place with bland food, and questionable service then this is the place for you. There are a tonne of amazing places to eat in Calgary, this is not one of them.

Worst experience ever!. This happened a few years ago but will never forget the awful experience and will never go back. We ordered our tenderloins rare but they came overcooked. Had no choice but to send them back and they still came back overcooked. The manager made us feel awful, like we didn't know what we were talking about and even our waiter gave us the cold shoulder.

Amazing Food. I eat at the livingroom as much as I possibly can! Love the tartar, love the interactive menu, love the duck spring rolls. I could really go on forever, but that might be a little boring as I'm sure we are all able to read the menu! The service is lacking at times, and they just lost my favorite server. I guess I'll have to find a new one! If you've never been here - GO!

Love the BEEF TARTARE. I go to this restaurant at least once a month because I crave their traditional Beef Tartare and Ravioli. It is unbelievably delicious. <br/><br/>The place is quaint and chic and offers a nice ambiance. <br/><br/>The service is mediocre unfortunately. Most of the time I go there it's hard to get the waiter's attention. Sometimes they all stand around and you have to either go up or call out loudly to get their attention.<br/><br/>However given how delicious the Beef Tartare and Ravioli is, I am willing to overlook the service.

Great date. I went to the living room on a monday night with my girlfriend for a date. I've eaten there on several occasions, and i barely even look at the menu. I asked for the waiter's recommendation on all the courses. We started with the truffle fondue, with steak to dip in it, and it was the best cheese fondue i've ever had! also we shared the tartare, which is the least bland tartare i've ever tasted, fantastic! I had a steak for an entree, and my girlfriend ate the fish, and we both nearly licked the plates clean! We didn't have room for dessert, but its the best dinner I've had at a fine dining restaurant in Calgary. I never once looked at the wine list because the server recommended wine throughout the dinner. If you've never eaten there, please do! the room is romantic, the patio is great for dining. you won't regret it!

Gem on 17th. I have been to the Living Room several times and always get treated like gold.. the food and atmosphere are fantastic as is Cliff the manager. Well done...keep up the good work!

The menu had very small writing and the lighting was terrible. Customer service was decent but nothing special, could even be described as slow. Everyone's food was amazing except mine. Food was burnt but it was replaced and it still tasted bland. My plate lacked seasoning on all levels. I was so embarassed to ask for salt. It wasn't busy at all but this restaurant just needs some refining and it could be perfect. I'm still wondering why there was pepper on my plate and not on my steak....