Although the diversity of cuisine has significantly expanded in recent years, few types of eateries are more synonymous with the city of Calgary than good old fashioned steakhouses.
The main reason for that is—you guessed it—Alberta beef. Alberta’s unique climate and geography provide the perfect conditions for cattle to graze rich and fertile grasslands and valleys, and because of the frequency of winter Chinooks, they're also able to access pasture throughout the colder months of the year.
As a result, restaurants in Alberta have been able to serve the highest quality beef around, and over the years, a select few have offered a steakhouse experience a cut above the rest, and in doing so have cemented their status among Calgary’s most iconic steakhouses.
Caesar’s Steak House
In the time that has passed since Caesar’s Steak House opened its doors to its first location in 1972, it has been near-impossible to have a conversation about Calgary’s steakhouse scene without making mention of Caesar’s.
Caesar’s has always sourced its beef locally, but beyond that, the restaurant’s signature table-side presentation and open-kitchen concept were way ahead of their time, and offered guests a unique opportunity to get to know both the product itself and the people who bring it to life.
Hy’s Steakhouse and Cocktail Bar
Speaking of time-honoured Calgary institutions, Hy’s Steakhouse and Cocktail Bar is actually Calgary’s longest-running restaurant. For more than 65 years, Hy’s has been setting the standard for what a fine dining steakhouse experience should look like in Calgary.
Wellingtons of Calgary
Wellingtons has been on a mission since it opened in 1979 to deliver Calgarians a refined and traditional steakhouse experience. As you might expect, the restaurant is particularly well known for its beef Wellington, but it also makes a mean table-side Caesar salad, a delicious steak Diane, and a slew of tasty surf options to go with your raised-in-Alberta turf.
Cattle Baron
Although Cattle Baron aims to offer a relatively more relaxed fine dining steakhouse experience, it has always been a great go-to destination for Calgarians in search of a high quality steak dinner, especially those living in Calgary’s southern suburbs.
Like some of our other suggestions, Cattle Baron only serves AAA+ Alberta beef that is aged for 28 or more days prior to cooking to ensure maximum flavour and texture.
Vintage Chophouse and Tavern
While Vintage Chophouse may not have been in operation for as long as some of our other submissions, in the roughly 10 years since it opened its doors on 11th Avenue, it has certainly gained a similar level of prestige.
In addition to serving up some of the best steaks you can find in Calgary, Vintage has also garnered wide acclaim for its robust wine program, which features more than 600 wines from around the world.
Bonus: Longview Steakhouse
While it obviously isn’t located in Calgary, you’d be hard pressed to find a steak-loving Calgarian that hasn’t at least heard about the legend of Longview Steakhouse. And if you were to ask a hospitality industry professional, there's a good chance they'll tell you that the restaurant is the single best steakhouse in all of Alberta.
The beef and the ingredients Longview uses are of a similar quality to that of our previous entries, but where Longview really stands out is in the sheer amount of heart and soul that the family-owned business puts into every single service.
