Stephen Avenue and downtown Calgary: where to eat in the core

Downtown Calgary is a city of office towers, but at its heart is Stephen Avenue, a historic pedestrian street lined with sandstone and brick buildings from the city's early days. Today it holds restaurants, steakhouses, pubs, cafés and patios, busy at lunch with office workers and in the evening with diners heading to shows and games. Above the streets, the Plus 15 skywalk network connects the towers and their food courts.

Here is how to eat well downtown.

What is Stephen Avenue?

Stephen Avenue is the portion of 8th Avenue SW that runs through the downtown core, roughly from 4th Street SW to 1st Street SE. It was Calgary's main street in the late 1800s, named after the first president of the Canadian Pacific Railway. It became a pedestrian mall in 1970 and was recognized as a National Historic Site. Vehicles are only allowed in the evening and overnight, which makes it pleasant to walk during the day.

What kind of food is on Stephen Avenue?

Kind of place	What to expect
Steakhouses	Alberta beef in polished rooms, popular for business dinners
Pubs and bars	After-work drinks and game nights
Patio restaurants	Busy in summer, right on the pedestrian street
Cafés	Coffee for office workers
Casual lunch spots	Sandwiches, bowls and quick meals
Fine dining	A handful of special-occasion restaurants nearby

What is the Plus 15 and is there food in it?

The Plus 15 is Calgary's network of enclosed pedestrian bridges and walkways, about 15 feet above street level, connecting downtown buildings. It is a long, covered network, which makes it a useful winter route between lunch spots. Inside, many office towers have food courts and cafés, which are where many downtown workers eat lunch, especially in winter. They are busy from about noon to 1 p.m. and quiet in the evenings and on weekends, when many are closed.

Where should you have a business lunch downtown?

Stephen Avenue and the surrounding streets have the city's best choice for business lunches: steakhouses, hotel restaurants and polished dining rooms within walking distance of the towers. Book ahead, ask for a quiet table, and expect a busy room between noon and 1:30 p.m. For a quick working lunch, the Plus 15 food courts are fast and affordable.

Where should you eat before a show or game?

Downtown is close to the Arts Commons theatres, the Saddledome and the Stampede grounds. Restaurants near Stephen Avenue and in the East Village and Beltline offer early dinners before shows and games. Book ahead on event nights, and tell the restaurant you have a show to catch so they can pace the meal.

Is downtown Calgary good for dinner on weekends?

Downtown is quieter on weekends than on weekdays, since many office workers are away, and some lunch spots close. But Stephen Avenue's restaurants, steakhouses and pubs stay open, and the nearby East Village and Beltline are lively. For a busier weekend scene, many Calgarians head to 17th Avenue, Kensington or Inglewood.

Where else to eat near downtown Calgary

• The East Village, east of downtown, with newer restaurants near the river and the Central Library.
• Chinatown, at the northern edge of downtown around Centre Street, for dim sum and Vietnamese subs.
• Eau Claire and Prince's Island Park, by the river, for summer patios and picnics.
• The Beltline and 17th Avenue, a short walk south.

Where can you eat with a view in downtown Calgary?

Downtown Calgary is flat, but its towers give it a few dining rooms with long views over the city and toward the Rockies on a clear day.

• The Calgary Tower has long had a revolving restaurant near the top, popular with visitors and for special occasions. Check the tower's own site for whether it is open, then book ahead and time it for sunset.
• Hotel restaurants and bars on upper floors offer views in a quieter setting.
• Riverside patios near Eau Claire and Prince's Island Park give a lower-level view of the Bow River in summer.

A view always costs something extra, so expect higher prices at these spots. For the mountains, go on a clear day, and check the forecast, because haze or cloud can hide them completely.

How much does eating downtown cost?

Downtown steakhouses and fine dining are among the more expensive meals in the city, while food courts and cafés are affordable. Alberta has no provincial sales tax, so only the 5 percent GST is added. At table service, tip 15 to 20 percent of the pre-tax amount; at counters, it is optional.

How to get around downtown for food

Downtown is compact and walkable, and the CTrain runs free through the downtown core along 7th Avenue. In winter, use the Plus 15 to move between buildings without going outside. Parking is expensive during the week.

On Mosey you can rate the places you ate at downtown and the dishes you ordered, keep a list of reliable business lunch spots near your office, and see where colleagues and friends you follow actually go.

More guides to read next:

• A food day trip from Calgary to Canmore and Banff
• Summer food festivals in Calgary: beyond the Stampede
• Vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free eating in Calgary

More in the Canadian food guides and the ranked lists of places.