Raw Bar

Great atmosphere and the service started out strong but deteriorated after the first 10 minutes. Our party of 5 ordered several tapas and main courses. Food was good, not great. They tend to add a TON of sweetness to every dish – even the steak, which masks the true flavours of the food. No feature «derelict» cocktail available the night we were there, which was a disappointment and no apologies for that. The waitress kept clearing our dishes before we were finished and basically rushed us through our meal, even though the place was half empty. We arrived at 7 and were pressured into ordering dessert by 8 pm! Even when we asked her to delay dessert, it came right out so we were out of the restaurant by 8:30. They could have made more money off of us with after dinner cocktails if their service staff had not been rushed to get us out.
The place was pretty slow for a Saturday night in June, and with their limited menu I can’t see it surviving this economic downturn. Would not personally return unless they change things up.

Have eaten here numerous times and have always enjoyed it, and last night we popped in just for drinks and dessert at around 10:30. The main dining room was empty (kind of sad to see on a Friday evening) but there was a birthday party up in the more private area at the back.
Cocktails are pricy at $ 12 for a 2 oz, but they’re very yummy. My favourite is their signature drink, the Derelict.
They have handmade chocolate bars in rotating flavours in dark, milk and white ($ 4.50 each). We tried the milk which was a hazelnut and tasted like an upgraded Ferrero Rocher.
The chocolate sticky rice pudding ($ 8) was interesting, but not my favourite thing. The chocolate taste was muted and the texture was odd — a jelly-​like feel to it. I was hoping it’d be more similar to a Thai sticky rice more so than a dense cake. It was served with 3 pieces of chocolate that was house made Crunch bars.
The star of the night was the Vietnamese iced coffee panna cotta ($ 8). Velvety, creamy condensed milk custard layered with a milk coffee custard and topped with a coffee gel. Omg. I couldn’t get enough of this. Soooo so good. Please don’t ever take it away!
The service was very friendly and our drinks were kept topped up all night. It did take a while to get our bill and then another wait for the machine to pay, but other than that, excellent visit.

Fantastic, happy hour. They could expand the selection, but the 3 food items and wine choices for $ 6 each is pretty reasonable.
The food is full of flavor, fresh ingredients & friendly service.

I just wrote a negative review for another restaurant, so I thought I should write a positive review for a place that is actually good. I have eaten at Raw Bar a couple of times and have not been disappointed. Every item that we have order here has been exceptional. You can tell that the chef and kitchen really care about the quality of food that they are sending out. I have found this hard to find these days. Can’t wait to go back.

Great atmosphere, great music, great food, great service. Great great. Don’t know if the server wanted to laugh at all my jokes but she did! It’s a really special place. Especially, live music Thursday’s

Tasty fancy food, and a fancy restaurant with a balance of meat and vegetarian options. Taste isn’t that much better than a good hole in the wall Asian restaurant, but worth going if you have money to blow (or the meal is paid for on a business trip!). Decent cocktails too
My non-​veg companion enjoyed the steak larger plate, though he said it wasn’t anything special, and the snapea and tomato plate. I had mushroom japchae hot plate, taro and mango slaw, and chili lemongrass tofu.

Had the pleasure to have a staycation at Hotel Arts one weekend, which ultimately meant the perfect opportunity to check out Raw Bar located in the hotel. I was very excited for this meal as I hoped Chef Duncan Ly’s style of «vietmodern» food would show off a refined take on traditional Vietnamese without watering down the flavors. I am glad to say I thoroughly enjoyed my dinner here and hope to visit again!
Stepping into the restaurant felt like walking into an underwater oasis. The décor and style of the restaurant was borderline cliché but also hip??? The crowd seemed mostly older business casual and the night we went they seemed to be hosting a lot of birthday groups dressed for a night out after.
Although the name and décor indicates this is a seafood themed restaurant, there is actually a wide range of selection for any type of cravings (seafood, meat, vegetables). In fact, I found the vegetable selection was incredibly varied in its choices and they all sounded like a delicious meal in itself. As for the beverage menu, it was incredibly extensive in its cocktails & wine. I wish they had offered more choices for wine by the glass but perhaps usual diners here would opt for a bottle.
We ordered the Crispy Mango & Taro Slaw, Sweet & Sour Kobocha Squash, Crispy Rice Cakes, Spicy Pork Belly, and Whole Fried Trout. For dessert we finished with the Green tea Crêpe Cake with red bean ice cream.
Both veggie dishes were delicious. The slaw was a great addition to lighten up the heavy meal. The squash was more sweet than sour from what I remember; however that might be due to the sweet flavor of the squash itself rather than the gastrique. The pork belly and trout tasted like stuff my mom (best viet chef I know) cooks but with better care of the ingredients and presentation. Okay, since my mother isn’t on Unilocal I will admit it was better than her cooking. The whole fried trout managed to stay crispy and moist with the flavors of a good nouc cham sauce and was probably the most stand out dish of the night.
On the flip side, the rice cakes were the least favorite. Not sure about the dish as a whole as it felt like different components just attached together on one plate. Although the shrimps were quite delicious and perfectly cooked there was nothing joining it with the bland rice cakes it sat on top of. This also goes for the green tea crêpe cake which could have used more green tea flavor. Also was a bit disjointed from the red bean ice cream
In summary, Raw Bar is not just great Vietnamese food but great food in general. It is not Asian fusion and it is also not your typical Vietnamese phở joint, but rather a restaurant that takes on a unique niche missing in Calgarys food scene

I love Raw Bar. Where else can you get a family sharing platter (with 7 – 9 dishes) for $ 35?
The food is Asian inspired and always pretty to look at and even better to taste. On top of that, you can get deliciously cold beers (Chambly/​Sapporo, etc.) for only $ 5.00 on Fridays (until 8pm).
Two new dishes I sampled was the Deep-​Fried Chicken Thighs (juicy, crunchy with a sweet glaze) and an incredible Grilled Prawn Salad w/​noodles in a peanut satay sauce. Great place for date night or a girls night. You get value at Raw Bar, particularly if you take advantage of their drink specials. I heard that Duncan Ly is moving on from Hotel Arts :-(I’ll follow Duncan anywhere… I hope he stays in Calgary. We need him!

A group of friends and I went to experience a tasting menu at Raw Bar. The restaurant manager began by telling us about the chef and how they were proud of being recently rated the second best restaurant in Calgary. The setting itself is very clean and modern. We were all really excited.
However, the meal itself was a disappointment.
Each course came with a custom cocktail. On average, our table enjoyed less than half of what was offered.
The first course was a duo of one bite offerings. Both were interesting and had great flavor.
The appetizer was solid, but seemed to have very little Asian influence.
The soup was OK, but likely more sweet than you’d hope and was served barely warm. We were not told if this was done on purpose.
The steak was chewy and not near the quality you’d expect for a small portion and high price.
The dessert was an intense, dense lemon cake that no one at our table finished.
It’s possible the tasting menu was not a fair representation of the daily menu, but this experience did not make me want to go back to find out.

Love the family style dining experience. Came here for a family dinner and everyone got to try a bit of everything. Overall great food and atmosphere.

I really liked the food and drinks at Raw Bar. I expected it to be a sushi bar, but it’s more of an Asian fusion restaurant. The duck was delicious and so were the drinks. Service was great with music and tvs showing sports in the background. This restaurant is great for hotel guests and locals alike.

We had the set menu last night (NYE 2014) and it was magnificent. I am chagrined to say that this was my first time at Raw Bar– even for drinks– but won’t be my last. Of course, the regular menu wouldn’t include the same things as the NYE one but I’d love to have something like the lobster-​crab thermidor or the sea bream roulade in red curry that I had in the context of a multicourse menu last night but as a larger plate with some nice Jasmine rice– the kitchen was consistently amazing, every course. The space is gorgeous and very open, good space between tables, not at all what I expected. Class act, great choice for NYE and I can only imagine how beautiful the experience is in warm weather with the poolside patio.

Have you ever had a good bubble tea and thought to yourself, «Man, this would go great with some booze?»
At Raw Bar, this is a fantasy you can fulfill, among others. Located inside the heart of Hotel Arts, this restaurant is a great place to listen to some weird-​ass music with your homies, drink fermented pineapple foam and dare someone to drink Vietnamese spicy pickle juice for a Loonie. Not that you need to dare anyone to drink it. It’s tasty. I’d totally put it in my water bottle for the gym.
Service is excellent, the adorable servers really know the menu well and have no problem offering genuine sounding suggestions. You never have to wait too long for a water refill, or feel like someone is hovering over your every move.
I love that they have vegan and gluten-​free options that everyone can appreciate, and taste amazing. As well, the cocktails aren’t the same pretentiously snoozy cocktails you see everywhere else.
Prices are pretty much on par with most places downtown. Definitely not inexpensive, but a nice place to celebrate with pals without feeling like you’re breaking the bank.
Bonus: You can park in Hotel Arts’ garage, and bring your receipt in to Raw Bar. They will validate your parking!

It was very good… They have a good deal for oysters in the afternoon!.. Which I really enjoyed… The spring rolls were delicious… The pad Thai was very good too. Not the best in town, but not bad… The cocktails are just awesome… I think they have Very nice options for cocktails, and the service is very very friendly!.. I definitely would go back there, only for the oysters and cocktails. The food was good as well… But the cocktails were just outstanding…

My first weekend as an Elite, and I dropped the ball. I really should have taken a few notes about all the spectacular food I had here, but we were celebrating my friend’s birthday. There were new friends to make, and old ones to catch up with, you know how it is, right? The drinks came quick and went down quicker. I’ll do the best I can to tell you about all the flavors. It’s hard to concentrate and be mindful of descriptions when you’re eating art.
The menu is small, but it’s still really hard to decide. It all sounds so good! Luckily, in the corner of the menu we found one of those deals where for $ 35 per person, you could have an assortment of menu items, served family style and it would include a dessert for all to share. All ten of us agreed.
The first bites were beautiful salads with julienned vegetables and grapefruit segments that splash the palate with citrus fireworks. Tomatos and crispy noodles added dimension and texture. The albacore tuna with pear was incredible. I don’t like fruit with my meat, but this dish sang to me. The pancake? Divine.
Main courses included a nice medium rare sliced steak in herb pesto with mustard dressed salad. The salad included snap peas and that cute lettuce that looks like green coral. There was also a tender barbecue squid dish that was obviously the servers favorite. He gave us a lovely speech testifying to it’s freshness and perfect tender mouth feel. He was not wrong. I should point out that almost all the dishes involved some kind of salad, but they were all different and all tasty. Come to think of it, I didn’t taste anything that night that I didn’t like.
Dessert was obviously excellent. Lets see… Coconut tapioca pudding topped with roasted puffed wheat, mango mousse, espresso chocolate mousse tarts, handmade artistic truffles that boggled the tastebuds, and a dark chocolate ‘Happy Birthday’ sign.
I wish the tarts and truffles were easier to share, but they made us smack our gobs. The pudding was the biggest hit. It was light, not too sweet and the roasted puffed wheat shreds on top added a texture and flavor I’ll remember for a long time.
They added an 18% gratuity, and I feel it was well earned. We all had a fantastic time.

A++++. Food, service and atmosphere is amazing. Cant wait to go back.

I’m prefacing this review by saying that this 2 star rating is for the food. The service I give a solid 4. It took a while to be greeted by our server and we had multiple people help us through the night, but we later were told it was due to being short staffed. All the ladies that helped us were very nice and made sure to check in with us throughout our meal.
Chose Raw Bar because I had the pleasure of drinking a fantastic cocktail created for the Unilocal Engineered Eats Event.
The menus here is simple. It was recently rehauled, still having its Asian influence.
My bf and I shared the crispy sweet potato and ginger spring rolls to start. They come with a coconut soy sauce dip. They were delicious, though a bit pricy. We got 3 small rolls for 9 dollars.
My Vietmodern Coffee was decent, adding some cognac to an Americano with condensed milk foam. I enjoyed how it wasn’t overly sweet like traditional Vietnamese coffee but could have been a stronger flavour as far as roast goes.
My bf’s Peach Old Fashioned was perfect. When your lips hit the glass, you really smell the peach flavour and expect it to taste sweet. Nope. In the mouth, it had a nice little kick to it, quickly switching to smooth once you swallow. Amazing how all these sensations hit you in a matter of seconds.
So why the 2 star review? Our main courses. I had the black bean noodles with crispy tofu and 63 degree egg, my bf the pad Thai.
My noodles were drowning in the thick brown bean sauce. It was heavy but lacked any flavour at all. I’m not sure why they mention the egg was cooked at 63 degrees. It sat prettily on top of my noodles, but also lacked that rich, fatty taste of a good quality egg. The tofu wasn’t crispy, and I could only get through half the meal because of all the sauce.
My bf’s pad Thai on the other hand had no sauce, or so it seemed. There were some juicy shrimp and lots is veg but the only flavour I could taste was ginger. A ridiculous amount of ginger.
We could have complained about the food sure, but our poor servers not only had to deal with being short staffed but also being bombarded by a giant number of younger people who crowded the main bar. Most weren’t even drinking. The servers apologized to us for all the noise they were making. Of course it’s not their fault, but the couple beside us left due to the large group’s obnoxiousness. I felt despite the steep price tag for a lacklustre meal, they had more than enough on their plate to deal with that evening.
Would I come back to Raw Bar? Definitely for a drink, but that’s about it.

Raw Bar has undergone a physical and menu revamp recently, switching out the hot red for a powdery blue while retaining the sleek lines, and swapping out high-​end stylized meat-​and-​potato for small-​plate-​focused «Vietmodern».
I have previously had occasion to try several of the bites and small plates, and they are pretty good. Some are refreshingly off the beaten path or presented uniquely, but to be honest though, you are paying a premium for the venue for some of the appies. I mean, your hole-​in-​the-​wall restaurant spring rolls start at such a high deliciousness baseline that there is only so much fancification you do to try to justify a double digit price. What you DO get for the price is a hip atmosphere, excellent service, and a great selection of cocktails.
While Raw Bar has been known for its cocktails for years, the wife and I found the menu uninspired last year. Luckily they recruited Christina Mah to the restaurant and it’s all on the up and up again. The thoughtful combinations of herbs, bitters, sweet components, and liquors make drinks more of a peer to the food than an accompaniment. Of course, you can come just for a drink too!
Pressed a bit for time, on our most recent visit we forwent the small plates and tried two of the half dozen or so main plates. The salmon steak was crispy and well seasoned, and the vegetables (squash, colored carrots, and green onion cores predominating) were perfectly cooked. The spicy soy sauce served on the side lets you usefully customize the salt and heat. We used it to fix my wife’s under seasoned Pad Thai (see below). Wrapped in a large leaf packet, the rice was not the best, nor the worst I’ve experienced in town in terms of texture or flavour. Call me a rice snob, but assuming they buy top quality rice, I wonder if the leaf packaging was put together for modern visual appeal at some cost to traditional mouth appeal. I’m sure this would be an easy thing to tweak.
Conversely, the visually appealing Pad Thai (a menu staple for some years), has been reinterpreted into a more subdued presentation. While I can appreciate chef Duncan Ly try to put a twist on the classic by employing a (really delicious) panang broth, I think a traditional noodle dish form factor would have worked better. In its current form, the broth to solids ratio leaves a lot of the noodles and plain Jane veggies high and dry. Once again, this could be fairly easily remedied by thickening the panang.
In sum, the new Vietmodern incarnation of Raw Bar has a cool atmosphere, spendy small plates including some unique and well presented choices, *great* cocktails and service, and nice mains that could use a few tweaks.

The moment I walked into Raw Bar, I immediately fell in love with the set up of the place. Very chic, hip, modern. Our hostess/​waitress was very kind throughout the whole night and extremely helpful, especially with ordering drinks and entrees. She recommended the Dungeness Crab & Mango roll for myself and my goodness was it delicious. My boyfriend and I also started off with the beef tacos for appies and I was surprised with the way they arrived — fresh, crisp chip like tacos with sliced steak topped off with onions and tomatoes. Very unique, I was impressed over all with the quality of these simple dishes.
After a few martinis, definitely try their Derelict martini if you like lychee soho, and their mouth watering vanilla bean cheesecake I was quite the happy camper. I would come here with friends just to hang and have a few drinks every weekend!

Why is it that most things that Hotel Arts touches turns to gold? My place of employment has used their catering several time with tremendous results. So I was expecting good things from Raw Bar seeing as how they are under the HA umbrella. Floored, I was!
Dinner and dessert consisted of Haida Gwaii Halibut and Yuzu and White Chocolate Cheesecake. The golden beets and arugula complemented the tenderness of the halibut. Taste-​wise the bitter/​sweet/​light fish flavour collage were a beautiful marriage; however, the textures of the mix were also a marvelous meld. Semi-​solid beets with tender fish … Art! The Cheesecake was ok. It felt too sour for me though.
However, what earns Raw Bar its five stars are its cocktails. The two cocktails I had were among the best in my life. The Yuzu Sunrise was so citurs fresh it made me actually enjoy my Vodka (not my spirit of choice). However, the winner of the night was Blood and Sand. Besides having the coolest name ever for a cocktail (sounds like another US-​military-​in-​the-​middle-​east-​Hollywood-​movie). The name also made ordering my drink fun. In a deep-​voice and fist clenched I dramatically ordered my drinking stating «I want Blood and Sands.» Always a bonus when you can do that! The surprising thing about the drink itself was that it made me finally find a Johnie Walker cocktail that I actually love. 2 for 2!
Décor-​wise I love it here. The subtlety contrasting red-​orange and green shades blend beautifully. The crowd is young and hip. And the DJ spinning in the background is the perfect cherry on this fine dine sundae.
It isn’t cheap here though, but sometimes its nice to go somewhere that is hip, cool and makes awesome cocktails. Well done RB!
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