Redwater Rustic Grille

Visiting from Fort Mac, stumbled across this place because it is next to Cork liquor store (amazing) in the Bow Valley Square.
Ordered lobster tacos (meh) and red pepper dip (mmmmm) meatball were okay also. Wine bottles are half off!!! They renovating tomorrow so lucky us. Service was great even though our party turned from 2 to 6 people.

The Bow Valley location has great food I will give it that. Unfortunately the service is SLOW SLOW SLOW. If you have 2 – 3 hours for dinner and 2 hours for lunch this is a great place to go. I have been here several times when time was not an issue so the slow service did not really bother me however recently we went for a work dinner, 12 people. We were seated in a separate room that I am assuming from the large TV on the wall and all the cords hanging from it is used for conference meetings. There were maybe 4 other tables occupied in the restaurant — including the lounge. We were told we would have 2 servers. 15 minutes after we got our menus 1 server came back to take our order, 15 minutes after that we got our drinks, another 15 minutes after that the acting manager came in to tell us there was no roasted chicken left for those who had ordered it … really our order was put in over a half an hour ago and it took you that long to figure out you were out of chicken!?! Should you not know this before the table even sits down and let those ordering know when the menus are given out!?! Our 1 waitress was very good but slow and service was somewhat scattered, some of us got drink refills, some of us did not, those drinking alcohol got refills however with one of the guests his beer re-​order came while he was having dessert. All the food did come at once and was all placed on the table at once — I think the entire wait staff that night was used in order to do that.
Bottom line, the food is excellent but only go to this location if you have time to kill.

We were brought here by Taste of Calgary, and I must say, we were glad that we went. The service was superb. Our host, our waitress and the manager came by to check on our evening.
We decided to go with the 3 course dinner. A salmon appetizer with pickled cucumber. Delicious! Followed by pork tenderloin wrapped with prosciutto served on mushroom risotto. Amazing! Dessert was chocolate lava cake with scoop of amaretto ice cream, that was fantastic as well. All this for 35!!! Epic!
My only problem with the dining experience was that I didn’t come here sooner.

The place is very comfortable and has a nice décor.
Staff are very attentive and make the visit very pleasant.
Food is good and much better than most of the other fare in their vicinity.
How expensive is it? I had a small soup, a flat bread which is really a small pizza and 3 glasses of Malbec and with tips it came to 60+ dollars.
I’d rev commend this place for a good business lunch

I met some friends at the Red Water Grill in Bow Valley for lunch, hoping that we would be in and out in an hour, normally at many restaurants I’ve been to before this is pretty much a guarantee especially working in the down town core. Well, today (April 16^th) that was much different than what I’m normally used too. Reservations were made for 12, we arrived at 11:45am got seated right away which was great, our server came to the table 15mintues later got our drink order, and food order (at the same time), drinks came 20mintues later and by 12:45pm our food still had not shown up, bringing this to our servers attention he went to check in on the food and told us it would be out shortly.
My friend had to take hers to go as she had a meeting at 1:15pm to make, the food finally arrived at 12:50… we certainly didn’t order anything extravagant that it would take the chef over 40mintues to prepare, I had a veggie sandwich and fries which by no means was anything I would have again wasn’t tasty at all.
We were told the manager was going to come by the table and chat with us, he never showed. The server was understanding of our frustration and disappointment and offered an apology, and to be honest that was good enough, I wasn’t looking for our meals to be compensated simply an acknowledgement was fine. I’ve decided though, that I will not dine here again especially during work hours.

I’ve been to Red water a few times and have had a couple of great meals there. however, today I tried the soup and salad combo and I must say I was rather disappointed. I am a very big fan of cheddar and broccoli soup, but this seemed a little lack luster. Definitely was not my favorite. I won’t completely cross Redwater off my list and look forward to giving it another try.

Just okay. Great ambience, great wine selection, good service. Menu reads well but the salads were under-​dressed; soups were bland; and main dishes (we ordered chicken pappardelle) lacked flavor. I think the concept was good, just needs a bit more oomph. For the price you shouldn’t have to add your own salt and pepper to the dish. But it is a nice spot to meet with clients or friends. Just don’t expect to be blown away by the food.

Popped in for lunch while working downtown today. They had two seats available at the bar and we were served relatively quickly. I ordered the salmon and my girlfriend ordered the pesto chicken sandwich, both were delicious! I also had a cocktail and our bill came out to just under $ 40. I noticed they cater to gluten allergies as well, which is always a plus. We were in and out in less than an hour. Awesome lunch spot in busy downtown Calgary — I’ll definitely return!

We had a great experience at Redwater Grille (McLeod Trail Location) when we went for a birthday dinner.
I found the atmosphere to be very cozy and comfortable. They had a great décor. Even for a Wednesday evening they seemed decently busy.
Our server was fantastic, I wish I got her name, she was very personable and friendly which is something I often find lacking when I go out to eat in Calgary. Often I find slightly pretentious servers who make me feel uncomfortable and unwelcome. This was not at all the case wt Redwater she joked with us, made menu suggestions, and added to the welcoming environment of the restaurant.
For dinner we shared the shrimp appetizer and I had the Salmon while my BF had a steak. We had both with the chimichurri sauce which was recommended by our server. My salmon was done perfectly and went really well with the chimichurri which isn’t something I would have picked on my own. My BF said he steak almost melted in his mouth and was done to perfect.
We were to full for dessert but I am sure it would have been just as good. Overall I would definitely recommend coming here for dinner as I left very impressed.

I like everything about this restaurant (MacLeod Trail location). It lived up to it’s motto — sommelier inspired, chef driven. The wine cellar was impressive, the menu was perfect for the season, all the dishes were perfectly executed, the staff was friendly, knowledgable and helpful and the décor was warm and inviting.
We ordered ahi tuna carpaccio as an appetizer and it was wonderful — so fresh! I would recommend any of the steaks with the poblano garlic butter. The steak was beautifully cooked and the Israeli couscous risotto with wild mushrooms was luscious! The hubby ordered ahi tuna with puttanesca sauce — a nice bright accompaniment to the fish and together so delicious!
To finish up we split the dark chocolate soufflé with chocolate-​merlot sauce. Not too sweet and the sauce was a nice touch that gave the dish some interest.

I’ve been to this Redwater Grille twice now, both with a large meetup group of around 10 – 15 people for lunch. So, keep in mind that we get a private room and don’t wait at the front to be seated. I’ve never been here for dinner either.
Likes:
–Service staff for our room is always attentive. Knows how to fill drinks and serve food without disrupting conversation. Always willing to help, polite and perfectly balanced professional/​approachable attitude.
–Love the food, actually! Their portions are great and I always leave full. I’m a big fan of their tomato & corn soup. Delish. Sandwich options are yummy and interesting.
–Great atmosphere and modern décor. Definitely a place I’d take a client.
–Food presentation is elegant
Dislikes:
–Not very memorable in general. I forget this place exists until the next meetup.
–Parking is really expensive if you are coming into downtown from elsewhere (not their fault, but has to do with location)
I gave them 4 stars because my dislikes are not deal-​breakers by any means. I’ll definitely be back some more for lunch.

Redwater Rustic Grille is a restaurant that I don’t really think about going to. It’s a chain and I like to stick to indie restaurants. However, it fit nicely into the location where I needed to be so I decided to give it a try. I like the room, and the ambiance though I wasn’t thrilled with being given the very front & center table in the restaurant. It’s hard to carry on a convo when there are diners milling around your table incessantly as they enter & leave the restaurant.
The menu had many items that piqued my interest. I decided to try the roasted salmon sandwich. It was quite tasty though it left me with wicked heartburn after. Not sure if it’s me or the sandwich though.
My lunch companion ordered the burger, which they were out of, so he ordered the southwest chicken BLT.
Overall the food was good, the service was good and the room was nice. Not a «wow» experience but definitely an a-​ok experience.

The food is amazing here. I think that the rating is more for front of house service though, so I’m torn between 3 stars and 4 stars. The food is amazing like I said. The gluten free pasta is done amazingly well. You won’t miss wheat if you order gluten free here. The bison meatballs were absolutely perfect, lean ground bison meat smothered in delicious spaghetti sauce. Yum. Makes my mouth water thinking of it. They have a nice wine selection too which is nice with their meals. I’ve reviewed the Red Water in the South as well, and I don’t doubt the food is just as excellent as it was there.
The service is… OK. The manager was really nice and polite and I felt well taken care of when he was around. The service was… I’m not sure. I am pretty sure they forgot our order as three tables came after us (and ordered after us) and were all served before us. It took 45 minutes to get our feed (just above 45 minutes to be exact, you definitely notice the time when you’re on lunch break) which I don’t think was very reasonable considering the restaurant wasn’t more than 75% full. I believe our waitress was training another waitress too. I think it’d be nice if they indicated that. Didn’t tell us their names, any specials or recommendations, didn’t apologize for the wait on food (we eventually asked if the food was still coming). It was just kind of poor communication and we didn’t feel like they cared if we were there or not. I’d heard that the service there was a reason that restaurant wasn’t full a lot of the time, but had never experienced it for myself. It wasn’t HORRIBLE, like they were nice. But it wasn’t worth going back to. The food was though! I love the menu and would go back to the one in the South for the food and the service, but I don’t like feeling obligated to tip 20% or more (and I generally don’t tip less than 20% ever) if I know the server doesn’t deserve it.

Hmm too bad there’s no half point here, because I think Redwater deserves 3.5 stars (not yet a 4 stars though). I guess 3 stars for now it is.
I organized a staggette party for my sister tonight. It was definitely a great night. Everyone had lots of fun. The waiter service was okay. He was not rude but at the same time not exactly friendly either. Just O-​K if you know what I mean? He does seem a little bit nervous though, maybe a room full of 13 ladies makes him nervous?
The food is good. I have only been to Redwater twice and both times I have ordered this appetizer — beef mini burger. One order comes with 3 mini burgers. They are the perfect size and they are delicious! We also ordered their calamari. I think I am on a mission to find the perfect calamari. I don’t know if I am too picky or what, it seems like either the calamari is too bland or too salty. Yup, I found their calamari too salty but I must say, this one is one of the better ones I have tried.
I ordered a half size Chicken Pappardelle. Let me tell ya, next time I will order a full size even though half size was a good portion for me… cuz the half size costs me $ 13 whereas the full size is $ 17 but the portion is obviously at least 2.5 times more than the half portion! Yup I felt I got ripped off for sure.
One thing I really like about Redwater Rustic Grille is that they have private room (s). It is great for parties and/​or with a large group of people.

Tasty appetizer, interesting desserts, well prepared but standard entrees.
Both the baked brie and mushroom dip were quite good and very quickly inhaled by everyone at the table.
The main dishes were the standard steak, chicken, fish and lamb. Having said that, the portion sizes were decent and properly cooked.
The desserts was where redwater really shined. The warm caramel banan bread pudding was drop dead decadent and delicious.
Overall good meal but not amazing.

This is a strange restaurant.
I mean, take for example the last time I was there.
Strange, because I ended up with a table on the patio… which is inside the mall of Bow Valley Square.
And strange, because you’re sitting on leather chairs, watching people walk by… but indoors.
Even more strange is the chef’s interpretation of the menu descriptions — I ordered the Southwest Pulled Chicken BLT… and it was a cold chicken salad sandwich.
Now, I’m not saying that strange is bad, it’s just bizarre. The sandwich is quite good — I’ve ordered it more than once — I like the zip of the mustard dressing and the nice sweet taste of the chicken salad. But I was expecting a hot chicken breast on a bun.
Either way, this place has a really nice vibe to it. Its interior is dark, cozy and hip, and the food is high quality and always tasty.

I visited Calgary to speak at an internet marketing conference that was right across the street. So while there, I ate at the Redwater Rustic Grille 3 times. The first time, I had salmon. The second time, I had halibut. The third time, I had the filet mignon. All three were outstanding.
The service was excellent too. The wait staff recognized me on the second and third nights and made a point to come up and say hello. They checked in regularly but not too much and were quick to respond when I needed anything.
I thought the prices were a bit steep. That’s why I’m not giving it 5 stars. In particular, the halibut on my second visit was the special and the waitress recommended it. The salmon the day before was $ 24 but when the bill came, I realized the halibut was $ 34 ($ 10 more). It’s not a big deal but I wish she would’ve told me at the time she recommended it. Perhaps I should’ve asked. Anyway, as good as it was, I didn’t think it was worth $ 34.
Overall, this place has a great ambiance, good food and nice service … but be ready to pay for it.

I came to Redwater recently for a Christmas party, and might I just say I love it. That is, barring my almost death when my boot slipped from under my feet on the slippery bathroom stones. Bottom line is winter, snow and stone make for potentially dangerous situations.
Fortunately the rest of the floors had a bit more traction. I loved the lighting and décor of Redwater — it was intimate but avant garde. The party had wine and delicious appetizers that all seemed to be a spin on more traditional Canadian dishes. We ate well, the service was impeccable and I was very impressed. Everyone had a great time at the cocktail party all thanks to these guys.

Redwater Rustic Grille came highly recommended by a former colleague. So our first anniversary following that conversation, I decided on Redwater for our celebration.
The décor of Redwater is fantastic. The best word to define it is already in the name, rustic. From first arriving, to sitting down, to enjoying the meal, and leaving, Redwater has a feeling of tradition that is thoroughly enjoyable.
The service was excellent, which is always one of the most important points for me in enjoying a restaurant, especially one that is of the higher class variety. The food was fantastic and really made the evening complete. I hope to visit again soon!

The food and service are spot on. My dining partner wanted to hug the chef after devouring the Bison Meatballs with its lip smacking good sauce.
These guys are doing it right! If you love wine and food stop in soon.