The Living Room Restaurant
• 514 - 17 Ave SW | Calgary, AB | T2S 0B1
Average User Rating:
7.87/10
7.87/10
Recommended by:
66%
66%
Sort Reviews by:
"We had a great time! "
Jordan
January 2012 — "I usually don't like the feel or the price of fancy restaurants, but the Living Room is different. The comfort and relaxing vibe of the place is felt as soon as you walk in. My girlfriend even had me drinking wine with her! They had fondue on special which was $16 per person and came with some beef and some cubed bread. Then you had to choose some other accompaniments from the menu. We went with the granny smith apples and little mini raviolis, which were no bigger than a finger nail! We had a salad to start and then sat and ate our food and drank our wine and just really enjoyed the experience. The service was amazing. You definitely get what you pay for. Our reservation was for 6pm and we were the only ones there. Within an hour though, the place began to pack out, making it a really nice place to be. I definitely recommend the Living Room for date night. "
User Rating
9/10
9/10
Beverages
••••••••••
Cleanliness
••••••••••
Quality of Food
••••••••••
Staff Service
••••••••••
Value for Money
••••••••••
"Beautiful Dining Experience"
Lindsay
January 2012 — "I bought a deal on Living Social to the Living Room. For $30, I received $60 worth of food and drink. The experience was nothing short of great from beginning to end. Even making my reservation was very pleasant. The atmosphere is amazing, with very comfy table arrangements, low light, fire places and big pillows. Our server was very friendly and fun and made the evening that much better. She knew the menu very well as well as the specials and was able to recommend something we loved. The watermelon salad with balsamic pearls was not only beautiful but delicious. I had 3 glasses of the malbec, which I highly recommend. We didn't have any main courses, as we chose to stick to wine and appetizers instead. The charcuterie board was a great value and beautifully laid out. The winter creme brulee for dessert was so good, with vanilla vodka on top served flaming at your table. The atmosphere, the service, and the food were all impeccable. Thank you to The Living Room for a beautiful experience! "
User Rating
9.17/10
9.17/10
Ambience
••••••••••
Beverages
••••••••••
Cleanliness
••••••••••
Quality of Food
••••••••••
Staff Service
••••••••••
Value for Money
••••••••••
"Fair, but not Extraordinary"
Am
March 2011 — "We were greeted by friendly staff upon arrival, seated in a nice booth where the swinging door to the kitchen agressively banging every time a server entered the kitchen.
We asked questions about the menu, and received undescriptive answers, still in a friendly manner though. Our appetizer plates weren't cleared until halfway through our entrees had arrived.
The unbreaded calamari is a beautiful idea, done with capers, peppers and red onions, but lacked flavors other than the saltiness of the capers. For the price, (16$), the portion was very big, good value.
Their menu advertises "complimentary" still or sparkling water from Vivreau, however we had a $2.00 charge on our bill. At the begining of the meal we asked specifically for tap water but received this bottled water instead. The meals and the dessert were different prices on our bill than they were on the menu. each off by a dollar or so.
The dessert (chocolate mousse) came to the table a little too quickly after we ordered it. The coulis (some kind of raspberry sauce) on the plate was very obviously pre-done as it was slightly hardened to the plate from sitting in a cooler for hours.
Looking over their menu and comparing it to other dining venues of the same calibre in Calgary, the prices are certainly not competitive. Close to $60 for some entrees!!
Lovely atmosphere, save for the banging door, friendly staff, and expensive meals. Fair experience, certainly not extraordinary. "
User Rating
6.33/10
6.33/10
Ambience
••••••••••
Beverages
••••••••••
Cleanliness
••••••••••
Quality of Food
••••••••••
Staff Service
••••••••••
Value for Money
••••••••••
"Truffle Fondue to Die For!"Wendy
March 2010 — "The Living Room is not much like a living room; it’s modern and busy. The strong smell of the recently re-finished outdoor floor area entered the restaurant and my nostrils, causing me to ask for a table away from the door. This was granted with a sincere apology; hopefully that is a temporary problem. That was the last of any insult upon my nose, and the beginning of a lovely evening. Original drinks were concocted and duplicated perfectly for us; when we received the bill we realized we should have asked for a price, but the drink was very enjoyable. The Truffle Fondue was absolutely delicious and rivals chocolate as a favourite from now on! The cheese was wonderfully creamy with the truffle taste coming through perfectly. It’s easy to have a vegetarian meal if you like. Choosing your items for dipping is completely flexible; our choices were beef, mini ravioli, prawns, apples, broccolini, and peppers. Every single one of these items tasted great combined with the fondue. While there was an intention to have dessert, the fondue was much too delicious and it was decided that a second fondue was in order. Need I say more?"
User Rating
8.50/10
8.50/10
Ambience
••••••••••
Beverages
••••••••••
Cleanliness
••••••••••
Quality of Food
••••••••••
Staff Service
••••••••••
Value for Money
••••••••••
"Exquisite Saturday Evening Out"Shawn
November 2009 — "My boyfriend took me on a date and surprised me when we showed up at the Living Room; I had never been before. He made reservations and when we arrived, we were welcomed right away, and they checked our jackets, which was quite nice. They walked us to our table at the back of the restaurant. The waiter was extremely attentive, and responsive. We both asked some input on selections (i.e. "Which would you recommend more?") to which he was very prompt at responding (validating our choices and his recommendation). There was no pressure to order liquor, but of course we did. The service was appropriate, and very professional. If our master waiter wasn't there to remove our plates/ top up our water, one of the other waiters was doing the 'rounds to assist. The lighting was perfect, the restaurant is beautiful, and the food was to die for. We ended off the evening with their signature chocolate fondu, which was a lot of food for 2 people! But, it was great. The only downside was that the restaurant was quite loud, but that is what you expect in Calgary! I would love to go back to experience!"
User Rating
9.50/10
9.50/10
Ambience
••••••••••
Beverages
••••••••••
Cleanliness
••••••••••
Quality of Food
••••••••••
Staff Service
••••••••••
Value for Money
••••••••••
Management Response:
"Thanks so much for the feedback, it is nice that you have taken the time to recognize us for the good. I will be sure to share this with the crew! Hope to see you again in the future for another great meal! Best Regards, Patrick"
"Thanks so much for the feedback, it is nice that you have taken the time to recognize us for the good. I will be sure to share this with the crew! Hope to see you again in the future for another great meal! Best Regards, Patrick"
"Go for the Trio!"
Mary
September 2009 — "For a friend’s birthday, we made reservations at the Living room and I was entertained for the night. The environment was very nice and cozy. We sat in booths with very comfy cushions on either side. The cost and quality of food was not bad either, although I felt like the menu didn’t offer as much choice as I would have expected. For the appetizer, we had the seafood trio, consisting of snow crab claws, tuna tartar and smoked salmon. For two people, there was plenty to go around and a definite palette pleaser. For dinner, two of us had the lamb shank and another friend had the duck confit. The lamb shank was very big and flavorful, with a side of fettuccine, some asparagus and rapini. It was braised very nicely. My friend’s duck confit was very good, but a bit salty. At the end of the meal, we had leftovers and couldn’t even try out the desserts, which was half because there wasn’t much variation. We were served with special care and I felt
like it was definitely a worthy stop."
User Rating
8/10
8/10
Ambience
••••••••••
Beverages
••••••••••
Cleanliness
••••••••••
Quality of Food
••••••••••
Staff Service
••••••••••
Value for Money
••••••••••
"great spot!"
Twyla
July 2009 — "We went to the Living Room for a girls Friday night dinner out. Our reservation was for 8pm and when we arrived they had accidentally put our reservation in to the following night. Although the mistake, they were still able to have us seated quite quickly. We sat inside and the atmosphere was very nice and cozy. The tables are fairly tight within the restaurant and the activity and noise level was bit high, but for a group of girls it was appropriate. The restaurant and our waiter were both quite busy that night so the service was a bit slower but again, we were in no hurry. The food was well worth the wait. I had a curry and coconut chicken dish. It was served with vegetables and a cilantro mango chutney all over rice. It was delicious. The spice of the curry was well matched with the sweetness of the mango chutney so as to not make the dish too spicy. The chicken was tender, the vegetables were cooked just the right amount. I paired this dish with a glass of white Riesling wine which I also enjoyed with the dish. For the quality and the fun atmosphere, the price of the menu items was appropriate. The restaurant was clean and very modern and the atmosphere was very fun. I would like to return to this restaurant again soon. "
User Rating
8.50/10
8.50/10
Ambience
••••••••••
Beverages
••••••••••
Cleanliness
••••••••••
Quality of Food
••••••••••
Staff Service
••••••••••
Value for Money
••••••••••
"overrated"
Andie
March 2008 — "Overpriced: flavours lacked depth for the amount charged.
Inaccurate menu: pork was in each entree ordered yet not mentioned on the menu (had the gnocchi and turkey) ... and I don't eat red meat!
Wine list: pretty good actually, but would like to see more Canadian vinos."
User Rating
5.67/10
5.67/10
Ambience
••••••••••
Beverages
••••••••••
Cleanliness
••••••••••
Quality of Food
••••••••••
Staff Service
••••••••••
Value for Money
••••••••••
"Service needs serious work."Betty
October 2006 — "So The Living Room has great ambiance and delicious food but the service stinks. I knew it would be busy on a Friday night so I called and made a reservation for four of us. We arrived on time and the restaurant was packed. We had to wait quite awhile at the front before some one asked if we had reservations. Once I told the hostess we did, she scurried off somewhere in the back. So we stood in the entrance waiting, dying of heat in our winter coats. When the hostess returned she asked if we would not mind waiting downstairs for our table. So we went downstairs to have a few drinks...except the downstairs area has one room with a table for about eight or so and then two very tiny tables outside the room. We had to sit at one of the smaller ones which would be ok for two people but was tight and uncomfortable for four. We ordered drinks and then spent about 30 minutes waiting for our so-called reserved table. At this point we were all cranky and ready to go just as our table was 'ready'. We had a nice meal and all but the wait time was ridiculous and I don't plan on going back. If a restaurant asks that patrons make reservations then they should have enough tables for all of the reservations they take."
User Rating
6.33/10
6.33/10
Ambience
••••••••••
Beverages
••••••••••
Cleanliness
••••••••••
Quality of Food
••••••••••
Staff Service
••••••••••
Value for Money
••••••••••
DescriptionThe Living Room Restaurant presents Canadian Regional specialties, including a five-course menu. The menu features such items as soups, salads, pastas and meat dishes, including Atlantic salmon, duck, Alberta beef and lamb. They have a Courtyard patio and reservations are recommended. They are open Monday to Friday from 11:30 am to 2 am, Saturday and Sunday from 5 pm to 2 am.
Location Information514 - 17 Ave SW
Calgary
AB
T2S 0B1
