Category: Happy Hour

Happy Hour · Patio · Pizza

Posto Pizza: Sunday all-day happy hour in Calgary

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Winegurlsushi, Juliejuliehu, and I were finally meeting in real life. After years of exchanging messages on Instagram, we locked in a date. We’d come close before. A few months ago, we missed each other in an exchange of homemade goods when Winegurlsushi dropped off sourdough focaccia, and I left behind a jar of my chilli oil. We picked a Sunday and committed. I invited Lovegastrogirl and Divine Offering along. Let’s listen to AudioSlave for this post. 

I threw out Posto Pizzeria & Bar as our meeting spot because it checked every box. It’s one of only two pizza places where Lovegastrogirl will eat the crust, which already tells you everything you need to know. Sundays come with an all-day happy hour deal: $15 pizzas (with a drink), 25% off wine bottles, cocktails knocked down by $4, and house wine for $6. I hadn’t been back since 2014, when Posto was the place for gourmet pizza. It felt like time for a revisit.

The moment I walked in, a waft of Italian cooking wrapped around me. The restaurant was buzzing, with the room full. Almost every table was taken. Reservations are a good idea here. Just note there’s a $15 charge per missing guest, which, honestly, is fair given how quickly they could fill that seat. Winegurlsushi couldn’t make it in the end, but luckily, I wasn’t charged for her cancellation.

Divine Offering and I both went for the Peach Bellini ($16, or $12 during happy hour). Compared to Cactus Club’s version, this one leaned less sweet, more like a lightly boozy peach slush. Lovegastrogirl went with the Espresso Martini. I had a sip, and we both agreed it was quite sweet.

I immediately thought of Quebecoise while scanning the “flex zone” wine list. The selections, Frescobaldi Castelgiocondo Brunello di Montalcino ($127), Bertani Amarone ($125), and Borgogno No Name Nebbiolo ($110), all look to be priced surprisingly close to retail. I made a mental note to tell her. I’d be curious to hear her take. 

I took full advantage of the happy hour pricing and ordered two pizzas, partly for the table, partly so I wouldn’t have to cook the next day. I picked the Ok…Ok… ($26, HH $15) and the Smoked Salmon Club ($28, HH $15). Juliejuliehu went for the Meet Your Maker ($28, HH $15) plus a Caesar ($17). Lovegastrogirl ordered the Velvet Underground ($25, HH $15), and Divine Offering echoed my choice with the Ok…Ok….

The Ok…Ok… was scrumptious. The thin, delicate layers reminded me of Hasselback potatoes. The crust was fluffy, generously dolloped with creme fraîche, leeks, potatoes and smoked pancetta. Divine Offering is a fan.  She said she can’t remember ever having potato slices on a pizza, but they were very thin and didn’t feel weird. The pancetta was thinly sliced, too, a proportional ratio. 

The crust at Posto is a standout. Thin and crunchy, but still airy, with blistered bubbles that add texture and a subtle smokiness. It’s the kind of crust you don’t leave behind, which explains why Lovegastrogirl actually eats hers here.

The smoked salmon pizza leaned even more indulgent, layered with cultured cream cheese and thick slices of chilled smoked salmon. I loved the contrast of textures, the delicate crunch of pickled onions, the bright pop of capers, and the fresh arugula lifting each bite. The coolness of the salmon against the warm crust, finished with a hint of coarse salt, made it feel especially luxurious.

Divine Offering thought it was good, but not something she’d order again. I, on the other hand, really enjoyed it, though I’d agree it’s best shared. It’s a rich dish for one.

Lovegastrogirl’s Velvet Underground was loaded with meaty shiitake mushrooms and looked so good I’ve already earmarked it for my next visit. Juliejuliehu was quiet about her Meet Your Maker, but the pizza looked appetizing, heavily speckled with sausage, salami, calabrese, smoked pancetta, and bubbling white cheese.

One of the best things about this crew is the unspoken understanding that this is a space for honest conversation, spirited venting, and plenty of strong opinions on where we love to eat. We’re already planning our next meet-up. The agenda: a Chinatown whirlwind, starting with drinks at Prosperity Bar, followed by dinner at Paper Lantern, and ending on a sweet note at Francine’s. 

It’s been over a decade since Posto first opened, and I’m happy to say it’s even better than I remember, and I already thought it was fantastic. Hitting the Sauce gives Posto two phat thumbs up. 

For more reviews like this, see my picks for best pizza in Calgary.

Happy Hour · Japanese

Goro and Gun – Happy hour in downtown Calgary

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Divine Offering and I met after work to grab a drink. She picked Goro and Gun, as their happy hour is too good to resist. From 2:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m., you can enjoy snacks for a mere five dollars and savour bowls of ramen or hefty sushi rolls priced at just ten bucks. Cocktails and the house sake are priced at $7, while beers are available for just six dollars. For this post, let’s listen to “Juice” by Lizzo.

I tried a plum spritz ($7), a big wine goblet full of clinking ice, plum liquor, sparkling sake, and soda. It didn’t taste boozy, but I heard my voice getting louder as I drank. Divine Offering mentioned that the Matcha Heaven cocktail ($7) was refreshing, similar to lemonade; though she couldn’t taste the alcohol, she could feel it. While sipping her drink, she nibbled on a steamed pork bun ($5).

I wasn’t planning on eating, but the food from the kitchen looked so appetizing. I ordered a dynamite roll ($10), Divine Offering selected a spicy salmon roll ($10). For our second round of drinks, I picked house sake ($6), and she chose the sake flight ($16).

Our server selected the most popular sakes for the flight: Massumi Shiro, Fukucho Hattanso 50, and Kozaeman Junmai. Divine Offering thought the Massumi was the mildest, the Fukucho was the sweetest, and her favourite, the Kozaeman, was a happy medium between the first two sakes. My sake, the Aizuhoare, was five ounces of easy quaffing. At this price, I would get this sake again.
The sushi rolls were large and adorned with delicate tempura lace. The filling was fresh and generously portioned, and the rice retained its comforting warmth. The spicy salmon roll was a delightful combination of crisp, chilled cucumber and luscious raw salmon. I didn’t find the sauce spicy at all. I admired the log serving plate and the bright garnish of edible flowers.

The tempura in my dynamite roll was twice the size of other sushi restaurants and sweet from the teriyaki sauce. Each piece of sushi was a little more than a mouthful, filling enough to soak up all that sake we drank.

According to Divine Offering, the Houjicha mousse was matcha-like, and the crumble reminded her of white chocolate. The red bean was sweeter than the mousse, and she thought the combination was beautiful.

If you haven’t been, check out Goro and Gun. Throughout our visit, service was excellent, so I wasn’t surprised when, at 6:50 p.m., as we were paying our bill, a customer came in and ordered food and a beer. As the restaurant closes at 7:00 p.m., I was surprised the staff didn’t even look annoyed to be seating him. Divine Offering said on her last visit that the server was extra kind, allowing her friend to order a little more food at the happy hour price for takeout, as she really enjoyed her takoyaki and wanted some more for later. Thanks, Diving Offering, for taking all the pictures, the restaurant recommendation, and for the fun company.

Bars/Lounges · Beer · Dessert · Happy Hour · Japanese · Pubs · Seafood

Where to eat in Calgary – Koto Sushi, Two House, Bear & Kilt, Annabelle’s Bar, BBQ Express

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This last week has been a food fest. I met up with Zoomhahaa for oysters, L for pizza at Two House, Lululemon and Kournikova for beer, pizza, wine and dessert, and a takeout lunch of Chinese BBQ. Let’s listen to “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus for this post.

Zoomhahaa and I met up at Koto Sushi. Our server was friendly and didn’t make us feel bad for taking advantage of their wicked happy hour oyster special. West Coast oysters were only $1.25 each, and that is the deal of the year.

Zoomhahaa and I prefer West Coast oysters over East Coast because we like our oysters fat and creamy. In comparison, East Coast oysters are flatter and thinner in size, with briner, saltier notes.

We started with a dozen oysters each. Each oyster was shell-fragment-free, a major shucking feat, especially for happy hour. The sea morsels were milky and smelled like the ocean. We alternated between the green onion mignonette and eating the oysters with lemon and its natural juices. Paired with a cold Sapporo ($6) and a big glass of wine ($6), we both exclaimed there was no better way to spend an hour after work. We ordered a second dozen oysters each, and the last round was even better than the first. We left full and happy, and I swear, I was just one oyster away from gout.

The next night, I felt chipper after work, so I told L I was taking him out for pizza at Two House Brewery. We shared the Formaggi ($23) pizza. This pizza is so simple but so good. The cheeses paired well with the sweet drizzle of honey. We washed our supper with Yuzu Shio beer (12 oz, $6), a light, lemony beer.

I met Lululemon and Kournikova on Thursday at the Bear and Kilt on Stephen Avenue. Once you walk in, you feel like you are in ye olde Calgary. The whole setup is adorable, with old furniture and vintage memorabilia. We bumped into Christina, the co-owner of Klein & Harris, who rushed in to check something. Kournikova also knows Christina, and she mentioned she was heading to her restaurant for a late dinner with her husband.

Lululemon and I drank Wild Rose beers ($7.99) and personal pizzas ($14.99). Kournikova ordered Patron and soda ($14). For our second drink, Kournikova felt like wine, so we walked to Annabelle’s Bar across the street for another drink. There, we shared a bottle of sparkling rose. We met the manager, Simon, who knows Eric, the co-owner of Juice Imports. We chatted about the restaurant culture in Montreal and how getting wine from Pinard & Filles in Calgary was easier than in Quebec, where the winery is located.

Kournikova settled our tab and took off to meet her husband across the street for dinner. Lululemon ordered us beverages, as well as Whipped Ricotta ($15), Tiramisu ($12) and Crème Brulée ($12). I was so full from the pizza, but the tiramisu was so light and soft, it was too delightful not to devour. Lululemon took that photo below, in case you are wondering why there’s one good photo on the post. She told me not to fight for the bill, and she said it was such fierceness I backed down and said I would get the next one. When we finished, I called an Uber to take us home. The driver pretended to be outside but wasn’t and cancelled on me. Lululemon hailed us a taxi instead, and the next day on Good Friday, I slept off all the dessert and wine.


On Saturday, I went to Sun’s BBQ to pick up some duck and BBQ pork. After I made my purchases, I walked a block over to BBQ Express and picked up a two-meat-on-rice lunch combo ($11). I ordered soy sauce chicken and crispy pork. Two things stood out. First, the owner was so friendly and polite. Second, he was so generous with the meats he had to put a rubber band over the container so the food wouldn’t spill out.

When I got home, I hastily snapped a photo. Unfortunately, the angle of my image is awful, as it doesn’t show off the crispy skin. The pork was tender and cut well, so each slice of meat with crunchy skin was proportional and fit nicely in my mouth. There’s just something so winning about the combination of the plainness of the steamed rice in contrast to the rich, fatty crunch of the skin. The soy chicken was the show’s star, as the meat was plump and silky. The sauce on the chicken skin was light but flavourful, with a touch of sweetness. The food was so good I posted it on Calgary Food – FoodYYC.

Unfortunately, I received three unpleasant comments. One complainant doesn’t know how to use contractions. Another thinks anyone that has a cash only business is a thief, liar, or criminal. The third person tried to argue that I didn’t eat crispy pork, even though I said I did and you can see the crackling skin poking through. All I wanted to do was spread some good news about a cheap and cheerful eatery, but hey, it’s the Internet, and everyone has an opinion.

When I looked up the names of a couple haters, I recognized their writing style and realized they used to write nasty comments on my previous employer’s Facebook page. What a small world! I think I’ll stick to sharing my experiences on my blog, where it is a safe place to spread the word about delicious eats in Calgary.

Want more like this? Check out my running list of Calgary’s best restaurants, date nights, and cheap eats.

Beer · Happy Hour · Wings

Hayden Block Calgary: One of the Best BBQ Restaurants in the City?

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Jacuzzi is in town! As he arrived in Calgary late at night, I suggested we check out Hayden Block Smoke & Whiskey for their late-night menu. For this post, let’s listen to “Nashville Skyline Rag” by Bob Dylan.

When I checked in, I learned we landed a table on the second floor, where live music plays from 8:30 pm on Friday and Saturday. The venue itself is charming. The cozy vibe is similar to Nashville’s bars but cleaner and more contemporary. The room is fresh and modern, with white panel walls. The stage is lit up with neon lights and a bright background screen. Under the ceilings, strands of tea lights twinkle.

L ordered a Pilsner ($9), and I picked the South Block Tree Shaker Peach Bourbon Ale ($9) for myself and the non-alcoholic Village Blonde beer ($8) for Jacuzzi. I took a sip and could tell it lacked the bite of booze.

For food, I selected a pound of brisket (HH $17) and Pulled Pork (HH $16), Smoked Wings ($17), and Bacon Mac n Cheese ($16). All our food came out at optimal temperature. The wings were meaty, so blisteringly hot my fingers tingled from the heat. The chicken skin had an extra crunch from the layer of salt and spices. Jacuzzi and L raved about the wings and mentioned the seasoning reminded him of his all-time favourite place for wings, Hooters. I asked him when he was last at a Hooters. He recollected it was 15 years ago when he lived in Toronto. Wow, that must have been some memorable wings.


The beef brisket was so tender that the meat fell apart when I forked a piece. L and Jacuzzi raved about the soft texture and the smoky flavour. I appreciated the contrast between the fattier sections and the more rigid surface of the bark. The pulled pork was juicy and paired well with the tangy house BBQ sauce. Of the two types of meat, the clear winner was the brisket.


The macaroni and cheese were a hit. The cheesy sauce was velvety and sticky, similar in texture to the molten orange nacho cheese 7/11 uses for their nachos. I appreciated the spicy heat in the sauce. The mac and cheese tasted even better with bits and pieces from the pulled pork, as the sweetness of the meat cut through the heaviness of the sauce.

Hayden Block is a hidden gem. I would return in a heartbeat to enjoy the music and steaming platters of smoked meats. Hitting the Sauce gives Hayden Block’s second floor two phat thumbs up, and it makes it on my list for best BBQ and live music.

Want more like this? Check out my running list of Calgary’s best restaurants, date nights, and cheap eats.

Happy Hour · Seafood · Special Occasion

Pigeonhole – Happy Hour in Calgary

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After sampling so many delightful wines at Bricks Wine Co, I asked Erik where Turned and I could go to continue our afternoon of merriment. I specifically requested recommendations for restaurants that serve wines from Juice Imports.

He recommended Business and Pleasure, Frenchies, Ten Foot Henry and Pat and Betty. Unfortunately, most of the restaurants he recommended weren’t open that afternoon. Then I remembered Erik posted about Pigeonhole on Instagram. For this post, let’s listen to “Leggy Blonde” by Flight of the Conchords.

I was too lazy to cross-check Pigeonhole’s wine list with Juice Imports’ website, so I wasn’t sure what was what. I was also reluctant to quiz our server about which wines were from Juice Imports because I didn’t want to be “that” customer. So instead, I looked for wines from regions I know Juice Import showcases. I recognized Jura in France, so I picked Arbois ’18 ($72).

Maybe I was just pooped out from the afternoon of tasting wild, natural wines because I didn’t have any feelings toward the bottle I selected. Turned, and I thought the wine was nice, but no imagery or fanciful descriptions poured out of our mouths.

We did have a lot to talk about the food. Turned was starving, so we ordered the Skinny Fries ($8), Wagyu Beef Tartare ($20), Charred Cabbage ($17), Ricotta Dumplings ($25), and Roasted Caramel Apple ($13).

The fries arrived blisteringly hot. The fries were long and skinny, crisp and salty. The garlic aioli was so rich that I only dabbed a bit on each fry and then started eating the fries naked.

Turned enjoyed the Waygu beef tartare and appreciated that it wasn’t covered in the typical creamy, garlicky sauce. I also preferred tasting the full natural flavour of the meat, dill and capers. I also liked the generous side of warm buttery bread instead of the potato chips that most other restaurants serve.

My favourite dish was the ricotta dumplings. Holy smokes – what little morsels of joy! The mixture of the egg yolk, dijon, tomato leaf pesto, shallots and dill pickle was bright and lively. The dumplings were soft and fluffy. I got tingles when I ate this. I would order this again.

Turned favourite dish was the charred cabbage. She raved about the crispy charred bits and the soft underbelly of green cabbage. The jalapeño cream was so decadent I could feel my waist expanding with each bite.

The dessert is worth ordering again. The poached apple was so soft we only needed to press our spoons to cut through the warm flesh. I loved the crunch bits of oatmeal – this was so wholesome but gourmet at the same time.

Our last treat was our bill. We found out that on Saturday and Sunday, from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm, all customers receive a staff discount of 25%. The food and excellent service at Pigeonhole deserve high praise. Hitting the Sauce gives Pigeonhole two phat thumbs up.

If you’re planning a night out, I keep a running list of the best restaurants in Calgary.