alloy

i keep going back. yet to be disappointed. have gone two times and both times themealhas been fantastic. wine list is diverse and well priced. great service and management! last time we went for a friends birthday. i had a special bottle of wine for this occasion and asked if they had a corkage fee. the manager said that they dont usually allow it but would make an exception. needless to say we were more than happy and still ended up buying 2 other bottles off their list.

this is a place i’ve been meaning to go for quite some time. unfortunately i was wildly disappointed on all fronts. the chefs tasting menu was what we opted to go for as a table. the food itself was generally good, but by no means something i would go back for. four courses, with a particularly good seafood course but was juxtaposed by an exceptionally bad course of unimaginatively flavoured shoe leather tough steak.

here is my issue with this place. it’s the value part of it. the food was good, but the thoughtfulness of each dish was a bit lacking. moreover, our waitress was horrendous; condescending, pretentious, and not attentive. when asked basic questions about drinks, “is this drink boozy,” rather than getting an answer, i was fed more of a politically spun answer that was laden with cues that i was though a bit of troglodyte. “we don’t do boozy, we do balanced drinks that showcase the liquor”... throughout themealwe were never checked on, glasses of water were rarely (at best) filled and when the bill was finally delivered it was done with a curt remark, pulling the card from my father in laws hand and shoved back towards him.

the bottom line: from a food standpoint - it’s fine. service - terrible. for the money that you work hard to earn, spend it somewhere else.

this is a hidden gem!! themealwas amazing! creative and flavorful. will definitely be back! the service and atmosphere only added to the great experience. had the gnocchi as an appetizer and the short rib for ameal💣

i've been lucky enough to eat at alloy a number of times including their new years eve set menu last december which was fantastic.  as it was my birthday dinner i had high expectations and as usual alloy did not disappoint.  we were shown to our table, a booth with that silky smooth white leather.  atmosphere was great for dinner out with your significant other.  as our drink order was taken we were offered tap, still or sparkling water. we had some trouble deciding on what appetizers as everything looked great, settling on the lobster risotto and crispy pork belly.  meanwhile we had the fresh pita bread, olive and hummus basket set out. normally we clean this up quick smart but that night someone had a heavy hand with the cumin and it was overpowering and not so good.  the appetizers arrived and as we were sharing these, started on the pork belly first.  one word for this dish, amazing!  my wife avoids pork belly normally as it can be quite fatty. i chose this one and she was glad i did. it was the highlight of the dinner. not too much fat, a nice caramelisation on the outside and soft and melt in your mouth inside. the portion was generous and well worth what they ask. the lobster risotto was creamy, tasty and generous with the lobster. couldn't have asked for a better start to the meal. the mains we ordered were beef short rib for my wife and lamb chops for me.  the server (who was great all night) made sure to let me know they serve the lamb medium rare which i'm fine with.  nice that she gives a heads up on that.  the size of the mains was very generous. the beef short rib was fall of the bone and melt in your mouth. my lamb was juicy and also melt in your mouth delicious. have to say, alloy you guys do a great job with portion size. the only people who should be going home hungry after amealhere is a sumo wrestler. we finished with coffee and dessert.  mini doughnuts with dulce de leche for me and orange creamsicle crème brulee for my wife.  loved my dessert in fact loved the whole meal.  this is becoming one of my favourite places to eat out.thanks alloy!

been a few times. all times were great except for my last. our meals were presented nicely, however mine was severely undercooked. they took mymealback and reheated it rather than providing a new dish. however, the reheated dish came back out very overcooked.

overpriced, mediocre food, nice decor and service. my experience at alloy was disappointing as i found the food not very memorable and over priced. with the price of appetizers and entrees as high as it is i expected an exceptionalmealand was let down. i found the service and the decor to be excellent. my date and i had a very private semi-circular pod for our dinner which allowed for privacy and conversation. i would not go back.

delicious food and intimate setting. we decided to go to this restaurant for my birthday because it was right beside the holiday inn that we were staying at, also we love trying new places. making the reservation was very easy, left a message on their phone and they called back right away. hostess was very pleasant on the phone. we made a reservation for 6 people plus a 1 year old, i specifically asked if it was acceptable to bring my young daughter and they said of course. when we arrived again the hostess was very polite and friendly, but we found out they do not have high chairs. luckily enough we had a portable high chair in which they were more than happy to allow it. also no change tables for babies. the restaurant is beautifully decorated, nice lighting and could accomodate a large group or a romantic date. they are completly fine with kids but i did feel bad for having my young daughter there as she likes her voice and does not sit still. i would not take my daughter back but i would definitly go back with my husband. i would take an older child that can sit still and listen. the food was amazing. for appies we had the prawn tempura which melted in our mouth and the truffle gnocci which was creamy and not too strong of a flavour, it was just perfect. for the main courses i had the beef short rib which was so tender and pulled apart so easily. themealsizes were perect it was a nice portion of food that filled everyone up, even my husband but not too much food that you have to take anything home. we felt the prices were reasonablely matched to the food and portions. no one out of our group had a bad meal, everyone was soo impressed with the flavours of their food. the only thing we would suggest is for our server to smile a little more, she was very serious and not sure if she was annoyed by us or what, but everyone else that worked there was smiling and greeting us. soo yummy, cant wait to go back as they change their menu with the seasons!

book into one of these spots for a romanticmealfor two... alloy always tops our list of date-night restaurants and, to celebrate the ultimate date night, chef rogelio has created a special five-course menu that includes seared duck, lobster ravioli and strawberry tiramisu. alloy has also paired with local florist

golden experience had at alloy calgary!. about a week ago myself and my boyfriend had the privilege of dining at alloy in calgary. we were looking for an upscalemealwith a romantic atmosphere to treat ourselves too, and alloy delivered! the staff were friendly and knowledgeable on all fronts of the dining experience. from the wine to best complement our entrees to the sweeter cocktails for dessert, our server (who had to have been half savant) made individualized recommendations for desserts that could not have been better chosen by our own family members. the surf and turf was incredible! outside of licking my plate i could have ordered another in substitution of dessert! the balance, portions, and presentation were spot on. by the time we had gotten our "post gorging coffee" we were both discussing the next time we could come and dine again at alloy. i could not pay alloy a better compliment than to say this was the bestmealwe have ever had! from the delicate sweetness of the garlic prawns to the savory surf and turf there were no short comings to our dining experience at alloy; and we look forward to returning!

hugely disappointing. hugely disappointing. this is my second and last time at this restaurant. my husband and i went with my sister and brother-in-law for a special occasion. i will start with the positives - the truffle gnocchi appetizer and the wine recommended to us was fabulous.

now the negatives: my sister and i ordered the same entrée - the soy miso chicken. neither of us could eat it. the chicken was overcooked thus very dry and exceptionally salty - no miso favour apparent, just store bought bottled soya sauce. the "special potatoes" were like glue and were presented by the server as "tim bits". our server did not once return to enquire if we were enjoying our meals. when she finally showed up, the men had finished theirs; she asked if she could box our full plates up for us!!! we expressed our disappointment; she took our meals away and came back to say the manager and chef agreed themealwas overly-salty. neither the manager nor the chef took the time to respond to our disappointment at our table.

our server offered a replacementmealor complimentary dessert. since it took ages for us to get our meals, we opted for the dessert. a new (server?) served our dessert and left. she did not even ask if anyone wanted coffee!! the dessert was a joke - a "de-constructed" rhubarb crisp - an attempt at being creative but missed the mark entirely. we ate it because we were starving.

my brother-in-law felt his salmon was raw but he didn't complain. the issue is that any fine-dining establishment would have explained how the salmon would be prepared and asked if this would be acceptable. this would have ensured the customer would not be disappointed.

when we received our bill, our two barely-touched entrees were fully charged; dessert was complimentary. so very disappointing to experience such poor service and food. i accept that things can go wrong in a kitchen but the solution offered, the lack concern on behalf of management, and 5 star prices make this a do not return restaurant.

we were disappointed by this place. the restaurant was nice enough; however, we were seated on the south side and the bench was so short, i almost felt like i had to ask for a booster seat (and i am 5'7").
it took eons for our wine to arrive, to the point that we thought that maybe we actually hadn't ordered it. we had the gnocchi and tuna sashimi to start. the gnocchi was tasty, but very salty. the sashimi was....unusual. definitely not my favourite. our second course was the soup which pretty much tasted like i was sucking on the end of a fire pit hot dog stick. not good.
for our mains we had the halibut and the pork tenderloin. thankfully, these dishes were both decent. tasty enough for the $40 price tag? umm, no.
as for dessert, the strawberry dessert was delicious, and for something a little different (and if you like cardamom), the coconut dessert was pretty good.
the service on the other hand was slow and felt unorganized. it should not take 4 hours for a 4 coursemealin a half empty restaurant on a thursday.
overall, the experience was definitely lacking in service and taste. glad to have this off my bucket list, but won't be returning.

entree was fine - decor, appetizer, service and dessert was terrible.. out of the 5 elements i look for in a restaurant (atmosphere/decor, service, appetizer, entree and dessert), alloy scored a very low 1 out of 5. my wife and i ate there at 6:30pm on a tuesday night. the place was mostly empty but our entiremealwas well over 2 hours. the atmosphere/decor screamed "cheap chic" and the music was above comfortable conversation loud (likely to compensate for the empty seats). service was very slow, terrible and infrequent. we ordered the pork belly and scallop for an appetizer. two small pork bellies (about the size of a loonie each) and a single scallop (appetizer for one?) about the same size. plenty of garnishment to accompany the $16 disappointment. the entree was the loan bright spot for the evening - pork tenderloin and short rib. i much preferred the short rib (my wife enjoyed the pork tenderloin medallions) which was a decent portion and tasted great. the dessert was nothing short of terrible. the "spicy" chocolate souffle was similar to something produced in an easy bake oven and my rhubarb was nothing short of a joke. boiled rhubarb on a tablespoon of what appeared to be rhubarb sauce, with a ball of ice that was lightly flavored with what i could only guess was strawberry and a bed of what appeared to be granular brown sugar. to my terrible waiter's credit, he agreed that the dessert was terrible (his least favorite) and didn't charge me after i tasted a little bit of each item and then pushed the food around my plate like a 5 year old who just wanted to be excused.

the favorable reviews and critic responses (ie. avenue magazine) are puzzling to me. an off night (perhaps a thursday, friday or saturday) doesn't explain the terrible appetizer, dessert and uncomfortable decor.

to sum it up, alloy was a typical try-hard calgary restaurant. unlike notable, model milk, teatro, cucina, borgo et al, alloy wants to be fancier and more sophisticated than it is. flower pedals on my dessert and 75% garnishment on my appetizer? let's start with timely service and something that is edible, correctly portioned and tasty and work from there.

this was the last weekend to enjoy the winter menu at alloy  and oh, i will miss the buttermilk chicken with cayenne sugared yam doughnuts and the deconstructed pumpkin cheesecake! the service was spot on and we were given great menu suggestions. my friends and i loved ourmealand look forward to our next visit (hope the lovely patio will be open!).

small portions. not particularly anything to rave about and certainly does not warrant the price. server rushed to have us leave once we were done ourmealand was not attentive.

most disgusting starch dish i have ever had. we went here as a party of four: overall the service was subpar, and the food was not worth the money.... also, there was a weird smell all of us noticed upon walking in. we all concluded it smelled like a dirty bathroom in the entire dining room. something that concerned us all about the facility (maybe a toilet blew up somewhere).

1) service: i had told the hostess on the side that we were celebrating a birthday, and she assured us the waiter would be informed so we wouldn't have to mention it in front of the birthday person. she said they would provide a complimentary dessert with a candle. it never happened. we were even charged for the dessert we ordered. the waiter was inattentive and unsociable. he took our order, and served without us even checking in to see how the food was. i waited the entiremealfor him to come by so i could tell him something was wrong with my food. he never came until it was too late to even bother complaining. the restaurant wasn't even full, and it was a monday night. among the worst services at a fine dining restaurant we have ever had.

2) food quality: we each ordered a different dish. i had braised beef short ribs that came with a squash cannelloni as a starch, and a broccollini veggie side. the beef short ribs were very good (but how can you really mess up a braised dish?). the meat fell apart nicely when you cut into it, and the broccollini was cooked well. but the cannelloni it came with tasted like raw flour, filling and all. it was weird because the pasta shell was really mushy and overcooked, but the whole thing had a very weird, off-taste to it. i have never tasted any starch or pasta dish that bad before. it was awful. i even had my fiance try it, who usually eats almost anything, and he hated it. i wanted to like it so much (i love cannelloni or any pasta, squash or potato puree - so how can you go wrong?), but i have never had anything from a restaurant taste so disgusting in my life. we likened it to raw flour, as if someone mixed raw flour into the filling?? i made sure neither of us touched it anymore because i was worried we might get food poisoning from the cannelloni. i usually don't send food back, but this time i wanted to send it back but the waiter never came to check on us, so i just finished the beef and vegetables and left the entire cannelloni (i didn't want to make a fuss especially with our friends around). but he never came back until it was time to take everyone's empty plates. he never even mentioned or asked why my cannelloni was pretty much untouched. i was really disappointed in the service. i never had a chance to even express to the waiter how i was served raw flour in my starch dish. i let him take it away without saying a word, because it was getting late into the evening.

the rest of the food: the pheasant, like other reviews stated, was dry and tasted like chicken. apparently the yam puree it came with was good though. overall our party rated it not worth the $33 they charged.

the featured fish dish (steelhead trout), was okay but nothing to sing home about for $30. anyone could easily take a piece of store-bought salmon, stick it in the oven, come out with something like what they served. it tasted like a cheap piece of salmon.

the broek pork was actually pretty decent. i usually don't go for pork chops because they are often tough and dry. but this one was pretty tender and nicely marinated. it came with a tasty side of braised kale. this was $29, and probably the best of the four dishes. my beef short ribs would have been my favorite if it wasn't for the gigantic piece of raw dough in the middle of the plate that pretty ruined my palette and the entire dish.

dessert was okay, it was the chocolate and peanut butter pate. the menu said it came with roasted peanuts, but there wasn't a single peanut. they did sprinkle little flower petals all over the dessert which frankly made it really annoying to eat around.

oh, and before i forget, their appetizers: we got the duck duo (duck pate and duck chorizo sausage), which was super pretentious - the pate was not good. i have had much better elsewhere. this one tasted too 'livery' - a good pate (especially foie gras) does not have that strong liver taste. even if its made of fattened liver, it should taste smooth and rich, not bitter. the chorizo duck sausage didn't taste like anything special. not worth the $16 they charge.

the shimp/crab corn fritters were decent, but overpriced. 5 balls of little fritters for $15... okay but not a great price for what you get.

overall: like other people, we agree its not worth the money. there are some decent dishes, but with all of the hit and misses on their menu, i wouldn't eat here again if i can help it.

the first time i went to this restaurant should have been a red flag, when they coated my steak so heavily with peppercorn, it burned my throat and mouth. i couldn't even taste the actual meat, and sadly couldn't finish the dish - i hate wasting food.

all 4 of us regretted coming here. we wish we went for a nice affordable place with less pretentious food, and doesn't serve raw flour to you.

also, the smell of rotten toilet didn't help.