market restaurant

i am surprised with low the percentage is for this restaurant. people just love hate. anyways, i've been to market a handful of times and have had nothing but amazing food and service. the servers go out of their way to make our experience great. food is very flavorful and worth every penny. i love their new lamb tart, and also the trout- delicious! my husband and i will be back soon.

more than disappointing. summary:
- way overpriced
- terrible preparation (food was either cold or undercooked, had to send 3 out of 4 entrees back)
- servers were nice but the general manager was both arrogant and conceited
- would not serve drinks while waiting for table unless at the bar

detail:
we were really looking forward to having a meal at market. after all it is home to "chef geoff rogers as seen on top chef canada mondays at 9 et". taking a peak at the menu of $20 appetizers and $30 entrees further fueled our expectations that this would be a somewhat excellent meal (famous chef + relatively expensive food = good meal, right?). the results however were more than disappointing to say the least. first of all, we showed up for our reservation and our table was not quite ready, which was fine as it was relatively busy. we asked if we could have a drink while we waited and the answer was "no, we don't allow drinks unless you’re at the bar or at a table”. this was a bit surprising as liquor is usually a high revenue generator for a restaurant and we would have thought the management would allow drinks to be bought, especially if you had to wait for your table (despite making a reservation). no big deal we thought. your place, your rules. we just figured liquor would be a mutually beneficial addition to the night (revenue for the restaurant and happy/tipsy customers). moving on. we ordered our food, two appetizers and four mains (bison, lamb-no longer available apparently, beef, pork, mushroom and trout) to be shared as we wanted to sample the menu. i should note that our server was both polite, interesting and prompt with service. no complaints there. after a somewhat lengthy wait, the food came out and the results were either plain or just plain awful. the trout was undercooked and cold when served. the mushroom gnocchi was hard and way undercooked. the same could be said about the beans with the pork. the bison, lamb and beef were decent but nothing to write home about. we tried to stomach the mains down but decided at the at the end that given the price we were paying for this meal that this was unacceptable. our server came by and asked us how it was and we were honest with our feedback. not in any way belligerent or rude but as constructive as possible. after all, it was clearly not her fault. she was very gracious about the whole thing and asked us if we wanted it re-cooked or heated up. we told her that we would be fine with paying for our drinks, appetizers and the beef but did not feel it was fair to pay for something that we clearly did not enjoy. she agreed and we were content, or as much as we could be. we figured market was just going through some teething pains and all agreed that although our experience was less than ideal the first time that we would all likely give market another chance. this opinion was inexplicably reversed when yvan, the gm, approached our table and interrogated us as to why we didn’t like the food. again, as respectful as we were to our server, we explained the issues we had with our meal. rather than say something like “sorry you didn’t like our food today, we hope you come back and we’ll try our best to meet your expectations”, sweet eloquent yvan started to rationalize how bad the food was by saying things like “well we make our pasta from scratch every morning, it can’t be bad”. yes, yvan, it can be and it was. it doesn’t matter whether the pasta was a no-name brand or created “from scratch”, if it’s only cooked for 2 minutes, it’s not going to taste very good. these comments and the tone that which the gm employed gave off feeling that he thought that we, as paying customers, did not know good food if it was shoved down our throat. i assure you garçon, we do. in fact after promptly paying our bill, we left for a much better restaurant down the street for our main course. a place where they serve liquor while you wait for your table (i know, crazy eh?) and where they won’t have management chide you if you don’t like the food.

the place for those interested is una. it’s excellent.

'farm to table' in black & white. the room: beautiful. interesting use of contrast with black massing the bar area against the stark white of the remainder of the room. definitely will be a hot spot for hipsters and foodies alike. will be interesting to see how the white finishes hold up over time.

the food: charcuterie board was amazing and should be, given the 'farm to table' concept. butternut squash soup was delicious and creatively presented - very much an experience. the 'potatos' were really more perogies which were prepared nicely but they lacked a little flavour. the cocktails were great and i'm excited to try to the "challenge your bartender" option next time around.

the service: we arrived at a 5:30pm on a wednesday and the room was fully booked, including the bar. we pushed our way up to the bar anyways and the hostesses were as gracious as possible with two people who weren't going to take no for an answer. bar service was just okay. bartenders were a bit slow on the start and weren't incredibly engaging.

overall: 8/10 - i will recommend and will definitely be back to try more food and drinks and see if i can't get the bartenders to warm up to me a bit. :-)

enjoyed it. i liked the atmosphere, it's people relaxed and having a good time. i never felt uncomfortable with the noise volumes,the music was reasonable volume, people would get loud now and then, but hey..it was a busy place and everyone looked like they were having a good time too.

i don't drink mixed drinks much or at all, but was convinced to try one out and have to admit it was better than i ecxpected..not over done on the sweetness.full of real flavours vs syrup...the beers were great..more my area of expertise...tthe stanly park pil was awsome.

the food was something to enjoy as well..the charcutery board and the duck were great starters..the beef short rib for me and the gnocchi for my wife were good enough we made each other share...i like that...

there's more there i want to try, so i'll be back...

well as a lot of people said, i heard great things about this place but i was not impressed.

it's not bad, but it's not awesome. the interior design it's cool and the lightning it's ideal for a date but the acoustic of the place was terrible. i had to scream to my boyfriend.

mediocre. i was looking forward to going to market as it has gotten some good reviews. they have done a great job with the interior; like that it is open and bright. on to the food. i was a little taken aback by the prices but looked past that as the reviews have been positive and i don't mind spending on quality food. unfortunately the food was merely okay. on top of that, for the time it took i was expecting that they raised the beef from infancy and fresh butchered the ribs in the kitchen. it was slow, very slow, and all i got to show for it was uninspired beef short ribs. we did mention the slow service and were given an insincere apology and thats it. my wife and a friend both were generally satisfied with their squash soup and duck appetizer but agreed that satisfied was as enthusiastic as they would get.

at the end of the day, for the price they are charging there are much better options. model milk, carino, cassis and even bar c are better overall. take your money and keep walking down the street.

unforgettable! calgary if you want an experience you can drone on about for months and afford to visit within weeks....look no further! the wine selection rocked my pallet and the charcuterie board brought new love to tartine! as non foie gras lover ....market converted me!!! wicked drinks and incredible service made for an experience i can't wait to relive! thanks market!!!!!

meh... actually kinda all around bleh.. calgary is finally becoming an exciting culinary destination - people we have choice! this is wonderful for those of us who don't often see their own kitchen (admittedly an unhealthy option) however, it also means that the new restaurant on the block needs to impress. impress me and i will come back, and i will bring people - promise.

market was anything but impressive. lovely ambiance, i'll give it that, but the food was meh at best. it is easily comparable to national, which i like, but lets remember that national is a pub.

sometimes service can save lackluster food, unfortunately, the service at market was laughable - when it takes an hour to make flat bread just apologize don't tell me its because its a "puff pastry" and takes longer to make - hi, news flash , una is ready for pick up in 30 min.

there are way to many good restaurants in this city to waste your time here - the last review i read on market was spot on - head to cassis or carino, they are comparable price wise but with much better food and much better service!

great new addition to 17th ave. went to market with a big group of people on friday night. the restaurant is one of the most beautiful in calgary with a very modern and clean look but a fun vibe! the food was amazing! i would recommend the potato for appetizer, as well as the duck and the chicken dish for an entree.

disappointing. no pop, no diet pop, no sweetener for my coffee. house made cola was 4 ounces of sugary syrup in a short glass of ice with no carbonation. made my friend thirstier than he was before he drank it. i don't know what sort of statement they are trying to make, but i'm not listening. food was okay. i won't be going back.

calgary has a new hot restaurant!! loved every bite and i am looking forward to exploring more of the menu and how it will change with the seasons. best charcuterie and cheese board in the city hands down. i typically never order chicken but i was so happy i did - every bite was amazing - moist and perfectly seasoned.

ask any sane person and they were probably tell you not to go to a restaurant within a week of it first opening it's doors. the thing is, market was just too tempting to avoid. yep their style is consistent with the whole "local, seasonal, sustainable" bandwagon that everyone has jumped on lately. but they don't just talk the talk, they actually walk the walk. if you don't believe me, check out their urban cultivator, a little garden right there in the restaurant, supplying all of the herbs. well it's not smack dab in the middle of the restaurant but you get my drift. before we get to the food, let's talk a little bit about the space itself. i loved the design, loved it. there's a stark contrast between the bar (which is all black) and the dining room (which is whiter than white). the clean lines make it super modern. my favorite parts were definitely the chalkboard walls covered in pictures of different vegetables (i was told that all of the drawings were done by customers) and the pl

i must say,  upon entering i didn’t know what to expect but instead i found the place to be really …. cool.  it’s pretty, beautiful but there’s a raw-ness to the decor of this place that really just comfortable and hip.

high expectations. i had to the opportunity to dine at market for the first time last night, i had heard great things about the food and was looking forward to giving it a try. i have to say i thought the place looked great visually - had some very nice decor. although i was a bit disappointed in the quality of the food. i thought the tartar was pretty good, but the duck pastry dish was just mediocre. and a little bit misrepresented on the menu - when our server described it (which she did very well) it was not how it sounded on paper. and to be perfectly honest we didn't even finish the gnocci because it didn't taste very good. overall i thought our service was good, and the environment was a nice place to dine in, but the food fell a little short of what i was expecting. will hopefully be back to give it another shot.

i've been in with my wife a few times and we usually sit at the bar as we enjoy the cocktails they make. very delicious. i'm not usually the type to write a review but do really enjoy reading them and happen to come across one that was disappointing. this review was left on feb 16th, my wife and i happened to be sitting at the bar. i witnessed the "broken glass incident" but in the review, it was grossly embellished. in the review they trash the drinks and service, i recall the bartender asking if everything was okay with them in regards to what happened and they admitted to it being "no problem", i believe they even made a joke or two. i looked at this persons other reviews and every single one is nothing but negativity. the truth is, it was an accident, a very minor accident, the drinks are amazing and food is delicious. the staff at market are doing an amazing job and there are several others who i know would agree (see other reviews for "market"). my wife and i will definatly be coming back soon!