national on 17th

slow service. cold food. unfriendly server. won't be back

nom nom. i had been waiting to get a chance to visit national beer hall as i had heard very good reviews from friends who had been - i was not disappointed! unfortunately i can't drink for a little bit longer (prego) but my mouth was watering at the amazing list of craft beers. lucky for me there was a yummy ginger beer on tap and the people i was with were able to enjoy several beers on my behalf. i like the "one price fits most" philosophy and it made my friends more willing to try a variety of beers instead of sticking with just one. would be cool if there was some sort of beer passport or checklist you could keep to see how many taps you could sample (would go with the train station menu too!).
the venue itself is lovely. simple yet sophisticated. we were inside, but the outside patio is huge. we were at a smaller table, but the long picnic tables would be great for large groups or small social ones. you can tell a lot of thought went into the planning and the overall appearance. i think our waitress was fairly new, but was fast and helpful.
as for the food, i knew i would like the place right away when i saw frickles, or fried pickles on the menu and boy were they delish! our group also shared the corn dogs which were far superior to the doughy bland kind you usually get. i ordered the fish tacos as my main and by sight alone they were a hit. so colourful and tasty and nice to have grilled fish instead of the normal batter and fried stuff. others enjoyed the mussels, the national cobb salad, scotch egg (cooked perfectly) and a porchetta sandwich. everyone was happy with their meals and left feeling happy and full. i will definitely be back (especially when i can start sampling some of the beers). well done national, well done.

loved the multiple beers on tap and had great service. our bartender was very good.

ha ha didn't even mention our server was rachel and super sweet, can rock a good scottish accent and then make fun of it- hilarious! dundee united rocks! good stuff!


-----12 aug, 2012-----

so we went to national last night and had a great experience! we're from penticton and loved it. originally wanted a table but jammed out along the oyster bar- cesear, wine and munchies. like the pickles, popcorn, pickled and scotch egg- so cute! our server was super fantastic, new her stuff big time. even her parents were from scotland and she's been there and knew how a scotch egg should be! very pleased!

high hopes, but not great. beer selection was fairly mundane for a beer geek. the only beer i went down for was out! the pork sausage in the soft egg, scotch egg (nearly genius) was not cooked through. i'm not a fan of pork tartar. the wings were bland and a bit tough. the waitresses we dealt with were very nice. no problems there. music was too loud for conversation to take place. i did appreciate the acoustic tiles on the ceiling though. wouldn't go back unless there were some really special beers on tap.

overall, the location and patio are the best features of national. it’s crowded and unappealling inside.

great experience. my auntie, my cousin and myself came to national on tuesday evening. my cousin and i are from vancouver and it was our first time here, as well as my aunt's. our server andrea was super friendly! my aunt said she was looking for a "normal beer" and she laughed jokingly and then probed to find out what kind of beer she normally liked to drink. she explained that she liked coors light and she suggested to try the national blonde lager with a lower alcohol content. my cousin and i both asked as well, i asked for one from bc and my cousin one from calgary. she knew right away which ones we would like and all 3 were different and excellent choices! we orderd 2 p outines and some wings all really great, definilty better than typical pub food. afterwards we chatted about living in vancouver (she had lived there as well) and she suggested some good places for us to go out in calgary. overall an amazing experience! if i lived here, i'd for sure be back!

i am surprised at all the good reviews this resturant received. my fiance and i went there a few weeks ago on a sunday night at around 9pm for dinner and a few drinks. our first impressions were good. the decor is nice and we liked how all the beers were listed above the bar on an arrival / departure board like you would see at a train station in europe. the tables were like picnic style group seating. which we liked. the decor gave the place an interesting twist. although eventually i got so tired of sitting on the hard wood benchs. on first glance the menu prices seemed reasonable. until you get your food and actually see what you are getting for that price. i ordered the $14 chicken burger without a side. it came with what looked like lays potato chips dumped on the plate. if you are going to serve potato chips as a side make your own. and if you decide to go with store bought don't empty the bag crums and all onto the plate. the presentation was horrible. there was not enough chicken on the burger and it was kind of blane. not bad just ok. my fiance had a burger and a side of fries. the side of fries was an extra $3 on top of the $15 they charge for the burger. again the food was blane and just ok. he never even finished his burger. we did order a starter of wings which we both liked. the food is served on cutting board style plates which is kind of neat. beverages are served in mason jars. not cool. not trendy. the selection of beers was nice and it was fun trying some new things. at the end of the night when the bill came, there was a little bit of sticker shock. over $100 for nothing. the only thing this place has going for it is the decor, beer selection and location. if you are going there to eat you are wasting your money. if you are going there to drink you will spend a fortune. my recommendation is if you are looking for the atmosphere of national and have a $100 to spend for a couple of drinks and food go to wurst located on 4th street and 25th ave. don't go to national.

love it!. great location and the open concept is perfect for socializing and a wonderful selection of fun food to share. will be back!

great service. was at national a couple nights ago. such a cool place, great vibe. sat on the patio with a group of 8. our server jess was awesome. usually during stampede the service is slow and unfriendly. but she was quick, attentive, funny and knew her stuff. i don't usually write reviews either! the food was so good too. had the 1/4 chicken, to die for. also the large strawberry lemonade was deadly. coming back for sure!

dont approve. i went to national couple of days ago and was shocked to see how they run their business. national don’t get me wrong has good qualities but what stood out as a big negative is how management runs the show. while there i noticed the huge line up at the door. but it seemed all the managers buddies or whatever were coming through the kitchen and back door. to me i thought security must not be a big issue. also unfair considering it was raining and people were at the door getting soaked. i also noticed how all the managers buddies hang by the bar and oyster bar as they have drinks after drinks made for them. it seemed they got priority before actual patrons…service by the girls is great but often late as they have to navigate through people hanging by the bar. couple of the managers i assumed were partying themselves as they had a drink in their hand for most part of the night. all im saying is i wished i managed a bar or knew friends that did. maybe then i wouldn’t be writing this honest review.

noisy but tasty. this is a great addition to 17th ave. i'm always on the hunt for places within walking distance that are fresh, with a great vibe and a different menu. while i think the menu falls a bit short, the ambiance is spectacular with modern mixed with industrial - white painted brick meets rustic charm, warm woods and communal seating. it's a bit loud on weekends, but there's no soft material in the design to cut the noise, so you almost feel like your at a hall party in 1989. the menu is okay, tried a few things: cobb salad with crab is boring but a healthy choice. i compared the lobster poutine to brava's. there is way more lobster, but the sauce falls short. the fries taste like they were microwaved with cheese sauce. the beer list is extensive, offering gluten free and a couple fruit beers for my picky friends. the crowd is much more classy than next door, so it's a good all-ages cooler crowd with bucks to spend. i'm sure they will figure out the menu as time goes on, because they've got themselves a hit!

just ok... nothing special!. my wife & i eat out 7 days a week and are always tempted to try new places and realize that their service may not be fine tuned in the early stages of their operations. this place is owned by the same group as model milk, double zero pizza and i believe maybe also flames central. personally i do not like communal tables (like in this place)... nor do i enjoy the new trendy "share everything" concept with the dishes that so many other places try to distinguish themselves from their competition. we both had the burger and ranked it "run of the mill" where there was nothing really special. in fact, there are quite a number of other restaurants in calgary that would beat national for the title of best burger. the fries were way too salty for our liking. on to the beer! can't say that the selection is too little, however, i would have liked to have seen some of my favourite bottled varieties such as newcastle, leffe, chimay, etc. but, then again, tasting a different variety isn't all that bad an idea. the patrons that frequent this establishment are one tiny step above the ship & anchor - a little "blue collery" with plenty of ink to keep people watchers occupied! their corner patio and selection of beer may convince me to return on occasion.

national beer hall. went to national with a girlfriend on friday night. gorgeous room, open and airy, eye candy everywhere. beer list was extensive and tasty, wine list is canadian and the gamay was delicious. menu is fun, we tried quite a few dishes and were delighted with the quality of the food, the lobster poutine was amazing.
i enjoy the wait list concept. yes, you have to get there earlier than you would probably go and you get nervous that your not going to get in. wait lists benefit the business, every seat is full all the time. you don't have jenny and her 30 friends booking 30 of your seats and showing up with 8 girls. business's have one chance every night to make their revenue, a wait list makes that happen. taking phone numbers is more work for the business, committed wait listers will stand in a line up, if only there was booze while you wait!
my girlfriend went back for brunch on saturday morning for a caesar cure and the place was packed again! yes, they are busy but don't assume they don't care about the details that need fixing. 10,000 people shouldn't have to read about a complaint before you give the opportunity to a manager to fix it, just saying.
we love it and plan to have a beer here every friday we can!

terrible management!!! beware of bait and switch wait list!. went to national at 8pm and was asked for my phone number to be put on the wait list; the hostess said we would be texted when our table was ready. we waited an hour and did not receive a text, so we went back to check. the hostess said they had decided to not use a wait list and instead make everyone line up to get in. she said if we wanted to get in, we would have to go to the back of the line up. if we hadn't gone back to check, we would have never known as she said her manager told her not to bother telling anyone on the wait list! there were not that many people on the wait list and i find it silly and rude that they would not only not honour the wait list, but not even contact the people on the list to let them know they were changing the process (and that they would have to line up). obviously very poor management. when we asked the hostess the rationale behind this stupidity, she blamed it on her manager and said she just does what she is told. i asked for the manager so he could explain his irrationality, but he was too scared and the hostess came back without him. no respect or common sense. i have worked as a server at two bars and this is the worst service i have ever witnessed, especially to potential customers who were willing to wait to get in.