ox bar de tapas

on his birthday, i took my husband out for dinner at ox and angela. if you go there, do yourself a favour and get the ‘spanish table’ meal. you won’t regret it (and you won’t have to look like a fool not knowing what you have ordered, since most of the items on the menus are tapas). unfortunately, i do not have pictures to back it up – the food was great, the ambiance was perfect, and we were having a great time, so there was really no time to think about taking pictures. now, a few words about the spanishtable($45/person): what you’ll get is various rounds of tapas. if you have not had tapas before, then this is what you should know: they are small bites. really small. the type of food you eat in one (maximum two, if you are into savouring your food) bite. now, i know this may sound problematic to some. stay open-minded and remember that a good meal is one where you enjoyed the food without stuffing yourself – there should always be room for a few more bites. in my case, i can say w

great food but fixed menu is a rip off. excellent food and drinks, but as a part of four we felt ripped off by the spanishtablefixed menu option; it would have been much cheaper to have ordered the dishes separately. noisy by great decor. fast friendly service.

went there for apps and drinks to start off our ladies' night with some girlfriends on friday. first impression when we walked in was that the place was decorated well but it was dark. i looked around as were waiting to be seated and we noticably one of the youngest groups there ( we are all in our early 30s so not that young).

service: horrible, our server did not smile once as he was serving us and was kind of aloof the whole time. everyone at thetablethought it was probably because we were younger and he figured he wouldn't get tipped well and this becomes a vicious cycle because of his poor service we did tip him poorly. he didn't even finish with us some lady came and took our payment as he was hanging out at the bar! he just totally put a damper on our mood.

food: not good. the cod croquettes were oversalted and i am a person that needs food to be salty. the seafood rice was way too lemony but the spanish tortilla was good. the sangria was good.

all in all this is yet another overhyped and overpriced place in calgary where you will definitely not get your money's worth.

looking for paella? don't hope to get it... we went there with our mind set on paella and a spanish ham, and didn't get any of that.  as suggested we went with the spanishtable$45 meal, confirmed it includes ham- we ended up not getting. hubby was ok with the dinner, while i left with a disappointed tummy. a $45 meal is not worth that price- bunch of potatoes, salads, olives and meats, cheese and pickles of supermarket quality, not delicatessen produces.  pleasant staff, but we will pass this place next time. our suggestion to the owners- do not advertise paella on the website menu if you don't serve it, or at least write it's subject to availability.

intimate atmosphere. went on a weeknight, the place was busy but not crowded. our server was knowledgeable and attentive. he timed tapas to arrive as we finished them so thetablewas never crowded. the food was fantastic, our favs were the fried chicken, flank steak, house salad and potatoes. definitely recommend going as a group to try several tapas from the menu.

what a great evening! our dinner club met here and had a blast. greeted and seated we were well looked after for three hours. we made life easy on ourselves and ordered the spanishtableand jugs of red and white sangria. the food arrived at well paced intervals. it was fantastic. each dish became our new favourite. 👍 the sangria was very good too, less sweet than some, allowing the fruit and wine to shine. dangerous. tapas and sangria is an excellent way to enjoy the company of friends. gracias team ox & angela.

wow, i'm impressed by how much i like ox and angela - certainly wish i tried it sooner! my first experience was an impromptu trip for dinner. we ordered multiple tapas to share as the items on the spanishtablemenu didn't quite entice us. the roasted rainbow carrots were fabulous - the tahini, goat yogurt, and feta added just the right amounts of saltiness and tartness to the charred flavour of the carrots. of course, i also loved the famous patatas bravas. they were so crispy and the brava sauce and creamy alioli balanced each other perfectly. my favourite of the night was the mushrooms on sourdough toast with poached egg. the mushrooms were fragrant of truffles and the house-made sourdough bread was delicious. i would have ordered more sourdough if i wasn't so full from everything else! my dining partner's favourite dish was the fried chicken. the chicken was rich and succulent, but the acidity of the orange glaze cut through it. 
we returned to ox and angela over the weekend and indulged in the brunch table. the sautéed mushroom eggs benedict with truffle hollandaise and the olive oil dark chocolate pancakes with dulce de leche were my favourite items from the menu. overall, exceptional food quality and great service in a beautiful dining room. can't wait to go back!

we have friends who insist this place tops the list of favourite restaurants in yyc. we were visiting for the weekend and decided to try some quality tapas. the waitress recommended the spanishtableoption (essentially their tasting menu), as this was our first time. the first courses arrived quickly, and but for the small serving sizes, they did not disappoint. what did disappoint was the service. there was a period of 40 minutes between courses, where no one checked in on us, while tables cleared around us. by the time our hot plates arrived, there were no apologies or recognition of the fact that such a delay was out of their usual character. i understand that there may be busy nights that cause backlogs in getting orders out, but given the fact that the restaurant was over half empty, there seemed to be no reasonable explanation of why we were ignored for so long. ultimately, poor service overshadowed the meal itself, and i doubt that we will return in the future.

the service was excellent. they even crafted me a special alcohol free cocktail because i was expecting. we ordered the spanishtablewhich at first i thought might not be enough food but it was more than enough and each dish was handcrafted to perfection.

the bovine must be a significant contributor to a business to receive top billing over poor angela. the ox could be a dude i guess. there are celebrities named after stones, liquid fuel, and money, so why not. ox & angela (which could be compressed to o&a…but i never will) is a spanish tapas restaurant balancing the knife of edge of what defines tapas. don’t get me wrong, it’s good, and my crystal ball foretells an extremely positive review, but i adhere to the tradition demanding a tapas restaurant list dozens upon dozens of options for people to pull from. i’ve been to some with literally sixty options.

tapas must be difficult for a restaurant to offer given the number of options required. you have to support a large enough staff to handle the orders, or else freeze everything beforehand, a horrid idea leading my preference to limited tapas over a menu offering the world stuck in an ice age. that being said, a successful restaurant in a town like calgary shouldn’t have that problem. ox & angela offers less than thirty options that can be classed as actual tapas. not bad, could be more, but far beyond some of the insults to the name i’ve been to. a local business in my hometown only features tapas in title only, renaming the appetizers page. a disgrace. ox & angela is birthed from mary’s womb in comparison. however, to enjoy the full experience, the suggestion is to order the “the spanish table”, which is, let’s be honest, actually a chef’s menu—a set list of small plates (about ten). at $45 per person, such a menu is a remarkable deal. i’ve spent triple that on some tasting menus.

the décor is charming, with a wall splitting the establishment. i love restaurants that do this—it increases intimacy, but more importantly, it greatly decreases sound pollution. i’ve been in colossal restaurants where one cannot hear friends across a table. ox & angela takes it one step further by altering the décor in each half, leading me to think one side is the ox while the other side is the angela. i would wager i was on the angela side…it looked more feminine.

there were three of us that day, a day where the the spanishtablewas $10 off. given its two person minimum, it became the obvious choice. each course was shared, and of course, it had to open with olives, followed by persian dates wrapped with serrano ham and stuffed with manchego cheese, walnuts, and coated in pomegranate molasses. sharing that plate was dry cured spanish serrano ham. then came the (apparently) famous croquettes with salt cod, potato allioli (not a spelling mistake, the spaniards add an “l”) and chili oil. so far, so good. what was elaborately described as toasted pan rustica with crushed tomatoes, garlic, and extra virgin olive oil was really a mouthful for bruschetta. after that was a personal favorite, albacore tuna with tomato relish and crispy capers. it remained a favorite for about three minutes, followed by something that shouldn’t have been amazing but was--ensalada escalivada--charred marinated vegetables, whipped goat cheese, and anchovies. yes, anchovies. after which, we had a butter lettuce salad with toasted walnuts, apple, manchego cheese, and a sherry vinaigrette.

bored yet? not i. patatas bravas--crispy fried baby potatoes, something i’m going to replicate the first chance i get. it was followed by the only course i was not a fan of--grilled spring onions on romesco sauce. but redemption came moments with grilled hanger steak with browned mushrooms, olorosso sherry butter, and pickled onions. we had room for dessert, so while one of us had the flan, the rest had churros in chocolate sauce.

by the way, i just love saying flan. flan, flan, flan.

along with drinks, the bill came to around $150, pretty much a bargain in my book. ox & angela is a legitimate score. the food is fantastic, sublime and astounding. i immediately wanted to return. however, i would not order the “the spanish table” again, as that menu is fixed. i would spice it up with other options, or better still, challenge the chef (whose name is listed on menu) to create something entirely original. given the selection, i bet he would take up the task. ox & angela makes virtually no mistakes and knocks everything else out of the park.

flan, flan, flan…

food: 5/5

service: 5/5

presentation: 5/5

value: 5/5

recommendation: 5/5

food was fantastic but it ends there.
waiter didn't want to be there. very short and bothered when anyone in the group asked for something. with a group of 8 you are unable to pick off the menu and forced to only have the spanishtabledish. portions are very small for any adult. let's be honest our daughter would leave hungry. all this for $45 a person, way overpriced to be forced to take what they give you. the service was horrible and your obligated to pay 18% gratuity. which i understand is standard in many places with groups. i've never liked this as my tip is based in service. great service gets a bigger tip. last, you are unable to get your own separate bill. they will not split a bill, it says right on the menu. they will split payments off the bill but good luck with that! we will never go back and i'm left wondering why anyone would😔

i don't think i will ever get sick of ox and angela. every time i've been there, food has ben great, wine is delicious, and service is fantastic. if something is wrong...they fix it. for example, a large party of about 20 came in while we were dining and were standing right beside ourtablefor about 20 minutes. we mentioned to our waitress that it was unfortunately ruining our dining experience. she immediately spoke with a manager and had the party moved and offered us a free dessert.

excellent choices for someone who is celiac as the owner is as well. the servers are very knowledgable about gluten free options and the preparation of gluten free food.

whether it be brunch or dinner, i've never had a bad meal here. yes it is a little more expensive, but 100% worth it.

one restaurant i could not miss was ox and angela on our calgary trip. it was a few block away from our hotel and we love spanish food. i really wish we had more spanish restaurants in vancouver. m and i came on a weekday dinner around 6:30 pm to give their spanish dishes a try. the interior is nice and there are 2 dining areas. they serve a spanishtableset menu with 10 dishes that are shared family style for $45 per person. m and i were tempted to get it but we heard so much about the paella that we went to go without the set menu.

my experience started with a bang. i was promptly seated on the patio and got my cocktail quickly. my waitress was pleasant and informed me that one of the dishes i ordered was her fave on the menu.

i had the dates and the butter lettuce salad. got my items quickly and they were presented beautifully. the dates were amazing but the butter lettuce salad was a bit bland and vinegary. needs to be balanced out with something.

my waitress checked on me after my first few bites, but after that it went downhill. i finished my meal and waited about ten minutes for someone to clear the plates off mytableand ask if i wanted anything else. when i said i was ready for the bill she took my plates and i'm still waiting for her to return. i've since logged into yelp and i'm still waiting for my bill. it's been 20 minutes....

it's one of my favorite restaurants in calgary that i think is worth the price. (besides, it offers complimentary filtered and sparkling water-- that instantly won our approval). my favorite dishes are patatas bravas and huevos benedictinos. if it is your first time to the restaurant, it is highly recommend to try the brunchtableso that you get to sample a variety of dishes and see which one you love.