If your favourite brunch spot is booked solid on Father’s Day, treat dad to dinner out instead. Below is a selection of dining destinations just right for Father’s Day feasting, some of which present Father’s Day menus and/or Sunday specials that Dad will dig.
It may be a cliché, but there’s no meal quite so right on Father’s Day as beautifully cooked meat. Every Sunday, Redwater Rustic Grille in Aspen Woods serves a three-course prime rib dinner succulently suitable for the carnivorous family man. Prime rib in peppercorn sauce follows soup or salad, and the meal wraps with either a chocolate platter or white chocolate cheesecake.
Nick’s Steakhouse & Pizza has been a family-friendly dinner spot forever, and then some. Attesting to its status as a beloved local eatery, the restaurant played itself in an episode of Young Drunk Punk, a 1980s sitcom directed by Kids in the Hall member Bruce McDonald, in which he plays the lovable, curmudgeonly dad. Your lovable curmudgeon will approve of Nick’s warm and casual interior as well as its expertly grilled steaks and old-school pizzas.
House-smoked ribs and butter-drenched crabmeat in unlimited quantity? Is Dad hearing this right? You bet he is! Every Sunday at Bookers BBQ & Crab Shack is a rib-munching, crab-crunching marathon meal that’ll satisfy Dad’s hunger on his special day. A converted warehouse space that’s casual and typically noisy with laughter and sociable discussion, at Bookers Dad can loosen his tie and let the barbecue sauce fly.
If Dad is a fan of Chinese takeout, take him out for a proper sit-down Chinatown dinner experience. The sprawling restaurant on the third floor of the Dragon City Mall, Regency Palace features an open dining area as well as private rooms. Serving primarily Cantonese dishes, the seafood is tops and the Regency’s chefs prepare live crab and lobster umpteen ways. Western-style standards include chicken with cashew nuts and oyster-sauce beef, but traditional preparations abound such as winter melon soup, braised duck and stuffed crab claw.
Pampa Brazilian Steak House serves dinner custom constructed for hungry carnivores. Sit your meat-eating dad down for an enjoyable, slow-paced meal that’s all about the meat. Charcoal-grilled churrasco skewered meats are carved tableside. Beef ribs, Parmesan pork loin, garlic rump steak, crispy-skinned pork belly and more are complemented by a huge array of sides that includes salads, grilled veggies and pickles.
Located in Hotel Blackfoot, Green’s Restaurant makes dinner for Dad and his crew elegantly easy with its annual Father’s Day evening buffet. Cold dishes include salads, charcuterie and shellfish. The carvery station serves slices of juicy prime rib and additional hot entrees include halibut, chicken cutlets and lamb.
Easy to find, Ruth’s Chris Steak House is located at the foot of the Calgary Tower. And easy to find within the restaurant is an elegant and satisfying Father’s Day dinner. Starting with salad or lobster bisque, entree selections include chicken, seafood or fish. After dessert, treat Dad to a scenic sundown on the tower’s observation deck.
Some dads have simple tastes. If yours is happy as a clam consuming a burger and fries, then give the man what he wants, only better. Clive Burger on 17th Avenue Southwest serves single, double and triple Alberta beef burgers that are a cut above. Pair with fries and maybe a custard milkshake, beer or wine, and send your old man to burger heaven.
A sport-themed restaurant located in the old Moxie’s space on 17th Avenue Southwest, Home & Away is undeniably fun. Dad-friendly, it's decked out with vintage memorabilia and ball-toss arcade games, the food is ballpark friendly (mini fried-chicken barrels) yet sophisticated (Wagyu beef tartare). The tacos are highly recommended.