The Best (and worst) of Calgary
The people have spoken.
Published June 9, 2011 by Carol Harrington in Best of Calgary


THE CITY

Best new trend

Cycling / Bike commuting
Mayor Naheed Nenshi
Civic engagement

Worst new trend

Jeggings
Hipsters
Dubstep

Best kept Calgary secret

Missing Link Extraordinary Sausage
Inglewood
Sandy Beach

Scariest crosswalk

Kensington Road at 10th Street N.W.
Macleod Trail at Glenmore Trail
Edmonton Trail at Memorial Drive

Worst construction zone

Bow Trail / West LRT
Elbow Drive
6th Avenue S. (The Bow)

Most livable neighbourhood

Hillhurst / Sunnyside
Mission
Marda Loop

Best off-the-beaten-path day trip

Bragg Creek
Elbow Falls
Drumheller

Best place to take kids

Calgary Zoo
Telus World of Science
Prince's Island Park

Best place to waste an entire day

Prince's Island Park
17th Avenue S.W.
The Ship & Anchor

Best place to snag Stampede breakfast

Community Natural Foods
Chinook Centre
Olympic Plaza

Best place to go for a picnic

Prince's Island Park
Bowness Park
Sandy Beach

Best place to get wet

Elbow River
Bow River
Sandy Beach

Best place to people-watch

17th Avenue S.W.
Stephen Avenue Walk
Kensington

Best local not-for-profit

The Mustard Seed
Inn From The Cold
Calgary Food Bank

Calgary's claim to shame

Stephen Harper
The Calgary Stampede
Urban sprawl

Best use of local tax dollars

Public transit
Parks
New roads

Worst use of local tax dollars

Peace Bridge
New roads
Public buildings

Best hikers’ trail

Douglas Fir Trail
Edworthy Park
Nose Hill Park



URBAN LIFE


Best radio station

CJSW 90.9 FM
X92.9 FM
CBC Radio One

Best art gallery

Glenbow Museum
Art Gallery of Calgary
TRUCK Contemporary Art in Calgary

Best dance company

Alberta Ballet
Decidedly Jazz Danceworks
Dancers' Studio West

Best theatre company

One Yellow Rabbit
Alberta Theatre Projects
Theatre Calgary

Best arthouse cinema

The Plaza Theatre
The Uptown Stage & Screen
The Globe Cinema

Best area ski hill

Lake Louise Ski Area
Sunshine Village
Fernie Alpine Resort

Best valued golf course

Shaganappi Point Golf Course
Kananaskis Country Golf Course
Confederation Park Golf Course

Best festival

Calgary Folk Music Festival
Sled Island
Lilac Festival

Best film event

Calgary International Film Festival
Calgary Underground Film Festival
Fairytales Film Festival

Best free event

Lilac Festival
Stampede breakfasts
Sun and Salsa Festival

Best fund-raising event

The Big Rock Eddies
CJSW Funding Drive
Grave Gala

Best C-train stop

Sunnyside
Crowfoot
Dalhousie

Worst C-train stop

Chinook-In renovation
Marlborough
Whitehorn

Most beloved Calgarian

Mayor Naheed Nenshi
Jarome Iginla
Lanny McDonald

Most embarrassing Calgarian

Stephen Harper
Rob Anders
Ralph Klein

Most dedicated activist

Paul Hughes
Sharon Stevens
Grant Neufeld

Best local villain

Stephen Harper
Ric McIver
Rob Anders

Hardest working Calgarian

Mayor Naheed Nenshi
Jarome Iginla
Mark Hopkins

Favourite local TV personality

Jill Belland
Darrel Janz
David Spence

Favourite local radio personality

Chad Saunders (CJSW)
Jim Brown (CBC)
Carly Meyers (X92.9)

Best local blog

mikesbloggityblog.com
calgaryisawesome.com
happyurbanist.blogspot.com

Best local Twitter personality

nenshi
kellyoxford
myownbiggestfan

Best journalist/columnist

Jeremy Klaszus
Don Braid
Trevor Scott Howell

Best local actor/actress

Rebecca Northan
Ellen Close
Christopher Hunt

Best local band

The Dudes
Zoo Lion
Braids / Woodpigeon (tie)

Best singer/songwriter

Chad VanGaalen
Samantha Savage Smith
Michael Bernard Fitzgerald

Best visual artist

David Brunning (TheKidBelo)
Chris Cran
Eric Moschopedis and Mia Rushton

Best local poet or author

Cathy Ostiere
Sheri-D Wilson
Eugene Stickland

Best local filmmaker

Gary Burns
Ramin Eshraghi-Yazdi
Michal Lavi



SHOPPING

Best shopping district

17th Avenue S.W.
The Core
Kensington

Best corner store

Kalamata Grocery
Jimmy's A&A Deli
Mary's Corner Store

Best outdoor/sports gear shop

Mountain Equipment Co-op
Campers Village
Wholesale Sports

Best skateboard shop

Mission Snow and Skate
The Source Snowboard and Skateboard Shop
Group Seven Skateboarding

Best ski/snowboard shop

Mission Snow and Skate
The Source Snowboard and Skateboard Shop
Ski Cellar

Best bike shop

Bow Cycle
The Good Life Community Bike Shop
The Bike Shop

Best place to buy music

Sloth Records
Hot Wax
Recordland

Best musical instrument store

Long & McQuade
Axe Music
Guitarworks

Best place to buy a book

Fair's Fair
Pages on Kensington
Books on 4th

Best comics store

Phoenix Comics
Another Dimension
Redd Skull Comics

Best video store

Casablanca Video
Bird Dog Video
DVD Experts

Best hemp store/head shop

Hemporium
Grassroots
Bongs & Such

Most stylish furniture store

Kit Interior Objects
Domicile Interiors
Kilian International Design

Best men's clothing store

Henry
The Gallery
Purr

Best women's clothing store

Purr
Blame Betty
Kismet

Best lingerie

SHE Apparel
The Cat's Pyjamas
Knickers 'n Lace

Best consignment/vintage clothing

Divine
Trend
Rewind

Best shoe store

Gravity Pope
Arnold Churgin
Sole To Soul

Best place to find cool jewelry

Rubaiyat
Purr
ACAD

Best optical

The Brass Monocle
Eyeclectic Eyewear
Blink Eyewear

Best flower shop

Twigs & Company
Purple Orchid
Peaseblossoms Flowers & Stuff

Best international food store

Lina's Italian Market
T&T Supermarket
The Italian Supermarket

Best place to buy organic food

Community Natural Foods
Calgary Farmers' Market
Planet Organic Market

Best bakery

Glamorgan Bakery
Rustic Sourdough Bakery
Urban Baker

Best farmers' market

Calgary Farmers' Market
Crossroads Market
Kingsland Farmers' Market

Best deli sandwich

Spolumbo's Fine Foods & Deli
Peppino
Lina's Italian Market

Best ice cream/gelato

My Favorite Ice Cream Shoppe
Amato Gelato Cafe
Fiasco Gelato

Best wine shop

Kensington Wine Market
Willow Park Wines & Spirits
Bin 905 Wine and Spirits



SERVICES

Best fitness facility

Talisman Centre
Eau Claire YMCA
Mount Royal University

Best boot camp

Bikini Bootcamp
Survivor Bootcamp
Evolve Fitness Bootcamp

Best hair salon

Hedkandi
The Ginger Group
SwizzleSticks SalonSpa

Best spa

Oasis Wellness Centre & Spa
Stillwater Spa
SwizzleSticks SalonSpa

Best place to spoil your pet

Bon A-Pet-Treat! Pet Bakery
Tail Blazers
Urban Dog Market


Best place for comedy

Yuk Yuk's
The Laugh Shop
The Comedy Cave

Best all ages venue

Local Library (Central United Church)
The New Black Centre
Comrad Sound

Best concert venue (500+)

Jack Singer Concert Hall
MacEwan Ballroom
Flames Central

Best open jam / open mic

The Ship & Anchor
Mikey's Juke Joint & Eatery
Cafe Koi

Best patio

The Ship & Anchor
Broken City
The River Cafe


DINING OUT

Best new restaurant

Charcut Roast House
NOtaBLE
Boxwood

Best restaurant for a first date

Una Pizza
Tubby Dog
The Coup

Best restaurant when someone else is paying

River Cafe
Teatro Ristorante
Rouge Restaurant

Best service

Una Pizza
The Coup
River Café

Best overall restaurant

Una Pizza
River Café
Charcut Roast House

Best late-night (after 1 am)

Tubby Dog
Blackfoot Diner
Singapore Sam's

Best cheap eats

Tubby Dog
Thi Thi Vietnamese Subs
Burger Inn

Best breakfast

Dairy Lane Cafe
Diner Deluxe
Galaxie Diner

Best pizza

Una Pizza
Pulcinella
Inglewood Pizza

Best wings

Regal Beagle Pub
District
The Drum & Monkey

Best burger

Peters' Drive-In
Boogie's Burgers
The Ship & Anchor

Best veggie burger

The Coup
The Ship & Anchor
Broken City

Best fries/poutine

Big Cheese Poutinerie
The Ship & Anchor
Laurier Lounge

Best Middle Eastern

Aida's
Jimmy's A&A Deli
Falafel King

Best sushi

Globefish Sushi and Izakaya
Kinjo Sushi & Grill
Hana Sushi

Best Vietnamese

Co Do
Saigon Y2K
Bagolac Saigon

Best Chinese

Silver Dragon
Golden Inn
Peking Dragon

Best dim sum

Silver Dragon
The Regency Palace
Forbidden City

Best Indian

Moti Mahal
Tandoori Hut
Mango Shiva

Best Italian

Mercato
Chianti Cafe & Restaurant
Buon Giorno

Best Thai

The King & I
Chili Club Thai House
Thai Sa-On

Best French

Fleur de Sel
La Chaumiere
Laurier Lounge

Best Greek

Broken Plate
Mykonos Greek Restaurant
Spiros Pizza on 17th

Best Mexican

Salt & Pepper
Los Chilitos
El Sombrero

Best vegetarian

The Coup
Cafe Koi
Buddha's Fusion

Best steak

Caesar's Steak House
Charcut Roast House
Smuggler's Inn

Best BBQ

The Palomino
Big T's BBQ
Holy Smoke

Best place for seafood

Catch Restaurant & Oyster Bar
Big Fish Oyster Bar and Lounge
Bookers BBQ Grill & Crab Shack

Best coffeehouse

Caffe Beano
Higher Ground Café
Phil & Sebastian Coffee Roasters

Best place to feed a sweet tooth

Crave Cookies & Cakes
Chocolaterie Bernard Callebaut
The Chocolate Bar