We had reservations about returning as we had tried Annabelle's about 3 years ago in Marda Loop and had a bad experience there, pretentious and dismissive servers and food that was not anything special. We had just returned from a trip to Italy back then so were struck by the attitude in Annabelle's without even the food quality and taste to justify it. In Italy we had zero attitude and top quality and flavour- not comparable but you get my point. Last night we ventured into the downtown location to give it another try as we had been faithful customers of the previous Blink. We entered and they sat us right next to the door and near the hostess table even though there looked to be many open tables in the centre which remained open throughout our dinner there. I was freezing at the front so had to ask for the heat to be increased. It seemed to warm up, but the server never came up to check up on temperature, etc. The server came, without introducing himself and just asked what we wanted to drink. No rapport built. We ordered our drinks and meal. We got the appetizers, their version of margarita pizza, good crust but it had pesto instead of basil, with 3 small pieces of basil in the centre. I did not really like the pest which was replacing the traditional basil, took away from the dish. The arincini balls were made of pork rather than the traditional risotto and were okay, not something I would recommend. We had the whipped feta with honey, that was good, the focaccia that came with it was okay, nothing special. My 15 year old son who we were with can make better focaccia. We then waited waited an additional 40 minutes or so for our pastas- my son ordered the chicken fettuccine which was over salted and my husband and I had the rigatoni- good but had very little meat and as we looked at the meals wondered why we waited so long-as they weren't that busy. We will not be back. Food and service were not satisfactory.
Josh
We had an amazing server (young lady, been there for a year, bottle of wine contributed to not recalling her name) who couldn't be more awesome. Food was stellar, top to bottom outstanding experience
Laura
Nice room, friendly staff however the food was mediocre at best. Pretty bland and flavourless.
Martin
Our sever Payton was excellent. Her charm at the table was great. Was at the table at the right time and never missed a beat! Albert and Payton were working the room and the teamwork between them was seamless! Oh yeah the food was good too!
Vhalle
Great pre-theatre dinner spot -close, great food, service was exceptional. Peyton was perfect
Stacey
As always, excellent service & delicious food - first time trying the pizza (special of the day) - I'll be back to try others!
shannon
All 3 of the diners had a different pasta dish and we all loved every bite. Was fresh, delicious and perfect hot temperatures! Saturday night and was busy but still fast service and different staff came by to ensure we had everything we needed including water top ups! Annabelle is now definitely one the favs!
Kathleen
Our waiter was courteous and offered suggestions. I thought his name was Andrew but the name on my receipt says Chris . Whoever he was he was great .
Sheryl
Delicious. Two of us shared a Caesar salad and the rigatoni bolognese. Very good. There was a snafu with timing but they comped the one dish so we felt well serviced in the end.
Taylar
The food here is amazing, and the service was exceptional. The servers were so friendly and helpful walking us through the menu, every suggestion from the wine to the food to the espresso martinis exceed our expectations
One of the most underrated restaurants in Calgary. Excellent food, staff and vibe. The arancini is to die for among many other dishes. Love this place!
Chelsi
Food was good. Was a bit thrown off as every place on the street was packed but Annabells was quite empty. We had a reservation so decided to proceed. Food was good, can't complain. drinks were also tasty. We were provided a dessert menu, and had the intention to order dessert but were then completely ignored. There was only 1 other table in the restaurant. Decided to just get the bill and leave.
James
Exceptional one step above typical Italian food, still very comforting with a touch of excellence. The thin crust pizza are excellent. The service and atmosphere were top notch.... Extensive wine list.
Pamella
Lovely Monday night dinner. Great selection of appetizers and main dishes. A good restaurant is one that has an espresso machine for after dinner coffee. It was a great vibe and space.
Robert
A lovely evening at Annabelle's. We enjoyed the private dining room for a business dinner. Service, food and cocktails were spectacular!
We had reservations about returning as we had tried Annabelle's about 3 years ago in Marda Loop and had a bad experience there, pretentious and dismissive servers and food that was not anything special. We had just returned from a trip to Italy back then so were struck by the attitude in Annabelle's without even the food quality and taste to justify it. In Italy we had zero attitude and top quality and flavour- not comparable but you get my point. Last night we ventured into the downtown location to give it another try as we had been faithful customers of the previous Blink. We entered and they sat us right next to the door and near the hostess table even though there looked to be many open tables in the centre which remained open throughout our dinner there. I was freezing at the front so had to ask for the heat to be increased. It seemed to warm up, but the server never came up to check up on temperature, etc. The server came, without introducing himself and just asked what we wanted to drink. No rapport built. We ordered our drinks and meal. We got the appetizers, their version of margarita pizza, good crust but it had pesto instead of basil, with 3 small pieces of basil in the centre. I did not really like the pest which was replacing the traditional basil, took away from the dish. The arincini balls were made of pork rather than the traditional risotto and were okay, not something I would recommend. We had the whipped feta with honey, that was good, the focaccia that came with it was okay, nothing special. My 15 year old son who we were with can make better focaccia. We then waited waited an additional 40 minutes or so for our pastas- my son ordered the chicken fettuccine which was over salted and my husband and I had the rigatoni- good but had very little meat and as we looked at the meals wondered why we waited so long-as they weren't that busy. We will not be back. Food and service were not satisfactory.
We had an amazing server (young lady, been there for a year, bottle of wine contributed to not recalling her name) who couldn't be more awesome. Food was stellar, top to bottom outstanding experience
Nice room, friendly staff however the food was mediocre at best. Pretty bland and flavourless.
Our sever Payton was excellent. Her charm at the table was great. Was at the table at the right time and never missed a beat! Albert and Payton were working the room and the teamwork between them was seamless! Oh yeah the food was good too!
Great pre-theatre dinner spot -close, great food, service was exceptional. Peyton was perfect
As always, excellent service & delicious food - first time trying the pizza (special of the day) - I'll be back to try others!
All 3 of the diners had a different pasta dish and we all loved every bite. Was fresh, delicious and perfect hot temperatures! Saturday night and was busy but still fast service and different staff came by to ensure we had everything we needed including water top ups! Annabelle is now definitely one the favs!
Our waiter was courteous and offered suggestions. I thought his name was Andrew but the name on my receipt says Chris . Whoever he was he was great .
Delicious. Two of us shared a Caesar salad and the rigatoni bolognese. Very good. There was a snafu with timing but they comped the one dish so we felt well serviced in the end.
The food here is amazing, and the service was exceptional. The servers were so friendly and helpful walking us through the menu, every suggestion from the wine to the food to the espresso martinis exceed our expectations
Restaurantji Recommends
One of the most underrated restaurants in Calgary. Excellent food, staff and vibe. The arancini is to die for among many other dishes. Love this place!
Food was good. Was a bit thrown off as every place on the street was packed but Annabells was quite empty. We had a reservation so decided to proceed. Food was good, can't complain. drinks were also tasty. We were provided a dessert menu, and had the intention to order dessert but were then completely ignored. There was only 1 other table in the restaurant. Decided to just get the bill and leave.
Exceptional one step above typical Italian food, still very comforting with a touch of excellence. The thin crust pizza are excellent. The service and atmosphere were top notch.... Extensive wine list.
Lovely Monday night dinner. Great selection of appetizers and main dishes. A good restaurant is one that has an espresso machine for after dinner coffee. It was a great vibe and space.
A lovely evening at Annabelle's. We enjoyed the private dining room for a business dinner. Service, food and cocktails were spectacular!
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