We've been here twice, for celebrations to have high tea, with times we had the same server, she was absolutely amazing, very knowledgeable. The food was amazing, and they were able to accommodate my severe lactose intolerance. We will definitely be back many times more.
Dietary restrictions: They could accommodate my lactose intolerance, I'm sure rhwy can accommodate some dietary issues depending on how severe they are.
Parking: Parking was a bit of a maze, but they gave good instructions.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lisa Garey
Our October 2024 visit to Hawthorn was supremely disappointing. Between the bad service and the mediocre food, my friend and I were both very upset with how our visit went.
Once we sat down, we were introduced to a waitress we both immediately found to be almost-aggressive and rather annoying. We asked for her wine recommendations and she gave us a few options. When we asked about a wine from Niagara region, she told us she didn't like Canadian wine, but preferred Italian and French. I mean, Fairmont is a Canadian brand. So we were disappointed she chose to voice this distaste for Canadian wine. She also started to recommend more expensive options, one of which was Tolaini Valdisanti, which is about $37-40 in stores and was on the Hawthorn menu for $145! A bit of a price gouge, IMO.
On to the food. We ordered the ginger beef for $16 and the sirloin steak to share. The ginger beef was quite delicious, but for $16, there was barely enough for the 2 of us to split. Then the $39 sirloin arrived, and in atypical contrast to the generally high quality of the Fairmont brand, the chef didn't split it onto two plates for us. We have done this many times before at other restaurants, and they almost always split it up for us, onto separate plates. So we were a bit annoyed they didn't opt to do this at Hawthorn.
The pieces of meat were relatively small and the salad was bland and also quite small. The steak was also underwhelming in flavour.
In the end, I would have to say that while the atmosphere and ambience was nice, as the Hawthorn was right off the lobby of a beautiful and historic hotel, the service was extremely disappointing. I found all the staff, from the hostess to the 2 waitresses we had, to be condescending and a bit snobby. Not at all friendly. If the food was incredible, we would have overlooked that. But it just wasn't.
Don't waste your time spending too much $$ for pedestrian service and food at The Hawthorn.
Parking: If you dine in, they will valet your car for free after 5pm, which was a nice option.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 1
Thomas F
No absolutely not acceptable. For your restaurant and Hotel for this level of quality of food.
I had the Thanksgiving plate dinner. $60 CAD. When the plate comes it looks like a plate of foods that the kitchen just walks down the line and scoops it and flops it on plate.
Problem is this wouldn't be a problem if I was planning to eat this at Denny's however you guys are supposed to be a HIGH END restaurant. There was nothing of that plate is remotely close to "High End"
Our server was fabulous and she made sure we are good and have everything we needed. Thank you her for that part of our dining experience.
I guess that isn't the worst part - Haha The worst part is EVERYONE from our table all had to use the washroom after eating here. I don't think I need to say the word. But starts with a D and ends with a A.
Oh and the "crème brûlée" you guys served? the sugar on the top wasn't even heated. So you have raw sandy sugar on top. Well done. One of the easiest dessert to make you somehow manage to not even do it right. Bravo. Bravo.
You guys really are the WORST "High End" restaurant there is here in Calgary.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Toast
Kunal Sharma
Went here for dinner. Not your daily restaurant vibe and definitely pricey. Would recommend for special occasions, business meetings.
Complimentary Valet during dinner time is a nice touch.
Staff was amazing and took great care.
Food. We were table of four.
2 - dinner specials (lamb dish) and choice of 2 sides. 10/10
For starters had the Pickled Beets, Amberjack and Brussel Sprouts. 10/10 for flavours and presentation
Also, wife had Trout. Big thumbs up. And had the Elk Shank Stew.
They also provided complimentary bread for the table and were happy to repeat it.
Dessert - Creme Brulee. Yumm
Cocktails definitely were steeply priced. Didn’t try at this time.
Overall a wonderful experience
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Creme Brulee
Gilles
It doesn't happen often but sometimes the quality of food and service far exceeds the venue. We had excellent meals. The tarte tatin was excellent Her steelhead trout as well as my elk stew were imaginatively accompanied in flavours and perfectly cooked. Even the coffee was above the norm. A little note about wine markups... 3.5 to 4 x on wine !!! Seriously?! The venue itself was that of of a hotel coffee shop, not a hotel dining room Unexpected in a Fairmont Hotel
Rebecca
I absolutely love any Fairmont property dining. The meal however was not up to par. The brisket sandwich was cold, bread was stale, brisket was tough. Everything else was awesome, especially the service.
Talal Hakim
Our dining experience at Hawthorn was exceptional. The elegant atmosphere and well crafted menu made for a delightful evening, but the real standout was our server, Teressa. Her warm, attentive service truly elevated our experience. She was knowledgeable, friendly, and went out of her way to ensure everything was perfect. If you dine at Hawthorn, ask for Teressa trust me you won’t be disappointed
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Daria C
We had an amazing time at the Hawthorn. The atmosphere is breathtaking. The manager, Heather, is a really kind and lovely lady. The host, Carolyn, is the best! Thank you to all the staff at the restaurant for this wonderful experience!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Yvette Dinh
I went here for ky boyfriend’s birthday and it was good. Probably come back for a date soon
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jordan Paust
Fish small plates and dishes were xlnt, cooked perfectly with nice sauces, touches.
We had an amazing time at the Hawthorn. The atmosphere is breathtaking. The manager, Heather, is a really kind and lovely lady. The host, Carolyn, is the best! Thank you to all the staff at the restaurant for this wonderful experience!
Dawn
The ultimate romantic atmosphere with unsurpassed food and service. The risotto and Brussels sprouts were the best I've ever eaten. It's expensive, but we'll worth every Penny.
Fraser
This was a wonderful night out, and a wonderful way to celebrate our anniversary! The staff went the extra mile to celebrate it with a personalized card that was presented to us upon our arrival. They went over and above expectations when meeting our dining needs and really made us feel special, thank you Hawthorn!
David
A quiet lunch for two, food ok but nothing special, server was great but food came a little quickly between appies and mains, had to ask to slow down service and have a break before dessert (maybe lunches are not expected to be leisurely?). Was ok but probably not return (at least for lunch)
bawa singh
We went for dinner on Aug18 at 9pm. Our server came to take our order , first drinks to start, and after giving our drinks, she started saying oh our system is down , we cannot bill to room, u can pay by card credit debit, credit would be ok etc etc. And after us, there were 3 more tables guests came, but she has not mentioned above system down story to anyone. So we feel that story is only for us as we were Indians. Moreover, when she came to ask for main course, she started as would u like any main course or thats will be it for tonight. She did explain menu items to us really well when we asked, but other than this nothing was okay. And chefs or servers who brings our food to table were very nice.
We've been here twice, for celebrations to have high tea, with times we had the same server, she was absolutely amazing, very knowledgeable. The food was amazing, and they were able to accommodate my severe lactose intolerance. We will definitely be back many times more.
Dietary restrictions: They could accommodate my lactose intolerance, I'm sure rhwy can accommodate some dietary issues depending on how severe they are.
Parking: Parking was a bit of a maze, but they gave good instructions.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Our October 2024 visit to Hawthorn was supremely disappointing. Between the bad service and the mediocre food, my friend and I were both very upset with how our visit went.
Once we sat down, we were introduced to a waitress we both immediately found to be almost-aggressive and rather annoying. We asked for her wine recommendations and she gave us a few options. When we asked about a wine from Niagara region, she told us she didn't like Canadian wine, but preferred Italian and French. I mean, Fairmont is a Canadian brand. So we were disappointed she chose to voice this distaste for Canadian wine. She also started to recommend more expensive options, one of which was Tolaini Valdisanti, which is about $37-40 in stores and was on the Hawthorn menu for $145! A bit of a price gouge, IMO.
On to the food. We ordered the ginger beef for $16 and the sirloin steak to share. The ginger beef was quite delicious, but for $16, there was barely enough for the 2 of us to split. Then the $39 sirloin arrived, and in atypical contrast to the generally high quality of the Fairmont brand, the chef didn't split it onto two plates for us. We have done this many times before at other restaurants, and they almost always split it up for us, onto separate plates. So we were a bit annoyed they didn't opt to do this at Hawthorn.
The pieces of meat were relatively small and the salad was bland and also quite small. The steak was also underwhelming in flavour.
In the end, I would have to say that while the atmosphere and ambience was nice, as the Hawthorn was right off the lobby of a beautiful and historic hotel, the service was extremely disappointing. I found all the staff, from the hostess to the 2 waitresses we had, to be condescending and a bit snobby. Not at all friendly. If the food was incredible, we would have overlooked that. But it just wasn't.
Don't waste your time spending too much $$ for pedestrian service and food at The Hawthorn.
Parking: If you dine in, they will valet your car for free after 5pm, which was a nice option.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 1
No absolutely not acceptable. For your restaurant and Hotel for this level of quality of food.
I had the Thanksgiving plate dinner. $60 CAD. When the plate comes it looks like a plate of foods that the kitchen just walks down the line and scoops it and flops it on plate.
Problem is this wouldn't be a problem if I was planning to eat this at Denny's however you guys are supposed to be a HIGH END restaurant. There was nothing of that plate is remotely close to "High End"
Our server was fabulous and she made sure we are good and have everything we needed. Thank you her for that part of our dining experience.
I guess that isn't the worst part - Haha
The worst part is EVERYONE from our table all had to use the washroom after eating here. I don't think I need to say the word. But starts with a D and ends with a A.
Oh and the "crème brûlée" you guys served? the sugar on the top wasn't even heated. So you have raw sandy sugar on top. Well done. One of the easiest dessert to make you somehow manage to not even do it right. Bravo. Bravo.
You guys really are the WORST "High End" restaurant there is here in Calgary.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Toast
Went here for dinner. Not your daily restaurant vibe and definitely pricey. Would recommend for special occasions, business meetings.
Complimentary Valet during dinner time is a nice touch.
Staff was amazing and took great care.
Food. We were table of four.
2 - dinner specials (lamb dish) and choice of 2 sides. 10/10
For starters had the Pickled Beets, Amberjack and Brussel Sprouts. 10/10 for flavours and presentation
Also, wife had Trout. Big thumbs up. And had the Elk Shank Stew.
They also provided complimentary bread for the table and were happy to repeat it.
Dessert - Creme Brulee. Yumm
Cocktails definitely were steeply priced. Didn’t try at this time.
Overall a wonderful experience
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Creme Brulee
It doesn't happen often but sometimes the quality of food and service far exceeds the venue. We had excellent meals. The tarte tatin was excellent Her steelhead trout as well as my elk stew were imaginatively accompanied in flavours and perfectly cooked. Even the coffee was above the norm. A little note about wine markups... 3.5 to 4 x on wine !!! Seriously?! The venue itself was that of of a hotel coffee shop, not a hotel dining room Unexpected in a Fairmont Hotel
I absolutely love any Fairmont property dining. The meal however was not up to par. The brisket sandwich was cold, bread was stale, brisket was tough. Everything else was awesome, especially the service.
Our dining experience at Hawthorn was exceptional. The elegant atmosphere and well crafted menu made for a delightful evening, but the real standout was our server, Teressa. Her warm, attentive service truly elevated our experience. She was knowledgeable, friendly, and went out of her way to ensure everything was perfect. If you dine at Hawthorn, ask for Teressa trust me you won’t be disappointed
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We had an amazing time at the Hawthorn. The atmosphere is breathtaking. The manager, Heather, is a really kind and lovely lady. The host, Carolyn, is the best! Thank you to all the staff at the restaurant for this wonderful experience!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I went here for ky boyfriend’s birthday and it was good. Probably come back for a date soon
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Fish small plates and dishes were xlnt, cooked perfectly with nice sauces, touches.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Restaurantji Recommends
We had an amazing time at the Hawthorn. The atmosphere is breathtaking. The manager, Heather, is a really kind and lovely lady. The host, Carolyn, is the best! Thank you to all the staff at the restaurant for this wonderful experience!
The ultimate romantic atmosphere with unsurpassed food and service. The risotto and Brussels sprouts were the best I've ever eaten. It's expensive, but we'll worth every Penny.
This was a wonderful night out, and a wonderful way to celebrate our anniversary! The staff went the extra mile to celebrate it with a personalized card that was presented to us upon our arrival. They went over and above expectations when meeting our dining needs and really made us feel special, thank you Hawthorn!
A quiet lunch for two, food ok but nothing special, server was great but food came a little quickly between appies and mains, had to ask to slow down service and have a break before dessert (maybe lunches are not expected to be leisurely?). Was ok but probably not return (at least for lunch)
We went for dinner on Aug18 at 9pm. Our server came to take our order , first drinks to start, and after giving our drinks, she started saying oh our system is down , we cannot bill to room, u can pay by card credit debit, credit would be ok etc etc. And after us, there were 3 more tables guests came, but she has not mentioned above system down story to anyone. So we feel that story is only for us as we were Indians. Moreover, when she came to ask for main course, she started as would u like any main course or thats will be it for tonight. She did explain menu items to us really well when we asked, but other than this nothing was okay. And chefs or servers who brings our food to table were very nice.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 4
Service: 1
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