This place is such an awesome experience. Upon first glance, the exterior looks questionable. Hidden in a decrepit looking basement entrance. When you make your way inside, you are greeted by a very cool, cultural atmosphere. Not too much light comes from the paper lantern lighting, but helps to set the mood and vibe of this place. The drinks.......oh my god, the drinks! Absolutely delicious, 10/10. Tried a few and they are all amazing. Different and unique with the flavor combinations, but so so tasty. We had the chicken banh mi and beef skewers. The skewers were quite small but very tasty.
I def recommend this place! Don't let the front door scare you away.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Tanya Kelm
Not a bad spot, but won’t say I have to come back. It’s a cute concept and food was tasty, but I wasn’t overwhelmed with desire to come back or rave about what I ate.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 4
Doremon
A little while ago, I came here with a group of 5 friends around 7pm when the restaurant was only hosting only 1 table at the time we walked in. A little later, 2 more friends wanted to join us. I know the policy is no groups larger than 6, so I asked our server if they could come. I even said that if not, we’re understand. She went to check with the manager and came back saying yes, it was fine since there were no reservations for the night.
Before my friends even arrived, the restaurant started to fill up. Still, I figured it was okay because we were ordering plenty of food and drinks, not just sitting there. As soon as my friends sat down, the servers handed them menus but gave them barely 2 minutes to decide. They quickly ordered drinks, then placed their food order a little later.
Right after the food order was taken, the server came back and told us we only had 15 minutes left at the table. That’s when we learned about the 2-hour time limit. I understand if that’s their policy, but if they weren’t going to restart the clock when new guests joined, they should have told us upfront. Instead, my two friends barely had 30 minutes to sit, eat, and drink.
Then the bill came with an automatic 18% gratuity for parties of 6+. I normally don’t mind gratuity, but in this case it felt unfair. The service was rushed, inconsistent, and my friends hardly got to enjoy the experience.
Honestly, it felt like they said yes to adding more people because the restaurant looked slow, but once it got busy, they rushed us out without hesitation, like they didn’t care about our business. I left feeling like we got scammed — not because of the gratuity, but because of the lack of transparency and how rushed the whole thing was.
Paper lanterns is my favourite place in Calgary. Drinks, food and, service are always top tier.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lisa
Really enjoyed our time at this speakeasy. Food + drinks were good and staff was amazing, they were attentive + good vibes.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Anhao Wang
very unique cocktail bar, hidden very well
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
alice lam
Delicious drinks and yummy food.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Russ S
Came here because we heard the cocktails were great but the food was excellent too, easily one of the best dining experiences we’ve had in Calgary!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Tony Wyllie
Been here a few times. Great cocktails. Small bites that I have tried have been good. Cool little speakeasy.
Kayley
I did not know this place existed in Chinatown! Paper Lantern is an Asian inspired speakeasy with many Asian inspired drinks. I tried the dragon palm and the serving for 4 people came in hoisin sauce can which I thought was a genius idea. For next time, I'd try the one inch punch just because of the name. The pandan actually tasted like pandan and there were so many more cocktails I couldn't decide between. The atmosphere was great with the dimmed red lighting and it wasn't too loud so you could chat with friends easily.
The food is actually better than the cocktails, IMHO. Still, my wife and I got real drunk.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Alicia G
I was visiting from Edmonton and decided to check out the restaurant. This place is a speakeasy, the ambience is relaxed and warm so I felt comfortable enough to ask the server (white make with curly hair) his recommendation for a “fun drink”, he gave me the worst eye roll and asked what I meant. Hello? Your style cocktails are ABSOLUTELY for FUN.
My friend and I ordered a few plates to share, I asked for the chicken wings to be salted with regular salt and not shrimp salt as I have formed a new allergy to shrimp shell. I explained that I don’t know why but I cannot tolerate any shells. He comes back and tells me we ordered something else with shrimp so what kind of allergy could it be? He had a crap attitude and very argumentative.
Overall it was an awful experience, food was fine, the other customers were much more pleasant than your staff.
Please get your staff in check, two Vietnamese women trying to enjoy cultural comfort foods should not be asked so rudely if “we know how to eat that” by a white man.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 1
Michelle S
The server made our entire group feel very uncomfortable and judged the entire visit. He kept rolling his eyes as we looked at the menu and had a very snobby attitude towards any questions we had about the menu. If you’re looking to experience Vietnamese culture in a welcoming atmosphere, I would not recommend coming here because you’ll just get judged the minute you walk in. Any restaurant in Chinatown will give you a better experience than this place.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 1
Terry Nguyen
One of the best bars in Canada that I’ve ever visited. Everything was perfect. This is definitely my favourite spot when I come to Calgary
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Andrew Risa
Sneaky underground Viet casual bar with quality food.
This place is such an awesome experience.
Upon first glance, the exterior looks questionable. Hidden in a decrepit looking basement entrance.
When you make your way inside, you are greeted by a very cool, cultural atmosphere. Not too much light comes from the paper lantern lighting, but helps to set the mood and vibe of this place.
The drinks.......oh my god, the drinks! Absolutely delicious, 10/10. Tried a few and they are all amazing. Different and unique with the flavor combinations, but so so tasty.
We had the chicken banh mi and beef skewers. The skewers were quite small but very tasty.
I def recommend this place! Don't let the front door scare you away.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Not a bad spot, but won’t say I have to come back. It’s a cute concept and food was tasty, but I wasn’t overwhelmed with desire to come back or rave about what I ate.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 4
A little while ago, I came here with a group of 5 friends around 7pm when the restaurant was only hosting only 1 table at the time we walked in. A little later, 2 more friends wanted to join us. I know the policy is no groups larger than 6, so I asked our server if they could come. I even said that if not, we’re understand. She went to check with the manager and came back saying yes, it was fine since there were no reservations for the night.
Before my friends even arrived, the restaurant started to fill up. Still, I figured it was okay because we were ordering plenty of food and drinks, not just sitting there. As soon as my friends sat down, the servers handed them menus but gave them barely 2 minutes to decide. They quickly ordered drinks, then placed their food order a little later.
Right after the food order was taken, the server came back and told us we only had 15 minutes left at the table. That’s when we learned about the 2-hour time limit. I understand if that’s their policy, but if they weren’t going to restart the clock when new guests joined, they should have told us upfront. Instead, my two friends barely had 30 minutes to sit, eat, and drink.
Then the bill came with an automatic 18% gratuity for parties of 6+. I normally don’t mind gratuity, but in this case it felt unfair. The service was rushed, inconsistent, and my friends hardly got to enjoy the experience.
Honestly, it felt like they said yes to adding more people because the restaurant looked slow, but once it got busy, they rushed us out without hesitation, like they didn’t care about our business. I left feeling like we got scammed — not because of the gratuity, but because of the lack of transparency and how rushed the whole thing was.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Pork Belly Skewers, Pineapple Stir-Fry, Chicken Wings, Beef Skewers, Salt \u0026 Pepper Wings, Papaya Mango Salad, Raw Beef Salad
Paper lanterns is my favourite place in Calgary. Drinks, food and, service are always top tier.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Really enjoyed our time at this speakeasy. Food + drinks were good and staff was amazing, they were attentive + good vibes.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
very unique cocktail bar, hidden very well
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Delicious drinks and yummy food.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Came here because we heard the cocktails were great but the food was excellent too, easily one of the best dining experiences we’ve had in Calgary!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Been here a few times. Great cocktails. Small bites that I have tried have been good. Cool little speakeasy.
I did not know this place existed in Chinatown! Paper Lantern is an Asian inspired speakeasy with many Asian inspired drinks. I tried the dragon palm and the serving for 4 people came in hoisin sauce can which I thought was a genius idea. For next time, I'd try the one inch punch just because of the name. The pandan actually tasted like pandan and there were so many more cocktails I couldn't decide between. The atmosphere was great with the dimmed red lighting and it wasn't too loud so you could chat with friends easily.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Restaurantji Recommends
The food is actually better than the cocktails, IMHO. Still, my wife and I got real drunk.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
I was visiting from Edmonton and decided to check out the restaurant. This place is a speakeasy, the ambience is relaxed and warm so I felt comfortable enough to ask the server (white make with curly hair) his recommendation for a “fun drink”, he gave me the worst eye roll and asked what I meant. Hello? Your style cocktails are ABSOLUTELY for FUN.
My friend and I ordered a few plates to share, I asked for the chicken wings to be salted with regular salt and not shrimp salt as I have formed a new allergy to shrimp shell. I explained that I don’t know why but I cannot tolerate any shells. He comes back and tells me we ordered something else with shrimp so what kind of allergy could it be? He had a crap attitude and very argumentative.
Overall it was an awful experience, food was fine, the other customers were much more pleasant than your staff.
Please get your staff in check, two Vietnamese women trying to enjoy cultural comfort foods should not be asked so rudely if “we know how to eat that” by a white man.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 1
The server made our entire group feel very uncomfortable and judged the entire visit. He kept rolling his eyes as we looked at the menu and had a very snobby attitude towards any questions we had about the menu. If you’re looking to experience Vietnamese culture in a welcoming atmosphere, I would not recommend coming here because you’ll just get judged the minute you walk in. Any restaurant in Chinatown will give you a better experience than this place.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 1
One of the best bars in Canada that I’ve ever visited. Everything was perfect. This is definitely my favourite spot when I come to Calgary
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sneaky underground Viet casual bar with quality food.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
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