Quaint and luxurious atmosphere with delicious food, but selection, portion size, and service was abysmal.
We made a reservation on a Friday night for a special occasion and when we arrived, we were immediately told that THREE of the EIGHT main entrees were not available that night. All three unavailable options were beef options, making the tenderloin and the Alberta tomahawk (at $239) the only beef options for a person if they wanted to have a beef steak.
Upon ordering drinks, we were told to provide TWO options for bottles of wines, in the event that the first option was not available (to save the server a trip to the wine cellar). Our drinks took approximately 30-45 minutes to arrive.
Because of the limited main course options, three of us ordered the elk tomahawk, but the size of tomahawk between the three plates varied quite substantially. Unfortunately, mine was severely undercooked (ordered as a medium rare but arrived as a rare-plus, making it extremely game-y) and I had to send it back. The same piece of meat was thrown back on a grill and re-plated and served back to me (as evidenced by the small pieces that I had already cut off were re-seared and re-plated).
Again, for dessert, one of the four options were not available.
For a fine dining establishment and the hefty price associated with the meal, I was very unimpressed by the limited selection, service, and quality of the meal. Despite all the issues noted above, not a single drink nor entree were comp'd and we were left with a $500+ bill for a very unsatisfying meal.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 1
Jason Naipaul
We came to Rustica for dinner and loved the upscale lodge atmosphere.
Our server, Valentin, was excellent. He’s from Saint-Émilion in France and recommended a red wine from his hometown to pair with our elk steak — a perfect match. The elk was absolutely delicious.
Great service, great wine list, and a memorable meal. We’d definitely return!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Garry
Outstanding food and service at Rustica, as always. The wine selection is also outstanding!
Ruchi Kapoor
My boyfriend and I were excited to try Rustica after a long day of traveling.
We visited this establishment a few weeks ago. While the food was OK and the atmosphere was warm and cozy, the service was terrible. Our server was inattentive and unengaged throughout the meal, which created an uncomfortable dining experience. The wait time for our food was unusually long, and interactions felt forced or like a chore. When we requested takeout containers, she said “I don’t know we might have something” and were given mismatched plastic boxes from a nearby convenience area, which felt inappropriate given the setting of the restaurant. Unfortunately, the careless service overshadowed the rest of the visit & we couldn’t get out of there quicker!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 2
Christian
The food was excellent, but the service was very disappointing. It's clear that the restaurant prioritizes events and weddings over the dining room experience. Our cocktails took far too long to arrive, our water glasses sat empty for most of the meal, and our server checked in only a few times. It was especially disappointing given that this was a special occasion, and the lack of attentiveness was noticeable. The dining room wasn't busy, so there's really no excuse for the poor service we received.
M Janzen
Lovely location. Waited 45min for a beer, was told it was because they had to change kegs but the pace did not improve with bread or dinner service.
Heard good things about the risotto and desserts from others in our dining party, but there was no dry aged steak available, and kitchen struggled to deliver medium and medium rare steaks so big disappointment.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 1
Tammy
We had the pleasure of dining here while we were on vacation. It was the best meal we had while in Canada. My husband had the elk and French onion soup. I had the salmon dinner and an excellent Moscow Mule. The atmosphere was warm and our server was friendly, not to mention the view of the golf course and mountain. Thank you for an excellent dining experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Chandrew Rajakumar
Very nice ambiance and dining room. Great for couples or groups. The food is alright but over-priced. I've definitely had better steak so I recommend the salmon or pasta.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 3
Juan
Outstanding views, the food is excellent and the service is fantastic. This is a great experience in the middle of the mountains. Highly recommended
Mary
What a disappointing experience. We were looking forward to our anniversary meal at Rustica. It turned out to be such a letdown. The food & service were quite good but the timing between food and drinks was unbelievably long. We sat and waited and waited between courses.
Amazing food - we had the elk, steak and salmon. All delicious and the staff were great. Just the right amount of attention and the water was frequently topped up which was much appreciated.
Sandra V
Munif and Elliott - our servers - were outstanding! The best. We had an excellent meal after twilight golf - the Caesar and the risotto were huge hits - absolutely delicious. Along with the steak. Thank you!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Louis Chan
Fantastic steakhouse and perfect value for money! Our waiter Munif was very knowledgeable not just about food and drinks, but also about local culture and places to visit.
We ordered a steak and salmon, both were grilled exactly the way we wanted. We also ordered shrimp and lobster add ons and those portions were positively much larger than we expected!
+ Spectacular views of the golf course + 3rd largest wine selection in Alberta + Atmosphere is quiet for nice chats + Large food portions
- Dry aged steaks not available when we visited
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Scot & Stephanie
Wonderful view overlooking the golf course. The menu is super interesting with so many options. This happened to be one of the best Caesar salads I've ever had!! The salmon and elk dinners were delicious. Michael was super knowledgeable and had wonderful wine suggestions.
Ashley Cruz
Bad service and takes 2 hours to get food. Do not come here.
Quaint and luxurious atmosphere with delicious food, but selection, portion size, and service was abysmal.
We made a reservation on a Friday night for a special occasion and when we arrived, we were immediately told that THREE of the EIGHT main entrees were not available that night. All three unavailable options were beef options, making the tenderloin and the Alberta tomahawk (at $239) the only beef options for a person if they wanted to have a beef steak.
Upon ordering drinks, we were told to provide TWO options for bottles of wines, in the event that the first option was not available (to save the server a trip to the wine cellar). Our drinks took approximately 30-45 minutes to arrive.
Because of the limited main course options, three of us ordered the elk tomahawk, but the size of tomahawk between the three plates varied quite substantially. Unfortunately, mine was severely undercooked (ordered as a medium rare but arrived as a rare-plus, making it extremely game-y) and I had to send it back. The same piece of meat was thrown back on a grill and re-plated and served back to me (as evidenced by the small pieces that I had already cut off were re-seared and re-plated).
Again, for dessert, one of the four options were not available.
For a fine dining establishment and the hefty price associated with the meal, I was very unimpressed by the limited selection, service, and quality of the meal. Despite all the issues noted above, not a single drink nor entree were comp'd and we were left with a $500+ bill for a very unsatisfying meal.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 1
We came to Rustica for dinner and loved the upscale lodge atmosphere.
Our server, Valentin, was excellent. He’s from Saint-Émilion in France and recommended a red wine from his hometown to pair with our elk steak — a perfect match. The elk was absolutely delicious.
Great service, great wine list, and a memorable meal. We’d definitely return!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Outstanding food and service at Rustica, as always. The wine selection is also outstanding!
My boyfriend and I were excited to try Rustica after a long day of traveling.
We visited this establishment a few weeks ago. While the food was OK and the atmosphere was warm and cozy, the service was terrible. Our server was inattentive and unengaged throughout the meal, which created an uncomfortable dining experience. The wait time for our food was unusually long, and interactions felt forced or like a chore. When we requested takeout containers, she said “I don’t know we might have something” and were given mismatched plastic boxes from a nearby convenience area, which felt inappropriate given the setting of the restaurant. Unfortunately, the careless service overshadowed the rest of the visit & we couldn’t get out of there quicker!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 2
The food was excellent, but the service was very disappointing. It's clear that the restaurant prioritizes events and weddings over the dining room experience. Our cocktails took far too long to arrive, our water glasses sat empty for most of the meal, and our server checked in only a few times. It was especially disappointing given that this was a special occasion, and the lack of attentiveness was noticeable. The dining room wasn't busy, so there's really no excuse for the poor service we received.
Lovely location.
Waited 45min for a beer, was told it was because they had to change kegs but the pace did not improve with bread or dinner service.
Heard good things about the risotto and desserts from others in our dining party, but there was no dry aged steak available, and kitchen struggled to deliver medium and medium rare steaks so big disappointment.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 1
We had the pleasure of dining here while we were on vacation. It was the best meal we had while in Canada.
My husband had the elk and French onion soup. I had the salmon dinner and an excellent Moscow Mule.
The atmosphere was warm and our server was friendly, not to mention the view of the golf course and mountain.
Thank you for an excellent dining experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Very nice ambiance and dining room. Great for couples or groups. The food is alright but over-priced. I've definitely had better steak so I recommend the salmon or pasta.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 3
Outstanding views, the food is excellent and the service is fantastic. This is a great experience in the middle of the mountains. Highly recommended
What a disappointing experience. We were looking forward to our anniversary meal at Rustica. It turned out to be such a letdown. The food & service were quite good but the timing between food and drinks was unbelievably long. We sat and waited and waited between courses.
Restaurantji Recommends
Amazing food - we had the elk, steak and salmon. All delicious and the staff were great. Just the right amount of attention and the water was frequently topped up which was much appreciated.
Munif and Elliott - our servers - were outstanding! The best. We had an excellent meal after twilight golf - the Caesar and the risotto were huge hits - absolutely delicious. Along with the steak. Thank you!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Fantastic steakhouse and perfect value for money! Our waiter Munif was very knowledgeable not just about food and drinks, but also about local culture and places to visit.
We ordered a steak and salmon, both were grilled exactly the way we wanted. We also ordered shrimp and lobster add ons and those portions were positively much larger than we expected!
+ Spectacular views of the golf course
+ 3rd largest wine selection in Alberta
+ Atmosphere is quiet for nice chats
+ Large food portions
- Dry aged steaks not available when we visited
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Wonderful view overlooking the golf course. The menu is super interesting with so many options. This happened to be one of the best Caesar salads I've ever had!! The salmon and elk dinners were delicious. Michael was super knowledgeable and had wonderful wine suggestions.
Bad service and takes 2 hours to get food. Do not come here.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
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