Best Cafés in Calgary

Had an exceptional Valentine’s Day meal at Olea. Their take on spaghetti is unique and flavourful and I will remember it for a long time. Appreciated the attentive and friendly service on a busy night.

We went for the Valentine’s Day dinner special which was very good and a great value. I added the wine pairing to my meal. The meal included bread with an olive dip, arugula beet salad, tuna and rice crisps in a paper cone, a goats cheese beignet and a choice of main course. My husband and I both had the braised short ribs. Dessert was a chocolate crème brûlée. All of the food was tasty and a great value at $111 for two. The service was very good and the noise level of the restaurant was low, so easy to converse. Our only complaint is that the evening ambience/coziness of the restaurant could be improved a lot by just a few small adjustments to lighting. The booth that we sat at opened to a view of the kitchen service window (open to the ceiling) and was also next to the hallway to the washrooms. The bright ceiling panel lighting from the kitchen was visible and illuminated our table as did the same bright lighting in the washroom hallway. A simple roller shade installed from the top of the kitchen service window to just above the pendant lights to block the light as well as pot lights on a dimmer in the hallway would help. Overall lighting throughout the restaurant could be dimmed for a better night time dinner ambience. I noticed some of the other tables had candles, but ours did not, probably because our table was so brightly lit. Namo is mostly known for being a brunch spot, so this lighting would be fine for that, not so much for dinner service.

Service was excellent, our reserved table was already set with china and flatwear, and Veronica soon came with the selection of loose leaf teas for our individual tea pots. The food was delicious, we especially liked the ham and cheese toast which held a surprise burst of flavor. The scones were buttery, the compote was flavorful and not too sweet. Overall it was a wonderful way to celebrate Valentine’s Day

Great restaurant - great service and chef! The coffee, however, is ‘greatly’ overpriced at $5.00/cup!!!