Dining out on a rooftop bar is always a fun thing to try out whether it’s with your friends, colleagues, or family. It’s not something you do everyday so you want to make sure you go out to one of the best rooftop bars in Calgary!
In this article, we’re going to be talking all about these rooftop bars, their services, food and drinks offered, and what else we think makes them the best. Keep on scrolling!
Table of Contents
How Much Should I Expect to Spend at a Rooftop Bar in Calgary?
The amount you spend when going out on a rooftop bar varies greatly on what you order and the amount of things you order.
There isn’t a cleancut way to determine your bill unless you have a specific rooftop bar in mind but we put together this list of the average cost of items on menus in rooftop bars in Calgary:
The Best Rooftop Bars in Calgary
The best rooftop bars in Calgary that we selected for this list were based on the following criteria:
1. Simmons Rooftop Bar
One of the best things about rooftop bars is their view and, at Simmons Rooftop Bar, you get an uninterrupted view of the beautiful Bow River along with the lit up cityscape of downtown Southeast Calgary.
It’s open everyday from 12nn to 10pm. While this makes it perfect for daytime or dinner dates, it does make unideal for late night drinking.
You can book a table with them on their website. But you can also enjoy a walk-in experience since they hold a section of tables specifically for that.
You can also book the entire bar for a rooftop party by sending them an email!
On feature nights, they have live music for you to enjoy and dance along to which is great. Their built-in heater and fireplace is one of our favorite things about them, especially on cold winter nights.
They have a wide range of beers, cocktails, and wine for you to enjoy. For food, they only really have wings, bread sticks, and salads which is pretty limited.
However, it does have a sister restaurant, CONNIE AND JOHN’S PIZZA, that delivers delicious pizza directly to your table.
Take note that it’s not family-friendly, as only adults are allowed at this rooftop bar.
Pros
- Open daily
- Can be booked for events
- Wide range of drinks
- Accepts walk-ins
- Relatively affordable
- Online table reservation available
Cons
- No children allowed
- Limited food options
- Closes early
- Doesn’t deliver
Customer Reviews
Lovely service, great pizza
“Such a wonderful experience. The service was so lovely, Brett was so wonderful. The pizza was great. We had the Fun Guy pizza and it was a great size for two people. We will definitely be back.” –Jer
Incredible view, delicious cocktails, great service
“Such an incredible view and vibe on this rooftop patio! The cocktails we had were yummy but the beers were a bit overpriced. We had great service though and our server Mark was awesome!” -Garland
Nice view, excellent service
“It was great, nice view. Excellent service. Just gets a bit chilly on the patio in the evening. Last call is also at 7 , I imagine cause of covid restrictions” -Meena
2. The Rooftop YYC
Known as Calgary’s largest weather-controlled patio, The Rooftop YYC can be found in downtown Calgary. It can seat up to 350 people and is situated under the world’s largest umbrella which is a great “come hither” for those who like to experience the world’s best anything.
They have a wide selection of both food and drinks. We think this makes them perfect for lunches, dinners, and nights out.
They have food for sharing which is great for groups of friends, solo bowls, meals, finger food, salads, cakes, and so much more. For drinks, they offer all sorts of wines, beers, cocktails, and spirits.
They even have a ton of non-alcoholic drinks for those who’d prefer that. Based on reviews, it seems like children aren’t accepted here which is a shame since it makes it non-family friendly.
They have a Happy Hour from 3pm-6pm everyday that they’re open. We highly suggest you take advantage of the discounts you’ll get at these times.
They also have daily promos depending on the day. You can find their promo lineup on their website.
They accept walk-ins but you can also book a table with them here. Take note that to book for a group larger than 8 members, you’ll need to email them.
You can also book out the venue for weddings, conferences, business meetings, corporate events, private parties, concerts, and the like. Just send them an email and enjoy planning with them.
Pros
- Daily promos
- Happy hour
- Online table reservation available
- Can be booked for events
- Wide selection of food and drinks
- Serves non-alcoholic drinks
Cons
- Closed on Sundays and Mondays
- No children allowed
- Doesn’t deliver
Customer Reviews
Delicious food, fun times, attentive servers
“Found the Rooftop YYC from a TikTok video since I was visiting from out of town. You will find people of all ages (must be legal, of course) all having a good time, enjoying good food, music and drinks. The food was delicious. As busy as the Rooftop can get, the servers are attentive and will often come by you to check if you’re okay.” -KP
Unreal food, amazing service
“Honest review – unreal food and we had amazing service to boot. The vibe itself is worth the trek up the several flights of stairs but the food was by far some of the best I’ve had in Calgary. Highly recommend the dill pickle pizza and the Crispy chicken sandwich – you won’t be disappointed. The level of fries on the side was also top-notch” -Shauna
3. ONE18 EMPIRE
ONE18 EMPIRE is a rustic-chic bar and restaurant located in downtown Calgary.
They serve breakfast, brunch, and dinner. However, their schedules can be a bit difficult to keep track of so be sure to double check their operating hours before heading on over to this bar.
You can have your pick of wines, beers, cocktails, old-fashioneds, desserts, and whatnot at this restaurant because they have such a wide variety of all. Although, they do tend to be a bit pricey.
This is a family-friendly rooftop patio and, yes, there are meals specifically for kids too. This makes them ideal for family bondings as you all enjoy a beautiful view.
Their full menus are available here. You can find solo meals and shareable ones here.
You can book a table easily on their website. If you’d prefer a private dining experience that requires booking out the whole bar, you’ll have to send them an email.
They’re also open for pick-up and delivery services so if you ever find yourself craving their food, you won’t have to dine in which is a pretty good compromise. This is especially important since they don’t accept walk-ins as of now.
Pros
- Family-friendly
- Can be booked for events
- Offers pick-up and delivery services
- Wide selection of food and drinks
- Serves non-alcoholic drinks
- Online booking of reservation
- Available for private dining
- Offers delivery and curbside pickup
Cons
- Relatively expensive
- No happy hour
- Complicated schedule
- Doesn’t accept walk-ins
Customer Reviews
“Excellent service, beautiful rooftop terrace and the food was delicious! For a green salad, the dressing was amazing and the burger on pretzel bun was also so good. Fun drinks and good vibes!” -Thalia
“Incredible view and an awesome beef poutine served up. Excellent service and again the rooftop restaurant has an amazing view!!” -Kris
4. Broken City
Broken City is the perfect place for creative individuals to meet like-minded people to bond with. Since it opened, this bar has always supported the independent and diverse art culture around Calgary.
They have all sorts of entertainment daily like comedians, musicians, DJs, and more. They even have karaoke nights from time to time.
Luckily, their menus are as diverse as the artists they welcome weekly. Click here to view their food menu and here to view their drinks menu.
They have homemade, vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options for their food. For drinks, they focus more on beers and liquor so, if you’re looking for wine, this isn’t the place for it.
By the way, they also have a late night menu here. We can tell they definitely know what their late night customers crave and they provide it.
You can also check out some of their merch here.
If you want to be updated on all of their weekly listings, email [email protected]. Or you could also check this section of their website that’s filled with their listings regularly.
Pros
- Relatively affordable
- Accepts walk-ins
- Best for artistic individuals
- Stays open late
- Open daily
- Wide range of food and drinks options
- Does deliveries
Cons
- Closed during daytime
- Not family-friendly
- No reservations
Customer Reviews
Delicious food, awesome servers, great music
“Food was delicious!! Our server was awesome too. We didn’t know what beers to get as we were new to the area! He chose them for us and all of them were great choices! The patio was awesome with great music and a bathroom close by 🙂 great art on the walls on the patio and even in the bathroom lol sorry there are no pics of the food we were hungry ?” -Christina
Excellent staff, friendly, great music
“Love this place. Great vibe and the staff is excellent and know how to sling drinks in a friendly and most importantly timely fashion. The music is great especially on the rooftop patio on Teusdays and Wednesdays weather permitting” -Scott
5. King Eddy
If you’re into history and all things connected to it, you’ll definitely enjoy a meal and drink at King Eddy. It was a hotel established in 1905 and continuously operated until 2004 when it stopped operations until 2018.
It’s known to have been a cornerstone in the music industry for over a century which makes it great for music and history enthusiasts.
It’s now a bar, restaurant, and music venue. The same building that hosts King Eddy also hosts various other interesting offices connected to the music industry with the most known one being the Rolling Stone Mobile Studio.
It’s a family-friendly restaurant and bar so you won’t have to worry about hiring a babysitter if you’re looking forward to a meal and some entertainment here.
Here’s a quick link to their brunch and drinks menu to help you know how much to set aside for your trip to King Eddy. Be sure to immortalize your trip there by purchasing some merch as well.
They have tons of musical guests weekly that you can check out on their website.
All evening shows are on a first come, first serve basis. However, their lunch and afternoon services accept online reservations.
Pros
- Lunch and afternoon reservations available
- Online table reservation
- Weekly musical guests
- Family-friendly
- Accepts takeout and delivery
Cons
- Closed on Monday-Wednesday
- No reservations for evening shows
Customer Reviews
Nice atmosphere, delicious food
“We thought we’d try out the landmark King Eddy as we were in the neighborhood. Nice atmosphere and delicious food. ? Family friendly.” -Shannon
Wonderful ambiance, delicious food, great service
“Wonderful ambiance with live music, delicious food and great service.” -Norse
FAQs about Rooftop Bars in Calgary
This brings us to the end of our list of the best rooftop bars in Calgary for now. Hopefully you found this useful and you’ll take our advice and bring your loved ones out to these bars!
Please feel free to let us know all about your experience at these rooftop bars. We’d love to hear all about it and, before you go, be sure to check out a few of our other related articles below!
