Each year, we ask Avenue readers to vote for their favourite restaurants in Calgary in our Best Restaurants readers’ choice ballot. These are some of their favourite places in the city.
Winner
Proof
Proof was awarded 10th place on Canada’s 50 Best Bars list in 2024, and for good reason. The team takes the bar’s drinks seriously, with a hugely varied list of classic and contemporary cocktails expertly crafted by Proof’s mixologists with premium spirits, house-made syrups and infusions. The menu is sorted by type of spirit and each drink is listed with tasting notes so you know exactly what you’re getting yourself into. You can also get snacks and larger plates ranging from baos to steak tartare to accompany your drink.
1302 1 St. S.W., 403-246-2414, proofyyc.com, @proofyyc
Runners-up
Prohibition Lounge
Prohibition Lounge takes you back in time by nodding to the prohibition era. Decorated with vintage decor like book-lined shelves and plush leather banquettes, Prohibition has a menu of prohibition-era classics like the sazerac, boulevardier and paper plane cocktails, as well as specialty cocktails themed around stories of the 1920s (which you can learn more about on the bar’s website). If you like an old fashioned, Prohibition offers eight different varieties to keep things fresh.
720 17 Ave. S.W., 825-734-1920, prohibitionloungeyyc.com, @prohibitionbaryyc
Business & Pleasure
Located in an Inglewood alleyway just off 9 Avenue S.E., Business & Pleasure offers a hip and modern take on a cocktail bar. As the name suggests, this cocktail bar is serious about drinks without taking itself too seriously. The small-but-mighty house cocktail list includes drinks like the Chartrusive Thoughts, a mezcal cocktail that’s heavy on the Chartreuse. Along with cocktails, Business & Pleasure also has a great food menu, with bar snacks and larger plates like dates with speck and manchego cheese, mushroom croquettes or an excellent cheeseburger.
Behind Super Variety, 1327A 9 Ave. S.E., itsbusinessandpleasure.com, @itsbusinessandpleasure
Betty Lou’s Library
Betty Lou’s Library may be a bit hidden, but seeking it out is worth it. Inside The Devenish Building on 17th Avenue S.W., look for the red light and follow it down the stairs to find a phone, then pick it up and speak the secret password to gain entry. This 1920s-themed speakeasy cocktail bar, dimly lit with red lighting and jazz music, serves drinks named after famous women of the 1920s, as well as five varieties of old fashioneds and cocktails on tap inspired by the Brontë sisters.
908 17 Ave. S.W., 403-454-4774, bettylouslibrary.com, @bettylouslibrary
Missy’s This That
Located above the Happy Together convenience store in the Beltline, this cocktail bar has a large list of house and classic cocktails, beers, an excellent wine list and a massive selection of premium spirits. Missy’s also hosts plenty of pop-ups and collabs that are well worth checking out. The combination of its casual, minimalist atmosphere and beverage excellence helped earn Missy’s the 13th spot on Canada’s Best Bars list in 2024.
348A 14 Ave. S.W., missysthisthat.com, @missysthisthat
Ricardo’s Hideaway
If tropical cocktails are your thing, Ricardo’s Hideaway is the spot for you. This cocktail bar is just plain fun — from the rum-centric cocktail menu, to the colourful island decor, to the tropical-inspired food menu, good times are sure to be had here. Pair a cocktail like the Trinidad sour with dishes like curry oxtail or cheese empanadas with citrus-agave vinegar.
1530 5 St. S.W., 403-880-8924 (text only), ricardoshideaway.ca, @ricardosyyc
