7 Places to Get Thanksgiving Dinner to Go
Everyone loves a Thanksgiving feast but not everyone loves all the work (and mess). This year, why not let someone else do the dirty work for you with these great takeout options?
Sometimes, Thanksgiving dinner tastes better when someone else cooks for you.
Some of us genuinely like Thanksgiving and some of us like the idea of Thanksgiving. Sometimes you want to slave away in the kitchen to prepare a feast and sometimes you just want to have someone else do the dirty work for you.
If you feel like opting for the latter, here are five places around Calgary that can help you get dinner on the table without you even having to turn your oven on. Ok, well maybe just to heat up a few things…
Side Dishes and Desserts
If you pride yourself on roasting the bird, but just want to be more time efficient with the rest, then here’s where to head to grab the supporting cast.
Calgary Co-op Fresh To Go
Available at only three locations (Shawnessy, Macleod and Crowfoot), Co-op’s “Fresh To Go” program puts a real emphasis on quality, comforting food that has that home-cooked taste. With dishes like spiced maple butternut squash and honey-glazed carrots, no one would even suspect that you bought the side dishes from elsewhere. Plus, Co-op’s dinner rolls are delicious.
(various locations, calgarycoop.com, @calgarycoop)
Calgary Farmers’ Market
Right now is peak pie season, which, for dessert lovers, is the best news. Of course you’ll be able to find a myriad of suitable salads and vegetable dishes for the dinner table, but the market is also having a Thanksgiving pie contest this weekend, so there’s bound to be some tasty buttery, fruity options to opt for like apple, rhubarb and pumpkin, obviously.
(510 77 Ave. S.E., 403-240-9113, calgaryfarmersmarket.ca, @cgyfarmersmarkt)
The Entire Dinner
You deserve a break. Let one of these spots take care of the whole dinner for you.
Boxwood Cafe
Since rotisserie chicken is one of its signature items, it’s not really a surprise that this little cafe is well-equipped to help you out come Thanksgiving Sunday. Opt for the weekend package (great for a small group) that includes a juicy chicken, a kale and bread salad and gravy. Add on some butternut squash gratin with Sylvan Star gouda to seal the deal.
(340 13 Ave. S.W., 403-265-4006, boxwoodcafe.ca, @boxwoodcalgary)
The Main Dish
If honey dill roasted Brussels sprouts, herb-crusted turkey breasts and squash soup sound good to you, then take this popular take-home food spot up on its seasonal menu for this weekend. There’s no actual turkey to be carved with this option, but at least you don’t need to fight a family member for a drumstick, right?
(903 General Ave. N.E., 403-265-3474, tmdish.com, @themaindish)
Red Tree Catering
Red Tree, a fine catering business that also does gourmet takeout, offers a more elevated Thanksgiving dinner option to bring home including a Winter’s turkey, leek and butter stuffing, merlot cranberry sauce and more.
(2129 33 Ave. S.W., 403-242-3246, redtreecatering.com, @redtreekitchen)
Sunterra Market
From cranberry sauce and roasted yams to a big roasted bone-in ham or turkey, Sunterra has almost every component for the big dinner ready and waiting (and warm) for you.
(various locations, sunterramarket.com)
The Westin Hotel
A fail-safe for many families around town, all you need to do is give The Westin a ring and it’ll start assembling a quality turkey dinner with all the finings for you. The crab apple and chestnut brioche stuffing might just be better than what your grandma is whipping up. Just saying…
(320 4 Ave. S.W., 403-266-1611, westincalgary.com, @westincalgary)
Bonus: Thanksgiving Weekend Pancake Breakfast! Say what?
What’s even better than not having to cook Thanksgiving dinner? Having someone cook a breakfast beforehand for you too. This is Heritage Park’s final weekend of the season and if you’re one of the first 500 people in the park during the weekend mornings, you’ll get a free pancake breakfast. Can’t go wrong with that!