Cucina Market Bistro Calgary - Calgary

I liked the overall casual and cozy atmosphere. We started with the octopus which consisted of two tentacles a few potatoes, greens and some crispy bite that I didn't know the name of served with and avocado sauce. It was a bit pricey and the dish didn't really deliver on taste. The octopus was almost too soft it made it seem like it had gone bad, but that might just be a personal preference thing. There were bits of sourness and creaminess to the dish and overall the flavors just didn't compliment each other and the dish fell apart for me. For the main course I got the confit duck tagliatelle and my friend got the feature of the day which was a baked pasta with oxtail and a tomato sauce. The tagliatelle was my favorite dish of the night. It was simple but had a nice flavor. The pasta was cooked perfectly and you could taste bits of duck in every bite. Overall the flavors of the dish really came together well. The oxtail pasta was another story. The first few bites were pretty good, but it soon got to be too much with all the tomato sauce. Overall the dish felt very heavy and could have benefited from some freshness or maybe a bit of acid to help with the heaviness of the dish. The biggest let down of the night was our server who seemed to have RBF. Even when I tried to crack a joke, either she didn't hear it, or was just not in the mood. She made me scared to ask her anything so I didn't even get a refill on my water. Sad to say with all the options out there I don't think I would ever return to this restaurant based on my experience last night.

Would not recommend this restaurant, went last night our table was in the corner where the hostess keep coming to grab water , plates etc. i don’t even think this is a normal seating area ? The tables where 1.5 feet in between each other, we know exactly what each table ordered and constant interruption from the waitress when she kept coming to greet serve each table . Was not personal at all . Food didn’t have prices on the feature menu . If you want a coffee maybe a place to go but for a sit down meal you have zero privacy .

Went for Big Taste 2017. Appies: Arancini was a bit too greasy but the aioli was beautiful. Curry soup was great the first few bites, then just falls flat the more you eat. Entrees: Chicken pesto penne was average, nothing to write home about. Pork belly was good, but could use a bit more acid for brightness. Desserts: Tiramisu is amazing, defs something to go back for. Chocolate cake was okay.

As the very sophisticated and well decorated interior of this place may suggest, food here is expensive. For a small bowl of soup and a coffee, it wound up costing more than a full banh mi and two bubble teas. Servers were polite, but not very attentive. Soup was alright, but the coffee was amazing! Would I recommend coming here for a meal? If you’re looking to show off on a date, by all means go for it. Would I recommend treating yourself to a nice coffee here every once in a while? Definitely.

Liked the ambience of this place and the customer service was great! However, the food was highly disappointing given the price. I ordered the short rib risotto - the special for the day and it was just a bowl of mush... not appetizing at all. Also had the panna cotta for dessert and that was tasty! Not sure I will return though.

A great place with amazing food and vibes. Perfect for dates and special occasion. Staff are very friendly. The place offers an experience and that’s what I liked most about it. It reminded of London’s food experience. We tried the grilled octopus and the steak. Both were perfectly made. Top notch ingredients. I’d definitely recommend it as an exceptional place.

Went here for brunch and it was awesome. The service was great, food was even better and nice atmosphere. The location is good too they also have a nice little patio. From the granola with yogurt with honey to french toast to eggs Benedict it was all good food. They use Fratello coffee which is a bonus. Will definitely be back soon.

We had an amazing late afternoon meal. This is a great time to go if you want a less crowded restaurant. They can only hold 60 so I imagine dinner is busy! My husband and I had appetizers and mains. We shared the beef cheek, white bean and spinach soup special, and steak tartare. They were both excellent, though they could add some more crackers as they give you a generous portion of steak tartare. For our mains I had the Arctic Char (also the special) and my husband had the gnocchi. We both cleaned our plates. Every morsel of food was perfectly made. The skin of the fish was crispy, the gnocchi were soft and fluffy. Too full for dessert so we will just have to come back!! Highly recommend.