7 Best Restaurants in Beltline and 17th Avenue, Calgary

Centrally located in the Design District and within walking distance of the Calgary Stampede, this diner-inspired eatery is a great place for a hearty breakfast or lunch. You can't go wrong with any of the traditional breakfast options including the numerous bennies, but classics like chicken and waffles or breakfast poutine are a good idea.

Another Calgary icon, Bottlescrew Bills is a second-generation family establishment that has been serving high-quality versions of classic pub food and an enormous selection of beer for more than 40 years. Daily specials and a generous happy hour only add to the fun; if you're feeling adventurous, try their unique riff on the traditional Caesar (a Canadian cocktail invented in Calgary) that includes a “prairie oyster.” If you’re in town long enough, you can try to fill your Around the World in 80 Beers passport.

A small all-day breakfast place that has been around for more than 30 years, the Galaxie Diner is a great option for a fair-priced breakfast (especially if you slept past noon). The decor is vintage diner, the staff is friendly and helpful, and you can have as many hash browns as you like.

Spacious and bright with large tables, Beltline’s Good Earth is a great spot to grab fresh-baked goods and as ethical and responsible a coffee you will ever find. This feel-good coffeehouse also serves fresh and nutritious sandwiches, soups, and salads. It's also just one of several locations in the greater Downtown area.

Named for the former dairy it now inhabits, Model Milk serves upscale comfort food (think burgers, fried chicken, and roasted cauliflower) beneath chandeliers made of glass milk bottles and brick walls, concrete floors, and steel beams that recall the building’s industrial heritage. This trendy restaurant has been on every best restaurant list since it opened in 2011; don't miss the small plates to share like the Savoury Fry Bread and Organic AB Beets. Some Sundays, the chef whips up prix-fixe three-course meals served family-style.

Named after a 10-foot replica of the 1930s comic character, which you’ll meet on the way to the washroom, this fresh veggie-centric eatery offers family-style dining in an airy space enhanced by lush green plants. This is not your average salad shop as Chef Steve Smee’s talents in the kitchen have earned Ten Foot Henry’s a spot as one of the top 50 restaurants in Canada. Sit in front of the open kitchen and try the warmed tomatoes and herbs on sourdough toast and the vegetarian cacio e pepe pasta. Meat eaters can rest easy, as the menu includes numerous seafood options and, yes, a steak.

This award-winning restaurant offers creative riffs on bistro favorites in a bright, airy space. Breakfast is served every day, with an excellent brunch buffet on the weekend, and you won’t regret the chef’s five-course dinner special.