13 Best Bars in Calgary, Alberta

Anejo is the place to get your Mexican fix. It has a superb selection of tequila and the best tacos in town. Before 5 and after 9, tacos and tequila are half off, and beer and margaritas are only $7. The guacamole is mixed right at your table.

Calgary’s home of the blues, the Can features afternoon and nightly live performances, cocktails, and homestyle Southern cooking.

Built on the foundation of an old warehouse, this rustic-chic club hosts DJ sets and live music gigs on Friday and Saturday nights. Check the website for special events other days of the week.

This bar and dance hall combo plays Top 40 country, dance, and rock tunes, with live entertainment on occasion. It's open Wednesday through Saturday and holds 1,200 people, but during the Calgary Stampede, it's a popular destination and it’s open every day and night.

This popular restaurant--bar serves Texas-style barbecue and more than 100 brands of whiskey, as well as a fine selection of microbrews. The chic-rustic decor and private Whiskey Garden patio out back make it easy to while away a few hours here. Their signature smoked meats—brisket, pulled pork, spare ribs—are sold by weight and half-price after 10 pm. Wash it all down with their signature cocktail, a smoked Old Fashioned. There's live music Friday and Saturday night in the Second Floor Music Hall.

With more than 1,000 board and card games in the library, this unique and popular café is the perfect place to spend a rainy afternoon or cold winter evening. The menu is average, but there's a full bar, and, anyway, you come for the games, which are $4.50 an hour per person.

The Ironwood is a 140-seat restaurant and lounge that has been the heart of Calgary’s live music scene for decades, and hosts live music every night of the year. Located just east of Downtown in the Inglewood district, it’s an easy walk or a short drive, and there’s plenty of public parking nearby.

Owned by Irish immigrants, this classic Irish pub is where you can have Guinness stout served at three different temperatures at the long antique bar, along with some traditional Irish fare. The patio on Stephen’s Avenue Walk provides great people-watching.

Good food, great patio, friendly staff, and 72 draught beers on tap—what more could you ask from a pub? There are food and drink specials every day, including cheap wings on Mondays. Drop in for breakfast on the weekends.

Last Best Brewing and Distilling is widely recognized as one of Calgary's best brewpubs. They have their own craft beers on tap—try the Tokyo Drift IPA—and make delicious cocktails with the three kinds of gin they distill in-house. On top of that, they serve the best pub food in the greater Downtown area in an upscale but casual atmosphere anchored by a beautiful rectangular bar in the center of it all.

With more than 40 TVs, this popular bar is a great place to watch the Calgary Flames and the Calgary Stampeders. It also shows Buzztime, the national trivia network, on its many screens. Free parking in a busy part of town is an added bonus.

Hankering for some quality pub food, an extensive selection of Canadian microbrews, and a few games of bowling and/or Ping-Pong? The National on 10th is the place for you. The menu is dominated by wings and nachos and the like, but there are a few hefty salads and rice bowls for those looking for something more nutritious. All in all, this spacious pub is just a fun place to hang out for an evening.

The Vin Room has one of the best wine lists in Calgary, and its two patios (one out front that allows dogs, the other on the roof) make it the perfect spot for a glass or two of wine or a cocktail in the evening. It’s also a great place for a date or an outing with a small group of your human and/or canine best friends.