• Essence - Westin Calgary

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Reserve at Essence - Westin Calgary

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Essence - Westin Calgary
Essence - Westin Calgary

Essence - Westin Calgary Details

  • Dining Style: Casual Dining
  • Website: http://www.westincalgary.com/calgary-restaurants
  • Email: essence_westin@shaw.ca
  • Phone: (403) 508-5165
  • Hours of Operation: Lunch
    Monday - Friday 11 AM - 2 PM

    Breakfast
    Monday - Friday 6:30 AM - 11 AM
    Saturday - Sunday 6:30 AM - 12 PM
  • Payment Options: AMEX, MasterCard, Visa
  • Cuisine: Contemporary American, Organic
  • Executive Chef: Frederic Hoffmann
  • Dress Code: Business Casual
  • Accepts Walk-Ins: Yes
  • Additional Details: Beer, Gluten-free Menu, Non-Smoking Restaurant, Takeout, Wine

Getting there

  • Cross Street: Third Street
  • Parking: Hotel Parking
  • Parking Details: Valet and underground parking available.
A word from Essence - Westin Calgary
A place to replenish, renew, and nourish. Whether sitting down for a business meeting or a special occasion, you’ll enjoy the stylish atmosphere and fabulous menu, which showcases Alberta's many flavors.
Foodspotting photos
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Awards voted by OpenTable diners
  • Diners' Choice WinnerContemporary American
  • Diners' Choice WinnerGreat for Lunch
Diner Reviews
  • "Went here for lunch with a coworker on a Thursday afternoon. Our server was very polite upon greeting us and our food came quickly. I ordered the green tea salmon medium rare but it was prepared more like medium well. Otherwise, my lunch was good - I would give it a 7/10. We ended up waiting quite a long time for our bill after we had finished eating. I believe this was a product of the restaurant being quite busy and our server attending to many tables."
    Dined on 2/27/2014
  • "I appreciate "gluten free" items noted on the menu."
    Dined on 2/7/2014
  • "Interesting menu (especially for a hotel restaurant), well prepared food and good service. We had the crab cakes and potstickers as an appetizer, both were quite good, but not exceptional. As a main, I had the fried chicken. The chicken was tender and very good, the fries and coleslaw were average. My colleague had the short ribs, which were a very large portion. Overall the portions were large, so bring an appetite! The price point was my biggest objection; it's pretty high for what you get, given other lunch options downtown."
    Dined on 2/5/2014
  • "This is a relatively quiet spot for a business lunch. Never that busy and great food & service."
    Dined on 2/3/2014
  • "Great for a business lunch where you need to have a conversation, Food is always very good, as is the service. Never let's me down."
    Dined on 1/30/2014
  • "Although we beat the lunch "rush" and got our order in before noon (and the restaurant was empty), it took 25 minutes for the first meal to come out, and 45 minutes for the second meal. After 5 minutes they came back and put the first meal under the heat lamp. Although apologetic (up to the manager level) it was very disappointing given how rushed we were for time. An offer of a dessert on the house does not help when already late. Everyone there seems pleasant enough and they are trying hard, but far from getting things right."
    Dined on 1/27/2014
  • "The service was great and the food did not disappoint."
    Dined on 1/9/2014
  • "Table was close to another team I work with so if that could have been avoided; however I realize unless reservation is made for both under the company name you woud not know this."
    Dined on 1/10/2014
  • "The food was great, the service not so - had to track down the server to get our order and then get our bill. And it was not that busy."
    Dined on 12/19/2013
  • "5 of us arrived at the restaurant prior to the majority of their lunch time crowd. The service was slow (waited for at least 10 minutes for someone to let us know what the special was and take our order. Lunch was fairly quick to arrive which surprised us because by the time we were able to place our order, most of the tables were full. The restauant is one big open room with nothing to absorb sound so it was really noisy."
    Dined on 12/17/2013
  • "I suppose it has to do with the season - but it was very noisy busy in the resturant. Our waitress was run off her feet and the service (very poor) showed it. I think we asked her 3-4 times for our bill before we actually got it."
    Dined on 12/18/2013
  • "I went to Essence with a friend for a Christmas lunch. The food was excellent and the service was great. The staff are very attentive and the atmosphere is relaxing. Great place to go for lunch."
    Dined on 12/17/2013
  • "Had lunch with four people on a quiet day. The food was good but nothing that we ate seemed to be of particular note. The service was also good, not pushy nor absent. Overall, good place for a uneventful lunch but wouldn't recommend it for anything else."
    Dined on 12/13/2013
  • "Our server was a bit stressed and impatient - must have been an off day as he has been there for many years. It had been a while since I had brought a guest to Essence, the menu had changed and I had a few questions. After three, I was scared to ask any more. Not a good feeling as a guest. The front end was a bit rough as well. The Hostess seemed confused about how to communicate table numbers to the lady seating patrons and had difficulty accepting incoming guests. The lady seating patrons was unphased by this and remained pleasant and professional."
    Dined on 12/12/2013
  • "Food very good, great place to take a group and be able to talk and be heard. Service was fine. Everything came out at an appropriate time. Plate presentation very good."
    Dined on 12/12/2013
  • "Service was terrible - EXTREMELY slow and there were issues with splitting our bill. In the end one person had to pay the bill because their machine couldn't accomodate multiple payees. I'm not sure I'd go back again."
    Dined on 12/11/2013
  • "There is a vast variety of great dishes on this menu for everyone - even for people like me with a gluten intolerance! The green-tea infused salmon is a personal favorite. A little pricey, but the quality of the food and service is worth it."
    Dined on 12/6/2013
  • "As always, one can expect the best from any westin employee. Our server was wonderfully attentive and charming. A real gem."
    Dined on 11/21/2013
  • "Essence has a pretty good menu with usually interesting daily specials. The fare isn't exotic but usually features local ingredients. The food is prepared well and presented attractively. Service is prompt and the room isn't so noisy that you can't have a conversation (which I find to be a problem with many downtown lunch spots). One of the appetizers was missed this time so I've docked service a bit. It also tends to be a bit pricey -- about $30/person for lunch, including tip with no liquor. For the first time, the restaurant called me to confirm the OpenTable reservation. I'm not sure why, as it wasn't full."
    Dined on 10/23/2013
  • "We always receive good service and the food is great. Convenient location and never disappointing."
    Dined on 11/6/2013
  • "This is my favorite place for lunch. Again I was not disappointed - great food, even greater service - thanks for making my day"
    Dined on 10/16/2013
  • "Service was efficient and fast, which is good for a downtown lunch crowd. There are some healthy selections on the menu which is noce, but the hotel restaurant prices are very high. At lunch the salmon was $36.00. Good but not that good."
    Dined on 10/16/2013
  • "I had the tomato soup that was on the menu and thought it was pricey @ $10 per bowl for about 1 cup."
    Dined on 10/16/2013
  • "the food was good, just not worth the price. $20 salad.....not worth it."
    Dined on 10/8/2013
  • "We recently had a group of 5 meet at Essence for a breakfast with a guest of honour. Were sitted at a round table which was good for conversation. Hostess was super friendly and waiter was excellent/very professional. Food was delicious and timely. We felt comfortable and well taken care of. It was a nice, modern, clean looking restaurant but not pretentious, it was just right! It was a "wee" bit noisy but not to the point of disruptive. Really enjoyed it."
    Dined on 10/4/2013
  • "I like this restaruant for the food, service, ambience and it is possible to have a nice coversation over lunch because it's not super noisy with all the soft furnishings. This last time things were a little off but over all it is still a great place to have lunch and I'll be back."
    Dined on 9/30/2013
  • "Great option for business lunches and breakfasts downtown. Great atmosphere and great tasting food. Always superb quality."
    Dined on 9/6/2013
  • "I found it pricey compared to other downtown venues."
    Dined on 8/28/2013
  • "Good food and service BUT it was sooooo overpriced!"
    Dined on 8/28/2013
  • "Great elegant atmosphere. Everything newly renovated."
    Dined on 8/20/2013
  • "Overall the restaurant is underrated. The food is good and fairly priced. Always easy to get a reservation or groups. Will be returning."
    Dined on 7/23/2013
  • "I got there early so I had a cup of tea, but the rest of my table was not even asked for drinks but directly for order. We waited 1/2 hour for even that. The food was really poor & small. The cobb salad had 3 cubes of chicken, a very small bit of bacon and I couldn't find any blue cheese. Plus such a small portion - for $20 it was almost a side plate not a meal. Just wondering if there has been any change recently? Last time I went there, it was a hidden gem, but now - so disappointing!"
    Dined on 6/20/2013
  • "The Westiin used to have a buffet for special occasions that was fantastic. This buffet, while tasty, is quite small. The restaurant itself is nothing more than a hotel restaurant, and we found it to be quite noisy. We would probably not go back."
    Dined on 6/16/2013
  • "The food quality and quantity falls below expectations."
    Dined on 5/22/2013
  • "Home made tomato soup - excellent. Salads are terrific. Two complaints. Are chefs able to remove grizzle in the kitchen? Why do I have to cut around it? And the dessert list was ho hum and somethings were too expensive like Mini cheesecake for $6 and a brownie for $10. Overall the food and service is high quality and I will be back. Thank you. Holli"
    Dined on 5/16/2013
  • "At the last moment, we decided we wanted to go for Mother's day brunch. Everything was booked solid but Essence had an opening. Food was great, servers were attentive and the dining area had room to move as the tables were nicely spaced apart. With two small kids, it was the best we could have hoped for. We would go back."
    Dined on 5/12/2013
  • "Went for the Mother's Day Brunch and loved it. I actually liked the fact thatt it wasn't a full brunch spread with carved meat and salads, it was only breakfast. The bacon was the best I have ever tastted at a buffet. They had an awesome omelet station and lots of fresh fruits and pastries. The only thing that was missing is the pancakes or french toast. I was fine without it but my kids missed them, although they did like the cinnamon buns. They did have crepes with chocolate sauce and bananas as well. All in all a great Mother's Day Brunch."
    Dined on 5/12/2013
  • "We went to Essence for Mother's Day brunch and the buffet was delicious. Lots of good choices. Nicely located in the Westin hotel."
    Dined on 5/12/2013
  • "This was my first time at Essence and I went for breakfast. I noticed they had several healthy choice options on their menu and I look forward to going back and trying them all!"
    Dined on 4/23/2013
  • "The waiter was not very helpful. Didn't refill our glasses and when asked about an item on the menu, he told us to just look at it. He didn't bother to explain further. He was kind of overly attentive but in a useless way. He asked us about needless things instead of focusing on what we could've wanted. Plus, he talks to fast that you can hardly understand what he's saying. Food wasn't great this time. Two dishes came swimming in some broth with didn't look appealing and not enough vegetables on the side. Won't go back again."
    Dined on 4/16/2013
More reviews ›
  • The Big Taste Calgary
    Monday-Friday 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM›
    Lunch $25 Course 1 Poplar Bluff Potato, Leek and Lager Soup Or Tender greens & live sprout salad Course 2 Boeuf a la Bourguignonne Or Maple smoked chicken Gluten Free Pasta Course 3 Essence Cotton candy. Excludes Tax and Tip. Please make reservation stating you would like The Big Taste menu. Special valid Mar 7, 2014 - Mar 16, 2014 on Fridays, Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM. Offer valid March 7, 2014 - March 16, 2014
  • Halibut Fish 'n' Chips
    Friday 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM›
    Double fried Kanabec fries, cider celery slaw & Essence tartar sauce. $24. Excludes Tax and Tip. Special valid Mar 21, 2014 - Jun 20, 2014 on Fridays from 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM. Offer valid March 21, 2014 - June 20, 2014
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Diners' Choice Awards
  • Calgary / Southern Alberta Winners
  • Contemporary American
  • Great for Lunch
  • Calgary Winners
  • Great for Lunch
Learn more ›
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