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blink Restaurant & Bar

111 8th Avenue SW, Calgary, Alberta T2P 1B4, Canada (Downtown)
403.263.5330
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Ranked #40 of 1,857 restaurants in Calgary
Price range: €24 - €39
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Restaurant details
Good for: Romantic, Business, Local cuisine, Special Occasion Dining, Entertaining clients
Dining options: Lunch Spot, Dinner, Reservations, After-hours
Dining style: Casual Elegant
Neighbourhood: Downtown
Cross street: Centre st. & 8 Ave
Transit: We are less than one block from major C-Trains routes and central to all City Centre Bus Stops.
Description: Built as a Saddlery in the 19th Century, this rustic building situated on historic Stephen Avenue is now the location for Blink Restaurant & Bar. Extensive renovations in March and April 2008 combined natural elements, contemporary design and an open kitchen concept to create an atmosphere which is both inviting and elegant. Recently awarded #9 best new restaurant in Canada, by enRoute magazine and people’s choice award best restaurant in Calgary, by Avenue magazine. Blink’s knowledgeable and hospitable staff present a modern bistro cooking style and which draws heavily upon local, sustainable ingredients. Popular dishes include, salt spring island cheese soufflé, beet and goat cheese tart, red wine braised bison short ribs, sautéed wild Manitoba pickerel and Spring Creek Ranch Flat Iron Beef. The restaurant has a capacity of 80 with additional seating at the bar for 10 people and a private dining room for between 2 to 10 people.
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86 reviews from our community

81% Recommend
    55
    15
    5
    6
    5
Rating summary
    Food
    Service
    Value
    Atmosphere
Date Rating
Victoria, Canada
1 review
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 19 May 2013 NEW via mobile

I had the pleasure of arranging dinner for a friend's birthday and we chose Blink. We couldn't have asked for a more fabulous evening. I had the asparagus appetizer and the sablefish for my main. Both were delicious! Our server was great and the owner was looking after our wine service which was a nice added touch! Can't wait to... More

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Madrid, Spain
Senior Reviewer
7 reviews 7 reviews
6 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
4 helpful votes 4 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 17 May 2013 NEW

In downtown Calgary, difficult to park, but in the middle of everything. Excellent mediterranean innovative food with a great wine list. The manager Leslie is on everything and makes the client feel right at home. Great work Leslie, keep it up!!! Will return.

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See 3 more reviews by Coquenot for Calgary
far away
Senior Contributor
27 reviews 27 reviews
20 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 9 cities Reviews in 9 cities
4 helpful votes 4 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 10 May 2013

Went to Blink and was impressed with their stand on serving locally-sourced food. The menu is limited with about eight starters and fewer than a dozen mains. I had halibut and it was cooked perfectly, served over a potato galette with some vegetables. The halibut was crusted with herbs, but it was a soft crust, and added a nice texture... More

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Toronto, Canada
Senior Contributor
34 reviews 34 reviews
15 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 9 cities Reviews in 9 cities
6 helpful votes 6 helpful votes
2 of 5 stars Reviewed 17 April 2013

after reading tripadvisor reviews and walking past this lovely spot, we decided to have lunch here on our last day visiting calgary. the atmosphere inside is lovely, and the wait staff really nice. however, the meal itself was disappointing. we split a crispy duck salad. while the duck itself was savoury and yummy, the rest of the salad fell flat,... More

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Calgary
Senior Reviewer
6 reviews 6 reviews
6 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 6 cities Reviews in 6 cities
3 helpful votes 3 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 14 April 2013

Excellent lunch at blink on April 10. Had a salmon dish with fiddle heads and gnocchi that was very good. A couple of people in our party of 5 ordered soup so we also ordered fries (cooked 3 times the server explained) for the rest of us to sample but they never arrived. It was just a detail and everything... More

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Vancouver, Canada
Senior Contributor
33 reviews 33 reviews
16 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 10 cities Reviews in 10 cities
10 helpful votes 10 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 13 April 2013

Not afraid to take risks, this restaurant delivers on all accounts from its unique world class menu that is whimsical. adventorous,refined and well ahead of its time for the Calgary scene. A winelist to boot. The owner Leslie is a great host and so are her team. A breadth of fresh air in Cowtown.

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See 4 more reviews by Musafirhoonyaaro for Calgary
Calgary, Canada
Senior Contributor
34 reviews 34 reviews
19 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 17 cities Reviews in 17 cities
14 helpful votes 14 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 6 April 2013 via mobile

Had dinner with friends and seems that every time (4rth time now) I go there, they come short on the expectation of getting a good meal. To the point where it was was my last meal there. Seems like there is a total lack of direction in the kitchen. Today the lobster raviolis where awfull just like if they were... More

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See 4 more reviews by CeeBee130 for Calgary
Union Dale, Pennsylvania
Senior Contributor
32 reviews 32 reviews
10 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 19 cities Reviews in 19 cities
35 helpful votes 35 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 3 April 2013

I love this restaurant. You feel as though you are visiting royalty from the minute you step in the door, yet it is cozy and unpretentious. The food is sublime. Service impeccable. It is difficult to be both elegant and homey, but Blink does it. I particularly like that they seated me, a lone human, at the best table in... More

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See 3 more reviews by bossysooz for Calgary
Calgary, Canada
Senior Contributor
40 reviews 40 reviews
27 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 14 cities Reviews in 14 cities
14 helpful votes 14 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 22 March 2013

Had lunch there this week. The waiter was great, must have filled our water glasses 10 times. Ordered the risotto with black truffle oil. It was good, but they could have left the truffle oil out, gave the risotto a funny taste where the oil had landed. The selection of food is good, fish cakes, salads, pasta, meat but it... More

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See 4 more reviews by ammarson for Calgary
Burlington
Senior Contributor
23 reviews 23 reviews
14 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 10 cities Reviews in 10 cities
13 helpful votes 13 helpful votes
1 of 5 stars Reviewed 18 March 2013

I have to start out by saying that I never ate at blink Restaurant & Bar but initially considered it. My husband was late in calling for a reservation on Saturday and explained that we preferred a reservation for two between 7:30 and 8pm. He was advised that nothing was available until 8:30pm. We walked over to a different restaurant... More

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See 4 more reviews by BlackPuli for Calgary

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