Restaurants in Airdrie

Instrumental Indian music provides a rhythm as tandoor chefs knead fresh naan in Rajdoot's open kitchen, filling the restaurant with the scent of authentic spices and freshly baked bread as diners watch them work. A tandoor heats chicken marinated in yogurt and coated in mild spices, and nearby spiced curries bubble around pull-apart cuts of butter chicken, beef, or lamb. Mixed vegetables dance in a drizzle of flavourful sauce in vegetarian options or build their own rice fort in biryani dishes. For dessert, tropical fruits lend their tang to fresh ice cream, and balls of fried dough do somersaults through a shower of warm honey.

Housed in a Heritage building that dates back to 1912, Jacqueline Suzanne's Bistro creates quite the sensory dining experience with soaring tin ceilings, tastily composed entrees, and the resounding sound of clinking wineglasses. The owners complement the building’s vintage motif by draping antique furniture with rich burgundy and green damask, and adorning tables with stained-glass squat lamps. In the kitchen, the chefs also demonstrate a keen eye for design with their artfully arranged menu. They drizzle New Zealand lamb with port reduction, and they drape Alaskan king crab with housemade hollandaise sauce.

While sipping unique, flavourful varietals from the wine list, visitors can scan their eyes across the dining room and admire the collection of artwork hanging on the walls. Should diners find a piece of artwork that they must add to their own collection or novelty-sized wallet, they can talk with staff about purchasing the item.

Modern lights shaped like upside-down martini glasses hang from Stix Sports Bar & Grill’s ceiling, casting low light on cozy leather sofas, blue-felt pool tables, and a mammoth bar. Waiters weave their way past high bar-top tables, their arms weighed down with hearty burger plates, spicy panang-curry bowls, and large pizzas loaded with italian sausage and sweet pineapple. The bar entertains patrons with popular eight-ball tournaments and broadcasts Flames, football, and Monopoly games on several large flatscreen TVs.

A deep green ribbon of seaweed wraps around pink pieces of salmon and grains of white rice. Bright orange roe pops against the inside of a baked oyster shell. The chefs at Koto Sushi Lounge decorate their rolls with these eye-catching ingredients, from sliced green avocados to bright yellow sauces and shaved carrots. The rainbow of colors also takes center stage in the modern dining room, a clean canvas of white walls, dark wooden furniture, and mocha-hued flooring. Other non-sushi dishes include a 10-ounce Alberta AAA steak, and yam or oysters hidden in a deep-fried tempura batter.

Situated just off the banks of Calgary’s Bow river in Eau Claire, Oceana Seafood, Steakhouse & Bar features views of Prince’s Island Park pathways from three different dining rooms. Along with a huge selection of fresh fish—including Alaska King crab legs, Arctic char, and Pacific oysters—the eatery uses AAA Sterling Silver Alberta Beef for its juicy filet mignons and New York strips. Steaks can be combined with Nova Scotia sea scallops, lobster tail, or other fresh shellfish. Pasta dishes also take advantage of the fresh fish, with options such as the salmon linguine in an herbed lobster bisque sauce.

In addition to three dining rooms that pair the elegance of white-linen dining with the flair of animal-print chairs, Oceana’s lounge area helps diners cozy up with two fireplaces, leather club chairs, and clamshell booths taken from undersea toll ways. In the warmer months, the patio opens for additional dining space surrounded by lush greenery and potted plants. This comfort and hospitality is the vision of founder Nick Papaioannou, a transplant from Greece who has worked in Calgary restaurants for more than 40 years.

Sumo Lounge's meticulous chefs elevate sushi platters to high art with swirls of soy sauce and plumes of vibrant garnishes. Maki rolls stuffed with mango cream cheese or tempura-battered prawns complement simple slices of sashimi balanced atop beds of rice, and deluxe assorted sushi platters mingle salmon, octopus, and tuna belly. An arsenal of sizzling pans awaits orders of stir-fries and chicken katsu, tempered by cool sips of one of the bar's nine signature cocktails, such as the Sumo Caesar, a mixture of clamato juice, sake, and vodka named for Julius Caesar's stint as the Coliseum's top pro wrestler.