Nightlife in Calgary

The Yardhouse's chicken dishes have been around the world and back. Chicken enchiladas, Cajun chicken strips, a chicken-souvlaki sandwich, and a vindaloo chicken wrap all speak to the kitchen's penchant for international recipes and punched-up pub cuisine. This global appreciation hasn't uprooted barroom tradition, however—classic chicken wings often steal the menu spotlight, especially on Wednesday, when they are prepared in batches of 100 per order.

Apart from worldliness, The Yardhouse stresses on-site prep, showcasing house-cut poutine fries and housemade falafel and marinara sauce. Despite elaborate recipes for pistachio-crusted salmon and maple mayo for yam fries, the dining-room atmosphere is a far cry from the stifled silence and mandatory caviar chugging of gourmet halls. Chatter overlaps with sports broadcasts, the tinkling of cocktail glasses, and the sound of draft beers being poured into pint-sized servings—or, for especially thirsty patrons, the bar's signature yard-long flasks. Bottled craft beers round out the drink list with ciders, ales, lagers, and stouts.

At Molly Malone's Irish Pub, rounded stone archways and etched windows evoke the ambiance of an authentic Irish pub. Weathered wooden tables and electric-candlestick chandeliers add to the feeling, enclosing diners in a cozy space where Guinness flows like apple juice at daycare. In addition to Ireland's flagship brew, the pub imports Kilkenny Irish Cream Ale and Harp Lager. Several of the pub's 40 or more brews even make it into meals: Guinness goes into the cheese that smothers corned beef and cabbage, and Alexander Keith's IPA adds flavour to the batter that coats fish filets. When the weather is fair, the pub opens up a sunny outdoor patio where visitors can enjoy upbeat music and signature cocktails.

A bank of wide-screen TVs casts light across the antlers of Bruce, the moose head, mounted on a wood-panelled wall by the bar. Nearby guests sip draft beers or wine by the glass, eating prawn pizzas with roasted garlic, or digging into three-cheese mac ‘n’ cheese with italian sausage. Guests can venture out onto the outdoor patio in summer, or take in live shows indoors while sipping mint juleps.

Within this rustic contemporary bistro in Aspen Stone, a dedicated chef culls fresh and organic produce from local vendors to craft an innovative menu of upscale fare. The eatery's specialty is coffee-crusted roast tenderloin, roasted in a cast-iron pan, as well as made fresh-to-order entrees such as hand-rolled ricotta gnocchi and handmade cracked-pepper fettuccine. Glistening martini glasses fill with Grand Marnier, fresh lime, and cranberry in the Social's original cosmo⎯one of a crowd of cocktails that encourage diners to linger in the lounge, and meet other locals, and debate the origins of coasters.

Boston's Bistro and Pub takes beer seriously—17 taps pour a rotating selection of global craft brews, and the beer list teems with more than 100 bottles. A beer garden gives its brews a place to roam outdoors, and an onsite brew school teaches beer enthusiasts the finer points of brewing while instilling etiquette and charm into rowdy porters and stouts. Owner David Boston balances this passion for beer with his family's Hungarian heritage, serving a bistro menu of traditional magyar kolbasz sausage, pork kraut, kosher soft pretzels from Rinaldo's Italian bakery, and Zwack slaw and incorporating European meats and cheeses into paninis, pizzas, and spinach salads.

David Boston and his pub trace their history back through the coal mines of West Virginia and the factories of Ohio, en route to West Dayton, where in 1927 David's ancestors set up their own business, the Ole Time Bar, on Fifth Street. Boston's Bistro and Pub is the family's latest culinary enterprise, now carrying the torch for fine, frothy brews and Magyar delicacies for more than 30 years.