Serving up Deals: Alberta restaurants offer myriad ways to eat out for less
- Shelley Boettcher
- Apr 8
- 4 min read
Getting a deal these days anywhere is tough, whether you’re in the market for a good steak or a wine-filled night with friends.
But there are bargains to be had, depending on where you look. “The cost of pretty much everything is going up, including but not limited to food,” says Joe Dort, Concorde Group’s Director of Brand and Special Projects in Calgary. “Everyone is searching for value these days.”
Here are nine tips on finding deals when you eat out this spring:
1. Get happy (hour)
Pretty much every savvy bargain hunter knows the power of happy hour, roughly 2 pm-ish to 5 pm-ish — after lunch but before dinner. “You can hang out for a long time, or you can pop in for a quick and fun visit, without feeling that burden on your wallet,” Dort says. “And you can learn a lot about a restaurant, based on how seriously they take a happy hour.”
The concept of happy hour, historians say, dates back at least to the early 20th century, when women organized what they called “happy hour socials” for the US Navy. The idea really took off during Prohibition, when people could enjoy cocktails at a speakeasy before heading to a restaurant, where alcohol couldn’t legally be served. These days, happy hours are a great way to visit a new hot spot without paying for an entire dinner. Try a few snacks, check out the vibe, and decide if you want to come back for more.
Haven’t been to Happy & Olive in Edmonton yet? Stop in for happy hour and get some caramel corn, maybe chickpea fries with almond romesco, or the Vada Pav sliders, with a crispy Bombay potato patty and tamarind chutney. Famoso, the Italian pizza franchise, started in Edmonton and now has locations across Western Canada; it was bought by a BC business in 2018 but still has great happy hour deals. Stop in from 2 to 5 pm for a margherita pizza and a glass of the house red for 15 bucks. Barbarella Bar in Calgary offers a similar pizza-wine deal, too.
And if you didn’t get around to making a reservation, stop in anyway and ask if there’s space for walk-ins. Major Tom, for instance, saves a certain number of tables every day for last-minute “golden hour” guests, perfect if you’re in from out of town or simply didn’t plan in advance.
2. Consider a reverse happy hour
If you’re a night owl in need of nosh, try a late-night visit to your favourite eatery, say those in the know. Letty starts its happy hour at 9 pm till close, with half-price pizza and five-buck beer, wine and highballs. And from 10 pm to close, Pigeonhole on 17th Avenue in Calgary offers special deals, too.
“You can get half off chilled seafood, five-dollar hot dogs and half off bottles of wine,” says Dort. “Lulu Bar also offers a reverse happy hour from 9 pm to close, Sunday to Thursday. It mirrors the daytime happy hour, with half off all beverages as well as a snack menu with happy hour pricing.”
3. Follow your favourite restaurants and deal-finders on social media
They’ll often announce last-minute deals or special deals there. For instance, Calgary’s Modern Steak occasionally posts reminders on Instagram of their sweet Wednesday date-night deal: two steaks, two sides and a feature bottle of wine for $98. And Instagrammer @yegfooddeals posts sporadically about specials to be found in Edmonton.
4. Yes, days of the week matter
Think of Margarita Monday. Taco Tuesday. Wine Wednesday. Some restaurants offer special deals on Mondays, typically a day when there are less customers. Monday at the National bars in Calgary, for instance, celebrates happy hour all day.
Other places offer special deals every day of the week. Mikey’s Juke Joint in Calgary, for instance, is legendary for live music — and also for its three-buck tacos on Taco Tuesdays.
And at Baijiu in Edmonton, get ten per cent off all food on Sundays and fried chicken for a fiver on Mondays.
5. Weeks matter too
Edmonton’s annual Downtown Dining Week (edmontondowntown.com) takes place in March, with a lengthy list of deals for meals at some of the city’s finest eateries. And in Calgary, a similar event is entitled YYC Exp (yycexp.com). Check out the sites for information on 2026 dates.
6. Bundle your stops
Dort says if you plan well (and make reservations), you can hit four happy hours in a row without going outside. Start at Barbarella, then go upstairs to the new Pigeonhole. Then continue up, up, up to Major Tom before finishing the afternoon at Goro + Gun. “All bowls of ramen at Goro + Gun are $10 during happy hour, with seven-dollar cocktails, six-dollar pints, five days a week,” he says.
7. Search for deals — or let others search for you
Victoria B.C.’s Jordan Caron started his website in 2018 as a way for people to find happy hour deals across North America. As of press time, he lists 48 bars and restaurants in Calgary offering happy hour deals, plus 31 in Edmonton. Go to ultimatehappyhours.com to find out more.
8. Coupons count
Remember Groupon? The online coupon site started in 2008 and is still around; find it at groupon.com. Edmonton food lovers have scored deals lately from The Bothy, Acqua Bistro Bar, Jack’s Drive-in and many others. As of press time, Calgary’s Groupon offerings were slim but there were still deals to be had for Madison’s 12|12, Romano’s Rustic Italian (Roma Catering’s restaurant) and Minhas Micro Brewery.
9. Pick your day to drink
Many places offer half-price bottles of wine on certain days or for a few hours each day. Depending on what you order, you’re likely saving at least 20 bucks. At Model Milk in Calgary, you’ll pay half price for all bottles of wine, all day Sundays. “There are a lot of people who’ll order a bottle to drink at the restaurant — and a second one to take home at the end of the night,” Dort says. Best, he notes, it’s a location geared toward wine geeks. “There are some unique and difficult to acquire bottles there.”
You get the picture. Make a plan and you can find a restaurant deal, any day of the week.