My wife and I booked an in-city staycation for our anniversary this year during the pandemic. We stayed at the Hotel Arts Kensington for a night, and had dinner and breakfast at the restaurant. Our dinner was on the outside deck facing Memorial Drive. Our...waitress was very friendly and appropriately attentive during the meal. My wife's s salad was good, and my duck wings were tasty (although a bit dry. It was duck.) Our mains were good as well. Breakfast was similarly good. The potatoes at dinner and at breakfast were delicious, good enough that we ordered extra!More

Brutally inappropriate service and accountability why must a customer suffer from your bad habits and preparations

I made a reservation to celebrate a birthday, I was disappointed to be sat in the lobby lounge and not in the dining room. If you are wanting to celebrate an intimate celebratory dinner do make this request when booking as it was not apparent...when I booked that there was a chance of not being seated in the dining room. The food was good, we tried two different appetizers, both beef entrees (tenderloin and braised chuck) and two different desserts. The beef entrees were the highlights of our meal. On Fridays bottles of wine under $120 are half off, we decided to ask the wait staff for a recommendation but the staff didn't seem entirely familiar with the restaurant's menu.More

The meal was good but not great. I really enjoyed the kale / squash soup but found the steak a bit tough to chew. Very limited selection of side dishes to accompany it. Good service and a nice room appearance.

I was in town meeting friends and we went to Oxbow in Hotel Arts. The main diniing room (also very lovely) was closed off and ther smaller section open for a few diners. They lit the wood fireplace for us and the ambience was lovely....The vegan options were few, but they willingly made some vegetarian options available such as cauliflower steak instead of the meat steak as part of the chef's tasting trio. I still find I overpay for plant-based substituions but the restaurant community is slowly coming around. Would go back but order individual plant-based options. All the food was good, as was the service. Parking in the area in general can be painful but there is a pay parkade right across from the restaurant.More

Ambiance reflects a boutique experience. Small bar area, and an intimate dining room. Service was encompassing. Reduced , but complete menu items. Charcuterie was very tasty. A shared House soup was very enjoyable. The Lamb Shepard’s Pie was phenomenal! Salmon with Beet Risotto was exquisite!...Blood orange cheesecake was the perfect finish. Extensive wine menu. Overall—a delightful evening, and definitely a recommendation for Fine dining. Deserves a repeat!More

The Oxbow is set in the Hotel Arts Kensington. The hotel itself is beautiful, with a warm, contemporary feel. We started our evening with cocktails in the lounge. Since it was not a crowded evening, we ultimately chose to eat at a small table in...the lounge in front of the crackling fire. Cocktails were meticulously crafted by bartender, Jenna, who would later perform double-duty as our server. She was very knowledgeable about the food and drink offerings, steering me away from a Malbec toward a Cabernet Sauvignon with my Steak Tartar. (She was right!) The menu is small, but features unique flavors. My husband and I each ordered a salad and then shared the tasting menu as we weren't overly hungry. The Steak Tartar was excellent, and the Arctic Char, although not our favorite fish, was quite good. When booking our reservation, I mentioned we were celebrating our 13th anniversary. We were treated to a complimentary dark chocolate dessert (on top of the tasting menu dessert of deep fried chocolate chip cookies.) Overall, we loved the ambiance and adored Jenna. We will recommend the Oxbow to anyone traveling to Calgary.More

There are lots of breakfast option in Kensington but this place is convenient if you are staying in Kensington and want a good breakfast with good service.

My fiancé and I came here with my parents for a Sunday night dinner. I had the chef’s tasting menu which was a celeriac soup, salmon and wild rice risotto and a blood orange cheesecake. My dad had the goats cheese dip and the meatballs...and tortellini, the fiancée had the duck wings and then the confit duck and my mother had the tempura green beans and the falafel. Overall the food was decent and the ambience was really nice. I think I would say ambience trumps food in this instance. Our waitress seemed a little flustered – she was having an issue clearing the plates fast enough and the plates were sitting a long time under the heat lamps before she claimed them. She also had to ask the kitchen about a few menu items and what they were. It wasn’t awful but had the restaurant been busy, it could have been. You get the opportunity to sit and look into the open-kitchen which is a nice change. They have the quietest chefs my fiancée had ever seen! They did all their work in complete silence! Out of all the dishes I think my fiancé enjoyed his the most. I probably gave mine overall about 6/10. The cheesecake at the end was the highlight. My mum’s falafels unfortunately looked very disappointing. It is definitely not one of the best meals I have ever had but it wasn’t bad. Again, the setting was nice and calming and we didn’t feel rushed. I might come here again maybe in the summer to see what different items the menus offered. It is attached to a hotel as well so it has a different feeling than a regular restaurant.More

Oxbow restaurant is located in the Arts Hotel Kensington. It's the restaurant itself and a lounge area, where meals are served too. A small menue is offered for lunch and dinner with excellent food. Definitely no need to visit nearby located restaurants in Kensington Village....Breakfast is offered in Oxbow too with good variety and big portions. The staff is very friendly.More

Located inside Hotel Arts in heart of Kensington/10th Ave. Limited but select menu of food and wine. Recommended.

OMG what a great evening our team enjoyed last night. Mike, Ventura and the entire staff did a fabulous job looking after our guests from the time we arrived and throughout the entire night. The appetizers were delicious with the chicken and waffle slightly edging...out the carpaccio. The food and wine pairing at dinner was phenomenal with everyone applauding the kitchen staff after each course. Both the Tofino salmon and the steak were big hits. Great effort by a caring and professional staff. Thank you!More