What I Thought of It

Joey’s Only Seafood, Motel Village
2120 Crowchild Trail NW
Calgary AB  2TM 3Y7
Phone: 403 284 4968

Joey’s Only Seafood Restaurant in Motel Village is nicely situated next to the pedestrian overpass from McMahon Stadium and just meters away from the Banff Trail CTrain Station.

The interior has a pleasant ambiance. It is a small space that manages to contain a good number of tables, and there’s a large aquarium in the center for your viewing pleasure.

Service at this Joey’s is always a bit rushed and not too friendly, but the staff do what they’re supposed to do, which is enough for me.

I have no complaints about the food. Joey’s Seafood has some of the best fish & chips - crispy, not too greasy, just enough batter. Go for the two-piece meal, because I can’t imagine anyone being able to finish three pieces of fish. Joey’s also has the best tartar sauce, which is supplied in a big squirt bottle at each table.

On Tuesdays Joey’s has all-you-can-eat fish & chips for $9.99, so if you’re famished you can fill up on tasty fish and fries for a bargain.

Sometimes Joey’s offers a fish-&-chips platter with one piece each of pollock, haddock, and halibut, so that you can decide which one you like best. In my experience, all three are delicious.

If you’d like a departure from regular potato fries, you can subsitute sweet potato fries. Joey’s does them very well - hot and crisp - and serves them with a lime mayonnaise dip. Joey’s sweet potato fries are so good, I could live on them.

Last thoughts: Joey’s is one of my favorite restaurants, and I’ve yet to have a bad experience in the times I’ve frequented Joey’s. It’s a cozy, affordable place for fish & chips and other seafood.

Food +++++
Service +++
Ambiance ++++
Washrooms ++++

Toad ‘N’ Turtle Pubhouse & Grill
2475 27 Ave NE
Calgary AB T2E 8M1
Phone: 403 717 0670
The Toad ‘N’ Turtle on 27th Avenue is next to Barlow Trail just north of Highway 1. The ambiance is more than just your neighborhood pub - it’s elevated by tasteful decor infused with lots of wood, warm colors, and eye-catching knick-knacks. If you’re in the mood for distraction or not being able to hear your companions, this small-ish pub boasts no less than 7 TV screens and extremely loud music.

We dropped by the Toad ‘N’ Turtle on a Saturday evening around dinner time and were surprised to find it relatively empty. It turns out we were just early, because the place was buzzing by the time we left.

Service did not seem to be a priority at the Toad ‘N’ Turtle. It was 10 minutes before we were acknowledged by a server. Though our food didn’t take long, at the end of our meal the bill took more than twice as long to arrive.

Our server seemed intent on ignoring us as much as she could, such that I had to walk to the bar to ask for ketchup.

The food was okay. I ordered the bison burger, which wasn’t too bad. The bread was nice and the burger was tasty, though dry. I guess the cook at the Toad ‘N’ Turtle doesn’t share my preference for juicy burgers. My friend got the fisherman’s pie, which the menu likened to shepherd’s pie, but made with seafood instead of ground beef. In reality it was more like fisherman’s soup. Everything under the mashed potato topping was swimming in sauce. The saving grace of this meal were the sweet potato fries, which must be some of the best in Calgary.

Toad ‘N’ Turtle Pubhouse & Grill offers WiFi Internet, but it’s free only for the first 20 minutes (and slower than normal, too). After that it’s $2.50 a day or $5.00 a week, a bit steep if you ask me. I believe pub patrons would use WiFi just to quickly check something online, like e-mail, so the WiFi access should be free like it is in most WiFi-enabled establishments nowadays.

Last thoughts: I’m not itching to pay the Toad ‘N’ Turtle another visit. The service bordered on rude and the place was way too noisy. But maybe - just maybe - I would go back for the sweet potato fries.

Food +++
Service +
Ambiance +++
Washrooms +++