Bear & Kilt Freehouse

I’ve been coming here for some time and have always brushed off the servers bad attitude and almost found it quirky and even endearing. My friends and I would call on him «Spencer!» We would say with appreciation. But tonight… Tonight would mark the last time we ever return to this dive bar (once our beloved dive bar). Spencer was rude, impatient, and his treatment of us would be expected if we were unruly drunks, which we were not, therefore uncalled for. He stood by the table waiting for us to divide our bill (because it was too much trouble to split our bill 3 ways) and I ended up accidentally tipping him way more than I would have ever tipped a decent server. FML. Lesson learned. Farewell Bear, we had some good times. (Spencer, do you ever not wear shorts?)

One of my friends can’t meet up for after work drinks until 5:30pm and so I’m always looking for happy hour deals that go past 6pm. This place has weekday $ 10 meal and pint daily deals from 4pm — 8pm (and 12pm — 8pm on Saturdays). Perfect! They also discount a bunch of their drinks by $ 1 for happy hour so a $ 6.50 local pint becomes $ 5.50. But you should probably splurge on the extra $ 4.50 and get some tasty food.
The first time I went here was on a Friday and tried their fried pickles and pint deal (note: the deals come with any local pint, I recommend their Wild Rose options) for $ 10. Tasty! I haven’t had many fried pickles in my life but these were right up there and I recall the chipotle sauce being extremely tasty. The pickles are normally $ 9 so really you’re paying $ 1 for a pint!
I went here last week for their Thursday night special (steak sandwich and pint). Firstly the steak sandwich alone is normally $ 14. And it’s pretty tasty, which explains why they didn’t have many left by 6pm so get there early! Plus it comes on garlic toast with mushrooms and fries. Mmm…
Plus the place is a total dive, but in a great way. They have a bunch of old booths that look like they have emerged from someone’s basement — that were previously rescued from grandma’s house. The service is always good, never amazing but it’s got a great relaxed vibe to it. Two thumbs up.

Very cheap drinks and some good Happy Hour options. I stopped by on a Weds and had a plate of wings and a pint of beer for $ 10.
Only two bartenders working– but they seemed to have everything under control.
The crowd can be a little rough– but I think it just adds to the character.

It was better than just «A-​OK» but less than «Yay! I’m a fan».
A couple of us were looking for a place to hang out and wandered into the Bear and Kilt. It was a nice place to just relax and hang out with friends.

Great spot. We were in Calgary staying at the Delta. Wanted a couple of pints and a nibble within walking distance. Good beer selection. Had the Spicy Asian BBQ wings (awesome) and Jalapeño Chicken Rolls (Good, not great). Friendly and prompt service, great music, and good atmosphere. My type of spot.

Been going to the kilt for over 20 years… use to study for university there. Derek and Sandy rocked. The place has great food, camaraderie, and there’s always a seat. Please never change!!!

Cheap drinks and great daily specials, this is a fun little pub for an after work hang out.
If you’re into sunlight, this is definitely not your place. It’s a dark, underground pub in the best kind of way. Nestled in the basement of an old building, Bear & Kilt has raggedy stone walls, beaten up wooden tables and low ceilings, yet again, in the best kind of way. It’s cozy, comfortable, and come as you are.
The appies are good ol’ fashioned pub quality. The beer selection isn’t inspiring, but isn’t terrible either.
I think I could make this place my home. I’m looking forward to a game of darts and a few after work beers in your cozy dungeon.

I enjoy their food! good solid English pub style nosh!
The service is horrible though, at some point in the early evening all the waitresses go away and then you are left having to go to the bar to order your drinks there
Its good to go here with some close friends

Came to watch the playoffs and had made a reservation originally for 12 (which is pretty huge to begin with for a pub) and had to change it to 15 just an hour before our reservation time, and they were cool as could be about it. The week prior we’d had a rotten time dealing with reservations on 17^th ave, so the hassle-​free aspect of it was great. Service between rounds was a little slow (despite it not beign totally full) but very friendly (but not ingenuine sweetness) and the food was lovely and hot. We tried a special, the pulled pork mac and cheese sandwich… yea it was as good as it sounds. They hosted us very patiently and worked with us on the bill, not much to complain about :)

Not bad, not bad at all!
Went here tonight for after work drinks and the place was packed — not really surprising since it’s a long weekend. It took a bit to find a table, but it happened — and then we got bumped to another table by the wait staff when a smaller one opened up so they could sit a bigger group at ours. Vaguely annoying, but understandable. Service was sporadic — the great table move was about the only time we didn’t have to flag them down — but everything got taken care of in the end.
It’s dark & divey and reminds me of the pubs back in England. It’s a welcoming aura, one where you don’t feel like you have to be done up to the nines to hang out (unlike so many other bars on 8^th ave). Yes, it’s loud, but it’s easy enough to carry on a conversation with your table mates if you don’t mind shouting a bit.
Drinks and food came quickly enough (although our second round of drinks took a while, and the water I requested never showed up). The ‘Bear Bangers’ (chicken taquitos) made a good sharing snack, and while my red wine was definitely ‘plonk’, at $ 5 a glass I’m not expecting anything except that it’s sour and strong.
And good lord was it strong… don’t ask me how long it had been fermenting, but that’s the first time two glasses of wine have set me completely beyond the limit. I swear I even saw the Easter Bunny hopping down the street on my walk to the bus afterwards…

Have eaten here twice, turkey club is lovely, and pulled pork! Service was gud, bit slow with bringing drinks but cant complain! Wil defo be back!

Don’t judge a book by its cover — The Bear & Kilt has a lot more to serve up than meets the eye.
The first time I came here, I was pretty skeptical — the faint smell of smoke in the walls, and the dark atmosphere made it feel like it was a pretty run-​down place. But the friendliness of the staff and the quality of the food here more than makes up for the lacklustre appearance.
They have a decent selection of beers on tap, including some of the local craft beers, and there’s always a monthly special menu, on top of their regular fare. I can definitely recommend the pizzas here, and the Yorkshire puddings are deadly.
Don’t be afraid to bring a group here — there’s a few large tables, and the booths all comfortably seat at least 6 people. If you’re in for the long-​haul, keep in mind they’ll also serve up pitchers of beer, so you won’t have to keep hitting up the bar or harassing your server.

This is a pub with international flair: the smells and dingy of a Louisiana hole in the wall, the portion sizes of Texas and the taste of heaven with a side of fries. It was awesome.
I met up with colleagues for lunch and since I wasn’t feeling too hungry, I order the soup of the day as well as ribs and sweet potato fries off the appetizer menu. When my sweet potato fries showed up 10 minutes later in a 12 inch basket, I knew I was in trouble.
The soup was a butternut squash corn chowder which hit the spot. Then my ribs came with a side of carrots and celery and I fought off the chains of restraint in an attempt to clean my plate. I was almost successful. I could barely eat the fries because I.WAS.STUFFED.
Other table occupants had the bison burger and quesadilla — both very good.
The service was pleasant and efficient despite a busy lunch hour but I still felt a little nervous about the bill. Absolutely no need to. 3 ver satisfied customers, $ 44 bill. The only thing better than good food is cheap good food.
I love this place. The end.

I booked a group (32) party during a conference at this place for a lunch get-​together. Let me tell you, everything about this place was fabulous! From the initial booking with Michelle, to the service, to the food, the check delivery and atmosphere, the staff and cooks at Bear and Kilt were on par. Not only did we eat lunch here with the party, but we ended up going to this bar night after night. The food reasonably priced in a pricey part of town, and the drinks were too. $ 6.25 for Crown drinks! Its a great little dive bar that I recommend everyone check out while they are in Calgary! Thanks Bear and Kilt!

Well, it’s a dive bar alright. It’s dark, cluttered and dank. There’s a weird mix of short tables crammed together, and tall bat tables here and there. Beer cost the same as at the James Joyce right next door.
Didn’t try the food, we just wanted to drink up and get the hell out.

My favourite dive bar in Calgary!
You know when you want to get a huge group of people together, for say some birthday drinks, any sort of celebration on a weekend and you sit there and go — EFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF where will we find a table for 8 –12 people?
LOOK NO FURTHER
Cause nestled away on Stephen Ave, basically next to the James Joyce, there is a door, and when you open that door and go downstairs you will be in an underground beer haven.
It’s dingy, it has two women’s toilet stalls, that makes getting into the stall like a game of Tetris if someone happens to be washing their hands. It also has the best prices for booze on Stephen Ave!
What do you need to know? Darts, pool, booths, tables, chairs, table service until 10. I am pretty sure the same staff has worked here since my 18^th birthday, when I emptied my stomach contents into two pitchers on the table.
They have a good menu. Where else would nachos be listed as an English pub’s signature dish?
I keep coming back, it’s my go-​to spot when I am north of 11 ave.
Love you, you dingy basement bar you!

This place is very secretive, or so it feels. I didn’t even know where I was when we entered. It’s really dark and at first I was very unsure when a co-​worker took me here for lunch. It’s located in a basement on 8^th ave… but I still didn’t have the highest of hopes! However, I was pleasantly surprised by how tasty and delightful the food was! They have some traditional favourites like shepard’s pie! I ordered chicken fingers which isn’t something I normally commit to… but these were probably the best chicken fingers I’ve ever had! So delectable, would most definitely recommend! The service left something to be desired but I would definitely come back here for lunch or a pint after a long day!

Read this was a dive bar. Definately not rather a nice tucked away pub. Staff are awesome. They took it upon themselves to remember our names even though we were just passing through calgary. They made us feel at home. The food was amazing the stuffed yorkies are a must have simply amazing. The washrooms although small were very clean and didn’t have the smell that a typical old pub has. All in all one of the best spots I have been in everything from lawyers to drill hands to local industry staff. To sum it up great atmosphere great food great staff and great customers

Is it a dive bar? Yep. Does it go underground making you think you are entering a dungeon? Indeed. Are there people here with missing teeth? Very likely. Do they serve Wild Rose Brown Ale? I wouldn’t be here if they didn’t.
Bear and Kilt has a lot of character and characters. You could film a reality show here. I like it here because I’ve always had a good time. There is usually room because it always seems busy but never full. It is also a good place to catch the game.
I had the ribs and they weren’t the best I ever had, but they did fine.

«Well hello there neighbour!» or next girl waiting in line for an available washroom stall. For real, stall walls, super short. Me, averagely tall. I was happy nobody else was in the washroom with me.
Bear & Kilt is another basement bar in C-​town. And yes, totally in the running for dive bar. On a Friday afternoon when everyone else is enjoying sunny patio weather in Stephen Ave, there’s plenty of room here.
Service is decent but sporadic. Food. Good if you order perogies, I haven’t tried anything else.