Sabroso Restaurant

A good spot for tapas with a South American twist. The deep-​fried baby squid were lightly coated in some spice and buttermilk, with a humdrum creamy dip on the side. A good sized portion with light crunch, but not too out of the ordinary flavor-​wise. The chicharron was three fried slices of pork belly, served with a vinegar sauce and a balsamic reduction. Due to the varying widths and thicknesses of the slices, some bits were more like a Filipino chicharron (very crispy, light) while other bits were more like a braised porky belly (soft, dense and fatty). The best tapas was the chick peas with Swiss chard and smoked pork, which had a good contrast in textures, a distinct smokiness, and plenty of spice (but not heat). Very friendly chef and reasonably good service. At ~$ 12 per tapas, it’s A-​OK and we were pretty filled up from all that fat. Would give extra stars if the flavors were more out of the ordinary, or the presentation more refined.

Food was really good and service was good as well. The chicken mile was spicy than I expected but still really good. I highly recommend the calamari, haven’t had anything quiet like it before.

Best breakfast I had in a long time. Love this intimate half a century old place. It is small but cozy, friendly and just makes you feel good being there. Basic over easy tasted like they had chickens in the back ready to go lol! thanks!

My favorite restaurant in Calgary — Try the chimichurri steak.

Absolutely amazing restaurant to eat at. Phenomenal service. Very friendly and professional atmosphere not to mention some of the best food I’ve had in a long time. Will be back for sure with more friends. I highly recommend this place to anyone in town.

We decided to try Latin American cuisine on a Saturday night. After squeezing into our parking space, we entered the restaurant and were greeted warmly by Alejandro, the owner of Sabroso. Alejandro is the most active restaurant owner I’ve seen in a long time — he spends time conversing with customers, serving plates, and playing percussion/​drums with the guitarist/​singer! Our server Orlando took our orders on his iPod touch and sent it to the kitchen right away.
Appetizers:
Calamari with avocado/​wasabi mayo with lime: cute, wonderfully fried calamari sticks with a light batter. The mayo was a perfect match; I just wish that there was more of it!
Potatoes tortilla: potatoes, onions, cilantro in an omelette. The vibrant dipping sauce had the right amount of spice.
Mains:
Parrilla para Dos: the grilled hangar steak was juicy and tender, prawn skewer seasoned just right, chorizo, boneless chicken, crispy potatoes. The sauce was so delicious that I was tempted to lick the plate clean. It was served with a side plate of risotto, baby bok choy, squash and microgreens — cooked to perfection.
Desserts:
Milhojas con Arequipe: the delicate mille-​feuille with caramel sauce and vanilla custard was not too cloyingly sweet. The custard was as smooth as silk. Mmmm…
Cinnamon Churros: my son loved his cute little churros coated in cinnamon sugar. It came with a chocolate sauce on the side for dipping.
Fig and Cocoa Nib Bread Pudding: hubby had this one and I took a quick nibble. The fig and cocoa compliment one another so well that there’s no need for extra sugar. Let the ingredients speak for themselves!
Maravilloso! We will definitely be back!

Well I’ve been back a good few times now, and Sabroso clearly also serves consistency. It’s always great. The menu changes from time to time with new and interesting offerings. The wine offerings are also a delight.
Now that I’m thinking of it, I think I’ll go there tonight. I’ve got that craving. Es muy bien.

The parking lot (entrance on 16^th Ave) is tight, and the restaurant itself is on the small side, but large, clear windows open up the space. Our host Alejandro has a big heart: we were welcomed like family. Service is efficient — orders are input via iPod Touch and transmitted wirelessly to the kitchen. We tried Parrillos por Dos, a platter that includes hanger steak (juicy and tender), grilled prawns on a skewer, boneless chicken, and large spicy chorizo sausage served with a side of risotto, bok choy, micro greens, and roasted potatoes. Delicioso! We’ll be back.

Great Latin food. Probably the most authentic Latin food in Calgary… Everything was very good… The fish is fresh and all the dishes are very tasty… I would like to go back there to try the different dishes they have…

I met a girlfriend for dinner after work today and we were very impressed. One of the reasons we chose this restaurant is the huge selection of gluten free dishes on the menu as my friend can’t eat gluten. Between us we had the jicama salad, the calamari, the snapper and a chicken arepa. Everything was delicious and full of flavour. The service was good, food was good and wine was good. Definitely worth a try if you are looking for something a little different.

This new Latin restaurant was simply delicious. The chimichurri steak and Vera snapper were flavourful and refined. It’s great to have a nice restaurant within walking distance and just before 17^th. The best par to the experience? The staff. The owner, servers, chef and live musicians were friendly and entertaining! We will definitely be back.

I’ve now been here 5 times, and would still give this a 5 star rating. I’ve sampled just about all their dinner dishes except that bean/​vegetarian one because I am a man and I like to eat meat. Their dinner dishes are:
Blackened Chicken: 5 stars, probably best dish on their menu
Steak: 5 stars, the steak is really really tender, even when we order it well done
Tuna: 4 stars, there isn’t a lot on the sides which is my only complaint
Snapper: 5 stars, just a really unique and tasty dish. Can’t decide if this one or the blackened chicken is best.
My only complain is besides the blackened chicken, they don’t give you a whole lot of other stuff on the plate. It would be nice if they gave you more rice or veggies to make you feel more full. This isn’t a problem with the chicken though as that is filled with a lot of rice and is probably the best tasting and best value main entrée in Calgary. I just wish the other dishes came with a bit more stuff.

Authentic Spanish food at its best in YYC. Great service and environment, the calamari and tuna appies were off the hook. We will be back with friends in the future!

This little restaurant is just down the road from me a bit, so I had to give it a try once I realized it was open. This space has been several restaurants and bars in the past many years, and most don’t seem to last very long. It’s just that little bit off of the strip that makes it seem so out-​of-​the-​way, perhaps. With The Pint going up just a block away, it extends the 17^th Ave entertainment area just that little bit farther that might help to provide the necessary clientele for Sabroso.
What will also help are the best-​in-​class mojitos that they serve up. Our server and bartender, Jeisson (or was it Jeissen?), told us a couple of the secrets of making a perfect mojito. I’m not going to share those secrets here, as if I tell you yahoos, it’s no longer a secret. Rest assured, Jeisson uses these secrets in crafting perfect mojitos.
What makes a perfect mojito? Balance; not too sweet, and not too lime-​y. Thankfully, there was no granular finish to the drink, as happens all to often when a bartender doesn’t fully dissolve the sugar. Jeisson was very proud of his mojitos, and he certainly should be. I challenge you to find a better mojito anywhere in this city.
I also enjoyed a couple of very well made caipirinha. I can’t say they’re the best in the city, as I simply haven’t ordered them in enough places (they’re probably not available in many places). But it was made with authentic cachaça, and it was mighty tasty.
We ordered a couple of sharing items. The ceviche was excellent, with very tender shrimp and scallops, and plantain chips on the side. I would have preferred a little bigger portion, but the flavour was certainly fabulous. I found the beef anticucha to be a little on the tough side, though Jeisson assured me that was not typically the case.
I’ll be heading back to Sabroso frequently. I dig their space. I agree with John Gilchrist’s review (google it) that it is a space very reminiscent of Mescalero. And I loved Mescalero.