Stage West Theatre Restaurant

I was pleasantly surprised at how much fun we had at Avenue Q… food was good, service was good. Only 4 stars because the location blowwwwwws and really kills a buzz being way out in the boonies.

We saw And Then The Lights Went Out… the show itself was great! Kept your interest, had action, and humor. Very well done.
Our service was really good, and had some great recommendations on drinks. The food, there was a ton of it, all kinds, something for everyone. Unfortunately, yes, it’s buffet style, which is perfect, BUT the food was very, very cold. I got chicken that felt like it came right out of the fridge. Considering the tickets were quite expensive, I figured the food would be a little better.
Other than that, it was a good time.

80’s night was awesome! The singers were all talented and hearing their 80’s rendition was worth the price ticket alone. The buffet is really good. Garlic shrimp made right in front of you. Several types of sashimi and tobiko. Ravoli, fried shrimp and salt and pepper ribs were my favourite. However, everyone else loved turkey, roast beef, several salads, cold shrimp, fish, chicken dishes and two long tables worth of desserts. I heard that Stage West will have 80s Night II. Count me in. :-) Only negative — lots of seniors so be respectful when they need to pass and the washrooms have a nasty odour by the end of the night :-(

Shows are always top notch, excellent selections at the buffet. My only concern is since we have season tickets for the sunday brunch performance there isn’t much change in the menu from performance to performance. Just saw Fox on the Fairway and it was hilarious. Definitely give it a chance especially any of the musicals.

What an amazing place. The food was unbelievable, the service was great and the show was spectacular. Can’t wait to go again to the next show. WOW!

I like dinner theatre; you can enjoy a leisurely meal and watch a show at the same time. Recently I took in Avenue Q at Stagewest. The show was great, the characters were well cast. The food at Stagewest is served buffet style and at best average.
You have the requisite peel and eat shrimp station, a sushi station, and 2 stations of hot food serving the same dishes and prime rib station, a salad station and cheese and dessert station. The food at Stagewest would be average. There was really nothing great about it. The peel and eat Shrimp were my favourite as the shrimp were larger than most places. The sushi looked good but there was nothing out of the ordinary served. The prime rib was overcooked and tough. The hot dishes were mostly over salted. Desserts were a good selection of cakes, fruit and they had hot desserts like crepes filled with banana and topped with whipped cream. The beauty of buffet is that you can usually find something that you think is good and you can stick with it.
The service is excellent and efficient. The dessert buffet remains open till the end of intermission so you can pace yourself and enjoy your entrees with a break before heading out to get dessert.
The overall event was enjoyable but I would definitely not go to Stagewest just for the food. The food is not as good as it was when Stagewest first opened its doors many years ago. We went on a special groupon deal and paid $ 70 and it was definitely worth that.

I love this place!
Great food, great service, great plays!

Great show (Avenue Q) and a really great buffet.
My best friend and I have been coming to Stage West for years and I have to say this is the best season food wise. So much to choose from and a decent amount of Gluten Free friendly desserts (obviously important).
Plus…$ 75 for a show and dinner is pretty great.
Go check it out and support local theatre!

Yeah. First and likely last time I’ll go here. Hostess was totally rude, we got the bill for our drinks before our drinks even showed up and even then they were wrong. The show, Avenue Q was awesome, but the food and service left something to be desired. When I booked online I chose a table a bit back from the stage, yet when I got my tickets for my friends and I this morning, they were not the ones I selected and paid for. When I showed the box office staff the confirmation email and the tickets I got a «sorry nothing we can do» attitude. I won’t get into the food suffice to say it was lackluster. Oh. And the enforcing of the dress code? Total stupidity. People in jeans got in, and an older gent in nice dressier shorts got asked to leave. WHAT A JOKE.

This place has definitely gone down hill from what it used to be.
My parents love this stuff, so we got my mom tickets to the Johnny Cash tribute.
We got there super early so we were able to get a parking spot by the door. Otherwise you need to park behind the building and walk around, which is ok in summer. Little dicey in winter time.
The buffet isn’t as good as it used to be either. While I truly do appreciate them stating what is gluten free, they should probably make sure the facts are right. Thankfully I’m a seasoned celiac, so I know, but for a newbie, there was a couple dishes that would have made a person sick. Teriyaki is full of gluten.
And there is not ONE gluten free dessert. Well cept fruit, but let’s be honest, we do like to eat other things than rabbit food.
The show was good though, great songs and good people to play the roles.

Saw Chicago here and it was a weird vibe. The production was excellent. Given a limited stage they managed to pull off a production that punches above its weight. I just kind of felt weird here. The age is significantly more skewed to an older crowd. The buffet was a weird concept. Technically you can get roast beef, claims and sushi on the same plate.
I had a great time, but I think it was more my company. I did like the fact that they moved us to better seats and gave a discount for the odd seats we had. I’m glad I tried it, but might not try it again.

I love Stage West. It was a good way to introduce my daughter to theatre. If she didn’t enjoy the show (more adult content), she loved the food and dressing up. For the more adult shows, I invited a friend. The best deal is the 2 for 1 shows in the Season’s Pass. The food is always great and the productions wonderful. Usually the best show of the year is around Christmas /​start of the New Year. She also loved Stage West for Kids! The food is very kid friendly, and the actors run through the audience.

My wife and I saw «Two Hit Wonders» — the show was entertaining for me because it covered popular music from the latter half of the 20^th century, which was a formative time for me. I didn’t sample anything from the cold buffet, but the hot dishes were all delicious. This was my first and only visit (so far), and I enjoyed it.

This is my third time coming here and my husband’s first time. We came to see «Two Hit Wonders». It was an absolutely brilliant show – great staging, live band – it really took us down memory lane…
Food:
Cold seafood – there is a raw oyster bar, but sorry, I’m not a raw oyster fan. I didn’t try the cold peel-​and-​eat shrimps this time because there was something better at the hot entrée station. The Alaskan king crab claws were very bland; they didn’t taste like crab at all (just the texture). Maybe they should have cooked the claws first and before splitting them lengthwise…
After reading some of the reviews here and on Urbanspoon, I didn’t want to take my chances at the Sushi bar.
At the «chefs cook while you wait» station: today’s special was Chicken Karaage. The chicken was very well seasoned but I wasn’t very impressed with the batter. It was too dense and heavily coated (needless to say I ate only the chicken).
Though about a year ago I had the wild mushroom risotto at this station and it was heavenly (I am generally not a rice fan).
Hot Entrée Station: the really great thing about the setup at Stage West is that there are two identical hot entrée stations (to handle large crowds). The green beans almondine were very fresh, the beef short ribs (cut Korean kalbi style) were delicious, Thai spicy (actually very mild) chicken was pretty good (a bit Westernized) and the Lemongrass jumbo shrimp were to die for. I wasn’t too impressed with the blue cod with crabmeat. The cod was a bit too fishy for my taste.
Carving station: I had some excellent medium-​rare roast beef with gravy.
The turkey (even though I requested dark meat) was on the dry side, though.
Dessert: I was too full to eat dessert, so I just grazed on the assorted cheeses (I left the blue cheese for hubby) and fruit (pineapple was quite sweet this time around. There were also cantaloupe, honeydew, grapes, and watermelon.)

Overall, Stage West has offered the best dinner theatre experiences I’ve had in Calgary. The evening and weekend tickets are pricy but the food is excellent and they do bring in veteran actors. The most recent production I saw was very adult and not a musical, which was a nice change.
My recommendation is to attend Sunday brunch. The price is much more reasonable and some of the breakfast food is absolutely stellar, like the french toast and everything at the scrambled eggs station.
I think this is a fantastic outing for small groups.
Review 29 for Unilocal’s 30 Day Challenge — Nov 2012

Most of the shows that I have been to have been good or above average. We went to Madonna and it was quite disappointing. I was mislead in my mind on the type of production it was going to be. Not the quality of production that I would expect from Stage West. Food was good as usual and was not disappointed.
Unexspectedly I received a call from Stage West. They offered a complimentry performance and meal to make up for the Madonna show. I chose the Elvis performance and this made up for Madonna by far. Two thumbs up and Thank You Stage West. I /​we will be back.

I took my Dad here for a belated Father’s Day gift as it’s something he really enjoys doing. I had never been here before, but knew about the dinner theatre idea having been to Jubilations a number of times. I hear this is the more upscale version. Our show was called «The Marvellous Wonderettes», and we had a nice booth at the back, centre stage.
When I called to reserve our tickets, I was slightly disappointed that I couldn’t pay for them at the door, but I suppose that’s understandable. The girl on the phone was really accommodating when I was forced to choose between two tables and wanted to ensure the best view. I was really happy with her suggestion on the booth!
We arrived early in order to have time to browse the buffet and enjoy our food without rushing. I liked that beside each item of food was a small card stating what it was, and if it included gluten or dairy. My dad is trying to eat gluten free so I thought that was really helpful. I loaded my plate with crab legs, shrimp, assorted salads, cheese, beef, and some other delicious items. Don’t get me started on the desserts! Drool. The food was very good, as far as buffet food goes.
The show was cute, the actresses/​singers were extremely talented and the show was funny and entertaining. It was a lot more singing than I was expecting, but it was fun as the songs were hits from the 50’s & 60’s. I actually knew and recognized a few of them and I think my dad enjoyed hearing the classics. As the show only had 4 cast members, the production level was somewhat limited, but it was great.
Our waitress was friendly and came around often. I did try a champagne cocktail and it was wonderful. We did have to pay extra for our drinks, in addition to the price for dinner and the show. That being said, it’s a pretty pricey evening for two people — around $ 250 for the show, dinner, and drinks. All in all we had a lot of fun and I would consider going back if there was an especially interesting show on (or if someone else was paying… haha!).
Side note: My dad had some pretty gnarly stomach issues that night, but I was fine. We think it may have been the octopus as that was the only thing he ate but I didn’t. We cant be sure, but you’re taking your chances with any seafood buffet food!

‘My dog groomer treated me to a nite out for «Alfred Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps!» ‘First trick she taught me is that when you park go down a wee bit past the regular Stage West parking on the right hand side of 42^nd as well, ’ to the private parking lot. ‘Alot of the reserved parking is just till 5PM and since your show will probably start at 6PM you’re good to go and will not get caught up in the rush to exit at the end, yeah! We had nice seats, $ 62. got us a sitting just a few rows down on the main level at Center Stage. Yeah again. The buffet was huge. The sushi was very fresh however hastily cut up and presentation sucked, big pieces of tuna and salmon slammed altogether on a pile. ‘Just a wee blip tho as there was so much food to choose from, ‘salads galore, every kind of seafood from wee crab legs to giant shrimp, the veggie tempura was excellent, deserts were plentiful and delish, lots of kinds of meat, pasta, potatoes, ‘you will get very well fed and if you didn’t eat abundantly before the show you have a second chance at the half hour intermission. The show didn’t start till 7:45PM so that was almost two hours to visit and dine! Wine was minimal and regularly priced, ‘approx. $ 23. for two glasses of acceptable Merlot.
The show was so imaginative, fast paced, 4 actors played approx. 150 characters. ‘Funny, great acting, ‘well recommended! Our Tuesday nite was probably only about 1 third full so it felt nice to not feel hemmed in to our seats. There appear to be at least three private rooms seating 8 – 10 guests in balcony seating above the main level too.
Two thumbs up for an approx 4 hour outing, ‘the audience for this show was mostly older couples, however I’m sure that can vary depending on the show.

Welcome to my first live review. What does that mean? It means I’m writing it from my table at Stage West. Thanks, iPhone.
This our first visit to Stage West after they completed renovations. Not much has changed, but the newly created buffet room is a definite improvement. In the past, while structured, the trip to the buffet was almost always a long wait. With the new room, people move through rather briskly and the food is easier to access. My only gripe is that the food isn’t clearly labeled, so it’s easy to visit the same station twice (as there are duplicate stations).
The food quality was excellent, no huge surprise here. I’ve rarely heard anything bad about the food at Stage West. I was pleasantly surprised by the Dijon Panko Crusted Rack of Lamb. I’m a huge lamb fan, having grown up eating it regularly. So it was nice to see it on the menu and even nicer to find it was prepared well. The beef was about what you would expect and the Sauteed Jumbo Shrimps with Garlic Butter & Cognac, which is prepared for you as you wait, was delicious. The deserts were good, but nothing fantastic. I was a little disappointed by the selection, which seems to have gotten smaller since our last visit.
On to the show. We had the pleasure of watching Married Alive, staring Joyce DeWitt of Three’s Company fame. The most important thing here is that we genuinely enjoyed the show. I have a few critiques, but overall the show was fun. I found Joyce DeWitt’s performance to be wonderful, although it took a bit of adjustment to get used to her. The problem here is that the playbill is still using a photo from her Three’s Company days. Likely taken almost 30 years ago, she does not look the same. She looks great, don’t get me wrong, but it was just unexpected to be inundated with photos of a 20 – 30 something and then being greeted by a woman who just turned 60. The supporting players were good, although at times hard to hear. Both of the younger performers, Tory Doctor and Ksenia Thurgood, seemed to struggle projecting their voices when singing. But maybe it’s just me.
The play itself was good, but a bit slow. The first act was fun, funny, and energetic. The second slowed down quite a bit and was somewhat disappointing. Overall, a great experience.

I’ve been lucky enough to visit Stage West a handful of times… my parents have season tickets so whenever they don’t want to go, I get to. It rocks!
I seriously love Stage West days. I’ve only been for the lunch performances but I say with great conviction that it’s up there with the best way to spend brunch time. The food they have is breakfast combined with dinner, so you can pretty much eat anything. It’s buffet-​style so you can choose what you eat and how much. The cost of food is incorporated into the ticket so don’t feel bad about stuffing your face until you think you’ll explode!
My favourite thing about Stage West is that you can eat during the performance. I usually start my meal with breakfast, then go for seconds to get salads and more lunchtime food, then I go for thirds and stock a plate (or a couple) full of fruit and desert… oh, and one plate for shrimp. I love being able to snack away on the food while the show is on.
Food aside — because I could talk about it forever — the shows are always a lot of fun. There isn’t usually much audience participation, but that doesn’t even matter. Stage West always chooses the best plays, mostly comedies or musicals, and the production are extravagant and outstanding. The actors and technical support really go out of their way to put on a great performance.
The place is pretty big, with plenty of seating, but there isn’t a bad seat in the house. They have it laid out so that no matter where you are you’re getting a good view of the show.
The price of the tickets may be a little expensive (which is why I’m glad my parents give me their season tickets sometimes) but I definitely think it’s worth it. After all, you get as much food as you can fit in your belly (or purse) and then a wonderfully performed production. This place is a little fancy, so don’t dress too casual. I really do love going to Stage West… what a great way to spend time with your family, or have a nice date with you significant other!