Anju

A delightful place to eat with true community around your meal. Our experience was during an exploratory stop over in Calgary that left us hitting the street seeking something unique. We had read a little about Anju but nothing in that make it strike us as above and beyond the other thoughtful dining establishments. We were greatly surprised when we opened the door and smelled the food. There was a line to be seated that was expected to take 45 minutes. We put in our name and continued our search by street. Not 20 minutes later, we were called to come back and regressed. The wait staff was helpful and friendly in providing advice. So were the neighbors at tables nearby. One excitedly told us about his dedication to the establishment and devotion to certain dishes. Another couple collaborated on their food selection based on what we ordered. There were a few hiccups with a couple of confusions on food delivered but in all, we were very happy. We tried dishes with fried chicken, duck, beef, and a few vegetarian options. The food was crisp and silky. The flavors bold and thoughtful. The atmosphere inviting and urged a sense of community among patrons. We can recommend reservations and an appetite!

Great food, great atmosphere, TERRIBLE service. I'm really disappointed because at the end of our meal, our server wasnt just bad, but just plain rude and aggressive. He basically threw the dessert menu and the bill on the table and left without saying anything. And when we finished paying, he never came back to retrieve the machine. We were there for 2 hours and had ordered 4 dishes and drinks to share between 3 people. I don't understand why we were treated differently from other tables and pretty much kicked out.

I came to Anju on April 21, 2018 for a double birthday celebration with a party of 10. I made a reservation many weeks in advance and confirmed my reservation the day of our dinner. We had the second seating of the night at 9 pm. When we arrived at 8:57 pm we were told that our table wasn’t ready yet as the first seating had still not left yet. I wasn’t overly concerned as we were a bit early, but I trusted that the front of hour staff had advised this table of the second seating that was scheduled at 9 pm. By 9:15 pm we had still not been sat. I asked the hostesses what the delay was, and they advised that one part of the table from the early seating had not left yet and that we would have to wait until they had left. They left me with the impression that they were not comfortable having the hard but necessary conversation with the other table that it was time to go. By 9:40 pm we had still not been sat, and we had not been provided with any sort of drink menu or update from the staff. We had to go to them, again, to ask what the hold up was. They feebly advised that the last part of the table from the first sitting had still not left and that there was nothing they could do. They advised that they had set 9 places at a table that would have accommodated 8 people (not our group of 10), and that we could go and sit down and wait for the other table to leave. When I spoke with the manager on shift his attitude was perplexingly indifferent. He did not seem to care that we had been on time for our reservation but were still waiting to be seated as a result of a lack of assertiveness on the part of his staff. We went and attempted to sit down but could not physically fit our group at the table. Thankfully, I actually knew one of the people at the table from the first seating and tactfully told them that we were actually waiting for them to leave so that we could sit down. Immediately they left, and were apologetic for having made us wait for the table. Shockingly, they disclosed that they had never been told that another group was waiting for the table. At long last we were seated and ordered food and drinks. The food was delightful and the cocktails were well balanced. Unfortunately, the taste that was left in our mouth was at the end of the night was a bitter one. When our bills came, no deduction or courtesy discounted was reflected for our inconvenience. We asked our server why there was no deduction on our bill for the ordeal we experienced at the end of the night. Our server went to speak with the same ineffectual manager we had dealt with earlier in the night. After about 10 minutes our server — and not the manager— came back and advised that a 10% deduction was being applied to our bills. While I appreciated the gesture, I felt that on the whole the situation mishandled. The lack of leadership and accountability displayed by the manager on duty was disappointing to say the least. I have been to Anju before and loved it, but this experience has made me question whether I will ever go back. I understand that glitches can happen with a dinner service but the apathetic attitude of the manager appeared to trickle down to the rest of the staff (our server excluded), and unfortunately their bad attitude and lack of customer service has turned me off from the whole place.

Ever changing menu and features. Always a delight. Fun service and adventurous cocktails. I've been a fan since the beginning... Always get the oxtail tortellini.

I’ve been to Anju’s a lot of times and I recommend going here for brunch. The dinner tends to be a little more expensive than the brunch options and I personally enjoyed the brunch more regardless. The stone bowls are super tasty! In the summer, the patio is a great place to sit. The overall ambiance is great in general. 5/5 would go again.