I was told the food here is amazing and that is 100% the truth. There was a very nice buffet set out but we went to the menu. I had the banana bread French toast while my friend had the salmon eggs Benedict. We shared our orders and both dishes were delicious! Thank you Chef Ricky.Our server Michael made for an experience rather than just a meal. He shared select stories from the past 30 years he's worked there. My favorite was the description of the world-renowned restaurant the Westin once hosted. Some guests would fly in just for the meal.My favorite part of the whole experience was Chef Shuvie. Despite being busy, he came out and chatted with us and made sure we were treated well. It was his recommendation that brought us there.Parking is an issue for outside guests as you cannot access the Westin parking lot without a code, but thankfully the Jamieson building is right next store and accessing the restaurant was very easy.I would definitely recommend this place.
Arshad Islam
Nice place to eat
Raelynn Hattie
Food is pretty good as far hotel restaurants go. I had the crab cake benedict, which was fairly tasty (although nowhere near the best in town).Atmosphere is decent. It's a classy 60s style place, with a simple but clean style.The biggest reason why this place is getting 3 stars instead of 4 is the price. It cost $60 for two people to eat breakfast! That includes $5 per person for coffee, which seems to be one of Starbucks' restaurant blends (which is nice enough, but not $5 nice)If you're staying in the Westin, and don't mind spending a bit extra for a convenient meal, Essence is not a bad choice. I would not, however, recommend this place for Calgarians or travelers with enough time to go to another restaurant downtown.
Balaguru Ganesan
We had official team lunch here. The restaurant is brighter and quieter than some other downtown restaurants around the neighborhood. Service was somewhat slow but the food tasted fresh and nice.
Myles Huble
We arrived late for breakfast and stayed for lunch. John the water's words as he brought our lunch was to prepare to unhinge your jaws. He wasn't kidding as my wife's turkey BLT was ginormous! My choice was perhaps a little self-inflicted : a cheddar burger that was a double patty with my own addition of a sunnyside up egg. I ended up having to use a knife and fork. Besides the excellent food, John our waiter was excellent. He brought me honey and lemon and a big pot of hot water as I was kind of struggling through a cold. Much appreciated! He even sent me on my way with some extra lemon slices and honey. Great guy. Thank you Essence for this really positive experience!
Ahmed Iqbal
I thought this place was a spa, because it's in the back corner of the hotel. Was pleasantly surprised to find out that it was a restaurant. The food is delicious and the portion sizes are enough for lunch and dinner!
GayleneK
Ordered the two egg breakfast. Everything tasted phenomenal. Butter not margarine. Eggs tasted amazing and the bacon was wonderfully crisp. Our Server was also excellent. Very attentive.
goeats
I do not recommend you spend your hard earned money at this restaurant. Food is not good and service is lacking. There were four of us for breakfast, we ordered off the menu and everyone was very disappointed with their food. The prices are way too high for the quality of food they serve. For a high end hotel we expected much more. Starbucks would've been a better decision.
mo harris
Had lunch in this hidden gem. Wonderful menu, soup & sandwich or protein specials. I had the cod, French fries, salad w/champagne dressing, and 2 delightful chocolate chip cookies to finish off the meal. Cod was great
Bob J
We only stayed at the Westin overnight so we had just one breakfast at Essence on a Friday morning. Prices of ala carte tend to push you towards the buffet, but after seeing nothing special there and no omelette station, we ordered off the menu. We had enough to feel full and the cost was the same as the buffet, without us overeating. At least we had fresh eggs and quite a lot of bacon. Our server was quite nice and attentive.
The breakfast buffet in The Westin Calgary hotel was fine. They had some multigrain bread & also steel-cut oatmeal. From the comments below, it appears that they may have had an omelette station in the past or perhaps on the weekends? They didn't have one though when we were there.
Lo W.
Not a fan of the breakfast buffet as they no longer have an omlette station, it's a very standard breakfast. Do like that it extends to 11:30am though. Also was told they would not be open for lunch or dinner, which I was a little bummed with, however that could be only on Sundays.
Peter F
Our tour group spent a night and was treated to the buffet breakfast. The quality and variety was excellent and varied. Fresh omelette station was terrific. I especially enjoyed the fresh fruit and good quality pastries.
DCalgary
I ordered a steak for medium cooked. However, I was given a well done one being over cooked. The waiter left the table after giving me the credit card machine, so I had to cut the customer copy myself. The place is quite, which could be the best thing of this restaurant.
HappiestOutside
The service and food are excellent, and the dining room is quiet, even when it's busy. Great place to get away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Calgary and have a nice meal.
I was told the food here is amazing and that is 100% the truth. There was a very nice buffet set out but we went to the menu. I had the banana bread French toast while my friend had the salmon eggs Benedict. We shared our orders and both dishes were delicious! Thank you Chef Ricky.Our server Michael made for an experience rather than just a meal. He shared select stories from the past 30 years he's worked there. My favorite was the description of the world-renowned restaurant the Westin once hosted. Some guests would fly in just for the meal.My favorite part of the whole experience was Chef Shuvie. Despite being busy, he came out and chatted with us and made sure we were treated well. It was his recommendation that brought us there.Parking is an issue for outside guests as you cannot access the Westin parking lot without a code, but thankfully the Jamieson building is right next store and accessing the restaurant was very easy.I would definitely recommend this place.
Nice place to eat
Food is pretty good as far hotel restaurants go. I had the crab cake benedict, which was fairly tasty (although nowhere near the best in town).Atmosphere is decent. It's a classy 60s style place, with a simple but clean style.The biggest reason why this place is getting 3 stars instead of 4 is the price. It cost $60 for two people to eat breakfast! That includes $5 per person for coffee, which seems to be one of Starbucks' restaurant blends (which is nice enough, but not $5 nice)If you're staying in the Westin, and don't mind spending a bit extra for a convenient meal, Essence is not a bad choice. I would not, however, recommend this place for Calgarians or travelers with enough time to go to another restaurant downtown.
We had official team lunch here. The restaurant is brighter and quieter than some other downtown restaurants around the neighborhood. Service was somewhat slow but the food tasted fresh and nice.
We arrived late for breakfast and stayed for lunch. John the water's words as he brought our lunch was to prepare to unhinge your jaws. He wasn't kidding as my wife's turkey BLT was ginormous! My choice was perhaps a little self-inflicted : a cheddar burger that was a double patty with my own addition of a sunnyside up egg. I ended up having to use a knife and fork. Besides the excellent food, John our waiter was excellent. He brought me honey and lemon and a big pot of hot water as I was kind of struggling through a cold. Much appreciated! He even sent me on my way with some extra lemon slices and honey. Great guy. Thank you Essence for this really positive experience!
I thought this place was a spa, because it's in the back corner of the hotel. Was pleasantly surprised to find out that it was a restaurant. The food is delicious and the portion sizes are enough for lunch and dinner!
Ordered the two egg breakfast. Everything tasted phenomenal. Butter not margarine. Eggs tasted amazing and the bacon was wonderfully crisp. Our Server was also excellent. Very attentive.
I do not recommend you spend your hard earned money at this restaurant. Food is not good and service is lacking. There were four of us for breakfast, we ordered off the menu and everyone was very disappointed with their food. The prices are way too high for the quality of food they serve. For a high end hotel we expected much more. Starbucks would've been a better decision.
Had lunch in this hidden gem. Wonderful menu, soup & sandwich or protein specials. I had the cod, French fries, salad w/champagne dressing, and 2 delightful chocolate chip cookies to finish off the meal. Cod was great
We only stayed at the Westin overnight so we had just one breakfast at Essence on a Friday morning. Prices of ala carte tend to push you towards the buffet, but after seeing nothing special there and no omelette station, we ordered off the menu. We had enough to feel full and the cost was the same as the buffet, without us overeating. At least we had fresh eggs and quite a lot of bacon. Our server was quite nice and attentive.
Restaurantji Recommends
The breakfast buffet in The Westin Calgary hotel was fine. They had some multigrain bread & also steel-cut oatmeal. From the comments below, it appears that they may have had an omelette station in the past or perhaps on the weekends? They didn't have one though when we were there.
Not a fan of the breakfast buffet as they no longer have an omlette station, it's a very standard breakfast. Do like that it extends to 11:30am though. Also was told they would not be open for lunch or dinner, which I was a little bummed with, however that could be only on Sundays.
Our tour group spent a night and was treated to the buffet breakfast. The quality and variety was excellent and varied. Fresh omelette station was terrific. I especially enjoyed the fresh fruit and good quality pastries.
I ordered a steak for medium cooked. However, I was given a well done one being over cooked. The waiter left the table after giving me the credit card machine, so I had to cut the customer copy myself. The place is quite, which could be the best thing of this restaurant.
The service and food are excellent, and the dining room is quiet, even when it's busy. Great place to get away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Calgary and have a nice meal.