May 12, 2026
Welcome to Issue 125 of Elizabeth Chorney-Booth's local food and drink newsletter
If this maple dessert is any indication the upcoming ALVA restaurant is going to be great
Hello and welcome to Issue 125 of Who’s Hungry, Calgary? a local food and drink newsletter written by me, Elizabeth Chorney-Booth. As a freelance food journalist I’m eating around town all the time and this newsletter is designed to make all that worth my while beyond my paid gigs and to give a little boost to the restaurants, bars, and food producers that make our city so much fun.
I have a lot for you and I’m going to try to squeeze it all in because I might have to skip a week at the end of the month due to a bunch of life/work stuff going on. So, buckle up, there’s a lot to get to.
The chicken sandwich may be the unsung hero of the Shake Shack menu
New (and new-ish) restaurant alerts
Let’s get this one out of the way first: Yes, Shake Shack just opened in Chinook Centre this week. Yes, people are going absolutely bananas for it. I went to a preview a couple of weeks ago where I got to actually sit down and walk through the menu with the Shake Shack Canada team. It left me stupidly full, but I feel like I got a really good (and less frenzied than the media party) take on what this thing is all about.
The food is good: I’m really into the burger (it’s a good little smashy), the shakes (custard!), two vegetarian sandwich options, and the chicken sandwich (so much better than that other chain that came into town a while back). They do seem very genuine about roping in local ingredients and partners including Pie Junkie, Eighty-Eight Brewing, Burwood Distillery, and such. That said, you can absolutely get better burgers from locally-based spots like Class Clown, Bastion, and Lil’ Empire for a similar price. Go try Shake Shack — you know you want to — and stop in if you’re hungry after a movie or while you’re shopping, but ultimately, this is an above-average fast food burger, it’s not going to change your life.
Moving on: Aurora Italiana actually opened up in the fall, but I just got in there last week and tbh, I was kind of avoiding it because I wasn’t sure what to expect. It’s in the upstairs portion of what used to be La Dolce Vita/LDV Pizza Bar in Bridgeland and the last iteration of that place didn’t go so well. Anyway, Aurora is still rooted in the LDV tradition (I’ll do a deeper dive into this in an upcoming Herald column) but is now run by a new team of people who are very passionate about Italian food and have a lot of enthusiasm and business know-how.
In the context of Calgary’s MANY Italian restaurants, Aurora is nicer than your typical neighbourhood strip mall pasta and pizza joint, but not as fancy as, say, Luca or Teatro. Basically, good for a date or when you just really want to have something special without totally blowing out the bank. And the food? It’s impressive. Classic Italian stuff but all very meticulous, with lots of nice Italian appetizers (the calamari is lightly breaded and super tender), richly sauced pastas, and large format meat plates including excellent lamb shank and beef cheek dishes if you want to go for a secondi.
Also, I get asked about where to get Pasta alla Ruota — where they mix the pasta in a giant wheel of parmesan to get it good and cheesy — a lot and they do it here! Tuesdays through Thursdays. Make a reservation.
Also in the Italian vein is Aglio, a long-term pop-up that started running out of the Morning Brunch Co. in Shawville a few months ago. This is the work of the very talented chef Vivek Patel, who has cooked around at a lot of places in town. Expect all the classic Italian fare (he is changing his menu this month, so there will be some lighter summer things), all very approachable and all made really well. Yes, sitting in a brunch restaurant eating pasta and drinking wine is a bit weird, but the food is worth it.
The pasta is all house made, the ingredients all fresh, and the technique spot-on. I am a sucker for a chicken parm and Vivek’s is absolutely perfect. I also tried a peach and prosciutto salad that is going on the new menu — it comes with a smear of otherworldly lemon ricotta that ties everything together brilliantly. Aglio is open Wednesday through Sunday from 3 pm to 10 pm.
Finally, Choux and C is a new bakeshop in Marda Loop and it is the epitome of loveliness. I popped in to try a few things at the suggestion of Yann from Avitus (the Choux owners have some kind of connection to the wine bar) and was met with a pastry case full of crackle-covered choux pastries and baskets full of cookies and croissants. I want to return for an actual savoury meal, but for now I can tell you the choux is delightful and the jam-filled croissants will please anyone missing the croissants from the dearly departed Black Sheep. Go check it out.
Yes, I tried the “viral” shawarma from Pita Basket in Airdrie
I am not a Tik Tok person, so I’m not up on what’s gone “viral” in the food world, but my Instagram feed had been full of reels of people going to the Pita Basket in Airdrie to try a “viral” crispy shawarma. The internet tells me that many cities claim to have originated this viral trend (think of it as the birria tacos of 2026), but Pita Basket (specifically the location in Airdrie) seemingly got it going in Western Canada at least, even though several places in Calgary are now offering their own version.
I was in Airdrie last week and thought I’d stop in to try one. There wasn’t a long line, but between other customers and online orders, I did have to wait about 45 minutes, partially because they take a while to prepare since each wrap has to go on the flat-top for a few minutes after assembly. There was at least one influencer in there with a camera set-up. I ordered a medium and it was enormous, packed with chicken, pickles, fries (!), lots of sauce, pomegranate molasses, and a big scoop of garlic sauce. Viral or not, the basic shawarma was delicious and I’m going to say, brushing it with oil and crisping it on the grill is more than a stunt — it actually is an improvement over a standard shawarma. The sandwich stays compact and the pita doesn’t get soggy or fall apart, leaving you with a foil sleeve full of sauce and chicken. And I’d argue it also tastes better. So give it a go, but I will warn you, the medium size is good for two meals and you’re going to have to wait no matter what (maybe bring a book to keep yourself occupied?)
And speaking of out of town phenomena — I’ll write more about this later, but if you find yourself in Drumheller, you MUST check out Heller Good sandwiches. Drumheller has always struggled with good food options, but when chef Chris Lorenz decided to get out of the city and settle in Drum, he brought with him his excellent command of flavour along with his love os sandwiches and punk rock music. Heller Good is a music venue, a community hub, but most importantly, they make a darn good sandwich.
Bits and bites (meli melo)
-Here’s your reminder that Dog Days, Calgary’s first hot dog festival runs from May 23 to June 6. They’ve been posting pictures of the upcoming hot dog creations and they look amazing. I can hardly wait
-Also coming up fast is the Terroir Symposium! There are still tickets for many elements of this festival/conference/series of talks/food community gathering up for grabs — take a look (ask me any questions if you’d like as I know it can be overwhelming to figure it all out) and join in if you want to learn more about food or go to a delicious collaborative dinner.
-Alva, the new restaurant from the Murrieta’s folks had a dinner a couple of weeks ago to showcase what they’ll be doing when they open in the fall and it’s going to be pretty great: the same level of quality as Murrieta’s, but with some modern Canadian twists. Also — Murrieta’s was originally scheduled to close down this spring but they’re keeping their iconic location open until the end of July now so you can get one last meal in their gorgeous downtown location.
-And, just across the street, the Love Damian pop-up in the Meat and Bread is calling it a day. This place is so great and the people who run it are wonderful, so if you haven’t been, make a reso for these last few weeks of May to see what it’s all about. I know this team has some other things planned — I’ll keep you posted when they announce something new.
Booze corner
Apparently May 17 is National Pinot Grigio Day, which normally I would not care about because I think these “national” marketing days are silly and Pinot Grigio is probably the grape I most avoid (well, that and Malbec). But, I’m an open minded gal and when a PR company offered to send me a bottle of Rewild Pinot Grigio I figured I’d give it a go.
So, much like how I felt I didn’t like Sauvingnon Blanc and actually love it (when it’s good) it turns out I don’t hate Pinot Grigio — I just hate some of them. Rewild is Australian, it’s inexpensive (you should be able to get it for about $15), and while it’s not the most outrageously delicious wine I’ve had, it’s light, accessible, not too tart, and not offensive in any way. The company also claims sustainability as a pillar and the wine is vegan. So, if you have a Pinot Grigio drinker coming over and want to crush something on the patio, this will do the trick.
Speaking of which — ’tis the season for white Port cocktails. Yes, this is a thing: I know most of us are more familiar with darker Ports to break out after Christmas dinner, but white port (I’m using Fonseca) is also a thing and it’s perfect for summer. Drink it on its own with ice as an apertif, or make it into a relatively low (compared to gin) cocktail as a port and tonic with some lemon or mint. You can also sub it or combine it with vermouth in a full-gin Hawkeye Martini for some extra flavour and interest (which is, of course, what I did).
And that is it for me! As I said, I have some busy weeks ahead of me, so other than next week’s paid post (get up to the paid tier for only $5/month!) I might be scarce for a week or so as I get through some travel and Terroir, but I promise to report back with all of my delicious travels. If you want more from me, check out my full list of columns in the Calgary Herald, pick up a copy of Avenue to see a fun story I wrote about Shafts (the drink!) or give me a follow on Instagram.
Talk to you soon,
Elizabeth