Empress Palace - Calgary

This is a German 's chef review.What is the most admirable and honored aspect.....is/are....the spices used. This is what sets this place apart from 95% of the Indian Restaurants in town....basing this statement on pure lifetime experience and professional cooking experience. As a contrast and constructive feedback to a more Indian experience.....I would like to see the ceilings lowered, some carpets, more vibrant colors and local artwork......lower ceilings will also account for lower heating bills ; .....and please keep playing the music you 're playing.....Too many authentic restaurants play very inauthentic music.Great job! Put some into decoration and creating a little escape.....for folks who will never make it out of Olds.....or Calgary....or Alberta or Canada. You guys are wayyyy ahead of 90% of like minded Opera in ton/province.

The restaurant advertised that they open at 11:00 am. We called and confirmed this, and they said we could come in at 11:00 am. However, when we arrived at 11:30 am, they informed us that their chef had not yet arrived. This was a total waste of time.

My experience at this restaurant was disappointing. The servers were inattentive and unenthusiastic when taking my order. The pakoras were not good, and they kept placing the food on the other side of the table, making it inconvenient for me to reach. The lamb biryani lacked flavor and was mostly rice. The butter chicken and garlic naan took 45 minutes to arrive, despite being quick dishes to prepare. Overall, the service was slow and the atmosphere was not welcoming. I have worked at a top Indian restaurant and have not tipped $0 in years. The prices were also high. I recommend going to Spice Hut in the NE for better quality Indian food at a more affordable price.

To-go order, server seemed bothered by it. I had to ask for plastic ware and napkins, and again he seemed bothered. No plates, so we went to Walmart to buy paper plates. Food was just okay. Just a weird/bad customer experience, won’t be coming back again.

The food is really good specially the fish. And the staff is very friendly.