Modern vegetarian food restaurant with art display on walls, operating since the mid-2000s. Non smoking. Food is prepared from local and organic ingredients. Varied menu with a fusion of cuisines from curry and peanut satay to veggie sushi and tempeh shawarma. Limited sip n' snack happy hour menu 3-5pm Mon-Thur. Open Mon-Thu 11:00am-10:30pm, Fri 11:00am-3:00pm, Fri-Sat 5:00pm-11:00pm, Sat-Sun 9:00am-3:00pm, Sun 5:00pm-9:00pm.
Category: Vegan-friendly, Ovo, American, International, Organic, Beer/Wine, Fusion, Canadian
Reviews (55)
First Review by juliotnunes
Contributions +494
A Little Underwhelmed - Edit
This is an update to my previous review from a year and a half ago. When I went for brunch last time, I felt that the vegan options were quite limited; I ended up ordering a burger that was good but not amazing (although I do think they have more breakfast options on their menu now). Anyways, it was still a nice experience as our waitress was extremely friendly and she concocted probably the best maple London Fog I've ever tasted. This time I went for dinner with a friend, and came away a bit underwhelmed. I ordered the vermicelli satay bowl, but the noodles were wide rice noodles, not vermicelli, and they were undercooked. The almond satay sauce was tasty, but very oily, and definitely not more impressive than something I could make at home. I also ordered a lemonade infused with lavender, beets, ginger, and charcoal, and although the lavender was super unique and pleasant, the other flavours didn't taste fresh at all. Finally, as I was finishing the satay, I crunched into something and realized that a chip from the side of the bowl had fallen into the noodles. It wasn't a big deal as it didn't injure me and I didn't swallow it, so I just pointed it out to the waitress but didn't complain. She apologized several times, and then shortly after the manager also apologized to me several times as well. Although this was polite, it unintentionally came across as a bit insincere because they made a bigger deal about it verbally than I did, yet they didn't actually do anything to show that they cared. Even a small deduction from my bill or a tea on the house would have impressed me a lot. That aside, if the food had been amazing I would certainly go back, and maybe there are items on the menu that are more worth it, but I think I'll try out some other places in the mean time. (It's definitely great to see a vegetarian restaurant so extremely popular in the heart of Calgary, however, so they're doing something right!!)
Updated from previous review on 2017-07-19
Pros: Large Menu
Cons: Over-Priced, Patchy Service
Contributions +30
chic and tasty - Edit
This is my favourite restaurant in Calgary, I've been going there for years. The food is great - foodie-type, fresh and tasty. Most recently they've started getting a little too foodie for my personal taste but I have no doubt they'll find their way back to what has made them so successful as a vegetarian restaurant in the heart of red-neck Calgary.
The atmosphere is retro chic. A place where you can be casual or dressy.
I love how they do their part for the environment and support local vendors!
Contributions +36
THE most amazing food in Calgary - Edit
Guys. Guyyyyys. Go there. We went to Calgary and I checked out the options on here...usually I opt for the vegan only restaurants before going to the vegetarian ones but this time I didn't and decided to go the The Coup straightaway. Idk why but thank heavens. I brought a meat eater who had the burger and he really enjoyed it while I devoured the roasted tempeh on a black pita (it looked odd but was wonderfully tasty) with an awesome salad and vegan feta and tzatziki. All I can say is I was left speechless after eating one of the best food I've had in quite a while (and believe me, I eat out A LOT). All the different flavours had a party in my mouth and just created this amazing wonderful ....I don't even know... experience which I won't forget in a while. The dessert - a chocolate cake with roasted marshmallows and a little bonfire (yes literally, there was a bonfire on the plate) was rather impressive and really tasty too. Definitely a MUST GO for every vegan, vegetarian and omni who is up for amazing food! Thank you for this dinner, I will come back for sure!
Pros: All items on menu can be made vegan, creative dishes, WOW
Contributions +21
Best vegetarian restaurant in Calgary - Edit
Lots of menu options for all types of food, friendly staff, serves vino 🤘🏼.
Contributions +16
My favourite restaurant in the city! - Edit
I am a regular customer of the Coup and I absolutely love all of their dishes. They are entirely vegetarian but any dish can be made vegan. I have taken many of my meat eating friends to the Coup before and they are always blown away by the taste and how satisfied and filling the food is. I recommend it for everyone!!
Pros: Excellent food, Friendly staff, Eco friendly
Cons: Parking
Contributions +231
Delicious food, Maybe be prepared to wait - Edit
Definitely glad we went here. Food is delicious! Seems to be mostly vegan or veganize-able.
We went on a Thursday evening, and we were quoted a 25 minute wait. The wait ended up being closer to 15 minutes. It’s apparently quite popular, and there’s not a ton of space to wait, but they will take your phone number, and since we didn’t have a phone with service in Canada, they were OK with us walking around for a bit before returning. The surrounding neighborhood is nice for a bit of a walk.
Pros: Delicious food, Friendly service
Cons: Crowded, potentially with a wait
Contributions +74
One of my favourite restaurants - Edit
This is one of my go-to restaurants for a nice night out. They offer plenty of vegan options, and most, if not all, of their dishes can be made vegan very easily. My favourites are the Beach Front Hot Pot, which has rice noodles, seasonal vegetables, and a spicy lime and chili broth, and the Tandoori Cauliflower Wings. It can be quite busy, but it's worth the wait. They also have some great vegan desserts, including an amazing chocolate torte.
Pros: Lots of choices, Great tasting food, Friendly staff
Cons: Busy, Somewhat pricey
Contributions +11
Favourite restaurant in Calgary! - Edit
The Coup has been my favourite, go-to restaurant for a couple of years now! The food is INCREDIBLE, some meals definitely stand out more than others (Um hello Upstream Burger?? and the Treehouse sandwich?? You gotta try those two!) The chefs are so creative- they create a new meal or appetizer or dessert (and occasionally, just a drink) every night as their special and wowza- how do they come up with a new thing every night this amazing every night??
Generally, the staff are pretty friendly and although some people don't like the vintage-y atmosphere, I'm a fan of it!
Also- the desserts are incredible. Like the ice cream sandwich. And the breakup blendy (drink)
Pros: WONDERFUL food, Great staff, Lovely atmosphere
Cons: Can get really busy sometimes, Is pricey (but fair for organic, local food!)
Contributions +103
Calgary Mainstay - Edit
We having been coming here since 2007 and we make sure to go every time we are obligated to come to Calgary.
Although they have moved the Upstream Burger to the dinner menu and swapped out the bun for a much more boring ciabatta, it is still the best thing on the menu. The drinks are really good and the Cajun Tempe Sticks are the bomb.
The prices are pretty crazy, but that's just kind of expected of one of the few good places in Calgary.
Make sure to come right when it opens to avoid waiting, although it hasn't been as bad since they got rid of the fairly useless lounge in leu of more seating.
Pros: Upstream Burger, Atmosphere, Location
Cons: Price
Contributions +35
killer veg in yyc - Edit
I finally had dinner at the Coup. I'm in Calgary on business quite often, but haven't had a chance to eat here until now. I wish I had come sooner! The food was terrific, and the vibe was awesome. It's very cool to see a veg/vegan joint packed & hopping on a weeknight in Alberta! I had the king oyster mushroom "scallops" as an appie - fantastic. I had the ramen for my main, and the chocolate torte for dessert. I left a very happy, very full vegan! I'll be back. Often.
Pros: great food, awesome vibe, great staff
Contributions +370
Delicious; Must Visit in Calgary - Edit
I have visited the Coup both time I have visited Calgary and will make sure to come every time I return. Both times I have ordered the Beach Front Hot Pot with tofu added, and it is just so good (the coconut, tomato lime broth is amazing and it is loaded with veggies) , although I do want to try some other items on the menue (The Magic Dragon Bowl and the Ramen sound particularly tasty). I was there with a group last time and we split the mushroom sushi, which was tasty as well. The cocktail list is great, with vegan options for anything containing egg or dairy. I have been twice, once during the week and once on Sunday, and it was packed with a wait both times, so plan according. I also will add that I think the food is a little expensive, but the atmosphere nice and the food is very good.
Pros: Delicious Food, All Vegetarian, Great cock-tails
Cons: Busy (expect to wait), Bit pricey
Contributions +13
Food was spectacular!! - Edit
I went here for my birthday dinner this year, and I have to say: The food was AMAZING!! They had excellent options for food, vegan options and soy milk as an option for tea! As someone who's lactose intolerant, this was a God-send! Lot's of vegan options, and most things could be made vegan too to order, it was wonderful here, but a little on the pricier side.
Pros: Excellent food, Easy to make vegan, Delicious desserts
Cons: VERY loud, Little/no nearby parking, pricey
Contributions +16
what a great find - Edit
I have been following a couple local vegan blogs, and they all kept mentioning this place, "The Coup". Intrigued I decided next date night to check it out, and I'm so glad I did!! The atmosphere was great, a bit loud after 6pm, but that was to be expected. It was smaller, but cozy. The staff was great! The food was excellent, as a vegan it was great to have every option on the menu be a possibility for once! Great place overall!!!
Pros: amazing food , intimate seating , quick staff
Cons: loud
Contributions +305
Fun place and good food. - Edit
Eat inside, or in warm weather, eat outside. Wide variety of vegan meals. I ate here 3 times while in Calgary. I highly recommend anything on the menu.
Contributions +16
fabbo - Edit
Great food, fun staff, cool drinks. They have this vegan thing sussed. Go!
Pros: fun, great vegan food
Contributions +24
Never Been So Excited About a Restaurant!!! - Edit
I'm Jenna, I am 20 years old and I am a Vegan. I took my boyfriend (he's vegetarian) to The Coup for our very first anniversary this weekend and I was so excited!!! Everything about this place was amazing, our waitress (Anastasia) was very very friendly and was a great server, we were seated right away by a friendly host, and our food came out very quickly. The food was absolutely fantastic as well! We ordered the Buffalo Cauliflower and the Power of Pesto Pizza, and I have to say that the pizza was the best pizza I have ever eaten. I have honestly never been to a restaurant that was so vegan-friendly (I am from Medicine Hat) and was really pleased with all of my options. I was also very happy with the drink menu, with so many different options like Kombucha, coconut water, and many different kinds of juice. We were too full to order dessert but next time I will try some because it all sounded so good! I will DEFINITELY come back the next time I am in Calgary. In fact I will probably come back every time I am in Calgary. If this restaurant existed in Medicine Hat I would most definitely be a regular customer. I have never actually been this excited about a restaurant before. AMAZING!!!
Pros: AMAZING food!, Great service!, Very vegan friendly!
Cons: Too much awesomeness, This restaurant isn't in Medicine Hat, I can't come here every day
Contributions +26
yumm - Edit
I've always enjoyed the food here. And they have an updated menu so if you haven't been lately give it a shot!
Contributions +14
Not anymore...:( - Edit
I used to go to The Coup often..then things started to change.. what did it was one day I went there with a friend, and the wait was more then 1:30...it was ridiculous!!! Then came to time to get seated...few tables started to empty, so we saw a little more of a quiet table ...no one was seated there.. we asked the waitress if we could sit there, she refused... !!
Then we ended up seating in a very cramped tables area... it was so noisy, it was unreal... at the end, we waited 1:30 ++, we ate in 20 minutes, we couldn't wait to get out... food was ok... Never again!! over rated !
Pros: food is ok
Cons: Waiting time is awful, Table are too close to each other, very, very noisy!!
Contributions +14
The Best in Calgary??? Wow, that's Embarassing. - Edit
I cannot understand how anyone could call this hole-in-the-wall "restaurant" the best in Calgary. The place is run down with outdated thrift shop decor. Call that "funky" if you like, I call it outdated & uncomfortable. The place is tiny with as many tables stuffed into it as they can get. Basically eating in someone elses face. Dusty & dirty as well.
The wait is also ridiculous. 2.5 hours. Really? I expected fabulous food like I had heard about, so I decided to have a couple drinks & appetizers at "The Meet". Meh. Old, run down furniture & wait staff drying glasses with an old tattered cloth while handling glass all over is really not my speed.
Once we finally had our tables in "The Coup" (with no apologies for the extra long wait), we ordered our meals. Never again. There was nothing about my meal that was great or even what I would call good & my partner didn't even finish his - thought it was gross. Completely unimpressed. We make much better food at home. And to think the owners acted like they were doing us a favour to finally seat us. Lol.
I've been to many great vegan/vegetarian restaurants (I travel for work) & I can honestly say this place would not survive elsewhere. They should consider themselves lucky that they are in Calgary. Seriously.
Pros: None
Cons: Pretty much everything
Contributions +33
Now we're talking!!! - Edit
Reminds me of eating clean in Los Angeles. Great vibe. Awesome atmosphere. Staff is incredible. Food is electric. Thank you for this stunning experience!
I'll be back, again and again!
Contributions +841
best veg option in Calgary - Edit
A vegetarian staple in Calgary. My favourite item is the veganized Treehouse Sandwich with smoked tofu and basil pesto vegan mayo. Nice location. Very busy!
Contributions +16
Great Funky Food - Edit
I've eaten here several times with some omnivore friends and each time the food has been fun, fresh and original - everyone always enjoys the food, the service and the atmosphere....but get there early as there is always a line up.
Great vegan/veggie food for Calgary - a steak city.
Pros: fun food, great flavors
Cons: long wait to get in at times
Contributions +378
Really Good - Edit
I had a vegan pasta dish that was really good. I love how you can add steamed broccoli or chickpeas to any dish. For Calgary, it was way better than I expected. All three omnivores who came with me and ordered vegetarian dishes liked their food too.
Contributions +785
nothing spectacular but still good solid meals - Edit
The food is good but it is not spectacular and certainly nothing to rave about. I had the smoothie of the day which avocado and mint which was nothing that I couldn't make myself. Good but nothing novel. I had the club med salad, as recommended by the server. It was romaine lettuce with olives, sun dried tomatoes, carrots and sprouts with cold mashed falafels in a lemon-tahini dressing. However I think they forgot the tahini in the dressing. The dressing was a bit too heavy for me, but the salad was pretty good nonetheless. For dessert, I had the chai ginger float with tofu ice cream. Liked this a lot despite the ice cream being a bit icy for my liking. All-in-all, a solid meal, but nothing too adventurous. A bit pricey for my tastes, too.
Pros: good at accommodating vegans
Cons: pricey, standard veg eats
Contributions +1856
As good as it gets for Calgary? - Edit
As Calgary has such a poor selection of veg*n options, this is pretty much as good as it gets for them. The restaurant has been open 7 or 8 years, yet the menu has barely changed. There is always a line up outside and they won't sit you unless your whole party has arrived. They take no reservations either. Fair enough when you're popular.
Brunch is great, the tofu messy Jane is delicious and the Yam fries with the miso gravy - apparently vegan is also a must try.
The vegan options are not clearly identified on the menu as they should but servers are usually knowledgeable enough. It helps that the owners are veggies as well. For Calgary, it's a hit. If this was teleported to Portland or San Francisco, might not have worked out so well.
Pros: convenient location, decent vegan options
Cons: often long wait, noisy
Contributions +501
Great food but.... - Edit
I love this place, but its always busy. And I mean ALWAYS busy. Its super small, the wait always takes forever, and the hours kinda suck. However that being said the food is amazing. Just make sure to check for honey in some of the vegan dishes. Last time I went (a very long time ago) they had vegan rootbeer floats. Yes please!
Pros: Super good food, Interesting food creations, fun atmosphere
Cons: A little pricey, Super busy and hours suck, Table waits are long
Contributions +18
Very disappointing - Edit
Loud though pleasant enough ambience. Easy to get seated if you go early. Food average - not very original or very subtle. All the dishes I have had are one taste items - the first mouthful will be what you taste throughout the dish. Boring. Cracked and chipped plates a real turn off. If this restaurant was in a town with more veggie options the Coup would not get the inflated ratings thatit has. Wouldn't go again.
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