The Winkin' Owl

When I walked in I had the feeling that there was a lack of joy amongst the patrons and staff. It certainly has been a trying time for businesses, especially restaurants and pubs here in Calgary. The decor and layout are quite decent here. The food, in particular the potato skins are delicious and presented beautifully. They are not called potato skins here,I forget the name that they use. There in lies the source of disappointment that I feel about my time here. I asked the woman working in the bar what they were and I received an icy cold response. At first I thought it might just be my interpretation of her communication style but then I watched her yell with vitriol at a few other patrons at the bar too. I was quite shocked to see that and would have left if I had not already ordered and been there to meet someone who truly likes this place. It seems that she is resentful of working there and the people that she serves. The sad thing is that the regular patrons who were getting yelled at almost seemed resigned to accepting this behavior which suggests to me that it may not be the first time. It makes sense to me why there is no joy in this place at all.

Really great wings with so many yummy flavours! A little bit busy, but otherwise a great atmosphere! Go try on of the 69 wing flavours!

Fantastic taco Tuesday! I opted for the Baja fish tacos and they were delicious!!! Server was lovely. Definitely recommend! Pictured, only one taco as the other was devoured

This has become my new wing spot, really like they do wings on Wednesday and Sunday! Lots of wing flavours, hot wings especially the Johnny Cash have actual flavour to them. Not just absolute ripping heat. My most recent visit feb 26 the place was packed around 3pm. Staff was a little short, but some amazing patrons offered to lend a hand. You can tell this place is a true pub full of regulars that care for the place. 5/5!

Good dive bar. The food I've had has been good. Wing night is crazy. Service somedays is questionable on the side of rude. Servers know the regulars and will hang out and talk, sometimes more then normal. They will also skip tables if they think you're not spending, especially if it's busy. But that could be any place now days. My wife and I are not regulars but we frequent the place because it's in the neighborhood.

This used to be one of our favourite local places, unfortunately the lack of service and communication by a few of the servers is going to be what makes us change to the lighthouse. We waited over 30 minutes for our server to re appear, when we ordered drinks they sat at the bar for another 15 mins, to try and help out I went to the bar to ask if I could take them back to our table the server then slammed the tray on my face and stormed away saying “I’m taking it”. As a former server and bartender I can completely understand and sympathize with getting slammed, however not checking in with your table and being rude to your patrons when they are only trying to help is complete unacceptable. Until something changes this will be our last visit here.

Basic neighbourhood pub. It was my first time there and didn’t really get any kind of welcome, almost felt unwelcome. Server seemed generally annoyed. She Spilled beer on an empty chair next to me and never cleaned it up. It was wing night so I can imagine it is a tough evening to work. Wings decent, beer is cold

I am a very frequent patron of this establishment. I’ve seen a few 1 star reviews here from people children complaining about being told they can’t be served/ stay without having proper ID. Clearly these people have never worked in the industry or they would fully understand the laws these places are governed by and the very serious consequences bars face if caught having under age or anyone with out proper ID in them. It is unbelievably inconsiderate and disrespectful for these people to leave a negative review because of their own lack of responsibility. This is a neighbourhood pub. And if you want to be coddled and treated like a princess, then go to a chain restaurant. So when you complain about your meal you get it for free. These people work hard. This place is their life. And if you spend just a moment looking at your surroundings when you’re there you’ll see what amazing relationships they forge with their customers. It is a family atmosphere. If you know you know!

The Winkin' Owl is a main stay pub in the Deer Valley mall area. The long standing pub is large by contrast to most "hole in the wall" pubs and features everything you want in a pub... atmosphere, darts, Golden Tee, VLT's, ample table space and plenty of specials through the week. I used to frequent the WO about three years ago with a darts group and fondly remember the wing nights to be one of kind. Unfortunately my return to the famous 69 flavors was a huge disappointment. My wife and I ordered three different flavors and only one of the baskets came out hot and crispy the other two we effectively rubber chicken and had obviously either been hot lit in the kitchen or par cooked then flash deep-fried. Don't get me wrong the wings were safe to eat but they had the consistency of wet paper towel and chewed like bubblegum. Yes it was a wing night, so I understand they were busy but I'd have been fine if I had to wait an additional 10 minutes for the wings to come out hot and crispy. The good news is the service was impeccable and our waitress Dana was a total gem. She was quick to serve us drinks and a very polite hostess. I did lean over to ask the group next to us how their burger was and he mentioned a similar situation fries were cold... so I assume maybe it was an slammed kitchen that needs to either slow down and get the food out hot or maybe hire another chef for wing nights to ensure consistency in food quality. All things considered there are plenty of wing nights in the city that beat the pants off what I was served yesterday but there is still somthing about the WO that keeps me coming back to give it another try and that's probably selection and service.

We now come here every Sunday for wings! They have great flavours and the staff are all amazing. They remembered us after & our order after only 2 weeks. We're definitely regulars now