Bottlescrew Bill’s Pub / Buzzards Restaurant & Bar

This is a staple bar for myself and my friends. The food is always good, the selection of beers is awesome, and I have always had good service, even if I was part of a group of +20. I recommend this place often to people looking for a good lunch or dinner place down town; the crowd is varied, it doesn’t just cater to a young demographic like National or Hudsons.

Sweet baby Jesus… I had the best soup here I’ve ever had in my life. It was the soup of the day, and the Betty Boop lookalike waitress described it as vegetable. The soup in itself would have been worth the visit, but I’m not lying if I suggest the waitress was half the experience. Super good service, exceptional food and any kind of beer you could ever imagine. It was pretty loud and crowded inside, so we opted for the closed patio, where we stayed warm under heat lamps, and it was a bit quieter so we could talk. I’ll be back for sure

Fantastic place. Great beer selection, great atmosphere, great cheeses, and the location are amazing.

So I came here after Oktoberfest (which didn’t have any bratwurst, and I wanted some bratwurst). They had it and it was so delicious! Very satisfied!

The service is always excellent! I love the waitresses!
The only thing I dislike about Bottlescrew’s is that their food is trying to be upscale when it is just a pub and it doesn’t work. The nacho platter is the most pathetic tiniest thing I have ever seen, a baby can eat it solo!
I just go there for great service and yummy beer

Best sweet potato fries I’ve had yet! Crispy yet soft and chewy inside! Had the apple Brie chicken sandwich great combination of flavours. Service was quick courteous and attentive!

We ordered the braised bison ribs and the duck breast. The bison ribs were the best my father said he’s ever had, and while my duck breast was a tad over cooked, the flavour was fantastic. Would absolutely come again next time I’m in Calgary.

Love this place and their beer passport.
I love the atmosphere here. Servers are so friendly.

Bottlescrew Bill’s Pub has a pub type atmosphere with a great beer selection and quality food.
The first thing I’m obligated to mention is the beer passport. This pub has so many different beers (in bottles) that they challenge you to drink 80 beers and they will add your name to the wall. Overall not too difficult a challenge if you have the time and the money. It ends up being a fun challenge between friends or some excuse to regularly meet up for beers with your friends.
Next I have to talk about the food. A lot of the reviews for the food on this page is for the older menu and not the more updated and delicious menu. I believe the food is of a quality much better than the average pub although you will have to pay a bit more for that pleasure. I would recommend the burgers (especially when it’s on special) and the wings (also when they’re on special). I had a salad once (although it was so long ago I cannot remember which exactly) and it was very delicious. Overall I don’t think you’ll be too disappointed.
Also, look for the live music whenever there is some type of holiday around!

Beer selection is huge but mostly in bottles; the world has moved on to fresh kegs and long rows of taps. I did too, as I was so underwhelmed by the service, I moved on to the competitors down the street.

Being a sports fan, English and Irish pubs are one of my favourites, a cool and casual environment.
Came here for drinks, and surprisingly, they had Sing Tao @ a fair price, $ 6.50! Also surprised they have Granville Island, my hometown ;)
It’s a nice L-​shape format, friendly servers. Didn’t guilt me into eating, though the food looked promising, eating for Unilocal can be a little too much. Prices are your typical DT, as to be expected, $ 20 burgers but have to say look more promising than Buchanan’s, IMHO.
Corner location, with patio seating in the summer, obviously ;)

If you like beer and are committed to spending a thousand dollars completing your beer passport in order to get a hoodie, then you’d probably love this place. If you’re looking for a place with good food, good service, and a decent booze list then there are a bunch of better places to go.
I was here recently with a bunch of friends for a birthday and while it was nice that it wasn’t crazy busy, this didn’t translate into a good level of service. However, my main complaint was the food. I asked the waitress what kind of wings they have and she said they are «the best wings ever». Now, to be fair they are listed on the menu and «the best wings ever» but let’s be serious. That is a bold statement my friends, and it’s one that BSB has zero business making.
For $ 13.50, I definitely expect above average wings. I also expect more than 7 wings, that the salt and pepper flavour will have both salt AND pepper, and that the proportion of breading to chicken be such that chicken is actually in a bite of wing. Well, apparently all of these things are not reasonable when you’re having the best wings ever. When the server asked us about the wings I did mention that I felt that 7 very average wings for $ 13.50 left me a little disappointed, she did point out that the wings filled the plate and suggested I order more food.
(Sidebar: The plates are super skinny rectangles that allow you to put very little food on the plate and still serve a «full plate». Well guess what, I do this trick at home when I’m purposely trying to trick myself into eating less. Just because the wings are served on a plate the size of a coaster doesn’t mean they are delicious, or… LOL «the best wings ever».)
We were still hungry because 3.5 wings each does not a satisfying dinner make so we also ordered some calamari served on little plate too. It was better than the wings but maybe that’s because I had filled up on the breaded portion of the wing.
After we ate, we entertained ourselves with a fun little game called «Can anyone actually sit down on the toilet in the women’s washroom?» This was especially hilarious because the door to the stall is about 3 inches from the toilet. You’d think after my dinner on small plates I would have been able to fit, but I guess I ate too much.
Bottom line — Food and service leave a lot to be desired.

Ever since my Dad convinced me to go for my beer passport, Bottlescrews is pretty much my mainstay when it comes to a night out.
I’ve been here way too many times to count and I’ve never had a negative experience.
The beer passport is WAY too fun and well worth the money you’ll end up spending on beers/​food/​taxis/​whatever the night brings. Me and my friend would always end our night of whatever we had been doing with a few more beers off the passport and felt it was a very good therapy to deal with our school stresses. The fact that you get freebies through the passport is also awesome. The challenge with the passport becomes a supply and demand thing as I can’t count the number of times I’ve been dead set on a beer and I have to go back to square one because they don’t have the beer. But they are really flexible with allowing you to substitute beers.
The staff are really awesome and incredible. One of them even saved my friend from a guy that was trying WAY too hard.
The food is also really good. My friend and me LOVE the nachos. She recommends the sweet potato fries and I can’t resist perogies!
They also do special events really well. Our class had our grad dinner there and everything was done exceptionally well and the staff were super attentive and fast for a group of over 20+.

Feel free to polish up your thick rimmed glasses, Bottlescrew Bill’s, because you were the craft beer pub before craft beer pubs were cool! Today, with the craft beer scene exploding around the city, Bottlescrew Bill’s hasn’t had to change one bit.
You know when people tell you about their hobbies and you can spot the difference a mile away between someone who honestly loves something, and someone who loves it because they think it’s popular. Bottlescrew Bill’s is without a doubt that first person. They honestly just loves serving good beer and they’ve got nothing to prove to you about it.
It’s a great place to meet up with friends for conversation over or inspired by beer. They’ve got a fair number of TV’s around and if the game is on they’ll kill the music so you can focus on the hockey!
The food is delicious and as down to earth as the rest of the pub. Nothing overly fancy or unusual, just just good quality pub fare. I always order steak sandwiches rare, because more often than not, pubs will serve you a thin piece of steak that is going to wind up well-​done, regardless of how long it’s on the grill. Well that ‘more often than not’ does not apply here! Check out that steak! It’s thick and it’s actually rare! Thanks for that, Bottlescrew Bill’s!
They don’t have 1.613 million beers on tap like some of Calgary’s newer Beer Halls, but if it comes in a bottle, you can bet they’ll have it.

Decently lively, knowledgable staff, great beer selection. Centrally located. Mere one block from the homeless shelter in case shit gets real!

I have walked by this place about a thousand times since I first moved to Calgary and only recently visited for a meeting. I never knew what it was called, for some reason I thought it was Buzzards or something like that.
They have a fairly great selection of beer, even if I don’t drink it, there are some brands I know people love that aren’t at just every restaurant.
They do a draw before Flames games too where the winner gets two free beers, transport to the Saddledome, 2 tickets to a Flames game, then transport back and some snacks for after the game. That’s a pretty compelling reason to come here for Flames games!
Our server was very friendly, not many of us were ordering much, as it was just a meeting we were there for, but she didn’t make a big deal about it and stayed consistently friendly. It has an interesting layout, with lots of walls between sections of the restaurant, which is nice for meetings or just for some sound barrier between sections.
Watch the step up and down in the girls bathroom. The stalls are also tiny! But overall, I think it’s a great after work hangout spot and the service was great.

We decided on BSB for dinner before the Flames game, our friends wanted to try somewhere we haven’t been yet and my beer enthusiast boyfriend was up for it.
My girlfriend and I arrived first, and were a bit confused — do we seat ourselves? It’s a pub but there was a hostess stand (but no one was there). We asked a passing waitress and she said we could seat ourselves, so we settled ourselves into a booth near the door. Our waitress approached right away, food and drink menus in hand and told us the specials.
My boyfriend and my girlfriend’s hubby arrived shortly after, and our waitress was quick to get their drink orders and our food orders once everyone had a chance to look over the menus. The guys ordered the Buzzard’s burger, I went with the Bill’s style wings and my girlfriend got the Apple & Brie chicken sandwich.
All the food arrived pretty quick, and it all looked delish. The burgers came on a pretzel bun, and I had a bite and the ground prime rib patty was moist and flavored really well. My wings were breaded and baked, but crispy as if they were deep fried! They were meaty and the sauce was savory — a unique teriyaki with a kick. I didn’t get a chance to try the Apple & Brie chicken, but my girlfriend finished it off so I’m guess it was pretty good!
This was a great first experience, there were some things on the menu I definitely want to try (bison burger and bacon wrapped meatloaf) so we’ll be back.
The only downside — they don’t take debit for payment, there’s a ATM but. .. that’ll just cost ya

*** WARNING ***
Do not read if you plan on eating. And if you do plan on eating, don’t eat here.
***
I’ve been to Bottlescrew Bill’s a few times over the years. I’ve never ordered food, since the menu isn’t particularly veg-​friendly. But, I’ve always been down to grab a pint or a hi-​ball here at the beginning of an evening. I think at some point, I even got one of their passports for their «Around The World in 80 Beers» challenge.
(I’m more vodkally-​inclined, so I only got 4 stamps in my passport.)
So, for the reasons above, I continued to drop in at least once a year, and in my eyes; Bottlescrew Bill’s was a solid three stars. And, it was why I had no problem accompanying a friend here last night for a couple of drinks, while we caught up and tried to decide what else to do that evening.
After scanning the menu briefly, I opted for marshmallow sodas and an order of yam fries; asking for hot sauce and ketchup, rather than the chipotle mayo sauce as I usually do, since mayo isn’t vegan. The waitress never bothered to mention to me that a serving of Frank’s Red Hot (which is what the hot sauce tasted like) was going to cost extra, and I assumed that only shady restaurants that enjoy nickle-​and-​diming applied that sort of practice, so I never asked.
When the fries arrived; I got no napkins, enough Frank’s Red Hot to last me a week and no ketchup. She assured me it was coming. Ten minutes later, the ketchup bottle arrived, and attempts to actually extract any from the bottle without utensils or anywhere to actually dispense it in to were pretty thorny.
After finally getting a microscopic amount out of the bottle and in to a small sea of Frank’s, the fries were lukewarm. The fries also probably had enough grease to wring out in to the gas tank and make the twenty-​minute drive home. This is probably due to the fact that rather than drain the fries prior to plating, the cook just dumped them straight in to the bowl. Still, I hate wasting food, so I managed to put a quarter of the bowl’s contents away before that sick-​feeling from too much oil started making me feel queasy. I excused myself to the bathroom, and patted my face down with an oil-​blotting sheet so that I could stop feeling like I needed to scrub my face down with acne wash and a loofah.
After I came back, and the waitress asked how we were doing, my friend mentioned to her that the fries were ridiculously greasy and would it be possible to get a fresh batch. I was already feeling pretty sick at that point, so I talked him out of it. The waitress offered some sort of discount on the fries as an apology, since even if we were to get a fresh batch of fries — apparently the cook was refusing to drain them and we would get the same thing anyway — so, we agreed just so we could get out of there. When she came back, the fries had indeed been discounted at 20% off, which saved us $ 1.60. But then there was a $ 1 surcharge on the hot sauce for the fries, which I thought to be absolutely ridiculous.
My friend didn’t see what the problem was, because he thought that the waitress had been nice. And I agree, she was nice to talk to. But from a service point of view, she was pretty lack-​luster. She was nowhere to be seen, when a drunk customer sitting at a nearby table fell out of her chair with her feet pointing toward the ceiling. She served us the Exxon Valdez of Fries and didn’t bother to get us napkins, and then she tacked on a $ 1 surcharge for hot sauce.
I’m sorry, is there an old Grandma in the back, lovingly stirring a vat full of an old family recipe handed down from generation to generation, after being carried here on the back of a donkey from the weeping hills of Sicily by a blind man?
No, you just dumped a week’s worth of Frank’s in a disposable dipping container.
If the surcharge had been the only issue of the evening, I would have probably maintained that this was still a three star establishment (since you can’t rate someone 2.25 stars).
But then, later on that night, the fries started to make their second appearance. At a public bathroom. If I was a disgusting sort, I would have taken a picture of them in the toilet, because after puking up fries and bile; you know what was sitting on top of the vomit?
A LAYER OF OIL.
Those fries haunted me three more times that evening.

First off, this is the restaurant half of a brewpub, so depending on how you approach it, if you see a sign for Bottlescrew Bill’s, you’re in the right place. While the bulk of the fare is pub classics like steak and burgers, the menu shows some aspiration to be more gastropub-​like, which is all the rage these days. Signs of this are putting the bison burger on a pretzel bun, having a boar meatloaf with dried cherries, and throwing in a few Indian favorites such as korma and butter chicken. Mercifully, these additions are few enough that the kitchen could actually pull it off (as opposed to places with 100 item menus, which almost always disappoint).
Unfortunately, they were out of boar (at 4:30pm), while both the burger and korma were prepared without any particular care or flare, white geometric plates notwithstanding. The food isn’t bad, it’s just at the level you’d expect from a pub, so despite the loftier intentions of the menu, Buzzard’s gets three stars for execution.

I brought the BF here for so we can try a bunch of different kind of beers. (Beer is his thing) And we both were not disappointed!
We had the sonoma antijito to start which is (cream cheese, spinach & bell peppers baked in a flour tortilla with lime-​cilantro sour cream & avocado) To start. It was delicious!
Then for our mains I had the Apple & Brie Chicken sandwich — the quailty was amazing, the flavours mixed very well. He had the Wild boar meatloaf which was savory and moist.
Overall we were very happy with the food which seemed to be at a bistro level — great beer selection too!