Bolero on MacLeod

[nj2Type-S]

has anyone been to bolero on macleod trail yet? i've been hearing great things about this place but i would like to hear some of your guys' opinion. thanks!

[Masked Bandit]

I have not been but it's my cousin's newest favourite spot and he and his wife eat out A LOT!

He says it's not cheap but he loves the concept. It probably helps that he is a big eater too. With that said though, his wife is 5 foot nothing, 100 lbs soaking wet and she still enjoys it as well.

I'm taking the wife there the next time we get out.

[asuth077]

It is a very popular place around my office, only heard good things!

[gofastmerc]

I been there.

If you love meat, and lots of it, its your place. They do have other stuff, and it good too.


:thumbsup:

[nj2Type-S]

is it only an all-you-can-eat spot or are there menus, too? my wife doesn't really have a huge appetite, haha.

[MintRacer]

Originally posted by gofastmerc
I been there.

If you love meat, and lots of it, its your place. They do have other stuff, and it good too.


:thumbsup:
+1

[buh_buh]

I've been there.
Its not bad, but I wouldn't say its that great either. Its a good concept, but there are some things they could improve on. I'd say its worth checking out for $35, but I don't know if I'd go back.

its sort of an all you can eat meat plus a salad bar (which isn't all that great anyway). I say sort of because they get you to try every type of meat, but once your through, they don't really bring any more around to your table (even when you have that little green thing up). I was pretty full by the end of trying every type, but I could've eaten more if I really wanted to stuff myself, but they didn't even give me that opportunity.

[D'z Nutz]

It's not bad, but ugh! so much meat! The pineapple thing's really good and I'm someone who HATES pineapple.

[HybridTheory]

Originally posted by D'z Nutz
It's not bad, but ugh! so much meat! The pineapple thing's really good and I'm someone who HATES pineapple.

:werd: The roasted pineapple is damn good

I've been there once. I think the concept is pretty cool. But you definitely have to be in a meat eating mood to fully enjoy it. The hot and cold buffet is ok, but nothing exceptional. It's worth a try for 35 bucks.

[fcuk_it]

that place is awesome... im a regular customer there... haha but you gotta go with ppl who EAT!!! otherwise its a waste of money

[Kritafo]

just had our 13th Anniversary dinner at Bolero....think I am going to vomit.. I had meat, meat and more meat..

It was fantastic though...it was a lot of fun. I am so happy we went. We got in without reservations..by the skin of our teeth. They wouldn't take reservations so they told us to get down there for 5 pm. We had the table until 7:15 which was just enough time. I loved loved loved the pineapple and the bacon wrapped chicken..and the grilled veggies....and the fillet mignon..

:drool: :drool:

[Xtrema]

Food: 8/10

Good food but choice of meat is just ok. I can BBQ at home with the same result. But there are lots of choice. Hot food tray is typical, same goes for the salad bar. Cocktail prawns are huge though.

Atmosphere: 9/10

Very well done. It's definitely some place to go for special occasions.

Service: 9/10

Green shirts are prompt and we were able to sample everything once in about an hour. And twice on some favorites. Waitress is great.

Pricing: 8/10

9 if you have a huge appetite. It's easy to stuff yourself with cheaper meat before Fillet Mignon comes around.

Overall, 9/10.

It's great of a party of 4 or more. It's very fun to try everything out. Just like AYCE places, not good for 1st date (or 1st few dates). But part of me rather pay another $20 and enjoy a great steak dinner at Caesar.

[Street_Soldier]

damn the pineapple is good. good but not 35 dollars good.

[Aleks]

Originally posted by Xtrema
Food: 8/10

Good food but choice of meat is just ok. I can BBQ at home with the same result. But there are lots of choice. Hot food tray is typical, same goes for the salad bar. Cocktail prawns are huge though.

Atmosphere: 9/10

Very well done. It's definitely some place to go for special occasions.

Service: 9/10

Green shirts are prompt and we were able to sample everything once in about an hour. And twice on some favorites. Waitress is great.

Pricing: 8/10

9 if you have a huge appetite. It's easy to stuff yourself with cheaper meat before Fillet Mignon comes around.

Overall, 9/10.

It's great of a party of 4 or more. It's very fun to try everything out. Just like AYCE places, not good for 1st date (or 1st few dates). But part of me rather pay another $20 and enjoy a great steak dinner at Caesar.

Caesar's :drool: :thumbsup:

[adam c]

Nelson.. take me there u ass!

[nj2Type-S]

lol, my family and i are going there this friday for my dad's 50th bday, hehe. i'm looking forward to it after your guys' replies... :drool:

[Kritafo]

We had a great time, Just don't fill up on the Salad bar stuff and just eat meat! haha! Oh...the Coconut rice sucked. ...and I recommend taking 2 plates from the salad bar..Keep a clean plate so when the grilled pineapple comes around you aren't eating pineapple with all the meat juices. ...

We had the chance to do some of the prime cuts several times in an hour. We passed on the chicken legs and stuff like that.

Man..I really enjoyed the Garlic Parmesan Pichana and the Alcatra..the fillet Mignon wasn't that great, but the rack of lamb was unbelievable last night.

I recommend that you go very hungry... and if your into eating fish and chicken..stay home.

The price okay...the food was okay but the experience was amazing. ..plus I love all the Gypsy King Music

[nj2Type-S]

ohhh, i'll be hungry all right, lol. i'll be heading over there after muay thai so i'll be famished, for sure, hahah.

[Kritafo]

I am missing Bolero this morning with Andrew and the BT Channel team, I suggested Bolero for the Buffet tour 2008 and had to cancel to take our new puppy to be spayed....

Mind you I don't think I could eat that kind of meat at 6:30 in the morning!

I love Bolero that is why I suggested it....it's a meat-extravaganza!

[Unknown303]

I was just watching it on BT as well and now i want to go! I've eaten there once and if you like meat this is the place for you.

One bit of advice is take it slow, or you'll be hurting.

[dino_martini]

I'll have to check it out.

[TrailBlazerSS]

First time we went it was a fun experience. Food was good and plentiful.

Second time we went with another couple and it seemed like every time they made their way to our table they would only have 1 slice of meat left. It was a little irritating to say the least.

Haven't been back since. There are so many great restaurants in Calgary at this price point, not sure if I'll be back to Bolero anytime soon.

[jadeboy]

Originally posted by Kritafo
just had our 13th Anniversary dinner at Bolero....think I am going to vomit.. I had meat, meat and more meat..

It was fantastic though...it was a lot of fun. I am so happy we went. We got in without reservations..by the skin of our teeth. They wouldn't take reservations so they told us to get down there for 5 pm. We had the table until 7:15 which was just enough time. I loved loved loved the pineapple and the bacon wrapped chicken..and the grilled veggies....and the fillet mignon..

:drool: :drool:

they don't take reservations?

[eb0i]

Originally posted by jadeboy


they don't take reservations?

I'm guessing she called the same day she wanted to go and they probably weren't taking anymore reservations. Otherwise they will take reservations if you call them with more advance notice.

[Kritafo]

yeah we have never had a problem making reservations. It must have been that they were booked already.

[foos_guy]

Do they have the same deal for lunch during the week or is it just a dinner thing?

[Kritafo]

Mon to Thur 5 pm - 9 pm, Fri to 10 pm, Sat 4:30 pm - 10 pm, Sun to 9 pm.

[foos_guy]

Thanks, Kritafo!

[badseed]

As far "Brazilian" BBQ goes, I don't think theres anything ethnic about it however for $35 bucks you get alot of meat. Def good value for your money and the meat is pretty good, side dishes are mediocre but like I said don't expect anyhing "Brazilian".

No Music, no authentic deserts but overall a good "BBQ" restaraunt. INO they shouldn't be calling it Brazilian bbq.

[a social dsease]

went there last night with 9 friends, all pretty big eaters. All I had to eat during the day was 3 eggs and a piece of toast. The reservation was for 7:30pm.
When we got there I didn't get any salad, just had meat. The food was very good, I really liked the bacon wrapped fillet mignon, the striploin, and the pineapple. I dont eat pork that often cause I think its too tough and chewy but the pork there was fantastic. One thing to note is that pretty much every meat (except the chicken) is cooked rare-medium rare. One slice of Pinanha I had was so blue it was cold in the middle. We asked the waiter about this and he said that sometimes people ask for well-done, but they usually only cook it rare so these folks are out of luck.
Only downside I saw was that they only had about 6-7 meat servers and the restaurant was pretty full. I guess they have some sort of rotation to make sure everyone gets a fair amount because we would have 4-5 dishes at our table within 2 minutes, and then nobody for 10-15 mins. Was kind of annoying when we first got there because we were so hungry, but once you start to get full then a break is nice.
All in all we were there for over 2 hours, most of the guys were full but a couple of us still wanted more. It looked like they were shuttin er down around 9:30, so we asked if they could bring out some more bacon wrapped filet mignon, but that never happened. Spent the last 15 minutes eating cheese and coconut rice from the salad bar and then left.

All said I thought it was good and would go back there. I would just go a bit earlier so that I could keep eating until I was 110% full, and I would go with less people (because often when they came to our table they would have less than enough for 10 people on the skewer).

[De Dutch]

Originally posted by badseed
As far "Brazilian" BBQ goes, I don't think theres anything ethnic about it however for $35 bucks you get alot of meat. Def good value for your money and the meat is pretty good, side dishes are mediocre but like I said don't expect anyhing "Brazilian".

No Music, no authentic deserts but overall a good "BBQ" restaraunt. INO they shouldn't be calling it Brazilian bbq.

I can only speak for what Ive been told, and a co-worker of mine is from Brazil (fairly recently), and she said the meats and style of cooking are pretty authentic. Im sure the hot/cold bar is a mix, but they even have some imported Brazilian soft drinks that she recommended. Either way, it is pretty delish.

[Kritafo]

Gaucho Brazilian Barbecue on Manchester Road, we are going to try this place in the next few weeks and see how it compares. John Gilchrist did a review in 2007 on it which is where the link will take you.

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/reallife/taste/story.html?id=ec6f1758-03b3-4e04-bbea-ad65e709e05c

[Isaiah]

Food: 9/10

I'm from Argentina, which is arguably home to the best BBQ in the world, and I thought the Bolero cuts were very high quality and well cooked. As previously mentioned, the grilled pineapple is dynamite.

The cold salad bar is small (compared to others such as Mother Tuckers) however they offer nice alternatives not found in your typical salad bar such as cocktail prawns, grilled eggplant, roasted peppers, heart of palm salad, and an assortment of cold cuts and cheeses. The hot buffet is decent but doesn't make or break the place.

Atmosphere: 9/10

Nice decor throughout with an upscale, yet comfortable ambiance. Bolero is certainly date worthy or suitable for special events but I wouldn't really recommend taking the kids.

Service: 10/10

Every visit has been very pleasant and the gauchos (green shirts that make the rounds with the meat servings) are plentiful. I like the idea of being able to moderate the level of service by flipping the multi-colored indicator to the appropriate side depending on whether you want to continue being served or prefer to take a breather.

Pricing: 8/10

I've certainly paid a lot more for a lot less at other restaurants. This place provides quantity and quality for a reasonable price and you can't beat the selection for the price. Unfortunately, their wine selection by the glass isn't the greatest and I did consider the wine a little overpriced considering what they were serving.

Overall, 9/10.

I've been there several times and have given gift cards to friends. I plan on returning soon. If you plan on going on a weekend, make rreservations well in advance or you may not get a seat.

[hoamic11]

Well I finally got a chance to go and try the infamous Bolero's out, on saturday night with a group of 8 and all I can say is wow, I think it was well worth the money for the food.

The service was great, and the meat selection was great, I only found some were too salty, but i loved the Bacon wrapped filet mignon and the roasted pineapple with carmel sauce, that was fantastic. And now i'm so up for going again.