Italy is a country of breathtaking beauty, both the land and the people. It is this beauty that is the inspiration for Bonterra, a lively and spirited Italian Trattoria.
Chef Glen Manzer prepares contemporary Italian fare with the emphasis on simple, fresh ingredients with an exciting twist. Experience the passions of Italy in our casual dining room, on our breathtaking Tuscan terrace, or in the Wine Room for a more private event.
Our vibrant cuisine perfectly reflects the passions, style, and gusto that is the hallmark the Italian way of life.
"Bonterra gives an incredible eating experience. It is all about service and customer satisfaction. Most of the restaurants in Calgary think this is unimportant. At Bonterra, your water glass is never empty and your server is always at your side. Great eating experience!!!!!"
Dined on 6/14/2013
2012
Special Features: good for groups, neighborhood gem
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"The food & service will bring you back. It is too noisy to be romantic, but would be great for small friendly groups. We will definitely go there again."
Dined on 6/13/2013
2013
Special Features: good for groups, great for outdoor dining, notable wine list
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"The food was delicious. I couldn't get over how good it tasted. The portions were a tad small but it wasn't expensive for the quality you get. You'd expect to pay double elsewhere for the same food and portions.
It was really busy so you'd assume they'd have more servers on deck. But, they only had 2 servers for what had to be over 50 people. We were forgotten a few times and it took a while for us to receive anything, including the attention of the server. Not her fault, she was serving so many tables.
All in all, a good experience."
Dined on 6/12/2013
2012
Special Features: fit for foodies, great for outdoor dining, special occasion
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"Our server Michelle provided outstanding service throughout the evening. She was helpful, courteous and attentive; making wine selection recommendations to pair with our meals. Even though the restaurant was very busy, her experience showed by the unwavering service. Our dinner selections were perfectly prepared and very delicious. We will be back for another great dining out experience."
Dined on 6/12/2013
2012
Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, great for outdoor dining, romantic, notable wine list, special occasion
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"Exceptional starters. Try the octopus! and the wild boar carbonara. Found the mains to be very good but not quite up to what we started with. Still a wonderful meal all in all."
Dined on 6/10/2013
2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, notable wine list
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"Bonterra needs to offer more gluten free dishes. It was agonizing to see the delicious puffy focacia is being passed around and have nothing to nibble on. As well, they need a gluten free pizza. Care bakeries makes a delicious crust that we enjoy regularly at Una Pizza. Bonterras gluten free pasta is divine."
Dined on 6/03/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, great for outdoor dining, romantic
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"The restaurant is like we stepped into Italy or Spain. It is beautiful. The menu was simple but everything that we had was delicious. We had 2 appetizers, Zuppa with fennel and apple was amazing. My husband had the carbonara and he was very impressed. At the end of the night we had the Taramazu and it never let us down. It was one of our best meals for a long time. We will definitely return."
Dined on 6/01/2013
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"It's the paring too. Our server did a great job of talking to us about the options from the fairly extensive by-the-glass wine list, providing samples, etc. A nice way to take your mind off the cares of the day."
Dined on 5/31/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, notable wine list
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"Great place and restaurant, a bit outside normal restaurant area in Calgary. One of my favourite Italians in Calgary. Typical Italian dishes and great wine list. Unfortunately they serve red wines to warm and pre-chilling is recommended."
Dined on 5/29/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, great for brunch, notable wine list, kid-friendly, romantic, great for lunch, special occasion
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"I am been frequenting Bonterra for years with family and friends, and continue to enjoy the quality of the food, great wine list, creativity of chefs, and the warm and friendly service."
Dined on 5/27/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, great for outdoor dining, romantic, notable wine list, hot spot, great for lunch, special occasion
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"We went to Bonterra for my mother in law's 60th birthday and weren't disappointed. I had read great reviews and they were true. We were on the patio which was very lovely. Food was fantastic, we shared multiple dishes. Great wine list as well. Tiramisu for dessert was best I've had. Will definitely return for a date night."
Dined on 5/18/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, great for outdoor dining, romantic, neighborhood gem, special occasion
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Review 25 for Bonterra Trattoria
Overall rating
(Outstanding)5/5
Lucky to have Balcony Seating
OpenTable Diner
Dined on 5/17/2013
Food
(Outstanding)5/5
Service
(Very Good)4/5
Ambiance
(Outstanding)5/5
Noise Level
Moderate
"weather was decent and balcony was heated - very lovely atmosphere on the roof.
food was delicious and there were lots of appealing menu options. Server recommended a great wine after narrowing down a few options for us. Cost was appropriate for the food quality/experience we were receiving.
Only complaint (which is minor given it was a busy friday night) was that our server did not refill our wine/water glasses.
I would recommend this restaurant to everyone."
Dined on 5/17/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, great for outdoor dining, notable wine list, romantic, scenic view, late-night find, neighborhood gem, great for lunch, special occasion
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"We were given a gift certificate to this restaurant and several of our friends have raved to us about the restaurant. While it was nice and the food was very good, we just didn't feel that it was for us. For the price of the meal, I would have expected a little nicer ambiance. Others would probably disagree, but that was our experience."
Dined on 5/13/2013
Special Features: notable wine list
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"Service was incredibly slow. Took forever just to get a salad with chicken. If you want a 3 hour dining experience go here. Food was subpar. Very limited menu options. Would rather go to the Olive Garden."
Dined on 5/10/2013
Special Features: romantic
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"During all our previous visits, we enjoyed our food choices, the relaxed ambience and good service. On this visit, our waitress informed us that the menu was new, and I struggled to find items that I wanted to try. The pasta I ordered had an okay flavour, but the bacon hadn't been cooked well so large chunks of fat remained, and the roasted chicken was undercooked. My husband's linguini with clams was too salty. The white chocolate cheesecake was dry, and the mild white chocolate flavour was overpowered by the berry and lemon sauces it was served on. Ambience, of course, hadn't changed, and the service was good. It'll be awhile before we return."
Dined on 5/04/2013
Special Features: great for outdoor dining
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"I had been wanting to try Bonterra for a while now and just hadn't been able to make it work. I booked a lunch with some clients who work in the area and we were not disappointed. We were all very pleased with our lunches. I had the gnocchi and it was delicious. The gnocchi were light and fluffy, not overly heavy and filling. The mixture of flavours in the sauce was perfect. I'm not generally an olive guy, but the olives in the sauce provided just the right amount of saltiness to the dish. I will definitely have to go back when I have more time to sit and enjoy the surroundings and the wine list! The patio wasn't open yet when we were there, but I hear it is one of the best in town."
Dined on 5/02/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, romantic, great for lunch, special occasion
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"From the time we walked into Bonterra from the back entrance we were made feel welcome. We needed an early night because of an extremely early flight the next morning and were surprised to get a table on OpenTable just 45minutes prior. Our Waiter was pleasant attentive but not intrusive and it was easy to maintain a private conversation. We both had halibut which was pan fried perfectly and special mention to the gnocchi dish we shared. We will absolutely return and recommend it enthusiastically ."
Dined on 5/03/2013
Special Features: great for outdoor dining, romantic, neighborhood gem
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"This was our first visit to Bonterra, and we will definitely return. The atmosphere was warm and there was a large retirement party that added to a vibrant atmosphere. The menu is not extensive, but it is changed regularly depending on what is in season. The vegetables are cooked perfectly and the different items on our plates had separate and very interesting tastes. The servers helped with our dinner selections and we were completely satisfied. Did not have dessert as the meal and a salad beforehand left no room."
Dined on 24/04/2013
2011
Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, romantic, special occasion
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"New menu, same high quality food and good service, spot we had was a little tight for private conversation. Will return to explore menu a bit more..."
Dined on 13/04/2013
2012
Special Features: fit for foodies
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"Thanks so much to the staff at Bonterra. Fantastic food, a great room and it was easy to tell our waiter enjoyed his job. Took a date there Sunday evening and despite the fact that we lingered well passed their closing time, they where very good about it. If you like a warm inviting room, friendly respectful staff minus pretentiousness and great authentic Italian cuisine try Bonterra!"
Dined on 14/04/2013
2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, notable wine list, romantic
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"We were pleasantly surprised by the decor of the restaurant once we stepped in the door. From the outside, it is hard to judge what it looks like inside. I loved the high ceilings and rich ambiance of the restaurant. Our servers were all friendly, welcoming and helpful. The food was high quality. Would recommend Bonterra Trattoria to anyone who wants to eat excellent Italian food."
Dined on 09/04/2013
2008
Special Features: fit for foodies, romantic, special occasion, hot spot
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"The group really enjoyed the food and the service. we will be comong back in the future.
Keep up the good work."
Dined on 09/04/2013
2013
Special Features: vibrant bar scene, good for groups, great for brunch, late-night find, notable wine list, romantic, special occasion, great for lunch
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"What an amazing experience. It was my 20th wedding anniversary and I couldn't picked up a better place. Although I wasn't fortunate to use the patio due to weather but will dedinitely go again. Food was yummylicious. Very intriguiing and I can tell that chef wanted to experiement as each bite had a different kick to it."
Dined on 08/04/2013
2013
Special Features: vibrant bar scene, late-night find, romantic
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"Definately want to go back to try the patio. We were there early - when we were leaving it definately changed and seemed more energenic. Would also like to come back at a later time as well.
But for this time liked that fact that it was quieter and seemed romantic - which is what we were wanting for this date."
Dined on 06/04/2013
2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, notable wine list, romantic, special occasion
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"Bonterra is an incredible Italian restaurant from start to finish, much deserving of its recent title of "Best Italian" in Calgary as per Avenue Magazine.
We shared their olive appetizer which was delicious, followed by the veal meatballs which were out of this world - a must try.
For our mains, we had the Ravioli al Manza and the braised lamb shank.
The pasta was incredible, served with a velvety rich porcini cream sauce. To call the lamb shank "fall off the bone" is an understatement. It literally melted in our mouths.
We finished the meal with a well presented and balanced pistachio panna cotta for desert.
Needless to say Bonterra Trattoria is top-notch and a must try."
Dined on 31/03/2013
2009
Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, notable wine list, romantic, special occasion, great for lunch
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