Remembering this place from one of our guided Calgary Ghost tours, a friend and I decided to grab a quick lunch here. It's built in the old Molson TD bank - most of the original decor (like the mosaic floor) are still present and the Victorian feel gives this place a cozy feel.
Since there was a conference going on, a lot of the restaurants down Stephen Ave were pretty busy - including James Joyce. Luckily we were able to snag a seat, unfortunately it was on the corner of the bar inside.
I understand that it was busy, but it was about 15 mins before our drink orders were taken. I scanned the menu, nothing really caught my eye and we both settled on the Halibut and chips (you can't go wrong with fried food right?).
Our food actually came out fairly quickly and it looked tasty. The coleslaw was pretty awesome (house made sauce) and the cabbage was still crisp. The halibut was nice and flaky and really, you can't screw up fries.
I wouldn't mind coming back and sitting on the patio on a sunny afternoon, I don't think the busy conference gave them a fair chance to shine.