Plan Your Visit
Make a Night of It
In the centre of it all, Arts Commons is surrounded by restaurants, galleries, and other attractions to make your visit to Arts Commons a night to remember.
Food and Drink
Arts Commons bars and Cravings Café
Each venue in Arts Commons is equipped with a bar that serves alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, coffee, and snacks. Drinks are permitted in all Arts Commons venues.
PLEASE NOTE: We have transitioned all venues, excluding the Max Bell Theatre, to cashless transactions only in our continued efforts to improve your experience and increase speed of service.
Cravings Bistro is located at Centre Court in Arts Commons. View their menu here.
Local bars and restaurants
Arts Commons is surrounded by a variety of great locally run restaurants and bars for every budget and every palate.
- Cravings Bistro - Located right inside Arts Commons, the Bistro offers a fun, informal atmosphere with wine, tapas, gourmet thin-crust pizza, and more to kick off or cap your evening.
- Centini - Italian meat, seafood & pasta dishes, plus wine, served in a contemporary, white-tablecloth space.
- CHARCUT Roast House - Buzzy, rustic-chic steakhouse with a farm-to-table focus, a beer steward & house-butchered fare.
- Chocoland- Late night dessert shop that doubles as a shisha bar. The new destination for your favourite chocolate dips, crapes, waffles, milkshakes, and more.
- James Joyce Pub - Irish pub offering varied pub fare, draft brews & cocktails, served in a historic building with vintage decor & a patio.
- Onyx Restaurant & Cafe - Located on the corner of MacLeod Trail North and 8th Avenue, Onyx Restaurant & Cafe offers everything from a quick latte, to a fine dining experience.
- Rosso Coffee Roasters - Casual local chain roasting & brewing their own coffee plus baked goods, sandwiches & sweets.
- Teatro - Refined eatery serving seasonal Mediterranean fare & global wines in a circa-1911 bank building.
- Thompsons - Sophisticated restaurant located in the Hyatt Regency, with a local, sustainable focus, serving contemporary Canadian meals.
- Wednesday Room - Hip 1960s-style cocktail lounge with small plates made for sharing.
Surrounding Area
Located in the heart of the cultural district, in downtown Calgary.
Arts Commons takes up an entire city block, between 9th avenue and 8th avenue SE. We are adjacent to Olympic Plaza to the north, west of City Hall, and located on Stephen Avenue Walk, Calgary’s original entertainment and commercial district and the city's only pedestrian mall. Stephen Avenue is lined with some of the best shopping, restaurants, pubs and bars, and you will often encounter public art, live performances, buskers, festivals, and more. Some of the nearby attractions include:
Free Things to Do
Arts Commons is a gateway and a destination for enjoying the city without putting a dent in your wallet.
- Arts Commons Visual and Media Arts Galleries - Arts Commons is proud to showcase the beautiful and thought provoking works of highly talented local and national visual and media artists. Walk through our doors and encounter installations, exhibitions, and artists at work, whatever time you visit. Free to the public.
- Central Public Library - Worth visiting just for its architectural beauty. Or get a library card and gain access to the free programming available every day of the week.
- Wonderland Sculpture - Located in front of The Bow office tower, which is a 158,000 square meter building and the second tallest office tower in the city, this stunning and unique bent-wire girl's head sculpture can be found on many an Instagram feed.
- Public Art Tour - Around downtown Calgary and beyond, you will find murals and sculptures created by local artists.
Get the Inside Scoop
Sign up for Spotlight, our monthly newsletter, and you'll be among the first to learn about the latest performances, events, and updates at Arts Commons - plus you'll get neat behind-the-scenes looks at how, and who, makes it all happen. We're biased, but we think it's pretty cool.
