Paper Lantern

Cocktail bar · Chinatown

Paper Lantern

Cocktail bar · Chinatown

2

115 2 Ave SE Basement, Calgary, AB T2G 0B2, Canada

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Highlights

Cozy Chinatown speakeasy serving vibrant Vietnamese small plates and artful cocktails with a retro vibe and welcoming feel.  

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115 2 Ave SE Basement, Calgary, AB T2G 0B2, Canada Get directions

paperlantern.ca
@paperlanternyyc

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115 2 Ave SE Basement, Calgary, AB T2G 0B2, Canada Get directions

+1 403 457 7765
paperlantern.ca
@paperlanternyyc

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Jul 30, 2025

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The 38 Best Restaurants in Calgary, Canada - Eater

"This lively basement speakeasy in Calgary’s Chinatown whisks guests away to Hoi An, Vietnam, with worn window shutters and fabric lanterns. That’s where owners Nhi Tran and Tanner Ennis gathered inspiration before opening for business. The food, prepared by Tran’s mother, includes less common Vietnamese dishes such as banh xeo and bo luc lac (shaken beef). A nice touch to the menu here is an option for diners to have “what the kitchen is having” on any given night, which can lead to plenty of delicious surprises. [$$-$$$]" - Dan Clapson

https://www.eater.com/maps/best-restaurants-calgary
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SHAD'S & CELIA'S BIG TRIP TO CALGARY TO VISIT ME
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Andy Chiang

Google
I think this place is really hit and miss depending on the audience and your expectations. For me, it was a hit. I enjoyed the retro Asian restaurant vibes and the “hidden” element of being a speakeasy style restaurant/bar. The place apparently does get busy, but we went early on a Friday and there were maybe 3 tables there. I would still recommend a reservation just to make sure and that way you don’t have to think about whether or not you’ll get in. Their drinks were well crafted and had unique spins to them. I appreciate the attempt to try something different as that’s what makes cocktails fun. The food was okay, good for snacks, but not really a dinner spot I would say. Only real complaint I have is that things can take a while, including both food and drink. Come and stay for the retro feel and the unique drinks.

Anton S.

Google
Speakeasy bar in chinatown. Not difficult to find though. Friendly staff Atmosphere is very casual and simple interior. The bar counter seating is nice. Decent cocktail selection. The Plum God cocktail is an interesting twist to a Manhattan. Presentation is very basic

Cami Liu

Google
It was a Friday evening, we visited this bar with a reservation for 5 PM. While it wasn’t crowded when we arrived, the staff later informed us that there were bookings coming up, so I’d definitely recommend making a reservation in advance. The bar is located in a basement, creating a dimly lit, cozy atmosphere perfect for unwinding. The drinks, although served in smaller portions, were flavorful and satisfyingly strong. As someone who loves sour flavors, I particularly enjoyed the Plum God—its tartness was just right for my taste. On the food side, the Beef Carpaccio stood out for me. The tangy-sweet sauce paired beautifully with the tender, juicy slices of raw beef, making it a refreshing and delightful dish. The service was also worth noting. The staff were friendly and attentive, offering helpful suggestions on food and drink pairings. Overall, this bar is an excellent spot for a relaxed evening, whether you’re there for the drinks, the food, or the inviting ambiance. Highly recommend :)

cobalt blue

Google
Banana old fashioned, Marinated beef skewers, Bành Xèo. I loved the banana old fashioned!!!! It’s so cool. Honestly the whole holiday menu is really fascinating! I also got to try the pandan painkiller and it’s so well! I 100% am in support of the beef skewers, the marinade is so delicious. Also enjoyed the crispy crepes! Would go again to try the holiday menu!

manavdeep mehta

Google
very speakeasy vibes. casual affair with decent sitting space. service was excellent and very quick. great food options to choose from. drinks are very unique and tropical forward.

Alicia G

Google
I was visiting from Edmonton and decided to check out the restaurant. This place is a speakeasy, the ambience is relaxed and warm so I felt comfortable enough to ask the server (white make with curly hair) his recommendation for a “fun drink”, he gave me the worst eye roll and asked what I meant. Hello? Your style cocktails are ABSOLUTELY for FUN. My friend and I ordered a few plates to share, I asked for the chicken wings to be salted with regular salt and not shrimp salt as I have formed a new allergy to shrimp shell. I explained that I don’t know why but I cannot tolerate any shells. He comes back and tells me we ordered something else with shrimp so what kind of allergy could it be? He had a crap attitude and very argumentative. Overall it was an awful experience, food was fine, the other customers were much more pleasant than your staff. Please get your staff in check, two Vietnamese women trying to enjoy cultural comfort foods should not be asked so rudely if “we know how to eat that” by a white man.

Ariana

Google
The only redeemable quality about this place was the skewers we tried, which even then were incredibly small and expensive for the size. The drinks tasted like straight liquor, and it was overall not a great place. The vibe wasn’t amazing either, decor was lame and it was just a weird place to go. Wouldn’t recommend.

Michelle S

Google
The server made our entire group feel very uncomfortable and judged the entire visit. He kept rolling his eyes as we looked at the menu and had a very snobby attitude towards any questions we had about the menu. If you’re looking to experience Vietnamese culture in a welcoming atmosphere, I would not recommend coming here because you’ll just get judged the minute you walk in. Any restaurant in Chinatown will give you a better experience than this place.
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Jennifer R.

Yelp
This is a cute place to grab drinks and have a little bite. We enjoyed the food and atmosphere. Everything we tried was great- you can't go wrong.
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Shelvey T.

Yelp
So happy we tried this establishment during our visit to Calgary. I loved the Asian inspired drinks and bar snacks. We even tried the dessert soup (che) and was very impressed. Great service and soundtrack. Brought me back!

Raisin B.

Yelp
We were excited about this place on our recent trip to Calgary. We made a resy, planned our day around this meal, and came hungry. The food just didn't hit the mark - we ordered four items and only two were good and by good, I mean average. We ordered the spicy saucy wings which were amazing! So much so that we wished we had ordered the ordered the salt and pepper wings instead of the Crackling Salmon Spring rolls which had NO flavor or seasoning. NONE. For our mains, we got the Shaken Beef which was aight. And the Crispy Crepes which again had not one ounce of seasoning - no salt, no spices, no heat, no acid. NONE. All you could taste was egg and bean sprout. The drinks were great but we found the food to be so disappointing. The vibe and the decor here are amazing - it's got a speakeasy feel and you get the fusion of Vietnamese and Canadian culture in the decor. So go for the drinks but get your meal elsewhere.
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Samuel H.

Yelp
This place is hands down one of the undisputed gems of Calgary! Maybe you've heard of this place by word of mouth, on the internet, or just happened to wonder what that red lantern in the window actually is. This speak easy has to be one of the truest hidden gems of Calgary. The owner and his wife are incredibly nice. The chef is their mother, so this is as authentic as you can get. The food is out of this world. Truly this place is not rated highly enough. It's a little hard to find and there is no sign. All I'll say is look for the open sign, go down the stairs and through the door on the right. The rest is up to you. Just go here, do yourself a favor and go order food from this amazing place, enjoy the ambiance, and challenge the bartender to make you something good. Order drinks off menu, it's worth it. They are truly artists. Also all the food is amazing. Just everything is full of flavor.

Jay D.

Yelp
We were there for dinner. Vibe is great and the flavor are good. But if you don't enjoy load music, you shouldn't go there. Order a bo luc lac (rare beef) which come with rice and salad. The beef which are not even cubed but sliced and I swear, maximum 10 slice not long then 1inch. Order other items but not worth mentioning. Portion is ridiculously small for the price. The Go there for the ambiance but not for food. Our bill was over $60 and had to find food elsewhere. If you enjoy Vietnamese food, find a Vietnamese restaurant as the food is fairly typical. Else, plan to spend $$$$ to get a descent meal.
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Caroline P.

Yelp
The boys and I wandered in on Canada Day, not knowing what to expect. We were pleasantly surprised -- this is a nice speakeasy cocktail bar(which is open until midnight on stat holidays or 1:00am on regular nights) with unique cocktails like pandan and minty pina coladas. The Vietnamese food is served tapas style; our pork belly skewers, rice noodles, and shaken beef were delicious and seasoned perfectly! The area is clean and the patrons were a mixed crowd (dating couples to larger groups of eight). Although I didn't care much for the loud rap music (which included f bombs and n - words), we had a memorable experience in this hidden spot.
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Leslie P.

Yelp
Exclusive vibes and ambiance. Local gem. We went Saturday at 10pm and our server was fantastic! Food tasted authentic & homey. Plates are small, so prepare to order multiple. Hidden away but worth the find! Favorite menu item: Chicken Curry Least favorite: Crispy Crepes
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Emily L.

Yelp
I saw this posted on instagram on curiosity calgary. I followed them to see the spots I should not miss on my trip to calgary. I love speakeasies and this was right up my alley. I am Vietnamese myself and I will say this is the first of its kind that I know of. I was able to get a last minute reservation for a Saturday. The place is truly a speak easy and easy to find thanks to other yelpers. I got literally everything on the menu. Everything here is sooooo cute. They nailed it! The decor was everything to me. The ao dais, the calendar, coconut milk and more! So much detail in such a small space. The drinks were super unique! I tried the : one month, a cognac based drink, and the cinnamon is almost silentg Pandan pain killer - not much pandan which I was sad Trader Vic Mai Tai - Delicious Banana Old Fashioned - Unique old fashion drink. I was not a fan. Cuong Thi - I honestly didn't even know this was the word for zombie hahah. This drink was delicious! Strong and very unique in flavor Diem Huyet - Prob the best drink I tried. Definitely strong. Con Chim - Another delicious drink. I am a ducker for lychee. That's all you need to know Penicillin Fizz - my bf got this one. He loves johnnie walker. This was a nice off setting drink Passionfruit Paloma - They did a really good job with this drink! Not your average paloma. BETTER. I even got some banh tom, canh ga chien, and what's the kitchen having (which was a noodle soup). Good, but not amazing to what I'm used to having in the San Francisco Bay Area. I wish I have something like this back at home, but a girl can keep dreaming!
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Elizabeth C.

Yelp
A welcoming and intimate spot that is indisputably cool but in no way pretentious. The cocktails are fun and the menu has items that you might not find at your regular neighborhood Vietnamese spot. I recommend visiting with a group so that you can try several things and share.

Ashlee O.

Yelp
The cutest speakeasy vibe + Vietnamese restaurant with Flo Rida playlist. Such a fun atmosphere. The drinks are strong and well balanced. The Shaken Beef was our favorite. Our server was so friendly and we had the best time!
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Victor P.

Yelp
Their small shared plates, especially the skewers, are delicious, but the cocktails and the ambience make the place memorable. It's unmarked and in the basement of a nondescript building in Chinatown, so it's hard to find if you don't know where it is. Once you enter, it's as if you've gone through a portal into a hidden world.
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Raveena B.

Yelp
This is a new restaurant/bar "speakeasy" with VERY affordable prices and great food and drinks. The plates are small and inexpensive enough to eat by yourself and are pretty worth for the prices. If you use google maps, it'll lead you to the place. You just have to walk down the stairs, where you'll see a "You Are Here" sign and enter a rundown looking area with chairs. But the blue door on the left hand side is what you open to go into the cocktail lounge. FOOD Pork Belly Bánh Mì (pretty good! But I wish they had more Thai chilli peppers to give it that kick) Mango Salad Bowl (good but would've like a Thai chilli kick with it too) DRINKS Mai Tai (really good!) Saigon Sling (it's like a cherry white claw except with more alcohol = YUMMY) This place is known as a cocktail lounge so it's gotta have great drinks (and it did!). From the food, you can't go wrong with a banh mi and from the drinks menu, you can't go wrong with anything. All of this amounted to about $42 which if you think about it, adds up to a lot for one person. However, each item was worth the price and small enough to fill one person. I would still get two drinks (as their menu is quite extensive) and 2 appetizers. You can always share if you're not hungry though. All in all, this place was great for both food and drink and I would definitely go back a second time now that I know where to go!
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Michael M.

Yelp
Hard to find but dang, great spot! Love the atmosphere and build of the place. Attentive and knowledgeable staff. I highly recommend the paralyzing touch cocktail and pork belly Vietnamese sub. Dang tasty. Will definitely go back!

Brittany C.

Yelp
Great atmosphere, great food, great service. The cocktails have interesting and fresh ingredients and are well crafted. The bartenders know what they're doing and clearly the kitchen does too. An absolute gem in Calgary.
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Christine L.

Yelp
Affordable prices, the cutest underground Vietnamese lounge, and yummy bar snacks! What else could you want? This is something Chinatown needed - a hip bar/lounge. Loved my pina colada, the 90's R&B music/traditional Vietnamese music in the washrooms, the break even shot, and the food. You must try the pork belly, shrimp and pineapple stir fry. When I visited, staff were diligent in cleaning and maintaining COVID-19 safety precautions in regards to spacing.

Keith J.

Yelp
This place was suggested to us as by a waiter at a another restuarant we enjoyed as his locals favorite. Since our hotel was close to Chinatown we checked it out. Wow. We had an amazing meal and really creative delicious cocktails. I wouldn't change a thing. Will be a must do for us every time we go back to Calgary.
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Emy P.

Yelp
Lovely and dark spot. It's a bit hard to find at first but when you discover it, you'll understand. It's a cute little speakeasy place located in a basement. Food and cocktails are delicious and very special. We ate there once and took out some food as well. Best banh mi and wings in town. Will go back!
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Phil B.

Yelp
OMG I can't even tell you how much fun I had here last night. The food was extraordinary (we ate SO many pork belly skewers) and the drinks were delicious and POWERFUL (beware the Saturn which goes down like fizzy lemonade and makes you crave another). But also the entire staff was fun and kind and welcoming. I loved every moment I was there. Going back as soon as I can!

Svea F.

Yelp
Amazing spot. Excellent food and cocktails, we had such a great experience here. Service was so friendly and fast, cool and casual atmosphere. 10/10 recommend and we'll definitely be back! Cocktails favourites were the Asparagus Pina and the White Lily. We tried tons of the food, highlights were Bahn Xeo (my fave), salad rolls and pineapple stir fry. YUM!