Rest-o Stop
Did you know you can dine on deep-fried dill pickles at the Calgary Stampede this year? How about deep-fried Twinkies? Deep-fried jelly beans, deep-fried strawberry shortcake or deep-fried Oreos? Not to mention other indulgent dining options such as cheese-on-a-stick, or a hot-beef sundae.
Or you can consider hiking up the hill just north of the grounds (burn off that free pancake breakfast to make room) to a revitalised staple perched at the edge of the community of Ramsay for an old-fashioned meal.
This easy-to-spot shop (it has an ice-cream shaped neon sign), Pops Dairy Bar, has had an on-again, off-again relationship with the city since 1939. After a lunch-hour visit to the tiny 50’s style diner, we are all for a reconciliation.
Hot dogs, grilled cheese sandwiches (panini-style) on scrumptiously fresh baguette bread and freshly-squeezed lemonade are main course offerings. The Kids’ Dog is the perfect size for a five year-old, and the Cheddar and Onion Split Dog is enough to satisfy a mom-sized appetite.
The hard ice cream is made by MacKay’s in Cochrane and flavours revolve weekly (bubblegum and tiger tail are kid faves). We love the vanilla and Birch Beer floats made with Boylan Vintage Soda.
Soft ice-cream (from Foothills Creamery) options include shakes, sundaes (no beef here) and parfaits made with Ghirardelli chocolate.
Indoor seating is limited but there’s plenty of sidewalk café tables in shaded and gated garden areas. There’s also a grassy park across the street for picnic goers (don’t forget to bring a blanket to sit on).
Or, take your diner fare with you on your way to the Stampede gate (downhill) to enjoy music, the midway and the miniature donkey showcase (amongst other agricultural displays) with full bellies and satiated sugar cravings.
Pops Dairy Bar is only open while the sun shines and temperatures stay above the freezing line (think September) so take advantage of this Calgary mainstay before the frost hits.
Choose your treats carefully (and keep the required post-Stampede detox to a minimum). If you skip the deep-fried goodies and opt for real food at a real diner with real good service in your real cowboy hat, you’ll be in much better cowboy shape (yee haw).
Pops Dairy Bar
www.popsdairybar.ca
 |
Tested by Heather J., Jayden (8), Drew (5) & Elise (1), Calgary |  |