Chow Down in Cowtown is an (almost!) weekly account of Calgary’s most awesome eats from Ceci n’est pas un food blog.

Galaxie Diner has been a Beltline favourite since it first opened in 1996, but surprisingly, I had never been! So when my perennial brunchmate Tiffany gave me a choice between there and Holy Grill, I happily chose the former.

Galaxie Diner is your typical, little greasy diner, with bright red barstools and tables and an old-school letter board listing the menu above the grill. Each table boasts an out-of-order jukebox and a dizzying array of condiments. The diner serves up its breakfast and lunch items all day, seven days a week. Even looking at the menu, you can tell this is not a dainty breakfast place – each dish is large and jam-packed with ingredients.

I ordered the Montreal Smoked Meat Hash ($13) which combined Montreal smoked meat (which Galaxie serves up next door at Myhre’s Deli, as well as at its other Calgary restaurants, Belmont Diner and Avenue Deli) with hash browns, garlic mushrooms, onions, banana peppers and cheese, topped with basted eggs and toast.

I loved the gooey cheese and soft potatoes, but this dish was really heavy, and after a while the salty smoked meat and banana peppers were a little much. I still managed to finish about 2/3 of the hash, both eggs, but no toast. Tiffany was impressed.

Tiffany had the Barnyard ($11.50), which was their daily special scrawled on a chalkboard. It had bacon, smoked meat, sausage, cheese, lettuce, tomato, mushroom, onion and banana peppers all on a ciabatta bun… with a side of hashbrowns.

Tiffany wasn’t able to eat this like a regular sandwich, so she had to knife-and-fork it. I imagine it was heavy too, because she could only finish half, but she did eat all of her hashbrowns.

The Galaxie Diner is a great choice if you are looking for a big, greasy, hangover-curing breakfast. The service is quick (the line was already snaking down the sidewalk when we arrived at 10:30, but we didn’t have to wait long) and friendly. However, I must admit I prefer a daintier breakfast!

Galaxie Diner
1413 11 St SW
Calgary AB T2R 1G7
(403) 228-0001
Mon-Fri 7 AM-3 PM; Sat, Sun, Hols 7 AM-4 PM
If you can, try to get free 2-hr street parking on 15 Ave; 11 St is ParkPlus