Eight ranked second best restaurant in North America

Calgary's Eight has claimed the number two spot on North America's 50 Best Restaurants list, a ranking voted on by 300 international restaurant experts.

Hidden behind a discreet door in the Alt Hotel East Village lobby, Eight seats only eight diners at a time and offers an exclusive chef's table experience under renowned Canadian chef Darren MacLean. Guests sit front-row at the bar overlooking an open kitchen as servers guide them through approximately 20 small courses.

Each dish is crafted with seasonal, local ingredients focused on Canada's cultural heritage and regional diversity. The chef engages directly with diners, explaining technique and ingredient choices as food is prepared. The menu, which changes daily, is described by the restaurant as "cuisine defined not only by location, culture, and circumstance, but by the chaotic conflagration of the three."

Before and after dinner, guests can access After Eight, an exclusive speakeasy inspired by Japanese Satoyama (the land between mountains and sea). Outside service hours, the bar opens to the public—entry requires picking up a white telephone in the hotel lobby, and a server leads patrons through.

The North America's 50 Best Restaurants Academy divides into eight regions, each with expert panelists and a chairperson, voting on restaurants across the U.S., Canada, and parts of the Caribbean.

Eight also received the Highest New Entry award from the same panel. The recognition places Calgary among the continent's most acclaimed dining destinations.