From Santiago Calatrava’s helical red-and-white Peace Bridge to Foster + Partners’ crescent-shaped The Bow, Calgary’s urban identity is seemingly defined by bold contemporary statements and relentless upward transformation. Yet those whose gaze extends beyond its palaces in the sky will be rewarded with midcentury gems and storied landmarks that carry memories of the city’s past. Making a case for the dynamism of adaptive reuse is the new restaurant Stable Palms Club, situated amid Kensington’s urban buzz and adjacent to well-known landmarks such as the Plaza Theatre and the Pointe Flatiron building.
The site was formerly home to Molly Malone’s, a long-standing Irish pub deeply woven into the neighbourhood’s social fabric, and later to Free House. Independent restaurant and nightlife group Block Hospitality collaborated with local design studio Way of Normal to transform the cavernous 3,600 sq ft space into a seductive midcentury Californian-style home primed for hosting.
Wallpaper* dines at Stable Palms Club, Cagalry
The mood: California comes to Calgary
Way of Normal approached the project as a conversation between intimate, interconnected rooms, each adopting the logic and scale of a private home. At its centre, the stainless-steel and red-oak bar acts as a visual stronghold, furnished with bespoke metal stools and small lamps mounted directly onto the counter. Beyond it, a sculptural archway frames a partially concealed sunken lounge that recalls a sultry conversation pit. Mirrors, portals and shifts in floor height extend this sense of discovery, obscuring the full plan from the entrance so guests can peel Stable Palms Club’s layers gradually.
The material palette continues the residential theme. Red oak envelops ceilings, beams, walls and fitted joinery in the amber density of a well-preserved 1960s house, punctuated throughout the dining room by stainless steel, aluminium, stone and deep-green zellige tiles. The treatment continues on the upper dining tier, where steel cladding introduces a cooler, sharper surface. These forms draw on Populuxe and Googie design, channelling the expressive architecture of roadside restaurants, motels and the space-age years into swooping openings, circular cut-outs and broad timber planes.
Elsewhere, custom joinery, commissioned lighting and furniture establish a consistent scale across the rooms. The dining tables alone took a year to develop, while several bespoke lights required over 18 months. Where possible, production was kept local, with reclaimed timber and aluminium used alongside reworked vintage furniture. Plants, table lamps and artwork bring the residential fiction into focus.
The food: elevated home comforts
Familiar smaller plates are given an inventive turn. Raw oysters come with classic mignonette and rhubarb hot sauce; bluefin tuna zuke is paired with fresh wasabi; and Southern-fried chicken thighs are marinated in koji and dill pickle. Mains then grow heartier with slow-cooked duck breast, brown-butter parsnip purée and apple jam; sea bass with fregola, asparagus and herb oil; and a 45-day dry-aged T-bone accompanied by black garlic, mushroom butter and veal consommé.
Chef Jordan Mayo says the menu has ‘something for everyone’; its breadth is shaped by French and Italian references. His recommendation? The entirely house-made beef burger with Gruyère, soubise onion and pickles, served alongside fries and a veal-stock bordelaise. He also singles out the ricotta gnocchi with lobster and fried focaccia croutons as an increasingly popular choice. Room for dessert? The brown-butter caramel tart arrives with malt ice cream and a sprinkling of sea salt, while the Black Forest sundae layers kirsch ice cream with macerated cherries.
That appetite for unexpected combinations continues at the bar, where Zachary Fox and Justin Dysiak preside over a programme of bright, refreshing cocktails made with irreverent ingredients and techniques. The ‘Et-Tu Brute?’ is a clarified Caesar in which frozen cherry tomatoes replace ice cubes, preventing dilution. ‘A Fistful of Dollars’, meanwhile, combines Italian tomato gin and balsamic vermouth to create a caprese-inspired Negroni.
Stable Palms Club is located at 1153 Kensington Crescent NW #001, Calgary, AB T2N 1X7, Canada