One of the great things about the opening of the new Rogers Place in downtown Edmonton is that it spurred a lot of downtown businesses to revitalize and reinvent themselves in anticipation of increased crowds in the area. 

One of those reinvented spots – the Crash Hotel Lobby Bar at 10260 103 Street, right across from Rogers Place. 

This hotel has a long history in Edmonton. It was first built in 1904 as the Richelieu Hotel before turning into the sketchy Grand Hotel, and finally underwent a total facelift recently, reopening in December as the trendy Crash Hotel, a boutique spot with really unique rooms (check out some photos here) and fantastic, reinvented bar food.

Crash Hotel Lobby Bar downtown at 10260 103 Street, across from Rogers Place.

Crash Hotel Lobby Bar’s Executive Chef Nathin Bye (formerly of Wildflower and Ampersand 27), has put together a really solid menu here. It’s bar food – but elevated, yet still affordable and really damn good.

The bar at Crash Hotel Lobby Bar.

Mike and I received a $50 gift card to sample some of menu items at Crash Hotel Lobby Bar and can honestly say, all of the dishes we tried were fantastic. With just 11 dishes to choose from, it’s a simple, straight-forward menu, but with such a good variety that you’ll likely find something for everyone here.

Beet salad with a dollop of Greek Yogurt!

Let’s start with their Roasted Beet & Greek Yogurt salad (featuring roasted red and yellow beets, kale and mixed greens + squash, pomegranate seeds and burnt Mediterranean honey dressing, and a dollop of Greek yogurt). This is a really hefty salad (big portion for $12) and utterly delicious with great flavours and great textures. It’s also bright and such a pretty plate!

Side note: I think dollop is one of my favourite words. lol. 

Always pick the charcuterie board. Always.

With Chef Bye having come from Ampersand (known for their charcuterie options), how could we not try the Crash charcuterie board? Chef’s selection of meat, cheese and pickles including prosciutto, genoa, and duck. This is the priciest item on the menu (at $22) but it’s a generous serving, and something we nibbled on throughout our meal.

Brussel sprouts and bacon!

Our server (/bartender) Josh highly recommended the Moroccan spice Brussels ‘n Bacon which were extra crispy (the delicious kind of burnt), with bacon, sweet chilis, and fried chickpeas ($9). Again, you get a great portion for the price you’re paying and the mix of savoury and sweet was excellent.

Excellent Crash burger.

For our mains, Mike ordered the Crash Burger (because what kind of bar doesn’t have a signature burger?) This $18 braised short rib burger comes on a brioche kaiser bun with aged cheddar, and onion ring, a deep fried pickle, and a fried egg with a side of well-seasoned, crispy fries. The deep fried pickle didn’t seem totally necessary, but everything else about the burger was spot-on.

Braised beef short ribs with mushrooms and handmade hickory sticks!

I couldn’t decide between the Crash Chicken Drumsticks or the Alberta Beef Short Ribs, but decided to take our excellent server’s recommendation of the Asian-inspired short ribs, with pickled mushrooms, broccoli, and house-made hickory sticks on top ($16). Tender, tasty ribs but the chip lover in me would love if Crash would package and sell their hickory sticks! 

Having his favourite drink – an Old Fashioned!

Mike enjoyed his Old Fashioned, one of a number of classic cocktails and martini offerings at Crash (all of which are $12). 

Feastin’

It was pretty quiet when we went – just two other people were in the bar for the majority of our meal, and then as we were getting ready to leave, a group of 10 arrived for their party reservation. That’s one of the perks about Crash Hotel Lobby Bar – they may be one of the very few spots in the immediate Rogers Place vicinity that takes reservations (even on game days).

We could totally see ourselves coming here for drinks and a meal before heading over to a game or a concert at Rogers Place! 

The Crash Hotel has some unique decor. 

Our server said the hotel lobby bar gets pretty crazy on game/event days, but in between those days it’s pretty quiet. Assuming it’s just a lack of awareness – because I know if people have tried the food and drinks at Crash Hotel Lobby Bar, they would be back often. Apparently the hotel itself is doing quite well (they have some pretty low rates which would make a lot of sense for people coming to games/shows from out of town – or even if you’re looking for a downtown staycation spot).

The service that night was quick and attentive (I mean, I’d hoped so given that no one else was really there lol). The decor – mostly dark, and lots of wood (historical wood and all). It definitely looks and feels like a bar (take that how you wish) but with a trendier vibe, and interesting, delicious and affordable bar food. Take advantage of those reservations! 

I do hope more traffic starts coming in on non-game days – for Crash and for all the different downtown businesses who are banking on that revitalization. 

Thanks to the team at Crash Hotel Lobby Bar for inviting us down to sample some of their tasty dishes. I’m excited to give you a chance to enter to win a $50 gift card to try too: 

** Giveaway **

There are a few ways you can enter for a chance to win a $50 gift card Crash Hotel Lobby Bar including: 

• Leave a comment on this blog post telling me what dish you’d like to try at Crash Hotel Lobby Bar (see the menu here)
• Tweet this message: I want to check out the food at @CrashLandHere! Hope I win @lindork’s $50 gift card giveaway. http://bit.ly/2q4HcEY #yeg #yegfood
• Follow me @lindork on Twitter
• Follow @CrashLandHere on Twitter
• Follow me @lindork on Instagram 
• Follow @CrashLandHere on Instagram
• Like my Facebook Page Lindork – Linda Hoang

You must check off your different entry methods using the widget below: 

There’s also an additional way to enter on my Instagram. 

Note: I’ll add entries from comments on my Instagram post individually from the widget. Also note that comments are moderated so if yours doesn’t appear right away, that’s normal! Also, you can tweet daily! 

I’ll select a winner when the giveaway closes on May 1, 2017.

So have you tried the Crash Hotel Lobby Bar? What did you think?!

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Crash Hotel Lobby Bar
10260 103 Street
780-719-3807
Open 7 Days a Week for Dinner

Linda

Follow @lindork

Follow @lindorkyeg on Snapchat!

Disclaimer: I will always provide my 100% honest opinion on this blog. Crash Hotel Lobby Bar invited me to a partially-compensated dinner, and provided a gift card for a giveaway. This has no impact on opinions stated in this post.