It’s hard to look at the menu when you sit down at this Edmonton institution. There are faded pictures of Oilers greats on the walls.And, a busy dinner service means there’s a massive cross-section of patrons. When I visit with my family, there’s a guy in a nearby table who might be able to win a Frank Sinatra lookalike contest, fedora and all. There’s another table of people all wearing sequined cowboy shirts. There are families and old-timers and hipsters.
And don’t look for this place on the Internet. Coliseum Pizza and Steak doesn’t need your World Wide Web. Make a reservation by phone or just show up.
When you get there, you can choose from a well-seasoned steak, with lovely diamond-shaped grill marks. Get a baked potato in the foil, and the servers will bring the fixings to the table. They’ll load it up with sour cream and butter and bacon bits. But, darn, if this isn’t still one of the best steaks in town — this is why this restaurant is still busy for dinner service, though the Oilers have moved downtown.
My wife goes for the pizza. I guess she just wants to be different. But the ham is stacked in multiple layers under the cheese. It’s an exercise in excess. Too bad Sinatra didn’t try to sing.
8015 118 Ave., 780-474-1640
This article appears in the October 2019 issue of Avenue Edmonton
