World Traveller 73 
Restaurant Review: The Diplomat Steakhouse, Regina, Canada
Like most of you, I enjoy dining at restaurants that are independent and are not affiliated to a franchised collection of restaurant ownership. The Diplomat Steakhouse in Regina is the only location of The Diplomat Steakhouse restaurant which has been in operation for over forty years. Our recent trip to the Canadian prairie city of Regina Saskatchewan, had us visiting the elegant Diplomat Steakhouse for a pleasant traditional steakhouse dining experience. Read on to see what The Diplomat Steakhouse has to offer.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Restaurant Review: The Diplomat Steakhouse, Regina, Canada
About The Diplomat Steakhouse:
The Diplomat Steakhouse Regina happens to be one of those restaurants that’s been around forever. The Diplomat Steakhouse opened it’s doors almost forty four years ago and describes itself as being one of Canada’s Landmark Steakhouses. The Diplomat has been in operation since the year 1979.
Since it’s unusual for a restaurant to last more than ten years in any restaurant life cycle, and with so much history to the property, it was high on the list for me to visit during my recent return to Regina, Saskatchewan.
Getting a Reservation:
I got a reservation at the Diplomat Steakhouse through the Open Table Reservation system. It was an easy process and there were spaces available almost every evening up to 7 PM. Along with Regina’s quieter dining scene, I didn’t see many people coming in later in the evening. During our visit, the last tables were sat at about 7:30 PM.
In addition to the convenience of booking through Open Table, I earned an easy 100 points for dining at the restaurant.
Locating the Diplomat Steakhouse Restaurant:
The Diplomat Steakhouse is located in the downtown central business district at 2032 Broad Street, Regina, Saskatchewan. The Diplomat Steakhouse happens to be located in a high traffic location near many downtown business and leisure hotels. The restaurant has an imposing brick building structure, that is absent of any windows.
On the night of our dinner reservation, we walked over to the restaurant from the Delta Hotels Regina. It was about a ten minute walk through streets with sometimes muddy sidewalks as a result of the winter weather.
The Diplomat Steakhouse is convenient and easy to reach from most downtown hotels. It’s also a short drive from many other locations within surrounding Regina.
Inside the Diplomat Steakhouse:
The setting inside the Diplomat Steakhouse is classy traditional formal. Immediately upon entering the Diplomat Steakhouse, you’ll find a “wall of fame” of guests that have visited over the restaurant’s forty years of operation.
The restaurant has had quite a few notable guests ranging from Hollywood Actors’ Charlize Theron, John Corbett, David Copperfield and Kid Rock, just to name a few. There are also quite a few Canadian actors such has William Shatner, Carly Rae Jepsen, along with several Canadian Politicians.
I even located an autographed photograph of Peter Mansbridge, Chief Correspondent of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s nightly national news broadcast “The National”.
Moving through in towards towards the restaurant seating, restaurant patrons will pass by artwork called “Saskatchewan Heritage” that was specifically commissioned and designed by artist Pepito Escanlar.
The “Saskatchewan Heritage” is a prominent piece of artwork that’s twelve feet long and five feet high and specifically commissioned for the province of Saskatchewan’s one hundred and fiftieth anniversary and the Diplomat Steakhouse’s thirty eighth’ year in operation.
The “Saskatchewan Heritage” artwork features several prominent aspects of Regina life ranging from the Wascana Government Buildings, to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s training facility, the Queen Elizabeth’s Statute at the provincial legislature, along with Saskatchewan’s grain elevators, just to name some of the highlights.
Passing past the artwork, you’ll be led into the main restaurant dining room. You’ll pass by a large and elaborate large bottle wine display anchored by past Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien.
Getting into the main part of the restaurant, the decor is very traditional with royal burgundy reds, crisp white table cloths and elegant seating throughout the restaurant.
Being named “The Diplomat”, the restaurant offers seating under a variety of framed past serving Canadian Diplomats. Some of the Diplomats date from as early as the Confederation of Canada, whereas others were more currently serving.
The restaurant also featured an elaborate bar area that contained a substantial amount of wine. The wine inventory was perhaps not all too surprising considering that the restaurant has received several (8) Wine Spectator Awards of Excellence and has been ranked as one of the top one hundred restaurants in Canada.
On the Diplomat Steakhouse Menu:
We settled into the table at the Diplomat Steakhouse. We were offered a large booth sitting, which was quite comfortable for the evening.
The Diplomat Steakhouse Menu offered a broad and diverse array of traditional steakhouse items. The appetizers consisted of familiar favourites such as escargot, garlic bread and scallops and bacon, but also contained some interesting items such as baked french onion soup and mushroom victoria.
The star of the menu were the prime aged steaks that ranged between offerings of filet mignon, new york strip and tomahawk rib eyes. The menu was rounded out with contemporary dishes such as bison tenderloin, but also featured classic traditional dishes such as chateaubriand for 2 along with tourneous rossini and steak maitre’d.
In addition to many cuts of meat on offer, there were a whole range of table side dishes such as steak diane, mid east kebabs, chicken and seafood dishes. The menu was large, elaborate, but on point. Unlike many franchised restaurants which usually offer a more limited menu, there was enough on the menu to meet every option and taste for a steakhouse visitor.
The Diplomat Steakhouse also offered a great dessert menu. It offered several traditional items such as Cherries Jubilee , Crepes Suzette and Peaches Flambé.
All of this was accompanied by a substantial wine list worthy of a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence. The wine list contained old world and new world selections, with a surprising amount of large format bottles.
The Meal: Steak of Course!
Since we were at The Diplomat Steakhouse for steak, I went for the New York Striploin. The Prime Aged Steaks were served with a starter dish, a side dish along with vegetables.
My starter today was Baked Onion Soup. While it was not slathered in cheese like the usual French Onion variety, it was pretty tasty with natural peppery seasoning with a hint of wine. It was a perfect break from the usual Ceasar Salad I find myself eating at the competing Keg Steakhouse Restaurants in their Keg Classic’s offering.
My ten oz New York Striploin was served with a triple baked potato and some pan seared vegetables. I also enjoyed a side of Bearnaise Sauce, which complimented the steak quite nicely. Although the cut was a little thin, it was perfectly cooked, enjoyable and flavorful.
My travelling partner MrsWT73 enjoyed a light green salad. After several days in the landlocked Canadian Prairies, she reported high marks for the freshness of this dish.
We enjoyed dinner and passed on dessert.
We had a short walk back to the Delta Hotels Regina at the end of the evening, through an almost deserted downtown core.
My Thoughts on The Diplomat Steakhouse:
The Diplomat Steakhouse Regina had been on my visit list for quite some time. After about thirty years of waiting, I finally got the opportunity to take it off my list by enjoying a luxurious dinner within its walls.
The Diplomat Steakhouse offers a great legacy dining experience. It’s not every day that you get to visit a restaurant that has been running for over forty years, and has visitors from all over Hollywood consisting of actors, television performers and politicians. The food was also pretty good, and comparable to what you might expect at a Keg Steakhouse Restaurant. The menu is diverse and complex with a great wine list to accompany your meal.
World Traveller 73 
Recent Comments