Some people really care about the food they eat when traveling. I am one of those people. And that's why I try to put together and post a list of yummy restaurants after I've spent a little time in a specific place.
Despite the fact that I was only there for about a week, the town of Banff is a pretty easy location to do that. Why? Because I didn't hate any of the restaurants I went to. Even the ski resorts where we ate our lunch most days had a variety of foods to choose from, and I was pleasantly surprised by the healthy options they offered, too.
Not that you can't go wrong. (There were a few places we visited that aren't on this list.) But you'll likely never be too disappointed. After all, they have to keep the more than 4 million yearly tourists happy!
Disclaimer: This list will not contain ALL of the best restaurants in Banff, as I wasn't able to make it to every eatery during this trip. However, I will add to this post after I visit again during a future summer.
What You'll Find In This Blog Post
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Before we get into some restaurants I thought were scrumptious, let me give you some general observations about the food scene in Banff.
Banff offers a variety of cuisines. There are Mexican, Canadian, Greek, Asian, American and other restaurant options. So if you're craving a specific type of food, you'll likely be able to find a place that sells it.
The breakfast and lunch prices are reasonable, but the majority of the dinner prices aren't average. I assume this is because Banff is a tourist destination and most people want to pamper themselves by the end of the day. I know I definitely did, especially after skiing for hours.
There's not much of a wait time, if any, during the off-season. By off-season, I mean the winter, especially after the holidays. (We were there in January.) However, I've heard the peak season, aka the summer, is insane when it comes to how many people are visiting, so I suggest making some reservations in advance because I guarantee it's difficult to get into the restaurants at that time.
Black pepper is offered with what seemed like nearly every meal. If we ordered a steak, the waiter came around with black pepper. If we ate bread and cheese, we were told it was good to dip it in pepper. The list goes on. I'm not sure if this is a Canadian thing or if we just got a random stroke of coincidence.
Coffee Shop/Bakeries
My husband and I are obsessed with going to coffee shops and bakeries. He loves trying the coffee, and I love trying the baked goods. Before we visited Banff, we looked online and found the town has many coffee shop options with homemade baked goods, so we decided a "coffee shop crawl" was in order.
The following are the four shops we tried. I'll share what item I loved the best from each of them, but they're also in order from our top favorite to our least favorite — not that any of them are a bad choice.
Good Earth Coffeehouse
Open Daily (6:30 AM - 7 PM)
Everything was close to top-notch at Good Earth. We tried muffins, oatmeal bars, pastries, sandwiches, etc. The smoothie wasn't the best, but it was good. And my husband enjoyed the espresso here the most out of all the coffee shops we visited. Overall, it's a very well-rounded and high-quality choice. There is also quite a bit of seating here compared to the other coffee shops in town if you're looking for a place to sit and chat, work or read.
My Favorite Menu Item: I could live off the date oatmeal bars Good Earth sells. In fact, I never realized how much normal oatmeal bars were missing until I had this one. And don't expect a snack bar taste or anything; it's much sweeter and better than that.
Whitebark Café
Open Daily (6:30 AM - 6 PM)
Whitebark Café is another well-rounded option. The espresso was good, and the bakery items were unique and delicious. I particularly was impressed by the savory pastries; in fact, I think Whitebark wins when it comes to offering enticing meal-like items at breakfast time. I also appreciated the vibe at Whitebark. It's located inside Banff Aspen Lodge. There are small tables you can sit at or seats around a little fire, which were cozy.
My Favorite Menu Item: The bacon and egg breakfast cup was my favorite savory pastry. It comes with a tomato-based sauce and a mango-based sauce. Both added a unique flavor to my breakfast cup.
Wild Flour Bakery
Open Daily (7 AM - 4 PM)
Wild Flour Bakery prides itself on selling organic and local foods. The other cool thing about it is that you can watch the staff making the baked goods through a window inside. As far as the rating of the food, the sandwiches were excellent, so I assume all the bread they make is pretty tasty. However, we didn't love all of the pastry and sweet items we bought. And, unfortunately, I have to say that the workers weren't very friendly.
My Favorite Menu Item: I can't remember the exact name of this pastry (and couldn't find it online), but the cinnamon sugar pastry with lemon custard inside was the perfect morning treat. There's a subtle sweetness and flavor to it, and there's a wonderful balance of pastry and custard.
The Uprising Craft Bakery
Open Daily (6:30 AM - 7 PM)
The staff here was incredibly kind and helpful, which I appreciated! The Uprising Craft Bakery is another shop that seems to be most known for its bread and sells it by the loaf or as part of a sandwich. The coffee was good, but some of the baked goods were just so-so. That said, we didn't get to try very much here since we arrived later in the morning, and many of the pastries were already gone.
My Favorite Menu Item: I enjoyed the chocolate croissant.
Lunch/Dinner
We went to most of the restaurants in the town of Banff for dinner (hence the dark photos), and we didn't mind spending money at the end of the day. So, just remember that: 1) the lunch and dinner menus are often different, and 2) these aren't all cheap or medium-priced places (in fact, some are pricey).
And FYI, unlike the coffee shop list above, which is in order of preference, the restaurants in this section are simply in alphabetical order.
Añejo
Open Monday - Thursday (11 AM - 11 PM); Friday - Sunday (11 - 1 AM)
Happy Hour: Daily from 3 - 5 PM and 9 - 11 PM/1 AM
*Accepts Reservations
Añejo is a big happy hour, or "halfyhour" as its workers call it, destination. It boasts to have the largest tequila collection on Facebook, and I can testify that its margaritas are good. Our waitress also let us know that Añejo prides itself on offering Mexican-inspired food rather than Tex-Mex dishes. The appetizers we ordered were satisfying, and although I didn't love my main meal of Carnitas, I tried someone else's Birria De Res and that was glorious, so it might have just been that my taste buds didn't agree with my choice that night.
My Favorite Menu Item: I suggest you order the guacamole for the table. The server makes it in front of you, and it was yummy!
Balkan
Open Daily (11:30 AM - 10 PM)
*Accepts Reservations
Family-owned, Balkan has an exciting history and a welcoming vibe. Here, "everyone can be Greek," as they put it. The Mediterranean food is made with fresh ingredients and honors Greek traditions. The pita bread with hummus and spicy feta dip as a starter is exactly what you hope for, and if you have a small group that is willing to try different foods, I suggest the Ultimate Greek Feast. You'll get the appetizer I mentioned plus a platter of all different types of meats, carbs and vegetables.
And if you're looking for a greater Greek experience, head to Balkan on a Thursday or Friday evening. At 8 p.m., they add some excitement to your meal through belly dancing (you can volunteer to learn when the dancer gets to your table), other Greek-inspired dancing, plate breaking (once again, they'll want volunteers) and shouts of "Opa!"
My Favorite Menu Item: The lamb chop was beautifully cooked and especially tasty. You can order it by itself or as part of the Ultimate Greek Feast.
The Grizzly House
Open Wednesday - Monday (11:30 AM - 9/9:30 PM); Tuesday (Closed)
*Accepts Reservations
The Grizzly House is a fondue restaurant that's been around since 1967. It's a very popular dining option, and the vibe of the place is definitely memorable with its eclectic collection of taxidermy, statues, carvings and wine corks. There are even working corded phones at each table so that you can call another table and make new friends.
But what you probably really want to know about is the food. There are a variety of appetizers, fondues and sides, but I suggest doing a Complete Fondue Dinner if you have two people in your group or more. It is four courses, which will allow you to try a variety of menu items, but the courses also have options so your meal can be made specific to your food preferences. Additionally, if you plan on getting an appetizer and a fondue dinner anyway, the Complete Fondue Dinner is likely cheaper.
My husband and I went with the soup of the day over a salad for our starter, which was a well-made chicken tortellini. From there, we had the Neuchâtel (cheese, wine and Kirsch) fondue over the vegetable fondue. And then for our main course, I chose the Beef and Scallop Fondue Dinner and my husband chose a dinner that included beef, bison, elk and venison. You get to cook your own meat, and then there are dipping sauces to try. Finally, dessert was melted Toblerone chocolate and fresh fruit.
My Favorite Menu Item: The four-course meal came with a dessert fondue. Obviously, the fruit dipped in the chocolate was great, but I really loved the chocolate-filled wafers dipped in the chocolate. They reminded me of the wafers you can buy at Walmart but better (and likely healthier).
Hello Sunshine
Open Daily (4 PM - 12/12:30 PM)
Happy Hour: Daily from 4/4:30 - 5/5:30 PM
*Accepts Reservations
First of all, this sushi and Japanese BBQ joint has a great playlist for its background music. Our whole party kept Shazaming the songs. But I also would expect nothing less from a restaurant that has private karaoke rooms for rent. Hello Sunshine's sushi menu is pretty typical: it includes regular rolls plus specialty rolls. The sushi was average, which means it still tasted good. And if you're not a sushi person, you can also get steak, ramen, fried rice, bao buns, etc. They also have a unique selection of teas.
My Favorite Menu Item: I enjoyed the edamame at this restaurant. It has a great flavor and a solid amount of spiciness to it.
Maple Leaf
Open Daily (10/10:30 AM - 9:30 PM)
*Accepts Reservations
One of the steakhouses in Banff, the Maple Leaf offers soups, salads, Alberta beef steaks, seafood, dessert, wines and more. We did get steaks, which were good, but the smoky mashed potatoes mine came with were even better! Crispy pork belly also came with my husband's steak, and that was delicious. As far as the vibe goes, the restaurant is fancy but also feels more like a rugged steakhouse due to all the taxidermy on the walls. And our waiter was wonderful!
My Favorite Menu Item: The Brome Lake Duck Wings on the Appetizers menu are to die for! The wings have a great crunch from the breading, but the duck itself is moist. And to top it all off, this delicious appetizer is covered in a maple, orange and jalapeño sauce. I couldn't get enough of it.
Park Distillery
Open Daily (11 AM - 11 PM)
Happy Hour: Daily from 12 - 4 PM
*Accepts Reservations
Park Distillery is indeed a distillery. In fact, you can see where the liquor is made through a window inside. Park Distillery actually partners with many of the restaurants in town and supplies them with its liquor, so you'll likely notice this if you decide to take a look at the restaurants' drink menus.
Past the drinks, Park Distillery is also a restaurant. It serves typical American/Canadian foods like soups and salads, burgers/sandwiches and fries, chips and dips, etc. However, one fun thing about this eatery is that it has a campfire theme, so you can put together a meal of different meats (kind of like a BBQ joint) and some of its dishes have a smoky taste. For example, the Campfire Drippin's Gravy had a nice campfire flavor and the Smoked Tomato Chili Vodka Soup was unique and delicious.
My Favorite Menu Item: The soup was really good, but I've got to go with the Bison Burger because it was a tasty burger with flavorful accents. It consists of a bison and beef patty, double-smoked bacon, crispy fried onions, Swiss cheese, blueberry aioli, leaf lettuce on a potato scallion bun.
Raman Arashi
Open Daily (11:30 AM - 9 PM)
I had been craving ramen all week, and Raman Arashi hit the spot! It's a hole in the wall (you have to go into a mall of sorts and up the stairs) and worth it if you need a ramen fix. I ordered Arashi. It wasn't the greatest ramen I've had as a whole, but it was scrumptious, and the broth was spicy yet flavorful. Also, Raman Arashi is a good option if you're looking to have a yummy meal but want to save a little money since it's not as pricey as many of the other restaurants in Banff.
My Favorite Menu Item: As I only ate one thing, I can't give you a specific recommendation.
Sweet Treats
There are fudge, candy and chocolate shops all over the town of Banff. There's also an ice cream shop. It's just so-so, which is why I didn't put it on this list, but you do have that option if you want a cold dessert. Really, I have just one dessert recommendation, one that's part of the whole Banff tourist experience.
BeaverTails
Open Daily (11 AM - 10 PM)
A BeaverTails pastry is in the shape of a beaver's tail and is basically a pastry that's been fried. Honestly, it's like a funnel cake except that, just like everything else in Canada, it seems somehow a little bit healthier than the funnel cakes from the U.S. The BeaverTails come with different toppings to create different flavors: cinnamon and sugar, chocolate hazelnut spread and bananas, apple pie, Oreo, Reese's Pieces, Maple, etc.
There are two locations in Banff, so if one needs time to make more pastries, likely the other one will have some ready to go. Also, there is other food besides pastries at the shop, but I wouldn't say that should be the reason for your visit.
My Favorite Menu Item: I liked the strawberry cheesecake flavor. The lightness of the icing-like cream and strawberry jam offset the fried flavor of the BeaverTails pastry, and the toppings aren't the kind that could make you feel sick like some of the other options with extremely rich toppings might do.
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