21 Best Restaurants in Banff National Park, Alberta

Ultraluxe decor and magnificent mountain views provide the interior and exterior backdrops for prix fixe, three- to eight-course dinners of regionally influenced French cuisine. The presentation is awe-inspiring, and the food is prepared à-la-minute, so entrées change frequently but have included British Columbia sablefish with tomato, watermelon, and onion; rabbit with nuts, wild berries, and foraged mushrooms; and cinnamon-smoked short ribs. The sommeliers offer two astute wine-pairing options, or you can make your own choices from the impressive list. Dining in this Eden is an experience to be savored. Plan to spend at least three hours.

One of the true epicurean experiences in the Canadian Rockies, the Post delivers daring, regionally inspired cuisine accompanied by excellent wines (it's one of only four restaurants in Canada to receive the Wine Spectator's Grand Award). A low, exposed-beam ceiling and a stone fireplace aglow in winter create an in-from-the-cold aura; white napery provides a touch of elegance; and a changing menu keeps things interesting, with dishes that might include Alaskan king crab drizzled with lemongrass-ginger butter, sautéed wild British Columbia halibut in lemongrass-thyme sauce, or Alberta beef tenderloin in Bordelaise. With more than 26,000 bottles, the restaurant may well have Canada's best wine collection. For a unique experience with a group of six or more, inquire about the private cellar dining room.

Alberta is world-famous for its beef, and this restaurant is a great place to sample it, along with pork, lamb, and sustainable wild game and seafood. All steaks are hand-cut on-site and grilled on cherrywood, and everything, from the butter to the garnishes, is made in-house. Try the Brant Lake Wagyu beef tenderloin or the dry-aged Brome Lake duck. Seafood choices include Pacific halibut and Atlantic lobster. There is one vegetarian option on the menu.

This tried-and-true Mexican restaurant is the place to go in Banff for great margaritas and inexpensive tacos that run the gamut from pork carnitas or chicken to crispy fish and mushroom tacos; the premium taco menu features duck carnitas, shrimp tacos, and grilled mahi mahi tacos. The tableside guacamole and house salsa are delicious, and the extensive tequila menu creates a variety of margaritas and other mixed drinks. The churros are a great choice for dessert. There are two locations in Toronto and new locations in Calgary and Edmonton.

Not only is the "Rocky Mountain comfort food" served here made with organic local ingredients, but there's also an emphasis on slow cooking, with almost everything prepared from scratch. As the name suggests, it's a great place to try bison dishes—bison tartar and slow-cooked braised bison short rib are signature dishes—but there's also Wild British Columbia halibut, wood-fired duck, and Alberta beef striploin along with a limited number of vegetarian options. The contemporary decor, with hardwood floors and vaulted ceilings, focuses attention on the open kitchen, where you can watch the chefs at work.

Offering everything from curry ramen and poke bowls to mushroom risotto and smoked bison flatbread, this small eclectic downtown tapas bar mixes Asian influences with local flavors. Both large and small plates are served in an intimate space with rough-hewn wooden tables, colorful artwork, and bare-bulb lighting. The drinks menu is equally varied, featuring wines, sakes, craft beers, and creative "blocktails."

This second-floor restaurant has great views of Banff Avenue and incredible steaks—namely Angus and Wagyu prime beef—that are sourced from ranches along the Cowboy Trail—the heart of Alberta's ranch country—dry aged in-house, started on a mesquite-wood grill, and finished in a copper pan with herbs and butter. Servers are well-versed in the various cuts of beef, but if steak isn't your thing, alternatives include pistachio pesto gnocchi, bourbon barbecue beef ribs, and wild British Columbia salmon. Appetizers and side dishes are served family-style. An extensive wine list and an in-house sommelier ensure perfect pairings. Mud pie is the signature dessert, and it's exceptional. This restaurant also has a roof-top patio open in summer.

A small restaurant decorated with log beams and bathed in warm Santa Fe colors, Coyotes serves healthful Southwestern-style dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Scrambled eggs and salmon, stuffed French toast, and warm seven-grain cereal topped with fresh berries, pecans, and yogurt stand out among the breakfast offerings. Lunch and dinner favorites include the black-bean burrito, polenta with ratatouille, pan-roasted honey-glazed salmon, and several vegetarian selections.

Canadian flair is the hallmark of this modern, airy restaurant—a recent addition to the Elk + Avenue Hotel—where ingredients sourced from small, local, organic farmers are used in entrées such as slow-roasted rotisserie chicken, Alberta grains risotto, and flatbread pizza. The drinks menu features Canadian wines, local craft beers, and unique cocktails made using the best Canadian spirits. Brunch includes classic breakfast dishes and cocktails as well as breakfast bowls and sandwiches.

Banff's newest sushi restaurant was designed to feel like a mix between a 1970s ski lodge and a traditional Japanese restaurant with wood paneling in the main dining area and a long sushi bar; private karaoke rooms are in the back. The menu has classics like miso soup, tempura, and a variety of sushi rolls, sashimi, and ramen alongside more inventive fare like cheeseburger gyoza, oshi (press) sushi, hand roll tacos, and build-your-own bao buns. The Japanese BBQ menu highlights Alberta beef and chicken. This restaurant celebrates happy hour daily, with the exception of holidays and long weekends, between 4-5 pm with half-price sushi and discounted drinks and ramen.

Ask for a table on the engaging patio or inside near one of the dining room's walls of windows to enjoy some of Banff's best views while dining on dishes made from fresh local ingredients like prairie berry stuffed waffles (brunch); burgers, salads, and flatbreads (lunch); and pan-seared duck breast or the daily butcher's cut (dinner). Many dishes can be made gluten-free, vegetarian, or both.

This casual little restaurant serves all-day breakfast, sandwiches, snacks, baked goods, house-made donuts, salads, and picnic lunches to go. It's a great place to stop for a hot dog, French fries, poutine, ice cream, house-made ice pops or house-made marshmallows for ultra special camping s'mores. They also offer a wide variety of beverages including coffee, tea, kombucha, craft sodas, craft beer, and wine.

This vegan-friendly spot lives up to its name with intricate and diverse plant-based cuisine. Twenty different ingredients power the explosion of flavors in each bite of Banff's most intriguing nachos: strawberries, toasted quinoa, smoked blackberry sauce, garlic gherkins, six kinds of beans, Monterey Jack, and nine more items. Other inventive dishes include the kimchi burger; vegan mac and cheese made with quinoa noodles and a coconut-based sauce; and wild mushroom ravioli with garlic, red pepper, and lavender cream sauce.

With water from six Canadian Rockies glaciers and grain sourced from high-altitude family farms, Park Distillery produces spirits with aromas and flavors like no others. Its restaurant features a fun campfire-cuisine theme with classic coleslaw, warm potato salad, or mac and cheese served alongside rotisserie chicken, salmon, ribs, burgers, or steaks. There's a nice selection of vegan and gluten-free options as well. Sprawling over two floors, the restaurant has picnic tables and wall decorations that look right out of a kids' summer camp, though the lively main-floor bar reminds patrons of the grown-up pleasures to be enjoyed.

Opened in 2021 by Chef Stephane Provost, this is Banff’s first Japanese izakaya, a type of informal Japanese bar that serves drinks and food. This friendly and fun restaurant serves small plates and snacks with an extensive selection of saki, Japanese-inspired cocktails, and beers. The space is decorated in dark colors with a wood beam ceiling, a long bar, well-spaced tables, and minimalistic Japanese art and adornments. The creative menu is made for sharing and includes a variety of skewers, sushi and maki rolls, sashimi, and other yummy snacks like sweet-and-spicy Korean fried chicken, steamed bao buns, pork-kimchee gyozas, and Tokyo fries with smoked bonito shavings. Maple miso crème brûlée and black sesame ice cream make uniquely delicious dessert choices.

You can't beat the panoramic mountain views from this restaurant on the third floor of the Banff Gondola at 2,281 meters (7,486 feet) above sea level. There are floor-to-ceiling windows on all sides and the cuisine is just as elevated as the scenery with a regularly changing menu that features local ingredients like Alberta beef, British Columbia salmon, and prairie-grown vegetables complimented by local craft beers, craft spirits, and Canadian wines. There are vegan, gluten-free, and vegetarian menu choices as well as a children's menu. You can also purchase packages that include the Banff Gondola ride and dinner. Reservations are recommended; request a window seat if you can!

Dine on the patio or inside at this restaurant serving classic Canadian food in a unique setting: the original Lake Louise Railway Station. Daily lunch specials round out the menu of salads, burgers, steaks, and salmon. Save room for the rhubarb-strawberry pie, just like grandma used to make—if your grandma made really good pie from scratch.

This brewery restaurant is designed to feel like you're in the middle of a forest—complete with a 25-foot pine tree, wood features, plants, leaves, and a retractable rooftop patio. The menu is casual and includes a variety of appetizers, sandwiches, and mains that all pair nicely with a flight of craft beer made on-site. Pizza, stone-baked in a wood-fired oven to provide the perfect amount of crispiness, is one of the specialties; the sourdough pizza crust takes 72 hours to make using a reverse ice water fermentation process. The smash burger, made with Benchmark ground chuck, is one of the better burgers in town. For a more substantial meal, try the slow-roasted beef rib. The "million-dollar onion"—a roasted onion section baked in herb cream sauce and then broiled with cheesy bread crumbs—goes well with almost anything and only costs C$5.

Local work crews, mountain guides, and park wardens love this small café for a hot breakfast, lunch, or early dinner (until 6). Baked goods, made-to-order sandwiches, wraps, and salads are the specialties, and the coffee is excellent. This is a good place to pick up a meal to go if you're driving north on the Icefields Parkway. There are only a few seats along the window and a few chairs outside.

For something fun and a little different, try this restaurant's three-course Château Experience, consisting of a mushroom-and-shallot cheese fondue to start, an 8-ounce beef tenderloin with farm vegetables and whipped potatoes for the main course, and chocolate fondue with banana bread and fresh fruit for dessert. If fondue isn't for you, other classic Swiss, German, and alpine dishes are served à la carte. The comprehensive wine list roams the globe but favors vintages from Canada and California.

At breakfast, enjoy a regular coffee or espresso, hot chocolate, or tea from the local Banff Tea Company with your breakfast panini, toast, or house-made granola. Lunchtime soups, sandwiches, and salads are often innovative; consider trying the buddha bowls with fresh veggies, falafel, quinoa, and tangy tahini lemon dressing. Kale salad with fresh apples and toasted nuts is a typical vegan offering.