90 Best Restaurants in Alberta, Canada

Located in the turn-of-the-century home of RCMP Superintendent Captain Richard Burton Deane, this award-winning restaurant is an easy and delightful walk from Downtown. The restaurant specializes in contemporary Canadian fine dining, with some of the dishes based on archival recipes and photographs from Calgary’s Wild West past. The weekend brunch is delightful.

This new restaurant has an eclectic, often-changing menu that focuses on fresh, flavorful food. The menu includes appetizers like bacon-wrapped dates and fired Halloumi cheese with honey, toasted walnuts, and pumpkin puree. The entrées range from pan-seared trout and steak frites to roasted lamb. The vegan options are typically limited to one or two items. The wine list is not extensive, but it is well-chosen and there's a nice, reasonably priced Sunday brunch.

The signature location of this upscale chain for years, the large and varied menu ranges from sushi to barbecue ribs, and almost anyone can find something they prefer. Portions are large, the food is quite good, and a generous happy hour inspires the locals to head to the bar or patio, depending on the season, for drinks.

With a casual, upscale ambience and a tried-and-true menu, Earls is always a good choice for dinner or drinks. Steaks, pasta, salads, seafood, and Thai options provide something for everyone.

A funky atmosphere and an "evil"-inspired menu make this Jasper restaurant a fun place to dine. Local favorites among the globally inspired, locally sourced entrées include the Malevolent Meatloaf (Alberta bison wrapped in wild boar bacon), Nefarious Chicken (fried chicken with chili bourbon maple sauce, served on a toasted waffle), and the gluten-free El Diablo Bowl (marinated free-range chicken, chipotle sauce, jasmine rice, corn salsa, black beans, and corn tortilla sticks). There's always a chef's cut steak special as well as a seafood feature, and the Cowboy sushi made with grilled beef tenderloin is a fun appetizer. Save room for WTF dessert---fried banana spring rolls with chocolate and caramel sauce.

Fire-roasted Neapolitan-style pizzas made in a real bell oven are the specialty at this small pizzeria in the upper level of a downtown building. Although you seat yourself and order over a counter, servers bring the food and drinks to your table. The pizzas range from a classic margherita to interesting combinations like cavoletti (brussels sprouts, prosciutto crisps, Gorgonzola cheese, dates, and walnuts) or prosciutto with arugula. Enjoy a gelato for dessert.

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.

This pine-finished, second-floor dining room has great views of the railway station, downtown Jasper, and the mountains. The Canadian seafood, wild game, and Alberta beef dishes are classic and delicious, and daily specials are noted on a chalkboard menu. This is a good place to sample halibut or lobster from Atlantic Canada or enjoy Alberta game meats like elk or bison. The wine list includes some noteworthy Canadian wines.

Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, the restaurant is known for locally sourced ingredients that are used in their delicious wood-fired pizzas and house-made pasta, creative salads, seafood and chicken dishes, and Alberta beef steaks; there's also an excellent breakfast buffet. The dining area includes a long bar, an open kitchen, and expansive windows with gorgeous mountain views along one side of the restaurant. A few vegetarian and gluten-free options are available and children under six eat free.

Bring a healthy appetite and a love for delicious slow-roasted meat when you visit this authentic Brazilian house of barbecue. With rodizio-style dining, you pay one price and skewers of perfectly roasted steaming meat are carried to your table and sliced onto your plate until you tell them to stop. Delicious hot cheese buns and more than a dozen salads and side dishes can be enjoyed alongside the meat dishes. A wide variety of drinks, including cocktails, craft beer, wine and non-alcoholic beverages, are also on the menu.

This spot resembles an old English pub in every way, including having a red phone booth and the best fish-and-chips in town. Other British pub classics like Scotch eggs, bangers and mash, stuffed Yorkshire pudding, shepherd's pie, and beef Wellington are on the menu alongside Canadian favorites like salads, burgers, poutine, and steak sandwiches. The breakfast menu is also very good. The bar is one of the biggest in Canmore with more than a dozen beers on tap as well as a nice selection of cocktails, spirits, ciders, and wines. FYI: The Georgetown is named after a ghost town not far from Canmore.

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.

Located in a historic building in downtown Pincher Creek, this cute café is a great place for a quick meal or a long coffee break. Besides exceptionally good coffee and tea, you'll find classic American dishes alongside Asian-fusion cuisine—think pancakes and crepes, avocado toast with lox, chicken skewers, and Filipino lumpia (fried spring rolls with a savory mixture of pork, cabbage, and other veggies). There's a kids' menu as well as a number of vegan options.

Fresh contemporary Italian cuisine in a farmhouse-style atmosphere is the specialty of this restaurant. The menu has classic Italian appetizers like bruschetta, calamari, and beef carpaccio along with house-made pizzas and pasta, and there are meat dishes like salmon, chicken, veal, and bison short ribs. Desserts include such specialties as gelato, limoncello cheesecake, and tiramisu. The restaurant is family-friendly and there is a children's menu. There's also a nice patio area.

Across the parking lot from Lake McDonald Lodge, Jammer Joe's Grill & Pizzeria was named after the historic red jammer buses that have been used for park tours since 1936. The casual restaurant serves an all-you-can-eat salad and pizza lunch buffet, as well as pasta, salads, soups, sandwiches, and pizzas on the dinner menu.

The park's only brewery is a fine stop for a beer and a burger, though the menu also features wings, poutine, nachos, fish-and-chips, and other pub fare in addition to well-made salads, steaks, and seafood dishes. Premium hops and natural mountain water go into the six signature beers brewed on-site. You can watch sports action on the big screens near the bar or dine in the restaurant.

The views are amazing from the newly renovated rooftop patio of this popular downtown Jasper restaurant. Pizza from the wood-fired and traditional pizza ovens is the star attraction here, but you'll also find burgers, pastas, salads, and a broad selection of appetizers. The dessert menu is pretty much non-existent, but it's easy to forgive when you taste the pizza. The King of New York wood-fired pizza is so authentic, you'll want to fold your slice before eating it. The restaurant has three beers on tap, a good selection of craft beer, cocktails, spirits, and wine.

Enjoy good food and drinks in a fun, casual atmosphere at this Eau Claire Market staple that has a loyal following among the locals. While they serve the usual Calgary fare---steaks, burgers, ribs, salmon---much of the menu is Asian-inspired: lettuce wraps, sushi, and a variety of rice bowls. There’s also a good selection of salads and more than a few gluten-free and vegetarian items. You can try much of the menu for less money during their popular happy hour.

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.

With wooden walls and ceilings, this small 28-seat restaurant has a cozy, homey feel. There isn't a lot of selection on the menu, but it's innovative and very well done like elk tartare, Wagyu meatballs, and the coffee-braised bison short ribs; breakfast ranges from French-style omelets to buttermilk pancakes with a blueberry compote. The veggie and pasta dishes should not be overlooked and there are options for kids. There's also a nice selection of coffees, teas, craft beers, cocktails, and wine to accompany meals, and if you're staying at the resort, the Kumama canteen has everything you'll need to stock your kitchen.

The all-day bar menu at Lucke's Lounge features bison burgers, sandwiches, salads, and appetizers alongside yet another great lake view. They also serve a nice selection of Montana microbrews, wines, and craft cocktails.

Offering panoramic views from the top of an otherwise nondescript office building, Major Tom is one of Calgary's perennially popular and lauded restaurants, where reservations are essential almost year-round. The wide-ranging menu offers Alberta lamb and beef, but also excellent pastas, and perhaps the standout dish, a crispy roast chicken. Cocktails are taken seriously here, and the bar menu is longer than the food menu, including some interesting dessert cocktails. If you were ever tempted to try that 1970s favorite, the Grasshopper, this would be the place.

At the edge of Castle Provincial Park, this place has a funky deli and bakery with hot and cold sandwiches, breakfast sandwiches, and an impressive coffee and tea menu. The store also sells ice cream and fresh baked goods and you can pick up food, liquor, camping, and fishing supplies in the mercantile. Gas and diesel is also available.

Named for the former dairy it now inhabits, Model Milk serves upscale comfort food (think burgers, fried chicken, and roasted cauliflower) beneath chandeliers made of glass milk bottles and brick walls, concrete floors, and steel beams that recall the building’s industrial heritage. This trendy restaurant has been on every best restaurant list since it opened in 2011; don't miss the small plates to share like the Savoury Fry Bread and Organic AB Beets. Some Sundays, the chef whips up prix-fixe three-course meals served family-style.

When in Calgary, do as the Calgarians do and enjoy the bounty of the land. Alberta is famous for its beef, and this restaurant has perfected the fine art of steak; they only serve fresh, ranch-specific Alberta beef, and they grill it at 1800ºF to make the outside crispy and the inside juicy. The menu also offers Alberta rainbow trout and seafood options, and a couple of vegan options. Dine upstairs for a more formal setting, or downstairs in the cocktail lounge for a more casual experience. Wednesday is date night, so two can wine and dine for C$80.

This good ol’ Canadian steak-house chain always gets top marks from its regular customers. There’s two options: a family-friendly restaurant with a laid-back vibe and the more adult urbanLODGE that serves the same great steaks in a more festive atmosphere.

The theme of this upscale pub is “come in good, leave better,” and a meal here will only improve your day. Award-winning burgers, the best Caesar in town, and an outstanding weekend brunch are just three of the reasons to visit the Next Act Pub. For a more carnivorous experience, visit its sister restaurant next door, where Meat serves up excellent barbecue.

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.

This is slow food at its best, with just one chef and one server and patrons sitting either at tables along the perimeter or at the small bar, watching the sushi as it's prepared à la minute. Tatsuhiko Okazaki, the owner and chef, is famous for fashioning tantalizing combinations from the freshest ingredients. Try the Jasper Roll, made with crab meat and shrimp and served with a spicy sauce. Sapporo beer and sake complement chef Okaki's creations perfectly. Only about a dozen people can fit in this sushi bar at once. Reservations—only possible for the earliest seatings, at 6 and 6:30—should be made well in advance.