10 Best Restaurants in Alberta, Canada

Located in the back corner of a shopping mall, this family-run restaurant has a casual menu, a kids menu, and a pet-friendly patio. Along with burgers and pizza, you'll find steaks, shrimp, salmon, ribs, and a few specialties like bibimbap and bulgogi (the owners immigrated from South Korea). The restaurant has specials that are served before 5 pm. There are five craft beers on tap and six wine choices.

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.

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.

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.

This cafeteria-style café located just off Maligne Lake is a great spot to get a picnic to go or to relax and eat in. The regionally sourced menu has a wide variety of sandwiches, salads, soup, chili, hot dogs, and three different kinds of poutine, a Canadian indulgence made with potato wedges, cheese curds, and gravy. There's also a small children's menu.

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.

This saloon-style pub restaurant is themed around the Prohibition era when rumrunners frequented the Crowsnest Pass. The open kitchen prepares Canadian and European-style pub food like burgers, pizza, fish-and-chips, appetizers, and salads. There's a seniors menu and a gluten-free menu. They also serve a wide variety of beverages to accompany a meal and their display of local nostalgia is impressive.

Located on the third floor of Grizzly Paw Brewery, this restaurant embraces craft beer culture with a seasonally inspired menu that pairs well with the beers made at the brewery. Each dish has a suggested pairing and the menu includes salads, a wide array of pub-style starters, oven-fired flatbreads, burgers, steaks, pasta, and other dishes. If beer's not your thing, wine, spirits, cider, and craft cocktails are also on the menu. The brewery is also known for its non-alcoholic craft soda and can prepare a flight of sodas instead of a flight of beer. If you sit near the window, you'll enjoy views of the Three Sisters, Ha Ling Peak, and Mount Rundle from the restaurant and the outdoor patio.

This is the place to start your day with a sweet or savory treat or to reward yourself after a day of hiking or paddling near Maligne Lake. You'll find everything from classic cinnamon sugar waffles to smoked salmon waffles, and there's a good coffee and tea menu.