82 Best Restaurants in Alberta, Canada

It's safe to say that the beef in Alberta is some of the best around, so if you're looking for the quintessential steak house experience while in town, this Calgary institution (started in 1972) is the place to dine for exceptional Alberta beef. While you're here, try the iconic Ceasar cocktail (like a Bloody Mary but with clamato juice), and perhaps that other iconic Ceasar, the salad which is made table-side.

Chef Sean Walker and his culinary team showcase regional farms and suppliers at this family-owned and operated restaurant. It's a favorite brunch spot in Jasper with options like the short-rib poutine breakfast bowl or the loaded avocado toast, there's a fun afternoon social menu with sharing plates and Happy Hour drink specials, and the dinner menu features entrées like elk loin with Saskatoon berry jus or Arctic char with lemon caper butter. A nice selection of wines and cocktails accompany the menus.

Victor and Cathy Caracciolo opened Mercato 20 years ago and it has been a local favorite ever since. Mamma Cathy is still in the kitchen every day, whipping up delicious contemporary Italian fare for a constant stream of regular customers; try the family-style mixed grill or Mamma’s handmade gnocchi using the same recipe she learned from her own mama. There’s also a spacious market that sells cheese, meats, fresh-baked bread, handmade pasta, and ready-cooked meals to take home. Either way, you can’t go wrong.

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.

An annual recipient of Calgary’s best restaurant award, River Cafe focuses on creating top-tier Canadian food, even going so far as to shun imported kitchen staples like pepper and olive oil. The stroll through Prince’s Island Park will whet your appetite and the beautifully woodsy dining room will get you in the mood for dining. Favorites include the wild boar, buttermilk pancakes with hazelnut whipped cream and dark chocolate, and picnic lunch you can enjoy along the bank of the Bow River.

Like its counterpart in Calgary, Anejo Edmonton serves up delicious Mexican food and outstanding margaritas in a hip and gorgeous setting. Happy hour is even better, when your tequila and tacos are half-price.

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.

This relatively new eatery on Whyte Avenue has quickly become a local favorite with its creative shared-plate menu that includes flavors from all around the world. Excellent cocktails and a quiet patio out back only enhance the dining experience.

This cozy downtown bakery is a great stop for a breakfast of tasty muffins and other confections or a lunch of sandwiches and wraps. Freshly baked cookies, cakes, and artisanal breads are also available, along with a wide variety of coffees and teas. Popular with locals and visitors, this place with just a few tables for dining inside can be packed during peak times. The owners also run the Other Paw, two blocks away. And, at night, the place turns into Ursidae Lair, a scotch-tasting lounge.

Centrally located in the Design District and within walking distance of the Calgary Stampede, this diner-inspired eatery is a great place for a hearty breakfast or lunch. You can't go wrong with any of the traditional breakfast options including the numerous bennies, but classics like chicken and waffles or breakfast poutine are a good idea.

Opened in 2024 and named for Chef Scott Iserhoff's grandmother, this small Indigenous restaurant in downtown Edmonton offers delicious Indigenous cuisine made with fresh seasonal ingredients. For Iserhoff and his guests, the restaurant evokes memories of home and comfort---what it's like to sit in grandma's kitchen and enjoy a hot meal with bannock bread and berry jam. The lunch menu includes salads and sandwiches along with brunch options, while the dinner menu has sharing plates with menu items like bison cheeks, elk carpaccio, and scallops with burnt dandelion. The signature barbeque brisket, which is slow roasted for 12 hours and served with Saskatoon berry–infused barbeque sauce, is on both the lunch and dinner menu. There is a good selection of Indigenous wines, cocktails, and non-alcoholic beverages on the menu.

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."

Another Calgary icon, Bottlescrew Bills is a second-generation family establishment that has been serving high-quality versions of classic pub food and an enormous selection of beer for more than 40 years. Daily specials and a generous happy hour only add to the fun; if you're feeling adventurous, try their unique riff on the traditional Caesar (a Canadian cocktail invented in Calgary) that includes a “prairie oyster.” If you’re in town long enough, you can try to fill your Around the World in 80 Beers passport.

An authentic cowboy restaurant with great Alberta steaks and terrific burgers, Buzzard's serves up good western food amid rustic country-style decor and cowboy artifacts. If you're feeling brave, this is one of the few places in Calgary where you can sample prairie oysters, otherwise known as bull testicles. The place is renowned for its annual "testicle festival." There's a sunny outdoor patio, and Bottlescrew Bill's Old English Pub next door serves Calgary's largest beer selection, including Buzzard's Breath Ale house brew.

If you’re in the mood for a taste of Europe, take a trip to this pub-style bistro for French-inspired cuisine. Situated in a remodeled building from the 1920s, this restaurant serves modern riffs on classic French dishes like Baked Brie, a great French onion soup, and Lobster Provencal. There's also a lengthy list of European wines and beer to pair with your meal.

The Edmonton emigrant of a successful Vancouver chain, Browns is a widely popular place with consistently good food, good service, and good vibes. The combination keeps the locals in the neighborhood coming back again and again, and that is high praise, though a generous happy hour doesn’t hurt either.

This café is a great place to enjoy coffee, tea, or ice cream, grab-and-go breakfasts, fine chocolates, or baked goods before or after a hike. There's also a variety of hot and cold sandwiches, pizza, hamburgers, stew, burgers, fries, and poutine. They even micro-roast organic fairly traded coffee beans in small batches, and you can have local beer or BC wine with your meal if you dine inside. There are picnic tables if you wish to dine outside and enjoy the magnificent scenery.

More than 80 varieties of loose-leaf teas, craft beverages, and artisan coffees are served alongside fresh, healthy, and local food at this downtown café. Look for pad Thai noodle bowls, rice bowls, salads, sandwiches, and delicious wraps. There are many vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options on the menu as well.

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.

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.

Calgary's oldest restaurant started as a milk bar in the 1950s that served organic food before it was trendy; today it's best known for breakfast, which is served until 3 pm, but it’s a fine place for lunch and supper too. While this gem is not technically in Kensington, it's certainly worth the short walk.

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.

Deville brews direct-trade, small-batch coffee beans and serves fresh baked goods and other tasty breakfast and lunch items as well. There are four locations Downtown but only the Fashion Central Location, near Stephen Avenue Mall, is open on weekends.

Every town has at least one outstanding breakfast and lunch place, and in Downtown Edmonton, the District is it. Excellent limitless coffee and fresh baked goods, all-day breakfast, and a world-class breakfast sandwich make this a great breakfast stop. The tasty sandwiches and salads make it a great spot for lunch too, and there are lots of options for vegans and vegetarians too.

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.

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.

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.

A small all-day breakfast place that has been around for more than 30 years, the Galaxie Diner is a great option for a fair-priced breakfast (especially if you slept past noon). The decor is vintage diner, the staff is friendly and helpful, and you can have as many hash browns as you like.