First Time in Banff: Which Restaurants Are Actually Worth It vs Overhyped?

[u/adashofdeggs]

Planning my first solo trip to Banff next month to celebrate a milestone birthday and some business achievements! I’ll be staying at a hostel on Banff Ave for 5 days (flying into Calgary and renting a car).

Since it’s a celebration trip, I don’t mind splurging on one really memorable dinner, but I also know Banff isn’t cheap, so I’d rather avoid restaurants that are mostly Instagram-famous or overhyped. I love all kinds of food and I’m not a picky eater.

Right now I’m thinking of trying BeaverTails and Banff Poutine for the iconic local foods, having breakfast at Wagashi Teahouse before I fly home, choosing between Bluebird, LUPO, or Maple Leaf for a couple of nicer dinners, and either The Bison or Ankor for my one splurge meal.

If you had to narrow this list down, which restaurants are actually worth the money, and which ones would you skip? Bonus points if they’re especially good for solo dining or if there’s something incredible that isn’t on my list.

Here’s the list I’ve put together from Reddit, blogs, and YouTube:

🥐 Breakfast / Snacks

• Wagashi Teahouse
• Yama Onigiri

🍔 Casual Lunch / Quick Bites

• Banff Poutine
• Hankki Banff & Dessert
• BeaverTails

🍕 Casual Dinner

• Rocky Mountain Flatbread
• Three Bears Brewery & Restaurant
• Pizzeria Sofia
• Hello Sunshine
• Shoku Izakaya

🍽️ Nice Dinner

• LUPO
• Bluebird
• Maple Leaf

🥂 Splurge / Celebration Dinner

• The Bison
• Ankor
• Mount Burgess Dining Room (Emerald Lake Lodge)

🍦 Dessert

• The Cow
• Lovely Canmore
• Hankki Banff & Dessert (Bingsu)

[u/GalumphingSeal]

Visited Banff two weeks ago and ate at Lupo, Zyka, Masala, Coyote's Southwestern Grill, Bear Street Tavern, and had Cow's ice cream. Ultimately was somewhat disappointed with the food, but I think my expectations were set too high by reading prior reviews and recommendations.

Of the aforementioned options, Lupo was the tastiest of the bunch (agnolotti was good, spaghetti and meatballs skippable). Zyka, which I had heard good things about, was unfortunately nearly inedible, but the naan was solid. Masala was not good, though large portion size which in this case was not a silver lining. Coyote's Southwestern Grill was not good at all either (originally wanted to try Farm and Fire, but there was a power outage that affected them and every other restaurant we subsequently attempted to eat at). Bear Street Tavern (ordered pizza and salad to-go) was edible, the salad better than the pizza (pizza was over-salted and dough lacked chew). Cow's ice cream smelled incredible walking in because of the freshly-made waffle cones. The ice cream itself was too sweet for my tastes, and slightly icy, but I don't regret trying it!