The Best Restaurants in Banff – 2022 Banff Dining Guide

So you’re planning a trip to Banff National Park and you know what you’re going to do down to every hike, sight, and famous lake (if you don’t you can check out my guide on the 50 best things to do in Banff National Park here!).

But have you thought about where you’re going to eat when you’re in Banff?

Banff has an amazing culinary scene and so many great restaurants to pick from!

I recently spent 8 nights in Banff and had the opportunity to try so many incredible restaurants.

Using my experience and the help of local friends I’ve compiled this list of the best restaurants in Banff for 2022. Hope you enjoy!

By the way – If you’re heading to the Canadian Rockies soon you might want to check out these posts too:

• 50 Incredible Things to do in Banff National Park
• 28 Best Things to do in Banff in Winter
• 19 Best Hikes in Banff National Park
• The Ultimate Guide to Hiking Johnston Canyon in Winter
• 20 Best Spots for Winter Photos in Banff National Park
• 23 Best Things to do in Jasper National Park
• The Best Hikes in Jasper National Park

Now onto the list of the best restaurants in Banff for 2022!

Best Restaurants in Banff – New Restaurants

It only makes sense to start off this 2022 Banff dining guide by highlighting some of the hottest new restaurants in Banff. These culinary gems are a must-try when you visit Banff!

Farm & Fire

Address: 333 Banff Ave

Farm & Fire is an incredible new restaurant in Banff that’s located in the Elk + Avenue hotel.

The menu features only the freshest of ingredients from local Canadian farmers and everything is slow roasted and wood fired (which is where the name comes from!)

We had an absolutely incredible family-style meal at Farm & Fire and I highly recommend doing the same so you can try all sorts of their wonderful offerings.

Their menu is so incredible and there’s just so much to pick from. It’s always best when you share at restaurants like this!

Some of the most memorable menu items at Farm and Fire for me were:

• The wood-fired Funghi Pizza: with wild mushrooms, chevre, arugula pesto, and truffle oil
• Catch of the day tartare: Ours was salmon and it was delightful!
• Homestyle corn bread: Topped with melted butter and with bacon baked into it. It was melt in your mouth delicious.
• Honey roasted carrots with hazelnut dukkah
• Pull-apart bread: This dessert was absolutely unbelievable. 10/10

Although Farm and Fire may be new, there’s no surprise it is definitely one of the best restaurants in Banff.

The Radiant

Address: 111 Banff Ave Unit 101

The Radiant is Banff’s latest and most unique restaurant that combines a love for the arts, inclusivity, craft cocktails and incredible food all in one place.

The Radiant’s stunning yet moody art-deco space hosts a range of unique dining events like Drag brunches, Queer comedy nights, Burlesque shows, and open mic events. I

f you’re looking for a super fun dining experience in Banff than the Radiant is definitely for you.

The dining menu at the Radiant offers a large selection of sharing plates and mains that are not only unique in flavour profile but hilariously named. Items like the LePrawn James (a stack of chicharron crusted prawns with forbidden rice, paprika saffron cream and scallions) not only made our taste buds scream with delight, but also lent a few giggles to our table.

If you visit the Radiant I definitely recommend trying out their Tandoori Chicken & Waffles.

These were by far the most memorable thing we ate and can best be explained as a flavour explosion in your mouth.

The Radiant definitely wins for most unique and fun dining experience in this guide to the best restaurants in Banff.

Best Restaurants in Banff – Local Favourites

There’s no surprise the locals know best when it comes to where to eat in any city, and it’s true for Banff too!

I always turn to my local friends whenever visiting somewhere new.

Here’s some of the top places to dine in Banff from a local’s perspective.

The Maple Leaf

Address: 137 Banff Ave

If you’re looking for a restaurant that’s been a staple in the town of Banff for over 20 years, look no further than The Maple Leaf.

The Maple Leaf is a beautiful restaurant with a log cabin style interior and stunning mountain views.

The menu at the Maple Leaf features mouthwatering Canadian cuisine that will certainly leave an impression on you.

I especially loved all the maple infused dishes and cocktails which not only felt super Canadian but tasted incredible too!

For appetizers we had the Pacific Crab Cakes and the 1lb of Maple Duck Wings.

Both were great starters but the duck wings were definitely the star of the show.

I’ve never in my life had such mouthwatering duck wings and the maple sauce was spectacular.

It was hard for me to not lick the plate!

The Wild Maple BC Salmon & Prawns which has been on the menu for over 20 years is a must-try for dinner, we both had it and were in love.

And don’t forget to try the Maple Walnut Cheesecake.

I fell in love with all the super Canadian and maple infused fare at The Maple Leaf Restaurant. There’s no surprise that this is definitely one of the best restaurants in Banff.

The Bison Restaurant

Address: 211 Bear St # 213

The next in this guide to the best restaurants in Banff is The Bison Restaurant.

Here you’ll find contemporary Canadian farm-to-table Cuisine in a rustic & modern eatery.

The Bison is located in one of Banff’s busiest areas and brings you both an excellent culinary experience and delectable cocktails that will leave you beyond satisfied.

We started our dinner at the Bison with a Maple Old Fashioned and Moscow Mule – both were amazing!

Then for appetizers we had the Elk Tartare and Bison Ragu with Ricotta Gnocchi. They were really incredible and had so much flavour.

For mains we split the Fired Brome Lake Duck, Trout with Tahini Butter, and the Miso Chicken.

Each dish was absolutely incredible and loaded with so much flavour.

Whether you’re going out for date night our dining with friends, I highly recommend having dinner at the Bison Restaurant. It is definitely one of the best restaurants in Banff!

Best Restaurant with a view in Banff

I’m sure it’s no surprise to you that everywhere you turn there are incredible views in Banff.

But there’s one restaurant that stands out as having the most notable views combined with the most incredible cuisine.

Here’s my vote for #1 restaurant with a view on this best restaurants in Banff dining guide.

Sky Bistro

Address: The top of the Banff Gondola

The Sky Bistro is the restaurant at the top of the Banff Gondola and is an absolute must visit when you’re in the area.

Once you go you’ll know exactly why!

I used to think that restaurants at tourist attractions were tourist traps that are overpriced and not worth it.

The Sky Bistro blew me away and completely changed my mind on this.

In fact, the Sky Bistro was one of the most memorable meals I had while visiting Banff!

The Sky Bistro is hands down one of the best restaurants in Banff and is truly an incredible dining experience.

My first impression of The Sky Bistro was that it was really reasonably priced (our mains were no more than $20 each).

This surprised me because I was definitely expecting ridiculous prices for a top of the Gondola dining experience.

Not only was it reasonably priced, the food was all unbelievably delicious.

For starters we had the Spinach and Berry salads which had a lot of flavour and definitely did not skimp on toppings.

The mains we went with were the Fresh BC Clams and the Spicy Elk Bolognese. Both were so good!

Lastly we split the Lemon Curd with a Maple Cookie base for dessert and it was to die for.

I just loved that maple cookie base.

What an incredible experience to get to enjoy such an amazing meal on top of a mountain.

The views at the Sky Bistro are unlike any other and it definitely makes for a special dining experience.

Best Restaurants in Banff – Cheap Eats

Sometimes you just want a cheap and cheerful meal rather than a full sit down dining experience.

Here’s my favourite option for affordable and inexpensive dining in Banff.

Pad Thai Restaurant

Address: 110 Banff Ave

We stumbled on Pad Thai Restaurant as we were walking around Banff Avenue and it turned out to be the perfect place for a quick lunch.

If you came to this best restaurants in Banff dining guide looking for cheap eats, this is for you!

Pad Thai Restaurant is a great place to visit for the yummiest Thai food served quickly. Expect lots of yummy flavours, tons of vegetarian friendly options, and a very inexpensive dining experience.

Best Restaurants just outside of Banff

Although there’s a lot of great restaurants in the town of Banff, sometimes it’s worth venturing a little outside of the city for something special.

If you’re looking for an incredible, unique, and unforgettable dining experience then making the 20 minute drive to Canmore to dine at The Sensory is 100% worth it.

The Sensory gets an honourable mention on this list of best restaurants in Banff.

Although it’s not technically in Banff, its so good I couldn’t not include it!

The Sensory

Address: 101-300 Old Canmore Rd, Canmore

The Sensory is a culinary experience unlike no other in the Rockies.

Set in a beautiful open dining room with a stunning mountain view, you’ll experience a culinary adventure full of surprising and unique flavours.

We had some of our most unique and creative dishes here at The Sensory.

Each dish had us more surprised than the next and it’s something I haven’t stopped thinking about since!

Although The Sensory does have a regular A-La-Carte menu, I suggest going with the “Trust Us” 3 Course dinner which is their most popular offering.

The Trust Us” 3 course dinner changes every day and includes unbelievably mouthwatering and super creative courses created by the chef that day using fresh local ingredients. Every course surprised us more than the next and we were so incredibly impressed by the chef Corey Fraser.

Here’s what we dined on during our unforgettable dinner at the Sensory:

• An Amuse Bouche: Elk tartar with arugula emulsion with crispy shallot served on house made potato crisp 
• Organic dandelion and wild leek bisque with Basil pesto (nut free), organic chevre, crispy shallot, cold pressed canola oil and a violet flower.
• Fresh wild caught pickerel from Manitoba: pan seared over a sweet corn pudding with roasted red pepper coulis. Toasted pistachio and pea tendrils to garnish 
• Palette Cleanser: Crab apple and rocket sorbet 
• Bison tenderloin: Crusted with a wild mushroom and Labrador tea salt, pomme purée, beet root purée. Organic broccoli, caulilini, brûléed squash and a sour cherry gastric with a esturgion flower 
• Chocolate mousse log: with a haskap berry frozen yoghurt gelato, topped with bourbon caramel sauce, gluten free cookie crumb, honey comb and gold flakes to finish. Filled with haskap berry gel

I bet you can now see why I had to include The Sensory in this guide to the best restaurants in Banff!

In Conclusion

As you can see the culinary scene in Banff is thriving and there are so many great restaurants in Banff.

After having dined at a ton of restaurants in the area, I have to say that in my opinion these are definitely some of the best restaurants in Banff.

Whether you’re looking to try a classic staple that’s been around for years, or you want to try some of Banff’s newest restaurants, there are tons of options!

You might also want to check out:

• 50 Incredible Things to do in Banff National Park
• 28 Best Things to do in Banff in Winter
• 20 Best Spots for Winter Photos in Banff National Park
• 19 Best Hikes in Banff National Park
• The Ultimate Guide to Hiking Johnston Canyon in Winter

I hope you enjoyed this guide to the best restaurants in Banff for 2022. No matter which restaurant you pick on this list I know you will have an amazing dining experience.

Have you visited any of these restaurants in Banff? Where are you most excited to eat in Banff? I would love to hear from you!

And if you liked this guide to the best restaurants in Banff don’t forget to pink one of the below to refer back to later.

Happy Eating!

Kirsten