A Perfect Mountain Meal: Best Restaurants in Alberta’s Rockies

Alberta’s mountain food scene is elevated in more ways than one. The wildlife and mountain vistas will take your breath away. Meanwhile, the dining is sure to leave you with lasting memories. Come hungry for adventure and some of the best meals ever, because here in Alberta’s Rockies, incredible food meets incredible landscapes.

Aalto: Food inspired by Pyramid Lake

Make your way to Jasper National Park and get ready to experience once-in-a-lifetime views, followed by a meal that’s equally as memorable.

Perched on the majestic shores of Pyramid Lake sits Aalto. This restaurant is home to what the restaurant calls “lake-food,” their play on seafood. What separates it from regular seafood? Lake-food brings the flavours of Jasper to your plate. Whether that’s in-season vegetables or locally sourced meat, you’re sure to get a taste of Alberta’s mountain parks at Aalto.

“We had the idea of bringing the lake into the restaurant,” explains Aalto Executive Chef Thomas Riding. “We asked, ‘How do we bring the elements of the lake inside?’”

Those elements shine through the lake-inspired and seasonal ingredients. Aalto’s menu is fish-forward. You'll find ingredients that are familiar but served in a way that delights with every bite.

“It’s about having humble ingredients that are familiar and approachable, but presenting them in a slightly more obscure way,” says Chef Thomas. This is apparent with the restaurant’s charred beet salad. It highlights two truly Albertan ingredients. First, the humble beet is perfectly charred. The second signature Alberta ingredient is the subtle flavour of canola oil, one of Alberta’s major crops. You'll find it in the walnut foam that comes with the salad, so pay attention to what those taste buds are telling you.

A comfortable spot to end the day

“It’s not just about fine dining and a beautiful restaurant. If you come to Pyramid Lake for a swim, hike or a bike ride, you can come back for refreshments or a bite to eat and feel perfectly comfortable doing that,” says Chef Riding.

In the winter, you’ll find warming, rib-sticking dishes to help shake the cold after your adventures. Dig into the hearty split pea soup paired with handmade lamb sausage and you’ll be sure to warm up quickly after a day skiing at Marmot Basin or exploring the local trails.

One of Aalto’s most popular dishes, the Land and Lake board, highlights their lakeside spin. This charcuterie board offers duck prosciutto, house pâte, ceviche, Quebec cheese and lavash bread, paired with Aalto's house mustards and chutneys. It makes for an ideal post-hike snack to share with your companions.

Can’t forget the drinks

What’s a meal without a perfectly paired drink? Aalto’s cocktails reflect the surrounding landscape as much as the food. Case in point: the Aalto Fashioned. This unique take on an Old Fashioned delivers a blue hue like of the waters of Pyramid Lake and just a touch of smoke. It also features Rupert’s Whiskey, a spirit distilled in Alberta’s own Eau Claire Distillery. More of a beer drinker? You’ll find a beer menu with local favourites. Plus, there are more Aalto signature cocktails, ciders and cleverly concocted mocktails.

Lupo: A taste of Italy in the heart of Banff

Hungry? You will be shortly after stepping inside Lupo Italian Ristorante. Here, your senses are taken on a trip the moment you step inside. The sights, the sounds and the smells will make you think you are deep in the heart of an Italian market

Ranked 6th in Canada’s 100 Best’s Top New Restaurants in 2023, Lupo brings the vibrant feel of Italy right to Banff. Step inside to watch chefs hand stretch pizza dough, roll out fresh pasta or perfectly grill meats and seafood.

Pasta powered

This is one of Banff’s most popular restaurants, inspired by the class open-air markets of Italy. “Pasta is making a comeback,” explains Chef David Ryc, “and we wanted to be ahead of that curve.”

At Lupo, pasta is how every day begins. Pasta makers start cranking out handmade dough by 8a.m. each day. Every pasta dish is prepared by hand, and that dedication truly makes the dishes shine. “I don’t know if there is a single cook in this town that gets worked harder than my pasta cooks,” says Chef Ryc of his continuously busy staff.

The Pasta Bolognese is crafted based on a recipe from the Bologna region of Italy. This makes the classic dish as authentic an Italian experience you can get while this deep in Alberta’s mountains. “We didn’t come in here looking to reinvent the wheel. We want you to feel like you can order a classic and get it as pure as we can get it to you,” says Chef Ryc.

The pasta possibilities include classics such as Spaghetti and Spicy Meatballs and Cacio e Pepe, as well as lesser-known greats like Lupo’s much-loved Agnolotti. This stuffed pasta is made with small pieces of dough folded over a potato and raclette filling.

Italian-style pizza with a touch of Alberta

Around 75% of the wheat grown in Alberta gets shipped to Italy, where it’s milled into double zero flour, the finest flour according to an Italian scale for how finely wheat is ground. Once that flour gets back to Lupo, it meets with their sourdough culture, lovingly named Isabelle. The culture itself is two and a half years old and started from fermented Saskatoon berries. This means each and every pizza coming out of the oven at Lupo features two of Alberta’s signature ingredients: Saskatoon berries and red fife wheat, a Canadian variety of wheat long prized for its hardiness and baking qualities.

“A lot of work, a lot of trial and error went into this dough,” explains Chef David.

Whether you’re a fan of the classic margherita, craving the heat of a spicy diavola pizza, or up for adventure with the white-sauced Uncle Morty, you’re sure to find your perfect pizza on the menu at Lupo.

A perfect pairing

The wine menu is befitting of the best Italian restaurants, and the lamp-lit bar provides a cozy spot to sip on a classic martini. Better yet, scope out the mountain views from one of the window seats or the sunny patio while you sip one of their bottled or draft beers. Many of their cocktails also feature locally made spirits from Park Distillery, another local treasure located just around the corner from Lupo.

Bridgette Bar: Wood fired, Alberta-inspired

As you make your way away from Banff and into Canmore, more mountainous adventures await, along with a restaurant that takes the fire-kissed flavour to the next level.

“At heart, I’m an Alberta boy that wants to make good food. Bridgette allows me to do that because it focuses on seasons.

That’s Chef MacKenzie Pavka’s take on the inspiration behind Bridgette Bar. This cozy restaurant is tucked away in Canmore, in the heart of the mountainous Kananaskis region. The town offers less crowded streets than the neighbouring Banff, plus limitless adventure in the surrounding mountains, making it the perfect hub to set your wild side free.

The fire behind the flame

Named for the Celtic goddess of fire, Bridgette Bar delivers smoky flavours lovingly made over wood-fired grills and ovens. Everything from the chicken to the carrots gets a perfect touch of fiery flavour. The Double Cut Pork Chop or 24 oz Wood Grilled T-bone steak bring a bit of that primal flare to the wood-fired entrees as well.

Bridgette Bar’s menu offers a little bit of everything. Looking for one-of-a-kind appetizers? The Salt and Vinegar Cashews or Hummus Chips have you covered. Or go all out with the large plates featuring everything from the Maple BBQ Rainbow Trout or Grilled Lamb Saddle. Got a veggie craving? The Wood Grilled Carrots are a must!

“The menu is designed so you’re not getting bored. We want you to come back. You can come back for your favourites anytime, but you can change it up,” explains Chef Mackenzie.

Of course, pizza gets the wood-fired oven treatment at Bridgette Bar as well. Mouth-watering combinations like the Chicken Sausage pizza, featuring bacon, garlic bechamel, mushrooms and jalapenos, is a fan favourite.

“The way I like to run my kitchens is very comforting, open, listening and honest. We put love into the food and we care about it,” says Chef MacKenzie, and that love and care clearly comes through in every dish that leaves the kitchen.

Dessert, anyone?

Cap off your perfect meal at Bridgette Bar with one of their mouth-watering desserts. Satisfy a sweet tooth with the Banana Pie, or cave to a chocolate craving with the Chocolate Pot de Crème. Plus, a wide range of drinks including digestifs, wine, beer and hot drinks are always on the menu.

How to get around Alberta’s Rockies

Explore mountain paradise the relaxed way and let someone else take the wheel or check out active transport options once you get to your destination.

• SunDog Transportation and Tours offers daily, year-round shuttle services between Edmonton International Airport and Jasper.
• Experience pure luxury and old-world charm via train with The Rocky Mountaineer’s Journey through the Clouds Discovery Banff package as you travel from Calgary to Banff, Jasper, Kamloops and Vancouver.
• On-It Regional Transit offers bus routes between Calgary, Canmore and Banff.
• A fleet of Roam Transit buses run throughout the Town of Banff, plus Canmore and Lake Louise.
• Local bike shops in Banff and Canmore offer e-bikes for rent to easily zip around town.
• The towns of Jasper, Canmore and Banff are all easily walkable once you arrive.