What to Eat & Drink in Banff: Alberta Beef, Canadian Bison, Poutine, BeaverTails and Breweries

Because Banff sits on the eastern border of Alberta, Canada's cattle-ranching and barley-malting heartland, dining in the Rockies combines hearty ranch-to-table meats, wild game, Swiss-inspired mountain fondues (brought to Banff by the Swiss Alpine Guides hired by the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1899), and glacier-water craft beer.

Five Signature Rockies Foods & Drinks to Try in Banff

1. AAA Alberta Prime Beef & Grilled Canadian Plains Bison: grazed on the prairie grasses of southern Alberta just an hour east of the mountains, Alberta Beef is famous worldwide for its rich marbling. Even leaner and sweeter is Canadian Bison (Buffalo), order a chargrilled bison ribeye steak, bison short ribs with Saskatoon berry glaze, or a bison burger topped with aged Canadian cheddar and smoked bacon (at classic spots like The Bison on Bear Street, Chuck's Steakhouse or 1888 Chop House).
2. Swiss Cheese & Game Fondue (At 'The Grizzly House' Since 1967): a legendary Banff institution on Banff Avenue (complete with vintage table-to-table telephones from its 1960s disco days) where you bubble pots of melted Swiss Gruyère and Emmental cheese followed by hot-rock fondues of Alberta beef, bison and elk.
3. Poutine & Elk Tourtière: crisp hand-cut fries buried under squeaky Québec cheese curds and piping-hot gravy (topped in Banff with pulled bison or smoked brisket), alongside flaky French-Canadian meat pie (tourtière) made with spiced elk and venison.
4. BeaverTails Pastries & Afternoon Tea at Lake Louise: grab a hand-stretched, paddle-shaped whole-wheat fried pastry at BeaverTails on Banff Avenue (order the classic Killaloe Sunrise with cinnamon, sugar and fresh squeezed lemon, or maple-butter). Up at Lake Louise, hike to the 1901 Lake Agnes Tea House for mountain berry crumble and tea.
5. The Classic Canadian 'Caesar' Cocktail & Glacier-Water Craft Beer: invented in 1969 just 90 minutes away in Calgary by Walter Chell, the Caesar (vodka, Clamato clam-tomato juice, Worcestershire, hot sauce and a celery-salt rim, garnished in Banff with pickled asparagus or jerky) is Canada's national brunch cocktail. For evening craft beer brewed with pure Bow River glacier water, visit Three Bears Brewery (with a living pine tree growing inside its retractable glass roof) or Banff Ave Brewing Co., and taste glacier spirits at Park Distillery.