Looking for the Best Canmore Restaurant? Here's Why Locals and Visitors Choose The Bankhead
Published by The Bankhead Restaurant & Lounge | Canmore, Alberta
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Canmore has no shortage of places to eat. Between the mountain views, the steady flow of hikers and skiers, and a downtown packed with patios, picking just one restaurant can feel like a tough call. But if you want a spot that covers breakfast, lunch, brunch, and dinner under one roof, with a menu that mixes Canadian comfort food and dishes from around the world, The Bankhead Restaurant & Lounge is worth putting at the top of your list.
Located just off Bow Valley Trail beside the Northwinds Hotel, Bankhead has built a name for itself as one of the best Canmore restaurants for families, couples, and groups who want good food without the fuss of fine-dining rules. This guide walks through what makes the restaurant stand out, what to order, and what to expect on your visit, so you can decide if it's the right fit for your next meal in Canmore.
What Makes Bankhead One of the Best Canmore Restaurant
Canmore's dining scene leans heavily on a few categories: upscale tasting menus, brewery pubs, and classic mountain-town breakfast spots. Bankhead carves out its own space by doing something different. The kitchen blends Canadian staples, like AAA Alberta steaks and pulled pork sandwiches, with dishes pulled from Italy, India, Korea, the Philippines, and Turkey. One table might order a Caesar salad and a striploin, while the next orders Oxtail Balbacua or Turkish eggs. That range is part of why so many visitors searching for the best Canmore restaurant end up here.
Most restaurant roundups for Canmore separate places into narrow categories: a spot for breakfast, a spot for steak, a spot for cocktails, a spot that's good with kids. Bankhead is one of the few places in town that checks several of those boxes inside one menu, which is exactly the kind of search intent behind someone typing 'best Canmore restaurant' into Google. They're usually not looking for a single specialty. They're looking for a reliable, all-around option they can return to more than once during a trip.
A few things set the restaurant apart from other options in town.
All-day service: Bankhead covers breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner, so it works whether you're fuelling up before a hike or winding down after one.
A genuinely international menu: instead of one or two token dishes, the menu features full sections built around Indian, Korean, Italian, and Southeast Asian flavours.
Local sourcing: the kitchen leans on local Alberta ingredients where it can, including Alberta beef cuts featured across the dinner menu.
A family-friendly atmosphere: a dedicated kids' menu and a relaxed lounge setting make it an easy choice for groups with different appetites.
A convenient, easy-to-find location: parking is available right at the hotel lot, just off Bow Valley Trail.
There's also a practical reason Bankhead works well for visitors: it sits inside the Northwinds Hotel, so anyone staying nearby can walk over without needing a car or a reservation at a far-off restaurant after a long day on the trails. For locals, that same convenience applies on a weeknight when cooking isn't appealing, but a 20-minute drive across town isn't either.
Atmosphere: Casual by Day, Cozy by Night
Bankhead changes character depending on when you visit. During the day, the dining room has the relaxed feel of a neighbourhood breakfast spot, the kind of place where a family can bring young kids without anyone feeling rushed. The restaurant notes that meals here are meant to feel like food for the soul as much as the body, and that shows in how unhurried the daytime service feels.
In the evening, the lighting softens and the room shifts toward a date-night or group-dinner mood. The lounge side of the space works well for a drink before or after your meal, and the cocktail list leans into dessert-style drinks like espresso martinis and chocolate martinis alongside classic brunch cocktails such as mimosas and Caesars. Whether you're after a quiet dinner for two or a bigger group meal, the space adjusts without feeling like two different restaurants.
That flexibility matters more in a town like Canmore than it might elsewhere. Many visitors are only in town for a few days, and they don't want to research five different restaurants to cover five different meals. Bankhead's ability to handle a casual Tuesday lunch and a more deliberate Saturday dinner under one roof is a big part of why repeat visitors keep coming back, and why it shows up so often when people ask locals for restaurant recommendations.
Menu Highlights: What to Order at Bankhead
The menu is large enough that first-time visitors sometimes need a starting point. Here's a breakdown by meal.
Breakfast and Brunch
Bankhead's breakfast and brunch menu runs from Canadian classics to dishes most Canmore restaurants don't attempt. Steak and eggs, eggs benedict with a choice of toppings, and fluffy pancakes sit on the same menu as Turkish eggs (known as Cilbir), Masala omelette, and Shakshouka. For something lighter, the kale smoothie bowl or steel cut oats hit the mark, while the breakfast poutine is a heartier option for anyone heading out for a full day in the mountains.
Breakfast and brunch at The Bankhead Restaurant & Lounge, one of the best Canmore restaurants
Lunch
The lunch menu (available from noon) keeps the same international thread running through it. The Miner's Power Bowl and Caesar salad are reliable lighter choices, while the Steak Sandwich, Pulled Pork Sandwich, and Crispy Fish Burger cover the classic pub-lunch cravings. For something different, the Beef Bulgogi or Oxtail Balbacua bring real depth of flavour without straying too far from a quick midday meal.
Dinner
Dinner is where Bankhead leans into its steakhouse side. Alberta beef tenderloin, striploin, and ribeye are all on the menu, along with a 35-day aged Beef Tomahawk built for sharing. Beyond steak, the Blackened Atlantic Salmon, Bison Short Rib, and Elk Osso Buco are standout mains, and the Surf & Turf combines striploin with scallops and shrimp for anyone who can't decide between the two. On the international side, Bison Ravioli, Beef Bulgogi, and Malaysian-style vegetable curry round out the dinner menu.
Drinks and Dessert
The bar program favours approachable, classic cocktails over anything overly fussy, which fits the restaurant's casual-but-polished personality. Dessert options like the Signature Chocolate Gateaux and Mango & Berry Cheesecake pair well with a Mudslide or Chocolate Martini if you're closing out the night.
How Bankhead Stacks Up Against Other Canmore Dining Options
Canmore's restaurant scene is often split into a few familiar lanes: brewery pubs with classic bar food, upscale tasting-menu spots aimed at date nights, and old-school breakfast diners that have been around for decades. Each has its place, but each one usually only covers part of a trip.
Bankhead's advantage is breadth without losing quality. The dinner menu holds up against the steakhouse-style spots in town, with aged Alberta beef tomahawk and striploin cuts that wouldn't be out of place at a dedicated steakhouse. The breakfast and brunch menu competes with Canmore's long-running breakfast diners, but adds dishes those spots don't typically offer, like Turkish eggs or Masala omelette. And the lounge side of the restaurant gives it a cocktail program that holds its own against Canmore's dedicated bars, without requiring a separate stop.
For a visitor trying to narrow down where to eat in a town with dozens of options, that combination is the practical reason Bankhead keeps appearing on local recommendation lists and in searches for the best Canmore restaurant overall, rather than just the best breakfast spot or the best steak in town.
Who Bankhead Works Best For
Bankhead tends to fit a wide range of dining occasions, which is part of why it keeps coming up in searches for the best Canmore restaurant.
Families: the Mini Miners menu covers chicken fingers, mac and cheese, and grilled chicken, so younger diners have options too.
Couples: the evening lounge atmosphere and dinner menu make it a solid pick for a low-key date night.
Groups: with both Canadian and international dishes on one menu, larger tables can order very different meals without anyone settling.
Visitors staying nearby: the Northwinds Hotel location means it's an easy stop for hotel guests without needing a car.
Location and Getting There
The Bankhead Restaurant & Lounge sits at 1602 2nd Avenue in Canmore, attached to the Northwinds Hotel. If you're coming from downtown Canmore, head toward Bow Valley Trail (Highway 1A), which runs parallel to 2nd Avenue. Free parking is available in the hotel lot right off 2nd Avenue.
Travelling from the west on Highway 1, take Exit 91 to Bow Valley Trail and continue for about 3.3 km. From the east (coming from Banff), take the exit toward the Visitor Info Centre and follow Bow Valley Trail for roughly 1.8 km until you reach the Northwinds Hotel on the east side of the road. The restaurant is on the southeast side of the hotel, with Dairy Queen and Subway visible across the highway as a easy landmark.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Bankhead stands out for serving breakfast, lunch, brunch, and dinner with a menu that blends Canadian comfort food, like Alberta steaks and pulled pork sandwiches, with international dishes from India, Korea, Italy, Turkey, and the Philippines. The all-day hours and family-friendly setting make it a flexible choice for many types of visits.
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Yes. The restaurant offers a dedicated kids' menu, called Mini Miners, with options like chicken fingers, mac and cheese, and grilled chicken, plus a relaxed daytime atmosphere suited to families.
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Yes. The Canmore location serves a full breakfast and brunch menu daily, including steak and eggs, eggs benedict, Turkish eggs, Shakshouka, pancakes, and a dedicated brunch cocktail menu.
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Bankhead is located at 1602 2nd Avenue, Canmore, Alberta, beside the Northwinds Hotel just off Bow Valley Trail. Free parking is available in the hotel lot.
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Yes. Menu items are marked for vegetarian (V), vegan (VG), gluten-free (GF), and dairy-free (DF) options, including dishes like the Vegan Protein Loaf, gluten-free pasta, and the Miner's Power Bowl.
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Yes. Reservations can be made online, and delivery or pickup is available through Foodie Online for the Canmore location.
Plan Your Visit
If you've been searching for the best Canmore restaurant for your next breakfast, lunch, or dinner, The Bankhead Restaurant & Lounge is an easy choice to add to your list. Book a table online, or call ahead to reserve your spot.
The Bankhead Restaurant & Lounge — Canmore
1602 2nd Avenue, Canmore, Alberta T1W 1M8
Phone: (403) 679-1771
Email: info@thebankheadrestaurant.ca
Located beside the Northwinds Hotel, just off Bow Valley Trail.