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Banff Restaurants on a Budget

Posted on March 6, 2009February 12, 2014 by K. Gordon

The Best Restaurants in Banff, Alberta on a Budget

When at home, it is very easy to budget your food costs with a trip to the supermarket and an hour in the kitchen. However, on holidays and especially in Banff, the cost of eating can really make up a large part of your travelling budget. Budgeting does not mean that the quality of your diet must suffer, however. Here are a few options for those who want to continue to eat well without paying over the odds.

Fast Food Restaurants

Considering how touristy Banff has gotten in recent years, you might be inclined to think that it has been flooded with fast food chains. Happily it is not yet over-run.



It is the easy option and it is cheap. Fast food is not a recommendation but it is certainly a choice that everybody makes at some time so here is a list of some of the usual suspects that call Banff home.

Banff McDonald’s is the obvious choice. It is not filling and considering the relatively poor quality of the food, the prices aren’t so great but everybody needs a McDonald’s at some stage. You know the drill here. It is right in the centre of town.

Subway has long been the cheap option for those who like their fast food to be nutritious. There are two Subways in Banff where you can chow down on a foot long.
Fairmont Banff Springs is a very surprising choice for fast food. It has a restaurant called The Castle Pantry and the prices start at an extremely friendly $3 for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Not exactly fine dining but considering the location and price, who can argue?!

Ethnic restaurants are all over Banff. Italian pizzas, Japanese sushi, Greek and Chinese are just a few of the options. All the menus with prices are posted outside so depending on your mood, take a walk through the centre, examine the specials and treat yourself.

“I’m almost ashamed to say that every time I go to Banff, I go to Subway at least once or twice in a week. After a full day of skiing and empty pockets, there is nothing like the foot-long meatball with extra cheese,” Lindsay Harman, regular visitor to Banff.

Other choices are all around you. If it doesn’t matter for you to sit down, there are many mini markets at gas stations that can offer you the cheapest of options. Sandwiches and microwavable food are the most common picks. Definitely not the tastiest or healthiest option but if you want to save your pennies for some great activities, it may be the right option.

Picnics are a great option. You are surrounded by some of the most impressive scenery in the world so when the sun is out in the summer, there is really no excuse not to go to a grocery store or deli and stock the wicker basket up.

Banff Pubs

The Rose & Crown

This has long been a favourite of Banff locals and with the way the economy seems to be right now, it is only going to get more popular. They have a menu up outside the door where you can peruse the prices at your own pace. Grab some fish & chips and head up the two flights to the rooftop seating area. For less than $15, eating a great pub meal while admiring the mountains all around is an absolute bargain.

Banff Restaurants

Bumpers – The Beef House is slightly more expensive than The Rose & Crown but the prime rib here is so darn good that it just doesn’t matter. Prices float around the $20 mark and to say the portions are large would be an understatement. It has a really pretty location too.



For more information on budget restaurants, go to Canadian Rockies

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