Northern Lights Alpine Kitchen — Restaurant in Alberta

I took my parents to Northern Lights Alpine Kitchen in March, to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary which we had to postpone because of Covid in 2021.

I called to make reservations and was fortunate in landing with Aminata, who did her utmost to help me book a time slot for the coming Sunday. Because the system was down, she offered to call me back, which she did later that day and walked me through the options/package deals.

On the special day, we were late due to unforeseen circumstances. I called from en route to say we were running behind (2 elderly people + 1 toddler) and was told that the Gondola time slot could be moved but the dining slot would not be flexible because they were booked solid.

When we arrived, we went to the gondola Check-In to see what we could do about getting in to Northern Lights. It seemed to be a real issue that we were late for the time slot. However, the universe was on our side; again I landed with the ever-professional Aminata who was able to explain the situation to the restaurant and facilitated a spot for us.

Upon arriving at the top and entering the restaurant, we were shown to a beautiful table along the side of the restaurant, looking over the valley. There was no indication by the host or our server (Taytem) that they were irritated by our delayed arrival. They seemed simply happy that we were there and made us feel welcome.

The Buffet selection was fabulous, with great meat and vegetarian options. They offered a nice variety of desserts and I loved the self-serve drink/coffee/cappuccino set-up.

The Chef who was helping to carve the meat, Brad, was from Australia (and about to return the following day after 6-months Working Holiday visa) was very friendly with my son and asked me if he could offer a gummy worm treat. After I consented, Brad said "This is for you, AFTER you finish what's on your plate!" which I appreciated, since it doesn't seem to work so well when it comes from mom! (I also appreciated that, when I mentioned to the fellow behind the counter that my son is allergic to eggs, an employee who was off from his shift and grabbing a bite to eat commented "the only item to steer clear of would be the Ceasar salad dressing -- it has mayonnaise!")

Taytem checked-in on us a few times, without being over bearing or rushing us. And, when my mom went to get fries but they were out, one of the servers brought a serving of the fresh fries straight to the table.

The staff all had a constant smile and seemed not only to enjoy having guests around but also liked their job! Chefs and servers were joking around and seemed to be having fun. It felt like a really positive setting, with people who genuinely enjoy working in customer service. It was an overall wonderful experience that I hope we repeat sooner than 30 years - which is the last time we came up...

My family booked a dinner reservation on August 30th for 6pm. When my sons went to get the beef brisket on the first sitting, the staff told them there is no more brisket for the evening. So basically both my husband and myself did not have the beef brisket. And we are talking 6pm dinner and already the beef brisket was not available. Plus the last beef brisket my boys had were dry and not juicy at all. This tells the quality of the food too that even my 12 yrs old can recognize. I booked this place because I heard good review from another family who dined at this restaurant just a month ago in July. This was outrageous and disappointing especially for my boys who were really looking forward to have more of the restaurant beef brisket. I did not want to confront the staff or manager at the moment as we are on vacation and do not want to spoil our mood. I think this needs to be mentioned here as it is the restaurant's responsibility to ensure everyone who dine at the restaurant and paying the SAME price are entitle to the same food available to everyone else. There were not a lot of meat options available and the baked filet was extremely salty. so boys end up eating mac and cheese and chicken drumsticks for a high end buffet dinner. We did not expect this kind of food for $45 + tax and tips per adult dinner at a high end restaurant in prestigious BANFF. horrible...I viewed youtube video of the buffet and there were far more food varieties featured in the video (for example pizzas were not available when we were there) than what we actually saw or ate when we dined there. This is false marketing and definitely not expected of this restaurant. To be fair to this restaurant besides the mountain view, the only meat dish was the pulled pork that was ok. We had high expectations of this restaurant and we were left hugely disappointed. Never coming back to dine at this restaurant ever again and will not recommend to anyone who is...

If you want to try the buffet go before 5 pm. I was there yesterday and booked to eat at 6 pm with my family, we sit down before 6 pm. Staff said beef brisket will be ready in 15 mins, we’ll end up same as some other viewers, when I ask again they then said there will be no more brisket tonight. I don’t have problem with the staffs there, they are nice and helpful but if you are doing a buffer, you have to be consistent with your food because it doesn’t matter if today is a weekday and you see less ppl dining at 6 pm but we paid the same price. 6 pm no ice no fruits only a few pieces of watermelon, baby food texture pasta. I don’t even see any pizzas. So disappointed bring my whole family there supposed to give them exceptional food but ended up worse than college cafeteria. I will never go again but I love the gondola and the staff was helpful in dealing with my disappointment at the restaurant . I am not writing this to try to get anyone into trouble, I just feel sad that the restaurant decided to manage in this way. For ppl like me spending the day in Banff and lake Louise, the whole day was great and just hope to end the day perfectly….. to the northern lights restaurant- don’t do this again, you are ruin ppl’s day. If you don’t know what buffet supposed to be like do more research or don’t do it! It doesn’t matter how busy the restaurant is , food selection must be the same at all time. You can make a note on the restaurant or online that cut off time for refill of food will be 30 mins before restaurant closed. We as customers will decide. There are lots of good restaurants in Banff...