Block Kitchen + Bar — Restaurant in Banff

The bartender had an attitude, perhaps she was having a horrible day, but she went into rants about their menu items which lacked the sort of culinary confidence you'd expect with an intimate space. She also made the worst $15 Old Fashioned I have ever had the displeasure of drinking, tasted like melted ice with a splash of cheap alcohol. The oysters were drowned in some sort of cucumber water and just tasted like cucumber. Google rated this place as a 91% match, turned out to be a 12% match. The secret to good food is happiness and this place was teaming with sad faces occasionally lifting smiles for a select few. I left after 10 mins. Your time is better spent adjacent at Balkan, service there is amazing and the food is delicious made with love.

Edit to the owner:

Your response is highly combative from an owner that should be focused on hospitality vs only responding to people that disliked the experience. The point of a review is to adjust experiences for those that it might not be tailored to. The two cocktails that jumped up were the old fashioned and the "before and after" which seemed like a play on a appertif and digestif to me, the drink was horrible as I described it. Most places with $15 cocktails are at the very least 2.5 oz of alcohol, if you look at the picture the concentration of alcohol is diluted by the quantity of the ice tgats stirred in, which is probably why the drink was so poor.

To seek to point out my lack of interest in the space after your waitress was inhospitable after I spoke to her incessantly and gave up is the very reason its important to review restaurants. I lost confidence in the experience and left, I found a happier place that better represented the type of experience I was expecting. This was not personal but an opportunity for you to better train your staff, you chose to be as combative as the other responses you comment on describe your restuarant, I wish I had read those to avoid your space. But, we live and learn. Hope you...

Comment Update：

Now, you’re telling me that my comment is disrespectful to your staff. May I ask—when your server treated us with clear discrimination on Thursday night, did she consider showing us any respect? Your response is honestly laughable. You demand respect from your customers while showing none in return. That’s exactly why some people experience discrimination in your restaurant—you only care about protecting yourselves, never about how you treat others.

Original Comment:

Response to the owner: The Asian female server who served us is the one in the bottom left corner of the photo on your website. I have a general idea of where she is from. Instead of assuming that I am leaving a malicious review, perhaps you should take this opportunity to reflect on the quality of your service.

We dined at your restaurant on Thursday evening and were deeply disappointed by the behavior of an Asian female server. Throughout the entire meal, she ignored our requests, showed a terrible attitude, and didn’t even offer us basic items like napkins or plates. It was blatant discrimination. Strikingly, she treated other white customers with noticeable politeness and attentiveness.

It’s hard to believe that in 2025, such discriminatory behavior still occurs. One can’t help but wonder if this server has struggled with identity issues and is now seeking a false sense of superiority through such unacceptable conduct.

Please stop reporting and removing my review. Doing so only makes your business appear guilty and unwilling to face its own problems. Just like your server, you’re choosing to discriminate and avoid accountability instead of reflecting...

Atmosphere - 5 Cleanliness - 5 Quality - 3 Service - 3 Taste - 3

Stopped by for dinner during our visit. This seems to be a very popular spot during busy hours so there was a bit of a wait. They do take down your information and message you once a seat is available for you—which I found to be reliable.

We sat at the bar and so I expected service to be somewhat faster than it would at the dining table but that was not the case. We had to call for service most of the night and it seems everything was taking a while to come out. The drinks were also just okay.

We started with the duck spring rolls and chicken karaage. Both were extremely disappointing. The duck was dry and quite frankly tasted old. The karaage was 90 percent breading and 10 percent chicken. It also lacked greatly in flavor. This was a huge let down and gave me very little hope for the brisket soup and my curry. However, the soup came out flavorful. I felt there was possibly beer or something alcoholic in the ingredients and it was very present in the taste.

The green curry was in my opinion the most delicious meal of all the plates and yet it fell short in consistency as it was very watery. I think if the curry was made just a little more thick, it would be perfect!

Overall, I found block did not meet the expectations set by their ratings and long lines but it is quite good for its location and what it is. I would visit again if ever...