Nourish Bistro Banff — Restaurant in Banff

During our recent visit to Banff, we stopped by Nourish Bistro, a well-known vegetarian and vegan-friendly restaurant with a quirky charm and vibrant atmosphere. Here’s what we tried and how it went:

🍄 Mushroom Ravioli – 5/5 This dish was the star of our meal. The mushroom ravioli was bursting with earthy flavor, perfectly cooked, and elegantly presented. The creamy sauce paired beautifully with the umami-rich filling, making it both comforting and refined. It’s definitely a must-try if you’re dining here — we’d go back just for this dish.

🍔 Kimchi Burger – 3/5 The kimchi burger came with a lot of hype, especially in online reviews, but for us, it didn’t quite hit the mark. While the idea was exciting — a fusion of Korean spice with a classic burger style — the execution felt a bit underwhelming. The flavors didn’t blend as well as expected, and it lacked the bold, tangy punch that good kimchi can bring. It was okay, but not as memorable as we hoped based on what we read beforehand.

🧀 Mac and Cheese (Kid’s Menu) – 3/5 The mac and cheese was fairly standard — creamy, cheesy, and kid-approved. Nothing stood out particularly, but it did the job for a little one’s palate. Comparable to what you’d find in most restaurants offering a kid-friendly version.

Ambience & Service: The restaurant has a cozy, colorful vibe with a welcoming staff. Service was polite and timely, and they were accommodating with modifications for the kid’s meal.

Overall: Nourish Bistro offers a creative vegetarian menu and a fun atmosphere. While not everything wowed us, the mushroom ravioli truly delivered and made the visit worthwhile. If you’re in Banff and looking for a plant-forward dining experience, it’s worth checking out — just maybe lower your expectations for the...

Photo: Caleb's fine bartending skills at work.

I'll let everyone else comment on the food. It's phenomenal whether you're vegetarian/vegan or not. I've been there as both an omnivore and a vegetarian and it's phenomenal either way. Can't go wrong with a single dish on the menu.

I'd rather talk about the drinks and the staff and it begins with Caleb, a bartender who doesn't look old enough to have even consumed alcohol legally for all that long and yet creates drinks as if he's been doing so for decades. I came in every night for a week on two separate trips last fall and every night he had something else he was tinkering with. While I occasionally got an item off the menu, I also got in the habit of just telling Caleb what I was in the mood for and he'd create something custom for me from scratch. He was working on his winter menu at the time and I got to sample some of his ideas. He is a seriously talented mixologist and a great guy to talk to.

Then there's Alice, a diminutive server with a quiet demeanor who might be the sweetest Canadian I've ever met. And that's saying something--this is Canada after all. I was often in Nourish alone as my carnivore co-workers found other places to dine. Alice spent much of her valuable down time between attending to other guests to chat with me, give me suggestions in the area or her first home of Toronto (where I would soon be) and keep me occupied.

I hope both are still working at Nourish because they make the place special. The menu is great. The atmosphere is unique. The people make the place, though, and Caleb and Alice make...

This was our second time at Nourish Bistro, and it was okay. We chose to sit on the patio, and our server initially brought over a bottle of water which had black particulate in it, noone seemed sure how it got inside since the bottle had a stopper in place. As he was running front of house and service on the patio by himself, it did take some time before the water was replaced, but we appreciated his efforts in doing so when we pointed out the dirty bottle to him. The patio tables right next to the roadway had the best views, but it also meant breathing in alot of vehicle fumes as they slowly idled and drove past, something we quickly realized. The food itself tasted fine, portion sizes were sufficient for the mains, and the flavours were good, though I would not recommend the gyoza appetizer due to it being very overpriced for what you get. 7 small dumplings for $16 is larcenous, even with the 'tourist tax' which is expected in Banff. If you are planning on ordering appetizers, I would recommend you ask that they be brought out with your mains, as we watched multiple other tables served their mains before us, even though we had placed our order before they even sat down. The cocktails were delicious, and worth the hype. Nourish Bistro has carved out a bit of a niche market by being one of the few vegetarian/vegan restaurants in the area, so we'll likely go back the next time we visit Banff, but not before seriously considering all of the other...