St James's Gate Irish Pub — Restaurant in Banff

As Brits’ we always like to stop in at an Irish or British pub when we travel. We visited here on a day trip from Calgary. There is certainly a nice feel to this pub and it is certainly authentic in its decor and ambiance. This would be a great pub/bar for drinking and partying at. The food menu we had at lunchtime had plenty of “home comforts” food choices. I opted for battered sausages and chips with curry sauce (a rarity in a British/Irish themed pubs in Canada) a real treat when back home, and my partner chose the lamb stew (a great Irish traditional meal). We both opted for coffee to drink. The pub was busy for a lunchtime and the two-three wait staff were certainly kept busy. We had heard how hard it is for businesses in Banff to get staff so it was understandable. Despite that, ordering drinks and food was quite quick and the food arrived timely too. Unfortunately the coffee was tepid when it arrived and was very strong. The dumplings in the stew were chewy which is not how they should be. Otherwise it tasted ok and would be considered average in my partners view, the sauce was a little too thick. I was advised that there was no curry sauce today, which was disappointing but they did supply HP sauce. Sadly the sausages were not really very authentic and were like the dumplings, quite chewy. I was served two but left one due to that. The fries (chips) were not hot and actually barely warm. Overall the pub itself is nice and would recommend for its authentic atmosphere. However if your looking for good authentic food, our experience of two dishes, this is not the place, sorry. We will come back in the summer. Hopefully the staffing problems will have gotten better and even more so, the...

It's been a few years since I came here last, and it's lost as many stars in as many years. I have no idea when they decided to remove the ribs from the menu, but whoever's decision that was should reconsider. As well as the size of the menu. It seemed to be missing 2 more pages from what I could remember. What I was left with was a very basic irish style pub menu. At least the Irish potchos were still on there, quite possibly the saving grace of the trip. I settled for the steak and Guinness pie which, although good, was suffering from overseasoning. They're beer selection is just fine, but we found their cocktail selection to be a bit lacking. Perhaps that's not their concentration, but it wouldn't hurt to add a bit to the repertoire. The servers were mostly dressed in what appeared to be a basic style uniform, however there were one or two along with a bartender who looked like they just decided to show up in street clothes. Too judgmental? Perhaps. But I suppose it goes along with the star rating drop. Our service was prompt, which was pleasing. Had the chef paid a bit more attention to seasoning both of our meals instead of dumping what seemed to be a third of a jar of rosemary into our food, it would have gone better. A shame to see the direction this place has gone. What used to be a guaranteed destination for me while visiting is now just somewhere i would pop into for a drink if the other pubs were...

The food was delicious, and our server was friendly—no complaints there. However, I’m giving one star due to the seating arrangement.

We arrived at the restaurant around 3:30 PM on Sunday afternoon. It wasn’t busy, and there were plenty of empty seats available. Despite this, we were led to the very back of the restaurant. At first, we didn’t think much of it, as there was a group nearby that was just finishing up. But once they left, we realized we were the only ones seated in that section.

Our table was right next to the staff resting area, which made things uncomfortable. My friend had to constantly move her chair to allow employees to pass through, and we had to adjust our seating just to accommodate their access. It felt like an afterthought, especially considering the rest of the dining area was mostly empty.

As Asian customers, we couldn't help but question why we were seated there. While I’m hesitant to use the word “discrimination,” the experience left us feeling unwelcome—particularly surprising in a tourist-friendly place like Banff.

Your food is great, and visitors from all backgrounds should feel equally valued when dining. Please treat all customers with the same respect and kindness. After all,...