The Grizzly House — Restaurant in Banff

It might be one of the best place to eat in Banff but don't let it fool you. Wished me and my friends have read the reviews first before coming here.

Yes it may seem fully packed but it's not worth it in the end. This how it went down.

1st: once we got our seat I asked the waiter what is thr drink in that tall glass as I was curious and he said I don't know. How can a waiter not know what drinks they have in a tall glass? Could have said a beer or long Island ice tea. When it came to the food to ask for their best seller still don't have an answer. (As a first time timer and not able to answer my questions. That was a let down already. )

2nd: We were seated at the Patio.It rained and they don't have alternative option as it was "FULLY BOOKED". A family of 3 next to us (they had a baby with them). The father asked for help and told the waiter if they can be seated inside. They just said we don't know. We are fully booked. Instead of saying please wait inside while we find a table for u. So the family don't know where to go or if they can wait inside at the receptionist area or not. They don't have choice but to go inside because they have a baby with them. While we were waiting for our turn we are told as well that they are fully booked. So we waited down the pouring rain while our fondue was soaked in the rain along with the bread. Thank goodness we didn't eat our main course outside. (My point is we are paying so much yet your service sucks that if we are fully booked we cannot accommodate you even if its pouring rain you are invisible and won't get sick and it's not our problem. Then why accept us in the first place?)

3rd: Me and my friend ordered 4 main courses off their menu which is $60 per person. I choose beef and lobster (include in the pics 2nd slide) while my friend choose hunter fondue which has venison, Buffalo and wild boar (not included). Which you won't know because the waiter didn't point out which is which. While my brother had a Alberta Rib Eye steak (didn't took a pic coz I was already annoyed with situation from pouring rain to the meat we are served with). We ate the main course inside and their ambience is too dark for me to see if my meat is fully cooked or if my brother's Rib eye steak was cooked. We had to turn on our phone flashlights.

Overall, their French onion soup was good and bread and fondue was okay til it rained.

I hope they make some changes though. I thought the previous reviews of this place will be a different experience for us but it was not. What other people reviews about this place is not far from how I reviewed the place.

It is definitely a tourist trap. It my look full on the outside and the people lining up don't let it fool you. The cheese fondue is only on the bread and the chocolate fondue is on the desserts. The rest was a flop.

Maybe one day I would love to go back and try some of their menu. But I really hope by then. They make some changes. It has so...

It is on rare occasion that on travels I find a restaurant that is so fantastic, that in and of itself becomes a basis for a return trip to that part of the world. Grizzly House has earned a spot on what can only be deemed a very exclusive list. My family and I discovered Grizzly House on a recent visit to Banff.

Discretely hidden on Banff Avenue, the Grizzly House is a Fondue restaurant with Swiss Alp origins that does not disappoint. From the moment we entered we felt welcome and transported to a different time and place. Having looked at the somewhat unorthodox origins of the establishment (born as an alpine nightclub disco in the late 1960's), we were immediately enamored with the atmosphere and incredible food odors. The staff acted more like owners or family who displayed an unusual sense of pride in their establishment. Literally everyone we spoke to was fully knowledgeable about the menu, but more importantly the wine list.

The interior decor transports the patron to a simpler place and time that glows with warmth and glad salutations.

I kicked off with a chocolate martini, but entrusted the wine pairings to our table attendant and was decidedly impressed. My son went with the exotic Fondue and had alligator, kangaroo and venison. My wife, chose the Ostrich Fondue and I went with the Hunter's Fondue option and we all experimented with both the hot rock and hot oil options.

The Prix Fixe was undisputedly the way forward. Four Courses at a fixed price. The French Onion Soup was absolutely heavenly. Throughout the entire experience we never felt neglected or rushed. The chocolate Fondue was sinfully delicious and the presentation was fantastic.

As above, the whole team was adamant that we get the full experience. In my personal travels, I have discovered that this is an absolute exception. It literally felt like a home catering experience. I personally do not know what Michelin or Zagat standards are for restaurants are, but this for my family and I was perfect.

My bias is that when I travel, I look for local flavor. That is not always successful. In this case, it absolutely was. Grizzly House is a dining experience that in my opinion has become rare in the modern world. It is clearly a favorite amongst locals.

Nestled quietly in and amongst the Rocky Mountain Village that is Banff, one will be enamored with the experience that is alpine dining at Grizzly House. It is very popular, so early reservations should be encouraged. But, no visit to Banff should be deemed complete without a visit here.

Do you Fondue? We Fondid!!! and can't wait to visit again. If we are able to book another ski trip for the Spring, the decision to go to Banff will literally be largely based on our ability to visit Grizzly House again. Thank you to all at Grizzly House for hosting what was an unforgettable and fantastic...

Please, please save yourself the frustration and do not dine at the Grizzly House. There are endless other options in Banff that will serve you better, deliver higher quality food at more reasonable prices, and maintain your safety.

I’ll first say that the Grizzly House came recommended to us by friends who had traveled to Banff in the winter. Maybe at a slower pace during a less busy tourist season, it COULD have some redeemable qualities. The story of the restaurant is fun, and it definitely seems to have some quirky history. In reading recent reviews of this restaurant, though, we clearly aren’t alone in our poor experience.

Our first impression was walking into the restaurant itself - the scent and humidity from the smoke and oil is overwhelming. It’s difficult to breathe inside, and I would not recommend dining here if you have any respiratory condition. The smell will linger in your hair and clothing, so do not wear any clothes that you’re planning on re-wearing at any point in your trip unless you have laundry services available.

Our waitress, Megan, was friendly and explained the menu well. We did the “complete fondue” dinner and received our soup / salad course relatively quickly. After that, though, we waited ~20 minutes for our cheese fondue course, then an additional 35 minutes for the actual meat course.

At this point, we were already frustrated with the wait times, and had discussed the possibility of leaving before the end of the meal because of the slowness of service. Our waitress dropped off the oil (for cooking the meat) at our table, turned on the heat, then walked away to take another table’s order. The oil heated unattended for 15 minutes. When she finally came back to drop off the (relatively small) meat portions, she explained how to cook the meat and left us to it. We put two pieces of beef in the oil and immediately realized it was far too hot. The oil was bubbling and splashing. We waved Megan back over to ask if the oil was indeed too hot. She said it was probably bubbling because lobster is high water content. As I explained that it wasn’t lobster in the pot, a large bubble of oil exploded onto my face and shirt.

We let Megan know that we would like to pay and leave, because we were disappointed with the service and experience and because I had oil splashed on my face. She spoke to her manager, who then came over and changed us for the salad and cheese course. All in all, we paid $65 before tip for salad, soup, cheese, stale bread, and an oil burn.

Learn from our mistake and do not dine at the...