Kumama Bistro and Canteen — Restaurant in Municipality of Jasper

A quick heads-up before heading to the review: we are a group of Asian girls on a group trip to Calgary-Banff-Jasper during Victoria Day in May, so our taste is a bit subjective :) Seems like Kumama is just a new restaurant in Jasper, as I couldn't find it in any top food recs/TikTok videos/reviews/Reddit. We just found it randomly on Google Maps, but surprisingly, the quality turned out to WOW us. Personally, Kumama is the best one we've tried in our whole trip (even beating Ten Foot Henry, Anh Tu's Kitchen, Arashi Ramen, and The Raven Bistro!). It's about 10 mins driving from the town (free parking), so the price is more reasonable than ones in the town area. We were hyped about the menu online with tuna, bison pasta, elk tartare, etc., but unfortunately, those popular dishes are quite seasonal & unavailable when we visited. The menu itself is pretty short & simple (which is an appreciated point to individuals rarely having fine-dining or eating out like me lol), but the quality made up for it. We can see the fusion in the menu: both Western and Eastern influences, which we haven't seen in any restaurants. The combination sounds strange, but it worked haha. We ordered the cauliflower (with Korean gochujang), campanella, fried chicken, pork belly (like jok bam in Thai), and beef short ribs (no alcohol as we were driving after). Tbh, everything was from good to WOW :))) while the price ranges from 15-35 CAD. What really made the experience even perfect was the absolutely excellent customer service. EVERY staff member was helpful, smiley, nice, warm-hearted, super kind and welcoming. They proactively helped us walk through the menu (maybe as we looked a bit lost lmao). Big thanks to the manager James, shoutout to Beth and the adorable guy from Mississauga as well! wink Y'all made us feel so welcome!!! I suggested them to promote more on TikTok as they deserve more recognition! The atmosphere was so cozy with yellow lighting, like a small pub with little chit-chat here and there (but not noisy/bothered), definitely suitable for a small gathering. Kumama has a takeaway food section with a wide range of local food: snacks, sandwiches, drinks, chips, jams, etc. We bought a few for breakfast the next morning as we would leave the town early, didn't expect much, but the food, again, amazed us. One of the best sandwiches & apple chips in Canada, I could say :))) (note: not paid for this review lol) The overall experience is really amazing, as one of my friends said, 'u just receive this type of customer service/attitude in the expensive fine-dining restaurants, or at least not this...

We recently made a visit to this lovely lovely restaurant in Jasper. My my my GOODNESS were we just taken away by the lovely sights. A serene and beautiful drive up a small dirt road to a little village in the pines.

Inside it brings back memories of cocoa in cabins, staring out at the bright blue mountains with the gentlest of hot chocolate. Their food though truly is what had me singing joyously aaaall through the day.

Perfectly prepared and all locally sourced ingredients made an Eggs Benedict that melts in your mouth. And no extra salt!!! The typical English muffin base is replaced by a pastry of some sort that crumbles in a divine way; altogether making a perfect meal; And then we tried the French Toast, and discovered true perfection. MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMy GOODness does this lovely German chef give the French a run for their money when it comes to French Toast.

Not a spare tea spoon of sugar nor a single salt fleck too many. It was delicately sweet clouds of cinnamon-maple goodness topped by a crispy bacon garnish with just the right crunch. We fought hard not to buy a second order after the first bite! (It was a genuine debate for 10+ minutes. Not even kidding).

All in all, we haven't even tried the Inn that houses the restaurant yet but our hearts are Im-Bedded into the cozy cottage seats that we shared our first taste of heaven in.

Check this place out yourself and if you don't try the French toast, you'll never forgive yourself. I promise! And while you're there give a big hello to Marie! The cherry on top to our brunch adventure; our bright-eyed cheruby sweet mademoiselle that knew just what to recommend, and with perfect timing and poise to...

Chef Gloria Chang knows what she’s doing. This restaurant is outstanding food for any major “foodie”city, let alone Jasper. There wasn’t a single dish we didn’t find delicious and had they had solid portions for a restaurant whose dishes have an “elevated” vibe.

I loved the subtle Asian-influences over the meat, pasta, and vegetable dishes. The elk tartare was novel and well flavored. The Brussels sprouts had awesome thick cut bacon bits. The tuna bites with crispy rice are a must have. The wagyu meatballs were tender, juicy, meaty. Bite sized, yet satisfying for a meathead. Bonito flakes were a nice touch. Tagliatelle was creamy yet not too heavy. Shrimp was soo tender and the fish roe (tobiko) was such a great touch. Dessert Pavlova was delicious but a bit difficult to eat with a spoon. Wish there was more sauce or berries.

The only downside is that the dinner ambiance is a bit lacking—you’re sitting adjacent a hotel lobby and it’s silent enough to hear your neighbors. Maybe they should consider a wall instead of a bookcase divider and dimming the lights a bit. But if you can get over this, the food is absolutely incredible—I’d come back to Jasper just for...