Orso Trattoria — Restaurant in Municipality of Jasper

We were staying at the lodge as part of a Rocky Mountaineer Raily tour. We had breakfast in the morning, and this was our first (and only) dinner hear. The dinner room looks out over Lake Beauvert which is stunning.

We had reservations for 4, and were seated right away. It took a while for our server to get to our table, greet us, and get serve waters. Our server was professional and efficient, but definitely not friendly. We had a 3 course meal as part of our package and there were plenty of interesting starters and entrees. It took some more time, before the server returned and took our orders. As a matter of fact, it took nearly 2.5 hours for the entire meal. Turns out that our server kept getting distracted in conversation by another table next to ours. He was totally oblivious to the other tables around.

Our table ordered a collection of varied entrees, lamb chops (for me), a rissoto dish, scallops, and bison steak. During our wait we were served some olives and crostini with a spread, and focaccia bread. The crostinis were not fresh and tasted as if they had been sitting in a too cold refrigerator.

After another wait, the food did arrive. My lamb chops were amazing. Cooked to a perfect medium rare, and the vegetable bake was good as well. The scallops got good reviews. However the Bison was undercooked, and tough. The risotto was bland and soupy.

After finishing our entrees, it took 30 minutes for the server to return (chatting it up again with another table). It was getting seriously ridiculous. Asked the server to bring our desserts (which was included in our 3 courses). My Tomato and Raspberry dessert was very interesting, and good (a little chili powder in the chocolate pudding).

Asked for the check for the cocktails. Mentioned to the server the long wait, and he apologized and blamed it on the busy dining room, but I felt compelled to point out his chattiness with other tables.

After the rest of my party left, I hung back and asked to speak to the manager. He explained that while they have just recently opened, there was no excuse for what had happened to us. Offered to pay for our drinks (which I declined).

I hope they are able to get their act together. A beautiful, upscale place like this needs...

We were not able to eat here till our last night as Orso requires reservations.

Out of all the restaurants in Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, this was our best meal here.

Keep in mind, the menu is a set 3-course meal at $68 with steaks at an additional cost on top.

We both started with Asparagus and Halbiut. It had a very clean taste which allowed you to taste the halibut meat with sharp basil flavors injected into each bite. The grilled asparagus offer texture which the bursts of salt complimented the overall dish. I could eat this all day!

For my main course, I chose the Sardinian Fregola. My preference for pasta is a red sauce. This dish did not disappoint. The tomato flavor tasted fresh and added acid to the pasta. The pasta were cooked perfectly with the slightest al dente texture. The shrimp was plump and the sausage was the right meat to pair with the pasta. Another winning dish for me.

My wife had the Lobster Gemelli which she found Decadent and rich. She loved it. However, it wasn't amazing to me as I don't tend to like white sauce. The lobster meat was cooked perfectly though.

I rounded out my meal with Rubarb Sorbet which was so refreshing! What a nice finish to today's meal for me!!

My wife rounded out her meal with an Expresso Crème Brulee which she thought was great.

My kids had the Minestrone soup and Chicken Fingers with Fries.

The soup was more for adults as it was a rich broth with crunchy veggies. Normally I find veggies in soup to be soft, but here I found a surprisingly nice crunch with the peas. I would be happy with this soup.

The Chicken Fingers with Fries were better cooked in this restaurant than the other restaurants. The chicken Fingers were moist and not dry like we had the other day at one of the sister restaurants. The fries were much fresher in Orso than the other sister restaurant. My kids loved them... as usual.

My kids also shared a Vanilla Sundae which they happily wolves down.

If you had to choose only one restaurant to eat at in Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, you definitely should choose Orso. Best meal of this vacation,...

Chef Thomas, the Pastry Chef and our server Jason along the rest of the team made this an exceptional dinner here we had the most scenic view of the mountains and Lake Beauvert as our backdrop.

The ambiance here is sophisticated with a friendly vibe.

Our food was exceptional in flavour and creativity. Our culinary journey started with the delicious house sourdough served with chilli-maple butter. We then enjoyed pasta Aglio e olio that was perfectly simple and decadent. Our main course and showstopper was while the AAA dry-aged 50oz Tomahawk steak and coated with house-made truffle butter and served with sides of broccolini and creamy mashed potatoes. We also had a spread of accompanying sauces and butters including fois gras, truffle, demi glaze and gremolata. Each component had its own unique flavour and the entire meal was carefully balanced.

Details matter to the Chef’s team at this restaurant which I always appreciate. We were served a refreshing limoncello palate cleanser before our meat course. Simply delicious and one of the most amazing meals of my life.

Excited to come back here any try more items in the menu.

We decided to dine at the restaurant again. It was our second night at Orso, Chef Tomas’s culinary skills left us speechless. Each and every dish we ordered was incredibly delicious!!!! Chef Aryan’s decadent desserts are a must. It was such a treat, I am not a big on desserts but I cleaned each and every crumb of the brownie and macaroon from my plate. Food here is made with so much love and passion which translates into incredible flavours. Jason, Nikki, and the rest of the team is extremely professional, jovial and simply put this is what has made our dining experience an...