Sumptuous Pasta at La Terrazza in Banff, Alberta, Canada

Rosellini al Funghi

Recently on a summer vacation to Banff, Alberta, Canada, I had the chance to eat two stellar dinners at La Terrazza. The restaurant is located inside the Banff Park Lodge Resort Hotel. I rarely give an almost perfect review but the service at La Terrazza really impressed me and the food was delectable.

Our server on both nights that we dined at La Terrazza, our first and last nights in Banff, was Ibon Quinoy. He was from the Basque region of Spain. Ibon was exceptional, which is not a small task with a family group of 9 individuals! He took wonderful care of us and we really enjoyed his sense of humor.

 

Ciabatta bread with herbed butter and tapenade was provided for the table. There is no need to order the garlic knots on the appetizer menu as the ciabatta that was provided was superior to them. We did not try any other appetizers.

 

The Rosellini al Funghi that I ordered for my dinner the first night was the best pasta dish I have ever eaten in my life (so far) but I have not traveled to Italy--yet

Bison Cannelloni

. The pasta was formed into the shape of a rose with wild mushrooms, ricotta, spinach, and mozzarella in a creamy pesto sauce. It was not garlic heavy which I appreciated. I absolutely loved it. Several people in the party ordered bison cannelloni and ate every last bite of it and said is was delicious. All the dishes we had the first evening were scrumptious!

 

One our second night dining there, I ordered the Risotto al Tartufo which had wild mushrooms, spinach, truffle oil and parmigiano-reggiano cheese. It was very good and I enjoyed it, but it was not to the stellar level of the pasta I had the first night. Everyone was very pleased again with their meals, with one exception. My sister found the eggplant parmigiana, served with spaghetti and seasonal vegetables, rather underwhelming. However, my brother-in-law enjoyed his steak and it was cooked perfectly. For dessert, several people had the tiramisu cheesecake boxed "to go" and enjoyed it later in their hotel room when they were not quite so stuffed from dinner. I only good reports about it.

The restaurant is rather small, so reservations are recommended. We had a large group but they were very accommodating. We dined on a Monday night at 8:30pm and again on a Thursday night at 6pm. Neither were the peak dining time between 7pm-8:30pm which probably helped the restaurant staff handle such a large party.

Salmon

 

La Terrazza's prices were not out of line with my expectations, particularly considering the quality of the food and the service in a tourist heavy town. Entrees ranged from $27-$54 (Canadian). The menu changes with the seasons. If you are ever in Banff, you should eat there.

La Terrazza (inside the Banff Park Lodge Hotel)
201 Lynx Street P.O. Box 2200
Banff, Alberta, Canada T1L 1K5

Hours: 5pm–10pm daily

Reservations 403-760-3271 our use OpenTable

For reservations of 6 or more, please email terracemanager@banffparklodge.com.