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Grizzly House
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
31 reviews for Grizzly House
Review Highlights
"I had beef and scallops on a hot rock."
(in 8 reviews)
"...Hunter Fondue (Buffalo, Wild Boar and Venison), and Exotic..."
(in 3 reviews)
"The garlic butter was amazing."
(in 6 reviews)
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31 reviews in English
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Review from Paul B.
12/19/2011 1 Check-in Here
What a great event - I mean meal. The Grizzly House is one of those unique places that stands alone. It is a restaurant built on the skeleton of a 60's pickup joint - complete with tableside telephones (hard wired, not those mobile thingies) to call cuties at the other tables - map of table location and phone number provided on the place mat! To be honest, we resisted the urge to set up a swap - but amidst the kitschy wild west stuff hanging off the wall the swinger story provided a great new take on the old west.
Now in regards to the menu, the fun continues. How about rattlesnake? Alligator? There was even a bison on the menu for a cool $4000 - this place has a great sense of humor. But really, the snake, alligator, elk, etc. are for tasting. I mean how often does one get to try this stuff.
Well again, we resisted the urge to go with the somewhat pricey exotics and stuck with a cheese fondue and assorted (regular) meat hot stone. The service was excellent. Our waiter explained all of the various options and helped us appreciate the event - I mean meal. He replaced our hot stone in the middle of our meal when it had cooled.
The meal was great with lots of quantity. I can't imagine ordering one of their combos as I would still be needing a wheelbarrow to make my way down Banff Ave.
Note that this is neither fast food nor el cheapo. You pay for what you get and get for what you pay. Well worth the time, money and effort to shake up things at diner. Everyone should do this once in a while.
In closing, let me mention that you have to experience the washrooms - either ladies or gents depending on your disposition. Pay attention to the signs on your way in and out!!! Boy this place has a great sense of humour. -
Review from Karen N.
11/29/2011 7 photos
This is the second time i had stone grill, definitely a good experience. This place is way better than the one i went to in SF. This is the only restaurant i went to in banff and the only one i think worth going to, because this place serves the exotic meat like elk, buffalo, rattle snakes, bison, and all those good stuff. I'm not that brave so i just order a stone grill, they call it hot rock/fondue, with seafood and steak. It was $20 for lunch, with 4oz of meat+seafood total. It seems a little too less but you do get 2 pieces of lobster, scallop, shrimp, and steak, each, and a plate of salad, baked or hash potatoes. It's good enough to fill you up. I was surprised how good the quality of the meat was, everything was sooo fresh and good, esp the shrimp. It tastes especially good when you cook it yourself with a bunch of garlic butter. The hash brown and the sauces were also very good.
For the bf that wanted to eat exotic meat got the meatloaf, which is a blend of elk, buffalo, beef, bison and some other kinda meat. I tasted some and it didn't taste too different than a normal meatloaf, just the texture is a little different. It has about 3-4 pieces of meatloaf and we actually grilled it on the hot rock with some garlic butter and it tasted even better! That entree also comes with either soup or salad, we got the chicken tortellini and it was super salty, not really to my liking.
Overall, this is a good experience, good food, good atmosphere. There were surprisingly a lot of ppl dining there even for lunch. The only bad thing that that you will like garlic butter for the rest of the day. -
Review from Janine W.
Sylvan Lake, AB
10/22/2011
While on a romantic weekend to Banff, the hubby and I wanted to have a casual, yet unique dining experience for a late lunch. So what better than experiencing exotic meat and giving a try to fondue? And when I mean fondue, I am not just talking about the hot cheese or chocolate sauce that most of us have come to associate with fondue. I am talking cook your meat and the like in either oil or heated slate.
During the early afternoon, the place is virtually empty and the server was excellent and funny. We enjoyed his company.
We got a kick out the fact that the decor has been stuck in the vortex of 70's style. The place didn't seem to take itself too seriously. That was great.
We chose an exotic meat and seafood fondue to cook on heated slate rather than oil.
I just think I was disappointed that I didn't enjoy the whole concept of fondue. I also know I didn't enjoy stinking deep fried cooking for hours afterward because the cooking process happens at your table.
I know I didn't enjoy the price I paid for what you got.
For me, I think I will chalk up my fondue/ Grizzly House experience as a been there, done that kinda thing. -
Review from Thomas M.
Calgary, AB
1/26/2012
I love going here. We usually get the full meal thingie, which includes the cheese fondue, meat fondue, and dessert fondue. For the meat fondue, we actually opt for the hot rock instead of the hot oil so I guess it's not actually fondue but whatever. The only drawback to this place is that everything is coated in grease; you could scoop some off the lampshades and use it as lip balm if you wanted. You always leave smelling like a deep fryer, too.
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Review from Kathy B.
Calgary, AB
1/2/2012
NOT AUTHENTIC ENOUGH......Three of us ordered a regular fondue, raclette and beef fondue. All of it to share. The fondue was good but served with very poor quality bread. To me this is just fundamental, the bread quality is crucial for a good fondue. Their "Wonderbread" fell apart into the fondue pot and was not dense enough to hold the cheese. Strange that a fondue house would skimp on a main ingredient! The idea of raclette is to drag your potatoes and gherkins through the cheese and be eaten together. This raclette cheese was served over the potatoes and with only 4 gherkins on the side. It should have come with 10 or 12 of these tiny pickles. It's just part of the dish! And pouring the cheese over the potatoes just loses it's traditional swiss style, making it mushy and less palatable. The beef fondue came sizzling and perfectly cooked. The dipping sauces were tastey. Service was good. Not sure if we would return since only one out of three dishes were good.
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Review from Janine E.
Edmonton, AB
9/5/2011 1 Check-in Here
Definitely my favorite restaurant in Banff! The first time I was here I was probably around 8 and have been in love with it ever since. You get to cook your food on a sizzling rock and try it with a variety of sauces. You can chose from chicken, beef, lobster, wild game or the exotic fondue which consists of shark, rattlesnake, ostrich, alligator, frog legs and so on.
Another amazing feature of this place is that their are phones at every table. The first time I was here a old man called my sister and I and pretended to be Santa! How cool is it that I talked to Santa!!!
I've been here the last 2 years in a row and had so much fun with friends. It's a bit on the expensive side but definitely worth it if you only go once a year!
I love the Grizzly House -
Review from Nick S.
4/8/2011 1 Check-in Here
It's interesting reading previous reviews of Grizzly House - some rave, a few are decidedly scathing. Usually there isn't that much variation to a restaurant (unless you count the "disgruntled ex-employee with only one review and zero friends" reviews).
Anyhow, I'll throw a few comments from my own experience at the Grizzly into the mix.
The restaurant is pretty much what we've come to expect in terms of the "ski resort / timber lodge décor" that permeates resort towns in the Rockies.
Within that genre, the Grizzly has some ambience going on. It's relaxed, in kind of an end-of-the-ski-day-booze-by-the-fireside way.
One of the first things we noticed when taking our table is the phone beside it. Mostly because it started ringing. But being newbs, we weren't sure why. "WTF?? Should we answer this? Is this to save the waitress trips to our table??" So many questions. So much uncertainty.
It turns out that everyone has one, as well as a seating plan, and table number, on the underside of your placemat. This gives you a complete phone directory to every table (and washroom).
Now, I have to admit... my companion for the meal was decidedly .... umm.... attractive .... that evening, and it took only a matter of seconds for a table of well-lubricated guys to start calling her. I can see where this might be funny in some situations, but in others, it could start getting old really quickly. This was probably one of those situations. Thankfully, it only happened once, and we were able to enjoy the rest of the meal.
Some of the reviews criticize portion size and price. I'll criticize as much as anyone if I pay a premium for a disappointingly small amount of food. So I'll start by saying we took the waitress's recommendation, and went with the four course fondue meal. That was a good call.
My starter was a chicken tortellini soup (it was good), followed by a shared veggie fondue pot cooked in a garlic butter/oil mixture. I'm a veggie fan, and quite liked it as well. Perhaps a little salty, but in a good sort of way. It was good enough that I'll probably try to recreate it at my house in the not so distant future.
Next up was the seafood cooked on a hot stone with garlic butter. Some criticism in reviews has been leveled against portion size here, and I could see if you ordered this as a stand-alone, you'd walk away hungry. For me, it was fine as part of the 4 course meal. As well, the hot stone is cooling from the moment it arrives, so you aren't going to be grilling seafood all night anyhow.
With the seafood "main" came a platter of sauces to dip in. The big question was, "which one do you like best?" Personally I found it hard to decide. They were all quite different from each other, but delicious in their own right.
Closing out the meal were two bowls of fruit to dip in the chocolate fondue. Again, pretty tough to go wrong with strawberries, bananas, etc., bathed in melted chocolate.
I walked away satisfied with the amount of food that came with the four courses. Really, no complaints when taken as a whole. Price wise? With a couple of glasses of wine each, it came to about $80 a head on the final tally with tip. That's about what I'd expect in a resort town, where any sort of a bargain is tough to come by.Listed in: Hit the Road
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Review from Sandy H.
5/22/2011
Melting Pot... MOVE ASIDE! Welcome Grizzly House! Yes... I actually found a fondue place that I enjoy more than the Melting Pot... exciting!!!
Ah hem... anyways, we had their 4 course-meal, which included a soup or salad, an appetizer, the main course, and dessert (what else were you expecting!?). For the appetizer, we had a choice between the Neuchatel fondue or the Bagna Cauda (vegetable fondue). The Neuchatel was basically cheese, wine, and Kirsch. I remember gouda being one of the cheeses mixed in and I forget the rest. Anyways... the Neuchatel was very tasty. The bread that was served tasted like it was day-old-bread; however, when it was dipped in cheese... the bread could of had mold on it and it would have still tasted great. Yes, I thought it was just that good! Just a caution tho, the cheese on the bottom will burn.
For our main entree, we ordered their Original Fondue Dinner, which was beef and chicken. They had 6 different types of combos to choose from: the Original, Beef and Lobster, Beef and Prawn, Beef and Scallop, Hunter Fondue (Buffalo, Wild Boar and Venison), and Exotic Fondue (Shark, Alligator, Rattlesnake, Ostrich, Buffalo, and Venison).
So we "played it safe" by ordering the Original. What's awesome about this place is how our meats were cooked. The server confused me when he placed a hot granite slab in the middle of our table. Frankly, I was expecting a soup/fondue pot since we're at a fondue joint; however, the slab of granite was interesting. It reminded me of Korean BBQ. Anyways, the server told us that the granite was heated up to 500 degrees so it will safely cook the meat. He also gave us two small container of garlic butter to help us cook. O.M.G. The garlic butter was amazing! I basically used it all!
Grizzly House provided us with five dipping sauce for our meats: teriyaki, baked potato, sun-dried tomato, garlic-herb, and thousand island. Out of the 5 dipping sauce, the baked potato was the BEST! It even had bacon bits mixed in it! Yummm... The runner up was the garlic-herb sauce. The one sauce I didn't like was the teriyaki sauce. It didn't even taste like teriyaki! I digress.
So... for dessert... it was TOBERLONE CHOCOLATE FONDUE! O...M...G... I was in heaven :) This fabulous chocolate fondue was served in a copper pot. It also came with fruits and hazelnut chocolate wafers. It was soooooo good! The only thing I was sad about was how small the fondue pot was! Even then, we weren't able to finish all the chocolate. After the fruits and wafers ran out... I was tempted to pour the rest of the chocolate in my mouth. However, if I had done that... I think my boyfriend would have disowned me.
Overall, I have to say the 4-course meal was superb! The cost of it tho... one could say it wasn't really worth it because we didn't get a lot of meat (and that "one" was my boyfriend). However, I thought the experience was fun and worth it.
The table where we sat at had a view of outside, which was gorgeous! Mountains and snow... What was also fun at our table was the phone. During the middle of dinner, the phone rang right behind me. So for fun, I answered. It was a guest calling from either the waiting area or another table! They asked about our meal and what we would recommend them to drink. Before I hung up with the stranger, they thanked me for answering. I assume other guests ignored their call so I was happy that I picked up that phone. I actually wanted to call a random table, but there were no dials to push and I gave up trying to figure out how to dial out.
Anyways, the decor of this place did not match the prices on their menu. Grizzly House reminds me of a log cabin. It looks like a place for you to escape the snow and warm up. There were random lava lamps in the dining area and it just looked a bit random. The server we had was a jerk. That was also the first thing I wrote on my notes about this place so service also did not match their pricing.
One last thing... with regards to finding the ladies room... I was walking down what I thought was a hallway to the restrooms and I ended up interrupting this couple in a private table. It looked like a table where you have to call ahead and book because it was completely separate from the rest of the dining area. Needless to say, I apologized for interrupting and ran off to find the ladies room. So... be careful when you venture off because you might awkwardly disturb a date.
So if you're ever in Banff (and I do recommend going there to snowboard/ski... the town is beautiful), you must visit this spot! Yes, it is pricy, but I think the overall experience I had here was worth it. -
Review from Silvia N.
St Albert, AB
6/23/2011
I went here thinking I was gonna have great fondue , wrong!! I went kinda late n we had already ear a few hours before but the place it's pretty n you can sit outside which it's great because the view it's amazing, so we ordered the neuchatel fondue n onion soups, the soup was tasteles very random n it tasted like just beefbroth with onion on , no seasoning, no wine no nothing, anyway I was impatient to gety cheese lol when it came out it was tiny for it's price, the taste was ok but the bread was gross, also they just give u bread ( other places give u bread, veggies, even apples) anyway it was super pricey for the quality of the food n service also when I went in to pay the whole place inside smells like old grease idk it has a very weird smell that I didn't like honestly I dont think I could seat inside because of the smell.
Thelocation n view are great n the place seems to be an staple in banff but I think people get fooled by this cz thefood ain't great , honestly I rather go to the melting pot that even though it's a chain restaurant the quality it's top, it's fresh n also have excellent service -
Review from Jeff C.
Edmonton, AB
12/21/2011
Started out very nice, with a soup appetizer. Food delivery right at 630 threw me off and make us cold. All food was good, expected a more romantic atmosphere. Ratio of adult to child under 6 was 3:1. Kids with portable DVD players not expected by me. Server Suzanne was great.
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Review from Natasha K.
Calgary, AB
4/8/2011
Even though I've lived overseas for the majority of my life, some of my fondest memories were visiting the Grizzly House in Banff as a kid.
The prices are high, but it is an experience. You can walk out saying you ate rattlesnake and ostrich, among many other exotic things.
You will also walk out STINKING of the garlic butter they use on the hot stone fondues.
The place good use a good scrub down (don't touch the decorations) and a re-evaluation of prices, but hey, it's Banff, everything is overpriced and geared to tourists.
I've almost always had a good service, and overall a fun experience. Just remember to change your clothes right afterwards :) -
Review from Philip Q.
Oakville, ON
4/16/2011
We stopped by downtown Banff for lunch before heading to check in to our hotel and were attracted by the exterior. The interior is cute too.
The waiter was a bit slow and kept passing our table and rushing away - as though he'd just remembered that he hadn't brought us what we'd just asked for.
The appetizers were okay but pricey - cheese fondue was tasty but the bread seemed old. The raclette was disappointing - don't expect what you'd get in the Alps.
The main course food took a long time to come out especially since it was raw and we were going to cook it. The Grizzly burgers were just okay but the soup was like dishwater.
This was our first experience of dining in Banff and I am scouring Yelp to find somewhere decent to eat but I am disappointed that the Grizzly House scores so highly. Looks like we need to adjust our expectations accordingly. -
Review from Adam R.
2/15/2011 1 Check-in Here
We went to the Grizzly House for Valentines Day. We'd heard about the tacky decor but didn't allow that to deter us -- there's something inherently tacky about a fondue restaurant anyhow. Besides, the decor wasn't so awful... Almost typical of a mountain town restaurant playing up the mountain town angle.
We were greeted and seated the moment we walked through the door thanks to a reservation we'd made only a few days before. At our table, our eyes were immediately drawn to the place mats before us: hand drawn with a bunch of random famous quotes.
Our waiter Ted arrived shortly after and made some great recommendations on a dinner for two, since we'd never been before.
We both started with a French onion soup, easily the best I've ever had. Gooey, flavorful and not overpoweringly onion-y.
Next we had their cheese fondue, which was enhanced with roasted garlic cloves we dumped into the fondue. This was the most filling part of the meal, and we still had two courses to go.
Next up was our meat fondue. I had beef and scallops on a hot rock. They serve this with five different sauces for your meat, so you an experience many different flavors. The portion size was reasonable, so even though we felt full from the cheese fondue, we could still enjoy the meat course.
Dessert was a delicious chocolate and fruit fondue of melted Toblerone chocolate. Also extremely wonderful.
Grizzly House struck us as one of those places you need to experience. It has a long history in the town of Banff (there are phones at every table -- it apparently used to be a haunt for swingers) and though it's not a restaurant you'd go to for every meal, it's definitely something you should try at least once. -
Review from Linh N.
Calgary, AB
6/10/2011 3 photos
It's always been a mystery to me about the kind of food they serve here. There sits a small, wooden cabin that could probably fit only a few tables. As I walk into the dark, concealed shack, I find myself in a much more spacious place. It was crowded and the faint light was just bright enough for you to see where you're going. I had an idea on what type of food they we're serving so I was anxious to finally give it a try.
Basically, you choose your meat and how you want to cook it; oil fondue or buttered hot stone. I was never a fan of fondue so hot stone was the most appealing to me. We chose 5 plates which consists of seafood, ostrich, wild boar/venison/elk, rattlesnake/alligator/shark/frog legs, and of course our regular chicken and beef. All the dishes came in small portions and range from $30-60/plate. There was escargot on the menu so I couldn't let that pass especially when our waitress highly recommended it. I have to say, I've tried much better escargot. The sauce was a tad too rich for me and the escargot was fairly bland.
The hot stone started to come out as we finished our appetizers. We were informed by our server not to overcook the red meats because they taste much better on the rare side. I like my meat medium rare so I was quick to grab it off the hot stone. Most of the red meat tasted just like steak, much like filet mignon. The venison was by far my favorite. It literally melts in your mouth. Surprisingly ostrich meat was very similar to steak, aside from the part that it looks like a piece of liver when it's raw and the fact that it had a very strong, gamey smell to it. I didn't enjoy shark meat the most. It was very tough and the texture was uneasy to swallow.
Overall, the food was mediocre and all the smoke made my eyes burn which made the experience unpleasant. If you're curious and willing to try anything then I would recommend having a taste for yourself here. It doesn't quite satisfy your tummy but the excitement and mystery behind each bite was rather entertaining. -
Review from Jennie M.
Edmonton, AB
2/24/2011
We went to Grizzly House to start our long weekend off. Service was great, we didn't have to wait b/c we had reservations but there were lots of people waiting to get in.
They have lots of wild game (ex. elk, bison, wild boar, etc.), your regular fondue fair such as beef/lobster/chicken & great specials as well. We chose a complete meal, the salad/soup was okay, the cheese fondue was delicious, we chose to cook on the hot rock (it gets over 600F) which we all agreed was the better choice & chocolate fondue w/ fruit. it didn't appear as though each course was that substantial but we were all stuffed by the time we were done.
The decor looks like it is from the 80's/90's but that's not a big deal...it's really dark in there anyhow. Some of the surfaces (ex. table tops/ banisters) were a bit sticky from grease but I don't see what they can do about it b/c they were totally packed & super busy - the hot rocks &/ fondue pot are going all the time. The phones were a fun touch to the place & entertained us for the evening! I wouldn't suggest this for young kids as the hot pots & hot rock could be a huge burn risk... -
Review from Katie F.
5/31/2010
Sometimes touristy is good, and with a name like Grizzly House how could this place be bad.
I was visiting a friend in Canada, and she took me here for a little taste of the Rockies. As she put it the only thing more Canadian would be to drink beer while watching hockey in a Mountie uniform. Well--2 out of 3 ain't bad.
My friend had made reservations, and when we arrived we were placed in the "private lounge" and little area with just our booth, and a TV with the first came of the Stanley Cup finals going. The atmosphere here is killer--wood, dim lights, animal heads, etc. Harking back to the 60's when every table would have a phone so you could call another table to pick up chicks (our parents version of social networking)---the phones provide great entertainment during your meal. Because we were in the lounge with the TV, we got frequent calls from other tables asking for the score of the game. The only thing slightly disturbing about the phone situation was the one located in the bathroom--I probably wouldn't choose to answer that one.
Now on to the food. We ordered the 4 course fondue meal. First course was soup or a salad. I had the soup and it was a decent start. Second course was the cheese--and who can beat cheese and bread? Yeah, no one. Third course was the meat. I went local and got the Alberta Special--Beef, Buffalo, Elk, and Venison. We got both the hot rock and the pot of oil to cook--both of which produced tasty meat. Final course was of course the chocolate fondue made with Tobelrone--delicious.
So if you want to have a little culinary adventure and your are in Banff for a little R and R stop here--it will get you full. -
Review from Karlie M.
2/16/2011
The Grizzly House is almost as much of a Banff landmark as Cascade Mountain or the Upper Hot Springs. I've walked by this restaurant a lot, so we decided to try it out when we were in town for our anniversary, not exactly sure what to expect. We walked in to a restaurant much larger than it appears from the outside, walls dark and wooden, and bustling with people. We didn't have a reservation, but the waiter managed to get us in. There are telephones at every table and in the bathroom, so you can call from table to table if you choose. I thought this was pretty cool, even though I didn't try it out.
The restaurant has very interesting hand drawn place mats with cool saying throughout, which you can buy a laminated copy of for $1 (I did!), along with other Grizzly House merchandise to commemorate your visit, like t-shirts, hats and even underwear.
The menu is varied and interesting, with some traditional options as well as their famed fondue. They offer everything from soups and salads, steak and escargot to different meat options for the fondue like beef, pork and chicken, to local fare like elk and buffalo, to more exotic fare like ostrich, shark, alligator and frog legs.
We ordered the Original Fondue Dinner (beef and chicken - $43.95) and the Hunter Fondue Dinner (buffalo, wild boar and venison - $52.95), which each come with a starter (soup or salad, we got one of each), and an appetizer of Bagna Cauda (vegetable fondue). The main course comes raw on a plate. You get an extremely hot rock with garlic butter and cook the pieces right on your table yourself. The meat is served with four different dipping sauces. Just make sure you don't use the same fork on the raw meat and cooked meat! The vegetable fondue was full of carrots, tomatoes, onions, mushrooms and more in an incredibly delicious, buttery sauce.
Our waitress was just awesome. She was super friendly and outgoing, very genuine and helpful. She explained everything in a great manner, came by often enough, and let us linger even though the restaurant was packed.
The Grizzly House is a little bit on the expensive side, but there are other restaurants in Banff at comparable prices, or higher, that don't quite have the full package that this restaurant does. Going for a meal at The Grizzly House is an experience, and one that everyone should try. I find it almost hard to describe, so check it out for yourself! Definitely worth it!
Reservations recommended. -
Review from Julia S.
5/20/2010
This restaurant was in our guidebook and after passing by it, saw the sign that said they serve buffalo and elk meat, we thought "what the heck"!
Beware when entering the restaurant during daylight, it's pretty dark in there. In fact, one of our friends had to ask for a flashlight to read the menu.
We all decided to partake in the whole experience by ordering the 4-course meal. For the main course, the guys ordered the special which was buffalo, elk, beef and venison. I went for the beef and lobster.
Starter: I think we all ordered salad which was ok, nothing to write home about.
Appetizer: since there were 4 of us, we got both the cheese and the vegetable fondue. Cheese fondue was served with bread cubes. It was really yummy but then again, it's hard to mess that up. The vegetable fondue was also yummy, it was served in broth (and I'm sure butter and all that other goodness).
Main course: we opted for the hot stone and I'm glad we did. I think grilling the meats (and the lobster) brought out the flavors better than dipping it in hot oil. The meats came with an array of sauces, around 6, I believe.
Dessert: chocolate fondue, need I say more? Ok... it came with fresh fruits, there!
Other notes:
1. They do serve wine and beer,
2. You'll notice a telephone next to each table. The waitstaff can give you a map of the dining room and it has the extension numbers on it. So you can call any table you want. A good way to pass time while you're waiting for your food, which brings me to #3,
3. I don't know why our food took so long considering we had to cook it ourselves.
4. We tipped our waiter decently but right before we left, he had the gall to ask us for more tips. Seriously, you weren't that great to begin with, and the tip reflects that!
Overall, quite a pricey meal (average 4-course meal is $55pp) but it was a unique experience. Best part of the meals were by far the cheese and chocolate fondues. The rest were just fillers. -
Review from Bill N.
8/1/2011
You cannot visit Banff without a meal here!! You can have a standard fondue like ones found at the Melting Pot or you can try their exotic fondue (FRESH WILD GAME)!!!
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Review from Kevin D.
Toronto, ON
4/5/2010
FOOD CHAIN EXPLOITATION AT IT'S BEST.
Nothing makes me feel more manly than cooking exotic raw meats in garlic butter upon a steaming hot rock. Grizzly House offers pretty much every kind of meat imaginable and the option of either cooking then in oil, or upon hot rocks.
I prefer the hot rocks because it accentuates the natural game flavours and it makes it easier to variate how rare or well done you'd like the meat cooked. Plus, the hot oil can splash and be rather hazardous for my liking.
I loved the caribou and the Alberta AAA beef. Also- you can order raw veggies and cook them at the table as well.
Grizzly House is pricey, but it's really fun to enjoy with friends and the staff are super fun and helpful. Plus, it way easier than hunting your own game... -
Review from PJ S.
5/31/2010
Kevin, How is this place FOOD CHAIN EXPLOITATION AT ITS BEST???
I don't think this place is a chain my friend from the north. In fact, its nothing like a chain. This is a home grown totally pure rocky mountain eatery. A true experience. So I just assume you don't have a strong command of the English language and meant to say something else.
You can do your next post in French, its OK. Whats important is that your thoughts get out there correctly and that you don't make bizarre comments that don't fit the place.
OK enough of that.
I love this Grizzly House in all its overpriced cook it yourself glory.
The food is high quality. The staff is friendly.
What you have to understand about staff in Banff (Be Aware, Nothing For Free)... get it? Banff. Yes the staff. The local ones that actually live there as a life choice are awesome. Cool cool people that anyone would want to hang with.
The rest are the backpacker working oversees on holiday pot smoking hostel staying types that I just don't fancy.
They are like indentured servants that get jobs here so they can ski hike smoke pot... group orgy, whatever it is that they do. I just can't relate. I guess because I can afford to go there and actually stay at a resort, not work there and eat at great places like the Grizzly House.
This place will transport you to another time. The interior is really nice and has that true feel. I can't say enough. It just captured my heart and I will always remember the Grizzly House. And I will always be back if I can afford it.
I hope to be back there very soon. -
Review from Larry M.
10/26/2008 1 photo
Banff is a vacation destination, so if you are here on vacation you need to do something different and fun. You can find that here at the Grizzly House.
They offer everyday meats and for those that are adventurous, more exotic meats. We dove in with both feet and did the whole fondue thing with fillet mignon, lobster, buffalo, alligator, caribou, python, ostrich, shark and venison.
You start off with a cheese fondue. It is a classic fondue and has cheese with wine in it. You dip bread in it. Next come the meats. They bring out a hot slab of granite that you cook the food on yourself. For dessert, there is a toblorone chocolate fondue with fruit and marshmallows to dip. Everything was wonderful. My favorites were the caribou and alligator.
The place is very wild. It used to be a night club and there are phones at each table. There is a map with the numbers to the other phones on it. I took pleasure in calling other tables and checking in on their meals. There is also a phone in the bathrooms. Hint: watch ladies walk in there and call them up to see how they are doing. If you play it cool when they walk out they will not know who to suspect.
Service was right on. This was the dining highlight of our Canadian Vacation.
Also, it is a licensed restaurant. Not sure why restaurants always feel the need to point this out up here in the Great White North. But, they are, so there you go. -
Review from Louis P.
4/1/2010 1 photo
I came here since the sign outside said it served Buffalo and Caribou. Never tried either so I figured this would be a good place to eat. Upon entering you notice it's pretty dark and smells funny. After reading the menu, you may (just like I did) realize you bit off more than you can chew. This place IS NOT cheap....at all.
But, having already been seated, figured "why not" and give this place a try?
The waitresses here are super friendly and explained everything for us on how things work here. You can have your meat cooked either in oil or on a hot rock. Being adventurous, I chose the exotic meats dish which consisted of shark, ostrich, venison, rattlesnake and some other unique meats.
After walking us through the cook times for each meat, my buddy and I dug in and started cooking everything. I was quite surprised at how good the meats tasted. Having never eaten such unique meats, I thoroughly enjoyed the meal albeit a little expensive.
My favorite was probably the venison and wild boar. The rattlesnake is a bit chewy and stringy and the shark pretty much tastes like scallops. But, if you're in the area, this place is great-to-try-once sort of place. It's quite expensive, especially if you get the exotic meats dish, but I think it was well worth it.
For souvenirs, you can purchase laminated place mats, shirts, as well as a $4000 buffalo head. The only thing I don't understand is why they sell a souvenir thong? -
Review from Mike W.
2/18/2011
I was not impressed with the Grizzly House. Pack em in and get em out quickly seems to be the motto here. Our waitress was a total big B at our table and I would not return mainly because of the service here. The food was average and nothing great to brag about. The bill was way too high for the meal and service you get here.
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Review from Matt T.
Calgary, AB
3/8/2011
Apparently there are 2 restaurants in Banff named "Grizzly House". The one I was at last night was a dump with poor service and awful food. Somewhere there is another one that some people call "the best restaurant ever". I have no idea how...
I would recommend people avoid this place and spend your money at a decent restaurant instead.
Food prices are way too high for the low quality of products used and extra small portion sizes.
For a fondue place I was very surprised it was so dead but after our meal was done we knew why it was so empty.
I started with the french onion soup which was obviously made with packaged broth. I think it was good but it was so unmemorable that I can't honestly remember.
Next came veggies in butter and bread to dip in cheese. Normally with the combo you only get one but we paid extra to have both because we were hungry and saw that the portion sizes were very small.
The veggies they brought did not go well with a bowl of melted butter. Cauliflower in butter soup?? Ummm that is not a good combo at all.
The bread was extremely stale and required sending back only to receive more stale bread.
The meat portions must have been some kind of mistake because they were cooked in 1.5 minutes and consisted of 5 small bites of steak and 2 small bites of lobster served with 4 or 5 sauces which had no business being near beef or seafood.
Desert was a small portion of chocolate with some mushy fruit to dip them in but the fruit was in such rough shape it didn't get eaten.
We had to flag down our waitress every time we needed something because she was never to be found. Probably why it took our group of 5 2.5 hours to eat our tiny ass meal! One person ordered an appetizer as his meal and our course it came out with our soups and salads. No big surprise.
Our waitresses' bad attitude didn't make anything any better either but luckily we found out later why she had no motivation to treat us like she cared.... 2 words... automatic gratuity. For our table of 5 who received some of the worst service I've ever had, we were FORCED to tip her $70. She earned about $3 of that. We had piles of plates everywhere, our drinks went empty most of the meal and we got attitude from the get go. If I would have known there was an auto-grat I would never have even walked in the door!
The building itself is old and (hopefully) made to look outdoorsy. The image people get when they think of an old log cabin, definitely not a expensive restaurant.
With a couple drinks each and the wonderful auto-grat our meals came to roughly $120 each. We all left hungry and were soon forced to pay for dinner again because we all left hungry.
I will never set foot in this dump again and will give anyone I can an earful on how bad it is. -
Review from Jennie S.
6/2/2010
I really liked this place :D
We were a group of 6 and they sat us to the table directly to the left when you first walk in. It was a nice private area with a TV, a table for six, and a lounge area. The restaurant itself has a log cabin feel with unique decorations.
On to the food!! This place has cooking styles of fondue, boiling pots, and hot stones. Our table all did the hot stone cooking style -- this was the best! It cooked the food just right and the meat they supplied was delicioius. One thing I regret is not trying somthing more "exotic" meaning they offer meats like rattlesnake, ostrich, shark, etc.
Lastly dessert was awesome, simple but delicious! We had the chocolate fondue and ice cream fondue. The ice cream fondue was amazing -- they gave you vanilla ice cream in shape of a ball coated in a crunchy type of cereal along side of sweet sauces you can add to it.
This restuarant is a must eat at while visiting Banff! -
Review from Joseph C.
9/11/2010 1 Check-in Here
Disgusting food and atmosphere. I don't mind the hokiness but this was tacky and without charm. Atleast Hooters is "delightfully tacky." This place was just gross. Wine was corked. My salad was wilted and swimming in dressing. The French onion was liquid bouillion. The fondue was stinky and unremarkable. The meat was poor grade and the 7 sauces didn't help. Dessert was melted Toblerone... Biggest gimmicky ripoff ever and one of worst meals of my life. My clothes still smelled of grease 6 days later..
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Review from J T.
11/15/2009
My family had a very memorable meal at Grizzly House on a family vacation several years ago. Specialties are Alpine meals, such as fondue and raclette. It's a bit touristy with the pine lodge exterior, but who cares? You're probably not in Banff unless you're on vacation, and if you're looking for a memorable meal, this worked for us.
Ten years later, I have vivid memories of the meal, and our family still reminisces about it, so it all worked well! -
Review from kathy m.
8/14/2010
Aside from the waiter being a huge douche bag (Jack, the Thomas Haden Church character in Sideways sprung immediately and independently to the minds of both my husband and I) the our meal at the Grizzly House was a blast. We ordered the mushroom foudue appetizer for two and were blown away with tasty sensation as well as the whole interactive cooking our own food at the table experience. The waiter's odious and only occasional presence was tolerable because the food was so good. For the main course we ordered the surf and turf on a hot rock and we didn't like that as much. It was good and all, but the sides were pretty unremarkable. If we'd have gone straight from the appetizer to the dessert this would have easily been a five star place. And I'm pretty stingy with the five stars. We are now shopping for a fondue set for our home and looking for recipes. Great family fun is on the horizon!
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Review from Dave H.
10/20/2009
After a week in the Rockies, I pretty much forgot I even ate here. It wasn't bad, it was just fairly ordinary.
We had just arrived in Banff and got suckered by the whole exotic-animal-meat-in-a-pine-lodge sales pitch.
The room was fun and had cool decorations from the history of town. We both had the Buffalo Burger and it was a leaner, more peppery piece of meat than you expect in your typical pub burger. The best thing was this hash-brown-like thing called Rosti. My wife got that and I got some disappointing onion soup. She has much more positive recollection of this place than I do, and that is probably the key difference.
My soda was flat and when i sent it back, I got another flat soda with no comment from the server.
What I remember most is that they had a phones at every table where you could call other tables. They even had a phone in the bathroom. Unfortunately, we there during the off-season, so the place was empty. In retrospect, every move in the bathroom was probably audible in the dining area without any amplification because it was as quiet as library. That said, I bet the place gets hoppin' during ski season. -
Review from Dominic L.
6/8/2009
the stone grill is really good... would definitely order the exotic fondue the next time i come....
i had the sea and land fondue and the beefeaters fondue... they are actually stone grill... a piece of stone that is 650C hot and you could grill your own food... pretty unique and fun experience i would say... you could also get the traditional oil or cheese fondue...
great food... great service...
cant give them a 5 star cause im the one who cooked my food...
