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Nourish
Category: Restaurants Vegetarian Vegetarian [Edit]
215 Banff Ave2nd Fl
Banff, AB T1L 1B4
(403) 760-3933
- Hours:
Mon, Wed-Sun 12 pm - 3 pm
Mon, Wed-Sun 5 pm - 9 pm
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Garage, Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
- Dogs Allowed:
- Yes
25 reviews for Nourish
Review Highlights
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"My husband loved the nachos." In 8 reviews -
"I also love the shepherds pie and the house curry." In 3 reviews -
"...cheese and yellow curry with coconut rice, and pumpkin and..." In 3 reviews
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25 reviews in English
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Review from Emilie C.
1/31/2012
I love this place, especially because they make their hearty vegetarian sharing meals for delivery as well! Their King Kong Noodles kick it and their Falafel salad, topped with an edible flower, is large and very filling.
Their plates are intended for sharing, but I have in the past polished off a plate myself. Their drinks are also delicious! Their Kundalini Ice Whip is basically a veggie-and-fruit smoothie. They also have a liquor license and serve nice wines and such.
The decor is funky too! The ceiling is embellished with a lovely tree-with-flowers painting and the wall colour is very warm and accommodating. It's a little hard to find, as it's on the 2nd floor of this small mall on the main street in Banff, but totally worth it once found! -
Review from Tanya L.
Montréal, QC
5/18/2012
At first I couldn't even find this restaurant...its hidden on the second floor of a tiny mall with nothing in it. Do not judge this place by the appearence, looks like a hippy cafe. I was a little taken back the first time I went in because of the decor, but the lack of veggie options in Banff made me give this place a chance and I'm glad I did.
Meals are meant to be shared and service can sometimes be slow but the food...the food is great. Really good soups, falafel, burritos all yummy. Curry could be spicer in my opinion.
Nice menu selection, great food, extreamly friendly and cheerful staff....what more could you ask for really? -
Review from Patricia M.
Edmonton, AB
10/8/2011
We have never wanted to drive 5 hours to eat a plate of nachos. Yes, Nourish is that good. Fact: we will make a trip to Banff just to eat more food at Nourish.
Nourish is unique, outstanding, original, delicious, and addictive. I've eaten at so many places around the world that nothing really "surprises" me. Nourish surprised me in many ways and several things stand out:
1. Do not judge the location (dirty mall) or the décor (tacky and dim). Yes, Nourish is a "hole in the wall" type place. No, the food does not reflect the outside representation.
2. The service was above average. The waiter was cheerful and was diligent about asking every customer of potential allergies (each dish has many hidden ingredients).
3. The most important part of this review is the food.
We started with the nachos which literally took our breath away. The nachos were spicy and sweet at the same time. There was such a diverse flavour that we were only able to pinpoint a few ingredients (cheddar, berries, couscous, mango). I can whole-heartedly state that there is no nacho dish in the world better than this one.
We shared the mushroom ravioli and we were further surprised. The sauce was creamy and delicate while the ravioli burst with flavour. I have never tasted such a perfect pasta combination. Frankly, there are no words to describe how it tastes, it's that amazing.
We then shared a pie with soy ice cream , and yes, it was amazing. The berry pie was paired with mandarins and strawberries to create a delicious sweet vs. citrous combination.
4. Price? Higher than average but worth it.
5. Nourish is listed on many review sites and media outlets as the best place to eat in Banff. This is 100% true. Nourish is the best place to eat in Banff ... and perhaps the world. -
Review from Tim C.
Ottawa, ON
3/5/2012
Quite good. The nachos had excellent flavours but a touch salty, when I order them again I'll probably see if I can get less salt.
We had a carrot / ginger / lavender soup which was stupendous.
Great creative choices and friendly service. Recommended. -
Review from Kelly B.
9/9/2011
So hard to choose a dish. I didn't want to miss out on anything and EVERYTHING looked good. Are you one of those that spies on other tables' choices to scope out the options? Because I am, and not only did everything on the menu sound appetizing, but everything rolling out of that tiny little kitchen gave me googly eyes. The presentation was beautiful. The aroma made me drool. But my grumbling tummy told me I had to choose.
The "sharing" concept is perfect for both portion control and variety - I still ate too much and didn't try as much as I would have liked, but it's a good idea. Wild Mushroom Ravioli and Paneer Curry were our choices and they did not disappoint. Wow. I mean wow. I mean WOW.
My only qualms were with the temperature inside the restaurant. It was really warm in there, uncomfortably warm. I understand the kitchen is small. I love the environment too and don't want to waste energy. But really, comfort is key. The service wasn't bad, a little awkward, but didn't take away from the experience. Definitely recommend this for anyone, meat eaters and veg heads alike, looking for a fabulous meal in a cozy setting in Banff. -
Review from Salsaboy S.
8/12/2011
Original. Outstanding. Delicious.
I ate here two days in a row, as the food was that good. This is not your ordinary, every day, run-of-the-mill vegetarian restaurant, this is creative, unusual, organic, vegetarian fare that will make your palate dance and your tongue scream.
Over our two days, we tried the King Kong Noodles (outstanding), the Shepard's Pie (terrific), the Red Pepper something-or-other (very good), the Falafel (unusual and incredible, though it gets monotonous after a while), the Stuffed Mushrooms (very good, but perhaps the most typical thing we tried -- you can get elsewhere), the Mushroom Ravoli (amazing), the Paneer Curry (good plus), and the Nachos (too sweet for my preference).
While I certainly enjoyed some things more than others, it was all expertly prepared. For vegetarians, this is a must. For meat-eaters, this is better than almost any other restaurant you might try in Banff.
The restaurant is small and located on the second floor of Sundance Mall. Reservations are recommended, and on my second visit our reservations got us a table right on time instead of the 20 minute wait we had without one. Service can be gruff, but Mark, the owner, is friendly and very helpful.
Highly recommended. -
Review from Heidi M.
7/4/2011
I am from Austin, Texas, home of many vegetarian restaurants. One local recommended this place to me. I am not vegan or even vegetarian, but I returned two more times after my first visit. The creamy mushroom ravioli and vegan caesar salad were my favorites. My husband loved the nachos. The presentation of the dishes was stellar. Many of the flowers used to garnish the plates were edible. This lead me to discover that I love gooseberries!
The ambience and music were funky and unique. The wait staff were all friendly and informative. I hope that the next time we come back to Banff we find Nourish in a larger space so they can serve the hungry throngs that desire healthy meals from a locally-owned restaurant. -
Review from Matthew D.
8/11/2011
This is a review of my vegan experience at this restaurant. Was frustrated with the lack of vegan reviews for the area on Yelp, so I'm adding mine. Note that I am ok with shared oil/kitchens. I also don't usually check if the beer is vegan.
This is a review over two visits to Nourish. The first time I went, I was with some friends after our hike. We didn't listen to our waiter when he said that we should share meals, mostly because we comprised a wide variety of eating habits. While this hurt my experience, the other problems were not on our end. My curry was dull, and out of the 4 of us only one person was happy with their meal. And this is saying something coming from famished hikers. That being said, the food was still not bad and the portions were large. (this visit gets 2.5 stars)
After this experience, I was hesitant to go again, but luckily my second experience was the complete opposite. Went with my family after another long hike, and our meals were fabulous. The small veggie platter was fresh and wonderful, the shepherds pie was AMAZING!!! (get mushroom gravy) and the burritos with strawberry salsa made a great last course. I still disagree with the waitress recommending the Mill Street beer, but my dad seemed to like it. Waitress was also very friendly, which is good :) The shop is crowded and gets a bit hot when full, but it was still the best meal of my 5 day vacation. (this visit gets 5+ stars)
If my third visit to Nourish is as good as my second, I will change my review to 5 stars. -
Review from Cosmo T.
7/31/2011
You don't have to be vegetarian to love this place. But to really enjoy this place, you'll need to have an open mind and get over a few things.
First, it's upstairs in a mall and their sign is almost impossible to spot from the street (look for the fudge store). Not exactly picturesque, but don't let that deter you.
Second, listen to your waiter who explains that dishes are meant to be shared (kind of like family-style), and they aren't likely to all come out at the same time. Plan to share dishes and enjoy them as they arrive.
You're cool with this? Then enjoy! Like everyone else, I highly recommend the nachos which have 27 ingredients. In addition to the usual stuff, I do know it also has strawberries and blueberries. Sounds weird? Give it a try - you won't be disappointed! I also love the shepherds pie and the house curry.
Enjoy! -
Review from Cathrine A.
Sechelt, BC
2/12/2012
I was sooo excited to try this restaurant that has such amazing reviews. However, I was disappointed. The server was great - very personable albeit slow bringing our items to our table - could this be a problem with the kitchen?? Who knows...but after waiting for 15 plus minutes for our last item to arrive, we decided to get the cheque and take the item home because the wait was just too long when you are finished eating the other items. However, this did not affect my review, because I am trying to be as fair as possible. Yes, I am a meat eater, however, I do love good food, regardless of who makes it, or what type. I just don't get what all the rave reviews are about and being #1 in Banff?? hmmm.....so, here's my review and it's as honest as I can make it. The worst drinks I've ever had...nachos were good, but really needed some guac added, the other three items were just so so....the falafel had so little falafel in the wrap that it was just filled with veggies and was imbalanced in flavour. Anyway, I won't be returning, but I'm glad I gave this restaurant a try. Yes, it's small and I didn't rate this either...I only rated the food. Just okay....
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Review from Sridhar D.
8/6/2011
Huh? A vegetarian restaurant in Banff? A place known for restaurants serving Caribou, Bison, and Bear meat? Huh? We were pleasantly surprised to find a vegetarian restaurant, of all places, in Banff. The food was freshly made, the service was friendly, and the ambience was good. The service was slow but that's okay as you expect laidback service in a place like Banff and in some ways that adds to the rhythm of the place. Normally I would have given a 3-star rating for this place if it were in a bigger city, say Calgary. However, the fact they served some good veggie food with friendly services in Banff earned them a couple of extra stars. Definitely recommended for all vegetarians. Note that they take cash-only.
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Review from Merrill H.
8/6/2009 3 photos
Nourish is one of the hidden gems in Banff. OK, yes, you come up here to ski, hike, and spot wildlife, but you really need to make reservations at Nourish! Nourish is hidden away on the 2nd floor of the Sundance Mall. The space inside Nourish is small and comfortably seats about 10-15 people. Because the space is small, reservations are highly recommended. We happened to show up when they weren't busy and were able to get a table.
Nourish is all about sharing and the portions are big. We ordered the gourmet nachos and mushroom burger. The mushroom burger was quite good and came with a side of roasted red potato slices. But the big hit of the night was the nachos. Why? It comes with 27 different toppings!!! Pickles, strawberries, different types of beans, blueberries, peaches, etc. They also steered away from the fake bright orange nacho cheese you normally get and used a sweet cheese and a cheddar cheese instead. This all sounds kinda gross, but it was the most amazing nachos I have ever had (and I really dislike nachos). My dining partner is a nacho fan and he loved this dish! Sigh-- if only Nourish was closer to home!
They also have some speciality teas and juices. It was too hot so I didn't get a cup of tea, but I did order the kundalini juice. It was quite refreshing!
This website has some good interior/exterior shots of Nourish- http://www.taximike.co... -
Review from Mark R.
Whitehorse, YT
10/25/2011
Nourish serves up good food and the portions are huge. The ambiance (to my mind) is much better than I would have guessed from reading some of the other reviews and we will definitely be back. The service was friendly and the restaurant as a whole had a comfortable, laid-back vibe. While perhaps not quite as good vegetarian food as Zen Palate in NYC, it is still very good. Give it a try - it is much better than most of what is on offer in Banff - as is evidenced by the fact that the place was full of locals.
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Review from Hemant S.
Vancouver, BC
9/10/2009
Nourish was an experience I wasn't expecting in banff. As already mentioned it's a surprise eat joint on 2nd floor of sundance mall on banff avenue. The ambience is relaxing. The service friendly the menu has a crazy selection. I went for the nachos as suggested by the staff it's awesome. And I believe them now. Nourish is a tapas style restaurant. The food tastes great and fresh. The nachos came with 29 diff toppings. The other dish we ordered was sheperd's Pie again recomended by the staff and it's an explosion of flavors. Couldn't go next day to try the special - Paneer curry on coconut rice but would take the servers word of it being out of the world.
It's heaven for vegetarians in banff and a worth trying for non vegetarians to see food in a different way and who knows it might easily become a favorite. I'm definitely going there next time I'm on banff -
Review from Jade F.
Abbotsford, BC
10/24/2010 1 photo
This place has great food but it's in a dingy mall and has cranky servers.
I would probably return here, but it's a treat. Vegetarian food is generally cheap when eating out, but this place was the priciest vegi food I've ordered.
Try it out if you don't value you a great view from your table. -
Review from Sherri C.
5/31/2010
After a vigorous hike up Tunnel Mountain in cold and almost rainy weather, nothing beats warming up with a bowl of the chipotle tortilla soup at Nourish. Each dish comes out with the purpose of sharing, so the soup (which is actually more of a hot mash of ingredients) comes out in two bowls with four pieces of rosemary-sea salt foccacia bread in the middle. The flavors here are incredible. We actually had two meals here during our trip and recommend the falafel dish and the paneer cheese curry over coconut rice (amazing). We totally cleaned off our plates. The drinks are also excellent -- we tried both the Iris and the Kundalini, which were similar in flavor, and the mango peach frosty and the Hangover smoothie which was surprisingly rich and chocolately.
This is the tastiest, most innovative vegetarian restaurant we have ever been to, and I highly recommend it to anyone who happens to be in a 100-mile radius of Banff!Listed in: O Canada
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Review from Jenn G.
4/16/2010
This restaurant is further proof that some of the best dining can be found in mini-malls. Best described as fusion-y vegetarian/vegan food, the menu featured a range of dishes including their famed nachos (not sure how you fit 27 different toppings on them...) and nightly specials. Standard menu items range from middle eastern to asian to mexican.
Due to the minuscule size of the kitchen, Nourish is about tapas style service, with one dish coming to the table at a time. It's a fun (if forced) way to sample the menu.
Being all about the local flavor, we tried one of the specials, a poutine with curry sauce instead of the traditional gravy. That was followed by the stuffed peppers with white quinoa and fruit - different but very tasty.
While too full to consider a dessert, the slate of options were very appealing - berry pies, a banana-walnut bread pudding, and something vegan with cocoa.
Note that this place is on the small side, and tables are close together, so if you're on the taller/larger side it might feel a bit cramped. However, if you're looking for something beyond the steak houses & fondue places that seem to populate Banff Ave, this is one well worth considering. -
Review from Scott W.
6/14/2010
I wanted to like this place, but instead I kind of hated it. We are a family of long time vegans, and Nourish was not friendly at all to the kids pallets, nor the adults. I suppose I should appreciate the culinary risks that they take, but it didn't work for me. Strawberries don't belong in a shepherds pie or falafel. My kids love falafel wraps. Hummus was my infant sons first and favorite food, yet he wouldn't take a second bite of this version. I still haven't enjoyed quinoa in a dish, and their preparation did nothing to change my mind.
In a city of overpriced tourist trap steakhouses, Nourish is different, and meatless. That should make it a paradise for my people, but, alas, it kind of sucked. -
Review from Kristin K.
1/7/2010
WOW, this place was incredible! My friend and I were in town skiing for a few days and this was the first restaurant we had dinner at. We split a salad, the cheese and yellow curry with coconut rice, and pumpkin and butternut squash ravioli. The food is so so so tasty! I never thought ravioli without meat could taste so darn good! The food was brought out quickly and one dish at a time. We would have been fine just splitting the salad and one of the main dishes, but being the gluttonous eaters we are we gladly shoveled every last drop of food in with big smiles on our faces. If I'm ever in the area again, I will definitely be back!
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Review from Phil H.
11/14/2010
I am not a vegan (or even a vegetarian), but this is my "Last Meal" place.
My wife and I travel a lot and were not planning on going back to Banff, but we will just for this restaurant. The Chef/owner is a genius. I don't know who would think to put blue berries in Nacho, but they work. So does everything else that she made for us. You could eat here every night for a week and still be missing something, and, for Banff, it's very fairly priced.
If you're going to Banff. Stop at Tim Hortons for a snack in Calgary and then have every other meal here. -
Review from N N.
9/14/2010
The curry was good though smaller portion than I expected. I thought the maple lemonade wasn't that good.
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Review from Brian K.
12/28/2010
OK, this place was off the hook stellar. The ambiance might be lacking a tad because it is upstairs in a mall, but don't be fooled. The food here is outstanding as are the juices and homemade drinks. Even if you aren't a vegetarian (which I am not) I guarantee you walk away fully satiated and very happy.
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Review from robert h.
11/10/2010
Don't just walk down the streets in Banff and look for spots to eat. If you do you will miss this great gem. They are unfortunately stuck back in a small hard to find mall but deserve to be defending prime real estate in the center of town or strutting it at the Fairmont. Hopefully you will get the handsome curly haired waiter ( owner? ) who served us...but if not I noticed the same warm charm from the other waitstaff at a distance. The food was spectacularly different, flavorful, and fun. Dishes are best shared and the portions are healthy. This was one of the 3 best restaurants we tried while in the town. And believe me...there were many duds. Don't miss it.
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Review from Dion M.
9/24/2009
The best vegetarian restaurante I have ever eaten at and I've eaten at a lot. This place doesnt pride itself on mock meats like a lot of vegetarian places do. The owners are real cooks that know what foods go with what foods even if the combination sounds strange. For example, their nachos include chips with cheese, strawberry salsa, blueberries, strawberries, quinoa, dill pickles, and like 15 other toppings. I know it sounds weird but I swear it is the best thing me and my wife have ever eaten in our lives. Their teas are also incredibly good and have amazing flavor. We tried a few other dishes and everything was top notch. Don't waste your money at any other places in Banff. Go to Nourish. An if you are ever only driving through Banff then stop and eat at Nourish. As others stated it is a small place but we were there during the week and never had a problem getting a seat. Oh yeah...the service is EXCELLENT! God bless Nourish.
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Review from Jane S.
7/19/2010
This place has an interesting take on vegetarian cuisine. Their philosophy, apparently, is to put as many ingredients as they can think of in every dish, even if they don't really seem to go together. I sometimes do that with spectacular results, other times not, and I imagine that's the way it goes with this place. I think I ordered the wrong thing, because mine wasn't exciting, but I could see other people's food that looked better. I had the stuffed pepper. It was a big grilled red pepper stuffed with about a million different vegetables, quinoa, and topped with cheese. There wasn't much cheese and I would have liked more quinoa. It was basically just a big mess of vegetables. It came with 3 little triangles of flat bread. There just wasn't enough starch. Again, I think I just ordered something boring. The waiter actually tried to steer me away from this dish, I don't know why I didn't order something else. Also, the portions are too big and too expensive. I would have liked to have, maybe, a salad and an entree, but the asian noodle dish is $22 and enormous and the salad is also, like $10+. Can't I just have a normal portion of food for a reasonable price? If I lived in Banff, I'd come back here again with friends and share several entrees, because I think the restaurant has potential and I'd be curious to try some of the other dishes, like shepard's pie with strawberries (???), but I'll probably never be in Banff again, so I have to say there's a possibility that this place isn't that great and it's all just hype. I think Scott W. may be right.
