5 mi north of Hwy 1 (Transcanada Hwy), Emerald Lake Lodge
250-343-6321
Dress Code: Causal
Open: 11 am to 5pm (Spring); 11 am to 8 pm (Summer)
Main Courses: Avg. $18

This lakeside restaurant is located 25 miles from Lake Louise and opens only during summer months, but it's a destination worth the drive. The mountain-lodge architecture, lofty and open, highlights the delicious food, which adapts California cuisine to the Rockies by adding Native American culinary traditions to the mix, along with local game and produce. Among the dishes you'll find are blackened chicken calzone, lemon-pepper linguine with seared scallops, baked grouper on corn tamales, and buffalo goulash with aged cheddar corn bread. This venue is more casual than the main dining room, but it offers amazing views of the lake.

Icefields Pkwy (Hwy 93), Simpson's Num-Ti-Jah Lodge
403-522-2167
Dress Code: Smart Causal
Open: 6pm to 9:30 pm

Perched on the beautiful Bow Lake less than 30 minutes from Lake Louise, this charming lodge was the dream of Jimmy Simpson, one of the area's best-recognized mountain guides. Paying tribute to the native name for the pine marten, a local animal, the lodge has been renovated in recent years. Its restaurant is now one of the area's best. A European flair underlies the cuisine, which fashions local fish and game into delectable entrees. Venison medallions, Alberta beef, Chilean sea bass, and rack of lamb only hint at the available dishes. The Ram Pasture Platter, with venison sausage and air-dried buffalo, offers a great sampling of local flavour too. Breakfast and lunch available daily.

5 mi north of Hwy 1 (Transcanada Hwy), Emerald Lake Lodge
250-343-6321
Dress Code: Smart Causal
Open: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Main Courses: Avg. $26

Rustically beautiful, this restaurant serves up delicious Rocky Mountain cuisine, fusing Victorian and alpine culinary traditions with local game and produce. It also affords breathtaking views of the surrounding landscape. Featured dishes include roasted quail with foie gras, medallions of caribou, Atlantic salmon with French lentils, and a strudel of roasted peppers, mushrooms, artichokes, and goat cheese. Representative desserts include devil's food cake with roasted pecans and caramelized bananas, and an apple gingerbread tart tatin with spiced pumpkin ice cream. A selection of after-dinner liqueurs is available, and the extensive wine list has been awarded by Wine Spectator. Breakfast and lunch served daily. 25 miles from Lake Louise.

111 Lake Louise Dr, Chateau Lake Louise
403-522-3511
Dress Code: Jacket or Tie required
Open: 6 pm to 9 pm; 11:30 am to 1 pm
Main Courses: Avg. $35

A multi-tiered dining room looking out over the turquoise waters of Lake Louise greets guests at this gracious venue. Romantic and elegant, it is widely considered to deliver the Château's premiere culinary experience. The menu has a decidedly Canadian flair, offering such dishes as beef tenderloin, Alberta rack of lamb, venison, and Rocky Mountain pot au feu. Sea bass, Arctic char, chicken breast, and a vegetarian entree increase the selections. Jackets are required during the summer months, adding to the restaurant's genteel ambience.

200 Sentinel Rd
403-522-2600
Dress Code: Smart Causal
Open: 11:30 am to midnight
Main Courses: Avg. $28

A stone's throw from the Bow River, this restaurant occupies Lake Louise's oldest building. The red-roofed, log cabin train station, built in 1909, now welcomes guests to dine amid gleaming woodwork and leaded glass windows. Representative dishes include roasted pheasant breast, grilled medallions of caribou, and pan-fried Atlantic char. Chicken, veal, Alberta beef, salmon, pizzas, and salads are also available, depending on your appetite. Moored behind the station are several restored railway cars, which offer a more intimate dining experience and must be booked in advance. When the weather is mild, the manicured garden is also available for dining.

210 Village Rd, Lake Louise Inn
403-522-3791
Dress Code: Causal
Open: 7 am to 10 pm
Main Courses: Avg. $20

Located near the pool in the hotel's main lobby, this casual restaurant serves up tasty, reliable Canadian fare throughout the day. Dinner offers a selection of soups (including the rich butternut squash), salads, and appetizers to begin with. Main courses then range from Alberta beef to British Columbia Coho salmon, lamb, chicken, pork tenderloin with apricots, and rainbow trout. Those who want something a little more standard will enjoy the variety of burgers and stirfries. A kids' menu is also available. Breakfast includes buffet and a la carte items; lunch features sandwiches and burgers, along with quesadillas and fish and chips. Beer, wine, and liquor also available.

Moraine Lake Rd, Moraine Lake Lodge
403-522-3733
Dress Code: Smart Causal
Open: 7 am to 10 am, 11 am to 3 pm, 5:30 pm to 9 pm

Nestled beside beautiful Moraine Lake, only 8 miles from Lake Louise, this terrific restaurant boasts a river rock fireplace, huge wooden columns, and rustic accents. The real attraction, though, is the incredible scenery visible from the walls of glass. It provides a perfect complement to the cuisine, which is impeccably prepared and presented. A Rocky Mountain flair characterizes the menu, and you'll find salmon, rack of lamb, caribou, braised duckling, and veal tenderloin to choose from. There's also filet mignon, grilled halibut, and East Coast mussels and penne pasta in a saffron cream sauce. Desserts include maple ganache cheesecake and Swiss chocolate ice, perfumed with Frangelico hazelnut liqueur. A great diversion while in Lake Louise.

109 Lake Louise Dr, Deer Lodge
403-522-3747
Dress Code: Smart Causal
Open: 7 am to midnight (Closed Mid October to early December)
Main Courses: Avg. $30

Originally built in 1921, this lodge-like dining room (officially known as the Mount Fairview) boasts timber construction and twig furniture. Simultaneously rustic and elegant, the venue is well-known for its Canadian cuisine. The seasonal menus feature game from the lodge's own ranch, and the terrific wine list has been recognized by Wine Spectator several times. Among the celebrated dishes is the Rocky Mountain Game Platter, which features venison ham, smoked pepper duck, air-dried buffalo, and game pâté and salametti. Other tempting dishes include roasted salmon, grilled ranch elk striploin, caribou medallions, and roasted lamb rack with a pistachio dijon crust. A selection of scotches and cognacs is also available, as is a sinful dessert list.

Post Hotel Dining Room

200 Pipestone Rd
403-522-3989
Dress Code: Business Dressy
Open: 7 am to 11 am, 11:30 am to 2 pm, 5 pm to 9:30 pm
Main Courses: Avg. $33

Intimate, elegant dining beneath a beamed ceiling is the hallmark of this fabulous restaurant. The menu maintains a European sensibility while incorporating fresh local ingredients into the mix. Salmon, lamb, venison, and Alberta beef make for succulent entrees, and the veal medallions are incredible, served with a brandy cream sauce and nutmeg-tinged quenelles. Desserts are equally as satisfying; the creme brulee with fresh berries is light, smooth, and delicious. A terrific wine list offers numerous vintages to complement any meal. Regularly awarded for its efforts, the restaurant has received accolades from both the Wine Spectator and DiRoNA. Jackets are optional.

Timberwolf Pizza and Pasta Café

210 Village Rd, Lake Louise Inn
403-522-3791
Dress Code: Causal
Open: 5 pm to 11 pm (Summer); 5:30 pm to 10 pm (Winter)
Main Courses: Avg. $12

Italian food is so familiar to many of us that it's almost like comfort food. Hot, zesty, and satisfying, pizza and pasta are ideal when you don't want to agonize over an elaborate menu. They're there, and they're good. Timberwolf serves up some of the classics, including spaghetti and meatballs, calzones, fettuccine alfredo, and vegetable and meat lasagnas. On the pizza front, you can create your own pie or sample one of the ready-made combinations. Western Style unites chicken breast, barbecue sauce, and cilantro, while Florentine pairs up spinach and feta cheese on tomato sauce. The Timberwolf is pizza all-the-way, and Veggie Valhalla is a vegetarian's delight. Desserts and a kids' menu also available.

Tom Wilson Dining Room

111 Lake Louise Dr, Chateau Lake Louise
403-522-3511
Dress Code: Smart Causal
Open: 6 pm to 9:30 pm (Summer)

Set on one of the hotel's upper floors, this elegant restaurant serves a menu of Italian and North American dishes. It operates only during the summer months, when it affords an incredible view of Lake Louise and the Victoria Glacier. The namesake of the first European to discover the turquoise-hued lake, the dining room also offers attentive service and soothing music, which act in tandem to make the culinary experience that much more pleasurable.

111 Lake Louise Dr, Chateau Lake Louise
403-522-3511
Dress Code: Business Dressy, Smart Causal
Open: 6:30 am to 9 am, 11:15 am to 1:30 pm, 6 pm to 9 pm

A lofty room with wood-panelled walls and stone fireplaces welcomes diners to this lovely venue. Beautiful stenciling, Tyrolean in theme, adorns beams and woodwork, and the lake beckons from beyond the windows. Open only during the summer, the restaurant plies guests with terrific continental cuisine and also offers live music and dancing. Dressy clothing is preferred; jackets aren't unexpected.

111 Lake Louise Dr, Chateau Lake Louise
403-522-1818
Dress Code: Smart Causal
Open: 6 pm to 9:30 pm
Main Courses: Avg. $26

Polished woods, pale walls, and refined details characterize this two-level wine bar, which is one of the hotel's best-loved restaurants. The hearty European cuisine befits a mountain eatery, and representative entrees include venison medallions, grilled veal striploin, and baked salmon filet. The true treats, however, are the fondues and the raclette. Dipping meats, such as veal, pork, shrimp, and scallops, are cooked in oil, white wine or apple cider. They're terrific, as is the traditional cheese fondue. The raclette meal pairs melted cheese with bread, new potatoes, sliced beef, and pickled vegetables. There's even a Toblerone chocolate dessert fondue. Plus, the restaurant's wine list includes the hotel's best vintages. Come with a group for the most fun.