Best Quick Eats in Banff: From a Local Chef

I’ve worked as a chef in Banff for four years, and today, I’m giving you my top spots to check out if you’re looking for a quick bite to eat. Don’t mistake “quick” for meaning low quality, though, as the places I’m recommending are some of the best quality food that you can find in Banff.

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1. Wild Flour Bakery - Breakfast

Wild Flour Bakery

Wild Flour has been an early morning stomping ground for locals and visitors alike for almost two decades and isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. 

There will likely be a line as you enter, but that's fine. The staff are well versed in being busy, and wait times are never long. 

As you meander through the queue, you have a front-row ticket to their display cabinet full of sandwiches, wraps, croissants, and sweet treats that will be sure to indulge any early morning cravings quickly. 

If you’re there a little later in the day, be sure to take advantage of their lunch combo: a sandwich, soup or salad, and a cookie.  

Quick, takeaway food often has a bad reputation. Something ready in minutes can’t be that good, right? Wrong. 

The team at Wild Flour has been good at what they have done over the last 20 years. 

The brief window of action you see during your visit is backstopped by hours of hard work behind the scenes. 

All the breads used on the menu are made in-house. 

They have an impressive catalog of different sandwiches, soups, and salads that they rotate through daily, and flavors of cookies and other sweet treats are swapped out, so no one visit will be the same. 

They know the role that they play, and their hustle makes sure that not only are you getting great food and coffee, but you’re getting it fast.  

For those in a rush, make use of the 10-minute free parking bays right outside Wild Flour, situated on Bear Street. 

You won’t need any longer than that, and they make for a convenient pit stop on the way to the day's adventures. 

There are a good number of seats available inside, so if you do find yourself with time to take a breather, the bar seats looking onto Bear Street are a good vantage point to do some people-watching whilst enjoying your food. 

2. Sushi House Banff - Lunch

Sushi House Banff

If you’re looking for a seriously quick bite to eat, look no further than Sushi House Banff. 

Located on Caribou Street, this sliver of a restaurant couldn’t be more convenient if you need to be in and out in record time. 

Be ready for shouts of irasshaimase as you enter, and take a seat around the elongated central bar that doubles as a platform for their signature model steam engine that pulls carriages of small, colorful plates of the freshest sushi in town.  

One of my first chefs told me, ‘You eat with your eyes first,’ and Sushi House encapsulates that. 

The chef is within touching distance, meaning you have a front-row seat to all of the incredible sushi being made. 

The train tumbles continuously around the restaurant, your eyes darting back and forth as you decide what plate to get; a seemingly impossible task with so much to choose from. 

More shouts of irasshaimase as more people enter, and suddenly the place is full of people shuffling around to grab a seat.  

The prices are good, and the quality is incredible, but the thing I love most about Sushi House is the sheer speed at which you can be in and out. 

The second your bum touches the seat, the food is right there in front of you. You can be tucking into a salmon roll or crispy gyoza before the friendly staff even fill your water. 

Japanese green tea is already steeped and at a perfect drinking temperature, an excellent and quick option to warm you up on these colder winter days. 

By the time the first plate is done, the train has made a pass, and it’s time to choose another, and another, and another.  

The last time I was at Sushi House, I checked the time to see how quick my visit was: 14 minutes was all it took. 

I had four plates of sushi and a miso soup and left with a full belly. I didn’t even take my jacket off. 

Peak hours see this place get full and stay full, so visiting during off-peak times is best. 

Wait times are never too long, however, and definitely worth the wait.  

3. Chaya - Dinner

Whenever people ask me where they should eat in Banff, Chaya is always my number one recommendation. 

I feel this place is often overlooked, and I'm really not sure why. 

Chaya embodies what a Japanese restaurant should be; its small, only seating around 16 people in a space barely big enough for the tables, guests, and staff to fit. 

The menu is small too, opting for quality over quantity. Most Important to us, though, is how quick a trip to Chaya is.  

If you find yourself in Banff during the chilly days of winter and craving something hot and comforting to warm you up, then this is the place for you. 

The slowly simmering pots of soup in the kitchen naturally warm up the restaurant. The windows mist up as a result, creating relief from the subzero temperatures outside, albeit a quick one.  

Japanese food is often known to be fast, but not in the sense that we are accustomed to. 

The labor of producing good ingredients is done long before you sit down, with stocks bubbling away for hours or meats roasting low and slow to create amazing quality dishes that take minutes to enjoy once you’re sat down. 

In my opinion, their ramen is second to none in Banff. With a few variations, everyone will find something to their liking, including a vegan option, which a number of friends have sung in its praises. 

Their crispy pork cutlet served with rice and curry sauce shouldn’t be looked over either and is actually my go-to when visiting Chaya.  

Located on Banff Ave, the location couldn’t be more convenient if you find yourself walking in the downtown core of Banff and need of a quick dinner. 

It does fill up fast, so be aware that you may not get a seat on the first try. It is busy for a reason, though, and the wait is 110% worth it.  

Honorable Mentions 

  • Zyka’s Indian Lunch Buffet: a local favorite, you can choose to sit in if you have time or takeaway if you don’t. Dine-in prices are great at $21.99, but the takeout price of $15.99 is a steal.  

  • Peak Cafe: dine in or takeaway, this place is quick. An extensive Asian-focused menu gives options for everyone, but I'm there for the lemongrass pork banh mi on a weekly basis.

  • Banff Poutine: Canada’s national dish done right, with a few other great options alongside. Hotdogs and burgers are under $10, making this place quick and cheap.  

  • Downtown Sally’s: Come here for great coffee to get your day going, and don’t skip the sausage egger. The best breakfast sandwich in town, ready in minutes.  

  • Hankki: Korean street food with a focus on takeaway. A large bowl of rice and fresh veggies topped with the protein of your choice. If I'm in a rush, this is where I'm going.  

About The Author

Phil Tomlinson

I’m Phil, a UK-born chef now living in Banff. Cooking is my craft, but writing is my passion. Whether it's in the kitchen or through the words I write, I love finding the connections between communities and cultures that tell great stories.