Where To Eat This Weekend. Every other week we’ll be profiling a different city in Canada with a list of great dining recommendations for you to check out – from fancy to hole in the wall and everything in between! Today Jacqueline Delisle of Cooking With Jax takes us on a tour of Jasper restaurants to visit this weekend so, let's find out where to eat in Jasper!
Whether you’re looking for rustic or fancy there’s always something on the menu in Jasper. Jasper is one of the most unique and eclectic eatery hubs in Canada. People flock from all corners of the world not only for a taste of the beautiful and majestic scenery, but also the fine food in the eatery hub that Jasper has become. The restaurants and cafes are as original as the town itself.
Breakfast, Lunch or Brunch in Jasper
The Bear’s Paw Bakery
With hundreds of fresh loaves of bread baked in house daily, Bear Paw Bakery is one of the most happening places in Jasper. They have daily lineups all the way to the street – especially first thing in the morning! The locals know that if you want a fresh loaf of your favourite bread, you’ve got to hit up the bakery as early as 6 am. If you’ve arrived late, don’t worry – everything on the menu is made 100% from scratch, and there are dozens of freshly made goods to choose from. Some of my favourites include the pizza pretzel (loaded with cheese) or the roasted tomato soup you can get in a to-go mug so you can continue perusing the many shops surrounding the bakery.
Coco’s Café
Whenever I go to Jasper, I can never leave without stopping by Coco’s Café and grabbing a steaming hot mug of their take on popular coffeehouse favourite, The London Fog. It’s cleverly coined “The Jasper Haze” and easily one of the most popular beverages in town. The atmosphere is everything you’d expect from a coffee shop with a quaint couch in the corner pilled high with reading material, to local art lining the walls and pleasant, friendly staff eager to take your order. You can either curl up on the couch and read their selection of local newspapers while you enjoy your beverage, or sit outside and watch the many eclectic personalities that walk through the streets of Jasper.
The Athabasca Hotel
Affectionately referred to as “The Atha B” by locals, the Athabasca Hotel is the place to go in Jasper, especially if you’re a fan of eggs benedict. This restaurant’s hollandaise sauce is made entirely from scratch, with rich creamy butter, plenty of egg yolks, and hints of fragrant lemon. The chef has been there for 25 years, giving him plenty of time to perfect this sauce. If you’re looking for a decedent breakfast, you are definitely going to want this sauce on your plate. The restaurant’s signature dish is called the “Eggs Jasper” and comes sprinkled with pine nuts and raisins giving the dish a unique spin.
Dinner in Jasper
Jasper Brewhouse
Whether you’ve spent your morning hiking through the wilderness or strolling through the many shops that Jasper has to offer, there’s nothing better than unwinding at the Jasper Brewhouse. With their lagers brewed on site, and hearty meals like this Rueben with it’s shaved Montreal smoked brisket, melted gruyere cheese, house-made horseradish sauce, marbled rye bread, dill pickles, and in house coleslaw, it’s sure to satisfy even the hungriest of appetites.
Café Mondo / El Mondo Loco
Café Mondo is known for many things, but its mulligatawny is one that’ll go down in history. An Indian soup simmered to perfection, and the item on every Seinfeld fan’s bucket list, this coconut curry soup is nothing short of spectacular. Restaurant owner Rene tells me that this particular soup recipe has been in her family for over 100 years. In fact, her siblings all own restaurants in different Canadian cities and each of them have this exact recipe on their menu. BONUS – at 5pm Café Mondo turns into El Mundo Loco, an authentic Mexican Restaurant with tacos a la cart menu served with scratch tortilla chips, fresh salsa, and the best Margaritas in town. The Mexican restaurant is ran by Rene’s daughter who is carrying on the family foodie tradition.
L&W Restaurant
Whenever I have friends or family in town they always have one request – we have to stop by L&W for a plate one of their signature Greek dishes like this hand-breaded calamari. Made from scratch in small batches to order, their secret recipe is the perfect combination of crunchy breading and buttery calamari. The dish is served with L&W’s famous sour cream based tzatiki sauce that only the owners make. If you’re a fan of Greek fares, you’re definitely going to want to stop here for some of their authentic, from scratch Spanakopita, Tyropita, Souvlaki, and of course their famous Baklava.
Other Interesting Places to Eat in Jasper
The Olive Bistro & Lounge
The Olive first appeared in Jasper a mere 5 years ago, but they’ve already made a profound mark on the local food scene. This restaurant is owned by a very talented husband and wife team and has been made famous for their appetizers – most notably the Coconut Crusted Prawns & Spicy Mango Sauce that’s favoured by many. These decadent prawns are perfect amount of crispy, crunchy, coconut goodness. The dipping sauce is a star in itself and made with fresh pureed mangos, a hint of chili heat, and a secret ingredient that brings it all together.
Evil Dave’s Bar & Grill
Evil Dave's Bar & Grill is the place to go when you’re looking to be wowed by the aesthetics and the presentation on your plate. From hand spun sugar adorned desserts, to the restaurant’s signature beef tenderloin, everything on your plate is a masterpiece in it’s own right. The tenderloin is the star at this location, with head chef and owner changing up the presentation from a savory mushroom sauce in the winter, to a fresh pico di galo salsa in the summer. The titles of the dishes all follow the restaurant’s theme with names like Malevolent Meatloaf, Fiendish Falafel, and the aptly named Diabolical Tenderloin. If aesthetics are your thing, and Evil Dave’s bar & grill is the place to go.
Jasper Rock & Jade
There are plenty of candy shops in Jasper, but if you want to sample some of the best tasting fudge around, you’ll have to stop by Jasper Rock & Jade. They go through over 6,500 lbs of fudge every year, with the bulk of those purchases happening in the summer months. They make their fudge right on site, and cycle through over 250 recipes including seasonal flavors like pumpkin and watermelon. The fudge isn’t just sought after by the locals - tourists who have enjoyed this fudge continue to buy it with orders shipped as far as Demark and Sweden. Some of the seasonal favourites are so sought after; they have to keep a few extra batches hidden away in the freezers so their die-hard fans can enjoy them throughout the entire year. What makes their fudge so different from the rest? They use real ingredients like butter and cream in the fudge they make on site 4 days a week.
More Great Places To Eat This Weekend
Here are most great places to eat across Canada this weekend! Where will you be eating?
- Where to Eat in St. John's Newfoundland
- Where to Eat in Halifax, Nova Scotia
- Where to Eat in Tofino, BC
If you want more great suggestions on where to eat across Canada, be sure to subscribe to The FBC Food Lovers Newsletter. Twice a month we'll be featuring great posts from FBC members, mouthwatering recipe ideas, delicious places to eat, as well as occasional tasty offers from some of our partners.
Where To Eat This Weekend: Jasper Edition was written by Jacqueline Delisle. Born and raised in the Rocky Mountains of Western Alberta, Jacqueline definitely has a good handle on the local food scene. She shares her original, from scratch recipes on her blog Cooking With Jax as well as in a monthly column for her local newspaper. She owns a residential electrical company with her husband Marc, and when she’s not cooking you can generally find her exploring the beauty that is Jasper National Park, a mere 15 minute drive from her back door.
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One Jasper dinnertime we wanted to check out a restaurant called Evil Dave’s Wicked Food, just because of the name, we were interested in what was put on the table. But when we got to the door, it was packed and there wasn’t any room for about an hour, and we didn’t want to wait for an hour, so we went down the street to the Harvest Food & Drink restaurant for dinner. It was very tasty food and drink. We shared a board of cheeses and salamis which our dudes mostly worked on, and Chloé and I had harvest salads with roasted vegetables and shared a plate of scallops.