Nothing in Lake Louise comes cheaply, and finding a place to eat is no exception. It should also be noted that in comparison to the town of Banff, Lake Louise has a very limited amount of cafes and restaurants. Below we’ve noted a few places where you can stretch your dollar a bit further.
Lake Louise
The Guide’s Pantry At The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise
This is a grab and go style deli and it’s far from cheap, but it’s the only option for food if you are at the lake other than the extremely expensive restaurants in the hotel. They offer sandwiches, salads, pastries, snacks and hot and cold beverages. The line up can be 30 to 60 minutes long at peak meal times in the summer months. The hot chocolate and scone below will set you back close to $20 plus tax.
$5 to $20, Open 24 hours
Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise Hotel, 111 Lake Louise Drive (403) 522-3511
Website: Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise Deli
The General Store
The General Store is located immediately to the right when you enter the main lobby of the hotel. If your starving and just need something to stop your stomach from growling they have chips, chocolate bars and bottled cold drinks and water.
Open daily from 7am to 11pm in the summer months, reduced hours in the winter.
Food Options At The Samson Mall In The Lake Louise Village
The Samson mall is located at 101 Lake Louise Drive in the village of Lake Louise, just off the Trans Canada Highway.
Trailhead Cafe
This small family owned cafe is a favourite spot with the locals and tourists alike. There’s minimal seating, so you’ll likely have to wait at peak meal times if you want to sit. Otherwise you can get items to go. They serve great hot breakfasts like eggs with bacon, toast and hash browns or toasted bagels and breakfast wraps. Made to order sandwiches and wraps are available for lunch and there is a good selection of baked goods and hot and cold drinks.
$10 to $15, Open 7 days a week – 7am to 6pm
Samson Mall, Lake Louise, AB (403) 522-2006
Laggan’s Bakery and Deli
Laggan’s offers daily soup and sandwiches made on their artisan breads, as well as sausage rolls, pizza pretzels and other hot foods. They have a wide variety of pastries, cookies and other bakery items. The sandwiches usually go for a 30% discount after 6pm. The line up can be out the door during peak meal times, especially in the summer months. In warmer weather there are a few picnic tables to sit at outside in addition to the limited inside seating.
$6 to $7, Daily summer hours from 6am to 7pm, reduced hours in the winter.
Samson Mall, Lake Louise AB (403) 522-2017
The Bar And Grill
Western and Chinese food dishes are available including soups, salads, burgers, fish and chips and steak.
Samson Mall (403)522-3879
Open daily. Seasonal hours 11am to 2am – July and August hours 8am to 2am
Website: Lake Louise Village Grill
o2 Bubble Tea Obento
Bubble tea and various other beverages, ice cream and Asian food options like ramen and rice bowl dishes.
Open daily from 1130 am to 7pm
Samson Mall, Lake Louise, AB (403) 522-2880
Additional Restaurants In The Lake Louise Village
Bill Peyto’s Cafe
Perhaps one of the favorite places to eat among the locals. Bill Peyto’s Cafe is located in the HI Alpine Hostel. They have a variety of menu selections that are prepared from scratch, such as burgers, pasta, roast beef and salads and fish and chips. For breakfast there is granola, yogurt parfaits and bacon and eggs. We’ve eaten here more times than I can count and always had excellent food. In my opinion the best bang for your buck in Lake Louise.
Mains $10 to $30
Hi Alpine Hostel, 203 Village Rd, Lake Louise, AB (403) 522-2200
Summer daily 7am to 930pm
Website: HI Alpine Hostel
Timberwolf And Legends at the Lake Louise Inn
Timberwolf is an Italian-style bistro offering a large selection of pizza and pasta. $15 to $30, Open daily 5pm to 10pm
Legends Restaurant has a buffet breakfast as well as individual dishes like pancakes and eggs. They have a lunch and dinner menu of salads, sandwiches, wraps, fish and steak dishes. $10 to $45, Open daily 7am to 10pm
Lake Louise Inn, Lake Louise , AB (403) 522-3700
Website: Lake Louise Inn Restaurants
The Outpost Pub at the Post Hotel
The Outpost is located in the back of the Post Hotel. It is a popular place due to the cozy and rustic atmosphere with large portions of excellent food. They have soups, salads and burgers. We really enjoy their salmon burger and fries. There’s another restaurant in the Post Hotel and it has fabulous food and an award winning wine cellar, but obviously not going to be on the list for those seeking budget options.
The Post Hotel, 200 Pipestone Rd, Lake Louise, AB (403) 522-3989
Mon-Fri 4:30pm-Midnight; Sat-Sun Noon-Midnight
The Mountain Restaurant
The Mountain Restaurant is attached to the Shell gas station. They offer soup, salad, burgers and a few other main dishes.
$20 to $30, Open daily 12pm to 630pm
200 Village Road, Lake Louise AB (403) 522-3573
Website: The Mountain Restaurant
Javalanche
The Javalanche is owned by the same family as the Mountain Restaurant. There are a few seats inside, otherwise you can get food to go such as pastries, sandwiches, wraps, tea, coffee and other beverages.
$10 to $20, Open daily 9am to 4pm, except closed on Wednesdays
200 Village Rd (adjacent the Husky Station), Lake Louise, AB (403) 522-3574
Food At The Lake Louise Ski Hill
Lodge of the Ten Peaks Cafeteria at Lake Louise Sightseeing Lift & Gondola
They offer eggs, bagels or breakfast burritos or burgers and fries, hotdogs, soup or chili for lunch. There are several grab and go salads, pastries, snacks and hot and cold beverages. Open seasonally from 730 am to 530pm.
Whitehorn Terrace Coffee Bar is not considered a “cheap eats” option, but it’s also located on the mountain, it’s accessible via the Summer Gondola. The views are spectacular. It has a thoughtfully created menu with local sourced, seasonal ingredients. Open daily in the summer from 11am to 345pm. Inquire for reservations during peak hours from 11am to 1pm. $18 to $60
Banded Peak Base Camp is open in the summer from 11am to 6pm. It’s an authentic smokehouse BBQ items like chicken wings and pulled pork as well as starter salads, chili and soup offered with a great slope side view. There are also a variety of grab and go items.
Lake Louise Ski Hill, North side of Hwy 1 across from Lake Louise Village (403) 522-3555
Website: Lake Louise Gondola Restaurants and Dining
Where To Purchase Grocery Items In Lake Louise
The Village Market
The Village Market is located in the Samson Mall in the village of Lake Louise, right off the Trans Canada Highway. It has some pre-made grab and go items and limited selections of produce and most everything else you would find at a typical grocery store. It can save you money in comparison to eating all your meals in restaurants in Lake Louise, but the pricing is high. Which is to be expected for the only grocery store in a highly popular and remote tourist destination.
Summer Hours Daily 830 am to 830pm, reduced hours in the winter months.
Samson Mall, Lake Louise , AB (403) 522-3894
Petro Canada
A small selection of grocery items, milk, cheese, kraft dinner, bags of cookies and chips, typical gas station type snacks. The prices tend to be more favorable on similar items that you would find at the market.
100 Village Road, Lake Louise, A (403) 522-3755
630am to 11pm daily
Moraine Lake
Moraine Lake Lodge Cafe
If you’re enjoying time at Moraine Lake the cafe will be your only option for food and drink. They serve coffee, tea and other beverages and a small selection of grab and go food and pastries.
Seasonal Daily Hours 9am to 4pm.
1 Moraine Lake Rd, Unit 2, Lake Louise, AB (403) 522-3733
If You’re Coming From Banff For The Day, Consider Bringing Food With You
That’s pretty much it for cheaper dining options in Lake Louise, It is very limited compared to Banff, to be honest there are only a few other dining options altogether. If you are on a tight budget and coming on a day trip from Banff or Canmore, consider bringing food with you. The main grocery stores in Banff are IGA and Nestor’s Market and Safeway or Save On Foods in Canmore. You can pick up items to make your own bagged lunch or picnic. Most of the grocery stores have a selection of pre-made grab and go items and deli selections.
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