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Canmore Journals

Culinary Canmore

Best of IgoUgo

A December 2008 trip to Canmore by callen60

The Crazyweed Kitchen Photo - Crazyweed Kitchen, Canmore, Alberta More Photos
Quote: Dining, and a great hotel, in Canmore, Banff's growing neighbor.
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Canmore Best of IgoUgo

Story/Tip

Lady MacDonald Inn Photo - Lady Macdonald Country Inn, Canmore, Alberta
Quote:
I had the wrong idea about Canmore. Since Canada 1 brings you to this growing town after 90 minutes of driving, with Banff still 20-30 minutes away, I had it in my mind that Canmore was in the foothills. So while planning for our 2pm arrival (and especially our 5am CST departure), I arranged for our first night at Lady MacDonald Inn and then had us moving on to Banff, Jasper and other places. Canmore was convenient to our dogsledding rendevous, and would do for an overnight.But even under the thick clouds that Sunday afternoon, we could tell that we’d reached the mountains a lot sooner than expected. Canmore doesn’t lie within the large expanse of Banff National Park (the entrance i...Read More

Canmore Lodging

Lady Macdonald Country Inn Best of IgoUgo

Hotel | "Our Home in the Rockies"

Lady MacDonald Inn Photo - Lady Macdonald Country Inn, Canmore, Alberta
Quote:
Our stay here reduced winter to an abstraction (at least while we were indoors). Despite the subzero temperatures, there were no drafts, no cool pockets, nothing but comfort, giving us a chance to enjoy this wonderful place run by tremendously friendly and gracious hosts. This small, 12-room inn is housed in a building that’s roughly 12 years old, constructed on the site of an old farm whose cattle grazed to the east where Canada 1 now runs. Nicely decorated for Christmas, we enjoyed our one-night stay so much that we cancelled our reservations at a perfectly decent spot in Banff to return here for three more nights. Tammy and Peter have run the Lady MacDonald for the better part of a deca...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on February 5, 2009

Lady Macdonald Country Inn
1201 Bow Valley Trail
Canmore, Alberta T1W 1P5
(403) 678-3665

Canmore Restaurants

Luna Blue Best of IgoUgo

Restaurant | "Cold Day, Hot Pasta"

Luna Blue Photo - Luna Blue, Canmore, Alberta
Quote:
On our first night in Canmore, we didn’t think to ask our host Peter at Lady MacDonald Inn for any dining recommendations. Having ‘lunched’ on some sandwiches we took on board the plane, we were interested in an early dinner, and looked through our room’s tourist guides after checking in. We the made the short drive along Railway Avenue to Eighth Street and the center of town, enjoyed wandering up and down the streets and looking in shops, and eventually started to think really seriously about eating.Pasta sounded good and hearty, and the interior of Luna Blue looked pleasant, so we headed inside. We were soon glad we did. A fair number of people were dining despite the relatively early ho...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on February 6, 2009

Luna Blue
721 Main St.
Canmore, Alberta
(403) 609-3221

Rocky Mountain Bagel Co. Best of IgoUgo

Restaurant | "Busy Canmore Lunch Spot"

Rocky Mountain Bagel Company Photo - Rocky Mountain Bagel Co., Banff, Alberta
Quote:
We headed here for a quick, casual lunch on our first day in Canmore. Arriving at noon, following a morning outdoors, we were ready for a respite, hot coffee, and a good sandwich. The place was packed, and must have been the busiest restaurant in Canmore that day. The seating was a dense jumble of high backed chairs, mismatched tables, stools, and booths, every one occupied by a crowd of all ages. Mounted above a long row of cases and counters was an equally long blackboard with the menu for drinks, desserts, and bagels, each available in nearly every imaginable variations. The breakfast bagels sounded tasty, but were no longer available at lunch time. I opted for a Mountaineer, a huge pile of thinly ...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on January 31, 2009

Rocky Mountain Bagel Co.
1306 Bow Valley Trail
Canmore, Alberta T1W 1N6
+1 403 678 9968

Murrieta's Bar & Grill Best of IgoUgo

Restaurant | "Great Room..."

Quote:
This was the only dining disappointment we had, and nearly the only disappointment of the entire trip. And that includes driving into a snowbank, since getting out was such an affirming experience. Murrieta’s is located in central Canmore, along with nearly everything else, on 8th Street. It occupies the second floor of a building along the east side, above a typical set of downtown shops. A shallow staircase is lined with vintage photos of Canmore and the railway, and deposits you in the center of an impressive and unexpected room. The room is entirely done in wood beams, but avoids the vintage feel of a park lodge. The high ceiling has an unusual vault to it, and emphasizes the long run ...Read More

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on February 8, 2009

Murrieta's Bar & Grill
737 Main Street
Canmore
(403) 609-9500

Grizzly Paw Brewing Company Best of IgoUgo

Restaurant | "Good Beer, Good Food"

Quote:
This was the coldest night we had, and not venturing too far from our inn seemed like a good idea. So Banff was out, but that didn’t mean we were walking: strolling the mile into downtown Canmore didn’t seem too comfortable (or smart). It was New Year’s, however, and a lot of establishments were taking the night off. After the short cruise up and down Eighth Street, we saw the lights on at the Grizzly Paw Brewing Company and decided to stop there.We knew they had good beer: I’d had a couple bottles of their Powder Hound Pilsner with dinner at Storm Mountain Lodge earlier in the week. That brew was my wife’s choice tonight, while I opted for a pint of the Rutting Elk Red. The menu was a wid...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on February 15, 2009

Grizzly Paw Brewing Company
622 Main Street
Canmore, Alberta T1W 2B5
+1 403 678 9983

Crazyweed Kitchen Best of IgoUgo

Restaurant | "Don't Miss It"

The Crazyweed Kitchen Photo - Crazyweed Kitchen, Canmore, Alberta
Quote:
This was our final dinner in Canada, another recommendation from Peter, our encyclopedic host at Lady MacDonald Inn. Almost a week earlier, we’d chatted with fellow guests after they returned from dinner here. All five of them raved about the food, and we decided to take everyone’s advice and head there. The restaurant must have moved recently: some sources give it an address on Main Street in central Canmore, but it’s now in an unexpected location on the edge of the industrial part of town: on Railway Avenue, well north of downtown. Peter warned us that it wouldn’t look like a restaurant from the outside and that there wouldn’t be a sign, and he was right. Despite the lack of any obvious ...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on March 2, 2009

Crazyweed Kitchen
1600 Railway Avenue
Canmore
(403) 609-2530