It’s been a hot minute since I lived in Banff.
My attempt to leave the mountains landed me 25 km down the road in Canmore. As close as these communities are, when it comes to dining out, we often tend to stay close to home. This has more to do with laziness than anything against the fantastic dining options in Banff. But every now and then, it’s worth it to make the drive and have a taste of what Banff has to offer.
Even if it’s a work lunch.
After a morning and a half of meetings, it was a great time to have an office lunch break. We have our usual spots in town that are easy to access, delicious, and that we visit time and time again. But we opted for something different: let’s go to The Old Spaghetti Factory in Banff.
Cue the nostalgia. Spaghetti Factory used to be one of my regular haunts when I lived in that tourist town, because it had everything I needed. It was a short walk from where I lived, it had excellent and dependable food, and it served lots of it. And if I had just come out of the backcountry from guiding a 6-day trip on horseback? They never turned me away.
I was pretty excited to visit my old stomping grounds. I wondered how much the place had changed, or if it was relatively the same. There are some new items on the menu, like chicken alfredo with mushroom & mascarpone cheese ravioli, but there were the same classics too. The Tortellini was always a favourite of mine, so was the cannelloni and seafood fettuccini. I’m happy to say, these items still remain on the menu. And I’m even happier to say they taste just as good as I remembered!
Meals at Spaghetti Factory come with unlimited bread, and the sourdough with butter is melt-in-your-mouth good. You have to be careful not to fill up too fast, because there is so much more to come. The pasta was just as good as I remembered. The tortellini was cheesy, delicious, and the perfect mouthful with each bite. The serving size was generous, which was something I always appreciated about this place.
Of course we were too full for ice cream, but we all decided to eat it anyway. Spumoni is the way to go. The mix of vanilla and pistachio is delicious and the perfect end to an otherwise excellent meal. Delicious. Too bad I have to go back to the office and pretend to work for the afternoon.
Overall, our road trip was worth the meal. The Old Spaghetti Factory never disappoints, and if you’re looking for great pasta with excellent portions at a good price, this is the place to visit. They also have a gluten free section of the kitchen, and my celiac friends have also had excellent meals here. Just let your server know when you order, and they’ll take care of the rest.
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