The Grizzly House

The hot-rock course puts meat on a heated stone to cook at your table. The menu pairs Alberta beef with game and seafood, offers a vegetarian path, and includes Swiss-style cheese fondue and chocolate fondue. A four-course dinner for two or more moves from soup or salad to fondue, an entrée and chocolate with fruit.

Wood paneling, carved bears, totem poles and memorabilia give the room its lodge-like, 1970s feel, and most of the table phones still work. Its origin story has two versions: the restaurant says it opened as a disco in 1967; a local history puts a coffeehouse first in 1968, followed by its disco years. Both accounts trace the place to Banff's late-1960s nightlife before fondue became its lasting draw.

The low lighting is part of the atmosphere, but can make menus hard to read. The restaurant is at 207 Banff Avenue in central Banff, so it fits naturally into a town evening inside the national park. Check directly for current hours before heading over.