Castello Ristorante

Very nice experience. Great staff and presentation of food. I do wish they required dressy attire to make the experience nicer. Background music was the perfect volume with a good selection of songs. No pressure on purchases and they even gave us a complimentary dessert for our honeymoon.

I have to admit that I don’t understand the appeal of Castello. We went there for a glass of wine and some appetizers which seemed largely to annoy the staff. Sorry, I guess?
Extremely overpriced overall, but generally good quality. We had some arancini and antipasti which were quite delicious, but ultimately made up of ingredients you can source just here in Canmore for a hilariously small fraction of the total cost. I won’t say it wasn’t delicious, including some beautifully pickled olives and fresh breads, but it was simply too expensive.
This is the problem with most Italian food. It is inherently inexpensive to make. This has not stopped restaurants for attempting to elevate it, and usually failing to do so while staying coherent to their demanded pricing. Castello does this to extremes.
For those that place a 5 star review on this place, I do recommend you branch out to other Italian restaurants. Take the drive to Calgary and visit Bonterra (for a more contemporary experience) or Buon Giorno (for a more classic experience) if you’re after some quality Italian food at much more reasonable pricing.

It is a nice restaurant that doesn’t quite feel Italian with the odd yellow paint and décor — feels more like a southern 50s place. The service was prompt but somewhat judgemental — we were there for appetizers before going to the spa and our server seemed shocked and annoyed he had to waste his time with us. The food was on point however — we had the antipasto and arancini. The antipasto plate had truffle salami and thick cut prosciutto with honey figs and pickled vegetables. It came with blue cheese and pecorino. As typical there is never enough bread/​crackers but fortunately they also brought out some ciabatta with roasted garlic to spread that worked great to put the extra meat and cheese on. The arancini came with a white cream sauce and cheese and were very delicious. If it weren’t for the awkward unwelcoming service this place would have received more stars because the food was really good.

Started off great with delicious bread and roasted garlic. Then for apps we had the Margherita Pizza, Mushroom Pizza and Calamari… all dishes were great! As an entrée, I had the Marsala Chicken. For me, the sauce was too sweet and some of the veggies were a little chewy. But everyone else loved their dishes so overall I enjoyed my dinning experience.

Our favorite place to dine in Banff.
Can’t say anything bad about Castello. The roasted garlic and breads they start you off with is to die for. I don’t normally indulge in the bread basket, but I do here.
The rest of the food is always good… I have never had a bad meal here and I’ve been several times. We always eat here at least once when we stay in the hotel.
I love the relaxed ambiance of the restaurant. It’s not a huge space, which is nice. It feels quite intimate. The service is excellent… you know it’s good when most of the staff have been there 10+ years and you recognize familiar faces year after year.

Perfect restaurant for a special occasion or treat night out! Small in size and intimate, located just off the main wing of the Banff Springs Hotel. Our food and service here was impeccable. We were served fresh bread with roasted garlic and an olive oil/​vinegar plate to dip — we finished it so fast they brought us more bread. My wild mushroom pasta was amazing, and one of the most unique and delicious pasta dishes I have eaten in recent memory. The portion was large, and I was stuffed after finishing it. We didn’t order dessert, but they did bring out a plate with a small sweet treat for us on our anniversary. Go hungry, and take the time to savor your meal and the ambiance.

Baked garlic and fresh bread is awesome! Meatball appetizer truly delicious and lounge-​side dining is faster with 75% of the ristorante menu so a great combo if seeking drinks with the meal. The modern classics menu of drinks is a great shot at bringing esoteric ingredients into play so give it a shot but prepare to drop $ 25 for 2.5 oz silver Parton…
We had great service at the bar side dining area and despite the dark lounge-​like environs the quality of food was amazing.

Came here for dinner on Saturday night of the long weekend. We were staying at the hotel so it was nice just to take the elevator down to the restaurant. We were seated at a table for 6, a nice big round table. We ordered drinks, beer, white and red wine. Some of my party had the Roasted red pepper and tomato soup $ 12 which they all enjoyed. My sister and I split the beet salad $ 15 and it was brought split in 2 plates which was very nice. I had the arugula and pear salad $ 15 for my main (minus the shaved prosciutto) it was very tasty, but small portion. My father had the spaghetti and meatballs $ 27 which he really liked. He asked if they could make it with whole wheat pasta and the server checked with the chef, he said that they could but they wouldn’t be fresh noodles though. So my father declined and had the fresh regular pasta. My mother had the tagliatelle with seafood and broth $ 28, she really liked this dish. Younger sister ordered the butternut squash ravioli $ 25, she really liked it as well. Older sister had the eggplant parm lasagna $ 29 which is listed under the mains vs pasta. It came with some vegetables and was a bigger portion than just pasta. We ordered 2 sides, the Sicilian accompaniment which was so delicious! It had Organic Roasted Peppers, Zucchini, Eggplant, Fresh Basil & Stewed Tomatoes $ 12. And the truffled wild mushrooms $ 13.
Overall, we all really enjoyed our dinner and had a lovely evening at Castello. I would recommend it if you are staying at the hotel and want a nice Italian meal.

The mussels were cooked to perfection with the white wine sauce, tomatoes, and lemon zest! The Veal was well worth it! It was super tender, with the prosciutto was the best meal I had in a long time! The sausage with linguini was on the salty side. I would pass on that in the future. But the over all experience a 5! Service was good and the ambiance was scenery was spectacular! Almost forget about the fresh roasted garlic for the bread, it was so good. Just don’t eat to much and spoil your dinner!

Everything here was excellent. The starter bread was very tasty and they give you a bunch of roasted garlic to spread all over. The arancini balls didn’t blow me away but it came with great sauce. The caprese salad was fresh and delicious. The chicken piccata was unlike any other I’ve had — more like a stuffed chicken — but delivered. I had a bite of the spicy sausage pasta — quite spicy, which matches my taste, but be advised. Service was excellent as well.

Castello is definitely a great experience for a fancy meal on a special day, definitely not something you could afford everyday.
I really liked how they served a variety of breads with whole roasted garlic, it’s hard not to fill up on that deliciousness but it’s a nice touch.
The service is as you pay for, very proper and efficient. Pleasant and elegant, but not warm. They have an excellent wine list, but you might need help interpreting it, as all of the wines are listed in Italian, so if you’re looking for common names like «Pinot Noir» or «Cabernet Saugvignon» or «Malbec» you probably won’t find them. So best guess is to ask the server.
The menu changes seasonally, but we tried the beef carpaccio — Alberta beef tenderloin with parmeson, arugula, white balsamic aioli and white truffle oil. I really enjoy their use of truffle oil in a lot of their dishes by the way! Another awesome ingredient you don’t see everywhere. For mains we had the Arrabiata which was actually quite spicy, and a mushroom capellini (with truffle oil). Both were amazing!
So I would definitely go back for a special occasion but I kind of feel the atmosphere was a bit cold and mechanical instead of warm and welcoming!

Delicious Italian food! We had the lamb duo– awesome, and the eggplant Parmesan pasta, and beef carpaccio. The portions are very large! Too full to order dessert.

Italian fair in the Fairmont Banff Springs. I wasn’t feeling so well this night and couldnt really eat any of the main courses. The Appetizers were great and the service is spot on.
Elegant, romantic, and expensive, I approve if your in the Castle

Situated in The Fairmont Banff Springs hotel, this quaint restaurant impresses with atmosphere, service and of course, a traditional Italian dining experience. We sampled the swordfish and the seafood in broth, paired with a Petite Syrah. The wine menu was extensive and well priced. Every dish that passed us looked quite delicious, and we wanted to try one of everything. I’m not sure if they had gluten free pasta, but they did have gluten-​free starter bread (I was shocked!) which came with roasted garlic and balsamic/​oil. The service was great as expected when paying $ 40/​plate.
This was the second of two places I dined at during my visit at the Banff Springs, and I don’t remember them advertising their gluten-​free options on the menu. I’m glad I asked, however, I’d suggest they include this detail on their menus, as often people just assume these products are not available.