Reviews of Grapes (Winery)

Jason Beemster

Great wine and chefs medley was delicious!

Scott Chepko

Wine, cheese, cured meats and a wonderful staff. Thank you Mike, Will and Zoran for a wonderful evening last night! Artisan Cheeses, great selection of cured meats and an artist behind the counter preparing all thr wonderful dishes.

Federica Romano Giampuzzi

Incredible selection of cured meats and cheese. The staff was beyond nice, passionate and prepared, especially the chef. We had a fantastic time.

Carter Collum

Service started slow but ended amazingly. Dana and Harry were so awesome. The food was second to none. Go here!

Matt Durham

Would definitely go back. Quiet, relaxed atmosphere with excellent service. Everything we tasted was delicious.

Drew Hoyer

The chef is a true artist, she took the time to explain all of the meats and cheeses and how they paired with the assorted pickled vegetables, jams and nuts. Amazing experience!!!

Chris Carothers

Beautiful views and an amazing selection of meaats cheeses and accouterments. Really exceptional preserves. I wish that they had included a wine pairing with the charcuterie and a map of what were were having, but there experience was great

Brian Betts

Great wine, service is always good.

Wayne Snyder

Amazing Charcuterie board! Ours had elk, truffles, cheeses, topped with attentive service and ambiance to match. Don't miss this place hidden in the interior of the Banff Springs Hotel. See photo of our meal!

Paul Weleschuk

Good service and atmosphere. Very tasty meat and bread. This place is more of a wine bar than a restaurant so dont expect to be able to order an entree.

Elizabeth

Amazing. Really makes you feel special. Mountain views.

Tristan Balderson

Grapes is an intimate spot that can seat less than 30. So the wait staff and chef are able to provide their full attention. A wide range of pickled ingredients that are made on site including pickled watermelon rind (sour/sweet tasting). Freshly baked bread that they made that afternoon (within hours of being served).

Patrik Sandin

Personal, selected and genuine.

Carol-Ann McManiman

What a nice diner with my men. Try the « chef’s medley board » and a glace of wine for a perfect date with your love. Great place & perfect staff!

Trudie Carter

Loved this place. Good food and service. Here on our 25th anniversary

Frank Cabor

The experience here was amazing as always! From the front house with Zoran and Dana to the preparation of the food done by Mike!! We love it here. If you’re staying at the Banff Springs - make sure you make this a must do!

Laura Swain

Delicious food and wonderful service. Everything we ordered was great.

Shayne Douglas Ward

What a great experience this was. We came to Banff on vacation and was recommended we come here by a friend! Kati was great and really knows her stuff as the Chef there! Really amazed by the food and drinks as the Fairmont standard.

Shayne Douglas Ward

What a great experience this was. We came to Banff on vacation and was recommended we come here by a friend! Kati was great and really knows her stuff as the Chef there! Really amazed by the food and drinks as the Fairmont standard.

Chris Dias

Traveling from Courtenay to Banff, looping around Edmonton to Jasper, I had eaten at some of the best restaurants in Western Canada, from Araxi in Whistler to Tojo’s in Vancouver. Yet the one review I most looked forward to was this one. I passed by Grapes on my first day in Banff, but decided on Samurai’s sushi instead, telling my girlfriend later that our return would be inevitable. The next evening, after getting blissfully tipsy at the nearby Wines of Canada store, we tumbled into the wine bar for an evening meal (well, I tumbled, she guided). It goes without saying that this place is small, like Seth Rogan’s acting range small, like Wal-Mart’s interest in its employees small. It has six tables and a bar. It also has no real kitchen to speak of—everything is crafted behind the bar. Are there microwaves, blenders, and griddles? No. What you will find are home-cured meats, cheeses, and preserves and pickles still in their jars. But wait, you’d ask, what does Grapes serve, other than obviously wine? The answer is cheese fondues and charcuteries. Now, if that doesn’t sound totally awesome, then you are not worthy of Grapes Wine Bar. Stop reading now. I mean it; it’s only going to get better, and I can’t be held responsible for the consequences. Soon, you may end up drinking coffee with your pinky raised, changing your Instagram photo daily, and dressing like a hobo from the 1930’s. Grapes is fantastic, the kind of place I kept thinking about weeks afterward, the kind I told people about in my hometown. Another restaurant owner asked what kind of restaurant I’d like to see in my hometown, and I described this very place. Even he agreed that it was awesome. Oh yeah, and it has wine apparently to. Look, here’s the thing, the best way to describe Grapes is that it’s a sushi bar, replacing sushi with charcuterie. Customers take a seat, enjoy a glass or two—or ten—of wine, then sit back and enjoy the pageantry of the chef building your plate in front of you. Like an itamae, he or she (ours was a she) sets down a canvas—a wooden board with a stone for texture—in which the artist places cheese, preserves, dressings and meats upon. The preparation is akin to watching a lava lamp and the final presentation that of art. She stretched a spoonful of scorpion pepper mustard across one side, then gently placed wedges of cheese at equal points, following that with honey dripped like a Pollock masterpiece. Fruits followed nuts, ground up between the mountains of cheese. Then came the meat, four different kinds. We could hardly see the board by this point, yet she continued. Dollops of jam was spooned over the wedges. Afterwards came the pickles, peppers and peaches, carrots and cauliflower, dried first before placement. Throughout it all, the chef offered casual conversation. At the end, she explained everything, revealing that each placement was made with purpose. The selections closest to one another augmented each other, with the entire plate meant to be enjoyed like a book, left to right. Softest cheeses matched with blackberry jam sided with house-made pancetta. Roasted red pepper tequila jelly matched with cheddar fringed by elk salami. Smoked blue cheese under cold pickled cherries next to double smoked beef sausage. At this point, I’ve spend nearly 630 words on foreplay, and you’re wondering where the main act is. Like a proper romantic assignation, the food was amazing. They kept offering me bread as it ran out. Each mouthful was an entirely new experience, salty with sweet, spicy with bitter, and with each bite washed with a sample of wine. Past haute French cuisine and excellent sushi, Grapes was one of the most enjoyable culinary experiences I’ve ever had, and to think that it barely cost me $50. And that was for two, with my meticulous girlfriend even admitting it was astounding.

Eddie B

Grapes wine bar is a hidden gem located in the world famous Banff Springs Hotel, it offers fantastic charcuterie and wines in a very intimate setting. The staff is very accommodating and knowledgeable.

Eddie B

Grapes wine bar is a hidden gem located in the world famous Banff Springs Hotel, it offers fantastic charcuterie and wines in a very intimate setting. The staff is very accommodating and knowledgeable.

Tori Montalban

We stopped in for a drink before our dinner. Awesome views, beautiful space. Bartender was awesome and super friendly. Great menu for appetizers, entrees, and drinks. Definitely will go back!!

Robert Wood

Absolutely fabulous charcuterie restaurant in the Banff Springs. It's a cute, cozy spot full of history, with wonderful service and advice from Dana and brilliant food from the chef. Cocktails, wines, meats, cheeses, delicious pickled vegetables, breads, amazing chocolate truffles, and much more... this is my favorite restaurant at the Banff Springs and I'm SO glad it's back open again! Go and enjoy!

Zee R Steg

WOW just WOW. The Best Charcuterie experience ever!! Dana the chef is the man. The way he works with flavours and combinations OMG. I do not remember my husband and speaking. We were enjoying every flavour experience! Loved the cheeses, dijon, chutneys, jam, pickled vegetables, meats and the wine, oh the wine was fabulous. If you are every at Banff Springs, please go to GRAPES and see Dana and his staff for an experience that you will never forget!!

Tim Barber

Quaint little place...minimal selection and pricey. The fondue was terrific.

Danny Hannigan

Our group reserved the cellar (private) room which we were looking forward to. When we arrived, the waitress informed us that we had been moved to the general dining area because another party brought more people than they had reserved so they could only fit them in the cellar. So due to the other group not reserving the correct amount of people, we lost the private room that we had reserved. We were not made aware of this until we arrived which was also unacceptable - at least give us a call. Waitress apologized but that's it. Food was good but will not be returning due to this experience.

Jackie Farkas

So good!

Jen Greene

The Chef de Charcuterie Jennifer is absolutely fantastic and makes the best recommendations. The pâté, smoked duck, capicola and goat cheddar were suggested and incredible. All except for the cheddar were made in house.

Jacqueline Ho

Amazing views. Elk salami was amazing. Good wine selection and reasonably priced for such a location.

Michael McFaull

Overrated and very disappointing, my family and I ordered a couple appetizers and had to send them all back, one even had multiple hairs in it. Spoke with Chef Tyler Thompson and he was very sheepish with how bad the food was, he even Cursed multiple times and seemed partly intoxicated or on drugs as you could smell him from a distance. I guess it used to be a good spot to go and now it is falling apart. Would recommend going to a different restaurant/hotel.

Brian Jobsis

Came here early July for a birthday and it was fantastic. Great service and food, really interesting selection of meats and cheeses. As a Banff local I wouldn't hesitate to recommend.