Food: The menu is great. Food is delicious and is cooked with care. The menu selection is wonderful, something for everybody. The sweet potato fries, burgers, rice bowls, salads, deserts all are amazing. Service: I was here for a few weeks, so I ate here a lot. Service all depends on who serves you at the time you are there. It is a hit and miss truly. Some servers are just wonderful, attentive and professional, while a couple of others could not really care less. I tip well nevertheless, as I sometimes feel that they may be understaffed for busy evenings. They are all polite though. I do see some servers treating some customers better than other customers, not sure what their criteria is for doing so. Ambience: Can't beat the view really. The location is a treasure. The view is worth coming to dine here. read more

Such a hidden gem! A local in downtown Banff recommended this place and so thankful we went. The views inside the restaurant were worth it alone but the service and food left us feeling lucky we discovered this place. We had a hazy on tap and a cider that was delicious! We opted for the flatbread(such amazing flavors) and a chicken Tika wrap. The service was outstanding, thank you Hannah! We learned a few things about the post secondary education center this restaurant was located in and realized we stumbled upon rarity. It's a small walk to the restaurant from the parking garage but my suggestion is just asking a local around how to find the front doors. Soooo dang good. We will be back. The ambiance and service set this place apart from the hustle and mediocrity in downtown read more

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This bistro cafe is the type of place anyone that eats gluten free dreams of. You wish this was around the corner in your own neighborhood, but are thankful it is not because otherwise you'd spend upwards of 20% of your annual income with them. They do everything right (we spent 10 days in the area and ate here twice, getting the chicken tenders and the chicken Caesar salad both times). Beyond all the beautiful hikes, sights, and wildlife, the Maclab Bistro will be what my fiancée and I miss the most about Banff. Do not be fooled by it being located on the campus of a small, local arts school. It's a must. read more

We ate here twice and enjoyed it. Great views, the food was good with big portions, and the service was friendly and attentive. The kids menu was good value and we enjoyed dishes like the Cobb salad, salt and pepper chicken wings, tempura green beans, and bison poke bowl. read more

It's institutional food, but it's okay. To be fair I just had the soup because I was both cheap and tired, but it was well-seasoned and very flavorful, the accompanying bread was fine. It's probably not worth a special trip up the hill, but it's really not a bad option. read more

Matlab bistro in the breath taking Banff centre is a must see for everyone. The restaurant had a beautiful view of the Mountains and a great selection of foods. The service was great polite and prompt. I ordered the vegan burger with a side salad. The burger was great, delicious and great size. The salad was fresh but the dressing was a bit lackluster. Nothing to worry about you'll be pleasantly surprised with this spot. The Flatbread pizza was delicious. The ingredients were fresh. The cheese was mild that complimented well the truffle flavors. Overall, great place to visit with a great view and service read more

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The reviews already posted here can give a much better idea of the food then I can, I can only speak to the vibe and location and service which were all wonderful. We sat here on a quiet afternoon enjoying tea and coffee and chatting and working for a couple hours. The staff were very kind to us and didn't mind that we spent time here without spending much money. The tea was lovely and the coffee was quiet high quality. The entire wall is windows looking out on the spectacular Rocky Mountains rolling in the vast distance behind the Banff Center campus where so much incredible art gets made. It's one of the most inspiring places you could be. There is a long wide deck with Muskoka chairs where you can sit when the weather permits, to take it all in. Definitely worth a visit to take a bite and take it all in when in Banff. read more

Maclab Bistro - Bistros Near Me - Banff, Alberta

Neat place located inside the Creativity Centre. The hostess took a long time and after being seated, we waited almost 20min to place our order. I got up and actually told two people that we were ready. Finally, a waitress shows up and takes our order. Our drinks arrive in about 5-10min after that. We read the reviews and would agree that service was subpar but the mountain view and the open space are very comfortable. The food was deelish. Hubby had a pizza, our son had a pork burger which had quite a kick of heat to it while I had the bison burger. We all enjoyed lunch but they could definitely train staff to be more attentive or hire more people for the brunch shifts. We would definitely go back as the menu has unique items for us to try. read more

Food wasn't cheap, and I didn't like that they charged $3.25 for a gluten free bun on the burger or pizza crust. But the flavors were great. We tried tandoori chicken and the chickpea burger, as well as the flatbread pizza. Fries were quite good and the two soups, too! read more

Maclab Bistro - Flatbread and chickpea burger - Bistros Near Me - Banff, Alberta

Never come to this restaurant again! I ordered an elk burger and a draft beer after a long hike. The food and drink is fair. The one last remaining star is for the good job by the kitchen. Yet, the waitress in white is really rude. In fact, this is the WORST service I received in the last 10 years: 1. I waited more than 10 minutes and the waitress NEVER come. I understand the restaurant could be busy. Yet, she clearly put setting table on a higher Priority than serving her customer, which shows the waitress obviously under trained. 2. No listening, no communication and most seriously Not treating customers as individuals: While I clearly ordered 'water without ice', but without even asking or any confirmation, I got a cup of VERY hot water instead. Moreover, not only I was rudely billed in the middle of my dinner, but the waitress took my CREDIT CARD out of the sight, without asking 'do you need a machine' and without my permission! In a word the waitress is not professional at all. 3. For a waitress, 100% No waiting service at all: First, the waitress never ever come to the table during more than 30 minutes my dining. Secondly, she never ask 'Is the food Okey?' Or 'Do you need anything else', nor any introduction of the food. In fact, the waitress in white never ever come to the table or asking any service. The only job she did is shipping the dish as a bus girl, rather than a real waitress. Even ordering the food is completed by the help of her colleague, otherwise I would be still in starvation till now! I realize this may not be the average standard of the service here, since the other team members are doing a fairly qualified job. Yet, all those rude service mentioned above by the waitress in white severely downgrading the team's effort and should not be ignored or tolerated! The one last remaining star is for the fair job by the kitchen and the rest of the service team, otherwise there would be the most sorry rating for the restaurant. read more

Maclab Bistro - Fair food and nice draft beer. - Bistros Near Me - Banff, Alberta

Certainly I would say that this resturant has the best view of the bow valley in Banff. We have eaten here a few times, mostly for the view. A great place to hang out when the weather is less than perfect and just enjoy watching the snow blow down the valley and through the distant mountain passes. There are some interesting and tasty meals on the menu, and they are usually prepared with some care, and arrive piping hot. Their fries are really good. The service is a whole different matter though. Not unlike most resturants in Banff, I think they have trouble finding trained staff. Every time we come here the service is very hit an miss. There is one waitress here that really seems to have no idea, and yet has been working here for a couple years. She seemed very confused when we first sat down, and then hovered while we were deciding what to order. She asked me for my order the moment I closed the menu, even though my wife was still looking at the menu and had yet to decide. We suggested she bring us some water and a coffee while we decided on our order to get her away from us for a minute. She came back and we gave her our order. Once our meal was delivered she hovered around a couple more times and then left us alone. Halfway through eating our meal she dropped off the bill, without even asking if we wanted more coffee or if we needed anything. She then hovered around a large group of people that already had two servers attending to them. We had to ask another waiter for the desert menu, as she had completely forgotten about us at this point. She came back after a while to help us process our bill. We have had her serve us in the past, and her modus operandi hasn't changed. A little training would go a long way here, as some of the other servers were trying hard, but were obviously green, and hopefully not learning from our waitress. best of luck . . . read more

This place has the vibe of a fancy college cafeteria. While the truffle flatbread was good (you can't go wrong with truffle) and the trout burger was juicy, I have serious star-reducing hesitations with the staff here. First we were told to sit anywhere, then a different waiter said to move to a smaller table to make room for a larger group bc they were so busy that night (no large group ever showed up), then while waiting at said small table I asked for menus - because you know that's how one orders food at a restaurant - and at that point I was told to have patience and was reminded again how busy they were. Other tables next to us had drink delays too, so either sit at the bar for beer or order your food to go. read more

Went for dinner. Took someone 30 mins to serve us. No waters or even a hello from the staff walking around. Finally ordered some food/ drinks. Fries were rock hard. Orders mixed up and missing ingredients. When brought the proper ingredients they were either over cooked or not ripe.. Overall bad experience 10/10 would not recommend on yelp. read more

Good food. I was happy to see that had quite a few vegan options. I loved the falafel wrap and dessert.

Terrible service at night...sat there for half an hour before anyone brought the menu...the only reason to go to this place is if u are staying at banff centre... read more

Maclab Bistro is my Banff secret treasure: a moderately priced restaurant with draft beer and great food, a spectacular panoramic view through three floor-to-ceiling glass walls (on cool days) or from its spacious patio (on nicer days). Free parking and a peaceful vibe, just a few blocks removed from the Banff summertime madness. Yesterday, my wife and I enjoyed pints of Big Rock Citradelic IPA and shared a basket of crispy sweet potato fries with chipotle mayo--30 minutes after hiking out of the back country. So, now I've told you about the Maclab, but don't tell anybody else, okay? read more

Excellent food! Have come here many times over the years and continues to be wonderful. Good service and friendly staff. The best part is the restaurant has one of the best views in Banff. Definitely recommend if you're in Banff! read more

They are always slow even when they only have a few people. Very frustrating. Don't they know especially in the mornings people are on a time schedule. Some don't have a clue about service read more

Got very ill from eating here as did my friend. Burger was lower standard than other tines. As it was the only food I ate I know it was the lunch here. Dissapointed to pay $40 to get sick. Previous experiences have been good. read more

The Maclab is a comfortable place to sit, service is good or bad depending on who attends your table. The only food I tried was desert, more or less every kind they had on the menu, and none was satisfying, although the presentation was nice. read more

This restaurant has arguably one of the best views in town both inside and out on the patio. The food is creative without being pretentious and is consistently delicious. There are lots of options for vegans as well as other dietary restrictions. The vegan Cobb salad and vegan burger are to die for. This place is a hidden gem that needs to be shared. read more