Orso Trattoria, located at the Jasper Park Lodge in the Jasper National Park, is a very lovely restaurant serving Italian foods. My partner and I went there for a whiskey tasting and cocktail making. We tasted Lot 40 (Canadian Rye whiskey), The Balmore 12 years and Talisker 10 years (both single malt whiskey). We then made a Manhattan drink, using The Dalmore, vermouth and bitters. Our host was a native of Costa Rica working at the Jasper Park Lodge - he was extremely knowledgeable of whiskeys and other liqueurs, as well as mixed drinks. Ambiance was very welcoming, relaxed and funny. Stories were also shared. read more

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We were staying at the lodge as part of a Rocky Mountaineer Raily tour. We had breakfast in the morning, and this was our first (and only) dinner hear. The dinner room looks out over Lake Beauvert which is stunning. We had reservations for 4, and were seated right away. It took a while for our server to get to our table, greet us, and get serve waters. Our server was professional and efficient, but definitely not friendly. We had a 3 course meal as part of our package and there were plenty of interesting starters and entrees. It took some more time, before the server returned and took our orders. As a matter of fact, it took nearly 2.5 hours for the entire meal. Turns out that our server kept getting distracted in conversation by another table next to ours. He was totally oblivious to the other tables around. Our table ordered a collection of varied entrees, lamb chops (for me), a rissoto dish, scallops, and bison steak. During our wait we were served some olives and crostini with a spread, and focaccia bread. The crostinis were not fresh and tasted as if they had been sitting in a too cold refrigerator. After another wait, the food did arrive. My lamb chops were amazing. Cooked to a perfect medium rare, and the vegetable bake was good as well. The scallops got good reviews. However the Bison was undercooked, and tough. The risotto was bland and soupy. After finishing our entrees, it took 30 minutes for the server to return (chatting it up again with another table). It was getting seriously ridiculous. Asked the server to bring our desserts (which was included in our 3 courses). My Tomato and Raspberry dessert was very interesting, and good (a little chili powder in the chocolate pudding). Asked for the check for the cocktails. Mentioned to the server the long wait, and he apologized and blamed it on the busy dining room, but I felt compelled to point out his chattiness with other tables. After the rest of my party left, I hung back and asked to speak to the manager. He explained that while they have just recently opened, there was no excuse for what had happened to us. Offered to pay for our drinks (which I declined). I hope they are able to get their act together. A beautiful, upscale place like this needs to do better. read more

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Food was not bad, but nothing particularly memorable. However, our server was very attentive and friendly, which made the experience better. The ambience is nice and cozy, making it a pleasant place to sit and chat. read more

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We loved this place. Food did not disappoint. I got the gnocchi, my husband and mil got the lamb and we all enjoyed dinner. We all got different desserts and again we were not disappointed. Service and ambience just perfect for our first night in Jasper. Also the bread and butter, just amazing! read more

Orso Trattoria - Italian Near Me - Jasper, Alberta

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I don't understand why this place is rated under 4.5 stars. My wife and I experienced top notch food, service, and unbeatable lakeside ambiance. Best focaccia I've had, as well as butter. Get the rabbit tortellini and lobster spaghetti. read more

For the price I expected to be amazed. It fell short. Food was ok but nothing spectacular.

The worst dining experience I've ever had. This is where breakfast is served at the fairmont, and it would be a 30+ minute wait each morning, despite the restaurant being empty. Severely understaffed, and the staff that is working is really poorly trained. Unacceptable for a resort that charges $1500+ per night. read more

What a lovely lakeside location to enjoy a nice dinner with the majesty of the mountains while in beautiful Jasper. Started with their twist on a sort of sour whiskey lemon drink & some wine. We chose the three-course dinner, which included a lovely amuse. Bouche , followed by an appetizer of venison carpaccio, and a scallop Crudo. They serve this along with housemade bread and a delish flavored butter. For our mains we enjoyed the chicken with pappardelle and mushroom pasta ( pasta slightly overcooked) and the venison loin with Chianti jus & mashed potatoes. We ordered an extra side of foie gras, minuscule but so good! Dessert was a tableside prep of tiramisu for two & it was enormous & tasty ... could not finish it.. service was good but the location and ambience are what made everything so special. read more

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We went to this restaurant as part of our honeymoon at the Fairmont Jasper. The restaurant has different menus that they cycle through. We were blessed to also have special selections as part of the restaurant's anniversary. Overall, this place was a favorite of mine during our tour in Canada. Waitress was incredibly friendly, and was extremely knowledgeable. Food was delicious. I would opt to add their steaks without hesitation. I had the dry aged striploin which was a special selection during their anniversary. Wife had the rib eye. The quality was up there in the ranks of top notch steakhouses I've dined at (Gwen, Chi Spacca, etc). Other notable mentions during the meal were the ravioli and the bread. I was also impressed with the portions and left pretty darn full. Overall, my wife and I had an incredible experience at Orso. Not sure why people are complaining about the price when this restaurant is located within the luxurious Fairmont Jasper Lodge to begin with. If we're ever staying at the lodge again, we will definitely come back to dine at this place. read more

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I would give this restaurant another star if it was better value for the money. We spent $250 for two people, and were really disappointed in the quality of the food. This is not an upgrade from the typical family Italian classic, and at twice the price. We asked to sit on the patio but were told the heat lamps were not working. We tried the $68 three course menu and due to limited choices and allergies I had pasta both as a primi and secondi. The prunelle was lovely with fresh tomato sauce. But the carbonara was less than ideal, with a few small dices of meat and with a runny poached egg on top rather than the creamy full rich pasta I expected. The add ons included a steak, perfectly cooked but not the best quality. Desserts, pretty but hotel typical. We had one drink and one mocktail, but the bill was $100 above the fixed menu. Love Jasper Park Lodge but would have preferred eating in the lounge. read more

We came here for our anniversary in early fall. The service was great, friendly and attentive. The atmosphere was sophisticated and the view from our table was beautiful, mountains and a lake. The restaurant has a very small seasonal menu that seems to change frequently and for one price per person you get an appetizer, entree and dessert. It is definitely a fine dining experience, where appetizer and dessert positions are smaller than most restaurants. But they certainly do not skip on flavour. We both ordered the mushroom ravioli appetizer, which was absolutely sublime. Homemade pasta wrapped around a deliciously delicate mushroom and cheese filling, topped with asparagus, mushrooms and crispy onions. I literally savoured every bit of this. My entree was a boar ravioli with scallops. I'll be honest I wasn't too impressed with the ravioli, they were a bit dry. However the scallops were amazing, cooked beautifully with a gorgeous crust. And there was a carrot purée that was very good. The dish of the night though, was my husbands roasted pickerel, I should have order it. The fish was so succulent and delicious in every way. It came with a sauce that I cannot place but it was so good with the fish. And prosciutto wrapped radicchio and broccolini. Our desserts were good, we had the chocolate mousse with black current sauce and a strawberry rhubarb tart. They were both quite good. Altogether it was a wonderful dining experience. read more

Review for 7/1/23 (given the menu changes frequently). Great views of the lake with some obstructed points. Our server reported that the tap water was from the local river, which was cool. The wife had a cocktail-- 23$, but good quality ingredients and flavor. Amuse Boucher was good. I missed the full description, but it was a sort of pate or liver mouse piped into a pastry shell with a balsamic drizzle. The bread was truly bad. A large loaf cut into fourths. It was dry and way under seasoned. I liked that the butter was whipped, making it spreadable, but there was no salt in sight. For appetizers, the apple ravioli was good. The "ravioli" is actually made of apple, so it eats more like a salad than anything. The spinach caramelle is one of the most confusing dishes I have consumed. Spinach filled pasta-- mirroring the shape of a caramel wrapper, a couple dollops of carrot purée, pork belly, pickled berries, and puffed rice. Bizarre, just bizarre. The pork was crispy but tough-- not braised first, just fried. The pasta was bland, missing sauce, were just a couple plain noodles on the plate. No clue what the idea was behind the puffed rice and pickled berries...bizarre, just bizarre. When you can put anything on a menu, I am still trying to figure out how this makes it! Mains were the venison and the lobster tortellini. The venison was nicely cooked (fortunately because my preference was not asked for). It was paired with a rich and slightly acidic sauce, bone marrow, and mashed potatoes. There were also a few pieces of toast atop the mashed potatoes-- again, just an oddity given the bone marrow was hidden. Good dish overall though. The lobster tortellini was a mess. Very dry and missing sauce. Again, just undressed tortellini on a plate. The lobster was horribly over cooked and mealy. The visual appearance was nice, but the flavor was just lackluster. Desserts were both good-- lemon Amalfi and Hazelnut Stracciatella. Our sever was polite, knowledgable, and attentive. The feel of the restaurant was relaxed, yet sophisticated. In short, the ambience, views, and service were good. Unfortunately, the food had a lot of misses and only a few successes. At over 200$ for 2 people (only 1 with a drink), the price does not match the quality of the experience had. Fix the food and this place will be the best show in town. 3/5 read more

Restaurants were all shut down in Jasper due to power outage / fires but lucky for us we were staying at Fairmont so decided to give this a go. Overall decent food - did the three course meal for the three of us (amounted to around 100 CAD a person). The halibut was pretty good but would say everything else was just ok. Would give this overall a 3.5 for the price read more

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There were highs and lows to my evening. Let's get the bad stuff out of the way. The white wine I ordered had black sentiment floating in it and neither the bartender or server noticed. Most of the food was flavourless and under-seasoned. Lastly, the wine pairing suggestions weren't (in my opinion) ideal, and when I ordered my choice, the server seemed a bit appalled. (Dear reader, I've done wine tasting in Australia, France, Italy, Spain, Argentina, California, etc. I'm not a sommelier, but I know what will work and what won't). Now on to the good stuff. Presentation was very good. We eat first with our eyes and they deliver on presentation, especially dessert. My cocktail was tasty even if minuscule. I always enjoy an amuse bouche, again tasteless. I would have said the service was near perfect but towards the end of my meal, the server got sidetracked by another couple who had dined there before. He didn't check in on my entree (which required salt to be edible). He also spilt a bit of my cocktail. But beyond that, I walked away aware that he had been professionally trained and was pleasant. Because of a few dining short comings, the manager comped a glass of wine- this was surprising because I hadn't even mentioned anything besides the need for salt. Highlight was dessert - it was inventive and whimsical. The real attraction to this restaurant is the pastry chef, and the sole reason I'm giving 3* vs 2*. read more

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Absolutely delicious - we had apple ravioli and venison cruda as appetizers, scallops, pollo Alfredo with foraged mushrooms, and seared venison loin as entrees. Tiramisu and lemon amalfi were a sweet conclusion to our meal. Tim, our waiter, was better than most I've had anywhere in my travels. He was so knowledgeable about all the dishes that I actually asked him to surprise me - and his choices were superb. His suggestions for my friend were excellent. If you eat there ask for Tim. Friendly smart guy. The atmosphere is fabulous with a full wall of windows overlooking the lake and mountains! read more

I'd highly recommend visiting this restaurant when covid dine-in restrictions end. Yes the price is premium, but the lake view, comfortable interior and service... classy all the way. The best bang for your buck is brunch! It's basically all you can eat! Make reservations in advance if you can! Each portion is basically beautifully served individual sizes, so you really can try everything on the menu & order more of what you like (my family of 4 did this- we left full and happy!). Another thing I should point out is that beverages cost extra! I didn't mind this as I had ordered a London fog latte...the first one brought to me was made by a newbie (mostly foam), so the covering server who was a regular barista actually went to the bar to make it herself for me. I really appreciated that extra care! Also children 5 and under eat free and kids 5-12 years old are half price! Definitely an excellent value and experience on my end!! Brunch here is definitely on my list to do when returning to Jasper! read more

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Staff were awesome, 2nd time to this restaurant, what put us off the first time was, not being able to choose a table despite at the time there were only 3 tables occupied, and people came and went, when they found they had to order the set menu of three courses, ($85+) we observed four tables leave because of this. Our food was nice but 2 courses would have been fine! So we were going to give 3* However we then realised unless we had fast food in the the other restaurant there was nowhere else to eat except the Japanese which didn't look very hygienic so we booked again because we were celebrating a milestone! This time was different, we made sure not to eat lunch! The staff were fantastic, we were able to choose our table, we had amazing cocktails, food and wine, although again we really only wanted two courses, but we nearly managed all three! The food was amazing, the service awesome! However again we saw a table of ten change their mind because of the three courses and their may be more. I would give 5* but I felt forced into eating more than I really wanted! read more

We had the opportunity of dinning at the Orso on Friday night. We were a little hesitant as we love the Moose's Nook which is no longer operational It was a fantastic experience. Our waiter Michel was fabulous and really knew the menu. The food was delicious and we would definitely go back. Thank you for our wonderful experience. read more

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Rude service,we're disrespectful, made my stomach hurt, gave rude and disrespectful looks at me. Do not recommend.

You really can't go wrong with a Fairmont hotel restaurant. This Italian place has a nice view of a small lake and excellent food. Service is of course top notch. We had the pork chops, a pasta dish with foraged mushrooms, lobster ravioli, and lamb shank. The iced tea with honey was so refreshing on a hot day. Everything was good. read more

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Everything we had was delicious... appetizers, entrees, and desserts! Portions were generous; we were stuffed when we were done. My college-age boys were more than satisfied and enjoyed everything they ate. Service was attentive and without complaint! I'd definitely go again. read more

Rip-off. They have a $179 3 course meal. Server says you can substitute a meat dish, however they still charge the $170 for the 3 course even though you do not get an entre and then charge $40 more for the substitute. Nice rip off. Pay for an entre you don't order or get! Wife had the Lobster Pasta which was 3 small pieces of over cooked lobster and 3 black blobs of pasta with some wispy nonsense on top. Not many people there. read more

We took a client out for dinner last night. An amazing gentleman named Kiran was our server. He was absolutely amazing and incredibly attentive. The food was amazing as well! I highly recommend Orso! read more

Small fancy portions for pricey dishes. Food is no way enough even if you order 3 course meal.

Recognizing the challenges of today's environment I did not enjoy my experience here. The service was good, not great. The food quality was poor compared to any Fairmont restaurant I've had the pleasure of eating at. I expected to pay a premium before I walked in the door, so there was no sticker shock. However I was disappointed with the value of this visit. read more

Such a great time with Noel in the bar area of Orso dining area. Good laughs and great drinks. So personal. Amazing service. Thank you Noel! read more

Orso Trattoria - Noel (Bartender) showing us the ropes in the Orso dining area. Fabulous service with a fabulous venue - Italian Near Me - Jasper, Alberta

Visited on a Sunday night. Were brought the wrong bottle of wine, which was not a menu wine, and was 50% more expensive than the bottle we ordered. As we waited between courses, we noticed the tables around ours were offered an amuse-bouche. Our table of 3 was overlooked. Two in our party ordered the same menu item, yet one serving was substantially larger than the other. We will dine elsewhere. read more

This is what happens when a foodie chef totally and completely loses the plot. Went for dinner with six people, one of them a child. The menu doesn't have any option that would be considered typical northern Italian food. Instead every dish has been manipulated to the point that it's pretentious and overblown. And not for the better. Meatballs made with wild boar does not improve a meatball. A child mac and cheese made with Parmesan does not improve a child's mac and cheese. Instead they're worse versions of those dishes. Of the six people only two actually enjoyed their meal. One of our party had a bite of sausage that turned out to be so over-spiced that 10 minutes later they had to rush down the hall to vomit. Of the six people three of them left the restaurant hungry. The ambiance is fine and the view is spectacular. But the chef needs to understand that trying to shake up every old classic dish just for the sake of doing so does not improve the food. There is a reason why something is a classic dish in the first place. If you can't improve the classic then serve the classic dish. Don't think that by adding trendy food ingredients that it's somehow improves these dishes automatically. read more

This was the best meal we had in Jasper. Service was attentive and speedy, food was delicious, and atmosphere was inviting. Definitely recommend! Get the Brussels sprouts! read more

I'm not sure what I should have expected from a hotel restaurant, but it IS the Fairmont and I read a good review on a different site. The staff was nice and competent if a little obsequious. The wine list was solid for being in the middle of nowhere and the pasta was legit... fresh, tasty and cooked well. The ambiance feels like a cruise ship with lots of families with small children... maybe we went too early at 6:30pm. The Caprese was a complete joke. Small portions of cheese and the tomatoes were tasteless (other than the two small yellow tomatoes which may have been local and were ok). The dish was $19. A Caprese should not be offered on a menu unless the ingredients are super fresh and delicious and this completely missed on both counts. My date's Bolognese was way under seasoned and just kind of meh... again the pasta was spot-on. My Osso Bucco (which they are known for) was mediocre at best... not very flavorful and not super tender and the saffron risotto seemed like it had been scooped out of a chaffer and was not very flavorful (but a startling yellow color). This dish was $50. My mind should be blown for $50. The staff seemed a little over-extended and we waited for wine service twice... once with empty glasses as our entrees arrived. Skip this place unless you are stuck there or they take steps to improve. read more

I really didn't want to buy the restarant. Can't buy anything for less then 25 Had the breakfast buffet 3 people coffee and buffet with tip over read more

We had one of the best meals i have had in years! Owen provided the most wonderful service! Between the food and the service it was a Five Star plus experience. I tend to be picky because we are New Yorkers. Every thing from the delicious bread to the Caesar salad and the most delectable rabbit, followed by a perfect Adffogato. My husband loved his carpacchia melt in your mouth and then veal Osso bucco With a pistachio gremalata. Delish Terramiso Wonderful suggested wine from Owen. The best! read more

The only thing that saved this star was the bruschetta. We had the fungi pizza and the mushroom truffle oil risotto. Overall this was one of the most bland meals that I have ever eaten. Thank goodness for the table salt. Will not eat here again. read more

I visited Orso Trattoria on a Saturday night with my partner. Our server was lovely and attentive but the food was mediocre at best. The arancini was lukewarm and at $17 each it was not worth the price. I opted to have the pesto gnocchi with the boar meatballs. My dishes were plated poorly (each brought out in a small dish with not enough room to cut the meatballs into bite sized pieces). My partner chose the rabbit which was was bland. I would not recommend Orso Trattoria as a dining experience. While the view and service is great, the food is far to bland and generic to warrant Fairmont prices. read more