Must. See. Where do I start? The Sunday brunch here is amazing. Located in the Fairmont Banff springs hotel this restaurant is beautifully decorated with lots of gold adornments. The view of the mountains is breathtaking. The service was prompt and very friendly. Reservations are needed for the brunch but it is totally worth it. The selections of the buffet are incredible, everything from fish, fresh salads, pastries and delicious cakes. The coffee is unlimited and so are the views. Whether you're celebrating something special or just want to enjoy a lovely breakfast, this place is a must. read more

THE VERMILLION ROOM - View from out table - French Near Me - Banff, Alberta

What a lovely way to enjoy lunch in Banff! Our friends said we definitely needed to check out Banff Springs Hotel, which is the grand dame hotel in town. After wandering around for a little bit, this was an elegant, leisurely meal. The staff was welcoming and we especially liked our server, Kristina. I had the Maple Leaf Old Fashioned to start, which was very smooth and balanced. We shared oysters, French onion soup, and the steak frites with a side of poutine instead of standard fries. Everything was nicely prepared and yummy. We had a table by the window, so we also had a spectacular view! I hope to return! read more

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Stopped in for lunch after walking around this historic hotel and admiring it from Sulphur Mountain while taking the Banff Gondola ride. We asked the lady at the brasserie entrance if we could dine here even though we weren't guests at the hotel. She said we could and hoped it would persuade us to come back and stay there. She was very polite and accommodating. We ordered the chicken salad croissant with bistro salad, the short rib French dip with fries, and the chocolate gateau for dessert. The food was outstanding, and so was our server, Genevieve! She was so sweet and attentive. They even serve mini baguettes with salted butter while you wait for your food. The food came out timely, but the warm bread and butter was delicious. The chocolate gateau was so yummy too! Quality chocolate and homemade vanilla cream. Yum! Overall an amazing lunch! We were so happy to be dining inside the fabulous historic hotel. Everyone was so hospitable. Thank you for a wonderful experience! read more

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A trendy and upscale french brasserie restaurant with views of the mountains. The Vermillion Room has swanky and cozy vibes. My husband and I came here for lunch while visiting Fairmont Banff Springs. This is a very popular restaurant and reservations is highly recommended. We were given window facing table with the views of the outdoor courtyard and the mountains. Their cocktail menu has inspirations from various periods, people, and places. We ordered a Not So Old Fashioned and a Lemon Drop Tini to start. The Not So old Fashioned is their rendition of an old fashioned cocktail. It is described on their menu as a toasty, spirit forward, and winter spice. The hint of coconut and maple pecan comes together nicely. The drink is served over a large ice cube and garnished with an orange slice. The Lemon Drop Tini is the standard lemon drop cockail served with a sugared rim and lemon rind. For food, we ordered a french onion soup, croque madame, and albacore tuna niçoise salad. The soup came piping hot with a generous topping of melted gruyère cheese. It was delicious, savory, and a perfect starter on a cold day. The croque madame was made with brioche bread, mornay sauce, and jambon blanc. This was also generously topped with melted gruyère and a sunny side fried egg. This was served with a bistro salad. The albacaroe tuna niçoise salad was refreshing and also filling. The salad had haricot verts, tomato, cucumber, niçoise olives, eggs, butter leaf lettuce, anchovy, and fingerling potatoes. The lemon aoili and champagne vinaigrette added umami and tang. The albacore tuna was perfectly cooked. Service was on point and our server always checked in. My one main observation is the price definitely reflected the destination. This restaurant is popular with visitors and the prices do show it. Nonetheless, definitely worth a visit. read more

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We came here to celebrate Father's Day. When you walk in, the decor, the food presentation, and the ambiance, the view of the lake and mountains through the windows all makes for a wonderful first impression. The service was very good, our server was very personable and attentive. Going in to the buffet, the food descriptions and presentation are mouth-watering and it may be tempting to grab all you can. Since had just started a new diet regime, I only took a small bit of everything and I still ran out of room on my plate and only made it up to the salads (we started on the meat-end). I barely had any space left for salads, but they all looked very good and I regretted not starting on the salad side. I obviously had room for a dessert and tried a few of the desserts. They were good, but not awe-inspiring. The breads looked very good, but I had to pass on them. The food was all very good, but the previous night we had food at the Juniper (see my other review) and our overall impression was that the food flavor did not match the presentation. What I did like, was that the server was very attentive and would always remove my plate. I hated how in Switzerland, the workers would never take away my finished dishes at a buffet. It's unsanitary, unhygienic, and poor etiquette to take a dirty plate back to the buffet. The espresso drinks took a very long time to arrive - maybe 20-30 minutes? What was nice was that from the Vermillion Room, we could go straight to the grounds and walk around. For a special occasion, the Vermillion Room has a very nice ambiance, scenery, a lot of food selection, and attentive staff. read more

THE VERMILLION ROOM - My first plate for the brunch buffet - French Near Me - Banff, Alberta

Overall: given the quality I would expect from this price point, a bit disappointing Food: 3/5 - prime rib temperature wasn't super warm when it came out - tartare was relatively bland and uninspired + shrimp cocktail were succulent and definitely jumbo sized Service: 3/5 Our server was polite, though possibly a bit frazzled. Our water sat unrefilled for longer than we would've liked. Ambiance: 4/5 The interior was nice and upscale. I think they're trying to create a cozy ambiance though I felt like it was actually too dim. read more

THE VERMILLION ROOM - Beef tartare - French Near Me - Banff, Alberta

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We were staying at the Fairmont for a couple of days. It was part of our trip with the Rocky Mountaineer Rail. The restaurant is on the Mezzanine level and has a great view of the mountain range. We had 3 meals in total. A couple of buffet breakfasts and a 3 course dinner. These were all part of our travel package. In all 3 cases we were impressed with the atmosphere, service, and food. I have been to other Fairmonts, and this one lives up (and exceeds) the standards. The buffet breakfasts had all my usual favorites. I am especially fond of the smoked salmon lox, along with all the accompaniments (capers, pickled red onion). Everything was always fresh, and well presented. I enjoy the buffet experience because I can make the plate with whatever combination I am interested in. They also do I nice job with freshly made smoothies, both sweet and more savory. For the dinner, we were a party of 4, and with a reservation, got seated right away. The packaged meal had all the same entrees as the usual menu, with the exception of the the "seafood platter for two). Our server did a great job of getting us settled in, with menus waters and some cocktails. I got the special "Riviera" cocktail and found it to be nothing short of amazing. (if you like grapefruit flavors). For food, we started with some salads, grilled octopus, and french onion soups. My octopus was a unique dish, with a bit of cured egg yolk. For my entree I got the Chinook Salmon, on a bed of lentils. The other meals consisted of prime rib, and short rib. Everything was hot, flavorful, and good portions. No complaints, just big smiles. We saved room for dessert, and got the Opera Cake, Chocolate Cake, Paris-Brest and Creme Brulee. Unfortunately, this part of the meal was disappointing, with the toasted croissant missing from the Creme Brulee, and the Paris-Brest tasting stale. Not the best way to finish the meal. We did have a short conversation with the manager, and he did apologize. With the exception of the dessert issue, everything else was 5 stars! Would love to come back if we get back to Banff. read more

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Had a lovely dinner at The Vermillion Room in the Fairmont. The service was very good and the food was excellent. The only small downside was that it felt a bit dark inside, but the overall atmosphere was still elegant and cozy. We started with the steak tartare which was fresh and full of flavor. For mains, we had the filet mignon and the steak and frites. Both dishes were perfectly cooked and beautifully presented. A great spot for a more refined dinner in Banff. Would definitely come back. read more

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Outstanding service, good food, and lovely ambiance. I ordered the duck confit as an appetizer. It was excellent. For my main course, I got the filet mignon recommended by the server. It was cooked well a perfect medium rare but the star of this meal was definitely the fois gras on top. For the sides I got the roasted carrots. Excellent as well. Overall, a great meal and lovely service! read more

THE VERMILLION ROOM - Duck confit - French Near Me - Banff, Alberta

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We had a wonderful lunch in this posh restaurant within the Fairmont Banff Springs hotel. Our friendly and attentive server, Drew, was excellent and even noticed we were celebrating our anniversary (from our Open Table reservation notes) and offered a complimentary dessert. The chicken and pear salad was delicious and my husband said the short rib French dip was the best he's had and commented on the flavor from the buttery toasted bread it came on with a side of poutine. The mandarin pavlova was a light and airy dessert with a cute chocolate message to top off our meal. The only downside was we were seated next to an exterior door, exiting to the clear domed private dining experience, that was constantly opening and bumping closed and swooshing in cold air. read more

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Nice restaurant with good food. I would say the food isn't the best within the hotel options. Lobster gnocchi was good. Restaurant ambiance is excellent. Service is helpful and nice. read more

THE VERMILLION ROOM - Lobster gnocchi - French Near Me - Banff, Alberta

I had been looking forward to dining at the Vermillion Room as there were several items on the menu I thought would be delicious. While our overall experience was OK, it left a bit to be desired. We were originally seated in a back room with a server who appeared to have little-to-no personality and a nearby large party complete with speeches, cheers, etc. We ultimately asked to change seats and, lucky for us, we were seated in Nico's section and he truly turned our frowns upside down. Nico took great care of us with his suggestions, attentiveness, and overall great personality. We started with the Beef Tartare (AAA Alberta beef, capers, cornichons, smoked egg yolk, pommery mustard, black garlic aioli, and grilled sourdough) and it was my favorite dish of the meal. We also got the Roasted Beets (orange whipped ricotta, strawberries, fennel jam, crispy garbanzo beans, ricotta salata, balsamic gastrique). I loved the presentation here. For my entree, I ordered the Filet Mignon Rossini (8oz beef tenderloin, beef tallow brioche, red fox fungi mushroom, foie gras, madeira truffle bordelaise). Unfortunately, it was not terribly memorable. For a side, we ordered the Brussel Sprouts. While I would have likely enjoyed dessert, I assume I did not have room for it! As mentioned above, the overall experience was OK. Nico was fantastic and really made our dinner experience better. Unfortunately, we were very much looking forward to dining at the Vermillion Room and expectations were not quite met. The atmosphere has so much potential but for some reason I am unable to articulate, the experience did not match the potential. read more

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We stopped here for an early lunch while staying at the Fairmont before we went out for the day. There's nothing like having your morning coffee with that kind of view!! They had a blueberry latte that was as delicious as it sounds. Our waiter was overly friendly and fun to talk to. He suggested we take a peek out on the patio before we leave, and the view of the mountains were incredible. They had little fire pits out there as well making it feel cozy! read more

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Kind of rude. First encounter of rudeness at the resort. They just really couldn't be bothered to answer my question about booking. Just ignored me as I asked questions. read more

I wish I could rate it 3.5 stars since that's probably the best rating for the meal we had. Overall pretty average with some stand out food and cocktail items. The material girl cocktail was delicious! For food, the oysters, French onion soup, burger and Brussel sprouts were hands down the favorites! In addition to the sea salt and truffle tries! Very yummy! As for the rest of the meals, the mussels were not good. The truffle fries saved the dish! The broth tasted very watered down and lacked any flavor and a lot of the mussels were very over cooked. The filet was good and cooked right but my brother said he didn't think it was worth $80. The other disappointing aspect of the night was we waited about 45 min - 1hour for our main dishes to come out of the kitchen despite the restaurant being less than half full (but trying to not harp on that since I know right now times are tough for all businesses). Our waiter was very nice however and apologized multiple times. Overall, I would probably come back from some oysters, appetizers and a cocktail but probably not a full meal. read more

THE VERMILLION ROOM - Material Girl - French Near Me - Banff, Alberta

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The food is delicious. Our favorites are the salmon and the cheeseburger. That's the tastiest cheeseburger my nephew ever tasted. The salmon was cooked to perfection, not too soft not too hard. The server Melissa is so nice, friendly and respectful. She's very attentive to our needs. The place is nice, clean and elegant. Recommended. read more

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The Vermillion @ Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel has an excellent meal deal! Get it pronto cause you will be here every morning for brekkie before you head out on your excursions ... I promise!!! So as of today it's running at $23 bucks a day per person. Please do not send me nasty hate mail if you check into Banff next year & it's gone up to $27!!! LOL. Yelpies it's the best $23 bucks for brekkie I've ever spent in awhile! See my pics they don't lie!!! Go to the front desk or concierge. Then hand over your credit card & book the meal deal! Book accordingly in case you might have to leave the hotel at 6am for an outing one morning & can't make it. I don't see why you wouldn't after seeing my pics!?! Right!? The Vermillion offers a classy setting to eat at with great decor & comfy seating. Hot tip alert - if your staying here on a Sunday, get the Sunday brunch deal! The spread is absolutely stupendous!!! It's brought out at 11am & people were losing their minds with the offerings! Exceptional service was provided by the entire team here with honourable mention going to Adam & Hiroe!!! Bravo & kudos for your outstanding service!!! Fairmont Banff Springs I demand they be given a day off with pay! Hee. read more

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Really cool entrance - wide two floors with vibes of a speakeasy library. The service was quick, attentive and drinks were phenomenal. We had a few from the menu across the days and they were perfect in front of a fireplace and cozy couches. read more

When we checked in to the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, they very generously comped us for parking and breakfast each day. We had terrific breakfasts with excellent service. The little green smoothie shots and the oatmeal were probably my favourites on the buffet. Really terrific fresh fruit too. Fresh orange juice and coffee are included too. read more

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Quiet evening so we got in without reservations and were very casually dressed. Service was friendly but also very good (not intrusive). Had mussels (excellent), French onion soup (very very good), and steak tartare - best I've had, including in France! Works go back again. read more

This place is really really good. We stayed at the Fairmont and we ate here three times for dinner. Everything from the Prime Rib, Mussels, burger, salads was excellent. The definitely must try is the French onion soup. The service was great for all three nights. I would highly recommend anyone in the area to try this place. For dessert, the Paris hazelnut dish was delightful. read more

Yummy yummy! Delicious brunch buffet has everything you could ask for. So much variety. Great service. And very cute atmosphere! read more

THE VERMILLION ROOM - French Near Me - Banff, Alberta

So I had read a few of the reviews for this restaurant prior to going and it seems this is a polarizing dining experience. Let's start with the positives. The server, in my case Josie, was well spoken, knowledgeable, and diligent in trying to provide top tier service. The food was exactly the caliber food you'd expect. I had the chicken liver mousse, a salmon special, and the lemon dart. All of which were delicious. I also sampled some of the other dishes the others at my table ordered. The lobster gnocchi was especially delicious. So what didn't work? Well to begin, the host was a little short and uninviting. It seems that they were busy and understaffed but it was not a great first impression. We had a reservation and arrived right on time so I thought we'd get a bit warmer of a welcome. Speaking of them being busy, multiple staff members commented on the restaurant being understaffed and it was evident. To our servers credit, she did her best to make sure we received the best service she could provide. However, drinks were backed up, food delivery was slow, and there was a general atmosphere of tension. Execution on dishes, like forgetting to leave off cherries on a dessert, were the result. This may feel like nitpicking but, when you pay $500 for a meal, these mistakes are a bit disappointing. It's also more disappointing when you see the servers working hard and, presumably, managers and hosts just standing by. read more

Had a fantastic experience at The Vermillion Room for our wedding dinner of 12 people. We rented a private room that overlooked the mountains and it did not disappoint! The group was able to order a La carte which was nice. Highly recommend the oysters and shrimp cocktail as appetizers as well as the beef tartare. All of the entrees were delicious and the drinks were fabulous! Service was great as well from the start. Only downside is we ate and drank a lot and did not hit the minimum spend but added on a nice bottle of champagne to go that got us very close. It was a delightful experience! read more

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We dined here for my wife's birthday and it was top-notch. Our server, Ellen, was incredible. Her attention to detail along with her care for the comfort of our young daughter made us feel truly welcome and extremely comfortable. The restaurant itself is a beautiful mix of old school bistro with modern flair. I really enjoyed the vibe. Now, the food was awesome. The short rib is tender and robust. But the real start of my meal was the French onion soup. It's hard to find a properly good French onion soup these days, so when I had this I was transported to a place of pure joy. Pure. Joy. read more

THE VERMILLION ROOM - Short Rib - French Near Me - Banff, Alberta

Soooooo good! Great atmosphere and delicious food! Professionalism and excellence all around. read more

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Nice restaurant, very nice vibe for couples, the steak was amazing, the prices a little high but is a fermont so what do you expect? :) Better with reservation read more

THE VERMILLION ROOM - 12oz Steak with truffle fries - French Near Me - Banff, Alberta

Food was good, as well as the service. It's nice to do once due to the special ambiance. Expensive.

I'm surprised to see the bad reviews for this place. Everything I had was excellent and the restaurant is visually stunning. Started with the shrimp and oysters and then tuna crudo as my appetizer. All were excellent. Requested a rare piece of the prime rib. It was quite rare and amazing! The sauces served with the prime rib were amazing. My one quibble is the cocktail menu. None of the drinks were appealing to me and there were weird combinations, like cocktails with both vodka and tequila or a spirit with non-sparkling wine. Huh? I think they need a new cocktail menu. Also, while the place is great at what it does, it's a huge restaurant so it's more excellent wedding food as opposed to haute cuisine. Some may say it's expensive but it's Banff, what do you expect? read more

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Great food and wine. we both had steak and 3 other dishes. Cocktails were made to perfection. We walked in with Open Table reservations (Resy's Global Dining didn't list this restaurant) and were given a small table away from Mountain Views. We were asked before table assignment if we were a guest at Fairmont. We weren't and said so. Really hoping that didn't play a part in table assignment as we had a long day and weren't dressed well. On top, airlines are such a mess that we are only flying with carry on. We can fly and get there with our luggage or fly and wonder if we will see our luggage. Anyway, total bill was ~$500 and service was very good. I would have appreciated getting a slightly bigger table from the start with some views. The restaurant was not that busy since we were early for dinner. We will be staying at Fairmont (Toronto) in January so a full review will be posted on that stay and service as well. Benchmark will be Four Seasons which is always classy but not pretentious. read more

We were pleasantly surprised by how wonderful this restaurant was in the Banff Springs. The cocktail menu is super fun and there is a drink for each era. Naturally as an 80's baby I had to have the Material Girl. Our cheese board had the perfect amount of cheese, pickled goods, a yummy chutney, mustard and bread. Now the mussels I had for my main dish were outstanding!! There were SO many-it was a never ending pit of yummy! The truffle fries were the perfect match. My husband had the scallops dish. It was smaller but after starting with the cheese board it was enough and he helped me with the mussels. Our server was attentive, funny and showed up at all the right times. Look forward to stopping in again! read more

THE VERMILLION ROOM - Cheese Board - French Near Me - Banff, Alberta

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We started off with the $10 bread. It was good but for $10 we all felt like we should have received a bread basket/larger loaf. When they say mini baguette, they mean mini baguette. The salted butter was great though. I got the Madame Fleur and unfortunately don't remember what was in it but it was really really good. I got the chicken entree and was super super impressed with it. It was very tender and juicy. I wasn't a fan of the sauce/jus that came with it though and desperately felt like the plate needed some color since it was so monotone. The cauliflowers and potatoes were very flavorful and tender as well. Service seemed a little bit slow tonight. We sat near the bar and we're just looking at our drinks waiting to be brought over to the table and actually had to ask if those were our drinks to get them delivered. The jug of water they give you was empty a couple times despite our server coming to our table and the manager circling around which isn't a huge deal to me personally but I know it matters to some people. Obviously it's a nicer place but you can dress up or down for it. Whatever you're comfortable with, there seemed to be people in all types of attire here. We hope to come back and I hope the chicks dish is still on the menu when we do! read more

THE VERMILLION ROOM - Demi-Poulet ($56): roasted half-chicken, fingerling potatos with demi-poulet, fennel, cauliflower, natural jus - French Near Me - Banff, Alberta

Beautiful views, excellent service. Ellen our server was amazing as well as Annika the hostess. Delicious food.!

Our last night at Banff, The Vermilion didn't disappoint, our server Ellen I was very sweet and efficient. The restaurant is beautiful, ambiance and music terrific. The food was excellent. read more

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We had dinner here last night, and the food was quite good. However the server interacted with us very strangely. As he saw me looking at the cocktail menu, he made a recommendation for what I should order -- the Soul Reviver. I considered it but since I don't like gin, decided on something else. Then when I ordered my meal, the short ribs, I made an admittedly semi-odd request, to have fries instead of mashed potatoes (having seen that fries were on the menu). He warned me that the dish worked really well with the mashed potatoes and the sauce wouldn't be the same with fries. He said, "I can still do it for you if you want," and I said I did. From that moment on, the waiter pointedly never made eye contact with me again, only addressing my wife. When we ordered dessert, which consisted of three profiteroles, he joked (to her, as he seemingly wasn't on speaking terms with me) that she should have two, and I should have one. After we'd each taken one, on his way by, he pushed the plate with the remaining profiterole toward her. When we asked for our check, he checked whether she'd had two. These would have been funny jokes if he hadn't been so persistent, and if it weren't in the midst of so obviously ignoring me, as if I were some "difficult customer" for not sharing his tastes. (I was nothing but friendly even while being ignored and am only now reflecting on how frustrating the server's behavior was). After we paid, the server told my wife, "It was a pleasure serving you guys," and I can only assume he was referring to my wife and daughter alone, not me, as again he completely ignored my existence, pointedly only looking at the two of them as he said this. For what it's worth, the server was right about the short ribs. They were very dry, at least the way I requested them. I've been to dozens of restaurants who have handled this request well, plating the food in a way that allows the sauce and fries to happily coexist. I imagine the cook didn't want to go out of his way here to do so. Luckily my wife doesn't like sauce so I was able to use hers, which came in a sauce cup with her steak. Regardless, ignoring a customer who doesn't share your taste seems a little overboard. Maybe the server was having a bad day or I reminded him of someone unpleasant, but in a town with so much great food paired with equally great service, I wouldn't recommend risking such a strange and unsatisfying experience. Not liking mashed potatoes and gin is not a crime. read more

We had brunch and dinner at The Vermillion room earlier this month. Both meals were very good. The rotisserie chicken with maple glazed beets was amazing. The skin on the chicken was crispy and the meat was very juicy. The beets were so good. I've never had beets that tasted so delicious. They had a sweet but woodsy flavor to them. I would definitely eat here again! read more

Beautiful views we went in the winter and it was amazing . Great food and buffet and service

Ribs, seafood, a beautiful dessert spread. This has everything. Seafood include trout, Mussel, shrimp crab legs. There is also omelette and waffles. The only thing no 'wow' is the kids buffet: fries, pizza, chicken strips but I do t think the kids mind. Price includes drinks and all the latte you can drink (if you care). Oh yea, the view is great also. read more

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We have been to many countries and have experienced a lot of tourist traps but this is by far the biggest one we have experienced. There are tourist traps that we happily get trapped into but this one was enjoyable but definitely not worth it. We were charged $3500 for Christmas Brunch for two while it was $125 per person when we booked through Open Table for this 360 dome experience. We didn't get to choose what you get for food. The entire menu is fixed. They gave us so much food. The food tasted good but not over the top with generous portion which was probably enough for four to six people.... And service was reasonable and we had a great time until we realized that it is a big trap. I'm writing this as I just don't want anyone else to get surprised like how we did. They gave us a bottle of Dom Perignon that we didn't order. With all things considered, I still can't justify paying over 10 times more than what we were told when we made our booking. They claimed that the SPECIAL PRICING is only for the Christmas day but they failed to inform us in advance. Their staff called us the morning of the reservation to confirm and it was non-cancellable by then. Ultimately, they ended up charging us 50% after my discussion with the restaurant manager; however, the food and services definitely didn't justify the $17Xx price tag. It just left us with a very bad impression of this business for being very dishonest. read more

THE VERMILLION ROOM - Here's what Open Table shows.... - French Near Me - Banff, Alberta

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I'd probably call this a must-visit because the interiors (and views) are so stunning. Good service as well. However, the food was not great. Maybe this is a better stop for drinks. read more