Rockies by Road: Where We Ate

Cooking in the van kept our costs down for most of the trip, but every few days we swapped the camp stove for a proper table. These are the places that stuck with us — found by accident, by recommendation, or by being turned away from a ferry.

1. The Maligne Range — Jasper

Think luxury alpine lodge meets whisky bar. The Maligne Range sits in the heart of Jasper and serves genuinely good food in a setting that feels a cut above. We found it completely by accident while wandering through town during our stay.

I can personally recommend the house-made beef burger — a good two inches thick and served with all the trimmings, currently around $24. Away from the dining room there's a large, well-stocked bar with big screens, so it also works if all you want is the local game and a beer. It's a little pricier than some of its neighbours, but you get what you pay for: the setting and the food are both top notch.

2. Jasper Brewing Company — Jasper

Just a few doors down from The Maligne Range, Jasper Brewing Company is the more relaxed option — the sort of place you meet friends and watch the game. As you'd expect, there's a long list of craft beer, much of it on tap and several brewed in house.

There's a food menu too, though we only stopped for drinks so I can't vouch for it. What I can vouch for is the Tangerine Dream lager: something like a mimosa crossed with a beer. On paper it shouldn't work. In practice I was pleasantly surprised.

3. The Grizzly House — Banff

You can't really miss The Grizzly House walking Banff's main street. We ducked in for a beer between bouts of shopping and found a sprawling, western-themed bar and restaurant famous for its meat and cheese fondue.

Worth mentioning here are the staff, who were warm and attentive even though we'd only come in for drinks. Nothing was too much trouble — a special mention goes to Jimmy, if you're reading this.

4. Stoked Wood Fired Pizzeria — Shirley, Vancouver Island

Tucked away near Shirley on Vancouver Island, Stoked serves hand-crafted wood-fired sourdough pizza to anyone passing by. We stopped for lunch after leaving Sooke, having seen it recommended on a noticeboard at the campsite, and it was well worth the detour.

The pizzas are generous and the seating is outdoors, so you eat with the forest right beside you. The whole thing feels properly relaxed and west coast, and there's a small market attached selling local products — I picked up a few stickers for my journal on the way out.

5. Stonehouse Pub — near Swartz Bay, Vancouver Island

We came across the Stonehouse Pub entirely by accident after being turned away from a full ferry back to the mainland, and I'm glad we did. From the outside it looks like an 18th-century inn; inside it keeps that warm, low-ceilinged feel.

It's more of a local hangout than a tourist stop, with a handful of familiar beers on draft and classic pub food. Ironically I liked it for the atmosphere more than anything on the menu — it felt like pulling up a stool in my local, several thousand miles from home.

Honourable mention: Shirley Delicious — Shirley, Vancouver Island

This one was on our list, but across three separate attempts we never made it through the door. Shirley Delicious is a small bakery and cafe doing breakfast and, by all accounts, excellent coffee. When I say it was busy, it was heaving — we couldn't get into the car park, let alone near the counter.

Several locals we met camping at Sooke spoke highly of it too, and with that kind of demand it would be a shame not to give it a mention here. Next time, we'll get there early.