Fairmont Banff Springs: 1888 Chop House for dinner

The Butcher’s Block is the centre of the meal. Each of its 3 named Canadian origins offers tenderloin, striploin and rib-eye, with the weight printed beside the cut. For a direct comparison, the striploins are all 12oz: Ontario corn-fed beef costs C$82, Blue Dot Reserve C$88 and Brant Lake Wagyu C$118 on the venue’s menu read on 17 October 2026. That is a useful decision to make before adding a sauce, an extra topping or a vegetable for the table.

The larger cuts give a group another way to order. The Premium Alberta Beef Porterhouse is 32oz at C$172 on that same menu; the Black Apron Beef Tomahawk is listed at 40oz or more, at market price. At the other end of the scale, the A5 Okayama Wagyu is a 6oz serving at C$215, accompanied by hash brown, oyster mushroom, watercress and quince. Weight alone tells only part of this meal: the menu puts origin and accompaniments beside it.

There is dinner beyond beef. Bison tenderloin comes with farro, beetroot, blackberry and morel; Brome Lake duck has sweetcorn, nashi pear, endive and apricot. Sungold lamb rack brings sunchoke, sorrel, peas and goat’s cheese. The seafood choices include Atlantic lobster with brandade, rhubarb and asparagus, and Humboldt squid with agnolotti, burdock, black trumpet mushrooms and lemongrass. A party can come for the chop house and still order very different plates around the table.

The first courses are worth choosing with the main in mind. Milk bread arrives with herb butter and everything seasoning. The lamb tartare uses lemon verbena, buttermilk and prairie grains; the BC spot prawn brings crème fraîche, horseradish, calamansi and shiso. For a lighter beginning there is Local Gems, with bitter leaves, radish, maple and amaranth, or fresh cheese with gooseberry, burnt tomato, pollen and basil. The ingredients give the opening course enough interest to share the conversation with the steak that follows.

Vegetables have their own section, For the Table. Whipped potatoes come with cherry-smoked butter and chives; spiced carrots have carrot-top kimchi, vadouvan and dukkah. Shishito peppers use soy, miso, citrus and sesame. The broccolini is served with Québec blue cheese and salbitxada, while asparagus comes with Gruyère, whey and chervil. This matters when ordering a steak: decide which plate you want beside it, and remember that the menu lists each separately.

The wine list is long enough to give dinner another direction. It divides bottles into sparkling wines and regional sections, and also offers wine by the glass, signature cocktails, alcohol-free drinks, flights and beer. The restaurant’s own web menu highlights Wildflower, made with Rundle Bar gin, elderberry, wild raspberry, mint and citrus; Iconic Peak uses rye, lapsang tea, bitters and demerara. Tell the team the cut you have chosen before asking for a glass or bottle to go with it.

A small group can ask for the private high table, surrounded by the restaurant’s wine collection. The official private-dining page gives a capacity of 6–12 and links reception, group and family-style menus. That is a different enquiry from reserving an ordinary table: the restaurant website directs groups of 12 or more to contact its team. Give the date and party size when asking, so the restaurant can propose the appropriate room and menu.

Choose The Vermillion Room for French classics, Waldhaus for fondue and Bavarian cooking, or Castello Italiana for pasta. 1888 is the address when comparing cuts, origins and weights of beef is part of the pleasure of dinner.