Tooloulous

I took my out of town family here a couple weekends ago because I read on a foodie group that this place has excellent seafood. However, we were disappointed on our first visit here and probably will not consider going back.

Food quality - We ordered a big seafood platter, and burgers for the kids and a couple more items on the menu. The prawns in the platter were not fresh. The texture of the meat was mushy and they just were not good fresh quality. The snow crab and the rest of the seafood platter was excellent. The big selection of spicy sauces were great and my son loved his burger.

Service - Our waitress was very friendly and attentive. However, it took around 50 minutes from the time we ordered to the time we got our food. Our drinks came around 20 minutes after we ordered. We had a toddler with us, and the owner (I presume) was nice enough in the beginning and even gave her a little plastic anImal from the bar to keep her calm. However, he made comments like "we will sit you in the corner" right when we walked in, and "you have to sit down in your chair" when she started fussing after waiting so long for the food. As a result of her starting to act out due to hunger, we carried her to the back where the bathrooms were and the owner made the sit down comment. I am not sure if it was a harmless joke but that made us really uncomfortable.

Ambiance - it was a pretty laid back place, well decorated for the kind of restaurant it is.

Price- it was on a higher scale considering the quality of the seafood.

I hope the owner can address the quality of the seafood as well as the speed of the delivery of the food. When we arrived it was not busy, so we should not have to wait close to an hour for the food.

Third time here and it was not as great as before. Our server was not great. Eggs benny overcooked and Canadian bacon was disgusting. Overall not a good experience compared to before.

Located in Town Centre Mall

Situated right in downtown Banff

We were there late September, had brunch there.

They were busy even in late September, can’t imagine peak period!
They took our walk-in reservation & gave us a buzzer, about a 30 minute wait.

Cajun seafood & burgers join Louisiana libations on red-checkered tablecloths amid brick walls.
Decor was colourful & quaint. Service was good.
Great menu selection

The food was good! Portions were a very good sized.
I had the crab & asparagus- chunks of crab meat… so good!
We had Belgian waffles, hot chocolate… everything was good. If you are in Banff looking for brunch. This is the place!

Seeing a decent amount of negative reviews on the food, but that was not our experience. Had the blackened tenderloin tips with cajun fries and corn chowder with cornbread. Everything was fabulous. Tenderloin tips were especially enjoyable. Server Victor was great.

The seating system is a JOKE. I went here for brunch and was told will be waiting for 10 minutes and longer if I want to sit outside. I checked with one waitress who gave me the pager but she told me the table was not ready. While I was waiting in 20 mins, I saw a group of two just came in without reservation and after they talked to a waitress and got seated outside RIGHT AWAY. I saw few groups got pagers earlier than this “privileged group’ but all of them not get seated and kept waiting outside. I had to find a waitress to place order and later got a check because no one was checking. I would recommend to go somewhere else because a brunch doesn’t worth you get treated like this…

Visited at ~1: 30pm on a weekday when both the breakfast/brunch and lunch menus were available, lots of tasty sounding choices available and a decent vegetarian selection. I had the bananas foster French toast which was delicious, though the portion was twice as big as I needed.

Our server was lovely and very attentive, keeping my coffee topped up.

Absolutely horrendous service from the manager! Server informed us they were out of a few things when we were seated, sure, no problem. The events that unfolded were ABSOLUTELY no fault of his (the server was new, trying his best and had a terrible manager who willingly threw him under the bus multiple times). We proceeded to order only to have them come back multiple times to tell us they either couldn't fulfill the order or needed to make substitutions that we deemed unreasonable. When we asked if we could get a different side than what they were offering (they were out of the sides for their signature shrimp and crab boil) we were told we couldn't ask for substitutions even though they were making them. When we initially placed the order we were told the shrimp boil would take 40 minutes which we agreed to as we had heard its worth it; however we asked if they could bring our 2 year old's meal out as soon as possible. With all the back and forth almost 30 minutes had passed and our daughter's meal order still hadn't been placed. The manager aggressively came over to confront us about our substitution request at which point we were over it and just asked to pay for our drinks so we could leave. As we were leaving the chef began yelling at my husband that there were no substitutions and accusing us of asking for pork belly (we just said we didn't want a bunch of extra cornbread because they didn't have the other sides and asked if we could have one of the other sides instead - never at any point was pork belly mentioned). What's worse is the manager and chef (also the owner) were making an example of this poor server in front of the entire restaurant- AGAIN none of what happened was his fault. Honestly, we were really excited about trying this place out as we've heard good things about the food, but after tonight's encounter, we won't be giving them another try. There's plenty of amazing restaurants in Banff that actually know how to provide good customer service.

Really enjoyed our meal at Tooloulous! The service was prompt & we were seated with drinks within the first 15minutes. The food was exceptional, a nice generously portioned serving which was seasoned very well. Tooloulous made for a great lunch stop whilst walking the streets of Banff, and I would happily go again!

Would strongly recommend against eating here if you have Celiac disease or an allergy. I noticed a couple reviews saying they were served gluten here after asking for gluten free, but they were few and far between, so I thought I'd be okay. Unfortunately eating lunch here a week ago had me unable to enjoy my visit to Lake Louise, as I was vomiting shortly after arriving. Plus at every other lookout and pullout on the side of the road on the way back to Banff. Complete trip ruiner.

Being kind and giving 2 stars because the food was delicious. On the way down, anyways. No reason not to eat here if you don't have issues with gluten.

Went to the place without any expectations, but ended up having delicious breakfast!
Thank you

Today was a busy day for the Tooloulous team. We arrived for brunch around 10am and there was already a 30 minute wait - no biggie. The host was very kind and accurately quoted our wait time.

After being seated my brunch partner and I ordered 2 meals, one with 1 modification. The food arrived quite quickly but, unfortunately, both meals were incorrect - both had incorrect eggs. We flagged to our server who was genuinely apologetic and offered to remake mine (the other meal was kept, but the correct eggs were made and brought on the side). She assured me it would only take about "4-5 minutes" to resolve and a new meal would be brought out.

Unfortunately, it took more than 20 minutes for a new meal to be delivered - with no update or communication from the server until less than a minute before it was brought out. (There was a crash in the kitchen about 10 minutes after she spoke to them about fixing my meal - so maybe the replacement ended up on the floor and had to be remade again? - but, since our server didn't speak to us again until she was about to deliver my meal, I have no real way of knowing).

By the time my meal arrived my partner had already finished his. My eggs were cooked correctly but to the incorrect doneness (closer to hard rather than soft). Both meals were just okay.

I want to believe that this was a one-off experience: that more often than not they are staffed to be able to accommodate a busy restaurant and provide quality service to their patrons and that incorrect meals are replaced swiftly to tables are able to eat together. Today that was not the case. No one came to complete a quality check on either of our meals, no apology or discount was offered, and we did not have any sort of communication from the manager on duty about the order, the replacement, or the delay in receiving it.

Overall, a mediocre experience for us.

The food was really great and the server was a super nice lady. Would gladly come back and try something new. Strongly recommend if you're curious to try creole for the first time.

Excellent meals, great atmosphere, quick and friendly service. Recommended big time. It might be the best place for food in Banff. I visited for lunch and dinner. We ordered soup, the steak sandwich, the muscles for lunch and snow crab legs, soft shell crab salad and the ribs for dinner. Bon appetite!

We dine at tooloulous every time we are in Banff. The food is always enjoyable but I have to give kudos to our server Theresa and the front end staff. She was remarkable with our 4 year old. She was engaging and entertaining and kind and made for a very enjoyable morning!

Great food and lots of it! We went here for breakfast this morning and I ordered the Jambalaya omelet and a smoked salmon bagel to make sure I had enough to eat. Well that was a mistake! They were both delicious but the portion size of the omelet was more than I was expecting, and I have a big appetite. Even after sharing half of the bagel with my wife I had trouble finishing everything. Great food, great value and great service. I would definitely recommend this place. I only wish I had another day here to try their dinner options.

Had the sweet Tennessee Tea, found it pretty flavorless the ribs were alright, service was good, husband found the seafood meal pretty disappointing for $40

I tried the Sizzling Rivalry. I was hoping that with a Cajun inspired restaurant, the food would be super flavourful. Sadly that was not the case, my dish was bland and very one dimensional. Their wait staff, however, was very nice about it and addressed the concern right away. I got the blueberry pancakes instead and they were good! You get good portion size for the price too!
The staff their definitely saved the experience for me! 10/10!

I have no words.to date this is hands down the BEST breakfast that I have had in Banff.actually Alberta! The staff are phenomenal, they cater to allergies, and they have a really impressive array of hot sauces.including Da Bomb.

The portion sizes are HUGE, the food quality insane. You can choose between skillet potatoes or tomatoes, and you can substitute your toast for the freshest, warmest biscuit I have ever seen.

Go, enjoy, you will not be disappointed!

We love Tooloulous, their selection and food is excellent at great prices and, in spite of staffing difficulties in Banff, our services was great.

I used to go here all the time for breakfast. Today when I tried to get a seat I was refused entry because they couldn’t verify my BC vaccine passport. I showed it to them from the app on my phone. There’s even an official app they could have used to scan my vaccine passport, but the front host person didn’t care about it. They couldn’t even explain to me what it was that they needed to see, only saying that my proof wasn’t enough. I should have asked to speak with someone else, but I was too flabbergasted and put off by the experience. What kind of service is that? I’m glad they’re being thorough with their screening process but this was ridiculous. I’ll start going somewhere else.

Decided to give this place a try and wished we hadn’t Disappointing dinner! Had to send the steak back because it tasted burnt and like it was cooked on a dirty grill. The veal dish had a funky taste and the crab creole was tasteless. Had to drown it in A-1 sauce to eat it. Service was good, nice waiter. But not sure if food quality goes downhill when it’s a slow night.

Maybe the food is a bit better at lunch or dinner but for breakfast it was not great. Tasted similar to a continental breakfast and was not worth the wait.

You sometimes have to wait in line for about 30 minutes to get a table here, but it's well worth the wait. We visited on a snowy day in Winter when literally no one else was in the restaurant and couldn't be happier with it. The food is great, the staff are very courteous and friendly - I don't really know if they're from the south, but they perfectly embody the charm and hospitality of Louisiana. One of my favourite things about this place is their great hot sauce collection, which is at your disposal to use if you would like. I will warn you though, not all of them are for amateurs - some of them can very extremely spicy. Luckily, they have all been labeled with a scale to show how spicy each sauce is.

Such an excellent experience. We ordered the Louisiana Boil and were not disappointed with the portion size and quality. Everything was excellently seasoned. Food was top notch. Our waiter despite being shortstaffed was very pleasant and attended to all our needs.

Loved it so much we came back for lunch a few days later!

Flavour and portion was good. The three stars are because 1 - included a normal bun when requested gluten free.
2 - egg benedict came with solid white and yolk like hard boiled eggs.

Great place to grab a big breakfast before your hike for the day! Went there twice because its that nice!

Friendly service, great portions that don't break your wallet. Food tasted great. The wait time can be long but it's a nice place to grab brunch.

First time I visited the restaurant I ordered a burger to go, and it was honestly THE BEST burger I’d ever had. Two weeks later on my return to Banff from BC, I couldn’t wait to order the same burger. SAD TO SAY that I was told the policy had changed, and if I wanted the burger I had to sit in the restaurant and eat it there, as they were too busy. To me, it was basically a take it or leave it attitude, so I left. Too bad you haven’t mastered how to keep customers coming back.

Loved their breakfast. My husband loved the breakfast sandwich he got. Their freshly squeezed orange juice is amazing, the waitress said it’s like pure gold and I agree. Pancakes were so good. They have a rack for spicy sauces and we found the perfect one. We also went for dinner. Pretty busy but friendly staff. The corn bread was out of the world. Alligator bites were yummy. Fancy names for the drinks. My brother ordered “swamp water “ just for experimenting. It’s basically milk and coke! Yup that’s right! Highly recommend this restaurant.

4 of us went for brunch at 1pm. The wait was not too long on a Friday morning. We ordered dancing jack, hawg & hen, vik & dik and cowboy fricassee hash. The portions were big for a touristy place and the taste was top notch. Would definitely go again!

Neat location and average food. The waiter that was serving us seemed annoyed the entire time (was rude to my friends). Orange juice was great though.

I went there with few friends. They liked the food. They have good selections but they should add some vegan options on their menu.

Poor customer service from both waitress and the manager/owner. We sat for 20 minutes before I had to walk over to the hostess and ask who and where our server was to order our drinks. Drinks took an additional 15 minutes. Placed our food order with our waitress. I expect a restaurant to take less then half an hour give or take to serve once you order. We patiently sat and waited while we watched as people that were seated after us were being served their food. 30 min goes by so I ask the hostess where our food is. Another 20 min goes by and the food comes out. At this point my 4 yr old is starving we are in a bad mood and on top of that the waitress gets our order wrong! We decide to complain to the manager and all he had to say was based on the order time stamp it was placed 20 min ago.yes she forgot to punch the food in and placed the order with the kitchen after we had placed our order 30 min ago.she forgot to punch the order in.it took them 50 min to get our order to our table from when we ordered and it was wrong. She had somehow also managed to get our order wrong. The manager was not understanding in the least bit to the Total amount of time it took to get our food from the moment we sat down. All he cared about was how long the food took from when it was punched into the kitchen. Very close minded in regards to customer service and a guests experience. He did not offer añ apology or offer to provide the wrong meal for free and tried to charge us for it. It turns out the waitress section was in another part of the restaurant and because our table wasn't in her section she completely forgot about thistable/us because she couldnt see us. Poor management. Poor service.

I Would not recommend going here if you want to continue having a great day/experience in Banff. I would highly recommend going here if you have an extra 3 hours to burn and do not mind eating what you did not order Thanks

Great place for breakfast. Does fill up quickly. My wife and I both had the Ragin Cajun omelette. Delicious but not ragin. They have a large selection of hot sauces.now that added heat. We will return.

Great breakfast place. But go there early. If you have to wait in line just go to the neighbor restaurant. I have reviewed that as well. Both great options

Fantastic food! Had the Calamari and Catfish appetizers and the Jambalaya with chicken and sausage (pictured). The portion sizes were enormous. Porcelain plates, glass water bottles and glass cups. Everyone was full and happy after a long, hot day out hiking.

Breakfast was delicious, service was quick, thorough, and kind. Definitely glad to have found this spot.

Nothing really great. Food was not as flavourful as would be expected from a proper Cajun restaurant.

In a town of sameness (GAP, Starbucks, generic tourist trap gift shops to name a few) and pushy, fake tourists, there is Tooloulou's! Although the line up kept us away from their supper hour, the menu looked so good we tried again for breakfast (still a line up, but we were seated fairly quickly). Amazing! The New Orleans vibe felt real- good music and decor. Our waitress was great- efficient, while giving us time to choose. Menu had lots of choices. Omelet was the size of a small cat! Delicious salsa verde and fresh squeezed OJ. The waitress said they are independently owned and you could tell by the quality. Would definitely stop here again (and avoid the shlocky gift shops).

Visited Banff recently and stopped here to try the food. Didn’t have too high of expectations as no one can cook Cajun food better than Louisiana folks. Unfortunately I was right. It wasn’t completely awful, it just had no taste. The grits was okay but it takes more than garlic and pepper to make something taste good. The fried green tomatoes were terrible though. It tasted as though they were battered in dry, unseasoned cornmeal. The batter used should be a well seasoned cornmeal/flour combination. Service was great at least and people who don’t know what Cajun food taste like will probably love it.

Had breakfast here. There was a long wait even though we went rather early. (After all, the popularity of the spot was why we chose it in the first place and then decided to wait!) I wish I could say it was totally worth the wait, and it *almost* was, but not quite:
The good: My Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict was heavenly. My brother got the Carolyn Eggs Benny and that was pretty awesome as well. The home fries and side of bacon were pretty good too. The waitress who served our table was very nice, warm and friendly, even though she must've been super stressed out (the place was packed and the line had doubled in length by the time we were seated). The ambience was great. I liked the decoration. It's a great spot for families and couples (or individuals!) alike.
The not-so-great: My folks got omelettes (Veggie and Western) and while they weren't bad, they were nothing to write home about either.
The not-so-beautiful: My mom's omelet had a long hair in it. I finished her food so I was the one who found it. Now this happens, even with hair nets and all, and I think it's really not that big a deal from a health perspective. However it totally ruins the meal when it happens (for me anyway). I didn't notify staff, I felt bad. It was literally the last few bites.
Overall, I would still recommend the place, as I don't think the negative parts of my experience are representative of it.

Nice place for breakfast in Banff. Get there early because there is a line, although I'm sure most places here do.

Went here for brunch. Service was mediocre, wished they had more servers. It seemed like they were short staffed. We got the Canadian vegetable hashed which was so so, the veggies weren’t fully cooked as the meal seemed like it was rushed. The orange and the blueberry pancakes were REALLY good!

Great food, atmosphere and music!
The Jambalaya, Red Beans and rice (with sausage) and Po boys are amazing. Best cornbread I've had.
So many other items I want to try on their menu will keep me coming back.

POOR SERVICE
Let’s start off by saying that the food was actually pretty good. The Poyboys taste great and as someone who has had a true poyboy in New Orleans, it wasn’t exactly the same, but it was pretty good for sure.

We start off by coming in and being seated, and the server placed all the dirty gross menus that have probably never been wiped, on everyone of our peoples cutlery, gross. In addition to this, all the water glasses were flipped upside down on the table that’s probably been wiped with just a wet rag and not actually sanitized, really?

After about 10 minutes, the server came back and asked what we would like, no drink orders which was very weird, one person in our party asked about one of the dishes and then proceeded to order a bowl of soup. When our meals arrived she got both the soup and the other appetizer that she asked a question about but didn’t ask for.

Overall the service was terrible and this was reflected in the gratuity. Food was good but not amazing. Wouldn’t go back

The food was excellent! The service was good. Get here and prepare to line up. Two things that I didn't like were the hot apple cider It honestly had an off taste and second the cloth they used to wipe the table off.omg it smelled to high heaven and the cups were upside down and smelled like it and my hands and arms. (please guys use another towel everyday that smelled like a reused towel/water that was left in a ball overnight and got smelly) I had to wipe off our glasses after turning them over before drinking out of them.

Crocodile appetizer and a burger. Both excellent! Service was good despite being very busy. Seems making reservations would be a good idea.

Wait is worth it. We waited about an hour but didn’t give up and I’m glad we didn’t! Breakfast menu is extensive. Also a large gluten free menu available (even waffles and pancakes!) **apple cinnamon waffle in picture is gluten free**

Food is Fair. I just don’t like it. I feel like Tim Horton’s chicken Caesar wrap is more flavourful. Also more cheaper by the way. Wait is that fries? I feel like wooden fries
Food Service took them half and hour for the food to serve plus my girlfriends burger was wrong so another half an hour for the burger.

To be fair, everyone else's food looked awesome, my breakfast Po'boy was just egg and lettuce with a small sprinkling of sausage and peppers. Very disappointing after the wait

A perfect place for breakfast. We had to get up early to visit this place but it was worth it. Tasty breakfast, good beverages, quick service

Incredible food, especially the potatoes! But seriously, amazing Benny great service and kid friendly.

Excellent food and service. Crab leg were perfectly prepared. Reservations are recommended, as this place gets full even around 6 pm.