If you expect to have traditional Italian recipes, you will be disappointed in the food here. The chef has made his own interpretation of what Italian food is. The agnolotti to me was too big, but tasted good. It had a mushroom sauce and I enjoyed it. My husband had tagliatelle carbonara which he enjoyed although not a traditional recipe and felt it needed a bit more pecorino in it. I was skeptical about the chicken saltemboca but ordered it anyway as veal saltemboca is one of my favorite dishes. I didn't love it it was a deviation too much from the traditional simple recipe for my liking and it did not have any sage in it! Totally tasteless and dry. We like the JPL, but it's undergoing renovations right now and the main lodge is closed upstairs. Even though the staff and manager were excellent the meal was grossly overpriced.
Mike
What a wonderful way to start 2026. The food was absolutely delicious, especially the beef and the mushroom ravioli. Our server was fantastic and she helped make this an outstanding experience.
Stina
Had a beautiful experience for New Year's Eve with family. The fixed menu had good options between vegetarian and meat choices. The foie gras preparation was not palatable in my opinion - way too “liquidy” so it turned me off. It just wasn't what I was expecting but that's ok! The cauliflower risotto was lukewarm and not good - however the scallops and risotto was delicious but a bit salty. The bison was perfect, loved the polenta and an jus served with it. Dessert choices excellent. The service by Christina was great and the signature cocktail was divine - however very expensive for one cocktail at $45. But it was New Years Eve so we splurged! The live musician played amazing classical guitar throughout dinner. It was pricey as is the Fairmont - but it made for a lovely start to the new year!!!
Nicole
The New Year's Eve dinner was fantastic. The food was excellent and the service was equally good. We had a great time and a truly memorable night
Kristyn
The staff were so friendly and attentive, they treated us amazing and Kieran gave great recommendations.
Itz C
We visited Orso Trattoria and found the experience quite mixed. There were many empty tables, yet we still had to wait about 30 minutes to be seated. The steak was good, but it took around 20 minutes to arrive. I was also surprised that the scallop dish only came with three pieces😂 which isn’t even enough to share between two people, especially at a price of $38.🤷🏻
What disappointed me the most was the service attitude. I’ve been to many Fairmont locations, so I can tell when staff are genuinely attentive. ONE server (I don't want to mention his name but hope he can see it )spent a long time chatting with other guests, yet barely acknowledged us. I don’t think we were difficult customers, so this treatment felt quite unexpected.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 2
Erin
This was an incredible dinner. The food was some of the tastiest we have ever had with beautiful presentation. Amazing service by our waiter.
Shawn S
Food was not amazing or great. For the price I guess I just expected more. Besides that the service was pretty good and the atmosphere and vibes are really nice. We tried the short rib ravioli which tasted extra el dente or slightly undercooked, the sablefish was bland and tasted like butter, the lamb pasta tasted like canned corned mutton with linguine. No knock to the people that run this establishment they were really nice but the prices do not match the food.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Roy
Staff were great but food was far below Fairmont standard. Salad was flavourless and pasta was so salty it was inedible.
Allen
The circus and green salad was a study in contrasts crunchy,soft, sweet, tangy, savoury, and umami. Eat bite a little different than the last. The lamb taggleatelle was delicious. Full of flavour, and very hearty. Not sure what will follow as JPL renovates, but I'm hoping Orso will remain as it has been one of the best restaurants here for a long time.
Beautiful spot to view the mountains. Ambience lovely, food was excellent from start to finish as well as an interesting drinks menu. Service personable. A definite recommend.
Love Blues
The atmosphere is spectacular, the team's service was exceptional. Our attendant name is Jason.The experience peaked with the dessert, a truly unique take on tiramisu .It wasn't the traditional version, perfect blend
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Crystal
Beautiful view of the mountains from our table. The server was fantastic (Christina) and even provided a free mocktail for our celebration. The portion size for the beet salad was very small, but was a good portion for the spare rib pasta. The risotto was a large portion but we didn't care for the flavours. The chicken was good but average. The panna cotta was fantastic! Mocktails had some interesting combos, but were not to our taste (the drink with zero proof amaretto was extremely strong). Overall, we felt the cost was high for the food received but the service and views were excellent.
Jenny Lee
The lobster pasta was delectable. The steak was one of the best we had in years. It was perfectly seared on the outside and incredibly tender on the inside. Quite a feat for the tenderloin cut. The service was impeccable. Mathius (sp?) was attentive and knowledgeable about the food and wine. And of course the VIEW! It was indeed a lovely evening out. My partner claimed that it was his best culinary experience in Jasper/Banff.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jerry
Excellent food and drink, top shelf service. Very nice atmosphere looking out at the lake.
If you expect to have traditional Italian recipes, you will be disappointed in the food here. The chef has made his own interpretation of what Italian food is. The agnolotti to me was too big, but tasted good. It had a mushroom sauce and I enjoyed it. My husband had tagliatelle carbonara which he enjoyed although not a traditional recipe and felt it needed a bit more pecorino in it. I was skeptical about the chicken saltemboca but ordered it anyway as veal saltemboca is one of my favorite dishes. I didn't love it it was a deviation too much from the traditional simple recipe for my liking and it did not have any sage in it! Totally tasteless and dry. We like the JPL, but it's undergoing renovations right now and the main lodge is closed upstairs. Even though the staff and manager were excellent the meal was grossly overpriced.
What a wonderful way to start 2026. The food was absolutely delicious, especially the beef and the mushroom ravioli. Our server was fantastic and she helped make this an outstanding experience.
Had a beautiful experience for New Year's Eve with family. The fixed menu had good options between vegetarian and meat choices. The foie gras preparation was not palatable in my opinion - way too “liquidy” so it turned me off. It just wasn't what I was expecting but that's ok! The cauliflower risotto was lukewarm and not good - however the scallops and risotto was delicious but a bit salty. The bison was perfect, loved the polenta and an jus served with it. Dessert choices excellent. The service by Christina was great and the signature cocktail was divine - however very expensive for one cocktail at $45. But it was New Years Eve so we splurged! The live musician played amazing classical guitar throughout dinner. It was pricey as is the Fairmont - but it made for a lovely start to the new year!!!
The New Year's Eve dinner was fantastic. The food was excellent and the service was equally good. We had a great time and a truly memorable night
The staff were so friendly and attentive, they treated us amazing and Kieran gave great recommendations.
We visited Orso Trattoria and found the experience quite mixed. There were many empty tables, yet we still had to wait about 30 minutes to be seated. The steak was good, but it took around 20 minutes to arrive. I was also surprised that the scallop dish only came with three pieces😂 which isn’t even enough to share between two people, especially at a price of $38.🤷🏻
What disappointed me the most was the service attitude. I’ve been to many Fairmont locations, so I can tell when staff are genuinely attentive. ONE server (I don't want to mention his name but hope he can see it )spent a long time chatting with other guests, yet barely acknowledged us. I don’t think we were difficult customers, so this treatment felt quite unexpected.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 2
This was an incredible dinner. The food was some of the tastiest we have ever had with beautiful presentation. Amazing service by our waiter.
Food was not amazing or great. For the price I guess I just expected more. Besides that the service was pretty good and the atmosphere and vibes are really nice. We tried the short rib ravioli which tasted extra el dente or slightly undercooked, the sablefish was bland and tasted like butter, the lamb pasta tasted like canned corned mutton with linguine. No knock to the people that run this establishment they were really nice but the prices do not match the food.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Staff were great but food was far below Fairmont standard. Salad was flavourless and pasta was so salty it was inedible.
The circus and green salad was a study in contrasts crunchy,soft, sweet, tangy, savoury, and umami. Eat bite a little different than the last. The lamb taggleatelle was delicious. Full of flavour, and very hearty. Not sure what will follow as JPL renovates, but I'm hoping Orso will remain as it has been one of the best restaurants here for a long time.
Restaurantji Recommends
Beautiful spot to view the mountains. Ambience lovely, food was excellent from start to finish as well as an interesting drinks menu. Service personable. A definite recommend.
The atmosphere is spectacular, the team's service was exceptional. Our attendant name is Jason.The experience peaked with the dessert, a truly unique take on tiramisu .It wasn't the traditional version, perfect blend
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Beautiful view of the mountains from our table. The server was fantastic (Christina) and even provided a free mocktail for our celebration. The portion size for the beet salad was very small, but was a good portion for the spare rib pasta. The risotto was a large portion but we didn't care for the flavours. The chicken was good but average. The panna cotta was fantastic! Mocktails had some interesting combos, but were not to our taste (the drink with zero proof amaretto was extremely strong). Overall, we felt the cost was high for the food received but the service and views were excellent.
The lobster pasta was delectable. The steak was one of the best we had in years. It was perfectly seared on the outside and incredibly tender on the inside. Quite a feat for the tenderloin cut. The service was impeccable. Mathius (sp?) was attentive and knowledgeable about the food and wine. And of course the VIEW! It was indeed a lovely evening out. My partner claimed that it was his best culinary experience in Jasper/Banff.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Excellent food and drink, top shelf service. Very nice atmosphere looking out at the lake.
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