There’s a new tour in Banff and it’s delicious. Nibble Tours is an all-Canadian food tour that visits some of the best, locally owned and operated restaurants, fudgeries, breweries, and more in downtown Banff. Led by company owner Joanna McBride, this tour was a fun, fact-filled exploration of the flavourful side of Banff, complete with facts about the mountains, Canada, food, and so much more.

The tour started by the sunny steps of the Visitor Centre. Jo had everything organized for an excellent day, including reusable napkins, fun Canadian facts, and Timbits. If you’re not Canadian and don’t know what a Timbit is, you’ll have to take the tour to find out. Then we were underway! We enjoyed Canadian classics like poutine, Saskatoon berry drinks, and local mountain tea. Some stops featured savoury bites like bison, elk tacos, and salmon flatbread, while others were sweet treats like homemade fudge, grizzly paws, and a quick bonus stop for a Beavertail because we caught the right moment where the lineup wasn’t too long.

The tour included some unique stops as well at places such as Jolene’s Tea House, which incorporates the delicious traditions of mountain tea with the long history of the Brewster family in Banff and the ghost town of Bankhead, a nearby town that used to be a coal mining operation before it was shut down. And while balsamic vinegars and olive oils aren’t the first thing that comes to mind on a food tour, a stop at Evoolution was also an interesting addition to the tour that brought to light some of the fantastic flavours of this unique little store.

The drinks were all a hit as well. With beer from local Banff Ave Brewing to the very Canadian Caesar finishing off the tour on a spectacular rooftop patio, the tour has just the right amount of everything for everyone involved.

“I’m really working on building relationships with the restaurants in town,” says owner Joanna McBride, “I want the places we visit to be local and family run. I’m not going to any of the big chains with this tour.”

The tour typically focuses on “three, three, and three,” meaning three savoury options, three sweet options, and three drinks. Of course, the tours can be catered to individual needs. If there are children on the tours, the focus will be more of fun local food, whereas if the tour is all adults, there could be visits to places like Banff Ave Brewing Co. for locally brewed beer.

The tour took about 3 hours and by the end of it, everyone was full and satisfied. If you’re looking for a unique way to experience the town of Banff this summer, try a Nibble Tour and discover the taste of the mountains!

Kate Barker