St James’s Gate Olde Irish Pub

I’ve been here on a Friday at 11pm, didn’t like the crowd and the music. We went further to Rose & Crown and liked much more there.

Get the prime rub samdwich. It’s delicious. Lots of beers on draft, bartender was helpful in suggestions

Good food and nice staff! Their spinach salad i love and i tried their shrimp po bo. yum. but what really sets this place apart is how friendly and nice everyone is. It is like going into your neighborhood joint when you are away from home. Thanks!

BEST Irish pub that I have EVER been to!
The bartender knows how to pour a Guinness like no one I’ve ever seen before!
The food is traditional Irish fare … and soooo yummy!
I would not only visit again… but this place is reason enough just to come back to Banff!

Trying to avoid the chains while in Banff, decided to give this spot a try. Turns out it is the standard «Irish» pub full of generic pub food.
Tried that traditional Olde Irish combination of nachos and wings — just like back in Dublin. The wings were the standard prepared ones you’d find in any spot that doesn’t specialize in wings but needs them on the menu. The nachos were overcooked — as in the cheese turned into cement that bound all the chips together in one giant brick.
The selection of beers was OK, but very overpriced.
Our waitress was indifferent and gave the minimal amount of attention possible.

Great pub atmosphere. We had little yorkies and cod bites for appies (with Guinness and Cider) and then for main we had bangers/​mash and beef soup with some spicy tater tots (with more Guinness and Cider). Everything was excellent!

Wow! My husband and I use to enjoy eating at this establishment a lot! It was our go to in Banff! The menu was creative even though I always ordered the seafood boxty… the food was always delicious. We ate there yesterday and what a disappointment! The menu has changed which is understandable but so has the quality of food! I had the fish and chips thinking that in a pub they would be great… what a disaster. The fish batter was too thick and over cooked and the fish itself tasted like it had not been completely thawed before it was fried leaving it a soggy mess inside. I don’t know if they have new owners or a new chef but that is one restaurant I will be avoiding from now on!

Steak and Guinness pie was to die for! My husband had shepherds pie and thought it could’ve been better, a little dry in the mean or maybe over baked when put together. Otherwise cool place and good!

The Irish poutine was hearty with sausage and tasty gravy! It’s a great appetizer to a thirst quenching beer, as well as an awesome dish to share with your buds.
I’ve tasted better fish and chips. The fish was slightly overly crispy and too crunchy — bits of it were burnt unfortunately. The fish however was moist and delicious! (Wish we had ordered another side of coleslaw)
The chicken pot pie was soooooo good! The crust was flaky, chicken was savory — the dish was overall really tasty. I would definitely recommend this pot pie.
I want to try the Shepherd’s pie the next time I’m back.
Waiters are super friendly!

Went for tuesday’s specials! $ 10 (canadian) for fish and chips and other irish foods.
Fish and chips was great (just like they make in england, not the americanized tiny fish strips).
I also ordered the shepards pie to go. It looked like a small meal but its hearty and was one of the better tasting meals i had at Banff and didn’t cost me the usual $ 25+ dollars other restaurants there charge. If they had the $ 10 deals every day i would have probably eaten there for every meal lol.

The food was delicious, the service was slow.
I had the apple chipotle chicken burger and it was amazing. Lots of perfectly cooked bacon & coleslaw gave it so much flavour, and it was a little different which i appreciated!
The fish and chips were great too, perfectly cooked.
Would definitely try this place again.

Always the best place to visit in Banff. I make it a point to come here every time I’m in town.
The Lil Yokirs are to doe for and the poutine is exquisite! Yum!
Harp, Guinness, Smithwicks, and all the scotch your little lush heart desires.
This place is less a pub and more a destination.

This is a place of comfort that I have frequented when in Banff. It is as cozy and as authentic a pub as can be. The woodwork is imported from Ireland. The ambience, the service and the food are all wonderful. The Asparagus and Guinness soup is a favourite that I always look forward to! The other menu items have all been great and each time there are different temptations… The Sticky Toffee Pudding was phenomenal! I look forward to the next opportunity to visit. :-)

New found fave in Banff during my last visit! They have a great selection of drinks local and international. Crowd is chill and bartenders are awesome in suggesting drinks if you’re a first timer at this Irish pub. Came in late around midnight but they had a band that played until closing! Heard ‘em play songs by Phoenix, RHCP, etc. needless to say I was a happy kid. Wish I could’ve tried some of their food but at least I have a good reason to come back here!

Excellent atmosphere. Superb Mango curry with prawns. Live music on sat nights. Will definitely come back…

Der St. James Irish Pub ist zentral in Banff Downtown und ist typisch eingerichtet, es gibt eine große Auswahl an Bieren from the Tap, wir hatten die Pub-​Nachos (kleine Portion für 2 Personen zur Vorspeise reicht dicke) sowie Burger mit Yumfries und Fish and Chips waren sehr gut.

They have specials daily. But Thursday Night is especially awesome here: $ 1 off Irish beer selections and all-​$ 10 Irish fares! (Sides are a half off as well.) I wish we had been here sooner. I rank this place my favorite in Banff.
My husband and I ordered Lamb Stew and Irish Mac N Cheese w/​bangers. OMG, they were so good! And the waitress was very nice as well.
I wish I could take this place back to LA!

We had a really great experience here. They handled our large group well on a rainy day. No issues with bill splitting. Food was great, server was friendly. This probably could have been a 5 star rating if not for 2 things– 1. The women’s bathroom was in quite the state… one door didn’t shut, another didn’t lock, and the 3^rd and final stall appeared to close and lock, but then slowly opened as you were employing the use of the facilities. Annnddd 2. We ordered another drink with our meals and they never came. She never offered again to refill our emptied drinks either.
It was still a great place to come to get out of the rain.

Went here on a whim with some friends we bumped into randomly while visiting Banff National Park from Portland, OR. We ended up going here twice and it was the only place we are out at while camping near Banff.
The food was amazing. The prices were a little high for my taste, but I got over that when I realized the Canadian dollar is lower than the U.S. right now. The first night I had the shepherd’s pie. So flavorful and yummy. The portion size was perfect and they gave you plenty of fries too. My wife got the chicken pot pie, which was larger and just as amazing. I swear there was a whole chicken inside it.
The second time we went I got adventurous and decided to try the mango curry which is a house specialty (at an Irish pub?). It was actually really good, and comparable to what you’d get at a Thai place, but the price wasn’t so good. $ 19 and then another $ 5 for a small amount of grilled chicken strips seemed steep. Tasted great though. My friends and wife stuck to the chicken pot pie and burgers the second night, which are reliably good.
Overall, service was excellent. Waitress checked in a lot even though they were busy. This will definitely be a stop if I’m ever here again.

So unexpected! We came in for drinks while we waited for our original restaurant of choice to open up our seats and ended up staying for dinner instead. What a great decision! Pub food extremely well executed. One of the best Mac ‘n cheese ever! We had it with bangers as well and it was sooooo gooood! The whole dish was so tasty, and not overly salted like it normally would be. I actually felt good eating it and not grossly stuffed afterwards. The fish and chips was great as well. The fish was so flaky and the fries so crisp. I didn’t love the coleslaw as it wasn’t as creamy as I like it to be.
My friends also had the bangers and mash. I could eat those bangers all the time.

Great food off the beaten path a bit in Banff but worth finding !
I had the best beef dip I have ever had in my life, my husband had the club and wished he had ordered mine. The salad was a side, it was OK, but overlooked by how great the sandwich was.
Service was ok. I will return again on my next trip !