La Belle Patate

Had a couple of poutine’s for takeout. One classic and one smoked meat. Amazing. Hand cut fries with skin on??? yes, Cheese curds that are melted, not shredded cheese??? yes, Flavorful gravy, not to salty and not too much that your fries swim in it??? Yes!!! ³⁄₃ a perfect poutine.
Well done, can’t think of a time when I enjoyed a better poutine!

Poutine for the win. Giant portions of Poutine at that!
Stopped for a missed lunch but dinner is too far away snack on the way into Canmore. Had read the previous reviews and new to expect big portions so we shared a regular size, especially after noting the bowl sizes they had displayed. Oh man was it a huge portion. They pack the fries in, cover with a ton of toppings and then slowly pour the gray in the cracks so it all fits. Everything was made fresh too.
We shared the «Ian» which has grilled, onions, mushrooms and smoked meat. Good size chunks of smoked meat and they don’t skimp on any of the topping they add. Everything was made fresh and the gravy was quite delicious. Could have used some more salt in the gravy — not something you normally say when it comes to poutine. I was sad I couldn’t convince the boy to share 2x small portions but we could hardly finish the regular between us and agreed that maybe we should have just shared one small as there was no way we would be hungry for dinner anytime soon: D
This is going to turn into a must every time we head out to Canmore. Just beware they are not open on Sundays for post mountain hike food.

Wow!
Stopped in for a «snack» this afternoon. Must admit. The great reviews drewus in… but really… they had is at «Poutine»!
Perfect. Friendly. High quality ingredients.
…
Amazing poutine!
Somewhat «off the beaten path», located in what felt like the industrial area of Canmore.
So very worth it!
We aren’t in this town often… but when we wre again… we’ll be back!

When I went: Feb. 28, 2016
What I got: hot dog poutine
Hands down, the BEST poutine I’ve ever had. The fries were delicious (and house made!), the gravy was so flavourful, and the hot dogs were obviously amazing. If only this place was closer to Edmonton — I would love to try them all!

I shared the regular sized ian poutine, which has grilled onions, mushrooms, bacon, and smoked meat. It has a decent amount of cheese and gravy. The only thing I felt it needed was a tiny bit more salt.

I feel like I’m giving away these 4 star reviews free and easy today, but when the food is this good… it’s definitely well earned.
I love everything about this place and from the moment I walked in, it felt like I was in a real life reiteration of ‘Chilly Beach’ — a Canadian cartoon that features a bunch of Canadians doing the stuff that Canadians do, like playing hockey, drinking beer, and being eaten by polar bears. Chilly Beach plays on nearly every conceivable stereotype that people have about Canadians in a satirical manner including one character, Jaques LaRock, who always wears skates and owns a greasy spoon where he serves poutine that he makes using his mother’s recipe.
I don’t think the guys behind the service counter are wearing skates, but the hockey memorabilia (of mostly Montréal Canadiens) that lines the walls of this tiny place really give off that ‘Poutine eating/​French Canadian’ vibe and I love it all.
My teen was in poutine heaven with his unbelievably huge ‘Mexican’ poutine with ground beef, corn, jalepenos, salsa, cheese and hubby was pretty happy with his small sized poutine with smoked meat. I went the traditional route and just had sauce and curds on my poutine. The steamy that I ordered was not my favourite and that is why this is only a four star review and not a five. I think they could use better hotdogs and my bun was super squashed and ‘over steamed’ if that’s possible.
This place is small, with very few tables, so be prepared to wait a bit if you are staying in to eat. There are picnic tables outside so there are probably more places to sit in the summer. Good news is that it doesn’t take too long to hoover up the poutine and tables turn over fast. Plus, they are really patient if you decide to change your order for take away, then back to ‘to stay’ multiple times…

Love the food! Great place to get away from Main Street and enjoy a relaxing vibe. The Smoked meat sandwich is great.

My boyfriend and I had been in Canada for 8 days and only had poutine once. We HAD to eat more poutine before we left for home the next day. We were thrilled to find a place that specialized in this Canadian comfort food. The lady at the counter was nice and very helpful. We ordered the Montréal smoked meat sandwich and a large «Ian» poutine. I almost died when I saw what the large looked like. Boy, was my boyfriend in sodium heaven. This might have been the best part of the trip for him. The sandwich was a little strong for my taste, but that’s just me (I know, whats wrong with me?). The poutine was amazing, but I couldn’t eat a lot of it (too heavy). I’ve already recommended this place to others visiting the area in the near future.

Low-​brow but amazingly well done. I am officially ruined for all other poutine imitators. (Admittedly, I’m from the States, so take with appropriate grain of salt.)
Still: the curds are squeaky, the potatoes are hand-​cut, and it does brisk business despite a weird location next to a wood shop in an industrial park.
Oh, and have the Spruce Beer. It’s like a delicious sugary air freshener! You owe yourself the experience.

Sitting on the top row at the Stampeders game we heard the woman talking French to her child a few seats away. Being from out of town, we kindly asked her if there was any decent poutine in Calgary. The woman, from Quebec, struggled to come up with a place. Meanwhile, she mentioned that on our way to Banff there was a place that closely resembled real Eastern Canadian poutine. That place was La Belle Patate. We were determined to give it a try. Surprisingly, this place is nowhere near where tourists can find it. It’s tucked away in a business area where an out of towner would never look.
Upon arrival, we heard the staff speaking to each other in French and knew the food would be at least better than average. A peek behind the counter shed light on freshly cut potatoes, homemade gravy and quality sides. I ordered the Smoked Meat Poutine and my buddy tried the meat poutine. Each come in three sizes and unless you’re a horse the medium size is more than enough. In fact, you’ll be stuffed for the day if you eat the entire thing.
I can’t imagine anyone complaining about the poutine. The portions are large. There plenty of flavor and ample curd cheese. The toppings are better than average, too. While I’ve only had poutine in a half dozen places in the province this was the best we had and I’m banking you’ll be challenged to find anything better. This is the closest thing we have had to the real stuff in Montréal and Quebec City. Be prepared to enjoy every bite.

Spent a week in Canada white water rafting with my Calgary grandson. Mentioned I would like to try Poutine sometime on my trip. We stopped in Canmore on the way back from Golden and had a wonderful quick lunch at La Belle Patate. My grandson said it was the best Poutine west of Montréal and after eating there I would not doubt it. Not fancy and hidden in an industrial park it is certainly worth seeking out. We both had traditional Poutine but I was drooling over the Smoked Meat (pork) sandwich the fellow next to me had ordered. A for sure the next time I am in town. Highly recommended.

Great place. Busy even though not in town. but in the industrial area.
The plus point=Ample parking.
Food tastes=Good Portion size=Good. Staff friendliness=Good Cleanliness=Good.
Price=a little bit pricy.
A little more sitting would help. Be ready to wait a bit for your food… of course coz its not made in a factory. That what makes it worth it.

Great place! A gem in Canmore. Our group each got a burger and split a poutine with meat. The burgers were what you would expect, but the poutine! Wow, so good. I wouldn’t have expected it in Alberta. :P The portion sizes for the pouines are huge. Great for sharing.

The poutine was great. The staff were pleasant. But it seems like the charm of the establishment is lost in the last year. My son loved this place because of all the neat mr. potato heads and québécois nostalgia he is 3 years old he said «i miss the batman potato head» among other things. He also said «I liked this place better before. They only have 2 things that are cool now. The trophy and the helmet They should get get some more of those cool things «
I am glad these guys are busy, but the 30% price jump loses one star from me and the missing pieces of charm loses another star from my son.

I’ve been on the hunt for «good poutine» for a while. Being from the Southwest in the good ol’ US of A, I don’t come by poutine very often. So I will preface this review by saying that I have not had a ton of poutine.
However, of all the poutine I have tried in my quest, this seems the most authentic. The curds are indeed squeaky and come in large delectable chunks. The fries are piping hot and fresh, doused with a healthy dose of flavorful gravy, but not to the point of drowning in it.
The hubs and I tried both the traditional poutine and the shepherd’s pie poutine– which consisted of ground beef, sautéed onions, and corn. Both were delicious. The small size is a healthy portion and we couldn’t finish either! It was so good but we were incredibly full.
To top it off, the kind man taking our order was very friendly, serving us with smiles and jokes. We both felt welcomed here and were happy to grab some Canadian comfort food in a low key, casual place after a day of hiking.
Also– If you are up for trying something new– we were introduced to «Spruce beer,» a non– alcoholic fizzy beverage that tastes like ginger ale, gin, and a ton of sugar mixed together. Or, another way of putting it is a sweet fizzy liquid pine tree. Either way, fascinating and tasty– try it here!

La Belle Patate — or ‘The Pretty Potato’ en anglais — has the BEST poutine in all of Western Canada.
(I’ve lived in Montréal for 5 years, so I know what good poutine is like. Thanks.)
This place is a GEM. It is hard to find. it is tucked away in an Industrial area of Canmore. But that doesnt deter the fans — every time I’ve been there, the place is packed! And for good reason! The whole place is decorated with vintage Quebec paraphernalia. The owner Jean is from Montréal and is incredibly friendly and service-​oriented. As is the rest of the staff!
But the best part about this place is the poutine. Holy guacamole goodness, the poutine is phenomenal! Their cheese curds are real squeaky (that’s how you know it’s good), the gravy is hearty, and the smoked meat makes me want to cry tears of joy. Everything is extremely authentic, delicious and the portions are amazing! A small is more than enough for an average eater. My favourite is the Ian poutine. This dreamboat is loaded with tons of squeaky cheese, gravy, thick juicy smoked meat, sauteed onions and mushrooms.
I cannot recommend this place enough. Every time someone asks me where to go eat in Canmore/​Banff, my first recommendation is La Belle Patate. The drive is MORE than worth it! My top spot in Canmore!

We stopped at La Belle Patate after a hike over in Peter Loughheed PP. Trying to undo all our good hiking exercise with some poutine. It was empty when we arrived but as we were placing our order, it got really busy quickly. All the groups snatched up the tables and we sat at the bar stools. Tip, grab a seat first. We ordered a cheeseburger and OBC grilled hot dog, both of which were «very average» in the words of my co-​poutiner. We shared a medium pricey ($ 12) meat lovers poutine and it was pretty good. Well worth the trip for poutine only. Overall service was good, I asked for a «lil’ bitta mustard» and the chefs made sure to check when I picked up my order that it was ok. Finished up, and overheard that they ran out of hamburger patties as we were leaving. Overall, good experience.

My friends and I stopped by this place on our way back to Calgary from a lovely hike in Banff. It is not on a main road and a little hidden, yet the restaurant was quite busy — a good sign that delicious food was to come! Before I entered, I noticed a variety of stickers on its door for food awards/​recognition from various sources, including my trusty Unilocal and TripAdvisor.
I am a vegetarian that has never had poutine before because I have yet to come by a place that serves vegetarian-​friendly gravy. My friends were raving about the poutine this restaurant served and I was very happy to learn that their gravy was vegetarian (I asked the kitchen staff to be sure). I ordered the Veggie Poutine which consisted of cheese curds, sautéed onions, peppers and mushrooms topped with gravy, of course. All the poutines are made to order: the fries are pre-​cut, but fried fresh in front of you. I particularly liked that they use cheese curds. My first poutine experience was amazing! I ordered a small ($ 8.90) which was more than enough for one.
The restaurant is small but cute and has a family-​run ambiance. Orders are placed at the cashier and your name is called when they’re ready — about 5 – 7 mins as it’s made fresh. There are about 7 tables inside and a few outside to enjoy your food. Quebec license plates and flags decorate the walls. The kitchen is open so you can watch the staff prepare your food. I do not typically eat greasy/​fried food, but I was satisfied with my poutine and oddly enough did not find it overly heavy. Highly recommend!

Montréal smoked meat was so juicy and tender — we think it’s better than Montréal’s Schwartz. Sometimes when you eat smoked meat it gets stuck on your teeth… that wasn’t the case here because it was so soft. We also had the «Ian» poutine — mushrooms, onions, montreal smoked meat, bacon, gravy and cheese curds. When I had a piece of the meat I thought I had eaten a piece of weiner but it was the smoked meat, just so soft the texture was like a hot dog. Very good poutine; not too salty like some others and toppings of onions and meat were very well done. The hours of operation on Unilocal is wrong. It’s open 11am-​8pm everyday except Mondays.

This is the sort of place where you put a napkin on your lap, throw out your table manners, and go face first in delicious sandwich that is the size of your head. Whenever I use the fries to mop up the sauce on my plate and then get sad when said plate is clean, I know it was a good sandwich.
This is a medium-​sized sandwich shop on the opposite (ie non-​touristy) side of Canmore. It’s tucked away in an industrial-​section style strip mall near wholesale retailers and factories. However, it is well worth the drive (and the getting lost potential). The menu is packed full of poutine, sandwiches, burgers, and hot dogs which are perfect after a long day of skiing or a long drive from another part of Canada.
There are a variety of styles of poutine (such as southwest chicken) and they even give you the choice if you want your hot dog grilled or steamed. Everything is made to order so you know you are getting the freshest combo.
The vegetarian options include a veggie poutine, a veggie sandwich, and a veggie burger. The burger is a frozen patty and not made in house (whereas the hamburgers are) but the grilled veggie sandwich is heaven. Seriously, I wanted to lick my plate when I was done. My husband ordered the steak and pepperoni and was quite happy when he got chunks of pepperoni and a sandwich that was over half meat. They clearly do not believe at skimping.
The reason I didn’t ultimately give this place 5-​stars is because the buns were pretty plain and the veggie burger was a complete throw away (they couldn’t even say what was in it.) For a place that clearly takes such pride in its sandwiches and burgers, I would hope that the non-​meat varieties were just as important.
Either way, this place is a welcome change from the «gourmet» (read: expensive) places in Canmore and if I lived in the area, it wouldn’t take me long to be a regular. In fact, I wish I could go tomorrow.