One of the evenings on our trip to Banff was spent in Wild Bill’s. This was somewhere that Mr Tart had visited on a previous trip and he really wanted to return there.
LOCATION:
Wild Bill’s is located at 137 Banff Avenue, right in the centre of the town. The entrance is quite small ... Read review
Advantages: Fun night out, cheap drinks Disadvantages: Food was cold and not exactly gourmet
...to Banff was spent in Wild Bill’s. This was somewhere that Mr Tart had visited on a previous trip and he really wanted to return there.
LOCATION:
Wild Bill’s is located at 137 Banff Avenue, right in the centre of the town. The entrance is quite small because the bar itself is located above a load of shops, but there is a sign outside.
THE EXPERIENCE:
We booked our table because we were going ... ...old saloon with lots of wild west décor and a big dancefloor in the middle.
We were eating in Wild Bill’s that night so had a proper table, not just sitting at the bar. We were served fairly quickly with the waitress bringing our drinks fairly quickly as well. Every night there are different drinks offers. On the night we went there was a beer for just over $3 each which we jumped on! There is usually a beer and another drink on offer, ... more
One of the evenings on our trip to Banff was spent in Wild Bill’s. This was somewhere that Mr Tart had visited on a previous trip and he really wanted to return there.
LOCATION:
Wild Bill’s is located at 137 Banff Avenue, right in the centre of the town. The entrance is quite small because the bar itself is located above a load of shops, but there is a sign outside.
THE EXPERIENCE:
We booked our table because we were going on one of the nights that the band was playing, however I’m not sure that this was necessary as the place had quite a lot of space when we arrived. The bar is quite big and can hold a lot of people, but it did get busier later on. It is set out a bit like an old saloon with lots of wild west décor and a big dancefloor in the middle.
We were eating in Wild Bill’s that night so had a proper table, not just sitting at the bar. We were served fairly quickly with the waitress bringing our drinks fairly quickly as well. Every night there are different drinks offers. On the night we went there was a beer for just over $3 each which we jumped on! There is usually a beer and another drink on offer, with a different one on offer every night.
To eat Mr Tart had the chicken fajitas and I ordered from the specials menu which was chicken with asparagus with Parma ham. Mr Tart was really happy with his choice. The fajitas came on a sizzling hot plate and he said they tasted really good. However, when my meal came it was cold. I really hate eating cold food that’s supposed to be hot so I called the waitress over and told her that the food was cold and that I wasn’t happy with that. She was very apologetic. However, I then had to wait 25 minutes for a replacement! I was really annoyed by this as it meant that Mr Tart had finished his food by the time mine came out and a friend we were meeting arrived before my meal had even made its appearance meaning she had to watch me scoff! The manager (or at least someone senior) came over to take my original food away but was not apologetic at all and seemed quite annoyed that I was sending the food back. Despite all the palaver the eventual food was really tasty and I would recommend it. When it came to paying our bill, there was a delay in bringing the bill to us. When we got it we figured why as I hadn’t been charged for my food, and the waitress seemed to have gone back and made sure this happened. I wasn’t necessarily expecting this but it was a really nice surprise for us and made me a lot happier about the food experience!
The menu is made up of what I would think of as quite traditional American food. There are things like potato skins, nachos and chicken wings to start. For mains there are burgers, ribs and steaks. For vegetarians there is a veggie burger or salads but the choice is minimal for veggies as seems to be usual in North America. For dessert there are things like key lime pie, apple pie and weirdly enough an English style bread pudding. The food is not gourmet; it is basically fast food. However, it was quite tasty and I think if you go somewhere with the name Wild Bill’s you don’t really expect anything else. The prices for the food were fairly standard for Banff (i.e. probably more than in some other areas).
The main reason that we went to Wild Bill’s was for the entertainment. We visited on a Wednesday which was line dancing and calf roping night! The line dancing was a little disappointing because they only picked about 6 people to do it and it would have been fun if everyone had been given the opportunity to have a go. The line dancing was led by a couple from Calgary who were good but again it was annoying as they were talking over a mike and only the 6 people on the floor really needed to hear them.
The calf roping was quite fun. Volunteers (or people who’d been coerced into it!) were taken up onto the dancefloor. They were sat on a stationary saddle and told how to use the lasso. They then had to try to rope the calf which was released across the dancefloor. The calf was a metal calf on wheels and so was slightly easier to catch than your average small cow! Most of the people were seriously bad at trying to rope the calf, many got closer to different people than the calf! Towards the end Mr Tart got up to have a go. I was pretty convinced he didn’t stand a chance and so was he to be honest, so it was a nice surprise when he managed to actually get the calf on the third attempt! Everyone had three attempts although very few people actually managed it. They gave prizes for the winners and Mr Tart got a bumper sticker, cap and a free sleigh ride. We thought that the sleigh ride would be a public one but when we got there we got a private one complete with chocolates (but we think they just gave us this as they weren’t that busy. The sleigh ride was from another local company which sponsors the prizes. We were really happy with the prizes and it turned out to be a great bonus to the evening.
Once the calf roping and line dancing were over the band started. The band was the Brent Lee Band and they were absolutely fantastic. They have a country sound but will play pretty much anything and seemed to know every song that the audience suggested. They also played some of their own songs including the ‘Tits’ song which was hilarious. The band were the type that you just can’t help but tap your foot along to and we did our fair share of dancing up on the floor. Even if you’re not wanting to eat at Wild Bill’s I would recommend going in for a drink on a night the band are playing as they really are worth a listen. They seem to play a few nights a week and the schedule is well advertised outside the entrance. Wild Bill’s also has other entertainments on different nights, including lots of other bands and a karaoke night.
CONCLUSION:
I really liked my night in Wild Bill’s but I think this was more due to the band than anything else. The food was fine, but I don’t think I’d necessarily eat there again. I did like my meal but the fact that it was cold really annoyed me. The fact that they have offers on drinks was really good and made our evening so much cheaper. I would recommend Wild Bill’s but not really as a restaurant. I would recommend it as a fun bar and think that if you’re looking for somewhere in Banff to have a fun night out with some good entertainment this is the place to go.
