Canadian
Non-veg

Serves meat, vegan options available. Formerly Sunfood Cafe, a vegetarian restaurant, now no longer vegetarian since 2008. But has a few vegan options. Open Mon-Sun 10:00am-10:00pm.


Venue map for Elita
© OpenStreetMap contributors

18 Reviews

First Review by jd6

Hannahelse

Points +76

Vegan
10 Dec 2024

Trying to do too much

The menu is too large and from a variety of cultures. That's a red flag anywhere. The food here is completely mediocre and overpriced. Chef should focus in on doing a smaller menu well. This place has a weird vibe.

Updated from previous review on 2024-12-10

nehakumar88

Points +57

Vegetarian
06 Aug 2024

Yummy Options

We stumbled upon Elita while walking through Canmore. The owner of the restaurant was knowledgeable about different cuisines and was able to guide us through the menu. We are vegetarian, but we do not do eggs. The owner had mentioned three other dishes that were not on the menu and said one was a pasta dish. We asked him if the pasta was made from egg and he assured us that it was not, and even brought out the pasta packet to show us. We’re from the US and it can be hard to find restaurants that accommodate vegetarians to the extent of ensuring that the pasta does not have egg. This restaurant was inclusive and incredible to say the least. We got 4 food items, and my favorites were the burrito and the Honolulu curry. The menu was amazing and offered food from different cuisines. Also, all the vegetarian dishes could be made GF or vegan upon request. This restaurant is a must try in Canmore!

Updated from previous review on 2024-08-06

Pros: Wide variety of items, Excellent service (friendly), Flavorful food

JamieHeis

Points +318

Vegan
20 Jun 2024

Interesting Experience

We chose Elita because we were two vegans, a vegetarian and two carnivores and they have a very extensive menu. From the moment we sat down in the restaurant, Victor, the enthusiastic owner, rattled off all the places he’s lived and how he knows food and how food and music connects people. The menu is extensive, and there was a Vegetarian/Vegan page that had a lot of offerings and Victor said he can make certain dishes vegan if we were interested.

We started off with warm bread and a babaganoush (eggplant spread) which was very tasty and we all ate it up quickly. Because it’s just Victor and his wife, Elena, it took some time for Victor to cook our meals. I ordered the Magic Wok of Tibet which was described as super-healthy stir-fry choice of fast-sautéed vegetables in an inimitable saffron-turmeric sauce, served on Jasmine Thai rice. What I got was a plate of gloppy, over-cooked vegetables mixed with a tangy sauce that tasted like it came out of a jar. I was very sad. I ate it, but it wasn’t very good. I ordered it with some spice and it didn’t taste spicy. It was a very drab meal. It was also supposed to come with a salad, but it was a few pieces of lettuce as shown in the photo. My husband ordered the Peach Curry with Tofu and Mushrooms. He said it was good but that it was too sweet and not enough curry. Everyone else seemed to like their dishes. I really wanted to like this place because Victor and Elena were super nice. But I was disappointed.

Updated from previous review on 2024-06-20

Pros: Many vegan options, Enthusiastic owners.

Cons: Too expensive , Not a good value.

BOO2U2

Points +72

Vegan
27 May 2024

Wonderful find.

This was a superb find and we really enjoyed the experience. I had a Peach and Tofu curry which isn’t something I would ever expect to find, but it was really tasty and interesting. The host was so kind and attentive, and had so much enthusiasm and love to bring to life in general. The evening was unique and memorable and not one we will forget. Thank you for giving so generously of your time and attention.

Pros: Unique experience, Amazing food, Beautiful setting.

IlonaHudson

Points +43

Vegan
09 Jun 2023

Great options

Lovely owners, beautiful food, vegan and vegetarian menu!

Shawna88

Points +31

Vegan
02 May 2022

I’d go back

When I enquired about vegan dishes, the chef showed me the page of vegan and vegetarian options but also explained some dishes he was developing to possibly be put on the menu. I had something he called a Fajita Pyramid and it was delicious.

Apothecurist

Points +16

Vegan
11 Aug 2020

No clue how to make quality vegan food. Terrible value.

I NEVER write reviews. But this place was a complete rip off. $27 for crappy tacos. $25 for a “stir fry” that has sweet Chili sauce poured all over the plate and a tiny little salad with craft Italian dressing. The chef talks a big game like he knows how to cook. Fine dining prices for food I would be embarrassed to serve in my home. Sweet Chili is a condiment used by college students and people who don’t know how to cook. It’s not hard to make your own salad dressing and if you are a restaurant with fine dining prices you 100 % should be making your own quality dressings and sauces. This place lacked any direction or theme he just makes whatever with no regard to style or flavours. I think I saw Mediterranean, Thai, Lebanese, Italian, and Indian on the menu.

Cons: Expensive for the quality , Terrible atmosphere , Low quality ingredients

lmcc

Points +1208

Vegan
03 Jun 2019

Huge selection beyond the menu

In addition to having a whole page of the 3 page menu for vegetarian and vegan options, the chef/owner came over and listed off a huge range of items that were not on the menu but were available and vegan. It was a bit tough to keep up with, because there were just so many options.

For an appetizer, we tried the Fresh Thai Salad, which was very fresh tasting. We also had flatbread (which was tortilla) with hummus and baba ganoush. The spreads were very tasty! I had a vegan enchilada, which was not on the menu. It was quite good, although I do wish it had some sort of cashew/non-dairy cream sauce. The chef, as he was pointing out which items on the menu could or could not be made vegan, did say that to make an alfredo sauce vegan was like making champagne out of apples. (Not that I necessarily wanted the alfredo pasta, it was just a notable comment from a chef who seems like he would be very creative.) Respectfully, I disagree, and I think the menu could really benefit from a soy or nut-based cream sauce.

Anyway, the whole meal was very nice, and we had a beautiful view of the Three Sisters from the patio. It is off the beaten track in Canmore (i.e. not on Main St), so it was not busy, and there was a ton of room. It was nice to speak with the owners, and I appreciated the diversity and range of vegan options.

Updated from previous review on 2019-06-03

Pros: Vegan options labeled clearly, Pretty much anything can be made vegan

Cons: Except for alfredo sauce, apparently

BartekSyrek

Points +26

Vegan
15 May 2019

Amazing

I do not normally write reviews. And maybe we got such excellent service because we were the only ones dining in at the time. But this man is a genius when it comes to food, and a developed pallet may be needed for some of the food. He made off the menu items that completely blew me away, created the recipe from the top of his head whilst explaining where the ingredients come from, and why that's so important. I'm blown away.

Pros: Genius, big portions.

Ritakafija

Points +116

Vegan
06 May 2019

Real European Hospitality and hearty food

True heartfelt hospitality, passionate chef, real and hearty food
Artwork for sale to support charity projects
Great music for perfect dining atmosphere

Pros: Hearty food, seperate veg menu, vegan marked , Dining and entertainment in one place

Veganmamamoom

Points +127

Vegan
04 Feb 2019

Great taste, lovely hosts

Still has a little bit of a hippy decor, only a few vegan options on the menu (same as in the pic) but hosts very sweet and offered a couple more choices not shown. No dairy alternative for drinks though which was weird

Pros: Delicious flavours , Clearly labelled options, Lovely hosts

Cons: Bad presentation, Salad was just shredder iceberg, Super expensive

EeliakRellim

Points +32

Vegan
10 Dec 2018

Amazing service amazing food!

The cook is very passionate about his work and knowledgeable. He explained the food options in detail, catered to our dietary needs. That was one of the best meals my boyfriend and I have had yet. They were very friendly and welcoming

Pros: Very friendly customer service they went beyond, Amazing food packed with flavour , Cook was very knowledgeable and skilled

madisavv

Points +16

Vegan
04 Mar 2018

Delicious!

Small, family owned business who are very friendly and knowledgeable about any dietary restrictions. We were lucky enough to come at a time that wasn't busy and got to speak with the chef. He told us that as everything is made from scratch he can happily prepare many things on the menu vegan. I had the green Mediterranean fantasy and it was absolutely delicious.

Pros: Lots of vegan options

isabellar

Points +26

Vegan
09 Sep 2017

great restaurant !

It was quite so we were iffy to walk in. But the service was great and the vegan options were very yummy !

Cons: bit expensive (but it's Canmore)

Vegitrd

Points +137

Vegetarian
23 Jul 2016

Great vegan find!

Artfully prepared vegetarian food with great taste, complimented with personalized service. Also the restaurant is very aware of food sensitivity issues i.e. Gluten dairy etc. We also enjoyed the piano music during our meal!

leont

Points +746

Vegan
06 Jul 2016

Great Vegan diner options

I was very happy with the three real vegan choices on the diner menu. Quite difficult to find in this region.
The Green Mediterranean Fantasy and the Peach Curry with tofu and mushrooms tasted good!

milie

Points +16

Vegan
16 Aug 2014

Yum!

Hands down one of the best vegan meals I've had in my lifetime. We had saffron mushrooms and ras el-hanout rice and could have picked other options. The spices were so delicately balanced, it was a true feast! We went in the middle of the afternoon on a Friday. The dishes were clearly marked (they have a bit of everything, meat, vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, etc.)

jd6

Points +25

Vegan
02 Sep 2009

Not open & rude staff

Wasn't open at 4pm on a Saturday?! Guess they don't need the business. We went to see if it was open a staff member rudely snapped "we're closed!" at us! Definitely would not return!

Cons: Rude staff, Not open




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