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Blue On Water

3.8 (66 reviews)
Open • Open 24 hours

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Recommended Reviews - Blue On Water

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Erica F.

Street parking It is nearly impossible to get a table anywhere in Newfoundland so a reservation in advance is a very wise idea, otherwise you will have a rough time. We were lucky that this place had one table available when we walked into the bar cause when u called they did not have anything available. SPRITZER closest thing to the ones I had in florence I am impressed, I would have so many of those they were pretty great RICOTTA CANELLONI pretty good overall but if I needed to get something out of the plate would be the lemon sauce, too overwhelming, so much soy hat I could nearly taste the truffle and that is a cardinal sin to me, truffle is an amazing taste and so pristine it should never be overpowered much less for something as mundane as lemon. CHOCOLATE CAKE- a bit burned on the edges but the cream on top and the strawberries made sure that the burned flavor did not spoil my experience. hope that this burning isn't a regular thing and it only happened to me. over all the cake was pretty good given it was a bit burned. They dont believe in A/C so it can get pretty warm while eating here. forget bout parking at this place as the area is street parking only and some private lots but this is the downtown so depending on what time you come it can get pretty busy and hard to find a spot. the servings here are not as large so do not come here too crazy hungry you will be disappointed if you do. overall beautiful place, the service could be better but the server was friendly overall, the food needs some work on from the serving size to the seasoning overpower but it is ok to give it a try if you must.

Roasted Cauliflower is very delicious
Dylon S.

Blue On Water is a fancy fine dining restaurant located right downtown St. John's. I came here to accompany my friends cravings for seafood and was shocked at how many wonderful vegetarian options they had on the menu. I ordered the roasted cauliflower and found it to be exceptionally delicious, sweet, and spiced. The presentation of the food here is 5 stars and I would go as far to stay the taste is 5 stars as well. Our server was experienced, knowledgeable, and friendly. I do wish they had a more original and uniquely crafted cocktail menu as opposed to the signature cocktails they offered; I felt like that was the only thing missing from my dining experience. All and all, I feel very comfortable recommending Blue on Water to friends and strangers to eat!

people sitting at tables in a restaurant

We have been to cheerful bars and fancy restaurants, but we will never forget our time at Blue on Water, From the owners to the staff, all were amazingly friendly and sincere, throughout our stay, our room was gorgeous and the cleaning staff kept it clean and fresh, Many thanks to Sully, (Sullivan) and Pete, who made our stay memorable. Sully, with his cheerful greetings and funny banter, we couldn't thank him enough for his personal assistance to pick us up when my wife injured her ankle and we couldn't get a cab! When we returned to the hotel, our family & friends (so grateful to have them in our lives) ordered dinner delivered to our room, The meal included the best seafood chowder I've ever tasted, with the seafood linguine, and the creme brulee, it was an out of body experience! Just so thankful that we stayed at Blue on Water, coolest hotel/bar/restaurant in Newfoundland, and thanks again to Sully, Pete and the staff, our experience in St. John's will be one of our fondest memories and remains in our bucket list to return in the future.

Beef Striploin ($34)
Jordan N.

I decided to come here with a couple friends since we wanted to go to a higher end restaurant downtown as I would be leaving the province the following day. As mentioned in other reviews, this place is downtown, so parking can be a bit difficult, but I was expecting it as its pretty much the same issue across all restaurants downtown St. John's. The entrance was quite weird, as there was an open bar section, then a closed off dining section that we had made reservations for. We ended up going into the bar section first because we didn't understand how the restaurant was laid out. The inside is really nice, and the server hung our jackets up for us. There was also a small wedding group dressed up super fancy at another table, so we definitely felt under-dressed. The wait for our meals was a bit long, but since I had ordered a steak, I can understand why it took longer than the average restaurant. We were even offered a free bread appetizer with olive oil and balsamic for our wait. I got the Beef Striploin ($34) 10oz special of the day, which came with potatoes, gravy, almonds, cheese, cauliflower, and a nice garnish. The 10oz of steak may have been too much, but it was awfully delicious. The thick cut of meat mixed very well with the mashed potatoes & gravy, as well as the thin slices of almonds which gave the plate a nice crunch. Surprisingly, the cheesy cauliflower was the highlight of the plate other than the steak. I can't remember what cheese they used, but if I went back I would absolutely need to ask. I haven't been to other pricier spots downtown St. John's, but I was super impressed by the quality of steak for the reasonable price. It would have been nice to be served our dishes a bit quicker, but the quality of the dish was awesome. Also, I appreciate how there was some lower priced dish (burger & fries) for our friend who didn't want to spend as much going out to a nice restaurant. I would definitely come here again if I was looking for a good steak downtown St. John's.

Fish cakes, seafood tacos, lobster melt & seafood chowder. Not a single bite was a disappointment.
Jill V.

Stopped for a beer so glad stayed for lunch. Every bite was a delight. Lobster melt was sweet and the cheese added a new dimension. The shrimp tacos had great little bite to them. Of course the fish cakes were something I hope to recreate back home.

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8 months ago

Great breakfast. Service was fabulous and atmosphere was very nice. Definitely would go there again.

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5 years ago

Decent restaurant and the portion of their appetizer/starter surprised me because they are more of full size plate than small plate.

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8 years ago

Amazing place. Home away from home. So so nice here. Owner Sullivan is the best. The service was excellent. Love the room. Thank you

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Portage

Portage

4.5(19 reviews)
0.7 km

Located near the upper end of Water St just before it turns into offices, Portage's PoMo space is…read morein contrast to much of St John's historical downtown, but it's a refreshing vibe that still feels inviting and relaxed. The menu is on the larger side for a place of Portage's caliber and reputation, with several snack-sized starters and veggie-based dishes, and a leaner variety of proteins and desserts on offer. You know you're likely in for an excellent meal when it's hard to choose what to get, but after some deliberation, my wife and I landed on a handful - smoked olives, the cleverly-named Tongue and Cheek, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower souvlaki, and fingerling potatoes. Note that you can conveniently get half-sized portions of most dishes, although we, somewhat greedily, did not. Unsurprisingly, the smoked olives arrived right out of the gate. The plump green olives came as advertised and while you wouldn't know it from looking at them, tasted more like smoke than olive - and I was all for it! I'm slowly converting to olives, although it's generally only at nicer restaurants and not the olives that come out of obscenely large buckets/cans that get slopped on mediocre pizzas and salads. The cauliflower souvlaki started off our string of excellent veggie dishes. I wasn't sure what the portioning or presentation would be like for these, but they were all a generous size for two people to share, and while they were plated with consideration, it wasn't so much "haute cuisine" as it was "piles of delicious food with complementary garnishes". I was a bit surprised that the cauliflower was served at room temperature, but the charred cruciferous veg still packed a lot of flavour into each tender-crisp bite. Paired up with pickled dates, yogurt, and fresh dill and mint, the dish hit a lot of notes - savoury, lightly sweet, and tart and bright vegetal freshness. On deck were the fingering potatoes. Loaded up with sauteed onions, scrunchion-esque bits of pork belly, and a blessedly-conservative amount of Dijon, this was a dish that harkens to a lot of continental European dishes. The execution of the relatively simple ingredients is where it stood out though, with firm-but-tender potatoes that had hints of sweetness and umami from their toppings, and the crisp bits of pork belly brought some textural contrast to this comfort food classic. The dishes were coming hard and fast at this point with the broccoli, Brussels sprouts and (cod) Tongue and Cheek showing up in quick succession. Brussels sprouts have become a family sight on contemporary restaurant menus in the past 15-ish years, and the crispy, charred veg got the Boomer parent treatment, although melted Cheez Whiz was replaced by a much more natural Mornay sauce. I'm not jaded enough yet by their ubiquity to bemoan the delicious execution of these sprouts, and the cheesy goodness of the Mornay mellowed out the sharper edges of this infamous vegetable. A surprise hit was the broccoli - with velvety smooth and lightly salty ricotta, fresh micro greens and a not-insubstantial punch of heat from chili crisp, our third cruciferous vegetable of the night took top honours of the three, IMO. The Tongue and Cheek is an amusingly tongue-in-cheek play on words, using two cuts of cod that have become local delicacies. Each was fried in a light and airy batter that was only slightly heavier than a proper tempura, with a perfectly generous amount of salt. The tongues were a bit more toothsome, but still tender, while the cheeks almost melted in your mouth. They're one of the more pricey starters, but absolutely worth it. After this sizeable feast, dessert was not on the table, figuratively or literally. Service was spot-on and friendly, without the almost clinical coldness that can come with the precision that some fine dining places have. Portage is understandably representing St John's on Canada's Top 100 list with its deliberate, but unpretentious menu that will leave you wanting more and loosening your belt at the same time.

Had a wonderful meal at Portage. Shout out to our server…read moreCaroline who really looked after us well. Highly recommend this spot for offering specialities of the area. Please note that I also highly recommend reservations as it's not a huge dining space and because the food is so good, they do get busy. We started with the seafood sampler platter. So wonderful. And then we shared the Halibut, rice and spinach/fiddleheads with shrimp hollandaise (which were a fantastic complement to each other). Only one thing we did not like (it was not the fault of the restaurant, but our table for 2 was flanked by a table for 8. We don't mind that generally but 2 of the party were children who initially were running around and flinging themselves on the banquette seating for the first half of the meal. I started to wonder if I was going to end up with one of them in our laps. Fortunately they settled down at some point). Despite all this I would go back in a heartbeat.

Photos
Portage - Dining room

Dining room

Portage - Broccoli with ricotta and chili crisp

Broccoli with ricotta and chili crisp

Portage

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Blue On Water - breakfast_brunch - Updated May 2026

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