The Blue Lobster is in Stellarton NS…read more We had a fun night out with food and drinks. The mac and cheese was delicious. Enjoyed the Painted Boat (beer). They sell merch including some very nice sweat shirts! Service was great.

This is definitely a place for drinks on the patio in the summer, but it's trendy so expect long…read morewaits if you're not really in a hurry. We came in the early afternoon and it wasn't overly busy. Two servers didn't look overly interested in being there and were slow as slugs. There was a bartender mixing drinks who looked annoyed and a cook in the food truck who was the only one actually invested in what he was doing. Seating is flimsy and grinds on the concrete floors when you try to move. Tables were crammed quite close together because a musician eventually came in to set up. The space just generally looks poorly used. Our server took a long time coming over to bring us a pitcher of beer and then again to take our food order. The glassware was dirty so she apologized and brought new glasses. By the time we poured the beer, we noticed the pitcher was even filthier. Not sure if they ever wash them. The food is just ok. Nothing to write home about. Portions are on the smaller side. $14 was the Super Bowl special for a small bacon cheeseburger with nothing else, no side. $19 for fish and chips is a bit of a better deal because the fish is big but it's quite greasy. Fries were hard and stale and not really a generous portion - don't opt to pay $4 for them as a side! We watched the cook push out orders and wait around for the servers to pick them up. He'd look out trying to get their attention and seemed completely unimpressed with them. Other than brining our drinks and food, the server didn't bother to come by once in the hour + we sat at the table. When she finally came for us to pay, she seemed terrified to have to talk to a human. Overall, just a weird vibe for a place like this. This could be a great spot but it didn't leave a great first impression. Might give it one more shot next time we're in town, but we won't be ordering food. We'll see how long it takes to get an (overpriced) cocktail.

Service and food are way above average here. They go out of their way to customize your meal if you…read moredesire. The wait staff are friendly and make breakfast, lunch or dinner a pleasant experience. I highly recommend this restaurant.

After moving back to the county, a return to Appleseed was inevitable. We swung by for a late…read morelunch, after the hordes of kids amped up from the arcade next door had mostly left. Now that I'm back on the East Coast, I can both trust fish at restaurants more and pay less for it, so I went with the salt cod fish cakes ($17). You know how they say your plate should have lots of different colours of food? Well this was NOT that. While this meal won't win any awards from the Canada Food Guide, it did well by my taste buds. The fish cakes themselves were loosely packed and had a pleasant punch of salty fish, and the green tomato chow brought a contrast of sweet and tangy to the mix. The side of beans had a smattering of what appeared to be bacon in it, and were just the right doneness - not chalky or mushy. Thumbs up! The corn beef hash was a bit greasy, but it was delicious - crisp bits of beef and potato with sauteed onions - it's hard to go wrong here. My wife went for the diner staple, meatloaf ($17). After this meal it became her go-to dish at Appleseed, and I can see why. The generous slab of meatloaf is light and moist, and a slathering of mushroom and onion gravy makes it even more hearty. Ultra-smooth whipped potatoes are a classic pairing, done picture perfect. A medley of veg likely came out of a massive freezer bag, and while a diner fixture, it's one that could be easily replaced with any sort of seasonal veg that is prepared in a better manner than steaming. On our return, I went with the hot chicken sandwich ($17). The roasted chicken was moist and tender, although a little sparse. A hearty slathering of gravy was good, and not too salty. I really appreciated the thick, quality bread that stood up well against the onslaught of gravy. As always, their shoestring fries were spot on. I doubled down on diner decadence and got a strawberry milkshake ($6.50) to drink. Appleseed gets a tip of my cap for using the classic milkshake glass, plus topping it with whipped cream and a maraschino cherry. Further bonus points for the extra bit of milkshake coming in the aluminum cup it was mixed in. It was a thick, tasty treat. I still wish Appleseed was in a better location with an interior that called back more to its cozy diner peers rather than strip mall industrial chic, but you can't win 'em all. It's still not easy to get more creative, casual food in Pictou County, so Appleseed is definitely an asset to the local food scene.

Visited this restaurant in New Glasgow NS. It is located in the downtown area…read more We were seated promptly. The service was great as was the atmosphere. We enjoyed the cauliflower appie and the seafood chowder and teriyaki bowl.

Having been back in New Glasgow for a few months now, we've started to cycle through more…read morerestaurants, after hitting old favourites and new-to-us spots fairly thoroughly. A return(s) to East Avenue was inevitable, and certainly looked forward to. It has to have one of the most beautiful restaurant interiors in northern Nova Scotia - exposed brick, soaring ceilings, and walls dotted with paintings by local artists. For our first visit of 2023, I had the Tamis anghang ($20). Filipino for "sweet and spicy", this is a slightly fancier, single-serving version of sweet and sour chicken. Replacing the cloyingly-sweet sauce at most Chinese-Canadian restaurants, East Ave's Thai chili sauce is much more balanced, with a light punch from the hot pepper that livens up your taste buds but won't scorch them. The chicken was cooked with a deft hand, and the crisp batter held up until the last bite. My wife's duck ragu gnocchi ($29) was a hearty meal, with an impressive amount of rich, shredded duck and fluffy sweet potato gnocchi. If that wasn't enough, shredded parm added even more umami. The sauce was a bit thin and served overly generously, which made the dish a bit soupy, but was otherwise quite delicious. Bonus points for this dish and many others having gluten-free options! They had an impressive crowd for a Tuesday evening and that plus a very large group that came in just after us seemed to make for somewhat uneven service. A return visit had us targeting their patio, sadly one of the few in the non-Pictou towns of Pictou County. Step it up people! We just wanted some mid-afternoon snacks, so we went for a couple appetizers. The fried sweet chili cauliflower ($15) was a tasty app. The mild crunch of the cauliflower gave further crunch to the crisp coating, which did wilt under the slathering of sauce. Said sauce did have a bit more bite than most sweet chili sauces out there, but it won't have you breathing fire. Our kale Caesar salad (side size, $10) was a bit on the healthier side than our deep fried app, and pleasant departure from the standard formula. The mix of kale and romaine paired the strengths of both greens, while chickpeas and tomatoes brought added couloir, flavour and texture. And don't worry, there was still bacon, shaved parm, and a hearty dose of dressing. East Avenue continues to put out generally great food in a killer atmosphere (both inside and out), and I love how much this new business has brought and added to the food scene in the area.

Had lunch at this diner in New Glasgow NS…read more The diner is not fancy but the staff are friendly and the food is fresh. I enjoyed the pan fried haddock with coleslaw, veggies and fries. There are daily lunch specials and daily dinner specials. There is free parking in front of the restaurant.

The big breakfast is magnificent. Any food of theirs is a great choice. My parents and I go every…read moretime they visit me. The people make you feel like family and always go above and beyond while serving you. There is always more than enough seating but on a busy day even they are worth waiting for a table , I promise. It's a very comfortable and friendly place to eat. Afforardable too.

We were driving back from the Cabot Trail on our 40th wedding anniversary and we pretty sure our…read moredinner was not going to be a highlight of the day, when we stumbled on this place. Does not look great from the outside, but inside it had a more polished vibe starting with a beautiful bar. The menu was short but well thought out and included vegetarian option(that I did see people ordering). I have the steak frites and my husband had a burger. We were a bit dehydrated from hiking so we didn't try the cocktails but they looked good. The crowd is a mix of regulars and travelers like us. It was pretty busy on a Sunday...also a testament to their food.

My wife and I were luckily able to get a spot in Townhouse while in the 'Nish despite our lack of a…read morereservation, thanks to the poor weather and coming in at old people, early bird-esque hours. On the upside, we were there for a good stretch of happy hour! The space is cozy, with a pub-like feel from the bar counter you can sit at, as well as a stunning main bar with lovingly detailed, darkly-stained wood. Dark wainscoting rings the room, but the charm of its previous tenants fades away from there, with a generic tile floor and basic acoustic tile ceiling. We indulged in both the liquid and solid offerings on the happy hour menu, with the salt cod fritters ($9) a couple bucks under the regular menu price. Being in town to try things out and not just go for the cheapest items, we ordered from the whole menu, tacking on the beet salad and burrata toast. We decided we'd re-assess our appetites after those three apps. The beet salad ($10) was a colourful display of Nova Scotia's late harvest season, with beautiful, thin slices of purple, pink and golden beets. The kaleidoscope of root vegetables was topped with dots of whipped ricotta, blue cheese, popcorn and pea shoots. Delicate and lightly tart, with contrasting textures of the salty and smooth whipped ricotta and the airy crunch of the popcorn added dimensionality to the dish. Also, it's impossible to go wrong with pea shoots in my books! As my wife isn't a big seafood fan, I had most of the salt cod fritters to myself, and I wasn't complaining. An herby, crisp exterior encased a pleasantly doughy and lightly fishy interior, which was amped up by the fantastic sun-dried tomato and chili oil. The burrata toast ($14) didn't have a whole, massive blob of Italian cheesy goodness, but I should have guessed that would be the case given the price. A guy can dream, right? Crisp buttery focaccia held up well to its caprese-like toppings - roasted tomatoes, pesto and, of course, a slathering of creamy burrata. Bee pollen was noted on the menu and visible on the toast, but didn't register amongst the other flavours. After three very good starters, we decided that we had room for one main between the two of us, and landed on the ricotta gnocchi ($27). I was pleasantly surprised when the plate was put before us, and I saw that the fluffy bundles of carbs and cheese were pan fried, lending a light crispness and more flavour. Most gnocchi dishes aren't too meaty, but Townhouse had a decent portion of bresaola (dry-cured beef) and guanciale (cured pork cheek), letting the thinly-sliced, but big flavours, of the Italian cured meats punch above their weight. Pesto and pea shoots reappeared to bring some vegetal balance to the dish, and a salty hit of Pecorino-Romano rounded things out nicely. Not to be outdone by the savoury parts of the menu, Townhouse's desserts are far from an afterthought. The sticky toffee ($13) was wildly decadent, with the lightly spiced sponge cake begging to sop up the heavenly caramel cream sauce and French vanilla ice cream. Although they could stand to invest in their interior design, Townhouse's kitchen speaks for itself and the well-deserved accolades it has received. A definite 'must' when in Antigonish!

It's easy to be curious about new restaurants in a small town, as you quickly get well-acquainted…read morewith the existing ones. This goes double for a restaurant consistently has a packed parking lot every day that it's open, which was the case for Tilly's Kitchen. I'd never been inside the restaurant(s?) that preceded Tilly's at their stately accomodations on Stellarton Road, and am worse off for it. The interior has character galore, with wooden arches and door frames, stained glass and more, although light stains for the woods and neutral paint colours keep it from being dark, dreary and dated. For appetizers, the table started with an order of their crispy dumplings ($15) and mussels ($16). The deep fried dumplings strayed far from their Asian origins, with pulled pork, lime and ginger creme fraiche, and pea shoots, but were a tasty start to the meal nonetheless. I focused on the mussels, mainly leaving the dumplings to my seafood-adverse wife. They were wonderfully tender, without a hint of overcooked rubberiness. The smoked tomato sauce didn't have a lot of smoke to it, but a hint of spice and herbs kept it from being bland. My wife's chicken and chorizo pasta ($23 + $2 GF noodle), was a savoury and hearty dish, with a hit of spice from the chorizo and a lovely red pepper and Dijon sauce that clung to each piece of pasta. The paella I ordered for my main ($32) may have been missing out on the crispy edges of the less fancy, more traditional version, but it would be hard to drum up any other complaint about this iteration. The plentiful seafood (*deep inhale* scallops, haddock, shrimp, squid, salmon and mussels) was cooked to tender perfection, while the chorizo, tomato and saffron broth added a layered and rich flavour to the whole dish. We finished the meal with a shared dessert, the truffles and port. A steal at just $12, it comes with two shots of the classic fortified wine, along with four house-made truffles, which were spectacularly smooth and rich and would satisfy any chocolate lover. Tilly's Kitchen is checking all the right boxes - beautiful atmosphere, great service and food that's bringing new flavours to Pictou County in well-executed, stylishly-plated dishes.

I tried this place recently for dinner during my trip to the area. Parking spot is limited so we…read moreended up have to park across the street. The restaurant is nicely decorated. Service here was okay but food had hits and misses. We ordered bread, grilled salmon, cod fillet, Caesar salad, jambalaya and seafood pasta. Of all the dishes we've ordered, I liked the flavourful Caesar salad. Seafood pasta was alright too. However, the bread, salmon and Tuscan chicken all tasted very dry. So did the jambalaya, flavourless and not spicy at all. Overall, the vibe and service are okay but food is mediocre.

For my 40th birthday dinner, we tried out New Glasgow's newest dining hotspot, Little Gull Bistro…read more Taking over the space of the more concisely-named The Bistro, new proprietors Tom and Willow are breathing some fresh air into the county's dining scene. Their new fall menu features bistro classics like French onion soup, oysters and steak, but gives them a more upscale structure and puts regional farmers front and centre. Little Gull's house-made pastas also feature prominently, something that will be sure to make them stand out once word spreads. Once you go fresh, pasta is never the same again! We started out our meal with a dish that's ubiquitous at up-casual restaurants - mushroom toast. Buttery mushrooms on fresh bread - what's not to like? Unless you're one of those babies that doesn't like mushrooms. Yeah, I said it! Little Gull's house-made focaccia was airy, moist and thickly cut to support its load of savoury goodness. Creme fraiche tied the decadently hearty fungi together with its lightly tart creaminess, while some generous shavings of Grana Padano added saltiness and doubled down on the umami. For my milestone meal main (MMM), I was enticed away from the pasta by one particular ingredient on one particular dish - the black garlic cream sauce on the chicken fricassee. Black garlic is garlic which has been cooked at very low temperatures for a very long time (two weeks, when I made it once), but it's well worth the wait! What you get in the end is incredibly rich, complex and of course, still recognizable as garlic. You could eat this stuff like candy, or at least I could. I'm not normally one to get the chicken dish at a restaurant, as my wife isn't big on red meat and I like to diversify our order, but this was far from a consolation prize. Every part of it was perfectly executed - ultra-crisp fingerling potatoes; tender chicken breast, whose skin was bubbly and super crisp; and that black garlic cream sauce...Amped up with some more Porter River Farms 'shrooms, it was everything I hoped it would be. Some seasonal veg rounded out the dish, and was certainly head and shoulders above your forgettable steamed/boiled veg at old school places around the county, but the aforementioned stars of the dish certainly out shone them. My wife's main was the pork cotoletta, which while Italian in its name, was very German in its execution. A bone-in cut of pork gets the schnitzel treatment and gets paired up with braised red cabbage, fingerling potatoes and apple butter. It was a hefty plate and I gladly did my husbandly duties and finished off  what my wife couldn't/was strategically leaving room for dessert. I liked that the pork was from a more flavourful cut than the traditional tenderloin that's used in schnitzel, and it was deftly cooked, as its tenderness was hardly any different from that prime cut. The breading was fantastically crisp and golden brown. I'm of two minds that the bone-in factor isn't mentioned on the menu. A little heads up would be nice, although in theory you're not just picking it up with your hands and chowing down - your knife and fork are going to let you know what you can and can't eat. On the other hand, too many people these days are babies about any meat that isn't steak that has a bone in it, so Little Gull may not want to put people off from even trying a great dish. In the end, I think they chose the right path, although I wouldn't be surprised if I just over-thought the whole situation For dessert, we went with Little Gull's apple sundae. This seasonal delight has apple ice cream that they make in-house, combined with sauteed apples, oatcakes, whipped cream and warm, salted caramel sauce that will satisfy your sweet tooth without putting you at risk of a diabetic coma. Service was easy going and attentive, with GM and co-owner Tom impressively recognizing me from social media and checking on us (as he did everyone). While my first visit to Little Gull was for a big day, their food is too damn good to wait for another special occasion, and I look forward to diving deeper into their menu in the near future!

Great food, atmosphere and service. French onion soup and Pasta dishes were excellent. All locally…read moresourced ingredients.

Booked solid! We got in the nick of time…read more Typical Canadian charm, unflustered and polite. The chowder did not disappoint. Super homey - loved the poetry.

Ambiance felt like an amazing small town fishing village restaurant. The food was amazing -…read moreeverything so fresh and perfectly cooked with love. We had the chicken fries with the works. It included breast white chicken, mozzarella cheese, dressing, peas, and onions. The fries were so crispy and freshly done. The gravy was exceptionally tasty, and the dressing was home made. There is an excellent variety of local craft beers that add to the experience. The wait staff is friendly down east true home people that regularly check in and make sure you are good. The food came quickly and never felt rushed or pushy. Definitely a place we will be back at!

It's been closed for a long time. Apparently this did not get updated regularly. Best to be double…read morechecking listings

Great service, biggest lobster roll that the wife has had yet in Nova Scotia…read more My pan fried haddock serving was large and cooked beautifully. The combination of great service and good food will have us return for lunch again before we leave Nova Scotia.

Best fish and chips in Antigonish county. Go 15 min north on 345 towards Malignant Cove and you'll…read moresee a food stand on your right. The fish is ungodly fresh and the rosemary fries delicious. Well worth the drive if you are a tourist. Head north to the beach or for a spectacular drive around Cape George. This food holds up anywhere.