The seafood was amazing. The lobster bisque was great and the oysters on the half shower straight…read moreout of the water. Service was spot on people were friendly place was clean

(From June) The restaurant feels like family-style. The…read moreservice was good and we got a good seat at the back where the ceiling-to-floor windows are so it was nice to look onto the water. The oysters were super good and fresh (obviously) and I liked the pickled onion they gave as well. The crab was alright. It was baked so it's harder to get the meat clean off and it was quite dry. I prefer it being boiled as you also get the juice from the meat. It was heavily seasoned (personally just like my crab plain). It was well worth it though with the side dish and the amount of crab you get. The chowder was good. I really liked it but it was quite small, even as a main course meal. The downside, I got an upset stomach and threw up later that night. (thankfully not food poisoning but still a bit turned off) I'm not sure if it was a bad oyster or the chowder but I shared the crab with my mom and no one had my chowder.

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.

This spot in downtown St. John's was recommended to us by a cabbie. We were so glad it was. Lovely…read morespot, fantastic food, fantastic service. Very innovative menu with a focus on local specialties. Highly recommend. My hubby had the lobster soup, and I had a lobster tostada to start. Both were excellent. He then had the muscles and treats. And I had the cod tongues (they are not really tongues!). We highly recommend their bread as well, which comes with like a molasses drizzle. Heavenly. The food and the dining experience was excellent from beginning to end. The tables are a bit kind of close together, but the food and everything else just made it wonderful . Just go there.

Delicious food!! Great service!! Comfortable seating and warm atmosphere!!…read moreWill definitely be back!!

The freshest cod you'll ever taste! Caught off the harbor across the street. The cod tongues were…read moretasty and fluffy. The lobster roll was fresh and delicious as well. Great spot for seafood and moose!

Probably the best cod dinner I've ever had in any restaurant. With scrunchions and mashed potatoes…read more Really, the best. Perfect.

Red building on the water at the ferry terminal. Fantastic local food. Fried seafood with a light…read morebatter. Another nice touch were the locally drawn magnets and art you can buy. Great reviews on Trip Advisor so I wanted to get Landings a mention on Yelp!

The best fish and chips I had all week (while visiting) was at the Landings. Huge portions and so…read moreso fresh. I have to eat gluten free, and they were fantastic! Just a small town place, right on the water. This is a must! Service was excellent also.

Went here for dinner with my fiancé for her 30th birthday. She wanted to try her own Lobster dinner…read morefor the first time. She really enjoyed it! I tried my first bite of Lobster ever from her plate and enjoyed it as well! I also enjoyed my burger. The cocktails were very tasty as well! I had a creamsicle and loved it. Only things for us personally were it was too dark of dark lighting and it did get very loud but I guess that just showed you that people were really having a good time! Next time l come return hopefully my income is good enough where I can afford to try on of their Steak dinners aha, because those looked delicious. But overall, great food, drinks, and staff. Had a positive experience!

It's hot in here! Wish they had ac or more fans. Half lobster dinner was ok. Very small portion…read more Potatoes it was served with were ok. I'm happy I added vegetables, but 2 pieces of asparagus seemed light for an add-on. Service was ok. They were busy. Parking on a weeknight night was awful.

Stopped in here several times as we were staying upstairs. Drinks were great staff was friendly and…read morethe food was tasty. Had breakfast here one day too and that was a smart move, waitress was very nice. Room was very cool, we stayed here on our 4th and 5th night in St John's and I'm still trying to figure out where I lost my favorite flannel from Pelican Brewing, we were in Canada for about two weeks and the places with housekeeping were definitely hiding my clothes... definitely an awesome place to stay and experience St John's.

The Arancini was one of the tastiest appetizers we've had in recent memory. Everything we ordered…read morewas extremely flavourful. Bit of a small, but class menu nonetheless!

This place was the first restaurant that we had supper in when we arrived in St. John's, NL. The…read morefood was great as well as the service. Our server, Keesha was exceptionally friendly, and was able to make us feel welcome. Would greatly recommend this to any one.

Excellent pan fried cod with chips, dressing and gravy! My companion had caesar salad with her meal…read morebut I couldn't pass up home fries. Fast and friendly service. It was a bit pricy at 19.99 each but I thought it was well worth it for fresh cod. This would be a better choice if you are shopping at the Village and need a fast place for lunch or dinner.

Hidden gem on the Irish Loop! So happy to have discovered this fantastic dining experience in…read moreMobile, NL. After a long day of driving around the south end of the Avalon peninsula, needed to stop for sustenance on our return to St. John's. Cocktails were fresh and fabulous with local flair. We opted for a tapas style dinner from the appetizer menu. Oysters were fresh and delicate, with specially prepared dressings, salted cod fritters were light, creamy and melt in your mouth. The peach and tomato, prosciutto, buttermilk, with chimichurri salad was a fresh and original option. The scallops were served in a creamy but light corn chowder like sauce, and were perfectly cooked. Save room for dessert, especially if the brown sugar cake with brûléd banana and caramelized hazelnut is on the menu. So much flavour ! High end quality in a bright , relaxed setting with a beautiful view.

We stumbled across this while vacationing in Newfoundland from the U.S. Rolled into town late - not…read morerealizing there weren't many food options in the area. The staff was so accommodating even though we had no reservation and and it was approaching closing time. And all I can say is WOW. This was one of the best meals we had during our 2-week journey. What a gem!

This place is so good I had to revisit on the way home. The menu is pretty breakfasty but in an…read moreawesome way. Today I had the lunch special - turkey club sandwich on multi-grain with pea and salty pork soup. I finished the meal with a strawberry cheesecake that was delicious! My server, Jess, was incredibly sweet and attentive. Wish I could take her home with me!

Ok - the interior of this restaurant is really interesting with a lot of cool decor. Having said…read morethat, you don't really have the freedom to walk around and look at everything because it's very closed in. As for the food - - unless you really, really love bagels I just really didn't see the point. While the French onion soup was really good, I had ordered the Cordon Bleu chicken bagel sandwich. I expected thin slices of ham, but I got hunks of thickly sliced ham with a lot of fat. I could not eat it and ended up taking it back to my hotel and throwing it away. Still, if you want to just check out the inside, it is pretty cool. If I ever did go bad, I would just stick with the French onion soup.