This is definitely the place to be in Cape Breton if you are looking for a place that serves up the local entertainment. We had received recommendations to go here if we were looking for local music from the information booth in Baddeck a few days before, and when we arrived in the area after travelling up over the Cape, it seemed like a good idea. We had already had a large lunch, so a big dinner wasn't really in our plans, but I still needed something so I settled on getting the chili, and was quite surprised to have served before me a bowl of chili that was excellent, beating out (in my not so humble opinion) some Triple-A rated chilis from Austin, Texas! This was just a very good chili! The jalapeño cornbread was a bit disappointing, as it was a bit dry and the jalapeño really didn't stand out at all. We had planned well, as there was lively entertainment that night with a fiddler who was holding her CD release party with help from one of the fiddlers from the Celtic Music Centre down in Judique. The pub itself is pleasant, and a place that you can just imagine locals going to all the time (and there were certainly locals there this evening). If I get back up into Cape Breton, I will certainly be returning to the Red Shoe Pub for another taste of what Cape Breton has to offer. read more

Red Shoe Pub - Christine Melanson performing at the Red Shoe Pub for her CD release party. - American Near Me - Mabou, Nova Scotia

In a region with basically no real food options, this is was the best I went to outside of Baddeck. The food is quality, but is a bit mixed for taste. Comes off as being too try hard instead of natural, very counter the ambiance of the place. I felt totally scammed by the 'catch of the day.' Luxury restaurant price for sub par pub quality fish. Wish I got something else. Dessert was good, though. Service felt very rushed and panicked and struggled with the same lack of attentiveness this part of the continent is known for. Loved the live music, though. Fun experience that made the stop absolutely worthwhile and one I'd go back to. I'd just do the menu very differently next time. Location: 2* Convenience: 2* Service: 2* Product/quality: 2* Aesthetics: 3* read more

Super fun with afternoon music, good food and drinks! We really enjoyed it especially the gingerbread!!

The food and service is great. Local live music is awesome. Love the atmosphere and the friendly people

Had some delicious food here and some local beer! What a magical neighborhood spot and a definite fixture. I would love a locals spot like this, total cheers vibe at the bar. Service was great too. read more

We walked in the door to live music (5-7pm). Service was excellent. I had the Hali it special and it was elevated fine dining. The sauce, the risotto, the zucchini. I don't know who the chef is but he/she is fantastic. Well done! read more

Red Shoe Pub - American Near Me - Mabou, Nova Scotia

Great live music and a very lively atmosphere- the food was good and our server was awesome, making good recommendations

Excellent food and service. Fun vibrant atmosphere. We arrived early as they don't take reservations and the place filled up by 6:00 on a Friday night read more

Great place but it slides a little every year love to ride on the rankins reputation but it's over played.

Fish and chips were good. Cute place. Good service. Good chowder. Great music n beer! read more

He great fish and chips and a fish cake sandwich. Interesting old photos on the walls. Regretfully was not there when music was offered.

An absolute MUST for any visitor to Cape Briton and Nova Scotia. The people, music, food, service, and atmosphere is THE best of any pub I've ever visited, here or abroad. Ready to return tomorrow, and am highly recommending to any family or friend visiting the island. WONDERFUL and SO MUCH FUN. read more

See all

This place has the best seafood chowder I have ever had. It is cream based but a very light broth. The flavors of the broth are delicious and I promise it was NOT short of tasty seafood. It also came with a buttermilk biscuit which was also fresh and delicious. My companions had the fish and chips and one piece was more than enough. They said it was delicious also we truly wish we lived closer to come back often it's a must have. read more

Today was the final day of the season. Glad we came and stopped on our way to Cabot Cliffs Golf Course. Butternut Squash soup was excellent and the fish was in a homemade beer batter. My daughter had the vegan chili. Also excellent. The salad with their homemade dressing was unique. Full of nice greens and cucumber but the dressing was nice but different. I wouldn't buy it again. Otherwise, wonderful staff and food. read more

Red Shoe Pub - Butternut Squash. - American Near Me - Mabou, Nova Scotia

Fun Celtic music. Ordered the red shoe ale and loved it. My husband got the bulwark cider which was quite nice. Lively and crowded on a Sunday night. Cover charge of $8 for the music even though you are eating. Don't let that keep you away. I had the scallops and my husband had the fish and chips. The scallop fish came with 5 scallops, some vegetables and the best sauce ever!!!Good food. Not too expensive. It's loud with the music so don't come her to have a deep conversation. Good pub food, entertainment and fun ! We came on a Sunday night and it was crowded. I imagine their could be quite a wait on a Friday or Saturday and the bar is very small to wait (maybe 4 seats). So glad I came and will be back next time we are here!!! read more

See all

Highly rated on various websites; yet, disappointed with this experience. The setting is an old house, quaint. We were also there during live music, more on that later. Two of us had a "catch of the day" special. It looked pretty interesting. Scallop and Chantrelle Crab Pasta with white wine & cream sauce,bacon and scallions. Man that sounded good. We were psyched to eat some scallops. Too bad we really did not get what we THOUGHT we were ordering. There were (count them) exactly TWO scallops in each order. So, technically the "Scallop" non-plural on the specials board was kinda prophetic. The pasta serving was large and consisted mainly of pasta and bacon with a rich sauce. The later two were a little overwhelming. Oh, and the live music - got nailed with a cover charge we were uninformed about. read more

Red Shoe Pub - The scallop pasta special - American Near Me - Mabou, Nova Scotia

Nope. Beer batter fried haddock was nauseatingly greasy. Up-charged for tepid, flavorless mashed potatoes. Slaw tasted like it had been around for a few days. Went with high expectations given all the positive reviews but was disappointed. My companion enjoyed the chowder. read more

Red Shoe beer on tap was good The lobster salad special was so-so. Mabou Seafood Chowder was good, and on a par with other chowder we've had in the Maritime Provinces. (That's pretty good!) Service friendly and efficient. Very pub like atmosphere. (That's a plus for a place with "pub" in it's name.) We liked the place enough to purchase a souvenir glass mug, but as tourists passing through, I doubt we will ever pass this way again. read more

Red Shoe Pub - Red shoe on the wall (title track) - American Near Me - Mabou, Nova Scotia

Very clean, looks remodeled, yet done in the old style look of the buildings age. Server was polite, yet not really friendly - although she was getting busy, so perhaps that's the reason. We were disappointed that a lot of the pictured, here on yelp, meal options were after 4pm only options . Ultimately hubby ordered the lunch special, the lobster salad sandwich. I had the fried haddock, with apple slaw. We both had the curry root soup. Hubby said his sandwich good enough, with hints of lobster taste. The sandwich had lots of filling. My haddock was also good enough - nothing that said signature recipe. I had never had apple slaw, it was crisp and taste. Our soups were very good. Overall not worthy of five stars, but a good solid four star diner - it was a very busy place. Perhaps the night menu might have gotten a better rating, the meatloaf looks wonderful!! Sadly we will never know as Texans just traveling thru! read more

Great find on the Cabot Trail! Have the meatloaf! A little pricey, but a great small-town pub. Very busy at dinner time, but quick and efficient service. read more

Red Shoe Pub - a group of people sitting at a bar - American Near Me - Mabou, Nova Scotia

See all

This is a gem of a spot. We were able to experience this "pub"/restaurant during Celtic Colors. We had such a fantastic time we returned the second night and would have the third night should we have stayed in the area longer. Both nights the place was packed in anticipation of the fiddlers starting with Andrea Beaton. OMG what a night! The food was delicious with local ingredients and large portions. Our servers (night one and two ) were Hollis and Heidi who we later learned were sisters and both 5 star hospitality professionals! What kind and confident women. Good local beer selection and evidence of pride and support for local community and businesses. The crowd was mostly local so not a tourist site by design but rather an authentic local gem designed as a five back to the community by the famous owners. This place should be the pride of the community and owners. I don't know if there is entertainment outside of the festival but I sure hope so it was pure joy! read more

Welcoming staff especially manager who took the time to talk to us about Mabou. Great food and delicious desserts. Would recommend to family and friends. read more

Really good food - fresh ingredients, well prepared. The chicken was excellent and the scallops perhaps even better. Add in the "jam session" of local traditional musicians and you have a night to remember. read more

Wow. Delicious yet again. Today's special is a lemon & chive lobster salad sandwich. Oh and spicy tomato soup. I ordered both and was not disappointed. Well done Red Shoe. read more

Red Shoe Pub - American Near Me - Mabou, Nova Scotia

See all

excellent service! we were talked to 3 different staff members, all very firednly and helpful. 3 of us god the hamburge and fries, delicious homemade burger, daughter hat the kids penne pasta (only $8) and was more than enought pasta and sauce for the price, and 5th had wings and fries. all delicious. atmosphere is great definately recommend! read more

This place gets packed with locals and tourists, especially on weekends. We had a nice dinner here (mussels for me) and a chocolate dessert that I don't remember exactly what it was, but do remember I loved it. The beer selection was pretty good, too! Our dinner ended just as the live music was about to begin, which was great because we already were comfortably seated. However, the downside is that there is a cover charge for the music, even if you're already in the place and eating dinner. I understand why they do this, but it's just a little bit of an odd set-up to tack on an extra $20 to the dinner check if you're already seated and eating. The lay-out of the place was not conceptualized well, and I think they didn't *quite* get the concept of a cozy pub, which is a shame since the place was built with having live music in mind. However, the music was great and a necessary experience to understand some local culture while vacationing along the Cabot Trail. Just like most of our dining experiences in Nova Scotia, service was ok (not great, not awful), and everything felt a tad overpriced. However, our baseline observation tells us that this is the norm for the area, so, in that case, this place did an ok job on both fronts. read more

See all

Fantastic local gem! We came in for dinner and the place was full because of an excellent live Arcadian music show. A nice waitress offered us bar seats until a table would become available. The bartender was extremely efficient serving the beer and food. I got the red shoe ale and meatloaf. Both excellent. My partner got the only veggie option on the menu - veggie lasagna with salad. The guy on my other side had the same and they were both happy. We asked the bartender about camping recommendations and she offered her own lawn! We didn't end up there, but certainly appreciate the local hospitality! We had a good time there and I highly recommend it! read more

Red Shoe Pub - Meatloaf - American Near Me - Mabou, Nova Scotia

I had been looking forward to visiting this place ever since I read an awesome article in the Globe and Mail about fun things to do in Cape Breton. The review made the place sound charming so we decided to check it out on our recent Cabot Trail road trip. We got there around 6pm on a Friday night and were disappointed to find out that there would be no music until 9 (we weren't keen on sitting there for 3 hours). We were also a bit disappointed to see the prices - most of the meals were around $12 to $19, which is not bad but we felt a little high for some things considering there was nothing obviously special about them. I ordered the (appetizer) seafood chowder ($12) and I was worried the chowder wouldn't be enough of a meal but it was actually quite large - I was stuffed by the time I finished! Honestly the biscuit that came with it was just OK for me (a bit dry). We each had a glass of their Red Shoe beer that they make in-house and I really enjoyed it! It had a nice flavour and was a good companion for the creamy, rich chowder. The service was a little sporadic at first - I had to ask her twice for water and it took her a while to come back and get our food orders - however, I think she was new so I can understand her being frazzled. The inside also didn't feel as cozy and "pub-like" as I was expecting - it is basically one big room with wooden tables. Which is fine, just not what I was picturing in my head. I enjoyed our meal but it was nothing spectacular. In my opinion, I think this place gets overhyped because it's owned by local/NS celebs (the Rankin sisters) and the main point of going is for the music and the ambience, not necessarily the food. Perhaps if we had gone later and cozied up for some music, we would have enjoyed our experience more. read more

We had stuffed chicken and scallops. The scallops were too creamy and the fresh taste of the scallops was masked. But it wasn't bad, just not great. Chicken was delicious. Menu selection is ok. It gets crowded on weekends so get there early (7:30pm) for a table. We had to share a table with another couple but it was nice meeting fellow travelers. Entertainment was great. They have different performers on different nights. (This place is a good stop if you're in the area. A bit pricey for a pub restaurant but there's not a lot of restaurant choices in the area) read more

Red Shoe Pub - Milo McMahon from Montreal - American Near Me - Mabou, Nova Scotia

Another great meal at this establishment. For lunch, I had the lobster salad sandwich. This was one of the specials for the day. With it I had a salad. A good filling meal. I also tried the red shoe ale. I'm typically a big fan of red ales but this was not one of my favorites. I know better for next time. This is a place I'm happy to bring visitors too if we are traveling that way. Good food for the value. They were also very accommodating about our large party. I did call ahead to let them know. Our waitress was very attentive and personable. Found out she also works as a Paramedic. Everyone enjoyed their meals even the two children in out party. read more

Red Shoe Pub - Lobster salad sandwich. - American Near Me - Mabou, Nova Scotia

I'm not really sure how this restaurant received four stars. On our way from Baddeck to Halifax we decided to have lunch today. 8 of us (including a baby) sat in the very back of a patio where we were not allowed to adjoin 2 smalls tables to accommodate our shared apps. When we asked the server if we could join the tabes, they made it clear there was a strict policy to not join tables. Now, all the apps were on one table, so naturally we gathered our chairs around the table... causing more commotion than our request. Now, food wise: As my mother puts it, we went to Red Shoe to eat food and came out with runny yellow Poo. When we asked for gluten free options (which was stated that they had options), the server and another server came back to ask us if we had a mild allergy or severe and made recommendations accordingly.. really? How about no gluten? We decided to order the blue cheese mussels which were honestly awful. In our history of eating mussels, never had we had blue cheese, which really ruined the taste completely. My husband ordered a burger and couldn't get past 2 bites. When asking for grilled veggies, they brought out veggies soaked in oil... just delicious. And the issues go on an on, including a round of the runs. I gave it two stars because the naan bread was good. My sister in law enjoyed the chicken in her burger (not the bread). And that, out of $200 worth of food, were the only things worth eating. And the young server was nice. read more

Red Shoe Pub - Veggies, with a side of oil. - American Near Me - Mabou, Nova Scotia

We were hesitant to try this place after reading some negative reviews, but we are so happy we did! We did go early....around 5. Our server was so friendly and sweet. I ordered the flatbread with veggies and goat cheese with the soup of the day, carrot-ginger. It was so delicious! My husband ordered a bowl of Seafood Chowder which he said had plenty of seafood with each bite and came with a delicious biscuit. We decided to splurge and share dessert ...the Not Your Typical Banana Split. It was possibly the best dessert I've ever had. If you have nothing else, have this. Overall we had a top-notch experience. read more

One of the best seafood chowders I've tasted and that includes Alaska. Great beer and good Celtic music.

We arrived with great anticipation, "The Shoe" was highly recommended. Unfortunately, after over an hour and a half wait for our meals, all we got as a response was a plateful of excuses. "there was live music" "the kitchen is small" "your appetizer order takes a long time". Nope. None of these situations are surprising, these are all things that are part of the restaurant, besides there were 4 servers and a bartender and only 12 tables. If there was truly a problem, weak excuses weren't the way to appease hungry travellers. It's unfortunate that it ask could have been eased with a little customer service, but I guess if you're pretty sure we won't be coming back, it doesn't really matter. And the food was mediocre tourist food, at best, at least the beer was good. read more

4 stars for the ambience and the local entertainment of jam sessions of fiddlers, a pianist, a flutist, etc. This seemed to be a place that attracted locals as well as tourists. The food was nothing to write home about but it didn't matter because the music was so good read more

Beyond the fact it has famous connections which obviously draws the tourist crowd including me, the food alone here was beyond worth the 2 hr drive there. Not the cheapest place but for a group of 4 that consisted of a kid, a vegetarian, a picky eater and a total foodie not one of us was in the least bit disappointed. For real the food was top notch. Beyond that they have local entertainment every evening during supper which just added to the experience. If you are ever even remotely close I totally recommend it. My only tip is get there by 4 for supper or you're waiting outside for quite a while to get in, those who are in are certainly not moving any time soon. read more

We found ourselves far from home with a friend looking for lunch in Mabou, Cape Breton, and lucked out to find the Red Shoe, a pub with good food and craft beers. It was pretty busy, although it did happen to be Labor Day, so there were probably extra travelers on the road. The special soup was a tomato basil soup and the special lunch was a lobster salad sandwich. We had both and they were very good. The service was good, too, and quick. If you find yourself there, definitely stop in. My rating is 4 stars rather than 5 because there are many more beautiful locations in Cape Breton. read more

I've stopped in here a few times. It is a great spot to take a day trip.. The music is always great, the atmosphere is cosy and the energy is always high. But so are the prices. I realise it's a tourist attraction, but the cost of the food for the portions is not the most reasonable. We had an 80$+ meal and I left hungry... (A regular meal with beer and pop, each a main and a shared dessert...) They do have the most delicious deserts here. Which is what I would recommend to anyone stopping by. Also a Great drink menu to pair with your meals or desserts. Its usually quite busy but I have always found the waitresses to be very helpful and friendly. read more

Best food in the area. Solid selection of local draft beers, solid food, ok service. We got the seafood chowder, stuffed chicken, scallops, date pudding (aka. A brownie), and cobbler. Everything was great. read more

Fun, small pub. It was full of tourist but doesn't feel touristy. Live music, good beer and good food make this place you must visit. The 2 pcs fish and chips were large. There was a bit too much breading for my liking, but it was good. There seafood chowder was really good, filled with fresh seafood. read more