Service was slow and inattentive. Our waitress acted like we were a pain for asking to sit on their beautiful deck. Lobster roll was B+. read more

Seaside Shanty Restaurant - Lobster Roll and Fries. - Seafood Near Me - Chester, Nova Scotia

A lovely restaurant right on the docks in a small town on the way to Lunenburg. Small parking lot off to the side right in front of the docks. A medium size indoor dining area with a larger patio outside. Service is friendly but food takes a while to come out. I had the lobster roll which was great and we shared the halibut ceviche with the table. Everyone liked what they ordered and it was the perfect lunch meal between travelling from Peggy's Cove and Lunenberg. read more

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Wow, a great lunch! Bright, clean place, nice management & service. We had the chowder, one of our favorite chowders in the area, and the lunch special haddock sandwich w/ cheese. I recommend. read more

Food was good. Speed of service ruined the evening. We made reservations for 7:30 for 14 and arrived promptly at that time. We were seated immediately at our table. Orders were taken for drinks, five or six appetizers, and dinner. Drinks and appetizers arrived without much of a wait. Food and service was good. Then we waited. And waited. Finally at 8:55 the waitress informed us they would be starting to prepare our entrees. Starting? People who arrived after us had already finished eating. It was clear our order was pushed to the back of the queue. We gobbled down our food and were out of there by 9:30. Wait staff was overheard apologizing to other patrons that our party was impacting their wait times yet other than our appetizers they had not yet prepared any of our food. It's a shame. Been coming here for 30 years. Not sure I can do it again after that. read more

We often saw the Seaside Shanty on our way to somewhere else and wanted to try it. After all, a restaurant that has Sea in its name and is on the waterfront must have good fish or so we thought. We both ordered fish and chips. The good news is that the fries were plentiful and well-cooked and presented. The service was pleasant and reasonably efficient, and the restaurant was clean albeit basic and spartan. The order contained one piece of fish that was mostly soggy batter. The fish was frozen, not fresh, and resembled the texture and flavour of frozen fish sticks. All I could taste was flour and oil. Frozen fish can be acceptable if it is a quality product. This was not. I consumed my dinner because I was very hungry. My wife could not finish hers and left hungry. Sadly, on the basis of this visit I have to give the Seaside Shanty a very big pass. If you are looking for a quality experience, try the Fish Shack in Lunenburg.We often read more

the Seaside Shanty was fantastic! We had the lobster roll for lunch and loved it along with the handcut chips! the restaurant and restrooms were very clean and the view to the water was beautiful! the owner stopped by our table and we learned everything is made from scratch. you can tell he and his team take great pride nit only in how the food is prepared and presented but also that each customer feels welcome. we highly recommend the Seaside Shanty- it is worth a repeat visit! read more

This past July we had a confirmed outdoor seating reservation at the seaside Shanty in Chester Basin, NS. It was a glorious day and we were looking forward to sitting on the waterfront. We live quite close to the restaurant and have eaten there many times over the years, through 4 different owners. When we arrived we were told there was no room on the patio. The employee we dealt with told us they do not take reservations for outside. When we questioned this a couple of times (as we clearly had a confirmed one), this employee shouted as us from behind the bar "It's really busy here and I've been dealing with S--T from people like you all day". There were 2 waitresses nearby who looked horrified. I could not believe what was hearing and said "Did you just swear at me"?.....which he denied. I went outside as my husband tried to speak with him face-to-face and enquire about eating inside, he pointed to me and asked him if he was with me.....and then said "I don't think I want to serve her". I have had very little satisfaction from the ownership, only to comp our next meal.....not even an apology from the employee. We have never had such rude service or felt so unwanted from an establishment we've patronized for years! read more

I have never left a review in my lifetime but our experience was so bad I feel it is needed. We had a large party reservation for 7:30 and didn't receive our food until 9:30. We ordered immediately when we got seated received drinks in a timely manner and watched as tables were seated around us slowly. Waitresses were apologizing to every other table for the wait because of our table. We assumed our food was being made for that reason but watched as every other table in the entire restaurant began receiving their food. All of which had been seated and ordered long after us. At 9:00 our waitress came over to our table to let us know they were going to start making our meal once they finished up one last one. Mind you they close at 9:00 so our food wasn't being made until the rest of the people seated had long cleared out of the place. Not once did they apologize to us for the wait. Only to the many other tables that ordered after us and still had finished their food before we had even received ours. If you plan on getting a reservation-- don't. You won't receive your food until every single other table in the restaurant has gotten there's before yours. Unless they deem your table worthy apparently. Staff started off fine but once they realized we were unhappy (as anyone would be) for being continuously pushed back behind other tables they basically disappeared- didn't refill waters - food had taken so long they brought one meal out at a time as it was prepared. What could have been a lovely family dinner ended up a total disaster. A simple apology would have sufficed as they were apologizing to every other table blaming their slowness on us. Alas there was none. Won't return. Food wasn't worth the price or service. read more

The menu has the most delicious options, the seafood risotto, the scallops and the flank steak have been tried so far and each of the dishes were amazing. It's our new favorite place to eat out. Make a reservation. They have outside tables on the balcony overlooking the waterfront. read more

New owners this summer and I won't go back! We always loved the Shanty but the menu and the food has changed. I had the corn chowder which was an odd, room temp corn soup. It was bland and awful. My husband had fish and chips that wasn't cooked through so batter was gooey. If you are looking for waterfront dining in Chester area, The Rope Lift never disappoints! Focsle Tavern, Kiwi Cafe and Gold Bean Cafe are always good too! read more

Seaside Shanty Restaurant - Corn "chowder" - Seafood Near Me - Chester, Nova Scotia

tasted like shit and i'd not good. there was hair in the food and it tasted horrible. there service was bad and they took forever to deliver my food. read more

Seaside Shanty has certainly come up the ranks for its cuisine. We went here today for one of The Best Meals along the South Shore you can have. The owners Gillian and Iain have brought the restaurant to the next level with hiring a New Chef, "Jeff Wiper". This man makes one of the best pasta dishes we ever tasted. For lunch we ordered: Linguine with a white cream sauce Chicken Quesadilla's Chicken Clubhouse One order of Bruschetta First let me say, nothing in this restaurant is deep fried. It is all fresh, real meat and home made sauces. There are a lot of choices on the menu, especially if you like seafood. I will try the crab-cakes next time. The pasta dish had just the right amount of cream, accented with herbs and garlic bread on the side. This dish was rich, but not so rich that the plate was not emptied. We all wanted more! The Club House Sandwich was a real piece of grilled chicken on fresh thick bread with a small side salad. It was delicious. The Quesadilla's, well they were a big hit, we have had a few Quesadilla's before and none compared to these. I am not sure the secret they have for the outside of the shell, but this was one great Quesadilla's, chunks of chicken, peppers, onions and the right amount of cheese. It came with sour cream, salsa and a side salad. The Bruschetta, that had a little something extra in it, cucumber, which gave it a little more crunch with flavour. Excellent! Ah,yes , the Dessert. Chocolate Lava Cake!!!!!! Wow, this was a nice way to complete one of the best meals we have had. It was decadent, warm and melted in your mouth with the rich ice-cream. I am so pleased that we went back to try this wonderful restaurant along the water. It is now the first place I will recommend to friends and family that come to visit. My hat is off to Gillian & Iain for a superb establishment! read more

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A wonderful shack by the water with absolutely killer food, a screened porch and a fresh rose on each table! We had the chowder, scallop burger and a lobster roll. Each was delicious; not too fussy but carefully prepared with wonderful ingredients. The burger and roll were accompanied by a nicely dressed small salad of micro greens. Maybe it was the setting, but we could not have asked for a better lunch We tried the coconut cream pie for dessert and it wasn't up to the rest of the meal but that was not enough to dampen our euphoria so this place still gets five stars. read more

Seaside Shanty Restaurant - Seafood chowder - Seafood Near Me - Chester, Nova Scotia

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Omg. The seafood chowder is amazing. Little shack on the side of the road Must try. Good service as well read more

Seaside Shanty Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Chester, Nova Scotia

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After many years of visiting Seaside Shanty we're unfortunately going to have to break up with you. We understand that the last two years have been challenging but your prices have increased while your portions have significantly decreased. Added to that, we encountered an unmasked server who when questioned , advised that she had a " medical exemption" due to anxiety. While we respect anyone suffering from a legitimate condition we feel that the server if permitted to serve unmasked, must at least explain her situation before approaching a table, to give the customer the option of being served by a masked server. Anxiety goes both ways in this instance. read more

Good and bad - nice view - nice ambience, almost romantic - staff were pleasant and attentive - my wife had fish and chips that were good, friend enjoyed his chowder, but I had one of the worst hamburgers ever and the fries were so greasy I couldn't eat them. Burger sounded good - cheddar, bacon, pickle but the pattie was dry, hard and tasteless. To top it off the waitress sold two of us a "can" of wine that turned out to be alcohol free. Might go again and choose better. read more

Great spot overlooking Chester Basin. Food was good staff was friendly. Social distancing protocols are in place. read more

The best lobster chowder along the shouts shore; really the best I've had in all of Atlantic Canada. The restaurant is quaint and cozy and the servers are familiar faces as each season comes and goes. Not only do they have the best chowder, many of their other dishes are 5 star. Fish cakes, mussels, and their homemade pasta all deserve recognition. Take the time out of your day to make the trip to the restaurant, you won't be disappointed! read more

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First, thanks to the Seaside Shanty for supporting the Nova Scotia Symphony's auction in 2011 by supplying a $50 gift certificate as an auction item. I got that certificate and finally got to use it yesterday. The Shanty is big for a shanty, and way more substantial! It's very cozy inside and has an airy closed porch with great views of the basin. It fills with locals at lunch time, so get there early or late or be prepared to wait. We both had the Shanty Combo: a cup of seafood chowder and a lobster roll. Mercy! The cup of chowder looks small but it's calorie-dense, so don't think you'll be needing seconds. The creamy broth is silky smooth, delicately flavourful, and just dense enough. The real density is in the abundance of seafood in the tiny cup: haddock, bay scallops, some lobster (I think), topped off with a perfect poached shrimp. Sublime, and hard to beat in any other restaurant. The lobster roll was so simple: a crusty sausage roll lined with a romaine lettuce leaf and stuffed to bursting with lobster. Is there anything on the lobster? Perhaps the merest hint of mayo and a touch of pepper. Really, what does a lobster roll need? When done this well, nothing else. The blueberry grunt satisfied R's need for a grunt. Again, with such a simple dish, you can't mess with it or people will be unhappy. The bowl was scraped clean, so I'd say that was another success. The coffee was pretty good too. You can eat there for under $10 at lunch, but probably not for supper. There's a B&B across the street so we'll be back for a night visit. read more

Best seafood chowder in Nova Scotia !! Had the lobster seafood chowder it was amazing!! Will be back to try the blueberry grunt desert read more

The Seaside Shanty has the distinct honour of being the absolute only food establishment in Chester Basin. Located on the small harbour that juts into Chester Basin, the Seaside Shanty is a seasonal restaurant open from May to October (generally closes after Thanksgiving). Folks from the city drive out solely to feast on it's generous helpings of salads and chowders, or to try out one of their other delectable offerings. The Seaside Shanty is also a great place to take kids; the waitstaff are patient and attentive to the needs of little ones, whipping up a grilled cheese sandwich if that's the only thing a little guy will eat. The Shanty's outdoor patio is shaded and an excellent spot to sit and watch the boats on the water while you enjoy some seafood or pasta. Check out their new menu coming this spring! read more

This is an AMAZING place to go for chowder and seafood. The corn chowder is on my list of top 10 favourite foods. Their mussels are also good. The servers are friendly. You can eat inside or out overlooking the water. Great place for lunch and dinner. read more

I stopped and had dinner at the Seaside Shanty on Friday on my way to my parents cottage. The main dining room is small, but there is a covered patio with extra seating. The menu is small and mainly focuses on seafood, but there are other options as well. They are famous for their seafood chowder, and it seemed at every other table, at least one person had the chowder, which looked to be chock full of seafood. I opted for a bowl of the corn chowder, which came with a mini tea biscuit for the reasonable price of $7.00. The chowder was creamy with a bright, fresh corn taste and was served piping hot. I thought the bowl was a bit on the small side when it came to the table, but was surprised at how filling it was. The tea biscuit was light and fluffy, but it was obvious that it had been warmed up in a microwave, because I didn't eat it right away, as it cooled it developed a slightly gummy texture. As summer is around the corner, I'm watching what I eat, so I passed on dessert, but did have a bite of my mom's blueberry grunt, which came with both ice-cream and whipped cream. The cake was warm and tasted of cinnamon, and the blueberries were the superior small kind, likely from the freezer, but had delicious flavor. I will for sure stop in again next time I go out to the cottage read more

This chowder seafood place is the best ever, lobster chowder, scallop burgers, salad dressing, spicy pecan pie& blueberry grunt ... Please tell the owners to stay open all seasons!! Brought here by a local and if I never comeback I will be very sad. read more

The setting idyllic and the food very tasty. The service was aces too. I had the shrimp, scallop, lobster fettuccine in tarragon cream sauce. Omg! Don't miss this gem. read more

Seaside Shanty Restaurant - Shrimp, scallop & lobster fettuccine in tarragon cream sauce. Oh yeah, a Caesar salad too. - Seafood Near Me - Chester, Nova Scotia

This is my favorite place to stop in on the south shore! All of the chowders are incredible and the service is so friendly! ...not to mention that beautiful view! read more

Had a late lunch here while passing through. The haddock chowder was perfect and had very generous amounts of fish, given that I ordered the smaller "cup" portion. I also ordered the fish cakes appetizer, which was underdone and really not good at all. No danger in eating room temperature salt cod, but not something I wanted in the moment. Would stop in again for a bigger bowl of that chowder though. read more

Never had better seafood chowder (w/ lobster) anywhere! Have made the pilgrimage every year for the last 12 yrs and not once been disappointed. Pricey for that particular item, but worth every penny. read more

Really charming, great service with food to match. I had the salmon pate appetizer and easily satisfied my hunger for lunch-- nice on the pocketbook as well! The harbor is mesmerizing if have time to look up from your lovely food. Really try this place-/ you will not regret it. read more

This restaurant is perfect. We had the fish cakes, which were perfectly seared and a cup of the lobster chowder, which was creamy and decadent. It came with a side biscuit that was buttery and paired very well. My partner ordered the haddock which was large, perfectly seared and delicious all around, served with a side of greens that were fresh and well-dressed. We topped it of with a "blueberry grunt". It was excellent and full of local NS blueberries. The service was very attentive and friendly, and the view lovely. Top marks! read more

Stopped here for lunch. The food was good, seafood chowder was full of chunks of fish and scallops. Service, however, was lacking. Got my meal and had no drink. Asked several times for water. It never came. Not rude or unpleasant servers, just not very attentive. read more

We stoppedin and we all ordered seafood chowder. Outstanding. Best chowder we've ever had. Very talented chef here. We also had lobster rolls, haddock burger, and seafood crepes. All were excellent in this quaint seaside venue. The seafood chowder is crazy good. Jill was our friendly and attentive waitress. read more

Ok save room for the desserts because they are worth it. The food was had here was local, fresh, delicious Ana well prepared. Everyone in this lovely little place seems happy. Guests, chef &staff. read more

Well we haven't eaten everywhere on the chowder trail but I struggle to think that there are much better places, sit out on the deck and watch the weather change (normally every 5 minutes)...with a chowder of scallops, lobster, mussels and fish it's tough to make sure every component is cooked to perfection (but not beyond), they nailed it...also the broth was just thick enough (but not beyond), i.e. not overladen with thickeners. Great little spot! read more

Yes! Delicious food and friendly service. The seafood chowder with lobster roll was great. My sons grilled cheese with bacon is something I want to order next time. Cheese goodness on delicious bread! read more

I loved this place - what a treat .... Food was amazing and service was with a smile. Maybe the best chowder ever? Fish cakes too? Need to go back to check...soon. read more

Recommended by a friend living locally, we had dinner-in a word outstanding! Everything is cooked to order so don't expect to be in and out in 8 minutes. We had the evening special: perfectly prepared pan seared halibut, shrimp, and scallops with a tarragon-butter sauce on the side. Our friend had the generously portioned lobster-laden lobster chowder, also outstanding. We were too full for dessert but they all looked wonderful. The salads were good but not as spectacular as the seafood. Overall, a lovely dining experience. read more

Not very responsive to a contact us inquiry. We are in Chester traveling with our dog and I had emailed them asking if dogs were allowed to be on the patio with us. It's too hot to leave them in the car at this time, no response in 4/5 days, so we won't be dining there! read more

A lovely place with lovely people, in a beautiful spot. Delicious food and attentive service. The desserts are to die for and the fish is very fresh. A special thanks to the staff for your kindness to my 7 year old son, "the bottomless pit." :) read more

I come to this area of Nova Scotia every summer, and I DREAM about the Seaside Shanty's chowder during the rest of the year. All the food there is wonderful (especially the seafood), but the seafood chowder is their most famous dish. It is far-and-away the best chowder I have ever had. In the bowl portion it is quite a substantial lunch since it is dense with seafood, but it also comes in a cup. In addition, consider trying the lobster chowder, lobster rolls, haddock, and desserts. The place has a casual vibe and is located right on the water so the porch seating has a great view. During peak times, it can be busy/crowded and require waiting for a table and some service delays. The service is always friendly and the overall atmosphere is very relaxing even when busy. They carry Propeller craft beers, which are amazing local brews. A Propeller Bitter and a chowder are a necessary event if you're in the area. PS: I see the Shanty has a new chef this year. I pray they don't change the chowders one iota. read more