Since it was sold to a chain, the Port Pub has gone right down the drain. The menu is generic and the food is less than mediocre. After years of being loyal patrons, we'll never go back. read more

Old wrinkled paper menu - cheap looking efficient but not friendly service 45 minutes for the food to arrive no bread overcooked pasta - three of four dishes no lamb on the menu which is what they were known for ambiance - it's gone from a restaurant to a pub, and not a particularly good one read more

The atmosphere was loud with terrible acoustics, making it hard to have a conversation. My nachos arrived cold, though the server quickly reheated them and later took 50% off without me asking, which I appreciated. Unfortunately, the food was a mess. The nachos looked unappetizing, were greasy, soggy, and overly wet. Others at my table also said their food tasted strange. The water had a strong chlorine taste, the cutlery was dirty, and none of the glasses matched. Tables were worn and chairs scraped loudly on the floor. Service was solid but not enough to save the overall experience. read more

I've been looking forward to experience this restaurant for a few years now because of the raving reviews I get from others about it. The servers were friendly, and approachable, but scatterbrained and not present. For example, I had asked for a side of fries that never came. It wasn't a big deal because I had gotten my food which was really good and flavorful. The portion size was not too unreasonable for the price point; however, there are places that you can get the same quality at a better price point. I think this is a great date night or a great place for groups of friends to go to for more of a overall fancier experience. The takeaway for me is that the port pub offers more than just the food, and you need to be prepared to enjoy the ambience and beautiful scenery as well. read more

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The Port Pub excited our expectations, the seafood chowder was excellent the cup was extremely filling at only $8.00 clearly a bargain. The wings were great and we split the burger which was very good and Hannah's service was personable and attentive very nice. read more

Beautiful views from inside. Tofu sandwich was delicious with the tofu cooked to perfection. . Large. The chili Thai wings were very good as well. read more

The Port Pub - Side salad - Gastropubs Near Me - Port Williams, Nova Scotia

Visited The Port Pub tonight and our server was Courtney...she was amazing!! She was an absolute ray of sunshine - full of super fun humour, gave excellent feedback on our menu questions, and boasted about the beautiful valley. In addition to the great service, our food was delicious! Couldn't be happier. Thank you! read more

Enjoyed pleasant dinner and flight of beer here. excellent lobster poutine and seafood chowder. Service was outstanding and prompt. I would've never found this place on yelp because it's not listed under restaurants. Port pub management please note, you need to correct that. read more

Nice place, great location and view. Has such potential but the food fell short.The blooberry beer was cool but all the other beers - hard pass. They had a cool beer sampler which we got - loved that beer flight idea. Unfortunately it doesn't matter what you order if everything you order isn't cooked right. Beef - overcooked dry, chewy, hurts my teeth and cut into weird shapes. All scallops were overcooked as well. They said "digby" scallops but we literally just drove from digby and a grungy old pub cooked it better. The menu sounds good and the food looked good but it didn't taste good. Like I said so much potential this place. read more

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I've been here twice, both times with groups, and both times all the food and the service was excellent. Last trip I had the lobster club, excellent! My wife had the seafood chowder which is up there the best Nova Scotia has to offer. And the calamari is so delicious! They also offer a variety of locally-brewed unique beers that nicely compliment the menu. Worth a visit. read more

The Port Pub - Lobster Club - Gastropubs Near Me - Port Williams, Nova Scotia

So I've been here many times and been satisfied with the food. My comments and rating is reflective of the associated Sealevel brewery that is owned by the same people. I have been there enough times to buy the 1 liter bottles they sold me at $6 each which I was assured could be returned for full refund. A week ago I decided to return them as I no longer drink beer. I have moved to cider. I returned 4 bottles and was only given $7.50. That's for the $24 I spent for the deposit bottles. This is an example of a large company gouging their loyal customers by changing their policy on something you entered in good faith. This place does not deserve your money. read more

I've been going to the Port Pub religiously for a few years now. If I even come close to the Valley region, I'm going there for lunch or a weekend brunch. I've loved their Eggs Benny, their sweet potato fries make the angels cry tears of joy, and the welcoming staff always made me feel like I'm being invited into Port Williams' most glorious living room every time I've arrived. But in the spirit of being fair and balanced, this former favourite of mine has been slipping. Over the past year especially, I just haven't had the same experience that made me fall head over heels. Servers have ranged from aloof to outright cranky, wait times have been inconsistent, and this past visit was just a hot mess. I was all but laughed at when I called to attempt reservations for our group early in the day -apparently you can only book for groups of 12 or more these days -and when I asked if it was worth popping by to try for a dinner spot anyway, she said: "Well, we're very busy and it'll stay that way. *click*" Not even a hint of encouragement to come spend money and a night of my life at your restaurant? Okay then. Still, we showed up and committed to the 25-minute wait. We were denied entry to the mostly empty bar to enjoy some cocktails in the meantime and were reluctantly served drinks in the lobby after being informed that the bartender was frustrated that he had to make mojitos. Then, when we were brought to our table the place wasn't even half-full and my head just about exploded. Why the wait? Who knows. Our server seemed pretty annoyed considering the tips she could have expected from a group of six eating and drinking all night. Luckily, as it often does, the Port Pub redeemed itself with great food. And thank god it did. That said, I can't see myself rushing back given the way things have been going. read more

What a nice spot. The food was good and the waitresses were so kind. We were in town for business and came here two nights. On our second night we decided to do a wine tasting of Nova Scotia's local wines. Our waitress was on point! She was able to give us background information on each of the wines and chose for us based on our taste. We ended up buying wine on our way home through the airport. Will be returning when we are back in town... read more

I'd say my rating for The Port Pub is a solid 3.5 stars, and I hope to return and be able to give it four or five stars instead. I visited the restaurant with six friends during a recent trip to the Valley. We were in a celebratory mood, ready to wine and dine. I'd read on the pub's website that they offered no corkage fees on local wines on Saturday nights, so we all excitedly picked up bottles at Luckett's Vineyards earlier that day. But, no dice - when we called, we were told the no corkage fee special had been changed to Sunday evenings. Also, no reservations. We left our wine at home and showed up, where we were told it would be a 20 minute wait. No problem, we thought, we could wait at the bar. But the hostess said she'd "prefer if you didn't", and eventually offered to bring us drinks in the spacious lobby that had plenty of seating. That was a perfectly fine option, and I would have enjoyed my delicious mojito a bit more had we not been told that the poor bartender couldn't believe he had to make four whole mojitos. When we were seated, the place was half empty, which left us feeling a bit annoyed about having to wait for so long. From there the service improved to what I'd describe as "not great, but not the worst", but the food was really delicious. I shared a calamari appetizer that came in a tomato sauce, and my scallop and lobster linguine was fantastic. I enjoyed my meal so much, and it really is a lovely location. I've heard that the restaurant has expanded and is having trouble keeping up with its new size, so I hope that next time I visit some of the kinks have been ironed out in the service area. read more

This is the second time at this Pub and it did not disappoint. Both times it has been for brunch. This time I had a Thai Noodle Bowl, which was awesome. Service is good and the price point is equal to the quality of the food, so I will definitely be going back again. Also worth mentioning is that it is tucked away in a quaint little area, right on the water, so the view is spectacular, even on a rainy day. I hope to get to experience the picturesque view on their patio the next time I go. read more

Hallelujah, the Port is back! We haven't been to the Port since our last terrible experience 2 years ago. We thought we'd never go again. But last night we went to Wolfville for dinner and a show. We planned to eat at Troy before the show started at 7:30, but it was beyond full. So desperate to eat something, we settled on going back to the Port. Our expectations were low. I am happy to report that The Port has moved away from its sports bar feel of 2014 and back to gastropub status. I am a happy camper. Our server was attentive without being annoying. The atmosphere is casual still, but the dishes have a fine dining flair. There were no frozen fries to be seen, there is more local food on the menu again, and the dishes are pubby but creative. The presentation of our desserts was exquisite. The food was fresh, delicious, and made up for all the sins of the past. The chef even met us in the porch while we waited to be seated to ask if we'd been taken care of. Someone at the Port has obviously taken a hint, and I am elated. We missed having the Port as a good food option, and it feels like Christmas to be able to add it back into the mix. Thank you for making everything better, The Port Pub! We'll be back. read more

My wife and I visited the Port on two separate occasions during our trip through the Valley; and the experiences could not have been more different. On our first visit the waitress was extremely friendly and helpful, the food was excellent (I had the chipolte chicken sandwich with a tasty seasonal salad), and the beer (Rojo Mojo Ale) was very enjoyable. Five stars, for sure. The next time we dropped by it was one of my worst restaurant experiences in a long while. We asked the waitress what was on special for brunch, and although she knew what it was (A western sandwich), I asked her what was on it, and she had no idea - I had to suggest items that might be on a typical Western, but she still had to go up to the bar to check. After ordering, we waited an inordinately long time for our food, and when it arrived, the fries were soggy, as though they sat under a heat lamp for a bit too long (We suspect our waitress may have forgotten about us...?) In addition, I specifically did not want an alcoholic drink, since I was driving and wanted to visit a vineyard after lunch with the option for a bit of wine. Despite me even pointing to the (virgin) lemonade on the menu that I wanted, the waitress brought me an alcoholic cocktail (Which I just assumed was a unpleasant tasting lemonade, and downed completely). The food on our second visit was mediocre. So, with one excellent experience, and one dreadful experience, I give the Port a 3-star rating. I'd probably go back, but if we had an experience like our second visit, the third would certainly be the last time. read more

An hour later my seafood chowder still hasn't arrived. I truly hope they're catching the haddock fresh and pulling up the lobster trap as I enjoy my Blooberry pail ale. While the flies buzzing around me inside that is, are a pure annoyance, I continue to sip my beer and hope that the seafood chowder is as fresh as one can make it aboard a ship at sea... An hour and few mins past, the seafood chowder arrived. Filled with fresh seafood with a warm biscuit on the side. The chowder could easily be one of the best seafood chowders I've had. But then came the swarm of flies, nasty as they can be... read more

I'd give it four stars for the beer, four and a half stars for the food and three stars for the staff, so I'm averaging this rating at 4 stars. We've been here a few times -- we've even driven to The Port especially to have dinner -- but the last time (September 16) was not up to the standard set by our previous two visits. It's the waiting. I don't mind waiting, but I do mind when it's disorganized, when the staff doesn't acknowledge their customers and even act as if it's too much trouble to talk to us or even look at us. We asked if we could go into the bar to wait -- we were told the bar was full. I suspect it was just too much trouble for the hostess (who disappeared for long periods of time, then showed up to write a few more names down on her list with a theatrical sigh of long-suffering put-uponedness). The reason I suspect this was because the bar was pretty much empty. There's a lot of attitude up front in this restaurant and it doesn't get things off to a good start. The wait didn't take as long as the hostess had estimated, and the rest of the evening went well. The restaurant itself is very attractive -- big beams, lots of wood. The food ranged from good to excellent (I love the pulled pork sandwich myself). My husband ordered the IPA and the waiter brought him a different pale ale -- it turns out that the IPA he'd had on our last visit was a special brew and wasn't being offered that night. We wish the waiter had double checked. David had the bitter, and it was pretty good -- too cold, of course, but he gets around that by ordering two pints at once, so that by the time he's ready for the second one it's at the right temperature :) In season there's a beautiful patio and the view over the tidal river and flat fields to Wolfville is gorgeous. Lots of parking. read more

Another horrible meal at the Port. They cannot cook fish there! Don't get pan fried haddock. The shredded cauliflower with it was disgusting, also. And the broccoli was not even cooked! Just 2 raw stalks plopped on the plate. I keep giving the Port a second/third/fourth chance since I have heard others enjoy the food. But I won't go back after this inedible meal. read more

Just okay; we ordered the artic char with risotto but the whole dish was lacking in flavor. It tasted like rice and steamed fish.

Seated quickly outside. Nice view but no breeze & many flies. Asked to go in. Seated inside after not seeing a new server we flagged down (eventually) our old server. She could be seen talking to someone who gave clear body language that said not happy to have another look after us. Craft beers sampler good. The steak ordered medium well came seared on outside & rare throughout. Bloody ooze. Garlic mash over whipped tasted processed. I asked for them to throw back on grill instead they made a new one. Sounds nice right? No. My fiancée waited & her food was cold. Took another 15-20 for 2nd steak. Second one fine but we were done not hungry. First steak gristle second better. Vegetables had hunks of raw under cooked carrots. Not a great experience. 2 sets of people in town that live here were not recommending it. Should've listened. Love to support small business but the great location & deck doesn't make up for food. Finance Her plate of oink & moo sliders was just ok & cold. Good fries only thing I liked although they weren't hot. Meal varied from Meh to bad. My fiancée tried them when they opened & loved her experience. Said on my first Valley visit we had to go even despite bad comments from locals. It was our one year anniversary & she wanted everything nice. Not a fan. Wouldn't likely go back or if I did it would have to be pretty spectacular or off my permanent list. Note that waitress brought a gift certificate for next time due to trouble so at least they acknowledge it. read more

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I'm still giving this Establishment a solid 2.5 Stars. I have been back at least three times since my last review, and some things have changed. The wait time was not excessive (10+ minutes), but when we got inside, the place was nearly empty. There was no reason for any wait in my opinion. The service from our waitress was good, but the food portions were Very small when they arrived, and the taste was mediocre. The local drinks were nice. I'll end this on a high note. The view was great! That is the best thing about this place. I am hoping things will be better the next time, we visit. read more

Excellent food great craft beers fast attentive service. What more could we want? Pork schnitzel highly recommended. read more

The Port Pub - Gastropubs Near Me - Port Williams, Nova Scotia

On average struggling to be 3 stars. We recently moved to Port Williams and looked forward to being able to walk to The Port. First visit was definitely 5 stars. The second visit barely 1 star. 4 in the afternoon, staff to customer ratio nearly 1 to 1. 5 minute wait into a nearly empty dining room. My guests were my daughter, son-in-law and 4 year old and 1 year old grandsons. No service or acknowledgement of our being seated at the table. I had to go to a person at bar (seemingly more interested in writing a list of sorts) and ask for a server. Perhaps the next list could be table assignments for the servers as there was some confusion. I was embarrassed for taking my guests to "The Port", based on our first visit. After having an assigned server things went quite well. Our drink order was executed efficiently, and our snacks arrived promptly. Next visit will be the determining factor, future outings my require a drive to Wolfville or other locations in "the valley". read more

I've been here many times and I'd like to offer you this one, important, tip: Don't go at "busy times" because when it's busy, it's REALLY busy. It's totally worth it, mind you, because the food is delicious. I've been coming for a few years and have enjoyed almost everything I've had. They have Propeller ginger beer which also makes me very happy. The only thing I would go out of my way to warn you against would be the pickle chips. Thinking they were almost exactly the same as deep fried pickles, I ordered some. Very disappointing. The pickles aren't crisp enough to break when you bite into them so they come sliding out of the breading. Other than that, all of the (vegetarian) dishes I've had were fantastic. Service can be a bit ... relaxed? But generally attentive. As I'm writing, I realized that I've never been here in any season but the summer. So I'm sure the menu shifts seasonally and can't comment. Of course, the patio's a big draw in the summer. read more

My husband and I went hiking at Cape Split and needed somewhere to eat before heading back to the HRM. Man am I glad we stopped in here!! The food was amazing, there was something on the menu for everyone. It wasn't expensive (even though it looks like it should be) and everything was fresh and made with local ingredients. The staff was friendly and the owners work as servers so you know they care about the quality and value of their place. There are great views and an amazing patio looking over the water, with walking trails right across from the restaurant. So you can work off some of the food you ate while enjoying the scenery. my only complaint is that it's an hour drive from our house . However, it's definitely worth the drive just to eat here, and we'll definitely being going back!! read more

Came here on a recommendation and had a good time. Unfortunately it was raining out so we could not dine outside but I like having that as an option. We waited about 20 minutes to be seated for lunch around 1:30 on a Saturday - unexpected but fine as they have a nice lobby (and some paintings I really liked). The setting is a bit formal so I would recommend dressing accordingly but it's just a tip, not a rule. The wines and beers on the drink menu had some local choices which I appreciated, we ended up going to one of the wineries afterward. The food was plated nicely and tasted great (watermelon & arugula salad and black bean burger for my wife and I, respectively). I had a good experience and would recommend The Port Pub to others. Side note: I'm intrigued by the brewery that just opened next door. read more

Great, great, great! Menu is diverse and all homemade and delicious. Apparently (according to my fiance) the beer was fantastic! we will keep driving back there just to enjoy its beautiful atmosphere, friendly staff and fantastic food! read more

Great gem in the beautiful area that is the Annapolis Valley. While nothing about my visit is 5 star memorable, no aspect was less than 4 stars. The place was very clean and well maintained. The service was grade A from sit-down to exit. The prices are very fair, especially considering the focus on local, a double bonus in my book. The beers are something to get excited about too. Probably nothing that will show up on your best-beer-ever list, I walked through the sampler and all were well executed for their respective styles. Definitely a place worth visiting for a round of great pints or great food. read more

The Port Pub - Gastropubs Near Me - Port Williams, Nova Scotia

An average, at best, pub that thinks it's something more. We have given this place several chances to redeem itself and it has never been better than just okay. The prices are outrageously high for what it is, the service is sub-par and uninformed, and the food is underwhelming at best. Today was definitely its last chance. We went for Mother's Day brunch. They couldn't decide what menus they were using, the place was FREEZING because the air conditioning was on, even though it was "cold out there" as our server put it, the food was expensive and not good. The crepe was literally something that someone who had no culinary skills would have made at home, they brought the wrong meat with one of the meals, even though there were almost no tables yet, and the other two meals were just okay. The eggs benedict had no flavour, and the "hash browns" were really just deep fried potatoes. Lazy. At those prices, one expects better. read more

An old favorite that's gone downhill fast. The past few times we've been here the service was slow and inattentive. On this last visit, the terrible food was the last straw. Of the three poached eggs served, two were raw (whites runny and translucent) while the other was well beyond hard-poached. The hash brown potatoes on the side were also undercooked (no brown and could barely stick a fork through them). All-in-all we had to send back some of the food which is something we half of the plates which we rarely ever do. Icing on the cake is that I felt quite ill after. Needless to say, we won't be going back. A shame because this used to be a go-to spot whenever we were visiting the area and we used to recommend it to friends and family quite frequently. read more

I ate at this restaurant a while ago and enjoyed it, so when the boy and I were looking for somewhere to eat in the Valley we felt it was a good choice. The main attraction for him was the Sea Level Brewery, which is "attached" to the restaurant. It's nice to have a selection of new, local brews to choose from rather than the usual list that pretty much every pub or restaurant follows. They always have a "latest creation" - a kind of "beer of the day" - and you can order a Tasting Tray for only $3.98 if you're not sure what you're in the mood for. To be honest I wasn't that impressed with the menu - there were a few different things listed but a lot of the usual stuff you see on every menu (particularly in the app's list) and not a HUGE selection (though granted, a large selection doesn't necessarily = food quality). My eyes immediately fell on the Lobster Club because it combines two of my favourite things - seafood + club sandwiches (I could seriously live on sandwiches and wraps - except I couldn't bc I'd probably die after not too long of carb-overload or something). I was torn between a pumpkin seed pasta and the sandwich, but ultimately ended up getting the sandwich. It was very tasty, though I would have liked to have seen more lobster and more mayo or something similar mixed in with it (it was a little dry by itself), but this was a small issue. The fries were delicious! Part of me wished I had ordered the pasta as it might have been more satisfying... The boy had the lamb burger, and I'm not a big meat-eater but I had a bite and it was quite tasty - the patty seemed to have lots of herbs/spices in it. Plus it was very large and loaded with sprouts, mushrooms, etc, on a nice looking bun. His came with sweet potato fries, which he declared to be better than the Old Triangle ones (which in my mind is saying something), and he also praised the spicy mayo they came with. I decided to be a pig and order dessert mainly because once I saw "Peanut Butter Pie" on the list, I couldn't get it out of my mind. When it arrived I was a little surprised because it was not a traditional triangular slice that was placed in front of us, but a little round cup. OH MY GOD it was so delicious! Mind you, it's pretty hard for chocolate and peanut butter together in any incarnation to NOT taste good, but this was so creamy with a slightly hard chocolate topping and chocolate cookie crust on the bottom.....sigh. I love me some dessert, and it's dishes like this that remind me of why. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone. It's a "gastropub" so you're essentially getting pub-style food but with a fancier presentation and ingredients, but I felt prices were reasonable considering what you get. Plus the setting is beautiful, with the set-up taking full advantage of the river views (and the decor is really nice). Who knew such a nice restaurant existed in (practically) the middle of nowhere! If you are limiting your eating out in Nova Scotia to the HRM area only, you are sorely mistaken. read more

Very disappointed , ordered the beef dip with au jus that seems to just be a tinned beef consommé beef was dry , not far of being jerky! My wife's eggs benny were hard and not runny at all like she asked ,the hollandaise was more like melted butter with no reduction of peppercorn and Vinger or lemon detected its had also split, a quick blitz or pressure siphoned with No2 would of fixed this ! The bread was wonderful as was the salad . My dining experience was a 2 out 10 ! When the waitress explained about the Pasta dish she explained that it had a bechamel base that was a cream reduction , bechamel is roux (flour and butter) based sauce not a cream reduction . Furthermore the lobster dip had no lobster what so ever and even the waitress said it's also very small pieces. read more

This place is fantastic! Supper was delicious and very cozy in a way. Suggestion would be to walk out on the patio and enjoy a nice glass of their local brew ( the summer blonde is in season right now). I had the chowder which was delicious, the scallop pappardelle carbonara, and a green tea. The service was fantastic from a local student of Acadia (thank you). Would definitely recommend giving this place a try even if you are passing through. read more

The Port Pub - Gastropubs Near Me - Port Williams, Nova Scotia

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I have been heating healthy for the past 8 weeks and was looking forward to celebrating my birthday, today, with some good beer, wings and nachos. The beer was awesome, I could have made better nachos at home and the wings were the worst, they were burnt, dry and flavorless. It will be a while before I spend another dime here. read more

Poor is an understatement! Forgotten about....twice!!!cold ...soggy food....There are too many pubs in the valley to waste your time here! read more

I have gone to this restaurant several times since moving to Nova Scotia and the food used to be pretty good but the view was spectacular. I went today ( Sept 7 2015) and I was thoroughly disappointed with the food and the service. We arrived as a party of 4 around 4 pm after a day of fun in the valley. The sign said to seat yourself and we choose a table for 4 outside on the balcony. The table had not be cleared from the last customers and flies were all over the place. We waited for approximately 15 minutes before any of the servers even acknowledged us (it took my wife waving down one of them). One of the servers then came over and cleared the table and wiped it down and gave us menus. The service came back around 10 minutes later to take our order. We place our order the beer was brought out promptly. We waited and waited for our appetizers for over 35 minutes (meanwhile the people who came in after us received their orders and enjoyed their meal). 35 minutes after placing our order the waitress told us that they were out of the appetizer that we had ordered. This was disappointing after waiting so long. We decided to skips apps and just have the entre. We waited for another 30 minutes and the server brought out the saddest looking 4 entres I have even seen served in a restaurant. The pan fried haddock was beige on the top and overcooked and hard on the bottom. The salad served with the haddock was actually hot from sitting under the heat lamp for so long. I had the fish and chips and the fish was overcooked so that the batter was almost burnt and the "chips" were actually more like potatoes you would get with breakfast and they were severely overcooked and not edible. We told the server about the problems and she said "i can bring you another salad' and ' do you want other potatoes'. No apologies, nothing. Very disappointing. I thought maybe the bill would reflect a small discount or something that would show an apology but nothing. I am not usually one to not give a tip but this was one case where no tip was deserved - it was bad food and bad service. I will not go back to this restaurant again. The Port management needs to train their staff on how to handle a customer who is not happy with their meal. They cannot afford bad reviews such as this one. read more

The service here has been very slow the last few times we have been here to the point that we are not coming back anytime soon. Each time it hasn't been busy and they wouldn't seat us in open sections. When we finally sat, they got our order wrong 2/4 times we were there. The food is decent. The best part is the sea level brewing beer. read more

A great pub in a great area. The food and service are always great and consistent. Nice to eat on the patio with the tide coming in/out also. They have their own beers on tap which are very good also read more