Dining in Atlantic Canada

Welcome to Atlantic Canada, home of some of the best seafood in the entire world. From lobster, mussels, and oysters to the fresh dairy products, wines, ales and garden fresh produce the Maritimes will amaze you time and time again with a variety of classic and contemporary dishes and styles of cuisine.

Grilled, steamed or boiled lobster here is a definite specialty. If you want to try it yourself we recommend steaming it to keep in all that succulent flavour. Flavour it with a variety of herbs and lemon juice or steam it in salt water, just remember to have a hot pot of garlic lemon butter on the side for dipping. Or try a lobster pot pie, seafood chowder or lobster bisque. If you’re in Newfoundland try “fish and brewis”, a traditional dish consisting of cod fish and hardtack, a hard bread or biscuit, served withscrunchions. It might sound strange but boy is it good.

Poutine râpée is another well known traditional Acadian dish. This is no French fries with curds and gravy. Poutine râpée is a potato dumpling with pork filling and surprisingly it’s often served with maple syrup and fruit preserves. The Maritimes loves its comfort food. You’ll find a lot of potatoes, stews and hearty heart-warming meals here perfect for refuelling after a day of hiking, golfing or water sports.

While Atlantic Canada specializes in comfort foods with lots of meat and potatoes it’s become very contemporary and you’ll find everything from Japanese cuisine to Italian. Vegetarians do not fear, you won’t be living on salad and bread. Nearly every restaurant features a great vegetarian dish, from curries to falafel and more. And it will all be served with trademark Maritime hospitality. The best thing you can do when looking for restaurants in Atlantic Canada is to follow the locals. Ask for recommendations and you’ll be sure to find hidden gems with some of the best food you’ve ever tasted. 

For a list of recommended eateries throughout Atlantic Canada visit enRoute Magazine’s Dining Guide. Some self proclaimed 'foodie's' have been known to travel throughout Atlantic Canada feasting on what seafood delights we have to offer, and if you plan to do that, be sure to stay at some of the many fantastic cottages and hotels, Bed and Breakfasts or inns throughout the region.