Lobster is the ultimate seafood in Atlantic Canada, where various restaurants and church halls offer lobster dinners. Around the region you can find restaurants that specialize in lobster suppers, which are complete meals that feature local lobster alongside delicacies such as seafood chowder, homemade bread, salad, and perhaps blueberry shortcake for dessert. Dinners in Prince Edward Island will likely be served with PEI potatoes. In Nova Scotia, you'll enjoy mussels steamed with garlic or wine.
A small lobster weighs in at about 1 pound (454 grams), with large lobsters weighing twice that. You'll need to wear a lobster bib while eating (it's a messy food and the butter is greasy). A basket of eating utensils provided by the restaurant will also include crackers, picks, napkins, and wipes.
Lobster Suppers in Nova Scotia
Once considered a “poor man’s” food in Nova Scotia, fresh lobster served with melted butter is now a delicacy. Many restaurants have lobster tanks in their dining rooms so they can serve absolutely fresh lobster.
- Halls Harbour: Dine on lobster with views of the Bay of Fundy and the world’s highest tides. A road curves down into Halls Harbour, where a few buildings, including the Halls Harbour Lobster Pound, are perched above the high-tide mark. Halls Harbour lies 30km (19 miles) northwest of Wolfville.
- Hubbards: When driving the Lighthouse Route between Halifax and Lunenburg, stop at The Shore Club in Hubbards for a freshly cooked lobster supper. The dining hall has long tables where you can bib-up before eating. There is also an unlimited mussel bar at the restaurant.
- Cape Breton: At Baddeck Lobster Suppers, dine on a hearty dinner before or after driving the Cabot Trail through Cape Breton Highlands National Park. The placid village of Baddeck lies on the shores of the Bras d’Or Lakes.
Lobster Suppers in Prince Edward Island
Lobster fishing on the shallow ocean shelves around Prince Edward Island is some of the best in the region. Local lore tells of farmers who used to fertilize their fields with the once-plentiful lobsters.
- New Glasgow: More than 50 years ago New Glasgow Lobster Suppers served their first lobster dinner for $1.50. The dining hall is now privately run and cooks lobsters up to 4 pounds (1.8kg).
- St. Anns: Lobster suppers have long been run as church fundraisers on PEI. The Roman Catholic Church in St. Anns, south of Cavendish, offers one of the most renowned experiences and still operates as a charity fundraiser.
- North Rustico: Not far from the Anne of Green Gables house and Prince Edward Island National Park, the lobster suppers at Fisherman’s Wharf in North Rustico are served just feet from docked fishing boats. The restaurant has lots of all-you-can-eat options, including chowder, salads, desserts, and homemade breads.
Lobsters and Fishing in Atlantic Canada
The region’s fishing history echoes everywhere in Atlantic Canada. While walking Atlantic beaches you’re likely to come across the rib of a lobster trap, a length of tangled fishing line, or foam marker buoy washed ashore. Docked boats line the town wharves in many small communities. Also, much of the region’s folk music, stories, and lore inevitably center on the Atlantic Ocean.
Chloë Ernst - Chloë Ernst is a travel guidebook author who writes for Frommer's and Globe Pequot Press.
