Went there last night. Been a while as reservations have been hard to come by. Last 2 experiences fabulous. Last night, not so much. It has gone from a great food spot to a hipster doofus joint where clearly there are those on the inside and those outside. The menu is such that you are left with little choice but to order a number of small plates to share. While this was true before, the prices and quantity of food provided at least made it possible to sample a number of items and leave feeling like you had eaten. I guess as it is hard to get a reservation they feel they can jack the prices and decrease the amount of food. $8 for one ear of corn? $14 for a handful of pieces of cold chicken that you would not be able to make a decent sandwich with. Ended up hungry despite significant food bill. Place lost its magic, will not return again. In the meantime, someone who worked there had a table for 10 with @6 people at it in the middle of the room getting platters of food and tons of attention, taking multiple pictures with waiters, kitchen people. read more

Mallard Cottage has a lot of hype to live up to. They are located in the quaint Quidi Vidi Village in a historic building with a Top Chef contestant chef/co-owner and ranked 22 of 100 Top Best Restaurants in Canada. I should first say, if not for the food, this would be a 3 star review. The food is THAT good. If not for the treatment though, this review would be a 5 star. I am traveling solo and booked an 8 pm reservation. If you are dining alone, you should go somewhere else, unless you enjoy be treated as an afterthought. I arrived a bit early and informed the hostess of my early arrival and stated I was happy to wait until my reservation time. She informed me my seat was available and promptly squeezed me in between two other single women at the bar. No instruction, no server will be with you or we will seat you at a table at 8. No place to sit or hang your purse. In fact, she laid the menu on the bar and just walked away. About 5 minutes went by before the bartender, who was making drinks and now waiting on 5 people at the full service bar came over to get my drink order. He said he would be back to go over the menu as soon as he could. Another 5 or so minutes later he came back and asked if I had any questions or if I was ready to order. I was a bit irritated. First, when I make a reservation at a restaurant of this caliber, I expect a table. Second, when you print your own menu daily or weekly, I expect the server to tell me about the menu items, especially since the Mallard Cottage's claim to fame is fresh, local ingredients. I did not order a starter course as quite frankly I couldn't tell they had any. I ordered the Blood Orecchiette with Brown Butter Lobster. It was phenomenal! I was hesitant as the menu said it had dried scallops and I am not a fan of scallops. I couldn't even pick out the scallop flavor. I also ordered the dessert sampler which was out of this world. Few restaurants can make desserts that are this delicious and not overly sweet. I don't know what they do to their chocolate brownies, but they are more of a cross between a brownie and a mousse. It was incredible. The meal was very reasonably priced, especially for the quality of food and type of establishment. I did enjoy the conversation with a woman sitting next to me in town on business, but for the first since time I arrived in Newfoundland, I did not feel welcome at all in the establishment. Gone was the friendly hospitality I have experienced at literally every other place I have visited over the past 3 days. In fact, the co-owner sommelier / manager Stephen was downright rude. Overall, the food was delicious, but I am not sure I would go back. read more

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Mallard Cottage was listed as one of the top 100 Canadian restaurants on Canadas100best.com. Located in the quaint Quidi Vidi village, it is a beautiful place to visit for a dinner or for brunch (with a visit to the arts & crafts plantation afterwards) We first went for brunch, and we were immediately enchanted. The interior was cozy, with fires crackling in the fire places in the rooms. They had preserves stacked carefully on the rafters of the cottage as well as Le Creuset pans & pots hanging from hooks. Walls are all adorned with local quirky art. Chalkboards were strategically placed on the walls for diners to easily see their ever-changing fresh sheet. Service was quick and friendly. We each ordered a brunch dish to start (hash skillet, french toast, cod au gratin). Each dish came in a Le Creuset cast iron dish which was great for retaining heat. All of the food was exquisitely prepared. The eggs were perfectly poached, the french toast was perfectly battered and fried, the hash skillet was well balanced. We felt stuffed after everything. Afterwards, we proceeded to the Cake Table which I recommend for everyone. The cake table is $10 and you have full access to, well, a table full of cakes and treats prepared fresh daily. We were so impressed by our experience, that we not only came back once but twice more during our 4-day stay in St. Johns. On the evening of their 2 year anniversary, we arrived for dinner, enjoying a full bottle of wine alongside our meal. We came back for a last brunch right before our flight (why not?!), and once again enjoyed the cake table. We spoke with the server and found out some history. It seems that the owners sold their place to antiques shop and the location served as an antique shop for many years. The left side of the restaurant (with the 2 fireplaces) was the original cottage. The main dining area was built completely new after the restaurant owners bought the cottage from the antiques dealers. I don't know how good the antiques store was, but I am sure glad it is now a restaurant and I am immensely happy that I got to experience it 3x. If you could only go to one restaurant in St. Johns, I would definitely recommend Mallard Cottage. read more

Mallard Cottage - Canadian (New) Near Me - St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

If only the dessert table tasted as good as it looked, this restaurant would deserve an easy 4 stars. Alas, that simply wasn't the case. For our meal, we had the family style brunch, an above average assortment of your typical brunch options including eggs, bacon, French toast (very tasty!) and a salad. But I really wrote this review to comment on the dessert table. When you approach the table and see the variety of options available to you and the relative hefty size of the box provided which you are allowed to fill to the top, you'll likely be smiling with glee. Unfortunately, that feeling won't last. The desserts are, in a word, meh. For the most part, they're dry and/or bland and just don't live up to the expectations you'll likely have when you first lay eyes on them. Too bad. read more

Thoroughly recommended! Had a lovely intimate dinner here with my partner. Great atmosphere, tasty food, an amazing experience.

Only made it here for a quick stop. We were looking for a bite to eat before a tour and had about 25 minutes to spare. I wish we had more time to really take in the experience and menu. We each had a bowl of soup that was delicious; pork, vegetable and barely served with a fresh scone. I did notice that they take reservations, seem to have a nice brunch offering, and they have a Monday night lobster boil. Neat decor in a historic building. Would love to return one day. read more

Mallard Cottage - Soup and scone - Canadian (New) Near Me - St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

Delicious. Made reservations weeks ago, knowing our cruise ship would be docking here. Brunch was great, and the dessert table was fabulous. Well worth the short cab ride here. People are friendly, and the service was outstanding. read more

Mallard Cottage - Canadian (New) Near Me - St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

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MALLARD COTTAGE WAS AMAZING!! i cant say enough good about this place! it is on the more expensive side but you get what you pay for!!!

The cod cheeks are fantastic! The service is great. Oh, and did I say the COD CHEEKS are fantastic!

Really amazing breakfast with superb service and atmosphere. A must visit place when you're in the area. Make reservations in advance.

We had read the hype on this place and booked online a month ago. We were seated in the smaller of two dining rooms. There seemed to be 2 or 3 waiters tending the tables in our room but our waiter tended only our table. We presume he tended many tables in the other room as his visits were few and far between. Service was inattentive and slow. It took forever for our pre-dinner sparkling wines to arrive. When it did it was served in a glass dessert dish, not a flute. Our wine with dinner was placed around a corner in an ice bucket. With our inattentive service we had to ask other waiters twice to get our wine glasses replenished. Our seafood salad appetizers were superb. I wish I'd just ordered 3 for dinner. The menu choice was limited. If you don;t like pork or corn meal, don't go. The fried dishes all seemed to be corn meal coated and the vast majority of mains included pork, even fish dishes. The stinging nettle pasta bake tasted quite nice but it was unbelievably dry. The mornay sauce had long since evaporated so it was a disappointing main course. And the place has no expresso or latte. When we asked we got a long whine about the expresso machine supplier which only left the impression that management convenience with a supplier was more important that customer service. This restaurant did not live up to the hype. It was disappointing and it was not value for money. read more

I eat out everyday. A MUST visit in a rustic old house in the heart of St. John's (actually Quidi Vidi fishing village - make sure you have the Quidi Vidi Brewery Iceberg beer which is made from million years old iceberg water and comes in the old pharmacy blue coloured bottles - sooo neat). Whoa. Everything is fusion to perfection. Lamb tartare with a plain chips as an app and as a main Currie Moose. And tidied down with a shared plate of their homemade dessert sampler (to die for) and a decaf. It's consistently grrreaat. read more

Visited for brunch on Sunday and ate on the deck (new since COVID) and what a treat!. I had the set brunch menu all inclusive but had to take some dessert home - was too full! read more

What an incredible lunch I had here while visiting the St. John's area. The freshest seafood! The cake table is incredible too, so many choices! Highly recommend, make a reservation even for lunch! read more

Mallard Cottage - Seafood Salad - Canadian (New) Near Me - St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

This place really lives up to the hype. If you want to come here, you need to make a reservation FAR in advance; we were lucky in getting one last minute but it was at 9pm and a bit of a fluke. In the Quidi Vidi village, it is a cab ride away from downtown but well worth it. Very cute decor inside with attentive staff. The menu changes daily but is reasonably priced (around $30 for mains). We opted for the family style chef's tasting menu, which is a selection of the items on offer that night; we requested that they go heavy on the seafood, and we had five different seafood courses: mussels (they were delicate and plentiful), a salad with shrimp and a ton of poppy seed, smoked cod collar (they were out of cod cheeks!), scallops (delicious), and skin-on cod over chard and cauliflower. Then a selection of desserts! All of that for $60 per person. We added on the wine pairing, which was a wise decision. We loved it! read more

It's a rip off. Starting with stating that MC pays a living wage, i.e. gratuity is included in the price yet this is not clearly stated on the bill when it comes. Then the POS machine comes along and most of us automatically add a tip, so there goes the total price - up into the atmosphere- way, way up there as the prices are sky high already. Friends and I visited for drinks only but ended up ordering a bite. When placing the order for baked oysters we asked how many came in the order. We were told a dozen. Ordered those as that would be 4 each. Surprise, surprise when a dozen raw oysters on the half shell arrived, which we immediately spoke up about as being the wrong order. No problem, raw oysters were removed from the table and the server returned implying that due to the error, oysters would be not charged. All good, we are all believing that our bill will consist of beverages and a bread order only. Bread is served, all on a single plate - 6 little pieces (3 slices cut in half) of bread and one plate of flavoured butter. Then the baked oysters arrive- lo, and behold only 6 not a dozen as promised. In the end the bill had charges for the oysters, (not removed as we had been led to believe would be the case) 3 X bread (although not served as 3 distinct orders), beverages and (not explicitly broken out or categorized as such) gratuity. To my mind we are owed at least two orders of baked oysters or equivalent, one order for the half dozen that were missing from what we were told an order consisted of and another for the mistake of bringing and setting down raw oysters. At $3 per slice of bread, the bread order ought to come with explanation or quantity stated. What a rip off! To top it all off, before publicly reviewing this place I wrote (twice) privately to the restaurant itself voicing my disappointment and dismay. Twice a ritual response was returned stating that my complaint had been received and that a more complete reply to my email would be forthcoming within 24 hours. Never heard a word, so this indicates the degree and depth of distain and disrespect that Mallard Cottage holds for its patrons. Boycott at all expense and save yourself a bundle to boot. read more

This is a very busy place! We had difficulty obtaining reservations and when we figured it out, we reserved online however had to leave our credit card number to secure reservation which was a first for me however I understand how on demand the restaurant is. We reserved and then they called to advise us our night was a Lobster Boil night. Although my husband doesn't like fish we went as was the only evening we could get dinner in. The cottage is pretty and their cocktails are fabulous. We then went a second time for their Saturday brunch and oh my we are so happy we did! Their brunch is the best I've ever had and we opted to go with Family style brunch which is the chef's choice for only $25 a person. The homemade sausage was he best we have ever had and even ordered another for only $3! Devilled eggs, a pickled beet and carrot, scrambled eggs (divine and buttery!), peameal, pork, braised pork hash with beets and root vegetables, bread pudding French toast with almond, beans and the list goes on!!! Being from Toronto the prices here are very low and you are getting so much value!! Their hot sauce was out of this world and everything they serve is made from scratch. Draft beer is very affordable and local as well as staff are friendly and knowledgeable. We are looking forward to coming again on one of our next adventures as we need to visit this special spot Again. Bye mallard cottage....we will miss you! read more

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My favorite bruch spot when I get a chance for brunch. Something for everyone, friendly staff and just a wonderful atmosphere.

What an unexpected and beautiful surprise. The food was first class but the the staff from the chef David who oversaw the finest detail of the dishes to the lovely bartender Vivian and the Sommelier Scott who made the evening even more sensational. Our taste buds have been completely satiated to point of heavenly completion. We could not recommend a better place to have a special meal and evening. read more

Yum! Enjoyed the beer garden and two days later came back for brunch. Highly recommend both!

Went for a birthday lunch with my girl friend and the service and food was excellent. We both had the fish cakes and salad and it was amazing, in fact we both took a fish cake home each as we couldn't finish it. The waiter was awesome and so friendly and helpful and went out of his way to make our experience all the more special. Highly recommend this restaurant and a must visit for anyone coming to St. John's. read more

Came to Mallard Cottage for lunch while we were on vacation in Newfoundland. I had been in Newfoundland fifteen years earlier, and visited Mallard Cottage when it was a museum. Coming back, seeing the cottage turned into a restaurant was a pleasant surprise, especially given the food. We were seated at the bar, and the service was fantastic -- thanks to the warm barman that made us feel right at home. As a non-drinker, the gentleman offered to whip me up a wonderful iced tea to accompany my lunch. I had a Chicken Salad Sandwich, which was nothing like any Chicken Salads I had. My wife had the fishcakes, which were wonderful. Not the cheapest place in the world, but would definitely recommend when you're in town! read more

Cozy restaurant with a great brunch. They also have a great selection of local beers on tap with some good cocktail options

the Mallard Cottage never disappoints! whenever i'm in town i make sure to visit, and this particular visit it was extra special. it was a blizzard outside, the 2nd day of the year, most people were staying home...the Mallard Cottage is the coziest place in the world on such a day. i had the fish cakes and my partner had the benny which was beyond perfect. my brother-in-law had the full tasting breakfast and it was huge and delicious. oh and the cake table is the perfect end to a perfect meal....wow i wish there was a Mallard Cottage in Toronto!! read more

Mallard Cottage is a quaint, well appointed restaurant with excellent service. It is the perfect place to dine after a visit to Quidi Vidi's harbour and Brewery. My husband and I were there on a Monday last week for the lobster boil which is a set menu for the night. The food was tasty but the lobster was served cold which was a surprise to us. The bread was good but would have been nicer served warm. I wondered if cold lobster was typical for a "lobster boil" and so I asked several people later and from their screwed up faces in response, I think that Mallard Cottage could improve that aspect of their dinner service. read more

History and fine cuisine are always a great mix. The oldest wooden structure in North America will welcome you just like grandmas with a twist of contemporary seafood. This is my fourth visit to Mallard and each time I have been thoroughly impressed with the offerings. The cod Benedict for breakfast was absolutely delightful. I certainly wish I lived closer because this would definitely be a regular spot. Don't make the mistake of not going here read more

Mallard Cottage - Canadian (New) Near Me - St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

We went here early for brunch. I tried the cod fish cakes and my husband tried the frittata. My husbands dish was fantastic. I thought the cod fish cakes were okay; this was my first time trying cod cakes and I was kind of expecting it to be more like a crab cake, it wasn't. It had a lot of potato, very little cod and I found it to be bland. It's probably just not my type of dish. I would still totally come back to try out their other dishes. It's a really cute restaurant; it reminds of something you would see in a magazine. The cake table is also lovely; I think its $10 for as many desserts as you want to fill your plate. We were too full to take advantage of this. read more

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Took my girlfriend there for her birthday, we had the family style dinner, which consisted of 6 shareable dishes, the food lacked seasoning, flavor, and was extremely basic with little effort in presentation and class. For 2 of us with a beer each was $200 dollars. The main consisted of fish and chicken , the chicken was dry and flavorless, the cod on the other hand was the only decent dish that night, our appetizer consisted of beats and hummus, which again had no seasoning or flavor. The deserts had to of been the worst deserts I have ever seen at a mid to high end restaurant. It was a sample platter of Parsnip cake, carrot cake, date square and jam roll, they all tasted like they were purchased at the dollar store. Nothing worse than thinking your sitting down for a nice dinner and get served tasteless, boring food. read more

I was excited to eat here during our 1st visit to St John's. We went for the $150 pp 6 course chef's tasting menu. We were seated at 6 pm and ordered quickly. Our spicy Oyster Ceviche showed up at 6:45. It took another 30 minutes before our smoked cod chowder showed up. Delicious, but we were ravenously hungry at this point. We had to ask for bread! The third course was a Thai curried swordfish. The fish, cut into bite sized pieces were not tender and could have been any protein in the very strongly flavored curry. Fresh Turbot came next. Overcooked. The Beech mushrooms on the plate were colder than the fish and sauce as though they were tossed on as an afterthough. There was texture at all to the fish served in a tasty flavorful sauce. The star of the dinner was next with 5 pieces (for 2 people, why not 6) of skirt steak expertly prepared with a delicious bone marrow sauce. The opera cake for desert was very nice, but the caramelized nuts were too much for my teeth and the fresh berry sorbet was astringent. Served family style for two, it was impossible to get a portion onto your plate without destroying the dishes presentation which detracted from the experience. In general, most dishes were tasty, but I think they could do much better. Certainly not one of the top dining experiences in Canada. read more

The good; Not bad small plates The bad: They put the small in small plates. I think we spent $60 each on just food and I made a sandwich when I got home. Sorry, but that's a little ridiculous. It might explain while everyone else in the place but us had white hair. Nice menu, but seriously? Yet another disappointment in this city. While there are more food options here now, few of them are worth talking about. read more

Completely lived up to the hype, hands down the best restaurant in St. Johns, if not the best I have ever been to. High quality food that is really affordable in the heart of Qidi Vidi. Highly recommended. read more

Mallard Cottage - Canadian (New) Near Me - St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

Visited from Chicago, Il. I would consider dinner at Mallard's Cottage a highlight of our trip. We tried the chef sampler. Carrot app, brussel sprout app, cod cheek dinner, pork tenderloin were exceptional. Dessert is a must. Cudos to the staff. They worked as a team to provide service that would be hard to improve. While busy the restaurant is not crowded and I would recommend as a must try. read more

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The restaurant upon arrival was busy, so we were seated outside at the patio until our table was available.  Once we were seated we ordered our meal. For appetizers we had the kale Caesar salad, mussels, scallops, and bread. For entrees we ordered the cod curry with mussels and shrimp, Hanger steak, linguine, and spaghetti. After a long wait (over 30 minutes) I had to go to the bar to enquire about our entrees.  Within a few minutes they all showed up.  My husband's curry cod was tasty but the mussels were sparse and the shrimps were tiny.  The pasta dishes were totally unacceptable. Both pastas were heavily over salted and undercooked (far less than Al dente) being very stiff, rubbery and cold. We were shocked and disappointed considering your high reputation and premium prices. We called the waiter over to voice our disappointment.  He offered us the opportunity to order another dish but at that point we had already been in your restaurant for 2 hours and our husbands were mostly through their meals.  At this point the waiter's reply to me was, "What else can I do?"  I felt like saying, "A lot more!" This wasn't a pleasant experience at all.  The waiter was somewhat indifferent but removed the Pastas from our bill. He asked if we wanted a dessert but not complementary.   It became very awkward and uncomfortable so we asked for the check. The Bill was close to $300 but my brother-in- law left a generous tip regardless. We appreciate the fact the two pastas were removed from the Bill but we all left with a bad taste in our mouth both literally and figuratively.  We were not there to complain, only to enjoy our meal and have a wonderful night in St. John's. Sorry to say, this experience does not entice us to recommend or return to your restaurant. read more

This crew has a passion for food. Outstanding menu and friendly service. A must visit in the St. John's area. Duck and tuna entree were out of this world. read more

Service was excellent, cocktails were good and music was all over the map. Salted cod tartare was good, the mains were excellent with mediocre side dishes. Especially bad was the acorn squash with halibut mousse really not edible and not even mousse like. The squash was inedible. Poor effort for the price even an I inexperienced cook could do better. read more

Went to Mallard's Cottage on my first day in St. John's. It has a lovely setting in Quidi Vidi. I ordered the kale Caesar with scallops and the cake table (shared) as an appetizer (lol). The cake table was awesome - their baked goods were moist and delicious! The kale Caesar was a bit too salty and over- dressed for my liking, but the scallops were nicely done. The place has a great energy to it and nice rustic decor. The wait staff were very friendly but slow. Our food took forever and so did out bill. Perhaps I wasn't used to Newfoundland speed yet (a bit more laid back from Toronto)!! Overall, the place was fine but probably wouldn't go back. read more

Mallard Cottage - Cake table samplings!! Lol. $10 for a plate to fill up with cake. What can go wrong??? - Canadian (New) Near Me - St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

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(3.75) ~ Good Overall Food & Service MENU: ** Coppa(Pork Dish) = (4.25) Very good ** Iceberg Beer = (4) very good lager that uses iceberg water;) ** Dessert Sampler = (4) very good * Blue Mussels = (3.75) Good * Water(still) = (3.5) good * Coffee = (3) ok read more

So delicious! Love the food and atmosphere so much. A must go to for brunch. Don't miss it!

Beyond a doubt the best restaurant and best dining experience in St. John's. The decor, the service , the setting and the fresh seafood add up to an unforgettable dining experience. The bar service is outstanding and the staff cannot do enough to please. This restaurant is reason alone to go to Newfoundland. read more

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The Mallard Cottage at Quidi Vidi village in St John's... Chef Todd Perrin from Top Chef Canada, Ben was our waiter & was an excellent server, food & ambiance were outstanding! Monday night was Lobster boil! read more

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