One of the enduring strengths of food trucks is their versatility, allowing epicurean entrepreneurs…read moreto set up shop where there's a need for their wares. Industrial wasteland? Food truck. Random parking lot? Food truck. It's the latter that Shawn's Burgers & More puts to use, and in rural Nova Scotia at that. Brick and mortars are a big financial commitment, and while not exactly cheap, their mobile cousins are a great option when seasonality is a big influence on your customer base as well. I made a little detour to get to Shawn's on my way back to New Glasgow, enjoying a scenic autumn drive down the 376. Parked at the Lyon's Brook Rite Stop, it's only a few minutes away from the rotary. While burgers are in the name, when I asked the gentleman running the show (presumably named Shawn?) what a first timer like me should get, he didn't hesitate in saying their fish and chips. Using fresh fish, their own batter and even house-made tartar sauce, it was and easy "yes". After a short wait in my car while taking shelter from the rain, I soon had my heaping plate back in my own inglorious, mobile confines. The fish looked really good - a large filet, with a deep, golden brown batter. But would it live up to the hype and visuals? As this is a restaurant review and not a TV show that can do cliffhangers, simply put: yes! The batter was as crispy as it looked and had a great flavour that reminded me of my childhood and getting fish and chips with my mom at the West Side Family Restaurant. The fish itself flaked easily into distinct, tender flakes, and overall it was so good I mainly saved the tartar sauce for the fries! Said tartar sauce was excellent, putting places that serve Kraft packets to shame. Prominent chunks of chopped pickles dotted the vibrantly yellow sauce, which I'm not sure came from mustard thrown into the mix or a very yolk-heavy homemade mayo. The fries had the vibe of the skin-on, from-frozen type, as they were more uniformly coloured than most hand-cut fries are, although if they are hand-cut, kudos to your blanching skills Shawn! Regardless of their origin, they weren't as crispy as you'd want. Not limp and soggy, but not nearly the heights reached by the fish and tartar sauce either. Having just moved out of the county, I don't know if I'll ever be back to Shawn's, but I am very glad I did swing by.

Loved everything about this place! Super friendly owners and the food was amazing! We…read morewatched our food (hot dog, chicken burger, and fries) get cooked right before our eyes-hot and fresh and oh so good! Stop by, you won't be disappointed!

Food is always amazing and fresh, courteous and friendly staff make it a joy to visit.read more

Delicious butter chicken and naan!! We love ordering from Shree's! Highly recommend.read more

One of the few (only?) food trucks open in the county this summer, I tracked them down at one of…read morethe lovely, Pictou night markets on the waterfront. We arrived on the later side, and there were surprisingly few other hot food vendors at the market, so some things were already sold out. I went with the chili cheese dog, while it was chili nachos for my wife. My split dog had a nice sear from the grill, and was absolutely loaded with a hearty bean and beef chili, and marbled cheese. It was precarious eating, but the bun just made it through to the last bite. My wife's nachos were great for walking and eating. Topped with the same chill, plus jalapenos, diced tomato and bell pepper, and a melty cheese sauce, it was solid little dish! On a return visit at one of their regular weekly locations, the Bluenose Curling Club, I had my choice of their full menu this time. I was dining solo, and went a bit heavy for my meal to try a couple different items. The jerk chicken tacos ($12) were an obvious choice, and I just had to tack on the mac and cheese...in a waffle cone ($6)! Everything was ready quickly, and I was soon in the classy dining environment of my car. The tacos were very generously filled with the seasoned chunks of chicken, and a mix of diced mango, pineapple and red onion - all in soft-shell, wheat tortillas. The jerk seasoning was savoury and had a little hit of spice, although the meat itself was oddly served cold. I'm not sure if it's a choice driven by the cooking infrastructure they have in the trailer, but with the cold salsa and tortillas, it gives the feeling of eating leftovers right out of the fridge, and these tasty bites deserve better. Speaking of the salsa, I loved th bright mix of fruit, and pops of acidity and crunch from the red onion. The mac and cheese waffle cone was a novel little snack, which I eagerly agreed to have topped with the optional bread crumbs and hot sauce. The noodles were firm and cheesy, and the sweetness of the cone was an interesting contrast. Alas, the trademark crispness of the cone suffered under the heat of its delicious contents. Keep an eye on their socials and track down Here's the Scoop to get a taste of their accessible, affordable food.

After recharging on Big Island beach one weekend, my wife and I stopped in to Your Place Eatery for…read morea late lunch, since they've basically got a lock on hot food in the area. The menu has a lot of familiar food truck items, but it's a bit larger and a bit fancier. But not *too* fancy - this is Lower Barney's River, after all. There's several different burgers, chicken sandwiches, subs, deep-fried apps, and even some donairs! My wife's hunger lured her toward the first thing she saw on the menu - the bacon cheeseburger poutine - and I went for the Little Mess burger. There weas only a couple people ahead of us mid-afternoon on a Sunday, so we had our food in quick order and set up shop on one of their picnic tables. The Little Mess burger is the smaller version of their spin on a Big Mac, the Big Mess. Both have shredded lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions and a house-made special sauce, except the Little Mess has just one 1/4lb patty instead of the Big Mess' two. All the familiar flavours worked well together, with the added benefit of much, much better beef than the burger's corporate inspiration. I didn't see much of a crust on this smashburger, but it was quite good nonetheless. Having gotten my burger a la carte, I had room for the inevitable portion of my wife's poutine that she wouldn't be able to finish. And to be fair, no one person should be crushing a hefty poutine on their own, especially sober. While Your Place's regular poutine has cheese curds (bonus points!), the bacon cheeseburger poutine leans into its theme, going with shredded cheddar and a cheese sauce for that extra hot 'n' cheesy mess factor. The bits of burger and bacon amped up the flavour and savouriness, and the fries that weren't completed doused in cheese seemed to be well cooked. Not even the crispest fry can withstand this onslaught of cheese! Given their location, Your Place could coast by doing the bare minimum, standard chip wagon food, so it's really cool that they're putting in the effort to offer the area more and they're doing a killer job at it!

Located on Sackville Drive at what seems like their permanent location in the parking lot of a dog…read moredaycare, The Ultimate Fry is a small fry truck that's been slinging their deep fryer and flat top fare for 17 years. Their location seems like an odd one, being past the main commercial section of Sackville Drive, but it is just a couple blocks from a junior high school, and they've surely benefited from the provincial government moving to make school cafeteria menus healthier. Ultimate's own menu is what you would expect - hamburgers, sausages and hotdogs, onion rings, the namesake French fries, and poutine (albeit with shredded mozza instead of curds). I was here to try out their much lauded fries, but wanted something more substantial with it so I got a single cheeseburger as well. As they use 4oz patties, I figured that this would be a more than adequate meal. I asked for my fries first since my burger was going to be about 10 minutes, and in a couple minutes had my tray of fries and took up residence on one of their three bright yellow picnic tables. The fries were of a medium thickness, golden brown and skin on - classic hand-cut fries. They were fairly crispy, but it's next to impossible to get fries this thick as crispy as their thinner brethren. They weren't as ultimate as advertised, but were still quite good. Several minutes later I had my burger. It was served simply on a piece of aluminum foil and open faced so I could dress it myself. The toppings were typical for a place that sells tubed meats - chopped onions, banana pepper rings, sauerkraut and pickles. I loaded up with some onions, relish and pickles - the ultimate breath enhancers of toppings. They're not big patties once cooked, and the bun was just your typical small-ish commercial bun. The meat had a good beef flavour and didn't seem like it was from frozen, but it would have benefited from a better crust and some more seasoning. While their name sets a pretty high bar, I feel "The Decent Fry" doesn't play as well, so I'll give them that.

Best fries we ever had. Since we had fries here we've stopped going to other places because they…read morepale in comparison to the Ultimate Fry fries. They use huge potatoes so every fry is long,and they are cut thick, so the fries are substantial and tasty...not like some places where the fries are too small and broken up, and tasteless with lot of hard bits you leave behind. These fries are made to order...they take fresh potatoes and cut them right in front of you and put them directly in the fryer, so no cut up potatoes sitting around like some places. This freshness makes a difference...makes the texture and flavor perfect. The only way you get fries like these is to make them at home...if you know the trick of getting the oil temp and frying time just right...the folks at the Ultimate Fry got it down pat. Quick, friendly service...they're very nice people. Can't beat the Ultimate Fry!

In reading all the national press about PEI's recent political debacles, one of the funniest public…read morecomments I came across was: "It's 11 o'clock in Toronto, 1953 in PEI". In many ways, this is true (certainly over at the Legislative Assembly, where Boss Tweed seems to have been reincarnated multiple times in the guise of an uneducated gang of greedy island fops). So every new food initiative which opens on PEI, whether it be a restaurant, a chip stand, or a food truck, is a small but very welcome miracle. Food restores the soul, and reminds us that there is hope. Recent rumbles of concern over in Summerside about there possibly being too many food trucks (uh, I believe they have three or four now... not exactly the Charge of the Light Brigade) is typically foolish small town politics and parochialism- it's just so darn silly you have to laugh or you will cry. So it is a very fortunate thing that Chef Norman, originally from Nicaragua, raised in Costa Rica, has brought his delicious concoctions and his warm and welcoming personality to the streets of this small island city. Menu items include a drop-dead delicious poutine with Norman's own home made gravy, beautifully seasoned pulled pork sandwiches, poboy sandwiches, fresh fish tacos, fried oyster tacos, a real caesar salad; and there's always something new which Chef Norman is more than willing to describe to you in minute detail (like the way he uses a local garlic guy's very own home made "black garlic"' liquified into a fabulous sauce. Mmmm. Mmmm. Gooooood!! This guy is a gem, and his cooking positively shimmers with inventiveness. Go. Eat. Live.

Looked like it was going to taste good and it did! We had:…read moreLobster Poutine that consisted of gravy, curds, chunks of lobster and fries (with a hint of oysters, likely from the deep frier). Po Boy which has deep fried oysters, black garlic moonshine sauce, and pickled slaw aioli in a bun. The fries were great too. Definitely recommend!

I would have liked more lobster and less sauce and fixins on my lobster roll…read more The salad was very good! I don't normally like vinaigrette dressing. This was maple vinaigrette. It was so good !! Always good to get a root beer that doesn't have caffeine in it and a nice cold water too. Maple ice cream inside the market. So good! No one does maple ice cream better than Canadians !!

I really don't know how to properly describe the greatness of this remote food truck. It's…read moreheartbreaking to know we only get the opportunity to eat this culinary art for a few more days until we have to go home. The menu has some excellent variety with some clever twists on some otherwise familiar sounding dishes. We had the fish and slaw sandwich, fish tacos, and the grilled cheese. They were all absolutely delicious. My 12yr old declared the grilled cheese the best she's ever had. The fish was meaty and perfectly battered. The fish tacos had a zingy sauce and colorful mix of lettuce, black beans, and corn. It's a great stop for families as well. I'd easily drive an hour to eat at this place. They have picnic tables, a kids menu, a bouncy pad jump area, and some goats! We didn't try any of the lobster themed dishes which turned out to be a sad decision. The chef told me they catch their own lobster!! In fairness he only told me after we had eaten. Good excuse to come back. We hope this place is around for years and years to come. It's truly outstanding and worth your time (and money)!!

We had the blueberry lemonade, and a chocolate shake - after my tween daughter was indecisive the…read moreperson at the good treats made a great suggestion for the strawberry lemonade - cool spot will go back for dinner. Only negative was some very not nice music playing (language) but that was quickly changed.

One of the few recent highlights in the P.E.I. food scene, Saucy Bird hits all the right notes:…read moreStaff are friendly and attentive (when was the last time a food employee delivered an ice cold gourmet lemonade concoction to your car with a smile on her face and cute little notes written on your cup?); the food is fresh, cool when warranted, hot when warranted. It is tasty, carefully prepared, and the portions are fair. Consisting of Mediterranean flavours-- aromatic spices from Portugal - chilies from Africa and olive oil from Spain-- everything tastes delicious and healthy. Prices are in keeping with the curious inflation which infected the world during and after Covid-- and which has never been satisfactorily explained-- but my friend and I walked away wholly satisfied which-- let's be honest-- is not a very common experience on P.E.I.. The service on P.E.I. is most often surly and resentful (Hello to you, yes you, Willow Bakery staff in the Stanley Bridge outlet), and the food is often overpriced underimagined fried garbage. By the way, one little note on our cup indicated the Saucy Bird is an Indigenous establishment in which case we can only pray for more Indigenous-run restaurants and food stands of this quality in P.E.I.'s future. To add to the benefit of a visit, check out their partner in crime, Cool Clucking Treats a few steps away serving Milk Shakes and Saucy's own House Churned Gelato, Ice Cream Sandwiches and Home Made Cookies. This place is a gift to Charlottetown. Anyone considering opening a food truck/stand or a restaurant in P.E.I. needs to beg these folks to give them a lesson in how it is done right! Thank you Saucy!!

The BEST place to eat in Pictou! Biggest portions for the best price with nothing but the freshest…read moreingredients. Skip all of the dirty deep fried dives and opt for freshly made falafel wraps, shawarma and fish and chips. Grab some REAL baklava to take away for a snack on the beach. This is a seasonal spot so you absolutely should stop in if you're around. They are on the wharf in a small blue hut with outdoor seating. Lots of picnic benches to enjoy the seaside while you eat. The owners are so lovely and make your meal on the spot. You honestly can't get any better than this. Lots of street parking or in the lot at the deCoste Centre. Grab your food to go and walk along the beautiful waterfront. Their Facebook page shows them on Water St, but they're actually one lower, right on the waterfront. Be sure to chat up Abdullah who is the best shop owner you've ever met. Delicious food and extremely well-priced at under $15 for very filling portions!