Stopped in on our trip around the Cabot Trail. Has a great location and don't miss going to the cliff to see the incredible view. Friendly fast service with great food. My wife ordered the fish cakes and loved them. I had seafood wrap and really enjoyed it. Shared the mussels and best I have had in awhile. Prices are reasonable. read more

One of the best seafood restaurants on the island. I recommend to try the mussels, lobster roll, fisherman's platter and haddock! read more

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This is a must stop for Local Fresh Oysters and a Cold beer. After the Mountain drive it was needed to De-stress. The deck has a view of the Gulf of St Lawrence. The Staff are very friendly. There is plenty of Parking. read more

Rusty Anchor Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Pleasant Bay, Nova Scotia

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Had way too many meals of fried goods from lack of restaurant options, and was excited to come across the Rusty Anchor. Serving fresh seafood in a family-style restaurant, I was relieved not to have to keep eating late-night bar foods. I ordered a bucket of mussels from the appetizer section, which contained roughly 1 lb of the mollusks plus a container of melted butter for dipping. Most of the mussel beards had been cleaned off, and the mussels were fresh. Also had a plate of oysters, caught in waters super close to the Anchor. I'm not sure of the exact oyster type, but they were briny and creamier than I had expected. Wanted to order more dishes but was in a rush to get over to Halifax. A few wooden shelves lined with hats and shirts emblazoned with the restaurant's logo featured prominently within the restaurant entrance, I think they know that tourists in the area have restricted dining options. That being said, I feel like you could do much worse than visit Rusty Anchor. It was actually one of the most enjoyable meals that I had in the area and if they were in my hometown, I'd probably come back again. read more

Great place to grab lunch or dinner while touring Cabot Trail. Lobster roll was fantastic. Burgers seem to come well done but still juicy. Views from the patio seating are amazing. read more

Rusty Anchor Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Pleasant Bay, Nova Scotia

Way below expectations. Service was indifferent at best. The food was just OK. We had Digby scallops, seafood chowder, and white wine mussels. The scallops were not as tender as they should have been. The seafood chowder portion was really tiny. The mussels were Ok but I was given about 15 mussels that could not be opened. When I called over the waitress to show her this, her flippant response was that I should just use my knife to work to pry them open. I have eaten mussels many times but have always been given mussels that were open. I didn't catch the waitress' name but she was the overweight waitress with brown hair. Hopefully her supervisor will read this review and instruct her how to treat customers. read more

Based on all the good reviews I have read, we came here with a group of friends. We chose to have lunch here, on our drive along the Cabot Trail. The restaurant has an outdoor patio overlooking the ocean, and we decided to sit outside. Our waitress had a great personality and was very friendly. The food was delicious; all of us ordered either fish and chips or fish cakes. The prices were reasonable, too. The sun was shining, the sky was blue and everyone was happy with their meal. We took pictures of the views overlooking the ocean afterwards. I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone who is looking for a great meal on the Cabot Trail. Pleasant Bay is located between Cheticamp and the Cape Breton Highlands NP. read more

Really great mussels and friendly service. Would highly recommend. Many vegetarian options, unusual for these parts. Some creative dishes as well. But the best part is they play Gaelic music while you look out to the sea read more

Rusty Anchor Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Pleasant Bay, Nova Scotia

We were disappointed in the meals at this restaurant. I was told by the waitress the lobster roll had "tons" of lobster meat in it. It didn't, it was very skimpy. They say their lobster roll is different, no mayo but melted butter instead. Well who cares if there's hardly any lobster?? The crab roll the same. On small white dinner rolls. Very over priced and disappointing. When I ordered I inquired if the fries were fresh. The waitress replied, oh yes they're fresh, I mean frozen, like fresh off the truck. So I didn't want the fries as my side option and I asked for a small salad instead which was on the plate with the rolls and I got charged another 4 dollars for it. My friend had the haddock dinner. The fries were awful. But this place gets one star because the haddock was delicious and cooked perfectly, and also the view from the outdoor patio is great. read more

Good choice for an area with limited dining options. Food was good, not great, but acceptable. Pleasant and attentive wait staff. read more

Rusty Anchor Restaurant - Patio area overlooking water. Gets a bit buggy toward sunset. - Seafood Near Me - Pleasant Bay, Nova Scotia

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Cool spot after our rainy hike. Great service and the food was decent. Our server was quick and attentive. One of the best spots around the Cabot trail, recommended by many people around the area. Great for families or just to grab a cold local beer and bite to eat. read more

This is the best place we've been on the Cabot Trail. AMAZING views (watch the sunset from the outdoor patio tables, it's incredible) not to mention wonderful seafood. The lobster roll was just as Nat Geo described, with generous chunks of lobster. The lobster mac and cheese was also delicious - super cheesy and buttery! This is a must on the Cabot Trail. read more

We saw other reviews on Yelp and decided to give it a try for lunch on our drive on the Cabot trail. We had the lobster poutine and a lobster club sandwich. Both were awesome! I absolutely loved the poutine. Service was quick and we sat outside on the deck. Great view! read more

Rusty Anchor Restaurant - Lobster poutine - Seafood Near Me - Pleasant Bay, Nova Scotia

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We were welcomed at the door as we arrived for dinner by Elizabeth and led to a table that viewed the ocean. My husband had a crab and lobster platter. I had the haddock fish tacos. Both dinners were delicious and had generous portions. We had a cider that perfectly matched our meals. We both were fully entertained with our dinners and had leftovers to enjoy the following day! Please do thank the wonderful team! Cary and Mary read more

This was a decent seafood spot that we stopped at driving the Cabot Trail. There are many seafood options on the menu. I had a seafood sampler that included fried shrimp, bacon wrapped scallops and mussels. Everything was good and fresh. Service was quick and friendly. The have a great ocean view on the back patio but we were warned about all the black flies so we opted for indoor dining. They give you a free postcard on your way out. read more

4.5 stars. We stopped at Rusty Anchor for lunch during our Cabot Trail drive. To start, we ordered the mussels. They were delicious and so fresh! I was also impressed that there was not a single unopened mussel. For our main, we really couldn't decide between the crab or the lobster roll. Luckily, 1/2 and 1/2 is an option. Both were delicious but my husband and I agreed that the Crab roll won the top honors. The crab was so fresh and the simple preparation and roll really let the crab shine. Don't get me wrong, the lobster roll was delicious, and I never thought I'd say this, but there was a tad too much butter for our taste. Service was friendly and quick. The prices were very reasonable. They also have a nice patio with a nice view of the Ocean. There aren't a ton of options on the Cabot Trail - particularly the northern part, but Rusty Anchor is a solid option. read more

Very nice seafood. Together, we ordered lobster & crab combo, raw oyster and mussel. All very good except I would prefer lobster more tender and (bigger ;)) (Went back for lunch the next day. The mussels strangely taste differently and not as good. Chowder is middle of the pack. Would give it 3 1/2 star) read more

Lobster dinner is my favourite. We had lobster in PEI and NB, but here is best one. It is 29.99 for one, cheaper than other places we went. they don't take reservations, if we want outside go there early. They have local musicians playing in the patio. The lady recommended a local craft beer - Red Coat - it's excellent. we brought more from NSLC to home. read more

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Recommended! Great location. Backs onto breathtaking view of the water. Seafood platter is very fresh! Service is good. read more

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Awesome restaurant! Everything is delicious and people are really friendly here xD it's really close to the place for watching whale. Best restaurant in pleasant bay nah read more

Rusty Anchor Restaurant - Lobster dinner - Seafood Near Me - Pleasant Bay, Nova Scotia

Good find in the middle of nowhere. Excellent lobster roll, crab cakes and sweet potato fries. So much meat in lobster roll and crab cake. Highly recommend this place. Excellent scenery from deck dining and friendly service. read more

Excellent food, super nice staff. It was a great surprise we found on the road. I had the fish/crab/salmon cakes, delicious! Everything seemed super fresh and yummy. read more

I cannot give this restaurant a good review. There are many glowing reviews about many of the dishes they serve. My personal advise is don't bother ordering the seafood wrap. It is touted as containing lobster, crab, scallops and shrimp when in fact it consists of 100℅ imitation crab (Pollock). We specifically asked the server if it was real seafood, she emphatically replied that it was. Had we been told the truth, we would have simply ordered something else. Left feeling cheated. read more

Two star just because it has a great view but for the food.. It was really disappointing. Everything didn't seem fresh and just tasted dull. Specially for the price we paid for our meal. We paid $156 for microwaved food... #sorrynotsorry. I wish they put more effort into their food and presentation. Service is also mediocre. I'm not sure if it was because we're Asian (yeah I'm just pulling the race card) because we ordered a lobster and some mussels and wasn't given the waste bucket after somewhat the last 3 bites of our food. While this couple beside us who just ordered their food was respectfully given their waste baskets right away. Also we had 1 water refill the entire time we were there... For a good hour or so. Sorry but you can come here to take pictures but EAT ELSEWHERE. read more

A great option after a full day of hiking on Cabot trail. Lunch seafood wrap and mussel bucket are real treats. Lobster + snow crab combo dinner offers great satisfaction from the better of two worlds read more

SKIP IT -- while the staff were very friendly, the food was downright awful and very overpriced. My "Digby" scallops were rubbery, tasteless and looked like they were cooked in a microwave. Their lobster roll featured claw tips and was tiny. If you get fooled into going here, get the mussels, which were excellent. read more

This place is great. Nothing out of the ordinary, just great food, well prepared, served quickly, in a beautiful setting, for a good price. Worth the stop! read more

Decided to stop here for lunch along our drive on the cabot trail. Partially because it was the only place that had other vehicles parked out front compared to the other empty-looking restaurants. We sat outside on the patio, best patio ever: it sits on the cliff and overlooks the ocean. There was also live music, a gentleman was strumming away on a guitar and singing. It set up a perfect atmosphere. The food was also very tasty. The lobster roll had lots of lobster and the coleslaw was fantastic. So glad we stopped here! read more

This was a nice lunch stop in the Cape Breton Highlands. The seating outside had an amazing view of the bay. Food was good, service was great and friendly. read more

Service was very slow at least initially. It was 15 minutes until we got our drinks. Beer prices about 35% higher than other places in this area. Once food and drinks were ordered service was fine and food came out relatively quick. Food was very good and ample quantity. Not fancy but nicely done. Prices decent for food. Not a real fancy place, lot of locals in and out, just your average roadside restaurant. read more

Stopped on our drive around the Chabot Trail. So happy to find gluten free for one of our crowd. The fish and chips were great, staff was fantastic. read more

We went to The Rusty Anchor today for lunch and really enjoyed the experience. The lobster roll and coleslaw were great and reasonable priced. The service was very friendly. I would definitely stop in again. read more

Wasn't expecting much and we were very pleasantly surprised! Wonderful food (you won't find fresher seafood!), and good service for a busy place. Great oysters, and the bucket of mussels was to die for. Highly recommend! read more

Awesome Lobster Club! Best place to stop on the Cabot Trail. Honest, fresh food and warm hosts. Decent coffee. Recommended. read more

Rusty Anchor Restaurant - Lobster Club- recommended. - Seafood Near Me - Pleasant Bay, Nova Scotia

AMAZING FOOD!!! My husband got the lobster Mac n cheese, and I got the scallops. Pricing and portion sizes were VERY generous! And the view, AMAZING. It's right on the west coast of the island, so I got to see my first ocean sunset!! read more

It doesn't matter that this is one of maybe four options in Pleasant Bay, I would choose the Rusty Anchor over 50 options. The views from the patio are unbeatable and the perfect way to continue to enjoy the amazing landscape of Cape Breton while enjoying a meal. The prices are fair, the seafood fresh daily, and all of the staff very friendly and welcoming. This is a can't miss stop on your trip to Pleasant Bay, especially at sunset. We were there before tourist season really kicked off so no reservation needed. but rumor has it it's packed from July- so plan ahead! read more

This is a popular stop with a spectacular view. Husband had the English style fish and chips with fillet of sole and said, "This is the best I've ever tasted." Local oysters were briny and cold. Local mussels were delicious. A great stop on The Cabot Trail. read more

We stayed two days in Pleasant Bay so we ate at the rusty several times. I loved the oysters, mussels, seafood wrap, crab and lobster special. My wife had Haddock which was excellent. Service was excellent what else can I say the view of the ocean is incredible and there is a Bald Eagle that lives in the cliff outside the restaurant who shows up sometimes. If you like whale watching don't miss the chance to do that as well when you are here. We stayed at the Poplar B&B which was great as well. read more

We were brought here by our tour guide and I must say this was a very pleasant surprise!! I had very low expectations, given our previous restaurant meal in the same area. We stopped by for lunch and service was prompt and friendly. The seafood wraps and lobster rolls were great! Also, they had a nice selection of beer. The decor was pleasant and bright. If we come by again we will be sure to return! read more

Excellent lobster roll dinner! Beer selection is a little short on local craft brews, but does include some. Prices seem about right for the location. read more