36 Best Restaurants in Prince Edward Island, Canada

This hip new eatery serves up outstanding sandwiches and baked goods—but only from until 3 pm on weekdays.

Located within the excellent Dunes Studio Gallery, this café has wood ceilings that soar above the indoor dining room and a deck overlooking the dunes and marshlands of Covehead Bay. Like the view, the food offered by chef Norman Day is amazing, showcasing local ingredients with an international twist and some inspired combinations. Your main at dinner, for example, might be halibut coated with banana bread crumbs, with a sweet curried apple cream sauce or chicken breast stuffed with goat cheese, sautéed apples, and bacon, with a cranberry cream sauce. Lunches are no less inventive, and meals can be taken in the lounge or on a patio overlooking the vibrant gardens. Reservations are only accepted for dinner.

Head here for craft beers and a fun menu of pub grub featuring local favorites such as mussels and fish cakes, pizzas, and appetizers in portions generous enough for sharing. Housed in the old Summerside train station, it's a great building with plenty of space for larger groups—check out the historic photos displayed on the walls. 

Celebrity chef Michael Smith’s first ever career experience was working in the kitchen here, and now he’s back as its owner. The Fireworks Feast here is pure pleasure that starts with a farm tour, followed by ember-roasted oysters, raw oysters, and fire-roasted appetizers before sitting down for a superb multicourse dinner before the Inn's 25-foot live-fire hearth. Dinner ends with fire-roasted marshmallows. 

This casual chef-owned takeout spot specializes in seaside standards such as fish-and-chips, clams, and burgers, but everything is elevated and uses the best local ingredients. 

Kick back on the sand at PEI's only licensed beach bar, serving up delicious cocktails, local craft brews, tacos, and a fun menu featuring the best local, seasonal ingredients. Slurp on oysters, or feast on a burger—everything they serve is fantastic. They also rent bikes and paddle-boards (from C$25)

Established in 1958, New Glasgow Lobster Suppers brings fresh lobster direct from a pound on the premises to your plate. Scallops, roast beef, salmon, chicken, haddock, ham, and even a vegetarian dish are other choices if you've already had your fill of crustaceans, or you can choose to have just an appetizer and dessert. All come with fresh rolls, steamed mussels, seafood chowder, salads, house-made desserts, and beverages. Bar service is available, as is a separate children's menu. The huge, bustling dining area can seat up to 500 guests, and it often fills up. Because turnover is fast, there isn't usually a long wait.

This little eatery right on the water serves up huge portions of absolutely perfect seafood dishes—the lobster rolls, scallop rolls, and chowder are such great value—and they do excellent breakfasts, too. 

This seafood restaurant right on the beach serves up excellent lobster rolls, mussels, pasta dishes, and much more. Everything is superfresh and delicious, with a great selection of local brews to wash it all down with.

Grab the freshest seafood—tuna, lobster, snow crab, and shrimp—and vegetarian poké bowls to go at this waterfront shack.

This down-home dockside eatery serves common fare in an uncommonly good way. Befitting its location, the seafood is very fresh: expect lobster rolls, scallop sandwiches, steamed clams, and such served with fries that are twice-cooked for added crispness, plus house-made sauces and 'slaws. Nonseafood options are limited. The upstairs room has a huge glass door onto the deck to open up the view to the interior. If you'd rather cook up your own feast, the adjacent fish market sells everything you'll need. If you're coming here to eat, you don't need to pay the park entrance fee—just tell the person at the gate.

The sumptuous big top--styled decor at this upscale eatery lends itself perfectly to a romantic splurge meal or fun night with friends. Start with their tasty lobster dip, house-made fish cakes, or seared scallops, before moving on to a perfectly cooked steak or charcoal ribs—there are some delicious vegetarian options, too. Upstairs are three beautifully appointed guest rooms that have the same vintage vibe.

This restaurant attached to an oyster farm in Tyne Valley is, naturally, one of the best places to slurp fat Malpeque oysters on the island. Take 'em raw, or as a fried oyster dinner with a huge serving of fries, or order up locally sourced brisket and burgers, as well as a bunch of other delicious rib-sticking dishes. Be sure to save room for one of their decadent homemade desserts.

A welcome find in a town where dining options are thin, this eatery overlooking Colville Bay stays true to its rural roots yet presents a menu with some international charm. Try the mussels in lime butter or the herby fish-and-chips that are baked Portuguese-style. The pretty deck offers diners the option to eat plein air, and there's a separate children's menu.

This upscale modern Italian eatery uses the freshest local ingredients to create hearty dishes like fettuccine with wild mushrooms; sweet onion, pancetta and Italian sausage; and perfect pizzas. The luxe, open-plan dining room with its peacock-blue velvet-lined booths and high-end finishes is a treat to dine in, and the place is buzzy and fun, especially on weekends. 

There's a harbor view from every table in this converted boatbuilder's workshop—which explains not only its waterfront location but its oversized windows and soaring ceiling—and the seafood doesn't come any fresher. The traditional fish-and-chips is outstanding here, with succulent fish encased in a flavorsome and crispy beer-batter. Time your visit right and you may be able to see fishermen unloading the catch of the day and graceful blue herons angling for their own dinner. Patio seating is available on fine days.

Urban style meets rural delicacies at this upscale restaurant, which occupies a handsome brick building downtown. Not surprisingly, given the name and location, seafood is a specialty here—the local oysters, mussels, and lobsters are all memorable. But there are alternatives for vegetarian and meat-loving locavores (think risotto made with market veggies or grilled PEI strip loin, aged in-house for 50 days served with roasted PEI potatoes). It's a popular spot for tourists and residents alike, and the service is friendly. 

It's worth making the 6 km (4-mile) drive from Georgetown to Cardigan to this restaurant in a lovely waterside location, where the big dining room has windows all around with great views over the water. There's a patio, too. The lengthy menu features plenty of local seafood, including lobster, scallops, clams, and more, and also has steaks, chicken, and other options, all sourced locally. 

Specializing in fresh, locally caught seafood, this restaurant is a fun spot to have a few drinks and linger over excellent food. They serve elevated comfort foods—haddock dinner, burgers with bacon jam and cheddar, nachos—and more sophisticated mains, and offer an exciting cocktail menu, and plenty of local craft beers.

Generous portions of traditional pub grub are supplemented here by a range of tasty seafood dishes. Its location at Spinnakers' Landing means that water views are an added bonus, and there are a few tables on an upper-level deck. The downside is that it's only open in summer.

Chefs at this restaurant, part of the acclaimed Culinary Institute of Canada at Holland College, are second-year students working under the supervision of master-chef instructors; service is provided by hospitality students. It's an opportunity to enjoy ambitious dishes that combine local ingredients with international influences, like grilled leg of lamb with Israeli couscous. Don't let the college location deter you—inside the Dining Room you'll discover a sophisticated dining experience in a spacious, beautifully renovated space, with a choice between watching the action in the open kitchen or gazing at the lovely harbor views through the large windows.

Housed in an 1880 brick building downtown, this pub clearly takes pride in its 10 handcrafted ales and craft cider, prominently displayed on the menu. Beer reappears in several dishes as well, including the signature brown-bag fish-and-chips with honey wheat ale--battered haddock, and a specific brew is recommended to accompany each dish. But even teetotalers will appreciate that the food here is always tasty, affordable, and well-presented. Tours of the brewing operation, the Prince Edward Island Brewing Company, occur at a separate location at 96 Kensington Road; they cost C$22–C$33, samples included, and are available during normal working hours.

In this historic house-turned-ice-cream-parlor, delicious gourmet ice cream is made from scratch, using fresh natural ingredients. They offer all the classic flavors and more—and even the crisp, light waffle cones are handmade on-site. There's also an authentic old soda fountain, pumping out hand-crafted sodas and floats, and you can enjoy your treat(s) inside or out in the pleasant garden.

In addition to the excellent oysters, this nice little restaurant has an eclectic menu that includes other seafood such as charred haddock, lobster rolls, and scallop dogs—as well as salads, sticky ribs, and jerk chicken. The caveat is that the little Landmark fills up quickly, so having reservations (or patience) helps.

Alexandra and Axel Leonhard have gone from humble beginnings selling homemade bread at a local farmers' market to running a full-fledged café where food is made from scratch without additives, preservatives, or artificial flavorings. The room is bright and cheerful, and the devoted clientele keeps coming back for breakfast, casseroles, hearty gluten-free soups, sandwiches, and delicious desserts. Organic teas and freshly roasted coffee are served as well. Wait times for a seat are not usually an issue—but you can always grab something to go. 

There's nowhere better to enjoy world-famous Malpeque oysters than this casual, family-run wharf-side eatery right at the source—you can see their beds right outside the window. Oysters can be prepared several ways, but purists should just order a dozen unadorned (with a cold beer as an accompaniment), then slurp away. Chowder, steamed mussels, lobster rolls, and similar fare appear on the menu as well, and there is a retail outlet in case you want to take some seafood home.

In the 19th-century Roger's Hardware building, this restaurant has both fine dining and casual fare. A pub menu features upscale sandwiches, fish-and-chips, and more, while quality PEI-raised beef and fresh seafood dominate the dinner menu. Old wooden beams, brick columns, and a unique bar top made of black granite inlaid with bird's-eye maple make the place cozy.

One of the best spots on the Island to stop for a bite, the café at this preserve company has a soaring ceiling and two walls of windows looking over the Clyde River. Everything served is noted for freshness—even the ice cream is house-made. Particularly praiseworthy items include the savory potato pie with maple-bacon cream, and pan-seared scallops, which you could follow with a not-too-sweet raspberry cream cheese pie.

In one of the oldest buildings in the city, known as the Brass Shop from its days as a brass polishing shop for locomotives, you can enjoy a great cup of coffee and some enticing food, including breakfast and lunch.

This bright and fun dining room with a huge deck atop the Charlottetown Yacht Club is perfect for sipping on cocktails and enjoying a sharing plate or two as you watch the boats go by, but their mains are excellent as well—PEI standards like seafood chowder, fish-and-chips, and lobster rolls are all there, but there's also kale Caesar salad and coconut curry salmon noodle bowls.