7 Best Restaurants in Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia

The seasonal menu is filled with sensational farm-to-table and foraged ingredients making this one of Cape Breton's best dining experiences. Seafood dishes include lobster salad and lobster risotto, and you cannot go wrong with the steak or pork tenderloin that are both cooked to perfection. Be sure to try the crab cakes as an appetizer, and save room for one of their wonderful desserts.

This fabulous bakery opens at 7:30 am for breakfast, great coffee, and tasty treats. Their sandwiches and soups are excellent, and stocking up on cookies and oatcakes to take with you is highly advised. At peak times there can be long lines, but it is worth the wait. 

Located in a conference center on the Membertou First Nation's urban reserve, this spacious dining room serves up inspired global cuisine using fresh, local ingredients with many dishes having an Indigenous twist—and you can order a prix-fixe three-course First Nation menu (C$60) that changes with the seasons. Regular menu items range from lamb chops perfectly cooked with a pistachio pesto to a delicately spiced curry paella. The food is excellent, portions generous, and the space both inside the restaurant and in corridors outside features Indigenous art and artifacts. 

Classic French cuisine with an Acadian heart, this beautiful restaurant is filled with antiques and raw wood, with views over the crashing ocean. Every carefully prepared dish is spectacular, from Acadian fricot to salt cod gratin to their upscale burger. L'Abri has a well-stocked selection of Nova Scotia wines and beers and a great cocktail list. Bookings highly recommended. 

This bright little café just outside of Chéticamp serves perfect bacon, egg, and cheddar breakfast sandwiches, bagels, and delicious sandwiches—the chicken banh mi is excellent. They also have great coffee, yummy baked goods, and a small selection of local beers and wines. 

Besides an excellent selection of beers brewed on the premises, this eatery serves up a seafood-heavy menu that truly hits the spot whether you're going for perfectly battered fish-and-chips, chicken burger, or poutine. The dining room is bright, modern, and airy, and the vibe is fun. There's a small store attached where you can grab cool branded Route 19 merchandise as well as craft beers to go.

Focusing on fresh, local seafood, this superb restaurant housed in a small, family-run B&B offers an intimate dining experience just steps from the ocean. Opt for rich, seafood-packed pastas such as lobster mac and cheese, a perfectly cooked steak au poivre, or amazing chowder, but be sure to save room for dessert.