17 Best Restaurants in Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia

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. 

More than a mere pub, this Cape Breton institution has evolved into an attraction, in part because it is owned by four of the Rankins, Canada's most celebrated singing siblings. Expect the usual pub favorites: fish-and-chips, pulled pork sandwiches, grilled salmon, and mussels steamed in ale, garlic, and bacon. There's music here most nights, and sometimes during the day (occasionally with a cover charge of C$10).

This beautiful café filled with art and vintage furniture serves tasty breakfasts, sandwiches, and delectable baked goods, as well as perfect espresso drinks. With a focus on fresh and local, you'll find snowcrab and lobster rolls on the menu, as well as produce from the gardens out back. The attached gallery next door sells lovely crafts, art, and jewelry from local artisans. 

Head here for upscale mains like seafood linguine and lobster risotto, but also because they do fantastic upscale burgers, sandwiches, and wraps (everything from classic patties to Nashville chicken burgers to haddock wraps). Be sure to save room for dessert—the delicious Death by Chocolate milkshake complete with a brownie on top is superb.

Everything on the menu at this stellar restaurant is fantastic—from inventive dishes that utilize local ingredients, such as lobster bao or Margaree rainbow trout with scalloped potatoes, to perfectly cooked risotto, handmade pastas, and short ribs. There are plenty of vegetarian options and a kids' menu. 

This sweet little café with limited indoor seating but picnic tables outside overlooking the ocean across the road serves excellent, locally roasted coffee, tasty breakfasts, and delicious baked goods. 

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. 

This bright, cheerful café serves wholesome sandwiches, soups, salads, and light meals. Bread is baked in-house, and pretty much everything on the menu is made from scratch. 

In a city where deep fryers reign supreme, this small eatery is a welcome find. The haddock is poached, the crab cakes served with mango salsa, the prawns tossed in pesto sauce—and Flavor's flavors shine through. 

Sydney's first mayor, Walter Crowe, once lived in this Victorian home, built in the late 1800s. The restaurant, with hardwood floors, a fireplace, and high ceilings, is known for fresh seafood and hand-cut steaks, though there are lighter options such as salads, wraps, and burgers. Desserts are all house-made. There's regular live entertainment.

The owner-chef is fixing up this old clapboard building, but it's the treats that await within that really matter. A well-constructed menu features specialties like shrimp and scallop flambé, pork tenderloin in a red onion wine sauce, and maple-glazed salmon, and there's a less fancy but equally enticing comfort food list and kids' menu. Local wines, beers, spirits, and cocktails fill out the beverage list.

Pretty much everything at this gorgeous family-owned café is made on-site, from the hand-rolled bagels to the preserves used in the truly delicious sandwiches. They even roast their coffee—grab a bag of their Village People branded beans to take home. Stop here for breakfast or lunch either inside or on their sunny patio, or grab food to go as they offer perfect picnic fixings.

There's usually a parking lot full of cars outside this popular hangout for Cape Bretoners, which also draws "come from away" diners with its long lunchtime menu of hearty salads, creamy chowders, deep-fried seafood plates, and homemade desserts. After 5 pm (and all day on Sunday), the dinner menu goes more upscale with dishes like scallops in white-wine and cream sauce and lemon-chicken supreme. At peak times, reservations are recommended.

Stop by this cozy spot for breakfast or lunch, or grab a picnic box. Everything is made in-house and delicious. 

This bright and airy diner specializes in seafood dishes, steaks, and casual dining favorites with a cozy, down-home style. There aren't many options for dining in Louisbourg, but this place makes up for that.