Charlene's Bayside Cafe

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#1 of 1 Restaurant in WhycocomaghCafe, Seafood, $$ - $$$

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Charlene's Bayside Cafe

Review

At a glance

Closed now

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Website

+1 902-756-8004Improve this listing

About

Relaxed diner, family friendly dining with hearty home cooked meals.

Features

CUISINES

Cafe, Seafood, Diner, Canadian, Soups

Meal types

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Brunch

Special Diets

Gluten free options

FEATURES

Cash Only

Free Wifi

Highchairs Available

Seating

Table Service

Takeout

Wheelchair Accessible

Location

9657 Highway 105, Whycocomagh, Nova Scotia Canada

Can a vegetarian person get a good meal at this restaurant?

Yes

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Hours

Suggest an edit

Closed now

• Opens at 8:00 AM

Sunday

8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Monday

11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Tuesday

11:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Wednesday

11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Thursday

11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Friday

8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Saturday

8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.

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4.4

373 reviews

Excellent

228

Very good

Average

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Terrible

xcapers2

Kentville65 contributions

Great food and service

Aug 2023 • friends

This is a great little Gem. We ordered the seafood basket and were not disappointed. We asked for a recommendation from the server and she suggested seafood chowder or the seafood basket. Again, the basket was great. friendly service. lots of parking & great food. Well worth a visit

Written August 15, 2023

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

briant620

London34 contributions

Best chowder

Aug 2022 • couples

This stop was recommended to us by the lady at the visitors centre. We ordered a bowl of the seafood chowder and it did not disappoint. It’s a little pricey BUT it is loaded with seafood that we felt it was good value. It was the best my wife and I have ever had. Totally worth it. Definitely recommend stopping for the chowder.

Written August 30, 2022

Ali Anningson

5 contributions

Best Chowder Ever with Lukewarm Service

Aug 2022 • family

First, Charlene's has delicious food. We stopped in here again the other day and confirmed once again that they serve the best seafood chowder in the world. It is not cheap but we feel it is worth the price. However, the service is a little gruff and it isn't the most pleasant environment. We know this and go back anyway because the food is so good but wish they would make a few changes. For instance, we were given menus that had no prices. When I asked about this, I was told that that's the way the menus came and the server (who I guessed was the boss) wasn't going to stay up all night writing in the prices. So, we had absolutely no idea what anything cost when we ordered. Again, it didn't matter to us personally because we were there for chowder but this is super strange. So, I would recommend trying their food but you wouldn't miss out on much if you ordered your food to go.

Written August 7, 2022

Toronto2 contributions

Never again

Jul 2024 • couples

We arrived at 1.30 on July 18, ordered soup then waited 20 minutes, after the food was delivered the waitress never came back to our table. I only ate the biscuit. The turkey vegetable soup had 2 chunks of carrot & 1 piece of celery and half the bowl was shredded turkey meat.

Written July 25, 2024

Mileve E

Halifax1 contribution

Wait and get dissapointed

Aug 2022 • couples

Aug 6 2022, stopped at 11:58am. 2 other couples came with us, ate, paid and left before we got served. The lady serving us went for lunch at one of the tables then came back to serve us, two seafood chowder, one cold one hot. It took exactly 1 hour and 25 minutes (we were told they have a small kitchen) They ran out of biscuits, offered us buns instead which we declined. So, two 8 ounce styrophnme bowl of cod soups with a little bite of lobster tail on top to decorate, $38.70 cdn. We also were told that we were offered water and we refused (actually, said no thank you) so, we shouldn't complain! A bit mean, although (both of us, being in the hospitality business) we were jovial and thankful not to frighten their clients. This was my first ever experience of NS chowder, so disappointed :( This is horrible, hot hours and 25 minutes wait, swapping flies, expansive, tiring drive to get there, people not happy to see us and even if I had paid $100 for those 2 bowls, they would have not been nicer.

Written August 6, 2022

Sandy S

Riverside637 contributions

Great chowder, otherwise disappointing

Aug 2022 • none

Went to Charlene's for lunch -- LONG, LONG wait for food. Chowder was truly outstanding, packed with scallops, fish, shrimp and more, but the burgers and fish and chips and milkshakes that the kids ordered were truly inedible. Our worst meal in NS. If in the area, get the chowder for takeout only. Also all food served in styrofoam containers with plastic cutlery.

Written February 21, 2023

DrSeemaTyagi

Toronto187 contributions

Watery seafood chowder

Jun 2022 • family

Stopped for their seafood chowder which I heard was excellent. It had a lot of seafood but very watery otherwise and the size was smaller than what I expected from the pictures. The shrimp Alfredo penne was pretty good. Seafood basket was not something I would order again. Sadly I didn’t feel welcome here. They take their fame for granted it seems. We stopped again after a few minutes at the Baddeck lobster supper restaurant for a much better meal including a better seafood chowder with better prices too!

Written June 11, 2022

Audrey H

Nova Scotia4 contributions

Smallest Cup Serving I have ever had of Seafood Chowder

Aug 2022 • none

So my husband and i stopped into Charlene’s for a cup of chowder. We were not hungry enough for a bowl. To our surprise our chowder was literally served in the smallest teacup…if it wasn’t so disappointing i would be laughing but it literally took 2 mouthfuls and it was gone. We are from Cape Breton so we rolled with it but I have to say if that is your cup of chowder I would suggest at least put in small bowl..not a small teacup…on the counter were 2 small bowls..one said small and other said large..that is not what we received….at 11.00 this was gouging in my view….i would hate to see a tourist receive their cuppa chowder this way….it tasted very good but 2 mouthfuls was not sufficient…

Written August 18, 2022

petesaund

United Kingdom4352 contributions

Seafood Chowder more tha lives up to its reputation as one. of the best

Oct 2022 • none

I only have a limited expertise as to what makes an excellent chowder but what I do know what I do not like - overwhelmingly potato or creamed potato or too much cream without mentioning the choice of seafood.The seafood should be a mix for balance and not dominated by a particular seafood This seafood chowder is all fish and shellfish incl lobster prawn and scallop the most expensive ingredients.It is more of a light sauce than a heavy creamed sauce. Yes it was the perfect seafood chowder and will be my gold standard or point of reference where I will evaluate any future seafood chowders

Written October 23, 2022

Sightseer801636

26 contributions

Delicious food!!

Jul 2022 • none

Dining room was closed but they were open for takeout. The staff were very friendly and we had one of the most delicious seafood chowders of our trip and the fish & chips were also very delicious. A really nice experience, and worth the visit!

Written July 26, 2022

Gary B

Prescott207 contributions

Home of the Best Seafood Chowder Ever.

Jun 2022 • none

I had dinner here, two nights in a row. Both times, I was the last one in the door, but the staff spared nothing, in making sure I was well-fed. The first night, they were officially closed, but Charlene would not let me out the door without a full bowl of soup and two of her sister's still-warm rolls. It was, hands down, the best seafood chowder I have ever had, and I grew up in New England. Turns out, Charlene wouldn't charge me for the meal. The next night, coming back from a Cabot Trail drive, I got in the door, ten minutes before closing. As the place was packed with golfers, I was given a seat and ordered from the menu. Fish Cakes were a bit on the rare side, but the chowder, again, was superb. I sensed that the staff, including Charlene, was "bushed", so I let the subpar fish cakes slide. They were tasty, anyway.

Written July 18, 2022

IamLindyLou

Pitt Meadows172 contributions

Best Seafood Chowder - no potato!

Oct 2022 • none

My husband and I ate here a couple of times while we were staying in the area. The host at our cottage suggested it for great seafood chowder. He was right! It was absolutely filled to the brim with scallops, prawns, lobster and fish . . . no potato! It was served with biscuits made on premises. It was definitely the best I tasted during our visit to the Maritimes. The service was a little quirky, but they were friendly and we appreciated all the staff.

Written October 20, 2022

tgw375

30 contributions

Disappointed

Aug 2020 • none

We chose this restaurant based on the reviews and we were very disappointed. I had the fish cakes and beans. The fish cakes we ok, not great, but ok; however, I’m pretty sure the beans were canned. The meal consisted of two fish cakes, a very small container of beans, a small container (condiment size) of chow and cottage cheese. My husband didn’t finish his meal and either did my son. My son had chicken fingers and fries and my husband had the club and fries. Neither liked the bagged fries because they had a coating on them that wasn’t good. I think it was supposed to make them extra crispy. My husband said the club was ok. They ordered gravy for the fries and neither ate it. I think it too was from a can, definitely didn’t seem homemade.

Written August 5, 2020

janellemac

44 contributions

Great experience

Jan 2020 • couples

My husband and I stopped in for lunch because we had heard positive things about Charlene's and it did not disappoint. Seafood was delicious with homemade tartar sauce. Excellent value as well, we paid just over $30 before gratuity including a dessert! Would highly recommend.

Written January 11, 2020

C W

St. John's629 contributions

Not to be missed

Feb 2022 • couples

We haven’t been here for about a year so made sure not to miss it. The food here is all homemade and delicious. If you think you’ve had good seafood chowder before the chowder here will knock you socks off. Hamburger patties are homemade and at least 5oz. Salt fish cakes and homemade beans done perfectly. Servers are friendly and attentive. Atmosphere is nice with lots of locals dining and doing takeout. It’s all round perfect!

Written February 11, 2022