Carr's Oyster Bar

This review is from July 2024. I had the lobster roll, which was so full of lobster and delicious! The potato salad was very tasty too! We sat outside by the water and enjoyed live entertainment there too. The server was very good and she was pretty funny too! I take tour people here and it has great reviews from them too.

Been coming to the island my whole life and Carr’s has always been a go to for us, but this year the food was the best I’ve had. The lobster roll was a good size and absolutely delicious. The chicken sandwich was crunchy and perfectly seasoned. The burger was juicy and the bun was perfection. We came back a second time on our week long vacation just to do it all again! The servers were all so friendly too and the views from both the patio and inside are just perfect. Would highly recommend to anyone coming to the north shore!

My wife and I were surprised that the establishment was open and stopped in out of curiosity. Had a drink at the bar with a delightful server. A very clean and well maintained place. We will be back. We came back in the busy season and had a delightful mid-afternoon snack on the deck. Dog friendly and the servers are fantastic

The servers here just make everything beyond better! The waitress we had gave us nice touristy suggestions and we had some really good conversations. The oysters are just amazing! The medium ones are pretty full already and super fresh. Gotta love their potato salad too 😋

We had some delicious PE raw oysters, french fries and the most delicious bloody Cesar you could possibly drink (if you are a fan of pickles). The server was soooo nice even though we showed up almost at closing time.

I never had mussels this good in my life. The service is amazing as well. They are so nice and considerate.

Great service, great food and drinks, and they actually allow pets on the patio!! That's a 5 star for us.

Great oysters - very fresh. We had the Cascumpec and Fortune Bay. Had the seafood Chowder - good flavour, not too creamy (which i like) but could have used more seafood. Mussles were fresh, very simple broth made with white wine and raw garlic.

Good food and service, very small menu, but they accommodated our special requests. Nice deck with a beautiful view of the water and people jumping off of the Stanley Bridge! Live music was starting as we were leaving. Cute gift shop inside. Definitely worth stopping in.

Great oysters!! nice fresh garden salad. Asked the server about the fish cakes, She said they were home made and delicious. They were 99% potato, not sure if they contained fish and for 25 were far overpriced.

My group of 6 had a very nice dinner. Food was excellent. Service was top notch. The restaurant was redone in the past couple of years and the atmosphere is a perfect venue for seaside eating.

Malpeque oysters were superb!! Best strawberry/rhubarb pie ever. Our waitress Kazzrie,was amazing. Restaurant was well staffed and restaurant was spotlessly clean. Well run establishment. Will be back.

Excellent, extremely fresh oysters and too-notch friendly service. The deck is an wonderful place to enjoy the local fare. Definitely recommend!

Ya like oysters? These were hanging around Malpeque Bay the day before you ate 'em! Bright, new place, with a little nature center attached. Small menu featuring oysters, lobster and some landlubber options. AND, a nice selection of PEI brews! Best part was we walked in close to close (7 pm weekdays), and they took great care of us. A must try.

This was highly recommended by my east coast friend, so we decided to try it. The view was lovely. Our server was friendly and prompt. Food was delicous. Really amazing oysters although since it is an oyster bar I was hoping for some more interesting sauces for the oyster. There wasn't any clams so I tried my first quahog. The seafood tacos were amazing! I had a bite of my husbands fried oyster po'boy and it was good but didn't beat the flavours of the tacos. We had such a lovely meal on the patio. We sipped cold beer wtih some tasty seafood enjoying some very lovely scenery. I would go back.

An old established restaurant with several generations of ownership. The service was very good and accommodating and the seafood was delicious and fresh. Obviously they are known for their local oyster and with good reason. Well worth a visit. The location being on the tidal river is a lovely location also.

The restaurant and bar area renovations present well. The attached gift shop is well stocked with a plethora of souvenir treasures. The staff is friendly and courteous. The downside...$40 for a dozen oysters? Come on, we won't be back!

I love Carr's! It's been a staple for myself and my family to visit whenever we are on the island. This season has been a little rough all over with the staff shortages, so the food arrived a bit longer than usual. However, it was the same great quality food with lovely views. We just miss the live music! Hopefully they'll be back next year. Overall, always a great experience with super nice staff! :)

Just had the best experience here. Went for dinner (food was great) and Stacy, our waitress, made it a very pleasant event. It was the end of the day and I'm sure she was probably tired, but she was so much fun and took such good care of us we can't wait to go back! You're the best, Stacy!

My mum introduced me to Carr's a few years after her PEI cousin brought her there several years ago. Now it's become a tradition. The oysters are PHENOMENAL Great lobster rolls & fishcakes! Wish we had room for dessert -- one of these visits if we could stop eating so many oysters! Their deck overlooking the Stanley River is sublime, especially when the lobster boats return from a hard day's work. Carr's Gift Shop is also worth a visit. Never enough time to spend there! It's simply a beautiful spot with fantastic fresh seafood fare which is one of the many reasons we love PEI!

Stopped in why in Cavendish. Beautiful setting on the water. We had mussels which were great. And another member of our group had fish and chips which were in a yummy cracker crust. The oyster Rockefeller were an interesting twist. They were perfectly cooked. The cheese was a bit heavy but still good. I would have rated it higher if it hadn't been for the service. It took a while for someone to come and take the order. And when we were done the waiter told us to go inside to pay instead of bringing bill to us. Not sure if they were Unusually busy or what. All in all the food was GREAT!

Didn't know what to expect because of the mixed reviews but was pleasantly surprised. The restaurant is newly renovated and looks great. The view was stunning even on a rainy day. We had great service from the moment we entered the restaurant. We of course had to try the oysters and they did not disappoint. They were so fresh and delicious! We tried a bunch of things including the coconut shrimp, shrimp and lobster tacos, fish and scallops and chicken fingers for the little one. All tasty and the perfect portion size. The desserts were so yummy. Overall, a great experience!!

Very overrated and extremely poor service. It was very busy which is a good thing for a restaurant and our group was patient, however our food took 3.5 hours to arrive after many times asking the waitress what is taking so long. All customers who arrive around our time slot already finished their meals and left. Our waitress was quite dismissive about the delays and we suspect she forgot to place our order multiple times. When our food did arrive it was sub par at best. The meal was definitely not worth $400. We tried many other places for much less and much better food.

The waitstaff is very pleasant and fun. Even when wait times are long they'll try to get a basket of fries for your kids, and help you choose food that's faster to cook. Beautiful view as well. Great oysters.

Came here for lunch last week after walking through Green Gables, which is just down the road. The timing was right, the view was nice, and we felt like we could really go for some mussels... and we weren't disappointed. The interior is about what you would expect, with a bar towards the back. The view is pretty decent, and you can view the harbor across the way. There wasn't really anything going on over there, but just being near the water is a plus. We ordered our mussels, a beer for mum (Irish Red) and a cider for myself. The cider was pretty decent, and I enjoyed it while waiting for the mussels to be prepared. I have learned my lesson with mussels in a wine sauce, and now ask for them to go light on the garlic, as I am not a big fan of tons of garlic slices strewn throughout my mussels. They should be a flavoring agent with mussels, not a main ingredient! Carr's did these right, and they were excellent... possibly some of the best mussels I have ever had. We didn't stray into any of the other dishes, as this was a pound and a half of mussels for two people, and we were just looking for some lunch food to tide us over until supper. I would go back again for the mussels, though having read some of the other reviews here I would take a good hard look at other people's dishes before I would choose anything else. Besides, I have found that I am not really a huge fan of traditional lobster, and truly prefer spiny lobster above the others (hey, I grew up in Florida... it's what we have and what I like) Found that there is a gift store behind the bar, and beyond that there is a small museum filled with various stuffed birds and other animals on display. Worth taking a wander through if you are there.

Great quiet place to enjoy dinner at sunset. Food slightly on the pricier side, but it tasted great. Sweet potato fries with chipotle mayonnaise are excellent. Great view from outside deck, our family enjoyed this restaurant very much. If we're visiting Prince Edward island again, we'll try to stop by.

If I could give this place more than 5 stars I would. We lucked onto it because we arrived on PEI before the season started. Even though the websites of the every restaurant we looked at said they were open, after the two hour drive from where we were staying, they were all closed. We started calling the listed numbers of several restaurants and no one answered until Stacy at Carr's picked up the phone and took pity on us. Turns out she had just done the same thing for a young couple from Toronto. She said, all we can serve you are oysters and mussels which was perfect because that's what we had come for. They were absolutely delicious and Stacy and the rest of the staff getting the restaurant open for the season in a few days were as gracious as could be. I'm sorry to read some of the other reviews. I've never understood when reviewing an independent business of any sort, why someone would only give 3 stars when all their comments about the food were positive. And as much as I like fried oysters, etc. when you're in the source of their catch, why would you ever cover all the freshness with oil. Thank you to Carr's for saving this woman from Virginia's once in a lifetime opportunity to savor PEI oysters and mussels on PEI.

I've been here twice out of convenience on two separate days. Food is average but the service is outrageously poor. The minute you enter, it's like you're completely invisible. Nobody says "hi, someone will be right with you". You wait to get acknowledged, you then get routed to another person for a takeout order, you wait, you order, then you wait for another person to ring up the bill. I love the whole PEI vibe but this level of service is way out of character. Minor nit but the fish tacos tasted different on both occasions (spicy vs not at all spicy, and the balsamic vinaigrette was "Kraft" like one time vs house made anotj)

Outstanding Food And Excellent Service! I had a half dozen of the best oysters I've ever had, followed by the crab naan (almost like a not-flat flatbread). She had the lobster. She gets lobster often at home in New Jersey, but this was a couple of steps up from that. Most surprising was the potato salad, to which She gave her highest accolade: "It's as good as my own." We finished up with a very nice rum raisin cake. Throughout, the service was attentive and friendly, and the cove view from the deck is lovely. We had a great time and would certainly return.

MALPEQUE OYSTERS AND MUSSELS FROM BAY TO TABLE! What's not to love about the freshest of fresh mussels, dipped in butter from time to time, or the famous Malpeque oysters harvested yards from your table, or a waitress who calls you "dear"? Nothing fancy, everything local and authentic. Bring your camera as it's rather picturesque!

The service wasn't as bad as I read on the reviews, although they never return to refill your drinks or ask if you need anything else. The lobsters were small for the price. I rated 3 stars for the beautiful view and lovely day.

This was place was nothing special! I've had much better when it comes to fish and chips. The crust was bland and not well seasoned. We were also surprised that the fries weren't fresh cut from PEI potatoes. The province is known for seafood and potatoes and this restaurant does not serve either well. The waitress was great though! I give this place 2 thumbs down!

I was JUST thinking the other day that I post so many 4 and 5 star reviews that readers might not take them seriously! This is what I get for having that thought pop into my mind. This place was recommended when I asked for a place to eat fresh oysters right where they are harvested. The exterior is really cute, situated right by the water, as expected. The inside is nice, too- I bet it's great on a warm, sunny day! Lots of outdoor space and window side indoor seats. But the food is another story. We ordered 6 small oysters, and they arrived in a yellowish/greenish oyster bath. I thought this was unusual, but maybe just something about the type of oyster. But they tasted so grossly off / fishy / sick sea watery that I had to add cocktail sauce to the others to get them down. I shouldn't have eaten them at all- my stomach is now in knots! We also ordered shrimp cocktail, and the shrimp came out warm, instead of the proper chilled temp for shrimp cocktail. Very disappointed. Would not recommend. Go to Sims for incredible oysters instead!

Went to Carrs looking for oysters, well we were not impressed, the food was bland. Our server was busy talking to other people rather than checking up on us. We had gotten a bucket of steamed oysters and steamed muscles. The one positive thing was the view of the lake was great. Not impressed with the food at all. Do yourself a favor and don't come. Also they charge full price for each cup of soda you drink and the cups are tiny

Why, oh why, do I try a place after reading bad yelp reviews? Someone slap me. We decided to try just some oysters and drinks at the bar. My husband ordered a martini, which the bartender did not know how to make. He said it's the worst he has ever had. I had the smallest $8.50 glass of wine ever. I thought she was joking. A cup-I repeat, a cup of seafood chowder was $9.50. That is crazy. Everything in it is from here. The malpeque oysters were good. But pricey. They come from here too. What the heck? Total bill for those four items: $54. Don't go here, for the love of god!

This meal was the worse we have had in months. Usually we would be safe with fried seafood but everything came out burned to a crisp. The plates were extremely small. The only saving grace was the clam appetizers. Extremely unhappy with the choice to eat here. Don't do it!!!

Carr's was recommended to us by the place that we were staying. We were lucky to get a place on the patio. I think that's where our luck ended. After waiting for about 10mins we had the hostess come and ask us if our waitress had been to see us yet. Another 10 mins and she came by to take our drink order. When she returned with the drinks we placed our order. Some Oysters, 2 apps and 3 mains. We were sharing these between my wife, daughter and myself. The oysters came out quickly and were good. They tasted nice and fresh. We waited, and waited, and waited. Drinks empty, stomachs rumbling. The waitress returned about 30mins later and removed the oyster tray... At the 1:15 mark my wife went and asked if there was an ETA on the appetizers. She was told that there was a big order in front of ours so they should be up after them. At that point I went to the bar to order another drink. Our waitress said she would bring them right out - and got mine wrong. She did offer to comp the drinks because of the wait. The apps finally arrived. Coconut shrimp was good. The asparagus crab naan was warm naan with an almost warm crab concoction on top with a few pieces of asparagus (canned) tossed on for good measure. It was like they took a can of crab and spread it over the top. Very flavourless and a texture that resembled what I think a crab porridge might taste like. We were so hungry at this point that we ate most of it. Our mains arrived shortly there after. The Lobster roll was good. The fish tacos were passable unfortunately, Oversized shells, undersized fish, one was too spicy and I think got all of the spice because the 2nd one didn't get any. Fish and chips were fishy, wet battered and the fries were so over cooked they were hollow. I considered breaking a few in half and seeing if I could create a pan flute. You know give Zamphir a run. We were well past the 2hr mark at this point and I didn't have the time or energy to send any food back (for fear we might wait another 1hr to get any). There are always situations where the kitchen is backed up and it's not always the servers fault. When you wait 20mins for a server to take your drink order, need to go to get your own refill and then need to ask when food might arrive, it was not only the kitchen but the overall service that failed tonight.

Great food, service and loved sitting out over the water What a great find for our visit to PEI (in August) Although the fried cams were not super, the chowder was great and the selection, freshness and quality of the oysters was awesome. We just kept getting plate after plate after plate...I'm not a huge oyster fan and even I enjoyed. My wife was in heaven. A must try are the quahogs. Super and I think my wife might leave me for a quahog fisherman if I ever slip up Really really nice, friendly maritime service and a lovely waterside patio for a summer evening. Truly a highlight of our visit to PEI

Can not say enough about this home town restaurant. Service was excellent even at the busiest of times and the food was always phenomenal. If visiting PEI and you want to feel at home and relaxed, this is the place to go!

Came here with friends on the first night of a week long vacation. We all had something different. The verdicts? Three good and two just ok. My Steamed Combo was one of the "good" votes - great hot, garlicky flavourful broth and a nice mix of mussels, clams, and quahogs. However the portion size was a bit small and the side of fries tasted and had the texture of made-from-frozen. Surely on PEI they can do a better potato! The other Good's were the Fish tacos ($18) and the Caesar salad with chicken ($19). Along with the two "OK's" - the Bubbly Bake, a seafood pie with cheese crust ($22) and a Pan Fried Haddock ($18), the general consensus was that this place was overpriced for what we got. Admittedly we did not try the oysters which some have raved about, nor the lobster. (Carr's only had 1 pounders which I think means you're not getting much meat relative to the shell and other bits, so again we didn't try them. ) The service was attentive, the vibe relaxed and nice view but you would likely find better value elsewhere, if not better food too.

My husband and I had really slow service here and the food was very mediocre to poor. My husband ordered the crab cakes which were more like crab mush with no flavour or shape, and I had the chowder which was good but small cup for $10 which seemed expensive for the portion size. We were seated by a hostess and then ignored for about 20 minutes until I had to get up and ask the hostess for our server. Food was so mediocre and service was bad - wouldn't recommend going to this overpriced place - definitely better out there.

Great place. Stayed walking distance. My friend loved the clams and mussels. I don't do shellfish, but for those of you out there... this seems to be a great spot. Nice view.

We went to Prince Edward Island looking for an oyster restaurant. Carr's Oyster Bar is located right next to a river with a wonderful view. Right at the entrance, there's a young man cracking up oysters for customers. They were fresh and delicious. The menu is limited to oysters, mussels and some deep fried seafood, so don't expect eating anything else. The mussels are a must. The two negative sides are that the serving was slow and it might be pricey for some. For regulars: enjoy the view, eat a few oysters with a local beer so you won't break your budget.

Best place for oysters and steamers we had on pei. We were here a week and we came back here 3 times. Great service and view. Our waitress even took me back to give me tips on shucking. I see people bitch about fried seafood. Dont waste your time you can get that crap anywhere. Did i say great service and view GO JUMP OFF THE BRIDGE BEFORE.

I wish my first review was on a happier note. This is my second visit to Carr's, in two years. It's a quant, typical PEI harbour front restaurant with indoor and a large patio seating area. My first visit wasn't that memorable because the service was poor but the food was worth the wait. I was craving oysters, so.. I thought a second chance wouldn't hurt. After seating ourselves, our waitress AKA Speedy Gonzalez gave us our menus and spit out the Special of the Day to us. The menu has a nice selection of seafood from fresh to deep fried selections. We all made our hard menu decisions as to what seafood to feast on, and then we waited and waited for about 10 minutes. After the waitresses cleaned off all the tables around us, Speedy returned, dropped off glasses of water, and spit out "someone will be with you in a minute to take your order". After Speedy took off again... So did we. I guess my oyster craving will have to wait. Too bad a restaurant with so much potential suffers because of the lack of service. It's tourist season, spend a bit more money and have enough staff to deal with the volume of customers.

Wish we could have tried the food but after being seated with menus for almost 20 minutes without even being asked if we wanted drinks we left. The place wasn't busy enough to justify a wait that long. Instead we gave our business to Chez Yvonne's. The food was fair but our waiter was awesome.

This the restaurant component of Carr's seafood and recommended by Julie the distiller at Prince Edward Distilling. The restaurant has a nice outside deck with a view of the harbour. Stopped in for lunch of traditional PEI items. Got the seemer steamed clams, oysters and clam chowder. The chowder was nothing special. The clams were large and delicious. The waitress shucked the oysters at our table and pointed out where they came from across the harbor. The oysters were large, but not our favorites. Beer selection was limited, but luckily they had Guinness.

The Oysters were fantastic. Our Server was very polite but the child's meal came out last. Our meals were cold by the time her meal came. Sadly it ruined the majority of the experience. But I cannot stress how good the oysters were.

One of the best place to have fresh oysters. Nice casual place, don't expect anything fancy. Eat outside by the water if the weather is nice.

Wow! Those delicious oysters you're tasting are harvested from Carr's own beds, just across the road. Try them raw or pan-fried. Fried clam strips are delicious and the lobsters succulent. Service is excellent. A not-to-be-missed stop along the North Shore of PEI.

Typical tourist restaurant. Food is not terrible but really blah. Chowder was passable, oyster Rockefeller was pretty poor, haddock was ok. Service is friendly but not overly attentive. Again everything was just ok.

While the service was a bit slow, it was the best meal of our vacation. The view on the deck was beautiful as we sipped our cocktails while waiting. The food was exceptional. My seafood was cooked to perfection and the sides were fresh. It gave a home cooked feel with the fresh local veggies. I actually felt like we'd been to someones house for dinner. The bread pudding for dessert was phenomenal! If you aren't in a rush, enjoy a delicious dinner with a spectacular view!

Very disappointing experience. It is probably a great place for oysters and drinks on the deck, but the food was lukewarm at best and very overpriced. The portion sizes were small and the quality was very poor.

I ruminated a couple of days reviewing my dining experience on July 30th @ Carr's!! No, it was a seriously BAD dining experience on a beautiful day on PEI. The service was lack lustre when provided, the waits between being seated, receiving table water, menus, taking the drink & food requests, and the delivery of same was torturous. The simple food order was atrocious....seriously, my crab cakes were frozen, thawed & never cooked.....two pale circular plops of mush/baby food.....as tasteless as unattractive. I refused to pay for such poor quality once the waitress eventually did check back after serving. I was provided a complimentary bowl of chowder...delicious. Do these people (owners, staff, patrons) fail to realize that it only takes a small amount of additional time to present a lovely meal. Shame on you! Renowned Culinary institute in Charlottetown....tourists come here for QUALITY!

As someone who returns to the island almost every year and as someone who has returned to Carr's for what I have hoped will be a hearty meal, I have been extremely disappointed in this restaurant the last few times I have come here. Last year we were rained out and everyone had to cram into the restaurant with a limited amount of tables and feet being stepped on throughout the night. We knew the service wouldn't be the best given how quickly the storm approached, but the service was disorganized, sloppy, and untimely. Half of our table received our food after a two hour wait in the first place, while the other half waited yet another half hour after the rest of the table had received their food. This time, tonight, there was nothing short of disappointment. Two out of three appetizers came at least 20 minutes to half an hour before the entrees. The third arrived with the entrees but of course that left for little to no room at the table to eat the rest of our food. I had ordered the traditional HOT lobster dinner; note the word hot in that sentence. As many may have already guessed, my lobster was cold when I received it. The service was also in short supply tonight. While our dishes were finally being served an hour and a half after being seated, the waitress decided to stop on her way back to get the rest of our tables food to chat to some other folks and tidy up their table before serving our entire table, leaving two out of the seven people in our dinner party waiting another ten minutes for their food to come out. All in all it was a disgraceful experience and I'm going to be wary of returning to this restaurant in the future, as should anyone if they're looking for a decent dining experience.

Went to have a lobster dinner. The dinner was just ok. Server, who may have been owner, was very nice and attentive but it couldn't make up for average food.

Terrible service. After 15 minutes we flagged down a waitress to take our food and drink orders. After 48 minutes, we had still received nothing, not even or drinks. Attempts to request additional service were ignored. We got up and left.