Charlene's Family Restaurant

Heard a lot about this seafood chowder so had to come by to check it out! Tried the new special which comes with a cup of seafood chowder, fish cake and biscuit. Overall good portion of food and very tasty. The restaurant seemed understaffed with the amount of diners and people ordering take out. We never received water when asked and I could tell other diners were getting irritated with the long waits for food.

We ordered the seafood chowder and the lobster rolls (one with fries and one with salad), and were SO PLEASED. The lobster rolls come in four mini sandwiches for ease of eating and were very tasty and packed with lobster. We were absolutely enamored with the chowder (I don't even normally enjoy chowder), I wish we had gotten two bowls each - it is just that delicious. The salad was also made with thought and effort, with different vegetables and with good dressing. The fries were yummy as well. A lady was walking around the restaurant and I am thinking she might be Charlene. I wish I had told her how good the food is but I felt shy. It is a must-visit for the chowder alone.

This was an unplanned stop (always the best kind!) as we drove along the Cabot Trail. This is a must for anyone who loves or even likes seafood chowder. The absolute best on Cape Breton Island, maybe even all of Nova Scotia?!? I've been thinking about this chowder far too frequently!! Service was great as well. Almost as good as the chowder 😉

We have just spent a month touring around Newfoundland and the maritimes. The chowder at Charlene’s stands head and shoulders above any other we’ve tried - and we tried lots! Come for the friendly service but the TV show guys got it right: You gotta eat here!!

The Seafood Chowder was the best we had on the entire Cabot Trail. We would recommend going out of the way just to try it. However, the Seafood Bake and the Fishcakes were quite mediocre.

Great seafood chowder with lots of seafood inside. The seafood basket was average. Good portions though. Everything priced fairly.

We ordered fish and chips and seafood penne. Pasta was less salty but taste was okay. Fish and chips was good fries was really crunchy and spicy. Staffs were really nice.

That seafood chowder was so good, we had to get it twice! Our waitress was the absolute best, though the patrons seem to be surprised by folks who don’t look like them. There’s beautiful wall art and décor to make up for it so you don’t have to see anyone in the eye. Did I mention the seafood chowder?