Bell Buoy Bistro — Restaurant in Baddeck

I rarely write reviews, especially bad ones but considering this was one of the worst dining experiences I've ever had...I felt compelled too. My family of 13 from various parts of Canada came to Baddeck for my father's birthday and we chose this restaurant. Bad decision! The customer service was terrible, the poor girl (who I am sure was overwhelmed) seemed very confused and didn't know the menu at all. it took 2 hours and 15 minutes to get our food sporadically. Most items were forgotten and missed so we had to wait longer. The bruschetta was 2 small pieces of bread and the cup of chowder was the smallest I've seen. I ordered the pan fried haddock and it had zero seasoning on it, it was merely a piece of fish with fried flour. The rice pilaf was horrid, it had candied cranberries in it BUT the vegetables were delicious lol. 85% our party did not enjoy the food at all and it wasn't cheap. We don't mind paying a pretty penny but when the service and the food is bad...it left a bad taste in our mouth! Now for the billing part! Because we were paying separately, the waitress said we could come up to the till tp pay afterwards. So we did. We all paid for what we assumed we ordered but my brother was the last to pay and he got stiffed with an extra $72 of items that were 'left over". How does that even happen? Anyway, we enjoyed the live music and the views but we will certainly never...

My brother, sister-in-law and myself took my mother out for dinner for her birthday. I was so upset as my mother got very sick when we left the restaurant. I suspect it was the seafood chowder. She said it tasted a bit off but did not want to complain as we were paying quite a bit for her dinner (lobster sandwich and seafood chowder). I am hoping she feels better tomorrow. It was the worst birthday she ever had. We had to stop 3 times for her on the way home as she was so sick she thought she would never make it home. We feel so bad we feel like her birthday was ruined.

I messaged the Bell Buoy Restaurant and told them this story. They were not very sympathetic. I told them the seafood chowder was more like salmon soup. The only thing in her chowder was salmon with the skin on and a couple of potatoes as big as the tip of your finger. The chowder was definitely off. They said it was made fresh everyday (noway).

The service was good but unfortunately the food was bad. I ordered the brushesta and I could not eat it there was some kind of herb I did not like and the toast was soggy. I ended up ordering a ceaser salad that was bland. My brother ordered the wings and a ceaser the wings were rubbery.

For the prices they charge I would expect the food to be at a much...

We originally went for the Baddeck Lobster supper but unfortunately it wasn't due to open for business for a couple of days. But the lady inside saw that we were perplexed and came outside to inform us personally that they were not ready to open until June 5. She, however, offered us alternatives for our seafood supper...Bell Buoy was her seafood choice so we made a be-line to this restaurant nestled right on the wharf side with a great view of the water. My wife ordered the full steamed Lobster with chowder and I had the Lobster roll and chowder. My compliments to the chef and staff for giving us a memorable seafood experience that brought the charm and Cape Breton hospitality to exponential new heights. The Chef Collen and her husband Mark (family business) made our evening a wonderful new memory to add to our lifetime of wonderful worldly experiences. Our waitress Larissa (Chef Colleen and Marks daughter) brought charm, hospitality and humour to our wonderful dinner, Thank you so much Bell Buoy for allowing us to experience the very best that Cape Breton in general and Baddeck in particular offering us the very best in seasonal seafood fare. Cheers, Barb &...