The Freight Shed: Waterside Bistro & Market — Restaurant in Baddeck

I don't normally write reviews as I don't typically like to complain.. But in this case of our experience this evening, there are several factors too big to ignore and forces me to write about my family's dining experience.. Bottom line – from our experience, this establishment caters to a specific crowd.. being non-Caucasian, we had very poor experience and service at The Freight Shed Bistro & Market and would not be back. We arrived in Nova Scotia and were looking for a place to have a nice dinner after driving from NB for several hours... we just happen to select this restaurant based on the location, the menu and 4.3 stars on google (but we never read any of the actual reviews - we should have!) First, we got there after 7pm and asked for a table (walk in, no reservation), there were several tables empty outdoors but we were told they were already reserved. Didn't think too much of it, until later on - those same tables were empty the entire time we were there. Yes, it's possible there were cancellations, but it's not just 1 or 2 tables and, based on the rest of our experience that evening, makes me think it's something else unfortunate. Secondly, there were several tables that got seated at least 10min AFTER us, but they got served their appetizer AND their food well before we got our food! We ordered crab cakes with salad, steak (medium) with veggies, and scallops with veggies for dinner (no appetizers). So nothing complicated and nothing that should have taken a very long time. 2 tables that got seated after us (party of 2 and party of 3 or maybe 4) had their drinks, finished their appetizers and finished or just finishing their main course by the time we were served our dinner. I asked our server about why it’s taking so long, and I was told the times depends on what we ordered and that our food was almost ready… while I was speaking with her, I can see the scallops and crab cake dinners were just plated.. and within 5min of my inquiry and complaint, they brought out our food. The other tables that got seated after us, but got served first, ordered the same scallop dinners and also seafood pasta dinners.. 1 order of (3 pc) crab cake dinner and 1 medium steak dinner should not take more time than 5 (or 6) other people’s order of appetizer AND similar main course! Finally, there was a guy wearing a striped shirt that seems to be some kind of manager. He happily approached several other tables around us many times asking how their experience was. I know at least the table of 2 beside us was not a regular since I overheard them asking their server something about breakfast service. The manager never approached our table asking how things were. He passed by our table many times and even one time, I looked up the same time he looked at me but just kept walking to the next table. I was going to ask our server to talk to the manager but our server was non-existent and he was busy chatting it up with other clients and I don’t like to make a big deal, so we just finished our dinner as quickly as we can and left. Just for context, we were the only non-Caucasian clients dining at that time. We were dressed very casual, but so were other customers (many were wearing shorts, some with baseball hat, sandals)… I hate to even think this since this IS CANADA and it’s 2024(!) but it’s clear this establishment caters to a specific crowd… While I was writing my review, my wife read other reviews (which we should have done before!) and there are others who have similar experience as us… Sorry for the very long post. I didn’t even mention about the food.. which was nothing to rave about… crab cakes were way over priced - $40 for 3 pcs of crab cakes, each piece literally slightly bigger than a mcdonald’s...

My best friend and I ate at The Freight Shed Terrace location tonight, July 15, 2024. It was far too hot and sticky to cook at home, so we struck out from Belle Cote to have dinner. Each place we tried was closed, and as our third unsuccessful attempt had us (relatively) close to Baddeck, we headed to town.

My friend had eaten here with a group luncheon and raved about the food. As I have food issues, I checked out the menu, knew I could eat safely there, so that's where we went. It was quite full, but most of the tables appeared to be in mid-service. I will preface the later part of my comments by saying that the food was fantastic. We split an order of onion rings. There was enough for two. As described, they were thick and crunchy. The accompanying dip was both sweet and a bit spicy - yum! My friend had the quinoa rainbow salad with chicken. It arrived without the chicken, but a quick save by Bernice, our wonderful server, meant chicken arrived without being asked for. I was debating among three choices. Based on Bernice's recommendation, I opted for the chicken Alfredo. It was piping hot, and without question, the pasta meal was one of the BEST I have ever had.

I would like to say that the other elements of our evening were just as great. Alas, that is not possible. We were seated, with menus, almost immediately. More than 30 minutes later, we had glasses of water, but had not yet ordered. After ordering both the appetizer and mains, it took another half hour for the appetizer to arrive. We had been there for a full hour before being served any food.

At that time, I asked Bernice if it was always so slow. She explained that two staff members had ended up in hospital and that they were very short staffed. She apologized and said our mains would be 'right out' as she had heard the kitchen staff talking about them. It was more than a half hour for our mains to finally be served, during which time she brought us each a second can of pop without us asking for it.

I want to make it clear that our server was fantastic. None of the situation was her fault. She apologized, again, as she was clearing the table. We repeated that it was not her fault, but it would have been helpful for us to have been told when being seated that they were short-staffed and that there might be a wait. She told us she didn't even know at first. I said while we understood, I was upset that a few tables who arrived long after we did had ordered and had their mains before we did.

When she returned with the bills, she again apologized, saying she would be back shortly. I was shocked to see that there had been no adjustment to the bill. It took the better part of two and a half hours for us to have a dinner that consisted of a deep fried appetizer, a salad, and a pasta dish. It was standard fare, nothing fussy or challenging. I asked about the lack of adjustment given the situation. Bernice explained that was why she had brought us each the second can of pop. I asked why the management hadn't taken something off the bill such as the appetizer or given some kind of deduction. We were told, "They don't do that here." I was flabbergasted. I ended the evening by telling her that, again, if we had been told about the wait, it would have been nice and would have allowed us to make an informed decision. The food was fabulous. However, the total time to have dinner was not acceptable, and for the management/owner to not do anything to acknowledge or apologize for the experience was a guaranteed way to make sure I would...

We spent a couple of nights around town sightseeing, and it was recommended to us to try this establishment out. We arrived around 1030am on a Thursday morning, and there was lots of available seating inside and out. We chose to sit outside on the patio, which had a few umbrellas for sunshade.

Our waitress was quick with providing us menus and taking our drink orders. One thing we had noticed during our travel is that child menus are not always available. Therefore, I felt I was always asking what they could offer. Our waitress was great in asking the kitchen if they could offer a single pancake and suggested adding sides of protein if needed.

We ordered the highly recommended blueberry coconut pancakes (added a side of ham), eggs benedict with ham, and for the child, we did a single pancake with a side of sausage.

Our meals arrived in an acceptable amount of time and arrived as ordered. When given our plates of food, I did have to mention one concern to our waitress regarding the doneness of my child's sausages. The order included 3 sausages, and of the 3, 2 were done perfectly, but one was very overdone. It was very obvious it spent too much time on the grill, but it was still served. Our waitress did offer to replace this sausage with no concerns when I mentioned it to her.

The eggs benedic were perfect and no concerns. The blueberry coconut pancakes were served as 3 pancakes stacked, topped with powdered sugar, which are definitely worth trying and worth the hype.

The reason for 4/5 rating is due to the doneness of food. Originally, I would have rated this a 5/5 where the sausage concern was corrected, though later in the meal, the third pancake at the very bottom of the stack was also very burnt. I would like to think this was an honest mistake, though part of me wonders where it was stacked at the bottom covered by two perfectly cooked ones. I will say I didn't mention this to the waitress, as I was very full by the time I realized this error, so replacing the pancake would have been a waste.

Overall, we would definitely return if in the area and just hoping the kitchen staff was experiencing a hot spot on the grill they were unaware, though make sure all food is cooked the same...