Trailside Music Hall — Restaurant in Charlottetown

We had a good experience at the Trailside Music Hall last night but it had the potential to be a great night. The venue is small enough to be intimate yet large enough to not feel cramped by other patrons. Tables were nicely arranged with reserved tables close to the stage for patrons who had prepaid online. The sound system and view of the stage is very good. The food was very good and there was a good selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages all competitively priced. A great place for local artists to perform .

Unfortunately a large group of about a dozen young people were sat beside us and the 6 women (who acted more like immature teens) talked ALL night long laughing and practically shouting across the table at each other WHILE the artists were performing. I politely asked one of the girls to ask the others to "keep it down" to which one of the other girls turned to me and said "No!". Even their male partners got loud the more they drank. I don't have a problem with people being loud while engaged in the performance but their behaviour was simply inconsiderate, disrespectful, and rude to the performers, other patrons, and me. I didn't pay $230 for tickets, food and drinks for my wife and I to listen to them all night.

The fact that it persisted all night meant that the staff and management ignored the behaviour and didn't have the guts to speak to them. Repeat events of behaviour like this could seriously detract would-be patrons and music lovers so management would be well advised to have a policy to deal with such behaviour and enforce it.

The second thing that was a bit of turn off was that we were one of the first patrons to arrive. We were promptly seated by the host but then left sitting for quite awhile while the all servers were grouped around the bar talking. We thought perhaps they were holding a staff meeting preparing for the night until I got up to ask for a menu and learned they were just chatting. Not a good strategy to ignore your patrons. After that the service was very good though and our server attentive.

And lastly, the chairs could be replaced. The chairs appear to be a mishmash of old chairs some cushioned, some not. Mine was not. A cushioned chair would have made the 4 hours sitting more enjoyable. At the table in front of us a lady swapped several chairs trying to find one that didn't rock.

All in all the venue is good but could be great with better attention to detail. I would come back for another event but cross my fingers that the rude group doesn't attend on the same night or that management develops and implements a policy for dealing with rude and...

The Trailside Cafe and Inn offers a perfect place to relax and enjoy. It is a quaint old building in Mount Stewart. The Trailside Inn has a restaurant, Inn accommodation and is also a music venue situated right next to the Confederation Trail and close to the PEI National Park at Greenwich. It has a fantastic atmosphere, is cozy and offers fabulous food. The decor is really very quirky with an old panelled door serving as one table, mis-matched chairs throughout, beautiful original artwork on the walls together with bits and pieces of the old mill which was the original purpose of the building. It seats only about 50 people or so, but it makes for an incredible show. The musician(s) who play there have a very intimate setting in which to perform, and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, as did everyone else there. Our party of four didn't stay here but we ate here and listened to the music. We enjoyed a scrumptious dinner while on a bike tour in June. The restaurant provided a great ambience, local beer on tap and great food. Fantastic owners and wait staff! It is unique, high end and original. Without a doubt, come here for lunch or dinner and music or Sunday brunch. Book ahead for the music to guarantee a spot. The place can get packed if there's a good band so make sure you reserve. I'd suggest you get there early for a good seat near the entertainment. We had no idea what to expect and we thoroughly enjoyed the whole evening. It's the place to be! The stage is raised just enough and situated in the perfect spot so there isn't a bad seat in the house. Expect to spend over $100 for a couple for dinner and drinks and music but it is worth it.Take a chance, you may end up having a wonderful and fun...

Disappointed, embarrassed, and happy there wasn't a fire. I gifted two tickets to my parents for the Tragically Hip tribute band last night. My dad said the service was the worst he's ever had (and he actually said in his life)... there's too much to write in one review but to sum:

Their server was MIA the entire night because she was too busy with a larger table

After waiting 30 minutes for a beer (that never came) my dad ordered from a different server who brought it after another 30 minutes

No water was not offered with very spicy food (too spicy to eat)

A lit glass lantern was shattered at their table when the server was clearing it. The glass flew into a neighbouring table as well

Guests waved kerosene lanterns in the air as if they were lighters. Such a fire hazard.

I want to stress that my dad tries to find the good in everything and typically doesn't have a negative thing to say. He said the band was awesome and he'd go see them again at a different venue.

I'm embarrassed as I hyped this venue up and couldn't wait to hear about their experience. I suggest hiring servers with better time management or better delegation skills or simply doing away with table service entirely. Hope...