Bluenose II Restaurant — Restaurant in Halifax

080621 updated

Went to the bluenose II today, and it might be the most disappointed experience I have ever had. I remember that I came to Halifax four years ago and ordered their Lobster roll and clam chowder, which was really amazing at that moment, just like it said on the menu: the best chowder in the city. Every time when I visit bluenose I always order their clam chowder, but this time I was really disappointed. Because of the urge getting seafood today, I decided to visit bluenose. I ordered seafood platter, fried calamari and clam chowder today. Then they told me that there had no clams, but they can add more seafood to my plate. I don’t mind, because today was my seafood day. Then they told me that no more calamari after I ordered the meal. Well, I also don’t mind… so I ordered steam mussels instead... After the meal was delivered, the seafood platter looked really sad and I don't think they added more seafood because the portion seems really small. And also I felt like my fav chowder has gone. It tastes so tasteless, without the feeling of seafood (clam). The point was that it was very dry... maybe just too thick? not soupy at all. The steam mussels were also very average, and there was no surprise. In addition, just two servers are not enough for a bunch ppl. I finished the water while I was waiting for the meal, and I also waited 40 minutes to get my meal. When the server brought the food and asked about our needs, I asked for water. They didn’t bring water after I finished all the meals. (I spent 30-ish mins to finish) Overall, the service was too slow (understaffed) Meals were pretty slow (maybe also understaffed) Then the meal was so disappointing... I don't know if i will go back in the future…

— Love the lobster roll, but the fries could be better. The price was good and the atmosphere...

In short, Bluenose II Restaurant is an old-school diner-style seafood restaurant that failed to live up to my expectations and all the hypes.

I came here because of some Reddit reviews for the lobster roll in Halifax. Apparently, the BEST roll near Halifax is made by Tom's Lobster Shack in Peggy's Cove. However, I do not have access to a vehicle, and it was also very late (8 PM), so I went to the honourable mention spot, Bluenose II.

The bads: I got the lobster roll, with a side of the fish chowder and fries. While the price was ok (the lobster roll + chowder combo for 26 dollars plus tax), the roll was pretty bad. First, unlike other proper rolls, the bread was so dry, like some sort of stale hot dog bun. It was probably one of the worst rolls I've had. The shredded lettuce underneath the lobster was also not good - it had a very strong lettuce flavour, which was unpleasant to eat with seafood. The lobster itself was ok - it was fresh. However, the mayo-y sauce on top of the lobster kind of ruined the experience. They should've perhaps premixed them. The extra fries I got on the side were also mid at best; they were quite hard and dry, instead of crispy. I managed to finish them with a LOT of ketchup since I was very hungry.

The goods: The fish chowder. That was one amazing chowder. It had fresh salmon in it, with lots of potatoes. The dill flavour with a hint of spice was perfect. I saved the soup for the very last because I wanted to end my dinner on a good note, and it delivered. I'd come back to Bluenose II just for its chowders.

The service was overall friendly; the place is quite old, and I'd say it needs some...

Went in for lunch around 1. The guy there told us we could sit wherever we wanted so we picked a booth next to the window... Waited... Waited... Watched the guy bring other customers their menus/water... He just kept walking past us and also at one point decided to sit down and chat with a coworker...

So after 10 minutes I asked the lady at the counter if we could have some menus. We finally ordered waters and also tea, never got the waters and they also charged 3.30 for orange peco but 4.40 for earl gray we found out on our bill?

Took almost 40 mins to get our food, it wasn't busy... I got a quesadilla which was alright, the salad it came with was disgusting and warm. My husband got a burger which again was just alright, they gave him the ends of pickles on his burger instead of actual pickles though.

Didn't ask us once how the food was. When I asked for the bill she said nothing, just putting the paper down on our table and walked off.

They were very rude (we were extremely polite, I work in customer service, I know how it feels to have someone be mean to you).

I feel like customer service as a whole has just gone down the drain in the last 5ish years.

I'm sad my experience sucked so hard this time. I usually love this restaurant. They have a really good keylime cheesecake that I unfortunately didn't get to have this time as they took too long getting our food and we were trying to catch a show.

Probably won't be back for awhile. Maybe they'll train their employees in customer services and I'll come...