Halls Harbour Lobster Pound — Restaurant in Halls Harbour

Awful experience here. Made a reservation for the ocean view for 2 families, drove there 1 and half hours from Halifax only to find out our table was outside, with no view of ocean, a lot of flies, noise from the forklift and stinky smell. They don't even listen to the table change request, only saying other tables are already booked. I don't recommend this place, not worth risking your time and fuel especially with guests.

Adding more info after seeing the response.

I asked a table for 8 with the ocean/tide view. 1st floor outside was your suggestion for the request when I was booking over the phone. You didn't ask me about my preference on 1st 2st or in/outside. As it was my first time visiting there, there were no way to figure out if it's a good or bad suggestion.

When I requested a table change to the upper floors/deck, your response was it's fully booked, can't make any modification. You didn't even check the booking or table acquisition status on upper floor/deck and responded instantly. And now you're changing your word and saying you don't let people book those???

My booking was 5pm, and the high tide on that day was close to 9 PM. Based on what you're saying, we would have been able to see the water if we wait and keep eating for 3~4 hours since the only view we had at the original table was opposite of the ocean with a very small section of harbour. Is that the level of service that you offer with your customers visiting there?

The table outside was very noisy with the forklift loading/unloading so we were not able to chat each other. Also there were a lot of bugs/flies and stinky smell all around which represents bad hygiene. None of the people were seating out there. We asked you that if you can switch to the inside table, and you refused that as well while there were plenty of tables inside without any reservations.

It's very safe to say your staff is not ready or educated properly. Might be very natural thing since the lady on the reception who seem to be the owner didn't care any about the customer as well.

Well, visiting there was the worst memory during our trip...

After reading all of the rave reviews of this place online, I knew I just had to try it on my trip to Nova Scotia. Little did I know it would be one of the worst dining experiences I’ve ever had.

Our waiter was passive aggressive and inattentive. She did not try to hide the fact that she wanted us to get out of there as soon as possible and made obnoxious comments that clearly implied she wanted us to hurry up. My father, who got the lobster meal, also did not get a tray for the lobster shells, even though every other table did. I have never received such awful service from a waiter. She should not be touching the service industry with a 10 foot pole.

The restaurant was also shabby. As many other reviewers have said, this place has a significant issue with flies. It is embarrassing that your customers have to swat flies while they’re having a meal.

The food was also awful. I had the battered scallop platter, which was dry and bland. The tartar sauce didn’t help either. The scallops were completely devoid of any flavour - avoid them at all cost. The fries had the same issue. Flavourless and dry. The whole meal was overcooked.

The only reason that this place gets a 2nd star is that it has decent views of the Bay of Fundy. However, I would recommend that you avoid this place and stop elsewhere for a nice view. Halls Harbour is NOT worth the detour when there are other great restaurants on the Bay that are more convenient and have better food and service.

The service here is awful and so is the food. A huge...

Halls Harbour has always been one of my favourite stops when visiting Nova Scotia and when making recommendations to others. Last week I visited for the first time in 10 years, this time with my 9-year-old celiac kiddo in tow. I was so happy to research it in advance and to find the Lobster Pound offered an extensive gluten free menu!!! We ordered our daughter the GF lobster mac & cheese as well as nachos and fries to share.

Unfortunately, by the time we returned to our hotel in Wolfville, it was clear she had been exposed to gluten and she was incredibly ill from the exposure. I can't put into words how upsetting this was for all of us. The remainder of our trip has been nerve-wracking, and has caused our daughter to question her trust in us. While we were clear about our gluten-free needs while ordering, we did feel a bit rushed. Our receipt clearly indicates the mac & cheese to be GF but there is no note about the nachos or the fries and no way to ensure the use of their dedicated fryer.

I hate leaving a review like this, as I would never want to deter a restaurant from offering gluten free menu options. But in this case, I feel other Celiacs must be made aware of the risk factors and must ask all the important questions to ensure...