The Black Cauldron — Restaurant in Nelson

Where to start? Having already spent a couple hard days of dining and drinking (positive hard) in Nelson BC, we checked out the Black Cauldron on the advice of some of the locals. Six of us descended on the place thankfully with reservations as when we got there they were sadly turning people without reservations away. (Overheard the staff making a couple recommendations for other places that seems to be the norm for the entire town...if we can't help you let me tell you who can!) The Black Cauldron is strictly a charcuterie place so if you want fried chicken, this is the only way you'll be disappointed. We sat down, and as I was still suffering from near alcohol poisoning due to sampling many venues these past few days, I went for a non-alcoholic cocktail...it seems they are able to make a drink to match your shirt if it's colourful enough! (See pic below). The Midsummer mocktail was incredible and for the second time since we hit Nelson I had a taste of flavours I had never had before. We then ordered a few appys prior to the main course including the Duck Pate which was excellent, and, a Welsh Rarebit that was a work of genius art. The taste was decadent to say the least and I was caught rubbing my hands in glee at the thought of the upcoming main course. We went with the party board that says "enough for 6". It includes everything the Black Cauldron serves from their Mains on one board and was unbelievable. So many meats, cheeses, olives, and vegetables, that it not only served six very hearty appetites but we COULDN'T FINISH IT ALL! The owner talked me into trying the blue cheese, promising that it would set me back on track to wanting to try more. (I despise blue cheese...it's up there with mushrooms and brussel sprouts, one of my three NOPES!) Being a good guest I did try the blue cheese and it blue me away. Yes, I will start giving blue cheeses a try again. This is another of Nelson BC's best restaurants to try, and we...

Edit: after writing my review I was contacted and promptly blocked by the business (on my PERSONAL Facebook, they actually came to look for me to reply that is so invasive) that I found to be quite rude and not sure what the purpose was other than to express their discomfort to how I felt about my experience. I did not show rudeness at the time and contacted them afterwards via email directly to ask if they would be willing to offer something - anything - to allow me another opportunity to have a better experience. They chose to ignore me because I didn't complain on the spot. It was an awkward night for all of us but because they decided to reach out but not in a good way, I am reducing to one star. I realize it's a family owned business but taking things personally is never a good move when you run a business. If they offered a drink on the house it would have made a world of difference. Instead I have had an extended uncomfortable experience. Nobody should take this personally but I feel personally attacked when all I wanted was a nice evening especially for those prices :-/

Review: This place is very unique, though I had a bad experience. I found it to be quite expensive for what you get, and the service was slow considering how small the place is. The cocktails are fancy pants, but very pricy to match. The charcuterie was meh. Ambiance was very cool. When I was there an incident happened with another customer that was so disgusting and off putting we couldn't eat. The performer was watching it happen real time and did not say a word, we had to inform the staff of what was going on... they left right away but the whole thing was horrible ... We had to ask to be moved, and were not offered a drink or any kind of compensation for having such a bad experience, so because of this I have to drop the stars. Customer service could use improvement, but hey that's Nelson for you. I won't be back here....

If you’re in Nelson, this place is a must! Amazing ambiance, delicious food and drinks, plus it’s very affordable when splitting with a group.

Came here on a Tuesday evening with friends and booked a free tarot reading, which was fun. Normally it’s supposed to be a one on one, but she was kind and let my friend join (even did a speed read for her). If you’re in a group, make sure to book multiple sessions so everyone who wants to can have a turn.

Tried the mocktails, which were such a delight. Highly recommend the Virtuous Sour. Incredible floral citrus flavours. Lots of depth. Also had the Root Chakra, which was beety goodness. Wild Blossom was very refreshing. Those two tasted like it would have been better with alcohol, while the VS was fantastic on its own.

Had the all cheese board and vegan board. We did doubles of both and it was a lot of food for four women. The vegan board was overflowing with pate and black hummus. Mmmm. They also pile the bread basket high, which I really appreciate. The fig jam and tomato jam is so goood. Curried chickpeas were addictive. The marbled maple cheddar was incredible. Also had pancetta on the side and it was flavourful.

Patio seating was wonderful. The ambiance is truly exquisite. If you’re in the area, book a reservation. Definitely worth coming to. Will...