Blue Mussel Cafe — Restaurant in North Rustico

We had done some research on the best place to have seafood in PEI and the Blue Mussel Cafe kept coming up. We also asked at the visitor center in Charlottetown about the best place for seafood. They did recommend a couple of local places but said if you don't mind the drive The Blue Mussel Cafe is very good.

We were not disappointed, we arrived early because we heard about the long lineups to get a table. We did not have to wait at all.

The atmosphere was very nice and welcoming. They even have a patio section for people with pets, a great way to make everyone feel welcome.

We were greeted by our server Heidi, she explained what was fresh on the menu and gave us the market price. We ordered a bottle of wine and a large Classic Mussels and the our waitress recommended these over the other choice on the menu. The mussels arrived and they did not disappoint. This was our third order of mussels since arriving on the island and they were light years ahead of the others. After we finished our mussels, we then ordered our mains, Halibut and the Bubbly Bake. Once agin we were not disappointed, large portions, beautiful presented. Lots of flavour and cooked to perfection.

We did manage to finish our mains, our waitress told us not to rush, enjoy our wine, even though people were waiting for tables.

Over all I would give this restaurant high marks on everything, the prices do seem a little high for the mains. Would definitely visit again.

We have returned again, almost one year later. As luck would have it, we got Heidi as our waitress, she remembered us from our last visit. It is a long wait to get a table, they don't take reservations, it is first come first serve. It is worth the wait. This year we ordered Salmon and pan fried Haddock as our mains. Excellent choices. This restaurant does not disappoint. Heidi gave the same great service that she did the last time we were there. A fabulous restaurant with great service. We will...

First, the conclusion: this is a place with food that tastes decent, but with a markup so high that it feels unacceptable.

Starting with the positives: there were plenty of servers, they were friendly, and the service was fairly efficient with nothing to complain about.

The décor showed some effort, but it’s undeniable that the overall dining environment was poor. There was no air conditioning indoors, only a few fans, and the tables were quite crowded. These things alone wouldn’t make me give just 2 stars. The real issue was the flies and bees flying around the food on the tables, constantly circling and trying to land on it. You have to keep waving your hands to shoo them away. This was really unpleasant, especially the flies. And it wasn’t just at my table—the whole restaurant had this problem.

We ordered the seafood chowder, halibut, mussels, and oysters. To be fair, the seasoning of the food wasn’t bad. The mussels were flavored with garlic and rosemary, which worked well to mask the fishy taste. The oyster sauce paired nicely, and although the halibut was a bit under-seasoned, it was still acceptable. However, the quality of the ingredients was extremely disappointing, especially considering the price.

The oysters in the picture cost $40 for a dozen. They were tiny—about 5 cm long—with barely any meat inside. You could easily scoop it out with a coffee stirrer spoon. They were reasonably fresh, but some had sand in them. The mussels were $19, also very small, with meat that was almost nonexistent. These oysters and mussels were among the worst quality I’ve had in Canada. For a place that’s supposed to be at the source of fresh oysters, the price-to-quality ratio was unacceptable. As for the mussels, frankly, the PEI mussels I’ve bought at Costco in Toronto were far better than these. The halibut itself was of passable quality, but the seasoning was weak, and at $43, I don’t think it...

We walked away tonight deeply disappointed in this restaurant’s approach to seating and honesty with customers. They do not accept reservations, only a waitlist. Upon arrival, we were told the wait would be 30 minutes. That sounded reasonable. We then watched as large groups came in and seemed to get priority. Smaller parties like ours were shuffled into separate queues and consistently delayed. Locals who namedropped people already inside were promised the next available table, regardless of where they were in line. A group that arrived late was immediately promised the next table after apologizing for missing their time. After 45 minutes, we were told to expect another 30 minutes or more. We left. Minutes later, we received a message saying our table was ready. When we returned, people were already sitting there ordering dessert. Nearly 90 minutes later, while already driving away, we got a text that our table was “ready.”

The most frustrating part was the inconsistency. We repeatedly heard the hostess quote wait times of 30, 60, 90, even 120 minutes—back-to-back with no logic or buildup. Each explanation was blamed on “the system,” but as someone who has co-owned and co-developed point-of-sale systems for hospitality, I can say with confidence that either their software is badly misconfigured or they are simply not being truthful.

In contrast, we went to Chez Yvonne instead. It was far less pretentious, the staff were straightforward, and the service was prompt and friendly.

I don’t usually give 1-star reviews. The vast majority of mine are 5-star, some are 4-star, and only very rarely do I leave a one-star rating. Unfortunately, this experience earned it. The food may be good, but the disrespect shown to customers waiting outside is unacceptable.

I cannot recommend this restaurant and am actively discouraging friends who plan to visit the area from wasting...