The Nook and Cranny — Restaurant in Truro

On a day trip to Truro, we decided to stop by a local place for lunch. We were drawn in to Nook and Cranny by their menu - lots of comfort food favourites. When we arrived, it was busy which is always a good sign. Check in was smooth (and standard) - showed our vax records and ID. We were seated fairly quickly at a super cute spot right in the window. We were greeted quickly by our server, who gave us menus and drinks. It took me a little while longer to choose what I wanted - so many things on the menu sounded amazing it was hard to make a decision. I settled on the grilled cheese with a side of tomato soup, and my husband settled on the burger. He also had a glass of the local brewery beer on tap - which he said was really good! Our food came quickly enough it wasn't too long of a wait, but not so fast you wonder if it was pre-made, ha! Our food was on point. I love food. I speak in food. And this grilled cheese with bacon jam was everything I needed. Their tomato soup was also excellent. Good depth of flavours, excellent texture, not too heavy. I would've taken a bucket of it home. The real compliment here comes from my husband though, who said their fries are "the best he's ever had outside of England." Nook and Cranny staff - please know how high of an endorsement this is. He finished every. Single. French fry. He didn't even use ketchup! I am not a fan of French fries - but - yours are worth writing home about. Big nod also goes to them for openly supporting other local businesses (ie, bakeries, butchers, breweries) and giving them acknowledgement amd credit in the menu. That's a classy way of running your business, and you should be proud of your team. Only piece of feedback here is that we felt a little forgotten in the front. After our server dropped of our food, it was nearly an hour before they came back to check in. At two different times they were even at the tables next to us checking in. I had really wanted to try dessert, as I can imagine they knock that out of the park too, but by the time they came back it was getting a bit late for us. Food - quality, quantity and selection - gets a solid 6/5 star rating from us and we will absolutely return again. The hour drive...

Our last night in Nova Scotia and went here because it was close to our hotel and the reviews.

The reviews might be a little embellished.

The serving staff were busily preparing for a party reservation....it could have been for the live music beginning at 7 pm or perhaps another event. Regardless, it was about 5-7 minutes before we were noticed to be standing by the "wait to be seated" sign (despite the patio servers walking right by).

Fortunately, we didn't accept the first seating offering, since the live musicians would have necessitated us needing to move mid-meal.

Drink was fairly quick.....we're somewhat surprised that pop came as a 500 mL bottle......unclear if this was a safety issue or ? Either way...it is a bar, and mixed drinks were on the menu.

Seating-to-eating time was marginally acceptable at around 30 minutes....and this seemed to be at par with the tables around us.

On the plus side, the Bacon Cheeseburger was mid-well prepared (like a burger should be) and the smoked cheese added that little "something." Despite it being a locally baked bun, there wasn't anything outstanding about that. Fries were good, plentiful and even better when the ordered gravy arrived (following a little prompting).

The burrito was a little less satisfying....the rice was on the mushy side and there were a couple of bits of inedible gristle in the mix. Not an entrée to be considered.

Leaving? That took a bit of time.....about 15 minutes of waiting before it was noticed that we were done.....then another few minutes to obtain POP Machine.

Parking, if you don't know the area, can be a little interesting. There IS a parking lot, but can only be accessed from Queen Street (one way; in the opposite direction of Prince Street which the restaurant is located). Side street parking is available......as long as you're not dining more than the 2 hour limit. (In fairness, we didn't see one cop during our two...

Up until tonight, my partner and I were among the biggest supporters of Nook and Cranny. We recommended it to friends, raved about the food, and considered it the best in town. We even made a reservation for 6:00 pm this evening to ensure a great night out.

Upon being seated, we were told that because the restaurant was full, food would take 30–40 minutes. Fair enough. However, after an hour and ten minutes with no updates, no drink refills, and not a single check-in from staff, our patience was wearing thin.

When the food finally arrived, the experience only got worse:

One pasta dish was undercooked and not even warm. One meal was completely forgotten and didn’t arrive at all until much later. My own meal came last ..lukewarm, greasy, and clearly left sitting.

When we expressed our disappointment to the waitress, we were told that delays should be expected when the restaurant is full(even with a reservation). After sending inedible plates back, her response was a sarcastic “your wish is my command,” which was both unprofessional and insulting.

The manager came over only to repeat the same explanation, and after ten minutes of discussion offered a mere 15% discount for the inconvenience..hardly reflective of the poor service and food quality we experienced.

We have been loyal customers since moving to Truro, but after tonight, that loyalty is gone. I will not be returning, and it’s deeply disappointing to see a place we once loved lose all sense of...