Shaw's Landing — Restaurant in West Dover

On a weekend trip to Halifax from Ontario we took a brief side trip to Peggy's Cove. Beautiful! On the way back we spotted the sign... Beer and Lobster, Enough Said.... and it was definitely Enough Said. Not a huge menu, but enough diversity for anyone visiting. Our server, Karen... but not like "A Karen" was lovely. She took our order and this is where she went above and beyond a good server to a great server... my travel companions ordered a full steamed lobster (takes about 20 mins) and a lobster roll... i however have not eaten meat in a year and i very saddly ordered a Veggie Burger... she went out of her way to make me feel ok about being in Peggy's cove and not ordering lobster. She said good for you! Its better for the environment. This made me feel much better about my choice ( ok not really better but it was exceptionally nice of her) Food all around was fantastic. Even the Veggie Burger! Fries are literally the BEST and well the Lobster was according to my friends.. incredible. Now here is where the magic started... this wonderful man that i guessed was named Justin walked by with something for "another table" i stopped him on the way back and asked what it was. It was a Ginger bread caramel something or other. I thought Ginger bread comes in something other than cookie form? No i said that out loud and was told emphatically yes. So i ordered it to go because the idea of consuming any more food was insanity. It came to the table all packed and ready to go. But i had to look. It was massive, enough for muliti sharing, pretty and warm! So i just had a quick taste. I looked at my friends and said... please stop me from proposing to that poor man who brought me this... because im pretty sure i would like to marry anyone who brought me this cake!. I told strangers on my way out to order it... i would spend the 24 hr car ride back to the east coast to get it again. Thank you Karen, not that kind of Karen and my new imaginary Fiance Justin who's real name is Robert for an amazing experience and meal. Gold stars all around. Everyone go here! If there is a wait... it...

On our way out of Peggy's Cove, we were craving some good food and found Shaw's Landing thanks to some great reviews. We opted for takeout and ordered the two-piece fish and chips, seafood chowder, and a lobster roll, and we were not disappointed! For everything, the total came to around $70, which was reasonable given the quality and portions.

The fish and chips were pretty good. The fries were alright, but what I liked is that they looked and tasted like they were cut from real potatoes—always a nice touch. The fish itself was fresh and crispy, and while the batter wasn't out-of-this-world, it was still solid. All in all, a good choice for fish and chips.

Now, the chowder was a bit different from what I expected, but in a good way. It’s Nova Scotia-style chowder, which is a lot more soupy than what I’m used to. It was really tasty, though! Creamy, hearty, and packed with seafood. It almost reminded me of chicken noodle soup but with that East Coast twist. The bread that came with it was great too—warm and perfect for dipping.

The real star of the meal, however, was the lobster roll. Hands down, the best lobster roll I’ve ever had! The lobster was perfectly buttered, and the roll was toasted just enough to give it a nice crunch. The lobster was tender, juicy, and packed with flavor. There were some veggies in there, and it all came with a side of coleslaw, which rounded out the meal nicely. Eating this by the water made the whole experience even better.

If you’re ever near Peggy’s Cove, Shaw’s Landing is a must-visit for fresh seafood and incredible views...

This place used to be one of my favorites, especially the lobster roll I had here two years ago in 2023. Back then, the portion was generous, it came with a small side salad served in a separate dish, and the price was lower. Now it costs $28, the portion is noticeably smaller, and I even found pieces of lobster shell inside the roll — which was quite unpleasant.

The service was disappointing as well. We waited over 10 minutes for menus, and eventually had to go ask for them ourselves. Even then, we were only given the food menu — no drinks menu. I had to ask three times for a glass of water, and when it finally arrived, it tasted bitter, like it came from a dirty tap.

Another unpleasant detail: right in front of our table, someone had dropped a burger and fries, and the mess stayed on the ground the entire hour we were there. No one came to clean it up.

I brought friends from another province, traveling thousands of kilometers to show them this place I once loved — but this visit left a very bad impression.

The only thing saving Shaw’s Landing at this point is the beautiful view, though even that is spoiled when you see staff dumping leftover water from glasses straight into the river right in front of guests.

You can clearly see the difference in portion sizes between 2023 and 2025 if you...