Charlene's Family Restaurant

The staff at Nani’s Esthetics enjoyed the renowned chowder at Charlene’s Family Restaurant this morning, and it truly lived up to its reputation! The Pasta Penne and Stir Fry also received high praise. The chef, Mohit, delivered exceptional cooking, earning a solid five-star rating! Our server, Deanna, was incredibly friendly and provided prompt service. We highly recommend this place! Whether you're in the mood for a hearty breakfast, a delightful lunch, or a satisfying dinner, Charlene’s Family Restaurant has something to offer for every palate. The cozy atmosphere, combined with the delicious food and excellent service, makes it a perfect spot for family gatherings, catching up with friends, or even enjoying a quiet meal alone. Be sure to save room for dessert; their homemade pies are a must-try! We will definitely return with even more friends!

We stopped here on our way to Baddeck. There was a line and we had to wait - sign of good food. We had the east coast breakfast and upgraded the cup of chowder to the bowl. It was all delicious with LOTS of fish.

My love and I were coming off the Cabot Trail heading to our next destination- and we were having trouble finding an open restaurant for breakfast on a Monday morning. Found Charlene’s- and so happy we did. The chowder was delicious and seafood packed. And the fish cake was-spectacular. Service was great and fast. This was a better stop than I could have imagined.

By happenstance, the Missus and I, our boys and two family renegades ended up at Charlene's for a late dinner after hiking on Cape Breton Island. What a find!The dining area was not overly large but the friendly serving staff were efficently tending to all the patrons. We were seated at an interesting homemade table that became a conversational piece.Our group all thoroughly enjoyed their meals. The Missus really gave the thumbs up to the chowder as it was filled with various seafood. The only regret for the Missus was the biscuit that accompanies the chowder was sold out. It was a thumbs up for the fish and chip eaters also. One other regret was not being able to try Charlene's desserts. As it was at the end of the day, the selections were minimal and it was pass closing time.We had learned Charlene's was featured on You Gotta Eat Here. We all agreed "You Gotta Eat Here" and will need to stop at Charlene's on our next journey back to Cape Breton Island. Highly recommend.

Is there such a thing as too much seafood in seafood chowder? The answer of course is no, but that doesn’t stop Charlene’s from trying to find the limit. Seriously, this is the heartiest, chunkiest, most gloriously abundant with seafood chowder I’ve ever tried. Then there’s the fish cake, which itself is substantial and delicious served with both chow and curds. Top it off with oodles of local charm and a server who may be one of the last on earth who tries and cares as much as she does, and you have a winning recipe (in more ways than one). And who knows, you might even get lucky and find out that a regular has picked up your tab. I highly recommend checking out the magic of Charlene’s for yourself!

Stopped in on the way home from Halifax and I am so glad we did. A good friend of mine often recommended it ( thank you Jeff ) but I never had the chance to get there. The girlfriend also was wanting to get there as she saw many posts about the seafood chowder . Well I am glad we did. I ordered the fish cakes and beans and she of course ordered the seafood chowder. Service was excellent , atmosphere very nice and staff were so friendly and doing all they could do for the customers. Well the food came out of the kitchen and let me say it was absolutely delicious!!!!!! Also the meal came with fresh made tea biscuits . These biscuits were amazing. I like alot of people remember my grandmother's baking and these biscuits were just like hers . Everything was perfect and I can't wait to return to Charlene's again. If you have not had the chance to stop here then I would suggest you do . I believe they close at 7pm currently but come May they close at 8pm. I highly recommend the place.

We bookmarked this restaurant before our family trip to Cape Breton, and I had the best chowder of my life here. I loved the cozy atmosphere, with a small lamp on each table, and the spacious layout that kept conversations from other tables from being disruptive. It perfectly matched my vision of a quaint, family-owned restaurant on the East Coast, and I’ll definitely be coming back.

Came here after finishing the Cabot Trail and reading the reviews for the chowder, so we had to try it! We were on a bit of a time crunch, and there was a long wait for the food, which was off-putting for my husband but the second he had a taste of that chowder, nothing else mattered! It was well worth the wait and the price! A lot of meat and the flavour was incredible, highly recommend!!