Brilliant staff. Shout outs to Lisa and Molly for always being so wonderful!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Natasha Audet
The Gluten Free fish and chips were excellent as was the service and atmosphere. If I'm even in town again I will definitely go back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Nicole Cormier
Great vibe, great service and even greater food. Fresh and house made menu.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
S M
Overpriced and mediocre. The chowder was ridiculously small and nothing but broth.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 3
emilia portnova
Stumbled upon this place by accident and I’m so glad I did. The burger was excellent, and the soup I chose as a side was surprisingly good! Quick, friendly service made the whole experience even better
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Melody Smillie
Stopped , looking for a quick bite while traveling. I have a gluten allergy so finding a good place can be challenging. Not only did I have tasty, imaginative options, they have a GF fryer! Wish we lived closer so we could come regularly.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Christopher Kantor
Their gluten free fish and chips are delicious! Has a fun atmosphere inside and nice outdoor dining in summer too. Some of the produce is grown in their own gardens!
Charlotte Bourgeois
Ducks aren't Real was a great place for lunch. The food was delicious. Many great options to choose from.
The service was very personal and professional.
We are outside, and it was a very calm, cute, and charming atmosphere. We were eating right beside the garden.
The cell phone reception was awful in case that's important to you.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Mary-Gwen Alston
We had a great experience here. Friendly staff, gorgeous outdoor space and delicious food. We are now fans and will be back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jessica W
Extremely rude owner and chef. The hostess (the owner) who seated us at 7pm was extremely off putting and unfriendly. My husband and I were excited to eat here tonight. Upon walking into the establishment this hostess stared us down quite rudely without greeting us, despite us being warm and friendly and us saying hello. It’s odd for a hostess to not greet patrons at all and a poor customer service signal. We calmly waited for her and started a que. She then proceeded to serve people waiting behind us in the queue, rather than us, mumbling for us to wait then reluctantly seating us after making us wait. We’ve never seen this type of poor and unfriendly service before as we dine at Michelin restaurants worldwide and local restaurants. Wouldn’t recommend eating at an establishment that isn’t welcoming to patrons!
Edit in response to the owner’s comment: it’s clear that hospitality and taking feedback is not a priority for this establishment based on the response to myself and others noting areas of improvement below. Note all events described above are as they occurred. A lesson in etiquette may be beneficial for the owner: a warm hello upon ANY guest entering your establishment is the generally accepted best practice. I will also note you did not ask if we had a reservation or note the establishment was full as you essentially did not acknowledge us or speak to us. Furthermore, communication that you are seating those with reservations first is the generally accepted practice as well which you did not do. Although, I will note there were tables free inside, you did seat us and the entire restaurant cleared out around 8pm, with the exception of two others thus the restaurant was not “full” and you did not communicate this. Most restaurants are excited patrons want to eat their food and treat them as such, if you were fully booked simply saying “hello, unfortunately we don’t have any available tables tonight or would you like to place your names on a waitlist?”. Communication skills and manners need serious improvement here. The main takeaway of the original review was related to lack of hospitality/generally unfriendly attitude and lack of communication, not the fact we had to wait (which we did patiently).
Note we will not be recommending a restaurant where the owner AND chef have such poor manners, my goodness!
Note the chef edited their response and resorted to name calling which is another signal of poor behaviour here. It’s shocking this person has been working hospitality for 36 years and doesn’t believe being pleasant and greeting patrons and or that communication is of relevance, which are hospitality 101 lessons.
Note the owner Sarah and chef Alan also changed their rude response at least four times here (during operating hours restaurant…could that explain the hostility as instead of warm greetings the focus is on hostile responses to feedback) and didn’t negate how rude they were in any of the responses, yet resorted to name calling and more rudeness. Apparently people deciding to spend hard earned money at this establishment by walking into a restaurant and saying hello without reservations is a sin and expecting a baseline of basic manners is “being a troll and ruining the industry” and instructing us to “stay home and eat there”. The response from this team speaks for itself: doubling down on being rude, name calling, insulting a patron for providing feedback (note others noted similar themes of “inconvenience” at this establishment).
On to the food: it wasn’t well balanced and plating needs improvement.
Food was fantastic! Service not so much. It was busy, but not crazy. It felt like we were inconveniencing the waitress by being there.
YJ H
Delicious fish and chips and noodles. Colorful decor including a pretty neat washroom. Friendly waiters.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Danielle Bercier
Great place to for clean healthy food, May not be as kid friendly for common family. I had the vegetarian board which i enjoyed, however it didn't quite feel like $20 worth of food. A lighter fair for sure. One of the kids ordered a burger which was chard, he didn't care for it, our other son had the thrilled cheese but he wasn't thrilled. My Giancarlo had a Ramen bowl but was disappointed on the smaller portion. I guess I was the only one who enjoyed the healthier meal. May best serve those who wish for healthier options and lighter fair. $$-$$$
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Glenn Foster
Our new favorite NB Cafe/Bistro....reminds us of our beloved Broadway Cafe... a loss that Sussex NB dining has never recovered from...
Brilliant staff. Shout outs to Lisa and Molly for always being so wonderful!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The Gluten Free fish and chips were excellent as was the service and atmosphere. If I'm even in town again I will definitely go back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great vibe, great service and even greater food. Fresh and house made menu.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Overpriced and mediocre.
The chowder was ridiculously small and nothing but broth.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 3
Stumbled upon this place by accident and I’m so glad I did. The burger was excellent, and the soup I chose as a side was surprisingly good! Quick, friendly service made the whole experience even better
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Stopped , looking for a quick bite while traveling. I have a gluten allergy so finding a good place can be challenging.
Not only did I have tasty, imaginative options, they have a GF fryer!
Wish we lived closer so we could come regularly.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Their gluten free fish and chips are delicious! Has a fun atmosphere inside and nice outdoor dining in summer too. Some of the produce is grown in their own gardens!
Ducks aren't Real was a great place for lunch. The food was delicious. Many great options to choose from.
The service was very personal and professional.
We are outside, and it was a very calm, cute, and charming atmosphere. We were eating right beside the garden.
The cell phone reception was awful in case that's important to you.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We had a great experience here. Friendly staff, gorgeous outdoor space and delicious food. We are now fans and will be back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Extremely rude owner and chef. The hostess (the owner) who seated us at 7pm was extremely off putting and unfriendly. My husband and I were excited to eat here tonight. Upon walking into the establishment this hostess stared us down quite rudely without greeting us, despite us being warm and friendly and us saying hello. It’s odd for a hostess to not greet patrons at all and a poor customer service signal. We calmly waited for her and started a que. She then proceeded to serve people waiting behind us in the queue, rather than us, mumbling for us to wait then reluctantly seating us after making us wait. We’ve never seen this type of poor and unfriendly service before as we dine at Michelin restaurants worldwide and local restaurants. Wouldn’t recommend eating at an establishment that isn’t welcoming to patrons!
Edit in response to the owner’s comment: it’s clear that hospitality and taking feedback is not a priority for this establishment based on the response to myself and others noting areas of improvement below. Note all events described above are as they occurred. A lesson in etiquette may be beneficial for the owner: a warm hello upon ANY guest entering your establishment is the generally accepted best practice. I will also note you did not ask if we had a reservation or note the establishment was full as you essentially did not acknowledge us or speak to us. Furthermore, communication that you are seating those with reservations first is the generally accepted practice as well which you did not do. Although, I will note there were tables free inside, you did seat us and the entire restaurant cleared out around 8pm, with the exception of two others thus the restaurant was not “full” and you did not communicate this. Most restaurants are excited patrons want to eat their food and treat them as such, if you were fully booked simply saying “hello, unfortunately we don’t have any available tables tonight or would you like to place your names on a waitlist?”. Communication skills and manners need serious improvement here. The main takeaway of the original review was related to lack of hospitality/generally unfriendly attitude and lack of communication, not the fact we had to wait (which we did patiently).
Note we will not be recommending a restaurant where the owner AND chef have such poor manners, my goodness!
Note the chef edited their response and resorted to name calling which is another signal of poor behaviour here. It’s shocking this person has been working hospitality for 36 years and doesn’t believe being pleasant and greeting patrons and or that communication is of relevance, which are hospitality 101 lessons.
Note the owner Sarah and chef Alan also changed their rude response at least four times here (during operating hours restaurant…could that explain the hostility as instead of warm greetings the focus is on hostile responses to feedback) and didn’t negate how rude they were in any of the responses, yet resorted to name calling and more rudeness. Apparently people deciding to spend hard earned money at this establishment by walking into a restaurant and saying hello without reservations is a sin and expecting a baseline of basic manners is “being a troll and ruining the industry” and instructing us to “stay home and eat there”. The response from this team speaks for itself: doubling down on being rude, name calling, insulting a patron for providing feedback (note others noted similar themes of “inconvenience” at this establishment).
On to the food: it wasn’t well balanced and plating needs improvement.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 1
Restaurantji Recommends
Very delicious!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Food was fantastic! Service not so much. It was busy, but not crazy. It felt like we were inconveniencing the waitress by being there.
Delicious fish and chips and noodles. Colorful decor including a pretty neat washroom. Friendly waiters.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great place to for clean healthy food, May not be as kid friendly for common family. I had the vegetarian board which i enjoyed, however it didn't quite feel like $20 worth of food. A lighter fair for sure. One of the kids ordered a burger which was chard, he didn't care for it, our other son had the thrilled cheese but he wasn't thrilled. My Giancarlo had a Ramen bowl but was disappointed on the smaller portion. I guess I was the only one who enjoyed the healthier meal. May best serve those who wish for healthier options and lighter fair. $$-$$$
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Our new favorite NB Cafe/Bistro....reminds us of our beloved Broadway Cafe... a loss that Sussex NB dining has never recovered from...
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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