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
Jackie Marie Johnson
Wanted to love it... but the energy didn't match the vibe.
As someone currently studying digital marketing and building a career in social media management, I genuinely enjoy supporting local spots. I was especially excited to try Ducks aren't Real — not just because of their cute branding and aesthetic space, but because I actually did a school project on them. I even created a presentation on how to improve their website. That connection made me want to support them even more.
Their site says takeout is available every day from 4–9pm, so I called to place a simple order. The woman on the phone said, "I don't have time for that," in a tone that was blunt and honestly, pretty dismissive.
When I mentioned that their website says they offer takeout, she told me they were too busy and it just wouldn't be happening today.
That alone was disappointing, but what really stung? I'm from town and happened to be nearby — I was at Sappyfest, which was taking place right on the same street as Ducks aren’t Real — so I walked over just two minutes later to check out the vibe in person. As the photos show, it wasn’t slammed. There were a few guests, sure, but it wasn’t chaotic or packed. So being told there’s “no time” felt less like honesty and more like I just wasn’t worth the effort.
Customer experience matters. So does communication. If takeout isn’t actually available, the website should reflect that. And if you don’t want to offer it, just say so with kindness.
I still believe in the potential of this place. But I won’t be returning — at least not until the energy matches the aesthetic.
In today’s world, branding gets you noticed — but service is what makes people stay.
Karee Richard-Hicks
My husband and I ate here for the first but definitely not the last time. Service was fantastic, friendly and fast. Food was superb, delicious and so fresh. I had the pan seared haddock, Yummy. I can’t say enough good things about the homemade tartare sauce. My husband had the Donairs. So much flavour. We highly recommend this place. Take a drive to Sackville and give them a try. You won’t be disappointed.
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!
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.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 1
Azadeh A
Very delicious!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Martha Irving
We have had wonderful meals at Ducks Aren’t Real. The kitchen is very talented and the atmosphere is fun and friendly. Highly recommend.
The food was delicious, nice casual atmosphere.
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
Wanted to love it... but the energy didn't match the vibe. As someone currently studying digital marketing and building a career in social media management, I genuinely enjoy supporting local spots. I was especially excited to try Ducks aren't Real — not just because of their cute branding and aesthetic space, but because I actually did a school project on them. I even created a presentation on how to improve their website. That connection made me want to support them even more. Their site says takeout is available every day from 4–9pm, so I called to place a simple order. The woman on the phone said, "I don't have time for that," in a tone that was blunt and honestly, pretty dismissive. When I mentioned that their website says they offer takeout, she told me they were too busy and it just wouldn't be happening today. That alone was disappointing, but what really stung? I'm from town and happened to be nearby — I was at Sappyfest, which was taking place right on the same street as Ducks aren’t Real — so I walked over just two minutes later to check out the vibe in person. As the photos show, it wasn’t slammed. There were a few guests, sure, but it wasn’t chaotic or packed. So being told there’s “no time” felt less like honesty and more like I just wasn’t worth the effort. Customer experience matters. So does communication. If takeout isn’t actually available, the website should reflect that. And if you don’t want to offer it, just say so with kindness. I still believe in the potential of this place. But I won’t be returning — at least not until the energy matches the aesthetic. In today’s world, branding gets you noticed — but service is what makes people stay.
My husband and I ate here for the first but definitely not the last time. Service was fantastic, friendly and fast. Food was superb, delicious and so fresh. I had the pan seared haddock, Yummy. I can’t say enough good things about the homemade tartare sauce. My husband had the Donairs. So much flavour. We highly recommend this place. Take a drive to Sackville and give them a try. You won’t be disappointed.
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!
Restaurantji Recommends
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
Very delicious!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We have had wonderful meals at Ducks Aren’t Real. The kitchen is very talented and the atmosphere is fun and friendly. Highly recommend.
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