Monarch Restaurant & Marina Parking

Marked as open, but not. Drove way out of my way to get here and there’s a bunch of people sitting outside wondering why it’s not open. Please update your Google page if you’re going to have your business listed on here. It’s considerate.

Small, upscale menu. Comfortable little environment. Friendly service. I enjoyed the chicken sando very much. Flavors were great.

My husband and I sailed over from PEI and tied up at the marina. What a lovely spot. Everyone was so friendly and accommodating. Great atmosphere and food. Highly recommend. I’ll also say that I NEVER leave reviews anywhere but we had such a good experience we had to! Jamieson was amazing and had such a kind heart and welcoming personality. Very passionate about his job but was quick to tell us he’s not the owner but that the owner Mary has the same energy. Love the added touch of the monarch butterfly on their wine and beer glasses.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Loved the atmosphere.
Food was great and service was top notch . The location was so good

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

So our boat tour included dinner at this amazing venue. We had a surf and turf anniversary dinner with amazing wait staff.
Try the tequila mockingbird. It is my new favourite drink.. Can't wait to go back.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The patio and view is great! The patio furniture could be more sturdy/comfortable. The food unfortunately was something to be desired. Not a lot of flavor and meat in our meals, could have made better at home. High hopes for this place to hopefully improve on the food, it has a lot of potential !

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 2

Service: 4

Amazing Catch of the Day meal. The staff were super attentive and friendly. Such a nice location beside the River. Would definitely come back!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Marinated olives were super. Cocktails superb. They use local ingredients as much as possible. The owner (Kevin) is knowledgeable on both the drinks and food he serves. He can also regale you with some local history about the river and the ship building activities of years gone by. He is passionate about his craft.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Service was great but the menu was very limited servings every small they where more like kid meals and where very boring and average I do not recommend this restaurant a very poor experience since we finished oaiss and went to another restaurant to get a decent meal instead of appetizers this is a waste of time and money

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 1

Service: 4

The food here is simply amazing. Wow! we love dining here.

Delicious food, beautiful location and wonderful service.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Roasted Vegetable, House Slaw

Full service restaurant and bar with a patio. This place has items on the menu for as many different dietary requirements as possible. Warm and welcoming with a beautiful patio if you want to eat by the waterside! Wheelchair accessible.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

This place has the potential to be great. It has a great location and could be a great atmosphere but neither will rescue the problems that abound here. From the moment we entered we were concerned but remained hopeful. There was no one to greet us and even after calling out "hello?", no one appeared. From the dirty glasses and disorganized front end we should have known and left. But, we had heard good things so powered through. Our waiter seated us and gave us a glowing review of olive oil crostini and wonderful blue cheeses. We got dried out bread and very little cheese of no distinction - no blue at all! The 18 hour in house smoked pulled pork (his description) turn out to be a cut up pork chop in dry pasta. The wines were bad, the food worse. Basically, the waiter over sold and the kitchen under delivered. Even the seats were uncomfortable (we noticed another couple changing the seats for others). Don't waste your time and money here. We tried to offer constructive advice (having been in the business) but our server would not listen. Too bad. This could be a great place.

On my first visit to Monarch since moving back to New Glasgow, my wife and I came on the evening that they debuted their new spring/summer menu. The ABC salad was a tasty good mix - spring mix, roasted apples, bacon aioli, cheddar curds and cornbread croutons. The star of the show was definitely the bacon aioli which had a killer smoky flavour and elevated the dish. Pulled pork sandwiches have been an ubiquitous menu item for more than a decade, but Monarch did well by it with a savoury pork that wasn't mushy and overcooked and a red cabbage slaw that was flecked with coconut for a unique take on a standard pulled pork pairing (PPP). Bonus points to Monarch for the GF option for the bun, not to mention how much of the whole menu can be made GF! A side of crunchy thyme chips were everything you'd want in a chip and a nice textural contrast to the sandwich. My coconut haddock was a wonderfully well-executed dish - flaky fish and a crisp, coconut crust that wasn't *too* coconutty. A dill aioli added a tartar-esque flavour, and the roasted potatoes were an herby complement to the fish. The coconut slaw made another tasty appearance. On a return visit, we were there on one of Monarch's monthly wine nights. At four courses - each with a paired wine - and a $60 price tag, this has got to be the best quality per dollar in town! The meal started with a rhubarb and radish salad. The fresh, local veg and tart vinaigrette paired well with an acidic Ontario Riesling. For the main, a cut of Red Mountain beef tenderloin was *so* tender and although tenderloin isn't always the most flavourful cut, the quality of the locally-sourced meat stood out. Roasted veg and a pop of vegetal brightness from pea shoots rounded out a delicious dish. A Chilean Carmenere had a really unique flavour profile; I'm admittedly not familiar with the varietal, but it stood up well to the beef and was of great interest on its own. A cheese course eased our taste buds back down and an Australian chardonnay had a big enough flavour to hold its ground against the salty umami of the aged cheese. To cap our delicious meal, a loose apple and rhubarb tart, with a healthy (figuratively) dollop of whipped cream was a great send-off with mix of sweet and tart, and the crumble breaking up the soft apple and rhubarb. A lightly sweet sauv blanc with a hint of acidity finished off the wines. Monarch is a star on the local food scene and if you're not darkening their doorway, you're doing your taste buds a grave disservice.

So good! Beautiful view, great service!