They might have the best seafood chowder I've ever had. Very generous portions of seafood, amazing flavor and reasonable price. Definitely worth a stop if in the area!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lissa Kemp
Best seafood chowder. Great local support. Down home feel.Parking: Nice paved lot, plenty of spots from big rigs to smart cars.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Seafood Chowder
Breagh byham
Kid-friendliness: We have a autistic child who is usually discriminated against due to his disability, the nice lady’s at this restaurant were very welcoming and went out of their way to compensate his wants and needs.
I highly recommend Charlene’s restaurant, in Whycocomagh. The food was delicious and there were plenty of choices. The restaurant was packed, so a testament to the great meals and service, offered.
Well done!
Laurie Dawn
Waited an hour for a bowl of chowder before I finally left. Worst service ever! Wasn’t offered so much as a cracker. Had to ask for a glass of water. Restaurant was not near full.
Katrina MacNeil
Yum!! ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Judith Beck
Best chowder around! Also very nice
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Brett MacEachern
We've gone to Charlene's in the past and enjoyed the food. However, we had a very disappointing experience and left as a result. We were greeted by a member of the waitstaff who stated that she'd try to find the host but that she was pretty sure they couldn't accommodate us. The host told us there was only one highchair in the restaurant and it was in use, so there was no place for us. We attempted to put in a takeout order instead, and were informed that they do not accept takeout orders until 6pm... it was 5:40pm. Will not be returning, and will be sharing our experience with others.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 1
Gadjet Ramjet
We had heard that the Seafood chowder was "The Best". Now I'm not one to usually give undeserved accolades, I would have to agree! It was REALLY GOOD! My one sort of complaint, I could have had another one of those delicious buns, but then I probably could not have finished the chowder! So it is not really a complaint! In this case, we both had the chowder, which surprised me, as the wife is not much for seafood, and she ? loved it as well!Some more for the story... "Before", we were on our way too! We stopped again, on the way back! We had to get some more of that chowder! This time, I ordered an "extra" bun for me! Again, it was excellent, 2 for 2! This will be on the list should we ever get back this way!Edit 2023-11-07 I have learned, they have moved to a "new" location, near the same place as before, but just up the road on the other side, heading towards Beddick, NS.Parking: We did manage to park the 35' moho in the parking lot!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Seafood Chowder, Bowl of Seafood Chowder
Kevin Sharples
We heard about the place from my brother and his wife and decided to have a quick lunch before hitting the road to Halifax....while waiting to be seated we noticed a sign which said "World famous seafood chowder" (or something to that effect)....personally I thought "I've heard that before".... but dear god almighty.... it was the best chowder I ever had in my life and my wife makes a pretty good chowder herself....she agreed....best ever. Nothing else like it on the planet. So thick with seafood and the juice was full of flavour....all topped off with a large piece of lobster! We loved it so much we ordered more to take home to Halifax. You may have to wait a bit for a table because they start getting busy fast early in the morning... but well worth the wait (in our case we only waited about 5 min). Now that it's on our radar we will stop in every trip we make to Cape Breton.... and leaving from. Oh and we heard that this location just opened....they had to move so they could accommodate more people.... good parking lot right in front.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Seafood Chowder, Bowl of Seafood Chowder
Kevin S
We heard about the place from my brother and his wife and decided to have a quick lunch before hitting the road to Halifax....while waiting to be seated we noticed a sign which said "World famous seafood chowder" (or something to that effect)....personally I thought "I've heard that before".... but dear god almighty.... it was the best chowder I ever had in my life and my wife makes a pretty good chowder herself....she agreed....best ever. Nothing else like it on the planet. So thick with seafood and the juice was full of flavour....all topped off with a large piece of lobster! We loved it so much we ordered more to take home to Halifax. You may have to wait a bit for a table because they start getting busy fast early in the morning... but well worth the wait (in our case we only waited about 5 min). Now that it's on our radar we will stop in every trip we make to Cape Breton.... and leaving from. Oh and we heard that this location just opened....they had to move so they could accommodate more people.... good parking lot right in front.
Maggie Brooks
Went to Charlene's Bayside Restaurant with my Mother & Farher in law, Husband and I on our East Coast trip. Joanne was our server and served up the best East Coast Hospitality! Thank You Joanne, excellent service! Fish and Chips, Chowder, and Seafood basket were all excellent! Mud Pie, and Carrot Cake for dessert were enjoyed as well. A definite stop on your East Coast tour. Fantastic!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fish and Chips, Seafood Chowder
Bill Moran
Kerolyn and I ate supper here 2 nights in a row and were very pleased. I had the burger the first night and fish and chips the second. Kerolyn had the chowder and the fish and chips. The restaurant was packed both nights and we were lucky to get a table. The number of local people dining here indicates the quality of the meals being served. Service was quick in spite of the crowd. Definitely worth checking out if you're passing through.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Rachel Green
down home cooking with care is how I would describe Charlene's. there was a line-up, and maybe because it was both Thanksgiving and Celtic Colours weekend, they encouraged groups to sit together so we paired up the two other delightful couples and chatted our way through dinner.there's a couple of things on the menu for vegetarians, but the rest is soid Downeast diner fare with the exception of the chowder. the chowder has almost no vegetables in it. it is chock-a-block with seafood in a rich, but not thick, creamy broth. quite possibly the best chowder on the island, most certainly the best creamy-style chowder.i also had the haddock plate, which is a big plate with two perfectly pan-fried pieces of haddock, a pile of vegetables and i had the baked potato. they lost a star here (and on the pasta which was ample, cheesy but excessively bland) due to frozen vegetables which are soggy by definition and a slightly undercooked potato.even with that caveat, i would happily go back, but next time, I'd leave room for dessert: various pies and cheesecakes!Vegetarian options: had a couple of inoffensive offerings.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Seafood Chowder, Bowl of Seafood Chowder
Chris Girard
Traveling from Ontario on our first trip in the East coast and made it a point to stop here. The chowder was amazing, and so was the carrot cake. The staff were extremely friendly and our baby girl got a lot of attention from all of them. It was nice to end our visit by meeting Charlene too. If you love seafood/chowder, you can't miss this place!
They might have the best seafood chowder I've ever had. Very generous portions of seafood, amazing flavor and reasonable price. Definitely worth a stop if in the area!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Best seafood chowder. Great local support. Down home feel.Parking: Nice paved lot, plenty of spots from big rigs to smart cars.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Seafood Chowder
Kid-friendliness: We have a autistic child who is usually discriminated against due to his disability, the nice lady’s at this restaurant were very welcoming and went out of their way to compensate his wants and needs.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Poutine, Fries, Seafood Chowder
I highly recommend Charlene’s restaurant, in Whycocomagh. The food was delicious and there were plenty of choices. The restaurant was packed, so a testament to the great meals and service, offered. Well done!
Waited an hour for a bowl of chowder before I finally left. Worst service ever! Wasn’t offered so much as a cracker. Had to ask for a glass of water. Restaurant was not near full.
Yum!! ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Best chowder around! Also very nice
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
We've gone to Charlene's in the past and enjoyed the food. However, we had a very disappointing experience and left as a result. We were greeted by a member of the waitstaff who stated that she'd try to find the host but that she was pretty sure they couldn't accommodate us. The host told us there was only one highchair in the restaurant and it was in use, so there was no place for us. We attempted to put in a takeout order instead, and were informed that they do not accept takeout orders until 6pm... it was 5:40pm. Will not be returning, and will be sharing our experience with others.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 1
We had heard that the Seafood chowder was "The Best". Now I'm not one to usually give undeserved accolades, I would have to agree! It was REALLY GOOD! My one sort of complaint, I could have had another one of those delicious buns, but then I probably could not have finished the chowder! So it is not really a complaint! In this case, we both had the chowder, which surprised me, as the wife is not much for seafood, and she ? loved it as well!Some more for the story... "Before", we were on our way too! We stopped again, on the way back! We had to get some more of that chowder! This time, I ordered an "extra" bun for me! Again, it was excellent, 2 for 2! This will be on the list should we ever get back this way!Edit 2023-11-07 I have learned, they have moved to a "new" location, near the same place as before, but just up the road on the other side, heading towards Beddick, NS.Parking: We did manage to park the 35' moho in the parking lot!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Seafood Chowder, Bowl of Seafood Chowder
We heard about the place from my brother and his wife and decided to have a quick lunch before hitting the road to Halifax....while waiting to be seated we noticed a sign which said "World famous seafood chowder" (or something to that effect)....personally I thought "I've heard that before".... but dear god almighty.... it was the best chowder I ever had in my life and my wife makes a pretty good chowder herself....she agreed....best ever. Nothing else like it on the planet. So thick with seafood and the juice was full of flavour....all topped off with a large piece of lobster! We loved it so much we ordered more to take home to Halifax. You may have to wait a bit for a table because they start getting busy fast early in the morning... but well worth the wait (in our case we only waited about 5 min). Now that it's on our radar we will stop in every trip we make to Cape Breton.... and leaving from. Oh and we heard that this location just opened....they had to move so they could accommodate more people.... good parking lot right in front.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Seafood Chowder, Bowl of Seafood Chowder
We heard about the place from my brother and his wife and decided to have a quick lunch before hitting the road to Halifax....while waiting to be seated we noticed a sign which said "World famous seafood chowder" (or something to that effect)....personally I thought "I've heard that before".... but dear god almighty.... it was the best chowder I ever had in my life and my wife makes a pretty good chowder herself....she agreed....best ever. Nothing else like it on the planet. So thick with seafood and the juice was full of flavour....all topped off with a large piece of lobster! We loved it so much we ordered more to take home to Halifax. You may have to wait a bit for a table because they start getting busy fast early in the morning... but well worth the wait (in our case we only waited about 5 min). Now that it's on our radar we will stop in every trip we make to Cape Breton.... and leaving from. Oh and we heard that this location just opened....they had to move so they could accommodate more people.... good parking lot right in front.
Went to Charlene's Bayside Restaurant with my Mother & Farher in law, Husband and I on our East Coast trip. Joanne was our server and served up the best East Coast Hospitality! Thank You Joanne, excellent service! Fish and Chips, Chowder, and Seafood basket were all excellent! Mud Pie, and Carrot Cake for dessert were enjoyed as well. A definite stop on your East Coast tour. Fantastic!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fish and Chips, Seafood Chowder
Kerolyn and I ate supper here 2 nights in a row and were very pleased. I had the burger the first night and fish and chips the second. Kerolyn had the chowder and the fish and chips. The restaurant was packed both nights and we were lucky to get a table. The number of local people dining here indicates the quality of the meals being served. Service was quick in spite of the crowd. Definitely worth checking out if you're passing through.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
down home cooking with care is how I would describe Charlene's. there was a line-up, and maybe because it was both Thanksgiving and Celtic Colours weekend, they encouraged groups to sit together so we paired up the two other delightful couples and chatted our way through dinner.there's a couple of things on the menu for vegetarians, but the rest is soid Downeast diner fare with the exception of the chowder. the chowder has almost no vegetables in it. it is chock-a-block with seafood in a rich, but not thick, creamy broth. quite possibly the best chowder on the island, most certainly the best creamy-style chowder.i also had the haddock plate, which is a big plate with two perfectly pan-fried pieces of haddock, a pile of vegetables and i had the baked potato. they lost a star here (and on the pasta which was ample, cheesy but excessively bland) due to frozen vegetables which are soggy by definition and a slightly undercooked potato.even with that caveat, i would happily go back, but next time, I'd leave room for dessert: various pies and cheesecakes!Vegetarian options: had a couple of inoffensive offerings.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Seafood Chowder, Bowl of Seafood Chowder
Traveling from Ontario on our first trip in the East coast and made it a point to stop here. The chowder was amazing, and so was the carrot cake. The staff were extremely friendly and our baby girl got a lot of attention from all of them. It was nice to end our visit by meeting Charlene too. If you love seafood/chowder, you can't miss this place!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Seafood Chowder