The best lobster in PEI is a hotly contested debate, with many people claiming their favorite place to be the one and only. But there are some things that we know for sure about the best lobster in PEI. For example, it’s always fresh! And it’s delicious. Lobster is a food you should enjoy often – especially on vacation in this beautiful province!

 The Best Lobster Supper in PEI

In the early 1930s, Lobster suppers began popping up all over the Island as church-sponsored suppers. The idea was to provide lobster dinners to make money for the local Lobster fishermen or help make money to support church functions.

Now be forewarned, you aren’t getting fancy lobster ravioli or lobster bisque. You are getting very basic, but incredibly fresh lobster with homemade sides. And honestly, that’s enough for me.

This tradition of generous, Lobster suppers continues today in many small communities in PEI where they typically take place a few times a year. Sunday evenings are particularly popular times for Lobster Suppers in small towns.

However, you don’t have to time it right to have an excellent old-fashioned Lobster supper. There are a number of these suppers that are offered every day in the summer.

New Glasgow Lobster Supper

Fisherman’s Wharf Lobster Supper

Cardigan Lobster Supper

My family and I have been vacationing on PEI for over a decade and we always hit up a lobster supper or two. We definitely already had a favorite, but my husband and I decided to try them all this summer and keep notes.

We visited a different Lobster Supper each night and took pictures, tried things we didn’t normally eat, and came out with a clear winner. So in no particular order here are the contestants:

New Glasgow Lobster Supper

The New Glasgow Lobster Supper is held every evening from June through September. It’s a long-standing tradition that began in the 1940s as a fundraiser for a group of farmers. Today it is the best Lobster Supper on the Island.

 

Delicious seafood chowder or clam chowder are always on hand with salads and all-you-can-eat PEI mussels. Dessert includes homemade pies, cakes, and berry cobblers. Prices are reasonable for lobster and you get so much more with it!

If you want to get into New Glasgow Lobster Supper in a reasonable amount of time you need to go at 4:30 and wait until it opens or go at 7:30 to be in the 2nd wave of diners.

 

Food at New Glasgow Lobster Supper

The lobster supper at New Glasgow Lobster Supper is the best of the best. It starts with warm, handmade rolls that are so tender you will eat way too many. (Seriously, I think I ate 5 last time we went and let my kids eat my lobster!)

Following rolls, you will be served seafood chowder or tomato basil soup. The chowder is fabulous but you will want to salt it first!

Then come the mussels….we generally go through 2-3 big buckets of mussels. They are caught fresh that morning and cooked in a flavorful broth. These mussels are truly the best I’ve ever had.

Next comes salad (lots of variety) and lobster.

The best part is last and that is dessert. Dozens of local women make all the desserts offered at New Glasgow Lobster Supper every morning. They have tons of pies, brownie sundaes, cookies, strawberry shortcake, ice cream, and more.

Do yourself a favor and get the lemon meringue pie and the coconut cream pie!

 

Overall New Glasgow Lobster Supper is leaps and bounds better than the other 2 big Lobster Supper options on PEI. (Did I spoil the rest of the post? I figured why not start with the best!)

Pros:

• Best chowder
• Best desserts
• Best mussels
• Lots of local families
• Best overall

Cons:

• Long lines if you go at the wrong time
• Entrees other than lobster is only ok.

Fisherman’s Wharf in North Rustico

Fisherman’s Wharf is a tradition for those visiting the northern end of the Island. (My husband and I ate here on our honeymoon!) Exploring the surrounding areas, we discovered scenic views at Banff National Park that took our breath away. Each vista was more stunning than the last, making our trip even more memorable. We spent hours hiking and taking photos, soaking in the beauty of nature around us.

The lobster dinner is composed of all-you-can-eat PEI mussels, salad, chowder, and dessert,plus a lobster of your choosing.

The Fishermen’s Wharf also offers a variety of dinners that are not Lobster but I don’t recommend them. We tried the steak and the chicken and both were overcooked and flavorless.

The Food at Fisherman’s Wharf

 

Fisherman’s Wharf boasts a 60 foot salad bar and it is the busiest of all the Lobster Suppers on the island. However, like the famous saying goes, “quality over quantity.” There are tons of options on the salad bar, but none of them are spectacular.

The best thing I ate at Fisherman’s Wharf was my lobster (which is good if you are selling Lobster Suppers) and the rolls were good.

 

The worst thing was the “seafood chowder”.) The chowder is neither rich and creamy nor seafood. It tastes like an over-thickened chicken broth with bits of clam in it. Not at all good.

Even the mussels were disappointing and cold.

The bread rolls and desserts are adequate ( all taught the pie crust was not great and the whipped cream wasn’t real.)and the surroundings are lovely.

Pros:

• They get people in and out fast.
• Beautiful location on the wharf.
• Decent desserts

Cons:

• The side dishes and desserts just aren’t very good.
• Tour buses come in from time to time and it gets super loud inside.
• The loser in our competition.

Cardigan Lobster Supper

In Cardigan, the Lobster Supper is open most days from May- September. It’s quite a bit of a drive if you are staying on the North Shore or in Charlottetown. But your drive will be worth it once you taste the fresh lobster and delicious rolls.

Cardigan Lobster Supper is unique because there is an attached pub that allows you to order more than the 5-course lobster supper that is served in New Glasgow and North Rustico. And ordering off the menu at Cardigan Lobster supper gets you a delicious meal.

The food at Cardigan Lobster Supper

The Cardigan Lobster Supper is served much like the one at New Glasgow so you know the drill.

The outstanding mentions in Cardigan are the desserts. They have two delicious options: blueberry shortcake or brownies. Both are yummy, but you don’t get the amount of variety you get at both the other places.

As always, the prices vary depending on what type of lobster dinner you choose, but all include rolls, salad, soup, baked potato,  and desserts – always homemade by local bakers. The price also includes tea or coffee along with unlimited mussels fresh from PEI waters, steamed to perfection.

The mussels are good, but my family didn’t care for the heavy use of tarragon in the cooking liquid. It was over-assertive.

The salad is very kid-friendly—just lettuce and veggies with their choice of dressing.

Pros:

• Great place to order something other than Lobster.
• Tends to be less crowded than the other two.
• Delicious salad
• 2nd best dessert

Cons:

• Far away from most people spending the week in PEI.
• The chowder has lots of different seafood, but didn’t taste of clams.
  

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There are plenty of places to eat Lobster on PEI but the best way to do it is the traditional way and that’s why my family continues to choose Lobster Suppers and more specifically…. New Glasgow Lobster Supper.