33 Best Restaurants in New Brunswick, Canada

It's a restaurant, it's an oyster bar, and it's a fish market, where the fresh fish selection is impressive and everything is cooked to perfection, making for delicious meals (there are choices for nonfish fans, too). You can also enjoy divine desserts for the finale. Billy's sophisticated vibe is enhanced by soft, jazzy background music.

Take a good look at the surroundings when you arrive—exposed brick walls, artworks, hardwood floors—because once the food appears, it will have your full attention. Artfully plated dishes, like local goat cheese terrine and house-smoked salmon, lead into main courses that might include yogurt-and-coriander-roasted chicken breast or pan-seared sustainable blue trout with chorizo, caramelized onion rösti, and sautéed greens.

Gourmet restaurants rarely show up in such unlikely locations as this—a restored 1930s Canadian Pacific railcar in a small New Brunswick town. The menu is well balanced, but the most exciting option is the "Chef's Choice"—just say what you don't like and something will be created specially for you (and, we are told, even if every diner in the place takes this option, no two will get the same dish).

This is one of New Brunswick's finest restaurants, where you can savor chef Georges Frachon's creations while gazing out over the sea through the wall of windows. Drawing on the culinary arts of his French homeland, Georges imparts an expert touch to such dishes as sautéed scallops with garlic and parsley or Poulet à la Provençale, and his wine list is equally outstanding.

So much more than just oysters, this stylish, sophisticated dining room with impeccable service is one of the finest restaurants in Atlantic Canada, despite its unlikely location on a predominantly industrial street. The modern French menu offers complex but perfectly balanced creations based on local seafood, beef, lamb, and poultry, and the daily tasting menu is a delicious and artistic culinary adventure---plus there's a first-rate wine list.

This gastropub is one of the best places to eat in the city—proven by its slew of awards and two appearances on the "You Gotta Eat Here" TV show—and it couldn't have a better location, with a great patio overlooking the downtown waterfront. Drawing on supplies from local farmers, fishermen, and food producers, the menu presents "progressive pub food," and the beer menu includes 35 varieties on tap and 56 bottled options.

Within the lovely Kingsbrae Garden, one of Canada's finest chefs, Alex Haun, offers creative tasting menus—consisting of three or six courses—based on available fresh local ingredients, some of which come right from the garden. One example, Six Wings to Fly, features duck ragout, seared quail breast and braised leg, partridge terrine, roasted potato shell, mushroom demiglace, sautéed carrots, sugar snap peas, chanterelles, and beet ketchup—yes, that's just one dish.

Lists of Canada's top restaurants all include the Windjammer, where a memorable, pampering dining experience is assured and the setting creates an equally rarified atmosphere without being stuffy. Executive chef Stefan Mueller's menus feature seasonal ingredients from land and sea and some vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers come from the hotel's roof garden, which also supplies honey from its working beehives.

Not surprisingly, chocolate features heavily on the menu here, including hot chocolate drinks, and there’s good coffee too, including latte and iced coffee. They also serve freshly baked croissants and chocolate treats containing nothing but healthy natural ingredients. You can buy hand-made chocolates to go, too.

This restaurant on the village square in Dorchester was built in 1811 as a stagecoach stop and is reputed to be the oldest stone structure in New Brunswick. Wander through the three dining rooms while you wait for an old-fashioned, delicious roast turkey dinner or one of the other comfort-food selections. Soups, salads, sandwiches, brunch items, and light meals are also available, and there's a children's menu. The inn is not licensed for alcohol.

This edge-of-town spot with a chic and stylish interior and strong French influence is well worth seeking out. The mother-and-daughter team who run it are very friendly and efficient, and the steak, seafood, and ribs are succulent; the food utilizes imported spices and fresh, locally sourced ingredients.

Organic, vegetarian, and gluten-free food is the specialty of this café-art gallery just off Main Street in the downtown area, including nourishing soups with organic Red Fife bread, and panini, wraps, and sandwiches. 

This artisan bakery-café with a shaded streetside terrace is a great place to drop in for a quick bite, with an inviting aroma of fresh-baked bread and freshly brewed coffee to greet you. There's a deli counter with a great range of cheeses plus quick counter service for delicious soups, sandwiches, omelets, panini, pizzas, salads, and tempting pastries; table-service breakfasts run until 1 pm on weekends.

Chef Thane Mallory trained at the Institut Paul Bocuse in France and studied classic Italian food in Italy. Now he brings his expertise to this lovely riverside spot in Gagetown with a regularly changing menu reflecting availability of fresh local ingredients. The indoor dining room is charming and distinctive, and there are tables on the deck in summer.

A local institution in the heart of town, Honeybeans serves coffee so good that there’s a regular early morning line of locals stretching out of the door. There’s a long coffee menu, including Fair Trade and decaf, more than 30 types of tea, and house-baked treats including sweet pastries, cheese croissants, and gluten-free items. Milk can be substituted with soy or coconut milk on request.

Not only will you taste delicious food in this old courthouse building, you can almost feel yourself being nourished by the top-quality ingredients, most of which are sourced locally. On the varied dinner menu, you might find chili molasses–glazed pork ribs, maple curry chicken, or roasted cauliflower ragu, while lunchtime options include gourmet sandwiches, salads, house-made soups, and a kids' menu.

A relatively small, locally owned chain, JavaMoose has its own small-batch roasting facility in Saint John and a small chain of cafés, where locals flock for the great-tasting coffee and quick bites such as muffins and breakfast sandwiches. The main branch is on Prince William Street, and they are also in Saint John City Market and the McAllister Place Shopping Centre on Westmorland Road.

Don't expect any frills here, but don't expect any processed food either—this diner and takeout, far removed from the touristy center of town, is the place to taste some authentic and delicious Acadian dishes. Try the fricôt (a hearty chicken soup), poutine rappé (a potato dumpling stuffed with ground pork), fish cakes, or traditional baked beans. All are expertly and freshly cooked to the owner's grandmother's recipes; other options include fried clams, scallops, lobster rolls, fish burgers, and fish-and-chips.

This little restaurant serves authentic French cuisine—the chef is from France—on a well-balanced menu based on organic and natural ingredients. The menu changes with the season, but if you're looking for a classic escargots à la bourguignonne (snails in garlic butter) or local specialties like Magdalen Islands charcuterie or scallops, you won't be disappointed.

If you shy away from Thai food because of its reputation for spicy hotness, do not hesitate to try this stylish restaurant that caters to all tastes and will prepare your pad thai to match your preference for heat, or lack thereof. Thai stir-fries, noodle dishes, and curries, many featuring ginger and coconut, share the menu with both mild and fiery Indian dishes, and are enjoyed indoors or on the patio.

Delicious and authentic Indian cuisine is expertly cooked and artistically presented here and gets rave reviews. The long menu includes vegetarian and vegan dishes as well as chicken, beef, lamb, and seafood–all prepared using traditional recipes, with varying degrees of spiciness. It’s worth saving a bit of room for the cardamom and pistachio ice cream.

Overlooking the bay with seating inside or out on a rustic deck, this 1926 former meetinghouse now houses a fine restaurant. Everything is top quality, from the simple but expertly produced lunchtime options—seafood chowder, sandwiches, frittata—to more substantial dinner selections such as traditional cedar-planked salmon with a ginger glaze, steak bavette with chipotle hollandaise sauce, or herb-crusted lamb loin chops.

Seafood, steaks, lamb, and veal share the menu with pasta and pizzas at this upbeat Italian restaurant where Old World flavors are showcased in a friendly setting. The large portions and the bread bar are almost as popular as the World Wine Cellar, so reservations are advised. .

In this innovative little restaurant where everything is cooked to order (so be prepared to wait—it's worth it), the talented chef's commitment to locally sourced ingredients might extend to delicacies foraged from the wild by dedicated staffers. Hand-crafted snacks, available throughout the day, offer an irresistible temptation to return after 5:30 to dine on dishes such as pan-seared tenderloin and molasses-butter-poached mushrooms.

The restaurant in the Delta Hotel has views across the poolside patio to the St. John River, knowledgeable and enthusiastic staff, and a nice atmosphere. Specializing in barbecue, the kitchen turns out delicious dishes like smoked pulled pork with a maple spice rub, bacon-wrapped tenderloin, and house-made bratwurst. 

This modest restaurant with a colorful atmosphere—ornamental parrots rule in the dining room—is a slice of home for the former Guatemalan refugees, now proud Canadian citizens, who run it as a worker's co-op. On a menu that ranges from vegetarian quesadillas to Tequila Cactus Pork to Paella, Guatemalan, Mexican, and Spanish recipes are authentically seasoned with garlic, mint, coriander, and cilantro; the pepian (beef stew) and the garlic shrimp are standout options.

A relaxing meal with breathtaking harbor views (and fleece blankets available in case the wind comes up) on the outdoor deck of this friendly harborside eatery is the perfect way to end a day of whale-watching or craft shopping. The hearty seafood chowder will warm the heart and soul on a foggy Fundy night, and the lobster club sandwich is a favorite; there are also non-fish dishes on the menu such as steaks—and, of course, the house-made desserts.

You won’t find a better cup of coffee in the city than at this cool spot, where photography exhibitions and live music on some evenings add to the enjoyment. Even the craft pottery mugs that your coffee comes in reflect the café’s dedication to creativity in all its forms. Food includes such treats as Montréal bagels with either smoked meat or cream cheese, scones, and muffins. The location is handy for the major downtown shopping streets and attractions including Officer's Square and the Beaverbrook Art Gallery.

From the colorful, spacious interior, hung with local art, the open kitchen reveals enthusiastic chefs in action, preparing the interesting combinations of flavors, as in the lemon meringue salmon, with lemon, Parmesan, and chive aioli; or New York–style steak with a sriracha caramel glaze. The vegetarian option might be an oriental treatment of sautéed vegetables, tofu, and noodles, while lunch focuses on creative sandwiches, panini, stir-fries, and naan pizzas; brunch is served on Saturday.