Years ago, a travel writer came to Newfoundland and harshly criticized the abundance of deep-fried foods and lack of quality eateries in several rural towns. While it’s not a lie to say we love our fried cod and calamari, the province’s dining scene has come a long way, garnering international acclaim for our reawakened devotion to local ingredients and reimagined culinary traditions. 

In the before times, I travelled to eat. I researched destinations all over the world, searching for local restaurants, and booking hotels based on culinary experiences I wanted to have. Last year, our travel was limited to a Newfoundland staycation, and Adam and I travelled all over the province, and it was different this time.

There were no roadside diners like the ones on American sitcoms nor were there Autogrills with espresso shots to go like the ones we downed in Italy. Shiny pit stops aren’t really a thing here in Newfoundland like they are on the mainland (no shade to the Irving Big Stops; I had a pretty good $12 Eggs Benny in Deer Lake last July) but dining destinations are different. And they are truly special. Many an isolated saltbox has been transformed into a dining experience I’ll not soon forget.

2020 was “the year of the staycation,” and little did we know, we’d be in for another summer of local travel this year. Now more than ever our local restaurants and cafes need our patronage, not just to keep their livelihood from transforming from an inspirational travel article into a statistic of how many restaurants closed during the pandemic, but because they create some really amazing food. Newfoundland isn’t a small place, it takes hours and hours to drive across, hence why the culinary gems are few and far between.