Originally Posted by Vorkuta
Denouement:
Spent a great 4 days in/around St. John's last week. Some places we ate as we wandered around downtown, generally all on Duckworth/Water streets with a few exceptions. No particular order:
- YellowBelly Brewing Co.: We got there just as it was filling up, and got directed to the basement. Frankly it was perfect... I love that dark, stone, "inn" feel. Food was fantastic. I had one of their burgers. We were happy to notice throughout the week that no matter where we went, if fries were on the menu, they were ALWAYS fresh-cut... never frozen. Kudos for that.
- Coffee Matters: Were tired after a day of hiking around so stopped in here just before the kitchen closed and scored a ham sandwich, chocolate torte and some coffee. All were great.
- Classic Cafe East: Our final day we ended up here for dinner, as it was just across from our hotel. We'd tried to get in earlier in the week but it always "looked closed", I assume even when it wasn't. Not the best street-front presentation, but the food was good (a few home-style NL fare dishes). I thought I was being adventurous when I tried the "Figgy Duff" with hard sauce for dessert and found out it was basically the EXACT same thing my Acadian maternal grandmother made for us years ago. Anyone comment on that? It's possible it wasn't her idea... my grandfather's origins are more English/Irish so it's possible it came to her that way... regardless it was kind of one of those "ratatouille" moments where something dawns on you as soon as it hits your palate. The host/hostess were awesome, too.
- Rumplestiltskin's: Generic hotel restaurant across from us. Only went there because we'd just arrived and were starving and didn't wanna go far. Meh.
- Moo Moo's Ice Cream: Our last day we walked around Bannerman's park with cones from here. A bit pricey and the selection wasn't great, probably because late in the year.
- Fixed Coffee & Baking: After a few days of eating eggs and bacon for breakfast, our bodies felt the need for some thing a bit "cleaner" so we wandered down here for yogourt and home-made granola. Very hipster, even for a coffee shop. One of those places where every plate, booth, utensil, mug is different.
- Mohamed Ali: We ate a lot of pub food last week, so for one lunch wanted something a bit "other". The shawarma was a bit dry, but the portions were huge (we shared one) and flavourful and the tahini and tzaziki seemed fresh.
- Quidi Vidi Brewing Company: We tried a sampler of their beer. It was all fantastic. They didn't have food and we were JUST at the wrong time (2pm or so) to get into Mallard Cottage, so we ate at the Fish'n'Chip truck outside the brewery, which was pretty good for a truck. Loved the beers, though, and the great views from the tasting bar.
- Chafe's Landing (Petty Harbour): Only place we ate outside town (on a day-tour). Service was friendly, if kinda slow, but it was starting to fill up at lunch time and I hear it's all the rage with larger bus tours. I had the fish-cakes and salad. The cakes were big and very tasty. Live entertainment was good, too. I hear it can be quite the lively place with Irish dancers and the like.
- Zachary's: Another of those places that always "looked closed", even when it wasn't. Ate breakfast here twice, as it was the closest to our hotel. Respectable, "stick to your ribs" diner food.
We realize we only scratched the surface, generally eating at places we were near in our wanderings, instead of thinking ahead and making reservations. There were a LOT of pub-food and pub-food variations; it seems to be "the thing". The food was good (I don't remember ever being dissatisfied) but overall the prices were probably 10-15% higher than I'm used to in Moncton.
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. Not sure what the scene is like at the Sundance... bars on George street are a bit faddy. Some are popular for a while, then the novelty wears off and another bar becomes the trendy spot. 
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