Restaurant Review: Wind & Reef Seafood Restaurant in North Cape, PEI

After you drive all along the western coast of Prince Edward Island on the North Cape Coastal Drive you end up at the very tip of island in an area called North Cape. There you will find the Atlantic Wind Test Site, the North Cape Interpretive Centre, a gift shop and the Wind & Seafood Reef Restaurant. The southern drive along the west coast up to the north tip has zero rest stops when it comes to food and gas. Thankfully we started off the day filling up our tummies and gas tank but by the time we reached North Cape, our car was doing pretty well but we were starving!

The restaurant has a light and airy feeling to it and has a ton of windows which invites in lots of natural light. In that way it reminds me of a lighthouse which is a very creative and fascinating idea, architecturally speaking. In the summer the coolness of the location is probably a welcome blessing but on a chilly windy and cloudy day, I had to keep my jacket on and ordered some decaf coffee.

As we sat waiting for our food we were given this odd muffin-inspired bun to snack on. My husband I both found it a bit odd but apparently it is a traditional local baked good.

Luckily the view was phenomenal! Outside our window was the North Cape Lighthouse overlooking the ocean. If you were on the other side of the restaurant I am sure you got to watch the giant windmills of the wind farm churning away.

My husband was wise and ordered the fish and chips. The fish was excellent but my husband overheard the waitress say the French fries came from a freezer. Considering this is the land of potatoes during the harvest season, that is hard for me to forgive.

My seafood crepe was just OK and the beans were quite hard and undercooked.

The accompanying Caesar salad was terrible! Absolutely horrible. It had lots of dressing on it but was completely flavourless. For the first time in my life I had to add salt to a salad in an attempt to make it flavourful. I gave up and just did not eat it. No garlic, no anchovies, no real amount of bacon… so disappointing!

The staff was very sweet and helpful but we were uncomfortable batting off very aggressive flies every second or so that wanted our food. I can see why this location is popular. First, as far as you can tell it is your only dining choice on this entire drive. Second, the location is priceless, a once in a lifetime opportunity to eat by the ocean next to a lighthouse and across from a wind farm. Third, in the summer this place is probably a fantastic reprieve on a hot day.

For me, it was very disappointing. It did not live up to my expectations at all when it comes to the food although I will treasure the memories of that day and of our time in North Cape. Taking everything into account, I give the Wind & Reef Seafood Restaurant three out of five wooden spoons.