Food Worth a Drive in Newfoundland and Labrador

Food worth a drive in Newfoundland and Labrador is found at the ends of long roads, in small harbour towns where a plate of fish and a slice of berry pie are made by cooks who learned from their families. Plan slow itineraries, check seasons and expect short hours and winter closures.

Hours in small towns are short, and winter closures are common, so call ahead. A good itinerary is slow, and a plate of fish after a long drive tastes better than any menu promises.

What is food worth a drive in Newfoundland?

Traditional dishes first. A jiggs dinner is a boiled meal of salt beef, cabbage, carrots, turnip and potatoes, often served on Sundays. Toutons are fried bread dough, eaten with molasses. Fish cakes, pea soup and baked beans are staples, and cod tongues are a local treat. Desserts feature partridgeberries and bakeapples.

The best way to taste them is in a small restaurant in a coastal town, where the cooks learned from their families.

Where can you eat near Gros Morne?

Gros Morne dining centres on Rocky Harbour, the main town beside the national park. The western coast has both traditional and modern places to eat.

Plan to eat where the locals eat. Many restaurants close early or for the season, so call ahead.

What can you eat in Rocky Harbour?

Rocky Harbour restaurants range from a café and gallery whose menu blends traditional Newfoundland dishes with gourmet touches, to a restaurant serving jiggs dinner, fish and chips, moose stew and cod tongues, to a family-run café and gift shop offering fish cakes, baked beans, toutons and pea soup. Several are seasonal, so check their hours before you go.

Look for seafood chowder, bacon-wrapped scallops and a homemade partridgeberry pie, and for a hotel dining room offering local modern cuisine in the tourist season. Check which are open when you travel.

What is Newfoundland partridgeberry?

Partridgeberries are small red berries that grow wild in the barrens and bogs. They are tart, with a flavour between a cranberry and a lingonberry, and they are made into jam, pie, muffins and sauces. The berry is a symbol of the province's food, and many desserts feature it.

Order a partridgeberry pie or jam and compare. Each cook sweetens it differently.

What are toutons and a jiggs dinner?

Toutons are pan-fried slices of bread dough, served hot with molasses or butter. They are a traditional breakfast. A jiggs dinner is a boiled dinner, also called a boiled dinner, with salt beef or ham, pease pudding and vegetables. It is a Sunday meal in many homes.

Both are filling and simple. If you try them in a restaurant, ask whether they are made in house.

What about fish and brewis and scrunchions?

Fish and brewis is a dish of salt cod and hard bread, soaked and boiled, served with scrunchions, which are crisp bits of fried salt pork fat. It is a traditional dish that visitors often find unusual and locals love. Ask a local where to find a good one.

It is not for everyone, but it is part of the province's history.

A good itinerary is slow. Fly into Deer Lake and drive to Rocky Harbour in about an hour, which saves a day. Spend two nights near Gros Morne, with hikes and boat tours, and eat at two or three of the local restaurants. Add a day for the Northern Peninsula if you have time, or return by the coast. Book accommodation early for summer, and keep your tank full. Take the ferry timetable seriously if your route crosses water, since sailings are fixed and weather can delay them.

How to plan a drive

Newfoundland is large, and roads are long. The drive from St. John's to Gros Morne is about nine hours. Plan overnight stops. Gas stations are far apart in places, and moose are a hazard at dusk and dawn.

Check seasons. Many tourist businesses operate from late May to early October. Book lodging early for summer. Weather changes fast, with fog and wind.

Hours in small towns are short, and winter closures are common. A phone call can save a trip. Cash is useful in some places. Remember too that the province runs on Newfoundland time, half an hour ahead of Atlantic time, which can confuse a schedule if you cross from the mainland. In summer the light lasts late, so dinner can be a leisurely affair, and in the shoulder seasons many kitchens stop serving at eight, so eat earlier than you would at home. If you are staying at a bed and breakfast, ask the host where the locals eat. The answer is usually a short list, and it is worth following.

What to know about hours

Hours in small towns are short, and winter closures are common. A phone call can save a trip. Cash is useful in some places.

What else should you read around Atlantic Canada?

The date night restaurants in St. John's page covers the capital, the Atlantic Canada regional foods guide explains the dishes of the region and the Nova Scotia food worth a drive guide goes south. The Canada guides page lists more cities.

A plate of fish after a long drive tastes better than any menu promises. Get the Mosey app, rate each stop for flavour and warmth, and build a Newfoundland list for the next traveller.