Grab your bib and get cracking! From creole-style crayfish boils to traditional Maritime lobster boils, there’s certainly no shortage of seafood at these 10 crustacean-loving Canadian restaurants.
The Boil Bar (Toronto, ON)
Get ready to get your hands dirty at this Louisiana-inspired seafood restaurant. Choose your catch, flavouring and spice level, and dive in to your personalized meal in a bag. The Boil Bar offers tons of sides, including their grilled sweet corn, which is a fan favourite.
Bridie Molloy's (St. John's, NL)
Dive into the Newfoundland Boil at Bridie Molloy’s Traditional Irish Pub. Made with only the freshest Newfoundland crab, mussels, potatoes and seasonal vegetables, this dish is perfect to chow-down on while sipping a pint and listening to the live band.
L'Asie Resto-Bar (Montreal, QC)
Montreal’s first seafood boil restaurant, L’Asie Resto Bar has a impressive selection. Pick your favourite catch or create a combination of seafood, potatoes and corn. Your dish will be smothered with their special L’Asie sauce, a blend of spices and garlic butter, carefully prepared by the chef.
Booker's BBQ and Crab Shack (Calgary, AB)
Celebrate Southern food right in Calgary’s East Village at Booker’s BBQ and Crab Shack with their shrimp and crab boil is served with house-made Andouille sausage, potatoes and corn. This joint has been winning the hearts (and stomachs) of hungry Calgarians since 1998, with their bold flavours and Southern hospitality.
Boulevard Kitchen and Oyster Bar (Vancouver, BC)
Indulge in a fresh seafood feast all summer long at The Boulevard Kitchen and Oyster Bar. The West Coast restaurant hosts their Sunday Seafood Boil Series starting in July, serving up freshly caught crayfish, jumbo prawns, clams, mussels and Dungeness crab, presented family-style and piled high on butchers paper.
New Glasgow Lobster Suppers (New Glasgow, PE)
What started as a fundraising dinner in 1958 has turned into an Island tradition for New Glasgow Lobster Suppers. The Prince Edward Island eatery is open June to October, and serves the freshest seafood around. Every lobster supper comes with hot rolls, seafood chowder, steamed Island Blue Mussels and PEI potato salad. If you still have room left after your meal, there’s mile-high lemon meringue pie for dessert!
Bon Temps Café (Saskatoon, SK)
You’ll feel as though you stepped right into New Orleans when you enter Bon Temps Café . ‘The Spice Boil’ is a nightly special event, where guests sit at a newspaper covered table, anxiously awaiting the feast. After the ceremonial banging of the pot and a loud “laissez les bon temps rouler!”, guests can dig in to the crayfish, prawns, crab clusters, Andouille sausage, mussels and corn that’s piled high on the table.
The Captain's Boil (Toronto, ON)
The Captain’s Boil is a create-your-own seafood boil joint where guests can choose their catch and any of the Asian-inspired flavours to match. All seafood is brought in live, with crayfish sourced fresh from the Gulf Coast of Louisiana. Don’t expect plates or cutlery here; disposable gloves and nautical themed bibs are distributed at the beginning of the meal. Be prepared to get messy in the best way possible.
So Crab So Good (Burnaby, BC)
At So Crab So Good, seafood lovers can enjoy an authentic Cajun feast. The freshest British Columbia shellfish is served with a variety of seasonings, from creamy garlic butter to their signature spicy Holy Smoke. Get your hands a little dirty and dive in to the steaming pile of seafood at this savoury feast.
Rudder's Seafood Restaurant and Brew Pub (Yarmouth, NS)
Enjoy the freshest seafood and a pint of hand-crafted ale from this microbrew pub and restaurant. Rudder’s Seafood and Brew Pub’s Boiled Nova Scotia Lobster Dinner is cooked to perfection, and served with drawn butter, potatoes and vegetables. Enjoy your seafood feast on their patio with stunning views of the waterfront.
Bronwyn Hope is a food writer based in Toronto.