Charlottetown is the capital of Prince Edward Island (PEI). The city is known as the “Birthplace of Confederation” after the historic 1864 Charlottetown Conference that took place there, leading to Confederation, and the creation of Canada as a country. Pretty patriotic stuff am I right?!

There wasn’t one specific attraction that we were dying to see or experience in Charlottetown. Although the old East Coast buildings were charming, and the harbour front was beautiful, in all honesty, we stopped in for a visit to Charlottetown to indulge in the food and the drinks.

Here is my guide for eating and drinking your way through Charlottetown:

the food

There are a few popular places to seek out an East Coast lobster lunch in Charlottetown. Famous for their lobster rolls, Dave’s Lobster is the most popular institution, and has four locations throughout the East Coast. Although their lobster rolls were half decent, we found Dave’s expensive for what we received, and the quality seemed average at best. Just down the street from Dave’s, is a small restaurant called Water Prince Corner Shop and Lobster Pound, which offers (in my opinion anyway) better options, and delicious lobster.

There’s lots more where this came from on the East Coast!

Charlottetown also boasts a large selection of great casual pubs, including The Gahan House, The Olde Dublin Pub, Claddagh Oyster House, and the Old Triangle Irish Alehouse. The best pub of them all however, is The Churchill Arms. The Churchill Arms takes on a more British-style pub feel rather than Irish, and the food, and beer, is fantastic! Honestly… I recommend you go later in the evening, preferably on a crisp night, when you’re craving a warm, comforting dish. Pull up a seat, order a beer, choose one of their delicious British curry dishes, and prepare to be blown away! … and also very full. We gorged on butter chicken and chicken korma over rice and naan bread, and welcomed how different it was from the seafood dishes we’d been so frequently enjoying.

If you’re looking for something a little more upscale while in Charlottetown, Piatto Pizzeria & Enoteca is a great choice. The space is funky, and different from anywhere else in the city. The neopolitan-style pizza was delicious and the wine was even more delicious. The Pilot House is also a nice option.

For delicious ice-cream, be sure to visit Cow’s Creamery. It’s an institution in Charlottetown!

the drinks

For wonderful coffee and tea lattes in Charlottetown, there is no better place then The Kettle Black. However, I’m not here to rave about tea and coffee (this time anyway). There is only one establishment where you must drink in Charlottetown, and that is at the Prince Edward Island Brewing Company. Certain restaurants and pubs serve beer from the PEI Brewing Co. throughout the East Coast, but it always fun to visit the birthplace of a good beer. PEI Brewing Co. recently opened a new main brewery location in Charlottetown and now offer tours, beer tastings and select eats. They also host events, and have an event tasting space for larger parties. I fell madly in love with their PEI Blueberry Ale. It was crisp, refreshing, and tasted softly of blueberries. I drank it as often as I could. Their Sir John A’s Honey Wheat Ale was also a solid favourite!

Their top hat logo links them to their roots with a nod to Charlottetown being “the birthplace of Confederation.” So very appropriate.

Cheers!

*all opinions and photos are my own unless otherwise noted.