Rudder’s Seafood Restaurant & Brew Pub

We were exhausted from a day of driving and really needed some good food and beer. This was just the place for that. I had the French Onion Soup which was good, but we highly recommend the Red Onion Rings on the appetizer section. They were so good!!! We sat at the bar, and everyone was friendly. The interior and ease of park were awesome. Wish we could have gone back and sat outside on the waterfront. We got in and out of this place very quickly without feeling rushed. My biggest gripe is that they had free Wi Fi that could you could never log onto.

I ate here with my girlfriend on a trip to Yarmouth in September. We got there and the place was pretty busy but they sat us right away. The food was great. I had the fish and chips and my girl got the boiled lobster dinner. They had live music and the place was extremely lively. They brew their own beer on site and I had their Raspberry Blonde. It was very good. Subtle raspberry and not too over powering at all. Perfect match to the food. Our waiter Tom is what made the night. He was extremely nice and walked us through the menu and had great suggestions. My GF is a celiac but Tom gave her all the options on what was gluten free and it worked out perfect. He suggested the chocolate pâté for dessert and let me tell you he was right. This thing is a brick of chocolate awesomeness.
If your in Yarmouth definitely check this place out. Great food, beer, and nice folks.

A bright, friendly pub on the waterfront. The micro-​brew ale is great. Service is fast and friendly. We were surprised that there was music on a Wednesday evening (wing night).
A few quibbles about the food: my Greek salad was shy on the tomato portion, and used a very mild form of feta cheese that almost seemed to be cottage cheese. The olives were not the classic kalamata, but those sliced black olives that come in tins. My wife’s seafood casserole was tasty (lots of shrimp, lobster, and scallop) but the sauce seemed a bit pasty. I liked my seafood chowder. Prices seemed a bit high $ 9 for a cup of chowder).
It was a foggy evening, and we stayed in, but there seemed to be a nice outdoor patio.

We were in Yarmouth for a wedding and this was the recommended restaurant. It wasn’t obvious that there was a lot of choice in the area so maybe this place is low quality due to a lack of competition.
It has a great location and is pretty pleasant on the inside. Based on our experience, that’s where the good parts end.
We ordered a lobster dip as the appetizer. I can’t say for certain that it wasn’t made in house but I would be shocked if that was the case. The cup was hot like it had been microwaved and there were some baked on bits along the side without anything similar on the top of the dip. It also came out within a couple of minutes after we ordered with a few pieces of bread and some chips. There was really nothing good about it.
For a drink I ordered an old fashioned, which was probably a little aggressive except that they had it on the menu! 7/​8ths of the drink was soda water and ice (and I know because asked for one without those items and could compare directly). Needless to say, it was gross.
Finally, my partner and I both ordered beer battered fish and chips. The fish on the inside was nice but the batter was very dark and tasted burnt. The highlight of the meal was the side salad, which was actually quite good. Of course, had we just ordered a salad as a meal, we would have encountered some of the most insane upcharge pricing I’ve ever witnessed — $ 9 more for chicken!
The service was also very slow an inattentive. I hesitate to lay the blame on a server because you never know if they’ve been slammed or there’s a poor server-​to-​customer ratio. Nevertheless, it was difficult to ever get anybody’s attention.
Unfortunately, largely due to a lack of choices, we ended up going back there for drinks the next day. I can report that they didn’t screw up a gin and tonic.

Out of the beer we wanted, there was no calamari, couldn’t make a lemon drop martini. Service from seating to wait was poor! Waited forever to get food. Food was 3 star! Wouldn’t recommend!

Beer — 5 stars forScottish wee heavy, — scallops beyond wonderful — calamari was good but not exceptional!

Great ambiance, spacious and very friendly. The best place to find locally used market food rather than crap from a food chain restaurant. Chefs are being creative and bring local flavors to the test.
I really liked it

While out for a costal drive around NS, we chose this location for lunch. We ordered the Quesadilla (blend of diced tomato, red and green pepper, onions, and cheese served with salsa and sour cream — which was nice as you can have it with chicken, veggie or lobster) with a side Greek Salad, and the Bar Clams & Fries (deep fried, served with tartar sauce).
The quesadilla was okay. Nothing special, had to request sour cream and salsa. One perk to it was that it was completely filled with ingredients, right to the last bite. You weren’t left with a bunch of empty edges of grilled tortilla bread — which I find to be extremely annoying. The salad was okay, however, this is the only place that I have ever ordered a Greek salad that had celery in it. I hate celery. The bar clams were really good. My husband actually stated that they may be the best he has ever had. They were cooked perfectly, and the batter was nice and light. The fries… not great, kind of lowered the standard of the meal… too bad really.
Service was great, waitress was super friendly and the restaurant atmosphere was very casual and comfortable.

I do visit this place often when in town for business. The view is greasy and the décor is nice and rustic.
The food is good. I’ve tried a few different dishes and don’t remember being disappointed yet.
The staff unfortunately is the week point. It doesn’t seem like many waitresses have much experience and the one waiter I’ve been around my last two visits causes my meal time to simply be not enjoyable. Yes this time the restaurant was fairly busy but the previous time it was not and he runs around like crazy, talking loudly, complains about how many tables he has, talking to one table while putting food down at another table. One lady said she’d like to order and he told her she’s have to wait and that she should of said something earlier because he was busy now.

Very hit or miss. Been coming here several times a summer for years & it’s very inconsistent. Sometimes you get food service, sometimes it’s a bratty teen. Sometimes the food is fresh & delicious, sometimes it’s lukewarm, bland, and mealy from sitting. VERY hit or miss.
It’s very hot inside so patio seating is pretty much required on warm days. It is a pretty place with a gorgeous view, that is very consistent!

I don’t understand the mediocre reviews. This place is everything you could want in a seaside restaurant… cool rough hewn atmosphere, friendly staff, and super fresh seafood. I’m in town on business all week, enjoying my second dinner at Rudder’s, and will probably come back every night. So far I’ve enjoyed the Digby scallops and the seafood casserole. The big dinners cost around $ 25 and you get salad and sides, so great value for the money. This is the place for dinner in Yarmouth.

Best place in Yarmouth to get a beer and dinner by the water. The sides are forgettable but the seafood is fresh and tasty; oysters are good. Rudder’s has a selection of Acadian dishes too, like rappie pie. Beer selection is wide and full of flavor; try the 4-​beer sampler. Desserts are big enough to share.

Continuing our drive around the Nova Scotia coast, we stopped in Yarmouth for lunch and found Rudder’s. This is a good sized place on the waterfront. They have a large menu and certainly would be a very good place for dinner. Our lunch was very good.
I ordered a bowl of Seafood Chowder which they are apparently known for. I would agree, they should be, it was excellent with plenty of mixed seafood that you would expect. It was a nice consistency, butter, creamy but not thickened. The salt level was good. I enjoyed it very much. Ms T ordered from the sandwich menu; a Fish Burger with a cup of the soup of the day, which was Salmon Chowder. Here fish burger was much like the one we enjoyed at Savvy Sailor in Lunenburg the day before, but these are so good, you can eat them every day. Again, the fish was not heavily breaded or deep fried, rather it is pan fried, melts in your mouth and is fresh and mild. The Salmon Chowder was similar to the Seafood Chowder in consistency, but with only salmon. I liked it and I am not a salmon fan. I would choose the Seafood version over Salmon, but if you like salmon it was very good.
Rudder’s is a solid place and is highly recommended.

As locals we eat here mostly because there are few choices. The beer is pretty darn good. However, the food is pretty much just standard fish and chips quality. One test is: Do they make their own french fries from scratch or buy the frozen ones and grease them up? Rudders does the latter. It’s okay, but don’t go out or your way to eat here.

Pub fare is ok but over priced. The atmosphere is good, but it feels as though they rush the bill at the end of the meal. It is almost as if they want you to finish up and get out. Very strange. Unfortunately there aren’t many other choices in downtown Yarmouth.

Wow, I am so surprised by the reviews for Rudders. It is most definitely not a tourist spot. This is where local fishermen, working class heroes, and the town’s middle-​aged single crowd meet after a hardworking day. If you’re looking to learn about lobster fishing or anything else Nova Scotian, take a spot at the bar — you will not have a hard time finding someone to chat to.
They often have local bands playing till late. You can expect good olé’ Nova Scotian tunes, heavy in the fiddle and drunken melody department. The sense of community is really evident as most customers will be on a first-​name basis with the musical acts. Do not hesitate to request songs, josh the musicians or buy them a beer or two.
The service has always been fairly good. Most of their servers fit the «slim, sexy, young» category. They provide you with as many fresh loaves of bread as you desire.
As far as pricing goes, it is most definitely the most expensive seafood in town. You’re basically paying for the atmosphere (not that the food isn’t good!) But you can get the same quality at any local Seafood joint.

As Americans roadtripping through Nova Scotia, we have eaten some excellent food in restaurants along the way. We have also had the misfortune of a couple of terrible meals. Unfortunately I relied on Unilocal reviews for a lunch spot in Yarmouth, simply because my guidebook had no good suggestions and we were starving. Rudders is neither excellent nor terrible. It is just an overpriced and mediocre tourist spot.
A 1 ½ lb lobster ran $ 32 and was served soggily on the same plate as French fries in a large pool of lobster juice alongside the ubiquitous overboiled vegetables. The lobster sandwich had approximately 2 tablespoons of lobster salad on it (which was nice but ridiculously skimpy). The beer and iced tea were good, the service was fine but not smilingly so. My husband also ate a bland bowl of beef barley soup and my side salad was fresh and crunchy. The lunch cost $ 67 before a tip. If you are looking for a good seafood restaurant with decent value, this is not it.

Immediately after setting foot in the sleepy seaside town of Yarmouth, I felt an intense craving for good local seafood. Rudder’s is right on the Harbour, just a hop and a jump from the ferry terminal and the downtown area of Yarmouth. We hit it up for a relaxing meal after a long day of traveling the high seas.
The sun was just starting to set when we rolled up but the hostess wouldn’t let us sit outside or even quote a wait time for when seats outside would be available. She just complained about lack of staff. Ok, that sucks for you, but why not just tell us that the patio was closed for the night instead of being weird and vague. Anyway, we just succumbed to her prodding to sit inside and were soon cloistered in a booth that was both cozy and claustrophobic.
We waited a while for service but understood they were having staffing issues. They were out of all but one of their in house brewed beers (luckily it was the one I wanted!) My fish and chips were ok — the haddock was really good but the batter was mediocre and the fries were of the Burger King ilk. My adventerous beau got some sort of salad that was really good and lobster poutine. He really enjoyed it — I’m not big on creamed lobster or original poutine but it looked pretty good at least.
I really wanted to like this place but I just didn’t have that great of an experience. The prices were a bit high for what we got. The lack of house beer at a «brew pub» was disappointing. I don’t think the food would draw me back if I’m ever in the area unless iit was late as it’s one of the few places that stay open after 10 pm in ye olé Yarmouth.

Always loved this Place, I must say they have some fairly nice views of the bay in all of its fishy sea gull glory. The town hasn’t changed much since my mother lived there some 30 odd years ago. Their food is the same, fishing is still the dominant career, and Tim Hortons continues to be the Canadian D and D. They do have a very friendly staff and a wide variety of fresh food. the big downside is the price. and not only the exchange rate affects the check but they have a strict tax on alcohol (making catching a buzz extremely pricey). Music is always great and live. Warning if you don’t like fish Stay away, in fact stay away From Yarmouth as a whole. The World largest Tuna was caught by a local Ken Fraser in 1979…