Ocean Dining Room - Rocky Harbour

This charming restaurant offers beautiful views of the harbor. It can get quite busy, so it's recommended to make a reservation during the summer months. The menu offers a variety of dishes at average prices, but the quality of the food is excellent. Our server, Josh, was attentive, witty, and efficient, and we also observed the staff working together to assist each other when necessary.

My partner and I decided to dine close to our hotel after a long drive. The restaurant was busy due to a large tour group ahead of us, so we expected some delays. The server who took our drink order was friendly, but unable to pour our wine, so we had to wait for another server to do so, which took a while. Our food order also took a long time to be taken. I ordered the Caesar salad and bacon-wrapped scallops, while my partner ordered the cod entree. Everything arrived at the same time, which was positive. The scallops were delicious and tender, while the Caesar salad had the dressing on the side, a first for me. Unfortunately, the garlic toast was burnt. My partner's "pan-fried" cod was overcooked, but the vegetables were nicely al dente. The table next to us had steamed lobster, but it was not properly broken down and there were no bowls for the shells, leading to a messy table by the time they left. Overall, we were not satisfied with our experience and do not plan to return.

The seafood platter was terrible, frozen Highliner would have done better. The chicken dinner was worse, dry, the leg was tiny with one piece of broccoli. The manager said the cook made a mistake and forgot the sauce. He also said the food was warm and dry because it sat under heat lamps a long time. Nothing like the menu described except the high price. $243 for 4, and 3 people drank water. If you’re planning a group meal here, I recommend you change your plans.

My mom and I enjoyed a fabulous meal. We had a glass of red wine, lobster stuffed mushroom caps followed by seafood linguine. It was really busy with a bus tour when we first went in but cleared out and we enjoyed a lovely quiet dinner and watched a beautiful sunset.

Here is a restaurant with the best location and view in Rocky Harbour, and an ambitious (and not inexpensive) menu. We thought we’d treat go ahead ourselves to a nice meal in our hotel. Well….. where do I begin? Maybe it’s easier just to say that the location and view is the only thing this place has going for it. The fluorescent lighting provided all the ambiance of a hospital emergency room. My partner kept looking at me and saying “the lighting in here is terrible. We have to go” which did not exactly set a romantic mood. The decor was all outdated. We were two of the only people there but they did not seat us at the window. The food came quickly but we actually wondered if they were cleaning out the freezer before the end of the season. All the food was dry, overcooked and apparently heated up in the microwave, like leftovers. Even the steamed muscles were shrivelled and rubbery. I’m no Gordon Ramsay, but even I can’t mess up muscles. These were obviously prepared hours beforehand. We paid our $100+ bill and left disappointed and genuinely confused about why it was so bad. Someone with restaurant rescue credentials has to get in there and revamp the look, feel and taste of this place. It could (and should) be the best restaurant in Gros Morne. Incidentally, If you want a great meal, go to the Fisherman’s place across the street doesn’t look like much from the outside but you’ll leave full and happy.