19 Best Restaurants in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

Located in a former firehouse at the east end of Duckworth Street, this trendy beer and coffee bar makes an ideal place to chill at the end of your downtown explorations. The architecture features industrial elements like exposed beams and massive glass garage doors that open to an outdoor space in summer. The atmosphere is friendly and calming, a choice spot for work or for fun.

This culinary diamond shines with innovative yet hearty food, whether you're dining in the sit-down restaurant or grabbing something from the take-out deli. With so much perfect meat, seafood, and vegetables tucked into one tiny building, this is more than just a hidden gem. If the pork theme seems heavy, be assured the handling of flavors is light and responsive. With a small enough group, you can sit at the bar downstairs and enjoy delicious tapas.

Open for breakfast and lunch, this café makes the perfect spot to take a break from touring and enjoy a variety of options like shrimp pad thai, roast cauliflower soup, or any number of daily changing specials crafted by one of the most versatile chefs in Newfoundland. Under the umbrella of the nonprofit Stella's Circle, all revenue from the restaurant goes back into helping the most vulnerable in the community.

Roaring fires, an open kitchen, and jars of homemade pickles lining the rafters set the scene in this renovated historic building in Quidi Vidi Village. The menu changes daily based on the best ingredients available from local sources and might include spit-roasted pork shoulder or tuna tartare, always accompanied by novel and succulent vegetable dishes. With an on-site sommelier, the wines and cocktails keep up with the food. On Sunday the restaurant has live music.

Following standards set by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (VPN), Piatto’s pizza chefs (pizzaiolos) have been trained to prepare authentic Neapolitan pizza. The midtown location offers a contemporary setting that makes a popular lunch stop. Using choice ingredients, including a low-gluten flour, their classic and updated pizza treatments are delicious when enjoyed in-house, but you can also buy their make-at-home kits to enjoy the same fabulous pizza in the comfort of home.

This easygoing diner does a bustling lunch service in large part due to the personality and creativity of its owner, locally known as an innovative and improvisational chef. Enjoy casual fare with surprising ingredients in a space decorated with an eclectic mix of family photos, bottled preserves, and tabletops repurposed from old furniture and signage. Vegan, gluten-free, and meat-based options are available in generous portions.

Sit back and relax in the cozy dining rooms of this converted old house and sample updated traditional fare. Bacalao, pronounced "back-allow," is Portuguese for "salted cod," a historic staple of Newfoundlanders and the Mediterraneans who came here to fish; a variation of it is featured every night. Other nouvelle-Newfoundland options include moose and caribou dishes, and mussels in Quidi Vidi Iceberg beer. Off-street parking keeps this spot attractive to its more suburban customer base.

The name belies the menu at this cozy spot on Duckworth Street where you can get excellent food for any meal of the day. Generous breakfast offerings bring local ingredients to traditional dishes. The with eclectic decor and soft lighting, the atmosphere is both relaxed and intimate. 

This restaurant has been serving fish-and-chips to a steady stream of customers since the 1950s. They come from all walks of life to sample the flaky fish fried in a batter whose recipe the owner keeps under lock and key (literally). The decor is strictly laminated tabletops and plastic chairs, but the fish is hot, fresh, and delicious.

EVOO combines the rustic surroundings of a gastro pub with Mediterranean-influenced fare. The menu offers seafood, vegan, and meat-based options and a good wine selection. Find them on the first floor of the historic Murray Premises, opening onto the courtyard.

Enjoy your vegan meal in this relaxing atmosphere with hardwood floors and natural lighting. This casual eatery offers plant-based fare with most elements made from scratch with ethically sourced ingredients. 

Consistency and quality in service and food make this one of the busiest restaurants in St. John's. This family-owned business is the oldest Indian restaurant in the city, serving food prepared to order in a classic tandoori oven. In the evenings, the atmosphere is inviting and romantic.

A tiny whiff of Paris in the neighborhood of St. John's known by locals as the Fish 'n' Chips district, this bakery sells breads and pastries made in the French style. While they don't provide full barista service, you can order a coffee to go. 

Exposed stone walls, original paintings, and chic furnishings make for a serene (if dark) dining atmosphere in this restored heritage building right downtown. With two different menus (one for dinner, one for the bar) and a wine bar upstairs, this restaurant covers it all: the short but classic dinner menu features steak, seafood, lamb, and poultry while the bar menu displays some international influences. There's a lengthy international wine list with a decent selection available by the glass in addition to many cocktails.

The Sheraton Hotel's main restaurant remains popular with out-of-town guests and an older crowd who know to appreciate on-site parking, quiet, and a classic menu in this increasingly loud and crowded downtown. Friendly, unobtrusive service distracts neither from the views nor the expertly prepared cuisine. In addition to lunch and dinner, an excellent hot and cold breakfast buffet is laid out until 1 pm daily.

This gourmet pizza shop has been winning international competitions for years with their innovative thin-crust creations in a family-friendly, eclectic atmosphere. The ingredients on their signature pizzas may sound random, but the chef has all the golden ratios down and the taste is perfect.

This stalwart vegetarian spot, beloved by vegetable and meat-eaters alike, offers counter service and comfortable seating by day and a lively after-hours scene by night that sees diners lining up for late-night tacos. Local artists and craftspeople display their creations on the walls, and there are plenty of gluten-free options in addition to beer, wine, and house-made sangria.

A youthful place with two different energies, Toslow serves coffee and light breakfast fare in the mornings, then at night switches to a dinner menu with bar service. Whatever time of day, you're sure to get delicious offerings prepared with local, seasonal ingredients. With a playful decor using antique pieces, the windows provide a view of St. John's Harbour and the Narrows.