red shoe pub

Hear many amazing reviews about the Red Shoe Pub and they were all right. Big portions and delicious food. It can get very busy.

We always stop here when we're in the area for Celtic Colours. This time we had the crab dip, which was a new one for us. It was absolutely outstanding. We love the local beer and the ambience of this place, especially the Rankins' decorations on the wall and the excellent local music playing there at all times. Don't miss the Red Shoe if you're anywhere near the area.

This has become another of our annual stops when we are in CB for Celtic Colours! The food is plentiful, delicious, and fresh!! This time we have the hot crab dip and pita points...yummy! The local craft beer is also delightful as well. We look forward to getting there when the live music is on..:).

Visited Cape Breton early September based in the Mabou River Inn. We spent a few evenings in the Red Shoe listening to good music and enjoyed a few good meals at reasonable prices.Excellent service from the staff. I hope to return again in the not too distant future.

We stopped in for dinner and entertainment and were to disappointed. The food was outstanding. I had the chicken and I am determined to find a way to recreate it at home. My husband had the fish of the day and was in heaven. Add a fiddler, piano player and a man playing spoons and you have a unique memorable experience.

Amazing seafood chowder with a nice glass of Canadian beer is a must! We were staying at the Whiskey Distillery not far from this restaurant and a friend recommended this small but local restaurant. The mussels appetizers were amazing! A casual restaurant but worth going to when there are not many restaurants available in the town.

Wonderful night for us in Red Shoe Pub listening two young girls singing guitar and violin: great and historic pub to listen Celtic Music in Cap Breton!

We stopped here for some afternoon snacks. The food and service were very good. Would have loved to go back for dinner.

The place was packed but the service was good and the food was fine,but let's face it-It's all about the music. We heard Derrick and Melody Cameron and loved it. Southwestern Cape Breton fiddling can be an acquired taste and for most a little goes a long way. An hour at The Shoe is about right. Hope to return.

Music was excellent..made me want to join the locals and dance...sadly don't know the steps. After the locals clear out at 7pm we got a table to eat. Food was average...don't even remember what I had now. But the price was far from average! Go for the music and feel not for the food.

The guidebooks recommend this as authentic Cape Breton: music, drink and food, with local charm and hospitality. This was all true for us, but given all the publicity, it is not easy to enjoy the music with the food. But tenacity pays off!Personally, I'd only go if the music is playing. The food is very good - I had an excellent seafood chowder, while other family members enjoyed mussels. The wait staff are very friendly, especially given how busy they are when the music is on. Still, the reason to go is to experience the food *and* music.The Red Shoe doesn't take reservations. Music the night we were there (a Monday) was from 5 to 7. When we arrived at a bit before 6pm, they were turning large groups of people away, or telling them it would be a 30-60 minute wait. I really wanted to experience some Cape Breton music, so we asked if we could stand at the bar and just have a drink. This was fine, we were told, so the kids had non-fermented beverages while the adults enjoyed local beer and Nova Scotia wine. Not sure whether it was the fact that we were willing to run up a bar tab, or just that everyone else was scared away, but 10 minutes later we were given a table right in front of the fiddler and her guitar-playing accompanist. We were all enthralled. Even better, a local resident, 80 years old, joined the two featured musicians twice in the next hour to play the spoons, using an impressive array of body parts while playing (knees, arms, even his chin!). It was a great experience and atmosphere. Highly recommended.

We made a point of stopping in for the evening . It was a fail . The wings were cold , the service was rude and the music didn't start til 10 . We were hoping for more of an east coast experience I wouldn't recommend it

Walking distance from the Duncreigan Inn and Mabou Harbor. Great food, music, friendly waitstaff. Likely to hear some Celtic music whether live or over the speakers. Lots of history here and absolutely fantastic food!

We stopped for lunch, and even without the music, which is usually only in the evening, it was great. We both had the special of the day, which was an amazing lobster salad, with a tasty herb dressing (terragon? something fresh and yummy.) There was a choice of side, so I had the equally amazing savory maple sweet potato soup. Such a lovely, different flavor! It even had a little kick to it - delicious! My husband had chili, which was also a fresh take on the classic, with chunks of beef and sausage with black beans. We split the warm gingerbread for dessert, good enough on its own, but even better with a rum-butter sauce, compote of blueberries, cranberries, and blackberries, all with a big dollop of freshly whipped cream. The waiter was great, too - made us feel welcome and gave us information about the area when we asked. Thanks, Red Shoe!

Owned and run by the Rankin sisters, this pub offered a really wide variety of foods including gluten free, creative salads, fresh sandwiches, and hot choices as well. It was a surprise how great the food was!