The Shore Club: Nova Scotia’s Original Lobster Supper

“I’ve got my lobster-eating outfit on,” my friend said when I called to see if she was ready for her pickup. She was joining me for my meal at the Shore Club. I laughed to myself thinking that women could find any excuse to assemble a proper outfit. But then it occurred to me. Going out for lobster is special. It’s an event. And the lobster-eating outfit she was referring to involved dark pants and a striped shirt to hide the inevitable spray that happens when you crack open a lobster shell. With that image in mind, I quickly changed into something more appropriate.

The drive from Halifax to Hubbards, where the 77-year-old Shore Club is tucked away, takes about 30 to 40 minutes. On the way there, I couldn’t help but feel that its distance allowed us to let go of the city and to build anticipation for a meal that was guaranteed to be a summer highlight.

Pulling off Highway 103 at exit 6 has always made me breath a little easier and relax a little more. Hubbards is a Nova Scotia gem. The pace is slower, the scenery is spectacular and you immediately feel you’re on vacation, if only for one night of fresh seafood indulgence.

The Shore Club, still owned and actively run by the Harnish family, the original founders, meets every idyllic vision locals and visitors alike will have about an authentic Nova Scotian lobster meal.

The building is adorned with nautical flags and a large lobster is painted on the steps leading up to the entrance, while lobster traps and fishing nets make the space inside feel 100% legit. And the red gingham tablecloths you no doubt associate with lobster suppers throughout the East Coast? They originated at the Shore Club. And you’ll still find them there.

Without a doubt, you need to make a reservation for dinner, regardless which day of the week you want to be there. On a weeknight, an average of 180 people will chow down at the Shore Club. Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, it’s closer to 300.  And don’t bother being in a rush; you’re joining an entire community of people for a shared meal, so settle in and take your seat when it’s your turn.

Once seated, my friend and I quickly choose the 1 ¼ lb (medium) lobster dinner for $35.95. Other options included a smaller, 9/10 lb, lobster (we’re not that delicate) or a large, 2 lb lobster (don’t think we didn’t consider it). For the non-seafood lovers in your party, there’s New York strip steak, chicken with brie and apple, or a kale and quinoa vegetarian option.

Regardless which entrée you pick you get the all-you-can eat, serve-yourself salad bar, choice of dessert, tea and coffee, and the BEST mussels I have ever had. On the night we were there the mussels were a mere 60 minutes out of the nearby Hubbards water. The mussels are steamed, salty and fresh. Diners scoop their own into cardboard bowls, so discretion and self-discipline need not be exercised.

When our lobster arrives, our waitress Debbie promptly ties our plastic bibs around our necks. Experienced lobster-eater or not, this is a required part of the uniform that clearly signals that this meal is, indeed, an event.

The lobster was out of this world. Lots of sweet meat cooked to perfection. While I devoured my lobster with great and unladylike enthusiasm, my friend, stretched out every bite declaring that she didn’t ever want the meal to end.

Stuffed to the brim, we still happily said yes to dessert, which that night was a choice of lemon layer cake, chocolate cake or blueberry shortcake. We figured no better way to finish off a classically Nova Scotian meal than with some wild blueberries and a homemade tea biscuit.

Had we visited on a Saturday night, we would have stayed for their weekly dance. In addition to being the home of the original Nova Scotia lobster supper, the Shore Club is one of the last remaining dance halls in the country. Every Saturday night the tables are cleared out and some of the best live bands perform. The nights I’ve spent dancing at the Shore Club are some of the most memorable ones I’ve had. If you haven’t done it, put it on your list and quickly check it off.

But, being a school night, we reluctantly hit the road back to Halifax. The conversation on the drive back was filled with rave reviews of our evening. Everything from the location and the staff (most of whom have worked there for 20 years or more) to the church supper-like experience and the spectacular lobster left us craving another visit very soon. Perhaps next time it will be paired with a large group of friends, a weekend cottage escape and some very comfortable dancing shoes.