Destination restaurants often live off the radar of awards. In a recent article, I questioned whether lists like Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants or Air Canada’s Best New Restaurants explore fully enough the dining gems hidden at the end of our country roads. While Halifax has no shortage of great restaurants, ask many seasoned diners where the most exciting meals are found, and they’ll point beyond the city to small towns such as Canning or Lunenburg and rural kitchens across the province. These rural destinations are quietly redefining Canadian cuisine.
Until recently, I had never heard of Cape Breton’s Woodroad restaurant. As I soon learned from co-founder and Head Chef Daryl MacDonnell, that’s by design. The 25-seat seasonal restaurant, tucked away on the edge of Margaree Harbour, relies entirely on word of mouth. It’s a strategy that has clearly worked, as every night, the dining room fills to capacity. My partner and I, joined by two friends who had heard rumblings of a culinary oasis in Cape Breton, managed to secure one of the last reservations of the season. We were all eager to see if the whispers of praise were warranted.
The drive to Margaree Harbour felt almost cinematic, a journey painted in the golds, oranges, and reds of Cape Breton’s autumn tapestry. The winding road unfurled through rolling hills and glimpses of the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Margaree River, each turn revealing a new brushstroke of the island’s rugged beauty. The final stretch, an unpaved lane dappled with falling leaves, hinted at something remote and quietly special. After a final turn, a timber-framed, shingle-clad two-storey building appeared like a beacon of hospitality. From the outside, Woodroad looks more like a family home than a restaurant, standing humbly against the backdrop of sea and forest. The location is serene yet welcoming, and quietly confident.
That sense of welcome continued as we stepped inside and were greeted by Chef Daryl himself. There was no maître d’ or rehearsed formality, just the easy warmth of someone deeply rooted in his place. The interior mirrored the landscape outside with natural wood, soft light, and a feeling that time had gently slowed. It was clear this was not a restaurant meant to impress with grandeur but to disarm with sincerity. It felt like a place where cooking, conversation, and Cape Breton itself intertwine.
After our first chat, it was immediately clear Daryl was no “ego chef.” A graduate of Holland College in P.E.I., he sought out Winnipeg-based chef Tony Murakami early in his career. From Murakami, he learned his first principle of culinary success: “Be a good human being.” It’s a lesson that has guided him through years in the hotel industry, including his final stint at the storied Keltic Lodge deep in Cape Breton Highlands National Park. Over the course of the meal, it was clear that his ethos was not just being a good person to his guests and staff but also to his local farmers and fisherpeople.
Walking up to Woodroad’s second-floor dining room, it’s hard not to feel that you’ve stepped into something special as sweeping views over the Gulf of St. Lawrence create a spellbinding sense of place. It’s been a while since I’ve entered a dining room that radiated such quiet magic. For me, the greatest restaurants transport you, even if only for a night.
Our lead server for the evening was none other than Chef Daryl’s brother and co-founder, Peter MacDonnell, the architect of the building and the restaurant’s guiding hand in design. Peter had long dreamed of building on the property, but it was Daryl’s suggestion to make it a restaurant that brought Woodroad to life.
There’s nothing about dining here that suggests a desire to be “Michelin.” The presentations are simple yet thoughtful, with ingredients as the undisputed stars. There are no unnecessary additions or want to put form and presentation over taste. The cooking is refined, but not precious. It is honest, yet deeply skilled. Woodroad’s is a tasting menu only establishment which allows for extra focus on few dishes. On this night, the opening course of Woodroad’s set menu, a poached haddock in tomato water broth with the sweetest garden peas I’ve ever tasted, and miniature tomatoes, tasted like the ocean was kissed by the farm. The meal flowed effortlessly from there: scallop and shrimp–stuffed salmon with dill sauce, tender local vegetables cooked en papillote and topped with hollandaise, seared scallop with butternut squash ravioli in brown butter sage sauce, and a perfectly cooked beef tenderloin. Two desserts later, I left full but not heavy, satisfied yet curious for more.
The wine list reflects the same ethos. It is concise but well-curated, with a thoughtful balance of Nova Scotia and international selections that would appeal to a broad range of guests. Each course was announced with the ring of a small bell, calling attention to the kitchen before Daryl appeared to describe each dish. His introductions, like his cooking, were concise and heartfelt, letting the ingredients and the place speak for themselves.
If the archetypical award-winning fine dining is a restaurant where food is crafted with precision, then Woodroad may not be up for the big awards. But if you believe the best restaurants are rooted in graciousness, and the best food comes from the soil and the waters that surround it, then there are few places better than Woodroad. Woodroad is a place where food has soul and guests are friends.
Although Woodroad has closed for the season, I hope this article is reason enough to start planning a 2026 road trip anchored in the small communities of Inverness County, Cape Breton. With the stunning beaches of Port Hood, the warm hospitality and legendary music of Mabou, the world-class golfing at Cabot Links and Cabot Cliffs in the town of Inverness, and the soulful dining of Woodroad in Margaree Harbour, this stretch of coast offers the perfect blend of relaxation, culture, and culinary discovery. It’s a place where fine food meets Celtic tunes, where the salt air carries both the scent of the sea and the promise of a memorable meal, and a reminder that some of life’s best experiences are found off, or in the case of Woodroad, at the end of the beaten path.