TALO Cafébar

195 Commerical Street

Glace Bay, NS

Imagine walking in to town through the Park and down to the harbour. It's a warm, sunny day, with a fresh ocean breeze. You have stopped at the florists by the bridge and you are carrying a lovely array of flowers for tonight's dinner table. You are on your way up the street to your favourite used bookstore, hoping to find a well-loved murder mystery. As you walk, you notice the TALO Cafébar sign.

You decide to stop in to pick up a fresh-baked dessert for tonight, maybe a pie...yummy choices. While you are standing in front of the baked goods, friends call your name and invite you to join them for a cold glass of wine and a light lunch.

Sound like one of Debbie Macomber's openings? No, it's not fiction, dear readers; it's all possible in downtown Glace Bay.


A large group of us met at the TALO Cafébar for this month's outing, our first outing to the town of Glace Bay. This is a new restaurant located in a renovated clothing store and what an amazing renovation. We were gobsmacked when we walked in - the photos on their Facebook page are just a hint of how warm and welcoming this cafébar is. The restaurant is decorated with a variety of woodwork, framed photos, antiques and warm colours and well, we couldn't wait to be seated. Even those who are just popping in to purchase baked goods or J.T.'s chocolates at the front of the restaurant will enjoy their visit.

With such a large group, we ordered a variety of dishes, with lots of sampling. What fun!

This was one of the first items to arrive at the table.

Yes, the pop is served in a glass bottle, along with a glass - imagine.

One of our comments was how much we liked the tableware. Oh, so much fun when the evening starts with everyone admiring the glasses!

This is the Berries Martini and the member who ordered it told us all that it was just lovely.

I didn't crop this photo because I wanted you to notice all the wood - there are a series of wooden tables, with very comfortable wooden chairs and even wood placemats. Those of us seated on the opposite side of this table setting were sitting on a wooden bench with huge pillows behind us. Yes, those are old-fashioned coat hooks on the wall and just look at all those warm colours.  So cozy and so much fun!

I'd like to introduce our server now: this is Tamara in Training.

We loved Tamara! Tamara is from Alberta but she told us that they kicked her out because she is too friendly. My heavens, but she fits right into Cape Breton - just look at that smile.

For those of you who have been following us over the last few years, you know that we've had some poor experiences with waitresses. You won't find that at the TALO Cafébar, however. The manager was very quietly and very professionally looking after the floor. The bartender and each of the waitresses were seamlessly moving between the tables - no rushing, no fuss. At one point, the manager came over to inquire how things were - how things were? We couldn't have been happier.

So what did we order for starters?

The UAG does love kettle chips and we order them at every opportunity. These were fabulous - very light and crisp.

The House Dip was a surprise; it was a bit spicy (cayenne pepper perhaps) so it bites back. But it wasn't overwhelming and just a bit of fun.

The other starter ordered was the Beet and Goat Cheese half salad. Again, the members who ordered this item were surprised - it was even tastier than it looks.

This was a new food combination for some but certainly, it will not be the last time members order this item. Delicious!


So what did we order for our main meals?

This is the Maple Mushroom Chicken - specifically, mushrooms & onions in a white wine sauce, with pan-seared chicken pieces (look at all of them!) cut with pure maple syrup and served on a bed of fusilli pasta.

This is a large serving and I had enough to take home for lunch - it reheated like a dream and my house smelled wonderful. It tastes as good as it looks.

I am not cropping these photos very much as I want you to enjoy the table setting as much as we did! The designers of this cafébar paid attention to the smallest details.

This is the fresh Seafood Chowder, served with a house-baked biscuit; the fish was sautéed in white wine.

I wish you could smell this chowder!

The mussels in the shell accompanied the chowder and biscuit.

Look at those pickles - isn't that fun?

Here we have a side of the Beet and Goat Cheese salad and a Charcuterie Hero Sandwich.

First of all, look at the plate - fabulous, isn't it?

This sandwich has a variety of charcuterie meats, fresh onions, tomatoes, lettuce and dijonnaise, along with aged Canadian cheddar for those who order the cheese. Yes, that's a fresh baguette.

Was it good? It was great.

This is the Chicken Chipotle Club Sandwich with a kosher dill pickle (far left) and are you ready for this...a half fruit salad with blueberry vinaigrette dressing

It was an amazing chicken club with a chipotle aioli on an artisan-style bun. Indeed.

The fruit salad was just as amazing.

Over to side, out of view, is a serving of kettle chips...we do love our kettle chips.

This is the full-sized Beet and Goat Cheese salad - yes, this was a popular item with our group.

When the member was asked for her comment about her dish, she said:

"I'm gonna clean 'er."

This is the Chana Masala, a Punjab dish with a spicy curry sauce, served with basmati rice, warm Naan bread and mango chutney.

This dish also received rave reviews.

Yes, you are looking at Crab Cakes! But no ordinary crab cakes for sure. These are served with a lime chive aioli and lemon.

You could taste the waves of the sea, I kid you not.

There's that Beet and Goat Cheese half salad again! And over to the side is sitting another one of those fruit salads with the blueberry vinaigrettes. Tell me that isn't enough to stir up your taste buds!

To the right is Neptune's Finest - inside that wrap is panko-crusted haddock, the vegetables that you see, plus a creamy TALO tartar sauce.

Heavens, so many flavours on one plate!


We were just finishing up the main part of our meal and the cafébar began its transition to a fun wine bar...the lights were dimmed and some fabulous background music was put on. It had been Open Mic until then but no one had stepped up to sing for us. Perhaps later on...

Again, our followers will be asking the all-important question  "How was the tea service?" First of all, let me show you the coffee service:

Our first thought was this was one of those precious metal coffee mugs, but no, it's a china cup designed to look like one. How good was the coffee? The member who ordered the coffee suggested to 'R Tamara that it would have been nice to have a larger mug...so she brought out a larger mug of coffee. Can you say "Accommodating"?




The tea was served in large mugs that were shaped to keep the tea hot on the bottom.

The mugs were ceramic but not too heavy to hold. You can see the little container of milk - no plastic containers of milk here.

And if you wanted more hot water?

Yes, you received a metal pot of hot water to add to your large mug of tea.

Now, for those of you Capers who like a strong cup of tea, please note that this cafébar serves Mother Parkers tea. You might want to leave the bag in while you're drinking your tea. Perhaps once they've been open for a bit longer, they will switch it up.



By now, those of us who weren't absolutely stuffed were anxious to try the desserts.

I chose this photo so that you could see there were several servings of lemon pie at our table and don't they look wonderful?

Also, there's your mug of tea with the Bag In - you can see just how tall that mug is.

How was the pie? One comment was that this was the second best piece of lemon pie she had ever eaten. Let me tell you, that is high praise.

When I leaned over to ask the member "How's the banana bread?", I saw a person who was smiling and nodding with a mouthful of home-made banana bread.

While you are admiring this slice, please note the dish in which it was served. Did I mention how thrilled we were with the tableware?

Just wonderful imaginations at work here!

A simple melt-in-your-mouth shortbread cookie with a simply fabulous presentation.

Believe it or not, this is a Yellow Cake with a Chocolate Butter Icing just like I used to make when the kids were little.

What a wonderful surprise!

And such a lovely way to end my meal.

And here you have your own individual butterscotch pie! And that's a meringue on top, not whipped cream.

How was the pie? This is a sweet butterscotch pie in a tasty crust; a sweet pie that requires more tea.

Butterscotch pie can be a variety of levels of sweetness and this rates at the high end, so perhaps you should order something else if you don't have a serious sweet tooth.




We did notice one design flaw, one that we've seen before in restaurants that have opened in locations that were previously not eateries. Although this would be perfectly comfortable on any summer day, there was a very cold breeze every time the front door opened. We found that we were chilled by the time we left. The business that was previously in this location did not require more than a single glass door as patrons did not stay long, but this cafébar will require a change of front doors. But with all the imagination and creativity of these owners, I've no doubt that they will find a fun solution.

This was one of the best outings that our UAG has had - this restaurant is simply amazing. Whether you are looking for a dessert to take home, a light lunch or an evening out, this caéfbar will offer you excellent service and wonderful food.

Thank you Tamara for a great evening - we will all be back!