Where to Eat in Port Dover, Ontario

Lake Erie Summer Resort Serves Traditional and Modern Food

Sep 18, 2009

From fine dining to beach-side snacking, a wide range of eateries cater to hungry and discerning tourists in Port Dover on the northern shores of Lake Erie.

Port Dover is located on the northern shore of Lake Erie, the shallowest of the great lakes. It has been a favourite summer destination for tourists for over 100 years. Visitors arrive to sail, swim, fish, frolic on the sandy beach or wander along one of its scenic piers.

Fine Dining at the Erie Beach Hotel in Port Dover

The Erie Beach Hotel is considered to be a “must-see” or perhaps more appropriately, a “must-eat-at” destination in Port Dover. The landmark hotel’s two dining rooms cover both angles, with one appealing to fine diners and the other to the casual crowd.

The main floor Cove Room serves breakfast, lunch and dinner but it is most famous for its fresh pickerel or perch dinners which include home-made celery bread. Patrons can also enjoy the salad cart, which is like a salad bar on wheels, delivered right to the table so no one has to leave their comfortable chair. The cart is loaded with offerings like pickled pumpkin, four-bean salad and an unusual but tasty lemon-jelly horseradish salad.

Visitors to the laid-back upstairs restaurant The Arbor can still order the same tasty perch and pickerel dinners, though only the Cove Room offers the salad cart.

History of the Erie Beach Hotel

The Schneider family has run the Erie Beach Hotel for over 60 years, since founders Harold and Marjorie introduced their signature way of cooking perch and pickerel in the 1940s. Their grandsons still use the traditional cooking methods and even offer guests a memento – the recipes for the salad cart treats.

Beach Food at Knechtel's and Mr. B's in Port Dover

It doesn’t get more casual than eating on the beach, but even picnickers can savour Port Dover’s popular fish at Knechtel Foods concession stand. Shrimp, scallops and clams are on the menu at this beach-front eatery, along with perch and pickerel dinners and perch-or pickerel-burgs.

Across the street, Mr. B’s pairs traditional take-out like hamburgers and chili dogs with calorie-wise choices such as low-fat homemade Bison and veggie burgers. Tasty sweet potato fries, wraps, poutine and Montreal smoked meat are part of a delicious selection. Customers can complete their meal with frozen yogurt, sugar-free ice cream or old-fashioned favourites like banana splits and sundaes.

Mr B’s Ice Cream and Grill, corner of Walker and St. George Streets. Port Dover 519-583-9689

Imaginations Fine Foods for Eat-In and Take-Out

In the downtown heart of Port Dover, but not far from the beach, Imaginations Fine Foods is a charming eat-in or take-out café, serving salads, soups, pot pies and panini sandwiches. Grill-ready take-away options include pork chops steeped in Chef Anthony Stingo’s house specialty Mongolian marinade. Patrons can also stock up on local and imported delicacies from the superb collection of gourmet jams and condiments.

Imaginations Fine Foods; Corner of Main and Market Streets, Port Dover 519-583-9195

The copyright of the article Where to Eat in Port Dover, Ontario in North American Culinary Travel is owned by Heather Zorzini. Permission to republish Where to Eat in Port Dover, Ontario in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.