WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE?

Tara MacLean on the Best P.E.I. Restaurants for Seafood and the Top Places to Put on a Show

The Juno-nominated musician and CAA member shares her favourites.

By Nicole Keen

Growing up in Charlottetown, P.E.I., Tara MacLean was immersed in music of all kinds. “It was the water we swam in; it was essential,” says MacLean, who now lives in nearby Rustico. As a solo artist and as part of the Juno-nominated group Shaye, MacLean has performed everywhere from small stages to legendary festivals such as Lilith Fair and Glastonbury. She also published a bestselling memoir, Song of the Sparrow, and she is hard at work on her first novel. And, of course, music has never left the picture; MacLean has a new album coming in 2027. “I’ve been doing this for 30 years, and I sometimes feel like I’m just getting started.”

A woman in a floral dress with long blonde hair poses for a photos

Where do you like to hang out?

I love the beach in Rustico. There’s a great little café called Frothy Coffee, and it’s right across the street from Cricker’s Creamery, which [serves] excellent ice cream. Ice cream is a big deal over here. We do not mess around when it comes to our ice cream!

What are you reading at the moment?

It’s funny, when I’m writing a book, I don’t read as much on purpose. But Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan is really beautiful. The book that I’m about to read is Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke. I’m very excited to dive into it.

What radio station or album are you listening to in the car?

I’m on the road a lot lately in the U.K., so I listen to BBC 6. I love listening to Run-D.M.C. and Rage Against the Machine. I really love Phoebe Bridgers. I’m also a huge fan of an Icelandic artist named Ólafur Arnalds. One of my other favourite musicians is my [former] bandmate Damhnait Doyle, and she’s got a new record. It’s going to knock everyone’s socks off!

Where do you love to perform?

There’s a place in Charlottetown called The Trailside Music Hall. And then there’s a little place in Sheffield, England, called Cafe No. 9. It only fits about 40 people, [so] it’s very intimate and lovely. And then in Ireland, there’s a venue called Levis Corner House. Every Canadian who’s played in Ireland will refer to that venue.

Where do you go for top-notch seafood on the island?

This is really hard. There are so many amazing restaurants on this island, but there’s Dalvay by the Sea, and I haven’t been there yet, but The Inn at Bay Fortune [by Chef Michael Smith] is supposed to be the place to go. CAA

A rustic wooden café with a checkered flag on its roof, and outdoor chairs out front; Snow-covered grass and dunes beside a rocky shoreline

The book Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan, with a red cover

A pink two-storey building with a “Levis” sign above its storefront; A wood-panelled room with a stone fireplace, a round wooden table, a horse painting on the wall and a ceiling fan

(Clockwise from top left) Frothy Coffee in Rustico; the beach in Rustico; Icelandic artist Ólafur Arnalds; Dalvay by the Sea on the north shore of P.E.I.; Levis Corner House in Ireland; Claire Keegan’s Small Things Like These. | PHOTOS: COURTESY OF FROTHY COFFEE; COURTESY OF TOURISM PEI; CARSTOR/WIKIPEDIA; COURTESY OF DALVAY BY THE SEA; COURTESY OF LEVIS CORNER HOUSE; COURTESY OF AMAZON

“I love listening to Run-D.M.C. and Rage Against the Machine. I really love Phoebe Bridgers. I’m also a huge fan of an Icelandic artist named Ólafur Arnalds.”

The Trailside Music Hall in Charlottetown. | PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE TRAILSIDE MUSIC HALL

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