Dining out is one of the experiences that highlight your vacation no matter where you’re staying; a delicious meal after a fun day at the beach, riding amusement park rides, or kayaking or hiking in the Canadian lakes and mountains completes the picture of a perfect vacation day.
Lion’s Head Restaurants
You’ll be happy to know when Lion’s Head, Ontario, is your vacation spot this year; there are numerous Lion’s Head restaurants you and your family will love and possibly return to again and again during your visit. Once you’ve stopped at the Lion’s Head lighthouse, explored some caves, hiked (or knapsacked) some trails, and kayaked Lion’s Head Harbour, chances are you are going to have worked up a Canadian moose-sized appetite.
These Ontario restaurants are noted for their diverse menus, casual atmospheres, and convenient proximity to many Lion’s Head cottage rentals and Bruce Peninsula cottage rentals. You can start your day with breakfast at one of these Lion’s Head restaurants, map your day out with fun activities and attractions, and wind up close to your cottage rental with dinner at yet another of these fine Ontario restaurants.
So be sure to put the following restaurants on your list of things to do in Lion’s Head—remember, your taste buds are on vacation, too!
Bear Tracks Inn & Restaurant
Noted as “cozy, comfortable, and clean”, Bear Tracks Inn & Restaurant on Highway 6 serves a Mama Bear breakfast of two eggs, homefries, bacon, and toast (served until 3 p.m. for all you vacationers intending to sleep in!), as well as lunch and dinner menus. These menus are always in-season, with a wide variety of signature-crust pizzas, burgers, wings, wraps, and salads, and enticing entrees such as homemade chicken pot pie, beer-battered haddock, chicken parmesan, and fresh Georgian Bay Whitefish.
There are beverages for the whole family: milkshakes, juice, bottled pop, beer, liquor, cocktails, and wine.
This establishment ensures it stands out among Lion’s Head restaurants by being environmentally conscious and friendly. From increasing local deliveries to setting scheduling deliveries with other area businesses to decrease emissions, Bear Tracks focuses on reducing, recycling, and reusing.
These practices include take-out containers, paper towels, and even placemats made of recycled materials; no-bleach napkins and toilet paper; paper straws; biodegradable cutlery; and landfill-reducing kitchen waste that is instead used as compost. The restaurant also utilizes a water filtration system and is even changing its lighting system to LEDs.
Eating at Bear Tracks is always a win-win: you get awesome food in a relaxed setting and do your part to enhance the world around us.
And don’t forget to stop in the gif shop on the way out: an appealing array of ceramics, apparel, and so much more.
Lion’s Head Inn Restaurant & Pub
Housed in a structure built in 1879, the Lion’s Head Inn Restaurant & Pub has been a hospital and even a Methodist Church in its previous lives, but in 1996 it became its current entity: among the finest Ontario restaurants with a menu of burgers, sandwiches, pasta dishes, whitefish, and even New York steak. The restaurant prides itself on the use of local fish, lamb, and beef. Salads, soups, and appetizers round out the menu.
Two large patios accommodate outdoor diners. There’s also beer on tap and an impressive wine list as well as a convenient online ordering feature. The restaurant is open year-round!
While hours can change without notice, the Inn and Restaurant is closed Mondays, open Tuesday – Sunday noon – 7 p.m. (8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays). The restaurant closes each afternoon briefly for employee breaks. Hours may change during holidays.
Visitors later in 2021 can expect to see a renovated Lion’s Head Inn, so be sure to stop in and see the updates, experience the fine food, and come where “everyone is welcome.”
Plan an Ontario Trip
Rent Cottage offers some of the best cottage rentals in Ontario, mainly two, three, and four+ bedroom rentals that sleep up to eight, with full kitchens, fireplaces, washer/dryer, and in some cases, awe-inspiring waterfront views. You can even find a cottage rental with a hot tub in Ontario if you desire!
The Taste Kitchen
From specialty teas and a wide range of espressos, cappuccinos, and lattes to fish, burgers, and platters, The Taste Kitchen is sure to have a taste for everyone in the family.
Its mouthwatering menu includes toasted sandwiches, chicken pesto or chicken cranberry paninis, breakfast and other wraps, pitas, burgers, chicken tenders, and meat platters (Texas-style briskets and pulled pork or Mediterranean style with grilled pita and chicken kebob).
House-made desserts are equally mouthwatering, with offers such as baked tarts, muffins, pie, or cake.
The Taste Kitchen is situated on Main Street, near the intersection of Webster Street, just a block over from Helen Street and the Lion’s Head Inn Restaurant & Pub. The restaurant is open Thursday – Monday 11 a.m. – 8 p.m., with the kitchen closing at 7 p.m.
Trufood Cafe
For those who are health-conscious, dining out can be a real challenge. Good news: if this describes you, the Trufood Café on Highway 6 caters to this crowd!
Vegan, keto, and paleo options are offered, as are vegan and gluten-free dishes. On this menu, you’ll find assorted gluten-free baked goods like cookies, cakes, and bread; vegan paninis; marinated salads (bean, lentil, and carrot slaw); organic medium and dark roast coffees; bottles of natural soda, juice, and water; and ready-made freezer meals of stews, quiche, pulled pork wraps, and more.
There are also delicious smoothies: Creamsicle, Trufood Energy, Cheerful Chocolate, or Peppermint Patty, in addition to breakfast and lunch sandwiches, assorted muffins (including lemon blueberry or raspberry, maple oatmeal, or banana chocolate chip), and a soup of the day.
Trufood Café is the perfect stop as you navigate between attractions or activities to grab a refreshing and nutritious snack or light breakfast or lunch, or for an early dinner on your way back to your cottage rental at the end of the day.
The café is open daily from 6:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.; new hours began in May 2021.
Book Your Lion’s Head Cottage Rental
You could choose to spend an entire vacation day at your cottage rental, enjoying such indoor and outdoor amenities as Smart TVs, patio furniture, propane BBQ and firepits, kayaks and canoes, ping pong, or pool tables, and high-speed internet access.
Most cottages have patios or decks, jacuzzi tubs, stainless steel appliances, and an open kitchen/living area ideal for family meals or get-togethers. If you’re lucky to be near a lake, you could go swimming, fishing, canoeing, or kayaking; watch the sunset, or just sit near the water and enjoy a book.
Remember you’re never far from a fine Ontario eating establishment, so if there’s a meal you don’t wish to cook, simply take a short trip to one of many Lion’s Head restaurants and dine in, or maybe order take out and enjoy your meal on the patio or at your dining table overlooking a truly spectacular lake view. And besides dining, there are nearby shops, parks, boat tours, beaches, and lots of other things to do in Lion’s Head.
