“Feeling good”: attractions and dining at Cobourg

Ontario's Feel Good Town

On our yearly summer outing, our group of friends decided to spend a night in Cobourg. As we arrived at Cobourg, we were greeted by signs that they have been dubbed (by themselves, I don’t know :) ) as Ontario’s feel good town. Well, we were all ready to feel good so bring it on!

The Waterfront Festival was underway when we arrived so parking was a mess. We checked out the Farmer’s market first which was quite small. They offered some nice baked goodies but the selection was not big.  We also decided not to go to the Arts and Crafts show as it charged an admission of $7 per person. We know it was for a good cause but it was just not that worth it for us.

Victoria Hall at Cobourg

Then, we walked to the nearby marina to start building our appetite for lunch.

Cobourg Marina

We had lunch at Buttermilk Café. They served all day breakfast and some great burgers. Grandma and DD#1 got some traditional breakfast meals—omelet and pancakes. Hubby got the "Odd Couple" Tartine-- grilled chicken breast with bacon, honey mustard sauce and melted Monterey Jack cheese on their own Country Bread. I had a small bite and it was yummy.

Odd Couple Tartine at Buttermilk Cafe, Cobourg

 DD#2 and I shared the Gourmet Canadian Burger. It was deliciously juicy and flavourful! The burger was topped with Canadian bacon, honey mustard sauce, roasted tomato, and provolone cheese. It was served on house-made grilled focaccia--one of the better burgers I had!

Gourmet Canadian Burger at Buttermilk Cafe, Cobourg

After lunch, we walked along King St. to check out the many wonderful shops. The kids pestered us for some beach time so we headed to the beach next.

Victoria Park at Cobourg

 The beach at Victoria park was wide and clean. Garbage cans were available, lifeguards were on duty, and as there was a festival, police patrolled the area. There were food trucks and stalls nearby as well as a splashpad if kids got tired of the lake and sand. The waters of Lake Ontario did leave much to be desired. I did not even dip in. The kids were oblivious to the cold and weeds though.

Beach at Cobourg

 Before we knew it, it was dinner time! We went to Corfu Mediterranean Grill, which was a smallish place for a group of 14 people. But they got us to fit and the food was fantastic! DD#1 got some of her favourite calamari. They were lightly- battered and golden brown. Beautifully fried and served with tzatziki dip, they were delightful.

Calamari at Corfu Mediterranean Grill, Cobourg

 The rest mostly had Chicken Souvlaki. The skewers of marinated chicken were charbroiled to perfection. It came with rice (or potatoes) and tzatziki sauce as well. Our other friends got Chicken Gyro dinner and they also said it was delicious!

Chicken Souvlaki at Corfu Mediterranean Grill, Cobourg

 We spent the night at a nearby inn to prepare for more adventures the next day.

It was a good day with good friends—ingredients guaranteed for any feel good moment!