When visiting Alma, New Brunswick, I think most people would expect to find some epic seafood rather than pub food like nachos. I was told in the past that Sapranos Pizza has nachos (and we still need to try that place); however, we were directed toward Muddy Rudder while at one of our favorite Alma hangouts - The Holy Whale Brewery! We noticed the Muddy Rudder Bar & Grill's menu hung up at the brewery, and we were excited to see nachos on their menu! After a life-changing hike down the Upper Salmon River Trail at Fundy National Park (just around the corner from Alma), we made a beeline for the beer and nachos as a reward for completing a challenging trail. The first thing I noticed on the menu was that the nachos were priced a bit less than average! In my previous experiences, this price might give you chips with queso on them or very low quality nachos, so I went in with low expectations. Below are the pictures of the nachos from our first trip to The Muddy Rudder and then our second trip the next day. The second trip should be a clue as to how satisfied we were with these nachos!
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| Muddy Rudder Beef Nachos - July 2021 |
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| Muddy Rudder Beef Nachos - July 2021 |
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| Muddy Rudder Pulled Pork Nachos - July 2021 |
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| Muddy Rudder Pulled Pork Nachos - July 2021 |
Distribution of Toppings
I would say they mastered the distribution of toppings. Every bite was filled with toppings and cheese with a satisfying amount of homemade guacamole on the side.
Quality
We did not ask for extra cheese either time that we came for these underrated nachos, so what you see in the pictures is their standard chip-to-cheese ratio. I really like how restaurants go above and beyond with their guacamole because I have seen places that just use generic store-bought guacamole to have on the side. They knew that if we were paying extra for the guacamole, that they had to put in the extra effort. There was a great mixture of delicious veggies, meat and cheese on both visits and they mastered the Toast Factor. The only thing I would add is to consider adding a dusting of spice on top to further enhance the flavor.
Value
The veggie nachos that come with a salsa and sour cream are $12 which is below average especially for nachos of this caliber. If you add guacamole, it is $3 extra. If you add chicken, beef, or pulled pork it is $4 extra. The value is amazing on these nachos.
Service
The service was fantastic. Both times, the servers were very prompt, efficient, and friendly.
Quantity
If you order nachos fully-loaded with all the extras, you can leave feeling nice and satisfied if you share with another person. We ordered something else with the nachos just because we were hiking that day and the hike gave us more of an appetite. Therefore, if you just hiked the challenging Upper Salmon River Trail, the Fundy Footpath, etc., you might want to have something extra if you're sharing these nachos.
Conclusion
I would always come to Alma, New Brunswick with the expectation that I was going to have seafood, pasta, breakfast food, etc., and not nachos. Not only does the Muddy Rudder offer great nachos, but they also set a very attractive price, and thus they understand the economics of it all. Usually, in a place with high tourism, you would increase the price because of the increase in demand, but they also understand that tourists will be attracted by a great value, and nachos are a great way to bring in groups and sell lots of beer! I will go to Sapranos Pizza sometime for pizza and nachos to check out what else Alma has to offer for this kind of food; for today, I think we have a new favorite in Albert County for pub food.
Nacho Blog Rating: A