Food lovers are spoiled rotten in Halifax. Being situated on the East Coast, there’s always great seafood in the city, but there’s so much else to sample too, whether you want to splurge on a gourmet feast or pick up something good to eat on the run.
Canadian Specialties
If you want to experience Nova Scotian cuisine at its finest, there are great restaurants that celebrate local ingredients in inventive ways. Chives Canadian Bistro (5120 Salter Street) is a much loved locals favorite that is worth visiting for the heavenly biscuits alone, which are served in place of bread, with bowls of molasses and whipped butter to spread them with. Local foods feature heavily on the menu, and there are lots of fabulous fish and seafood dishes to try (as well as steaks and decent vegetarian options).
Located in the Haliburton House Hotel (5184 Morris Street), Stories is one of Halifax’s hidden gems. Cozy and intimate, this impressive restaurant offers an innovative and exciting menu that relies heavily on game and meat such as the likes of venison Carpaccio and bison tenderloin. Trendy wood fired pizza joint Morris East (5212 Morris Street) relies heavily on locally sourced ingredients, and has a really creative menu as a consequence (make sure to leave room for one of their salted caramel tarts, and try one of their seasonally flavored cocktails).
If you’re in the mood for something less fancy, then you could dig into a steaming dish of poutine (basically fries and cheese curds covered in gravy) at Smoke’s Poutinerie (5236 Blowers Street) or grab fish and chips (or fried scallops and clams, or a lobster roll) at The Battered Fish down on the waterfront.
Carnivorous Delights
If you want thick, juicy steaks, then there’s nowhere better than Cut Steakhouse and Urban Grill (5120 Salter Street), upstairs is where you’ll get a thick Porterhouse or T-Bone cooked exactly how you like it, and some of the most incredible sides you’ll ever taste (the donut sized onion rings are unbelievably good), while downstairs you’ll catch lighter fare like mini Kobe sliders and lobster poutine.
Halifax has recently had a couple of really good BBQ joints open up, so if you’ve a hankering for ribs or pulled pork you can head to Boneheads (1014 Barrington Street) or Q Meats (1580 Argyle Street) – which is better is a topic of fierce debate, and really comes down to personal choice. The city is also famous for its donairs (sliced spiced meat served in a pita), which come served with an addictively sweet sauce that looks (and tastes) a little like frosting. You’ll find donairs served all over the city, and the local chain King of Donairs is a good bet if you’re looking for something spicy and meaty at the end of a fun night out.
Dinner with Drinks
All along Argyle Street, you’ll find bars and restaurants, and it can be fun to hop from one to the other, especially in the summer when they all have patios. You can get fabulous old-fashioned cocktails at Bistro Le Coq (1584 Argyle Street), as well as plates of fat local oysters, cheese and charcuterie. At The Carlton (1685 Argyle Street) you can get very grown up drinks (their martinis are superb), good food, and catch some live music (usually singer songwriter type gigs). The Bitter End (1572 Argyle Street) has seriously knock-out cocktails and martinis, as well as a great appetizer menu.