Someone I know recommended this place so I hopped on here to read a few reviews before going for the first time .... and ... there were a few of not so great reviews--I almost didn't go after reading them. I feel obligated to hop on to counter (just in my experience) all the negative reviews. My friend and I showed up this morning (Saturday) at around 10:30 and it looked really full. I 100% expected that we would need to wait for min 30 mins for a table. Especially when they asked if we had a reservation, but we got in after about 10 mins. The front staff were courteous and communicative and friendly. At least three people made eye contact/told us someone would be with us shortly, or said a bright and cheery hello. Again, given how busy it was, even once seated, I expected to wait a bit for a server. Nope. Almost instantly there was a lovely server at our table taking our drink orders and answering questions. I ordered the drip coffee (I usually opt for something fancier but was trying to keep the cost of the meal down a bit) and it was strong and delicious and served promptly. Both my friend and I ordered eggs benny. She ordered the original. I was VERY excited to see vegetarian options and took a chance on the "real fake meat" bacon and I'm so glad I did. Wow, I loved this meal so much. I ordered my eggs medium poached and they were cooked perfectly--which based on my past ordering experience (at other places) seems to be the most challenging way to poach and egg, so generally I either get fully runny or hard boiled, not nice and jammy and just a tiny bit runny like I like it. They nailed the medium poached egg. The Hollandaise was incredible. The biscuit it was served on (so much better than an English Muffin) was flaky and delicious. There was a bit of lovely, lightly-dressed salad, and a handful of roasted potatoes. My friend also loved hers. We were seated close to the kitchen, which was fine, and also gave me a bird's eye view of other dished coming out. The chicken and waffles and friend chicken sandwich looked so good that I want to take my husband and son back (meat eaters to my veggie). Honestly, we were both so impressed by the food, the ambiance, and most of all the service. The staff was amazing IMO. Anyway, hope this is helpful for anyone who like me, reads the not so great reviews, and think of skipping this place. I'll be back for sure. Probably a lot. read more

I went back here as my friends insisted. I hesitate to return due to the rising cost of their meals and the quality declining. Well, this just further justified why I do not spend my money here anymore $22-$28 for an eggs Benedict is ridiculous first of all. Second, their potatoes used to be so good but have been horrible for over a year and they give you the smallest portion. I also find the service to be so slow and everyone who works there is absolutely miserable. I paid almost $70 for my underwhelming and small brunch which included a specialty coffee and overpriced tiny caesar drink. This is the last time I'll go here. Go around the corner to Lionshead where you can get properly proportioned brunch dishes for a fraction of the price and service with a smile. read more

Not bad - first time there a few weeks ago- Got iced coffee with vanilla- delicious and priced well/ potatoes - roasted chunks/ not bad amount for 6$ price and a cinnamon bun- the bun was good as was the icing but the icing was actually real cream cheese- for me it was a bit much as I scrapped a lot off and would of still had enough to add on a bagel but it wasn't as sweet as I'd like it - otherwise I shall be back and try other items including I heard the sangria flight only thing is they close like 2 pm every day including weekends so day drinking it is! read more

Had a very tasty, overpriced Cubano sandwich there last weekend. The food was pretty good though. The downside was the large piece if bamboo skewer along with several other small pieces of wood in my delicious salad. If I wasn't a thorough chewer I would have swallowed a 1inch piece of bamboo. Pretty scary when you think about it. I managed to flag down a server and showed her the pieces. She was pretty busy but took them to the kitchen. After 15 minutes she came back to tell me that the kitchen said it was a sandwich skewer in my salad. Yeah, no kidding. She was completely unconcerned about it. Literally didn't care. No manager came over and nothing was comped. Overall I'd say that the food tastes pretty good. The drinks menu is also good. Obviously the service was not good and the overall complete lack of concern for a very real choking hazard in my food has left me with no desire to go back. Bill came to about $140 after coffees, 1 cocktail, 1 mimosa flight and 2 mains. Absolutely will not return. read more

Great design! Service felt a bit rushed but was friendly. The food F**KS!! Amazing place, F****ing love the North End. read more

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Great food, friendly service, but disapointed in how they try to gouge every cent out of you. $1.50 for a coffee refill is fairly common I guess but $3. for a tablespoon of jam for your toast is way over the top Apparently they make the jam in-house but it was too liquidy, I actually dipped my toast in it instead of spreading it. Decent meal but I wouldn't go back, price gouging put a negative pall on everything. read more

Such a lovely breakfast experience! Delightfully delicious and wonderful service. Such a vibey place in Halifax with fantastic food curated with local and fresh flavours. The coffee is delicious and if you stay, both the patio and the indoor seating will have you enchanted. Professional and quick service that comes with a smile. We got he breakfast sammy and a smoked salmon Benny.... YUM! The fresh flakey sesame challah roll with the crispy over easy egg on the Sammy to the butter rich but balanced hollandaise over the Smokey salmon was fantastic. The seasoned potato's and greens they come with certainly add that Cherry on top component too! Definitely check them out! read more

Almonak - Breakfast sammy and smoked salmon eggs Benny - Cafes Near Me - Halifax, Nova Scotia

Almonak is a brunch spot on Almon Street. They have a nice cinnamon bun cut in half with whipped cream cheese icing. Our group tried a number of dishes. Hummus and focaccia were nice. read more

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This meal was delicious and so easy to put together!! You have to pre-order the family meal by noon the day before. Pick up will be after 4 the next day. I sent an email and received a lovely confirmation email in return!! Instructions to heat the meal are easy and Almonak even included parchment paper to line your baking sheet!! Seasoning was spot on!! The brisket was tender and juicy and the polenta is out of this world!! So good!! Vegetables were all delicious!! Portion sizes are very generous!! Just add the wine and you will amaze your family!! Excellent idea Almonak!! read more

Almonak - Family meal!! - Cafes Near Me - Halifax, Nova Scotia

Hands down the best service and food that we have had for breakfast in Nova Scotia. Perfect Eggs Benedict

Best coffee I've had in years. Eggs Benny were great. Mimosa was excellent. Nice Atmosphere. Cutlery, salt and pepper need to be on the table before the food arrives. Otherwise, the food sits there getting cold while you're waiting for your server to bring them. read more

Almonak is a place that makes you pay for your Instagram post. A very trendy spot to sit down, spend an entire weeks worth of income on food to impress people who aren't even around. The food was delicious, but the portion size felt like they were trying to ration food to save for the apocalypse. I am cool with small portions if the price reflects that, but here at Almonak we like to gouge our customers because most of them are 20 years old and have daddys credit card. A great business move from the owners, as they realized that these girls will literally buy anything if the spot is trendy enough. One more plant wall and one more funky pattern you'll be soon able to trade in your car for 2 eggs. This is not a restaurant for normal people, but if you care more about your aesthetic then ever paying back your student loan - this is the place for you. Once again, the food WAS good, but I left there completely naked as I sold the shirt off my back to afford it. I know it says 3 starts but I feel like a strong 2.5 on this one. Cheers, Onionringlover69 read more

The restaurant was very nice and clean. Customer Service wasn't the best. It took almost 2 hours for our food. Once they brought me my food, my bacon wasn't done. I didn't understand because we had reservations. As much as I would like to give it another chance I think I will pass. read more

The service at this quaint brunch restaurant is excellent and very prompt and friendly. Ownership believes in good local craft beer. The food was served promptly and it was mostly hot except for my potatoes. The eggs Benny with prosciutto was perfect and the flavours were superb. This is the best type of funky restaurant and deserves to be a go to. read more

It is nice to see a trendy eatier in that part of town, the North End is really coming along. Three of us went there for a late Sunday bruch. The place was pretty busy and because of the loud music we opted to sit outside. Patio is ok, could use a bit more plants etc etc I find it amusing that another review mentioned the loud aggressive rap/hip hop music inside, due to nature of the surfaces in the interior there is nothing muffling the music. Doubtful you could have a converstation inside so we had to sit outside. This must be an on going issue since we when we mentioned it, our server refused to do anything saying they had already turned it down (!) and we were told the same thing as in another review when we mentioned it, "that's the vibe", lol. Food was very good and presentation great. Service attentive. But sticker shock, over $100 for a fairly simple brunch. I ordered the lemonade with charcoal, great idea a black lemonade but at $6.75 for a small water glass it was too much. So maybe some light nu jazz and lower prices and we might come back. read more

Finally, made it back to Halifax and could not wait to go back to the Almonak for a real nice experience. My first visit at the Almonak was just after their opening, had baked goods and a coffee. Good stuff in a nice decor. We were eager to try their dinner menu. We were treated to a very special evening of a unique tasting menu. An experience second to none, chef Luis went wild on the creative side...all senses were called to tasked on this meal, visually pleasing, thrilling perfumes and smells and absolutley exciting for the taste buds....wow! Outstanding ambiance and amazing service. Not our last visit. It is bound to become an icon on the Halifax food scene! read more

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Third visit: lunch on a drizzly Wednesday. Tried the Chickpeas bowl (braised chickpeas, smoked tofu, curry miso broth, yams, granola, cucumber $16.5). I saw nor tasted any cucumber whatsoever, but the dish overall was my favorite so far. Lots of flavor, and probably one of the more filling bowl items on the menu...I was very full when done. Busier this lunch time than my prior to visits, but no wait for a table. read more

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I can't believe this place has any good reviews... the food was awful (got eggs Benny and was the worst I've ever had and $19). OWNER IS VERY PRETENTIOUS AND HORRIBLE TO DEAL WITH. Asked if music could be turned down for my recently concussed friend, we were also with 2 other people and none of us could hear each other speak over the club music... at 9:30am. The owner refused and said "that's the vibe". Multiple wait staff came over to apologize and help out. Otherwise we would have left. Also read a review that said he followed a woman down the street after her visit. Another friend told us he got staff to argue with her about her allergy. Needless to say, DO NOT GIVE THIS MAN YOUR BUSINESS. read more

What an incredible breakfast. The dirty rice is fantastic, service is good, staff are friendly. Only downside that is typical for Halifax is finding parking and then you are limited to 1 hour. Food is definitely worth the parking hassle. read more

Enjoyed an evening with a group of six people. The wait person was awesome, the drinks and food were good. The menu is unnecessarily complicated. The "Family Style" service is a nice idea and depending on the group can be fun. The real issue was timing. We ordered slightly more dishes than the recommended 2.5 per person. We expected a sample of each "category" to arrive at once. What we got was all the dishes "From the Dirt", about 20 minutes later all the "From the Crop", and finally the meat dishes arrived. Perhaps the kitchen needs to take a minute and review the order to pair dishes together to ensure guests have a balanced table. read more

Almonak opened in the last few weeks. I have had brunch and numerous lattes to go. Brunch was "ok" - I had one of the 5 or 6 benedicts that they offer - I do not care for eggs benedict but nothing else was appealing to me either so went with it and got the sauce on the side. The place is noisy with the music playing rather loudly making it difficult to have a conversation. This is the reason why I get the lattes to go - the lattes are very good. They are busy and I hope they do well - just do not enjoy the noise level. read more

Customer service is prompt and friendly. Dining area is neat and washroom clean. Sanitizer is ready when you enter and they have nice patio that you might wanna grab before it got busy. The latte is awesome. The dishes I had are very filling, too. read more

Best and most surprising restaurant meal I have ever had in Halifax! Had the lamb in mole and black bean sauces for lunch which was amazing and my friend liked her duck entree as much as I liked mine. Of course we needed no persuasion to view the dessert menu. O pistachio -- OMG! I hope to return soon and often to sample many more of the inventive dishes on the lunch, dinner, and brunch menus! read more

Don't waste your money on this unsanitary place. No one wants to get sick. Unsanitary conditions and in-fighting between staff and management serve to create an uninspiring meal. Go elsewhere- you will be disappointed here. read more

We went for dinner tonight and was absolutely blown away! Chef Luis put together an amazing tasting menu specifically for us. It was creative, delicious, and visually spectacular! It was a Wednesday night and the restaurant was buzzing. A must try for sure! read more

Sadly as much as I have enjoyed this place in the past yesterdays experience was humiliating and unsettling to the point we won't be back. When we arrived the seating host told us it could be as much as a 45 minute wait. He took our cell phone number and said he would call when our table was ready. We walked around the area waiting for a call. No call. We returned 45 minutes later and there was group of 2 waiting for a table. They said they had been waiting for 10 minutes. We found the seating host and he said he didn't have a table yet and this group that had been waiting 10 minutes was next. He said sorry he told them they were next. I suggested he explain to them he was in error but no. After much discussion it was apparent although several groups had been served during that 45 minutes and left and despite our phone number being top of the list on his clipboard we were ignored. Can management explain this? I have sent a lot of business to this restaurant but no more. read more

Don't waste you time or $$ on this dirty place. Truly a disappointment. Unfriendly staff, ridiculous noise levels for music and people. Wanna sit really close to strangers on a romantic date - this aint the place. Over-Priced only ok food and trying to be something their definitely not. Totally pretentious atmosphere. Construction noise across street only further took away from one of our worst eat out experiences. Won't be back and doubt the'll be around for long anyways. read more