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Bar Kismet

4.5 (49 reviews)
Closed • 5:00 pm - 12:00 am (Next day)

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BAR KISMET ATMOSPHERE

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Sara G.

Not easy to land a resy here so really glad this spot is so delicious. Cocktails sound odd but taste great and the small plates were super creative. Also loved the music and the plants- solid vibe.

PEI oysters
Natalie C.

My review is solely on the food and not drinks, therefore some might not consider this as a "full experience". We ordered oysters, chicken mousse pate and carrot with crab meat to start. I ordered halibut cheek as my main, as this is something I never seen in Toronto. My mom ordered the cod fish. The oysters were from PEI, fresh but not super plump. Overall, they tasted pretty good. The chicken pate was presented beautifully - piped on a slice of sourdough! The flavouring was on point. The balsamic vinegar glaze added a nice finish to it. All components of the grilled carrot with crab meat served on the bernaise sauce complemented each other very well. The main dishes were overly salty, especially the halibut cheeks. I think they salted the halibut too early amd therefore the salt drew out the water content of the protein. This caused the fish to be on the hard/firm side and therefore the fish lost the slightly buttery texture. It was my first time eating raw snow pea shoots - it was tossed in olive oil, coarse sea salt and a hint of lemon juice. The cod itself was not overly salted, however the salsa verde was very salty. The good thing is that the verde could be easily brushed. The potato cake/hash brown was good. Overall, I'm a bit disappointed with the flavoring of the food, but the ingredients are fresh.

Carrots and Crab
Christopher C.

Relaxed vibe, local feel with adventurous food and drink. Worth a trip but be prepared not to like everything. The menu is small too so would not recommend for vegetarians or picky eaters.

Bread
Dominic D.

Over our Halifax holidays we've focused on food and drink, and this place was tied for top of the list. Overall an amazing dinner, great ambiance, and good service. Highly recommend everything we tried, and would return again if we could. Food: We started with Raw Oysters (small dish but packs a delicious punch; toppers are flavourful and overpower the oyster itself; still recommend), bread (standard but well priced; few "dipping" dishes), and Tuba Tartare (toppings are potent and you mix them in to your liking, including an aioli with matches the skinny fries it's served with; recommend). The mains were Carrots, Crab and Bernaise (strongly recommend; best dish of our trip; not as sweet as expected, but so so good) and Grilled Perch (strongly recommend; umami, with possibly pickled celery giving sour notes to compliment a minty/cilantro chimichurri on the perch). Dessert was strawberry rhubarb eclair (simple but creamy and delicious). In general I will say celery and salt are common ingredients, but I loved it. Drinks: We love complex drinks, so while all were delicious, our favourite were Approaching ease (tangerine sweetness to offset herbal feature of gentian and fur) and Pinkshinyultrablast (favourite of the night). Others were Badge of Honour, Mint Condition (least complex, but good to balance heavier Bitter Optimist), Bitter Optimist (old fashioned style; cherry came through at the end), and King of Impracticality (clarified drink; dessert drink that's coconut forward).

Raw oysters served with horseradish and onion vinegar sauce
Josiah K.

This tuna tartare had a very unique delivery system. The seasoning on the top allowed me to mix it on my own and allowing it to maintain an excellent texture. The tuna tasted fresh and was overall an excellent part of the meal. The fries reminded me of Hickory Sticks due to the thin texture and was such a refreshing touch to the generic side of fries. Crispy, savoury, yet not dry. The gnocchi was my main dish and was one of the best I ever had. The pasta itself was silky and enveloped the sauce almost perfectly. The burnt walnuts added an extra level of flavour and allowed for a richer and nuttier taste to the dish. The raw oysters were the showstopper of the night. Not only did the oysters taste fresh out of the ocean, but it also came with horseradish to cleanse the pallet and onion infused vinegar to complement the appetizer. As far as service goes, my table's server went above and beyond to cater to our needs. We mentioned that we were visiting from out of town and he provided excellent recommendations. Even when I stepped away from my table, my server folded my napkin again when he saw it was in disarray. Towards the end of the meal, we struck up an excellent conversation about the history of the restaurant. The overall experience at the restaurant was wonderful. It had a very cozy yet classy feeling to the whole place. 5 stars for this wonderful restaurant.

Daniel A.

An unforgettable meal that matches up to its hype. Bar Kismet is a culinary hotspot with a variety of unique dishes to choose from. The tuna tartare is to die for, and I don't typically enjoy raw fish/meat. The chorizo stuffed squid was incentive and delicious. Unfortunately, the rapini orechiette was bland and priced 2x what it should have been - though beyond this, everything else was spot on!

Bar Kismet.

Excellent service, great ambience. Cocktails were different and really good. The food! Just wonderful. Great flavours. The Big Salad was a revelation. Great scallops, oysters. A real treat. They went out of their way to make us welcome. Highly recommended.

Cranberry cake & creme anglais
Jason T.

First night out in Halifax and Bar Kismet was one to remember. Ambience is cozy with lots of cute plants. Service was quick and attentive. But the food... I can only say WOW. We ordered everything to be shared (seems like this is how it was meant to be). Started off with two smaller dishes. The tonnato melt and the tuna tartare. I could not put down my fork for the tartare. We then got a bigger dish. The halibut with corn and chanterelles. I wanted to lick the sauce off the plate. We then got some dessert (a cranberry cake and a fruit galette/tart). We also decided to try some of their semi soft cheese with the dessert. If you're hesitating about getting the cheese, I would just say get it. It's well worth it. Overall an amazing experience and we will be back the next time we're in Halifax.

Interior

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9 years ago

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7 years ago

Just amazing. Food, service, and ambience were exactly what I wanted and more. So happy to have found this place.

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The Narrows - Narrows house

The Narrows

5.0(3 reviews)
0.2 km•North End

Nut allergy friendly: No issues here!…read more Arrived at 1:30PM on a Sunday. It was still relatively packed but I got seated at a shared table as a solo diner with no issues. Time to Entree: 18 Minutes The Narrows is somewhere you could walk by and just think "Wow, that's a really cool old house." It's reminiscent of somewhere like Union Oyster House in Boston with just a cozy, old-timey feeling. Inside, it still feels like someone's home. It's packed with memorabilia and pieces of history and it feels like you're seated in a small museum. I was recommended their fish and chips by several locals and on social media. It absolutely lived up to the hype. Maybe one of the best fish and chips I've had in my life. Absolutely huge portions with the fish tasting like it just came off the coast, yet still perfectly crispy even with squeezing lemon on it. I was full the rest of the day after finishing it. If it wasn't a 30 minute walk from downtown I'd have gone several days during my trip. As it stands, it was definitely worth the trek.

OK LET ME TELL U, WE WERE MOVED TO TEARS. upon entry, our hearts melted. amazing decor, gorgeous…read morelighting and great service. we were seated in da cutest nook of all time. we ordered the fish chips; they were banging. the salmon toast; what a delight. the grilled romaine; flavor explosion. finally the haddock chowder special which brought Maple soaring back to her childhood, eating clam chowder made by her truly whimsical mother. then to completely top off this epic experience our server bridget, treated our table to the STICKY TOFFEE PUDDDDIN. A COMBINATION OF TEXTURES TAKEN TO THE EXTREME. loved this pub, would definitely come again if i ever randomly drive to nova scotia with my girls.

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The Narrows - Outside

Outside

The Narrows - Narrows drink menu

Narrows drink menu

The Narrows - Narrows sign out front

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Narrows sign out front

Good Robot Brewing - Good Robot Brewing (Robie Street) - The Mousetrap event and private venue

Good Robot Brewing

4.5(50 reviews)
0.2 km•North End
•$$

Well, as we have been to Halifax in the past, my wife allowed me/us to have a brewery day. :) Lucky…read moreme. Keep following! Quality/Quantity - Thanks for updating your hours on Yelp. We got here at 3pm (posted Yelp & Google hours) and your friendly team said you open at 4pm... My wife and I did not want to just hang out for an hour, in the middle of nowhere and without beer.... Not sure if I was smart enough to check your website for business hours?!?! Heard good things about your beer, so we went out of our way to come. We walked about a mile! Small tap menu, small food menu. I am assuming keeping it simple = amazing quality?!?! Ambiance - Beautiful location. Nice indoor and outdoor space. Open 7 days a week; see their website for specific hours. There is an upstairs "speakeasy." Service - N/A. Well the employee was nice and told us they were not open until 4pm. And she also gave us recommendations of her favorite local breweries and bars; so off we went. Price - N/A. Owner Comment - Congrats on all your success since 2015 and your 3 locations.

Was actually at the other location, but I HIGHLY recommend this place. The lady (Jasmine) working…read morewas excellent! Enjoyed her conversation and appreciated the samples she gave us! Absolutely love this beer and especially can't stop thinking about the Diablo Lager

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Good Robot Brewing - Good Robot Brewing (Robie Street) - The Taproom

Good Robot Brewing (Robie Street) - The Taproom

Good Robot Brewing - Good Robot Brewing (Robie Street) - outdoor graffiti circuit board artwork

Good Robot Brewing (Robie Street) - outdoor graffiti circuit board artwork

Good Robot Brewing - Good Robot Brewing (Robie Street) - The Mezzanine

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Good Robot Brewing (Robie Street) - The Mezzanine

Stillwell Beer Bar - 4/21/26 FYI.

Stillwell Beer Bar

4.3(110 reviews)
2.2 km•Downtown Halifax
•$$

If you're looking for a Bud Light, this is not the place for you. But if you enjoy a broad range of…read morelocal craft beers paired with really good food, you might find this to be the place for you. Although I didn't count them, they menu included about 15 local beers, from lagers and ales to sours and two cast conditioned choices. If you can't decide, they offer 4 drink flight samplers. I had the house smoked porchetta toast, so good. The menu isn't broad but every item looked really good. Service is friendly and professional, very knowledgeable about the beer list. They offer hard liquor as well and I wish they focused on local fair as well since Nova Scotia is producing some great spirits. Not much to find a fault here, if you like beer!

Well, as we have been to Halifax in the past, my wife allowed me/us to have a brewery day. :)…read more Lucky me. Keep following! Quality/Quantity - Our second location today. I lost count on how many breweries we visited on this trip. I am surprised I'm NOT drunk. Well, we did walk miles and miles, lol. That can sober anyone quickly. 16 beers on tap, I tasted all the IPA's. All of which were good/okay. But then again, I have been drinking all day.... Food was available. But I am on a liquid diet, lol. Ambiance - See pictures. This was the last brewery we visited, so my memory has faded, lol. Cool modern decor. 2 floors/stories. Toilets on the bottom floor. Open 7 days a week. See website for specific hours. Yelp's hours differ. Service - Good. Price - $6.50 CAD + tax, $4.60 USD a pint + tax and tip. Owner Comment - Congrats on all your success since 2013 and with your 4 locations; 2 down, 2 to go, lol.

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Stillwell Beer Bar - 4/21/26 FYI. Downstairs seating

4/21/26 FYI. Downstairs seating

Stillwell Beer Bar - 4/21/26 FYI.

4/21/26 FYI.

Stillwell Beer Bar - 4/21/26 FYI. Taps

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4/21/26 FYI. Taps

Charlie's Club

Charlie's Club

4.2(9 reviews)
1.0 km•North End
•$

Charlie's is a pretty chill place to go hang out and have a few beers…read more The crowd can be a little rough around the edges but I guess the university throngs have pretty much pushed the average drinking man out of every other bar in Halifax. Pool tables are a nice addition... I wasn't really sure what the $2 cover was going towards besides upkeep? A grungy/funky spot in the North End that's for sure!

This is not a tourist bar, unless you are a linoleum architecture tourist, or a $2.75 tequila shot…read moretourist, or a tourist of watching tight knit groups of locals sit around in circular formation. Charlie's is where you go when you want to go to Cheers. (Not the Cheers on Grafton St., the Cheers on TV according to your 6 y/o mind, which is really just the the theme song, fuzzy visuals, and conflating real life people with Cliff and/or Rhea Pearlman.) In short, it's where you go when you come home nostalgic and want to see all your old friends, enthusiastically buy each other drinks like it's a genuine gift, dance to one of those weird new electric blue jukeboxes, shout and pontificate around a pool table, and generally have a back slappin, squeezey hugging, chortling little time. The decor is like any affordable house, only the door has a key code and a woman sits at a table with a guest book when you come in. This does not make you feel cool, but it does make you feel like life is funny. The bartender is so used to over-friendly drunk patrons that nothing can melt him. I imagine that deep in his core is something more kind than anything I have ever known, but it is too precious to be shared. The last time I came here, someone apologized for asking me to dance when I turned him down. Apologized. For my rejecting him. A dark little mineshaft to the salt of the earth this place is, lemme tell ya.

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Charlie's Club
Charlie's Club
Charlie's Club

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The Brown Hound Public House - French Martini

The Brown Hound Public House

4.0(43 reviews)
0.7 km•North End

It pains me to write this low review; if you look at my profile, I regularly write 5-star reviews…read more However, I've just experienced an extremely disappointing birthday experience. Having been to the Young Street Brown Hound location a dozen plus times, I decided to try the Agricola location for my Friday evening birthday dinner--a decision I quickly regretted. I arrived around 7 PM to a full house and sat at one of the two tables by the side entrance, as I was grateful to actually get a seat anywhere in this place. Initially, things started well- I got a server right away who took my order for an Island Folk Cider and the fish and chips. My food was dropped off about 20 minutes later, and the food itself was excellent, just as expected from my Young Street experiences. However, after my food was dropped off, I received zero service. I sat there for a further half an hour with an empty glass- no offer of another drink- and I missed out on ordering a coffee and dessert. Eventually, a different server came by to clear my plate, and I just asked for the bill. My original server finally reappeared with the bill and debit machine, featuring a 20% automatic gratuity already added. When I politely told her that I had received *zero* service after my food was dropped off and that it was my birthday, she was genuinely sincere and apologetic, even offering me a drink on the house. While I appreciated her offer, I declined because at that point, I just wanted to leave and go on with the remainder of my evening. * Management note: With this popular location, you appear to need to better staff your evenings so staff is not stretched from working front patio, back patio, inside, bar top, and outer entrance tables where patrons are forgotten about, which is understandable. The lack of service I received reflects solely on *you*, the management, NOT on the servers who are hustling full speed for minimum wages. The service levels at Agricola Street were laughably lower quality than at Young Street, which is also busy afternoons through evenings and is very popular, with multiple seating areas inside and outside the Young Street location. I will patronize Stillwell, Studio East, Chain Yard, and the Young Street Brown Hound for future outings that actually provide customer service to their customers, full house or not. 5 Stars for the food, and 2 stars for the sweet, apologetic server I had upon paying my bill--that's it. Never again, and I'll take my hard-earned money elsewhere in the future. Not that my review matters, in light of the popularity of your pub and its trendy location. Better places, food and service are nearby, friends...

It was my first time trying this place, and I loved it! Our waitress was very nice and attentive…read morethroughout the visit. Since it was windy outside, we decided to sit indoors, and the atmosphere was really lovely. I ordered the mussels and the lobster roll. The mussels were absolutely delicious, I honestly could have ordered another plate. The lobster roll, however, didn't quite impress me as much. I think mine may have had a little too much pepper, but it was still good overall. I've just had better before. Despite that, I really enjoyed my visit and would definitely come back.

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The Brown Hound Public House - The Brown Hound inside

The Brown Hound inside

The Brown Hound Public House - Today's choices

Today's choices

The Brown Hound Public House

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Gus' Pub & Grill

Gus' Pub & Grill

3.7(35 reviews)
0.3 km•North End
•$

We were in the North End and wanted to grab a quick bite. Gus' pub was right across the street so I…read moresaid "why don't we just go there?" She was skeptical because she never knew of anyone who actually ate there before. We've both been to shows, but had nothing more than beer! First glace at the menu and I was shocked. It does have your average pub style food... but the prices were so, so cheap!! and they were listed to INCLUDE tax! A hamburger and fries for like $5.50?! Fish and chips for $6.25?! Insane!! Insanely good! I got the fish and chips (I'm turning into my father, ordering it wherever I go, uhooo!). The pieces were large and the batter was perfect; you could tell the fish was fresh. The chips were home made and delicious. We were the only people in there besides the few gamblers in the games room and the staff. So, obviously our server was super attentive and speedy; he filled our water glasses for us about 4 times! It was awesome. I feel like Gus' pub is like the hidden gem of greasy pub style food. I will definitely return!

Ahh, Gus', a local watering hole actually worth traveling too... If you don't happen to live nearby…read morethat is! An awesome place to go and hear some lesser known bands hailing from a pretty diverse set of genres. Cheap drinks as well especially on Monday as I recall. Clams were extra special yummy! Must have had something to do with their hand dug local-ness!

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Gus' Pub & Grill
Gus' Pub & Grill
Gus' Pub & Grill

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Salt + Ash Beach House - Fish and chips, very nice.

Salt + Ash Beach House

4.6(48 reviews)
2.2 km•Waterfront

We stopped by Salt + Ash in Halifax for happy hour and ended up having quite the feast!The Brothers…read moreMeats pepperoni plus pizza was a great start, with plenty of savoury, meaty flavour. The jalapeño cornbread was another standout....moist, flavourful, and with just the right amount of kick. The fish and chips were excellent, while the tater tot-chos were pure comfort food, loaded with melted cheddar, pico de gallo, and sour cream. Of course, we needed some veggies for balance, so the kale and quinoa salad totally counts! The perfect pairing throughout was the Mango Dragonfruit Sour. Super refreshing and fruity, with enough acidity to cut through all the richness of the meal. Great happy hour selection, lots of variety, and a fun spot to settle in for a feast. Definitely a place worth checking out when you're in Halifax!

4 of us came for a Saturday morning brunch. It was a gorgeous day so we sat on the patio…read moreoverlooking the water. Ordered the standard coffee to start. Waiter was awesome. Made sure we were ok every time he was in the vicinity. I ordered the mushroom Benedict with the hollandaise on the side. It was great with the locally made truffle cream cheese. I did have to ask for a steak knife to be able to cut through the bread. It was a well done piece of pizza dough. Tasty but tough to get through. Came with tater tots and a donair sauce to dip them in. My husband ordered the stuffed baked potato. He loved it but said next time he will order the side salad on the side and ask for more dressing. I ended the meal with a cool glass of rose. We will definitely be back.

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Salt + Ash Beach House - Tha bar and word fired oven

Tha bar and word fired oven

Salt + Ash Beach House - Maritime mushroom pizza, quite good.

Maritime mushroom pizza, quite good.

Salt + Ash Beach House - Charcoal veggies and beach house salad, great bargains at $6 each.

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Charcoal veggies and beach house salad, great bargains at $6 each.

Bar Kismet - bars - Updated October 2026

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