Um what?? I have literally driven past this place hundreds of times on my way to just about…read moreanywhere else and never even gave it a second glance until curdled milk, a temperamental espresso machine, and running late for a meeting practically shoved me into their front door. And guys? Please let this review be the catalyst to get you in there. It'll be much easier than that morning was for me and you really should check this one out. Probably under the local radar based on the outdated stereotypes about their location, Alteregos is a equal parts a local hotspot for in-the-know North Enders, and a first impression for visitors staying in the connected hostel. Definitely a strong alternative feel, perhaps even bordering on grunge, this café might actually be one of the hippest that we've got and I can't help but feel like people still don't know about it. The staff behind the counter were friendly and efficient even after I ordered three lattés to go at the front of a growing line. They made great coffee with smiles on their faces and even stopped me on the way out to thank me for leaving a tip. Uh guys? YOU DESERVED IT. I didn't manage to try any of the food (again...I was running late) but the menu ranges from bagels to burritos with local ingredients, vegetarian alternatives, and unique combinations that I can't wait to go back for. Plus? The prices look like they have some of the best deals in the city - so as long as the food measures up, I may have found a new favourite!

Their breakfast sandwich is wonderful with all the yummy stuff you could dream of, egg, avocado,…read morebacon, mayo, lettuce, Sriracha, and cheese all served on a bagel? Breakfast sandwich for the soul! The staff were also very kind and helpful. The environment was cozy and bright. A great place to pop in for a hot beverage or somewhere to while away an afternoon.

Since moving back to Halifax from an odyssey in Ontario, it's been great to see how much the…read morewaterfront has improved after significant investments over the past several years. It's more of a destination and place you can just *be* rather than just a boardwalk - a beergarden, various shops, tours on land and sea, and food shacks all dot the waterfront now. Salt Yard's collection of food shacks are the big draw for me, with an assortment of mainly local businesses, spanning several different types of cuisine. Masita Korean Food's menu has caught my eye before, and I took advantage of some unseasonably warm temperatures one spring day to come down from work at lunch to sample their wares. The menu is a decent size for a place as small as this, with several options each of ramen, fried snacks, skewers, hotdogs and bowls. The latter seemed like the best option for something that would most resemble a proper meal, so I ordered a dish of one of my favourite types of noodles - jap chae. After a short wait, I had my bowl in hand and moseyed over to a Muskoka chair overlooking the harbour, to take in the view while I took in some noodles. The noodles in jap chae are a made from sweet potato starch, and are quite translucent, giving them a sci fi kind of feel. Masita's were generously sauced with a sweet and savory sauce, but still maintained their signature pleasant squishiness. I had chosen BBQ pork as my protein, and it was more like pork grilled at a Korean BBQ place than the cha siu I had expected, it was excellent. Tender and moist, with a noticeable hint of wok hei to it, this was some primo pork! An assortment of other items filled out the bowl - julienned carrot, mushrooms and greens, as well as some squirts of mayo and sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds. Places like this that lean heavily on the tourist crowd aren't cheap, but this was a solid meal and very well executed, so I didn't feel at all short-changed. A return visit had me trying out a skewer of rice cakes and sausages (so-tteok so-tteok) and the BBQ pork hotdog. When my number was called, I got to see a bit of a show, with my "hotdog" (it's actually thinly-sliced pork, in a hotdog bun) get a finishing touch with a torch - which was pointing out of a T-Rex hand puppet's mouth! Hilarious and badass. Grabbing a seat at a nearby, water-side table, I eagerly dug in. The torching added a nice hit of char flavour, and the tender, savoury pork got an extra hit of spice from the thorough dousing of sauce. A layer of finely shredded cabbage below the pork added texture and structural support. The so-tteok so-tteok was a fun little snack. I love Korean rice cakes and their pleasant chewiness, and they absorbed the sweet and salty sauce well. The sausages were basically Vienna sausages, aka mini hotdogs, from what I could tell. The crew at Masita seems to be having fun doing their thing, and they're broadening the food culture in Halifax with their excellently executed Korean street food.

Neighborhood coffee shop and cafe. On the bottom floor of an apartment building on Gottingen…read moreStreet across from CFB Halifax (which has a Tim's Express on base) Cozy welcoming interior. Some tables and an area with comfortable sofas and chairs. A lot of locals frequent this place. Had a breakfast danish - extremely fresh and tasty. Mocha was smooth. They also cater and make some amazing looking cakes! Need to try a slice of this sometime!

One of the best cafés in Halifax! Staff are so friendly and always go above and beyond. Their…read morelattes come in tons of different flavours and shots. Their coffee is quite good too. My favourite items are the smoked salmon sandwich or the grilled cheese.

Hidden gem - this is the best description for this small cafe/bakery/restaurant. On Wyze Road in…read morethe north end of Dartmouth close to Albro Lake Road - not where you'd expect to find amazing eats! Had a breakfast sandwich - amazing. Everything is fresh!!! Huge chubby sausage rounds. Avocado toast was on point - the chimichurri is a nice touch. Generous amount of avocado. Had key lime pie and a strawberry lemon tart. Both made in house. Very tasty. Food takes awhile to come out - because everything is made from scratch so it takes time. Also, place was busy on a Saturday at lunch. Extremely reasonable pricing for the quality you get. No doubt if this place was in peninsular Halifax the prices would be so much higher.

We hadn't been living in Dartmouth long, before it became readily apparent that we had to try out…read morenewly-established North End fixture, Ori Foods. Note that anything that has opened since I left Halifax in 2017 is "new" to me. We weren't here for a full meal, just to re-up on caffeine and sample their sweet and savoury pastries. Their creative selection of both didn't make choosing easy, but we ended up going for the sausage roll, BBQ pork bun, and an apple custard Danish. My wife has a big weak spot for sausage rolls, and Ori's rendition of this British classic was spot-on, with a juicy, savoury sausage wrapped in flaky pastry that got a dab of black and white sesame seeds for extra flavour and crunch, and just looks cool too. While I'm more used to steamed char siu bao, the baked version are definitely a thing. This BBQ pork bun wasn't necessarily going for that, and it was still a well-executed bun with a generous filling of pulled pork that was hitting the right flavour notes, although it could have used some more of that saucy goodness that fills a top tier char siu bao. For the sweet portion of our snack, the apple custard Danish was spectacularly well-done, with wonderfully flaky layers, crisp edges and a smooth and fruity filling. A second visit had us coming on a sunny, autumn Friday for lunch, looking to try out their hot food. The menu is compact and creative, with a few sandwiches and handful of other dishes - a soup, salad, and a few entrees. My wife was quickly ensnared by the allure of the chanterelle toast, adding on the miso pumpkin soup, while I went with the lamb. Luckily it was a sunny day, so we could sit out on the patio instead of fighting for some of the very limited seating inside. My lamb turned out to be the perfect cold weather dish, with a deboned cut of collar meat that was smoked and slow cooked to absolute perfection. The lamb was bursting with smoky flavour, and was unctuous and tender in a way that reminded me of ox tail, but without all the little bones. Paired up with some chonky Borlotti beans, it had a very continental European stew kind of feel. Some somewhat large leaves of seasonal mixed greens felt a bit out of place on top of the rest of the dish, but some colour, crunch and vegetable content was for the best. Mushroom toast has become a hit of a "thing" in nicer restaurants in the past several years, but when they're as good as Ori's, it's easy to look past the ubiquity and appreciate the dish as it is. The chanterelles were toothsome but tender, in a decadent Madeira cream sauce on a thick slice of toast. It was nice to see that Ori had a GF option for the toast, and even more impressive was how well it held up to the saucy mess. The miso pumpkin soup kept the good fall vibes rolling, as the perfectly blended soup got a hint of Asian-ness from the umami-packed miso. A sprinkle of pumpkin seeds and green onions, as well as a dash of cream brought a little more flavour and texture, not to mention visual flair to the otherwise blank canvas of the homogenous soup. To finish off our meal, we had a pecan and dulce de leche Danish. Ori's baked goods continue to offer a choice paralysis-inducing amount of delicious options, and this Danish was as spot-on as my last. The layer of pastry were so flaky, especially the corners, while the pecans added nutty crunch to the creamy base that they were in, with pops of caramel goodness from the drops of dulce de leche. Ori is truly a gem of North End Dartmouth, from their baked goods to hot foods, and is a destination-worthy trip wherever you may be in the city.

The Short Version: Mom and pop cafe on the ground floor of…read morean office building in an industrial part of town. Great good, reasonable prices and congenial service. The Long Version: Y'all know I love hidden gems tucked away in industrial parks. You know, the places where locals eat and you never see tourists. I know all about these places in Ottawa, where I live, but I'm determined to find these places also while traveling. My husband and I were driving from Halifax to Liverpool, NS and part of my planning was to search Google Maps for restaurants en route. I found Hobson Lake Cafe and thought it sounded like my kind of place. The post their daily specials on their Facebook page. So that morning I eagerly checked and was thrilled to see the pan-fried haddock on the menu the day we were going to visit, as this dish gets the most rave reviews. The people were not wrong! It was fantastic! Perfectly pan-fried, a bit crispy on the outside and soft and flakey on the inside. Nicely seasoned and not too salty. No fishy smell. The rice was nothing special but it was soft and fluffy. The garden salad was fresh and was romaine lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers. I requested the balsamic vinaigrette and tartar sauce on the side and they gladly accommodated. My meal was $14.99 (the daily special). My husband had the same, but he had potato salad instead of a garden salad. He enjoyed his meal too, although regretted not getting the garden salad because although he enjoyed the potato salad, he felt his choice of side made his meal too carb heavy. Note that it's a very casual place, so food is served on paper plates and cutlery is disposable. Service was friendly and welcoming. The place was hopping! I heard them yelling to the kitchen, make that 7 orders of the special! That was my husband's and mine and the 5 people after us. After we ordered and paid we just milled around the counter waiting for our food, but we're told we could just find a seat and they would bring the food to us. Lol. If you're in the area or passing through, I definitely recommend a stop here for lunch. They are only open weekdays 7am-3pm. Lots of free parking in the building parking lot. They even have spots designated for cafe customers. Review #121 (2026)

I dropped by this morning with my buddy JC, and had the bacon, egg, and cheese breakfast bagel -…read moreokay, fine! BagelS :). They were so yummy! I also got to sample the Cod. It is incredible! I think I'll have to drop by for lunch next time and actually try something off the lunch menu. Maybe I could have a breakfast bagel for desert :). Ah, the dangers of eating someplace where everything is so tasty!

Newly opened branch of this popular cafe in the Maritime Center - just opened earlier this month…read more Nice light filled and airy interior. Fantastic combo deals with sandwich, drink and pastry/soup/dessert. Value cannot be beat. The sandwich and pastry were quite tasty. Great downtown location - especially for the lunch time crowd!

The pasties are very good as is the other food. However, the sandwich bread to filling ratio is…read moreoff. The turkey sandwich has two pieces of turkey which is too little for the amount of bread it is made on. Otherwise, very tasty and great prices.

Cafe Marco Polo is located where the old Just Us! was on Kings Wharf. It is a gorgeous large space…read morewith stylish furniture and an electric fireplace. The offer soy and almond milk for their vegan or dairy intolerant customers and have a small selection of baked goods and tasty morsels. I was in on a Sunday and they had a breakfast cookie, coconut loaf and peanut butter cookies that were vegan but I know they also have vegan brownies other days as well. The staff working were very friendly and knowledgable about vegan fare. It's a comfortable place to sit and chat, have a drink and a light bite and relax. Also extremely happy to have a coffee shop on the Dartmouth side that offers more than just soy milk.

Same place, third owners. Layout and decor unchanged. Pleasant staff, good coffee, usual assortment…read moreof treats. Let's see how it goes.

A cafe that does everything it intends to with perfection!…read more Overview If you've read any of my reviews, you know it's rare I give a 5/5. The top reason for a 5/5 is when the place does what it clearly set out to do without compromise. Atmosphere Music is not too loud, it's relaxing and alternative. But if you're not a big fan of it, you barely recognize it's there. The tables and chairs are great, and the mood is very relaxing. It's the perfect size for what they want to do in this part of the city. Artwork is always unique and supports local artists. It's a bit on the hipster-side but without any stereotypical things that turn the word 'hipster' into a negative. Washrooms The mark of a good restaurant or cafe is how clean their washrooms are. It tells you how the kitchen will be. And the washrooms here are clean, comfortable and fit the vibe of the rest of the cafe. Many places miss this mark. It shocks me when I walk into a washroom that is just a regular old washroom and doesn't fit the design of the rest of the place. Staff Always friendly but not overly. You won't get an overly cheerful, what kind of medication are you on "HI HOW ARE YOU TODAY?!!" You get real people who are helpful, seem happy and work very efficiently. Food & Drink Great for the coffee or tea lovers. The food is something I always think of when I think of The Nook. It's great, priced more than fairly, and I agree with Jodi B.'s "try the nachos" note. WIFI Strong. And I've never been in here with it failing. I know coffee shop owners always battle with people who spend too much time on their laptops while all they ordered was a coffee. Somehow that doesn't happen here. I can't explain why. I mean I'm here for hours, but I'll buy food and other items. Conclusion The Nook found the secret recipe for success. They haven't overpriced themselves for local area residents and they are so appealing, you'll come from another part of town, and pass by dozens of other coffee shops to get here.

Nachos so freaking good!! Plus I had sourcream at my home to add to the ambiance!…read more The sandwiches were made well as were the side of meatballs!