One of the great things about living in Nova Scotia is all the hidden gems tucked away just off the…read morebeaten track. Bent Ridge is one such. Across the valley from the Martock ski hills, it's a small winery/brewery, which also caters for all manner of events, including weddings. We visited on a mostly sunny, warmish August Friday at the start of the Labour Day weekend. Essentially it's a restaurant and a very pleasant one at that. There is a smallish bar/galley area inside, with a covered, all weather and all year round solarium attached, a small patio and lawn beyond that. They offer beer/cider and wine samplers which I'd strongly recommend. I went for the four reds they produce, and thoroughly enjoyed them all, especially the 1763 Unhinged. The menu is quite extensive, and we went for a pizza each, Bent Ridge Belly for me, Fig and Onion for the wife. Both were delicious and of generous size. I tried their ginger infused rough cider, which was excellent and quite novel. I was also treated to a gratis glass of the Maple Porter. The restaurant affords pleasant views across the valley and is nicely appointed, with a variety of seating and can cater for fairly large groups. Service was a delight and the eventual bill of almost exactly $100 not onerous by today's standards. Will definitely have to visit again. And this time I'll take a growler and buy some of their craft beer.

Visiting the area and I've always wanted to try this place. Went on a Friday night because of the…read morelive music. The place is quite nice. Sat in the solarium. Ordered drinks and was told that dinner would take at least 30 mins. No problem. We received the drinks and our bruschetta appetizer and was immediately forgotten about. Th bruschetta was great. Goat cheese and balsamic were perfect on the crispy warm bread. Finally had to YELL at our waiter to remove the dirty plates and refill our wine glasses. One friend ordered the natchos. Honestly, these were the most pathetic plate of natchos I've ever seen. No salsa! Wth? Natchos with no salsa?! He ate a few then sadly set them aside. The watermelon salad was actually an arugula salad with watermelon. I wanted the fig and carmelized onion pizza but sadly it was sold out. Ordered the margharita pizza. Came with a very tasty sauce on a cardboard crust. In their defence, I'm from Toronto. We have killer good pizza all over Toronto. They need to visit Badiali's to find out what real pizza crust should taste like. My daughter ordered the pepperoni pizza and unfortunately said the pepperoni tasted like cut up hotdogs. Good gawd. I did enjoy the ambiance and the music but the food left a lot to be desired.

Great food. Excellent service. A little loud inside. I couldn't hear my party talking at the same…read moretable. The food was amazing, all local food with some of the proceeds going to a local women's shelter when we went. We will definitely be back to try more of the menu.

Absolutely delicious! I had soba noodles with tofu and daughter had kids pasta which she enjoyed.read more

My husband's family like this place so we stopped here for lunch. I ordered "pizzasalad" from lunch…read morespecial- a combination of pizza and salad on top, which was surprisingly good and it was exactly what I wanted. I moved the salad on top, and pizza under north was flipped over, looked like a Christmas wreath! My husband had crabster sandwich, which was loaded with crab and lobster meat. Both were pleasantly delicious and more than anything our server was very friendly and efficient. The dark inside but cozy booth tables were comfortable, and we had a wonderful lunch here.

Frank & Gino's is a comfortable place for good Italian food and drinks. Great menu choices for…read moreeveryone, seating is mostly booths which are excellent for privacy and service is fast and friendly. Lots of parking. Lunch menu has really good value. I'm a regular and I always look forward to a satisfying meal here.

After spending time in Naples, I had to check out Trattoria Vesso (I think it was formerly called…read morePiatto, based on other reviews here) since they are True Neapolitan Pizza Association certified. Spoiler: it's not quite Naples, but it's the best pizza I've had in this city. The atmosphere is cozy, service is friendly if a bit slow, and they've got Italian beers on tap plus solid wine options. The pizza itself is thicker than traditional Neapolitan--somewhere between thin crust and hand-tossed--but the flavor profile is close. The dough lacks that signature airy stretch you get in Naples, but it's still leagues above typical Halifax pizza. I tried the Margherita (a lot less tomato forward than anything you'd find in Naples) and an EVOO pie (the olive oil was much more robust--my favorite). Thankfully, they don't do the stingy 1-2 basil leaves thing you get in Naples. The EVOO one had prosciutto and arugula that was an excellent touch, you could tell that they liked to use quality ingredients. Real fresh mozzarella on everything, not the cheap shredded stuff. Best pizza in Halifax? Possibly, but that might not be saying much. Worth the trip? Yes. Will I be back? Definitely, but next time I'm getting the pasta.

Just visited for the first time and wow what a great hidden Jem!! Staff was friendly, atmosphere…read morewas great for a family dinner before a moose game, and the food was AMAZING. As a super picky pasta lover I was pleasantly surprised to be able to modify something on the menu to make the most delicious dish. I will be back for sure!

My husband and I recently went here for dinner, and overall, it was a solid experience--nothing…read moreoutstanding, but decent enough for a casual meal. We'd give it about 4 stars. We started with the garlic fingers as an appetizer, which were tasty and hit the spot. For drinks, we kept it simple with water, Pepsi, and iced tea--no complaints there. Service was efficient; our food arrived in a reasonable time without any delays. My husband went for the daily special: ribs, shrimp, potatoes, and coleslaw. The ribs were the standout--tender and flavorful. The potatoes were good too, though the gravy was pretty bland and could use more seasoning. Unfortunately, the shrimp fell flat; they were a bit rubbery and lacked any real taste. I opted for the pan-fried haddock, which was well-cooked and enjoyable. The restaurant itself was clean and well-maintained, which we appreciated. For dessert, we shared the peanut butter chocolate mousse. It was good overall--rich and chocolatey--but it didn't really deliver on the peanut butter flavor, which was disappointing since that's what drew us to it. The waitress was very nice and did a great job. All in all, it's a reliable spot with some hits and misses. We'd probably return if we're in the area, but we'd skip the shrimp next time!

Appetizers & drinks arrived quickly & were delicious. Food service for meals a bit slow. Nice…read moreAmbiance.

The quality of food,service and "attitude" was first class!…read more Coupled with a superb martini. A must!

We rolled into Ristorante A Mano after arriving in Halifax and getting settled at our hotel. We had…read morethe Fettuccine con Capasante which is their house made fettuccine, seared scallops, lemon, butter, chives, and a parsley gremolata. Also had Mezzi Rigatoni with chicken, bacon, and caramelized onions. Everything was wonderfully prepared and delicious. The service was also excellent. I highly recommend this spot. Note that we did not have a reservation, but there was no issue with getting a table very quickly.

Its a destination, if you are up for quality italian food with a ton of flavour. My son has been…read morehere many times, he says "I love it". Well I have to agree - the calamari was perfected fritzed for a small crunch. And the seafood Tagliatelle was wow - homemade fresh pasta and fresh scallops/shrimps that delivered so many wonderful flavours - enough so that I asked for a slice of fresh italian bread to sap up any remaining sauce. Why have I waited so long to check out this awesome italian resto. Winner !

Outstanding food, preparation and service. Chef Terry & Simone always deliver an outstanding meal…read moreand experience.

Halifax has never had a shortage of Italian restaurants, with many of them being regarded among the…read morebest fine dining places in the city for years. And while I was in exile in Ottawa for several years, just the downtown has inexplicably added several more Italian spots. Of those though, it was Sapori's casual, street-food-inspired menu that piqued my interest the most (my condolences to the regrettably-named, Sketti and Ball). One day, my wife and I popped in for dinner after work. The elongated restaurant was decently full between regular diners and an solid showing for a pizza-making class. It happened to be Dine Around, so the arancini and square pizza would have to wait, as if there's one thing I like more than street food, it's a deal! Dine Around menus are typically prix fixe with an assortment of choices, and Sapori's was no different. Choose between a few apps, mains and desserts and voila, you've got yourself a three-course meal for $30. I kept it simple and went with the classics - a Caesar salad to start, spaghetti and meatballs, and a profiterole for dessert. The Caesar was sizeable and serviceable, with no departures from the formula, but no standout twists or quality ingredients here either. Romaine, real pancetta, and crumbled parmesan, which sadly wasn't the real deal Parmigiano Regiano. It was big enough for both my wife and I, which was an unexpected bonus though. Next up was the spaghetti and meatballs, a comfort food classic beloved by both young and old. The al dente spaghetti was evenly coated in the pomodoro sauce, and the two meatballs were saucy, tender and hearty. A solid coating of Parmesan and a sprinkle of parsley completed the picture. The star of the show was a bit of a tease, because there was just one (I get it, food costs, etc), but the profiterole was excellent. The choux pastry was lightly crisp on the outside, with a wonderfully rich vanilla cream inside, and a dusting of confectioners sugar and a caramel drizzle took things up a couple notches. And by "things" I mean "my blood sugar". My next time there found me swinging by for a solo lunch, with their casual fare in my sights. Their lunch deal (slice of pizza + soup or salad + a cookie) was an unreal deal for a place that isn't one of Halifax's dicey pizza points, so I jumped on that. Feeling hungry, and wanting to support them beyond the basic deal, I also tacked on a single arancini and a can of San Pellegrino. For my slice I chose the salsciccia which comes with Italian sausage (are the wires connecting on "salsciccia"?), salami, caramelized onions, and mozza, with a drizzle of honey to top it off. It was a hefty slice, with a thick, airy crust that reminded me of focaccia. The sweet honey paired well with the savoury and salty meats, as well as the lightly sweet and acidic tomato sauce. A solid slice, for sure! The garden salad was a mix of fresh greens, cherry tomatoes, cucumber and carrot, with an herbaceous vinaigrette to brighten up your palette. I enjoyed the crunch of the sizeable chunks of carrot, in contrast to the more common shredded carrot. The arancini disappeared quickly, as the crispy shell and cheesy rice within begged to be finished in as few bites as possible. A tip of the cap to Sapori for giving my lonely arancini a nice plating with a dollop of tomato sauce to hold it to the plate, and a sprinkle of fresh parsley and parm to top it off. Mid-day, mid-week staffing was minimal, and owner Luca Ferrante took mine and other customers' orders with friendly aplomb. Halifax's fine dining scene has long been dominated by Italian restaurants, but more casual fair like Sapori deserves its own place in the city and our bellies.

Staff were very friendly, but service was somewhat slow and they weren't very busy. The portions…read morewere large and the food was cooked well, but the chicken parm and spaghetti lacked any flavor or depth. Maybe it was an off day. The sausage and mushroom risotto was great! So much sausage and mushrooms throughout.

Very lovely authentic Italian restaurant with high quality food, great service and warm and cozy…read moreatmosphere. I came here with a friend for lunch on a weekday and sat on the patio. The staff were friendly and we were received with warm welcome. We were offered complimentary bread with olive oil and balsamic. We ordered "Local Mussels" and "Pan Seared Scallops" for appetizers. They were both fresh and delicious. For entrée, we ordered "Linguine Frutti di Mare" and "Triangoli All'Aragosta". Hands down one of the pasta I have had in my life. And we finished our 3-course meal with a fabulous "Tiramisu".

Over cooked pasta, insipid sauces, too much salt, too much garlic…read more All in all, not even adequate Italian food.