Anyone who isn't leaving five stars for this place simply has something else wrong with themselves…read more Wonderful food and equally great service. This place is very subtle and low key. Simple yet elegant. I will always come if when I come to Lunenburg.

Most in our group of eleven were disappointed with the sparse selection of food. Knowing beforehand…read morethat this place doesn't serve beef or chicken would have been helpful. The employees were just okay. I asked while ordering an appetizer and main entree if I should order dessert then also. The server said no, but they ran out of all the desserts except one by the time others ordered.

The Naked Oyster is only about a year old, located in a great space along Mahone Bay's main drag,…read morewith a open and inviting atmosphere and a great patio overlooking the bay. Service was excellent, professional and quick. Maybe too quick, our appetizers arrived before our drinks. The menu is innovative but still traditional. Fish and Chips, mussels, oysters, chowder along with burgers and sandwiches, including a lobster roll on a locally made croissant. But also Pad Thai and a Bulgogi Rice Bowl. All of our dishes were wonderful. But what most impressed me is the extensive gluten free menu, complete with a fryer and gf batter for the fish & chips and fish tacos.

Mahone Bay is a short and scenic drive from Lunenburg (15-20 minutes). We intended to visit…read moreRebecca's, but it was closed. Fortunately, the owner of our Inn told us that The Naked Oyster recently opened and is a sister restaurant to Rebecca's. What a beautiful experience it was! It was very busy but there are several places to sit comfortably outside. The Adirondack chairs were very nice, with a view of Mahone Harbor. After a bit of a wait, we were seated. The service was excellent. I can't imagine I'll ever experience a more delicious chowder than their Captain's Chowder, a creamy clam broth with generous portions of scallops, mussels and haddock. We also had a half dozen local oysters that were perfect. High marks for the Caesar Salad too. I would put this on the "can't miss" list for the area.

Located on the bucolic grounds of the Grand Pré winery, Le Caveau was the natural choice for mine…read moreand my wife's tenth (!) anniversary while staying at the winery's gorgeous inn. We've been once before, dining on the patio with friends last summer, but our host suggested dining inside to avoid a buggy spring evening. The quaint interior has the feel of an old world, European restaurant thanks to the stucco-slatgered walls, wood paneling and arches windows which looked out to the stone-paved courtyard. I was drawn to the tasting menu, which at four courses gives you a good chunk of the menu to enjoy, but it isn't a three to four hour commitment like larger tasting menus. At $80 and $35 extra for the estate wine pairing, it felt like a good value too! Up first were the lobster croquettes. The crisp exteriors of the croquettes contrasted sharply against the soft, lightly lobster-y goodness within. A marinated lobster and tomato salad brought some refreshing acidity to the dish as well, and the marinated lobster meat had to have been some of the most tender lobster that I've ever had. Next for me was the fazzoletti. This cut of pasta, named for its form which is similar to a handkerchief, was topped with a tomato and mint "tartare", confit garlic and a whipped cod sauce. The house-made pasta had a great, toothsome texture, although the flavours of its accoutrements were a little flat. The mint didn't really figure, and I'm not sure what a tomato tartare is supposed to be other than some diced tomato? Look, I'm all for fine dining, but sometimes the effort that's put in to punch-up the verbiage on the menu can be eye roll inducing. The whipped cod was creamy and rich, but again, the cod was not prominent at all. While I was gorging, my wife did have her own appetizer, the pan roasted asparagus. The verdant spears of asparagus had a little touch of char from the pan, and they paired well with a creamy burrata, and sweet and tangy relish of cherry tomatoes and lemon. The bright flavours and creamy burrata were a great way to highlight some of early pieces of the harvest. For my main, it was a confit lamb leg adobo. The thick slices of lamb were some of the most tender, succulent lamb I've ever had. I'm a big, big fan of Filipino food, but no flavours of vinegar, soy or garlic really made themselves known here. A smooth potato puree doubled down on the richness, while a mix of crisp kale and pea shoots brought some textural contrast and balanced out the palate. My wife had the gnocchi Parisienne for her main course, which had the pillowy bundles of carbs in a luscious sauce of Grand Pre's L'Acadie Blanc, cream and scallion butter, with an almond crumble for a little crispness. For the last of my four courses, chocolate marquise filled the dessert slot. The decadent slice of chocolate was similar to fudge, but not *quite* that dense, although it was certainly just as rich and indulgent. A pool of crème anglaise added to said indulgence, while ginger cookies brought some crunch and the bite of ginger to cut through it all. The dish with the most "wow" factor was definitely my wife's zeppole. These deep-fried balls of dough were wonderfully crisp on the outside, with moist and pleasantly doughy interiors. Dusted with sugar and nutmeg, they put Timbits to absolute shame. Sorry, not sorry, Canada. It didn't stop there though, as they came with almond ice cream, whipped cream, and a sour cherry compote that had that delicious mix of sweet and tart. I was lucky that it was a generous portion, because I was able to do my husbandly duties and finish off the dish. Service was warm and attentive, and the atmosphere is such a unique little getaway. I hold them to a high bar due to reputation, expectation and to be honest, pricing, and while perfection may not have been met, it was still a delicious meal and great experience. There's a reason Le Caveau has been around for so long, and will continue to be for years to come.

There is a reason Curated magazine rated this place #9 out of the '50 Best Places to Eat' in Nova…read moreScotia (see photo of write up from 2023 edition)! We came for a birthday celebration which we were very happy about because Le Caveau doesn't traditionally do winter dinners. They are open during January and February for weekends only. I was sad to learn that they will close in March and April but hopefully that changes in the future as early spring would be awesome here. We chose the 5:00 pm seating (open 5-730 pm currently) and it was a great choice because we were the only ones in the restaurant. Of note, the restaurant is located at The Inn (across the actual restaurant, on the same property) during the winter months. Our server was lovely and let us choose our seats in one of two rooms - the 'kitchen' room or the side dining room. We chose the dining room and that's our only regret; the other room would have allowed us to watch the chef which would have been awesome. We took a while with the menu because we couldn't decide with everything looking so good. The server brought us a birthday drink to toast while we decided which was really nice. While the portions may look small in the photos, choosing one item from each course makes this just perfect. We decided to share a second and if we had each had our own, we agreed we'd be overly full before dessert arrived. Some folks may find this over-priced, but you're paying for quality local ingredients that are made to order as you sit. There are no Sysco products or pre-bottled ingredients in the kitchen. You really get what you pay for while supporting local farmers. Seating is VERY limited so you definitely need reservations. We will definitely be back in the summer to check out the actual restaurant. We would really love to visit when the pergola patio is open because a cocktail or glass of wine with all of the blooms would be just stunning. Skip the garbage fast food for a month and save up to try this place out. You will love the service, quality and the atmosphere.

Picked up some goats milk fudge from here to take home/ absolutely melt in your mouth super smooth…read moreand delicious. I'll be back for a proper visit to try other things hopefully soon!

Short walk from our hotel, very easy to navigate to. Seater right away and server was friendly and…read moreapproachable. The wife and I had cocktails recommended by our son, all good here. Creative and well prepared mixed. I especially liked the bluelevadier. Only complaint, it's loud and the neighborhood could intimidate some.

This was a lucky find for us, we went in the shop for books and exploring books I saw a patio out…read morein the back that is when we found the mad hatter wine bar. Very cozy indoor bar and a peaceful outdoor patio. We tried their cheese board which was nice. It's a must try when in Annapolis Royal

This restaurant is a gem! On a business trip we stumbled on…read morethis delightful spot located in strip area. Katrina a waitperson guided us through the menu The food and its presentation were excellent with an excellent wine list. The decor is subtle and not distracting.

Good service. Nice oysters on the half shell. And a lovely bowl of noodles with tofu…read more Best of all Barrington Street is away from the waterfront and the tourist hubbub. Very quiet. Towards the end of the dinner the gentleman eating alone at the next table started telling us what Canada needs to do to diversify its international trade. I was amused that this guy had all the answers and thought he should be advising the PM. My wife was not amused.

On a cruise stop in Halifax, we were drawn to this restaurant by their fabulous sounding menu and…read moreboy were we glad. Our lunch experience was exceptional. The ambiance is warm and inviting, our Server was terrific. And oh my, the food couldn't have been better. From the complimentary focaccia to our mains, wow good! I had the Crab-stuffed Ravioli with Shrimp in a Limoncello cream sauce and Husband had the Shrimp Fra Diavolo. We agreed it was some of the best cooked shrimp we've ever had. And the pastas were outstanding. Highly recommend!

Absolutely delish. This is my second time checking out The Bicycle Thief in Halifax. This time I…read morehad Linguine al' Aragosta & Sangiovese wine which was so good! For dessert, I tried the Butterscotch Caramel Cake and had enough to finish after the Sarah McLachlan concert. My server was delightful and helpful in selecting my meal. The restaurant is classy, with decor that is welcoming and cozy. I plan to eat here each time I am back in Halifax.

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.

Decided to check out one of the top bars in Canada in my hometown of Dartmouth. Downtown…read moreDartmouth had changed so much since growing up - it's now the cool place to eat and drink as opposed to somewhat sketchy in the past. Located mid way up Portland Street. Very cozy, intimate environment with an energetic crowd the night I went. Mostly bar seating although there are about 4-5 tables - the most you could probably seat are four people. Had a couple of cocktails - amazing. Food was mostly seafood and extremely fresh, prepared well and innovative - see pictures. Price was reasonable for food of this quality. Will definitely return. Tip - you should probably make reservations. There's a patio in the Summer as well

I'd been living in Dartmouth for a couple months before I finally made my first visit (cut me some…read moreslack, unpacking takes time!), with my wife and I stopping by after work on a Friday. I'd call it happy hour, but Dear Friend is too popular and upscale to bother offering a happy hour, so let's go with the Quebecois term, cinq à sept. I began my weekend wind-down with one of their house creations, All My Rowdy Friends (Have Settled Down). It seemed fitting giving my age demographic, and it was one of the few specialty cocktails with whisk(e)y in it. With an ingredient list even longer than its irreverent title, it combines Jim Beam rye, Hennessey VS cognac, beef tallow (!!), cedar and bayberry leaf. After an impressive rundown from the bartender on the work that went into creating this drink, I thoroughly appreciated it's warmth and depth of flavour on a cool fall evening. The beef tallow made for a velvety smooth mouthfeel, without having globs of fat floating in the drink, and the cedar and bayberry added herbal undertones that contributed without overpowering. For some solid sustenance, we stuck to the bar bites section of the menu, although they do have bigger apps and full-size entrees. Marinated olives were an easy choice, while the falafels beckoned with their deep-fried crispness. To round out our trio, we had to go with the house Party Mix. The Party Mix came out first, and deviates from the classic chip mix by combining sweet and savoury, with caramel popcorn, spiced cashews and mini chocolate truffles. It was endlessly snackable, and great for having a drink at the bar over great conversation with your significant other. I'm not one for the standard black or green olives that come out of ungodly large food service containers, but I've been slowly warming up to higher tier olives, and Dear Friend's very generous bowl was a great bar snack, bordering on small meal. The dish that disappeared the quickest was the falafels. This was partially because they were so damn good and there waere four pieces, as opposed to the other two dishes. They came in finger-form, as opposed to the small pucks/balls that are more commonly seen, and the extra surface area allowed for an even crispier bite, while a delicious cashew tahini cream that lent to the familiar falafel flavour, but with a certain je ne sais quoi. That's right, French twice in one review - I'm fancy AF! Small bits of pickled cauliflower and a delicate layer of microgreens brought brighter flavours to play off the richer note of the falafel and tahini. It's now a local cliché to talk about how much downtown Dartmouth has changed over the past decade or so, and Dear Friend has been one of the standard bearers of that continued change these past few years with their thoughtfully crafted beverages and shareable bites.

Our first visit here really missed the mark. We've been looking forward to eating here for some…read moretime so we invited the new neighbours for dinner before a show, but we definitely won't be back. We arrived before the supper rush and while it was busy, the place was not full by any means with multiple empty tables. We sat up in 'The Boat' which is right next to the bar which is an awkward step up but we weren't offered one of the empty tables so we figured it out even though it wasn't conducive to having a conversation with two other people. The server who gave us menus was friendly but failed to bother to bring any water the entire time we sat there (nearly an hour). The first round of drinks showed up fairly promptly and she took our food order right after that. We opted not to get appetizers because we didn't want to eat too much before our show, but had we known how long we'd have to wait, we would have gotten something. We couldn't even order something to share between the four of us because 'The Boat' is two separate tables. We chatted as we waited for our drinks that we finished and waited some more for someone to bring food. After the last drinks were empty for at least 10 minutes, our server came back to ask if we wanted another round. Seeing as we didn't have food yet (we'd already been waiting 30 minutes), I opted out while the three others ordered one. At this point, I wasn't willing to spend more money for poor service and a long wait. We watched as a large group that clearly arrived long before us, finally got their food after 35 minutes of us having put in our order. A couple across from us showed up at least 20 minutes after us, got drinks, food and the bill before we were even offered a second drink or told about where our food was. During the time, we watched as other patrons came in, were served their food and left before our food even arrived. After about 40 minutes, our server came around and said 'it shouldn't be much longer, we're training kitchen staff so it's taking a little longer'. Not our problem, and clearly not true seeing as so many others who arrived after us were getting their food. The entire time we were waiting, servers stood around the register talking and not really checking on tables. By this point, people kept rolling in, the place got busy and we still didn't have our food 45 minutes after ordering. When our orders finally showed up after 53 minutes of being placed, mine wasn't what I ordered. I asked for a pan fried fish burger and got pan fried fish. The server was adamant that's what I ordered and proceeded to tell me that 'the only difference is the bun and veggies, otherwise it's the same fish'. I was quite surprised at the comment rather than offering to make it right. Given we had a waited nearly an hour for our food by this point, I sucked it up and just ate what I got. Service here is definitely lacking and it's clear staff doesn't have the skills required to deal with people. While the food was alright, the sides looked like they were scraped off of other peoples' plates and just thrown onto ours. No one bothered to check on us or apologize. When the bill arrived, I noticed $5.50 taken off and no explanation. I begrudgingly paid the nearly $70 bill for the two of us and decided we wouldn't be back again!

OMG the food tonight! We shared, one order of linguine with lobster and one of seared scallops with…read moreCaesar salad. Just LOOK at the number of scallops (and they were big)! Plus there was a ton of lobster in the pasta, the sauce was divine and the salad dressing was fresh and super garlicky. Lots of local craft beers and you could order a small 6oz glass for only $4 to try them. The vibe was very cool, place was packed with lots of very friendly locals and tourists, everyone chatty, super fun. Super friendly staff, Michelle was lovely and had excellent recommendations for both food and drink. Another meal