A good downtown food scene has lots of different options - different ethnicities, styles and price…read morepoints - to cater to the equally varied tastes and needs of people. I was wanting a quick bite before meeting coworkers for a drink, and Iron Rooster fit the bill. The store was quiet for a Friday evening, and the lone staff member doubled as both server and cook. The menu is somewhat lean (figuratively speaking, as it's more vegetable-adverse than KFC!), with familiar fried chicken items like wings, drumsticks, house-made popcorn chicken, strips and a chicken burger. Sides are equally deep fried and brown. I wish the menu would lean more into more obviously Asian versions of fried chicken, but a couple such options do show up, with the Beijing chicken wrap and a curry chicken bowl (effectively karaage don). I ended up going with Combo Meal A, which gives you the option of a chicken burger or the Beijing wrap, and fries or a couple chicken wings. Unsurprisingly, I went for the wrap and did not double down on chicken, opting for the fries instead. I was eating-in, so my food came as it was ready. The fries came in the now very common, mini-deep-fryer basket, with a decent amount of golden brown fries filling it. They were crispy-coated, so a bit of a cop-out in this golden age of hand-cut fries, but hey, they were still wonderfully crisp, hot and fluffy! Oh, and I got a garlic seasoning on them as well, so they had some more oomph. The wrap soon followed, rolled up in paper that has some very cute branding! It wasn't huge, with a couple chicken strips, pickled cucumber, green onion, and a sweet and salty, teriyaki-esque sauce. The flavours all kind of worked though, and the pliable wrap (not sure what its origins were, as it seemed too stretchy to be a standard wheat tortilla) held up well. The chicken's crispness suffered from the sauce and self-steaming, but these things happen. My second visit had me stopping in before a trivia night with friends, and this time I went for the half-sized portion of Cornish hen, once again getting fries for my side. There were a few takeout orders ahead of me in the queue, but it wasn't too long of a wait. My basket of fries came out first, and the crispy coating and garlic seasoning were just as good as last time. It was a bit longer for my chicken, but it was worth it. The batter was good and crispy, the meat tender and juicy, and it was an ongoing battle between my hunger and self-preservation instinct from the hot-out-of-the-fryer chicken. Interestingly, the chicken is cooked as one solid piece, as being broken down into its constituent parts would have made for a better coating-to-meat ratio, and it would cook quicker too. My chosen side sauce of honey garlic added further flavour and a contrasting hit of sweetness. Service on both visits was very friendly and helpful. Sometimes you just have to scratch that itch for fried chicken, and Iron Rooster has got your fix.

Themis restaurant had great fried chicken options. The dry seasoned and breaded spicy chicken wings…read morewere very tasty. They also make excellent popcorn chicken. The people at the restaurant were very helpful when explaining the menu and made good recommendations. I will be back if I am the area.

This man knows his hot dogs, and condiments. This was my favorite experience at the farmers market…read moretoday! I was initially drawn in by this place because who I believe is the owner, and condiment connoisseur was showing some of his customers blends of sauces he thought would go best with their sausages/hot dogs. I went with the veggie dog. He informed me he tries to cook them in little batches because he thinks they taste best fresh. Fair enough! I waited about 5 minutes, he apologized several times for the wait but I didn't mind. When I got my dog he asked if I preferred barbeque sauce or mustard. I said mustard. After I said this it lead to a fantastic customization of toppings to add to my hot dog. The first was a Bulgarian cabbage slaw. Next he suggested I try a horse radish sauce and a sweet mustard he brings in from Boneheads BBQ. After that he recommended a type of shallot I think he said was from France, he also mentioned they were very hard to find. After I piled my veggie dog with these toppings he asked if I prefer tomatoes or pickles. I said tomatoes, so he suggested fresh diced tomatoes in a balsamic vinegar sauce he gets from the Mennonites. Of course, I accepted all of his recommendations. He told me to take a bite and tell him what I thought. It was fantastic. The Bulgarian cabbage slaw is an alternative to saurkraut I think, but its a bit more bitter. I liked it. The horse radish and sweet mustard added a pungent and sweet component to the cabbage slaw, the shallots were very subtle, but the tomatoes were really my favorite part, they added freshness to my veggie dog. Who knew deciding what would taste good on a hot dog could be such an art?!

Pretty cool dog stand at the market! The guy who runs it is very friendly, and the sausages are…read moregreat (especially when you load them up with tons of stuff). Only downside is that you might have to wait a while for your order if there are a few people, but this has to do with the owner's obsession to get the dogs perfect (so he only cooks a small number of sausages for a certain amount of time). Topping choices are good, and sauces are many. All around a good place to grab a quick snack while out on the waterfront for the day!

Ordered here only a few times- when in area-…read more Ordered pick up the other day : 3 chicken fingers/ fry order/ 1/4 chicken / roasted potatoes w/ garlic sauce- Enjoyed it all but only wish the potatoes were cooked a bit longer as were semi hard - garlic sauce delicious though -

I love this place! Every time, it is fantastic. The crispy, crunchy chicken burgers are second to…read morenone. They always have a weekly special burger, but even their basic McChickn is stellar. Sides are also great. I have not had the rotisserie style chicken because I love the burgers too much to try it! Service is quick. The space is fairly small, but I've never had to wait to sit for more than a few minutes.

Wesley makes the best sandwich's!!!! Such a lovely environment. (The fudge is incredible)read more

Up until recently, all my years in Halifax were spent car-free (not to be confused with CAREfree; I…read morehad many, many cares) and living on the Halifax side of the harbour. As such, there were many places in places as relatively downtown Dartmouth I'd never been to, let alone as far out as 2 Boys Smokehouse and Deli. Now that I'm living on the Dark Side and have a sweet set of 2016 wheels, I made the effort to hit up 2 Boys for a late lunch and for some of their carnivorous wonders when I was in the area one day. Despite it being mid-afternoon, there was a steady line at both the meat and sandwich counters. I was hitting both - grabbing a couple smoked pork chops, double-smoked bacon and some Black Forest ham at the former, and the mixed meat sub at the latter. You can choose from a large swath of options for breads, cheese, toppings and sauces, and I appreciate that there's no up-charge for things like smoked gouda. Twelve bucks for a big ol' sub, and that's that! I attacked my sub once I was back in the car, although I opted to only have half of it before heading home. I forgot to ask, and now can't readily find the answer online, but the meats in the mixed meat appeared to be salami, ham and donair. A true Nova Scotian sub! The smoked gouda held its own against the hearty meats, while a generous helping of lettuce, tomato, bell pepper, and red onion brought crunch and freshness. For a sauce, I went with their "sub sauce" which seems to be an herby vinaigrette, and its tanginess helped cut through all the big, rich flavours and add some zing. A step outside my car to brush the crumbs off myself and the seat, and I was on my way home. My next time back at 2 Boys found my wife and I looking for a quick lunch in the Cole Harbour area after having gone for a walk on the Salt Marsh Trail. Once again, despite the mid-afternoon time, there was a constant flow of people in and out of the store, but luckily the ticket system was getting put to use today, so in spite of the poorly-formed line, the individual numbers helped keep things moving along. This time around, I went for a ham sub, while my wife got the Montreal smoked meat sandwich. I continue to be a big fan of their toppings options, especially the inclusion of ostensibly more "premium" cheese like the smoked gouda with the regular items - without an extra surcharge. Staff guided us through the sandwich construction process deftly and with a smile, which can't be easy with the constant onslaught at 2 Boys. This time we sat down at one of the small, two-person tables along their storefront, to take in the sights, sounds and smells of Cole Harbour Road. There was a good amount of ham, with the layers of lightly sweet and salty meat generously topped with my chosen toppings of lettuce, onions, bell peppers, tomato and cucumber. The smoked gouda added some more umami oomph to the sandwich and having had my sandwich toasted brought out the flavour of both the meat and cheese more. My wife's sandwich went over well, as she's a big fan of Montreal smoked meat. I prefer it when it's been heated, like in the delis where it originated, but even at fridge temperature, the peppery bite of the smoky meat comes through well. The regular white bread was pushed to the edges of its structural integrity with the stack of meat, but it *just* managed to hold on. Whenever I'm in 2 Boys Smokehouse & Deli, I feel like a kid in a candy store, with so many great options - both the sandwiches, and the deli and grocery items. It's a diamond in the strip mall rough, and one that I'll be frequenting when I'm in the area.

My husband and I had lunch at Backoos and overall it was good, but it was definitely North…read moreAmericanized Korean food and not authentic. I got the Bibimbap ($11.99) and got my husband the Dakgalbi Combo ($14.99). The Bibimbap was tasty, but the meat was a wet and saucy ground meat mixture, and not the drier ground meat or beef bulgogi slices that I'm used to with Bibimbap. The vegetables were green cabbage, red cabbage, carrots, onions, and spring mix lettuce. There was also a fried egg on top. No mushrooms or zucchini. And definitely no gosari. The rice was white rice and it was nicely cooked though. Overall it was an enjoyable meal, even though it was lacking some ingredients that I really like in bibimbap. Also the amount of meat was fairly minimal. My husband's Dakgalbi Combo said it was supposed to come with 2 Gimmari dumplings, but it only came with one :( It was good, but where's my other one? It's basically glass noodles, wrapped in seaweed, battered, then deep-fried. I wish we had gotten 2, as per the menu. The chicken was good, but a bit on the dry side. It had a fiery kick to it. It also had some fried rice cake slices in it. No vegetables though, other than onions. The cashier was really friendly and great. I advised her of my sesame seed allergy and she checked with the kitchen and advised me of recommended substitutions. She even checked my food before giving it to me (the kitchen actually had to remake my food, as it did contain sesame seeds first time around. The cashier caught it and asked them to remake it). Five stars to her! The food I'd say is 3.5 stars. So overall, I'm saying 4 stars. There's some seating inside the restaurant and one lonely table for 2 in front of the restaurant, which is where we ate. I kind of liked only having the two of us out there, lol, but if you're set on eating outside, you'll have to try your luck, as the table could be taken. If you eat inside they have a free self-serve water station. There is also free WiFi. The password is on the wall. Street parking only.

After seeing a picture of their menu board on Twitter, I knew I'd have to stop by to try out the…read moreKorean fried chicken (KFC that you don't have to be ashamed of eating) at this new downtown eatery. Stopping in around 4pm on a Tuesday, it was pretty quiet in the small shop, other than the stream of music videos playing on the TV. I'm not even sure what the source was given that MuchMusic and MTV barely play any music these days. Ordering at the main counter, I went with the sweet and spicy chicken combo ($8.50) which comes with rice, salad and miso soup, and I tacked on a bottle of water as well. Sitting down at the small counter running along the window, I took in some Adele and other pop music mixed with the sizzle of the deep fryer in the back and notes of spice in the air. It wasn't long before I had my container of grub and was on my way elsewhere to dig in. Upon opening the container, the first thing you're going to see is the respectably-sized pile of deeply red hunks of chicken. I'm pretty far from being a Korean food expert, but I assume that their ubiquitous fermented chili paste, gojuchang, plays a leading role in this chicken. The hint of fermented tang to it would suggest that as well. That, combined with the spice and slight crispness to the chicken made for a tasty entree. I'm not entirely confident that the pieces of chicken didn't come out of a bag: they weren't that mushy texture that frozen chicken can be, or overly dry, just not particularly moist and way too uniform. A pleasant surprise was a couple fried dumplings, which were crispy on the outside, and juicy and pork-tastic inside. The steamed rice was cooked perfectly and was easy to eat with chop sticks. My salad seemed to be run of the mill, creamy coleslaw. It was a bit disappointing in that it would have been nice to try a Korean salad, but it actually helped balance out the heat of the spicy chicken. The cup of miso soup was nice as well, with a mild broth that still had a nice umami flavour, with bits of konbu and ultra-tender cubes of tofu. All in all, it was a very well rounded meal, and at a very good price. They're a unique business in the city, so I hope they can carve out the niche they deserve and I'll be back in the near future so that I can try out their battered chicken.

This place is brand new and IMPOSSIBLE to find if you're coming off the highway. It's in behind…read morefast fuel, basically between that a sobeys. You'd think with all the money they've been spending to radio ads, they would invest in some good signage. Food is as expected. I'm from Ontario, where Pita Pit is and has been a mainstay for several years. Reminds me of high school and the quick family lunches of my youth. I got a chicken Caesar. Delicious as expected.

I enjoyed the Buffalo Chicken pita that I bought today. I went to Pita Pit with low expectations…read moreafter my wife had a pita a few weeks ago that she didn't like. I'll have to disagree with her on this one. The Buffalo Chicken pita has a nice kick of spice if you ask for a squirt of hot sauce along with your chosen veggies. I recommend having it grilled on the sandwich press (they will ask you at the end). The staff at this location seem pretty happy. Often the sign of a well run business. Pita Pit also sells smoothies. I haven't tried one yet. Might be of interest to customers who are coming from a workout at Goodlife, which is at the other side of the parking lot.

Although it's a shiny and new restaurant, there's probably no truer "hole-in-the-wall" joint than…read moreJohny's Pork Shack. They've taken over the alley/entrance of what had been Fujiyama and La Cave during my previous life in Halifax. The menu is small but draws from a few different influences - southern US barbecue, Tex-Mex, and Chinese - with the namesake through line of pork. I had come in thinking that I'd be getting some BBQ, but the Chinese elements of the menu were too tempting, and I went for the bao combo with fries and siu mai. Since I was dining-in and it was a cool evening, they were so nice and actually let me come around the counter to the seating area in a side room. At the time, it was still painted with Fujiyama's murals and a vibrant yellow, but it made for a quiet spot to wait for, and eat, my food in. The headline part of the meal, the bao, was more fusion than traditional, but I dug it. The pulled pork came with my choice of one of several sauces, and I liked how the sweetness complimented the meat. Some fresh cucumber, cabbage and carrot added some crunchy contrast. The bao bun was light and fluffy and held everything together well. Tucked in between the bao and fries, my three siu mai disappeared *very* quickly. Super juicy and tender, they were fantastic on their own, but the side of chili crisp took them to the next level. The fries were the crispy-coated type, and were an easy win. At only around $11 plus tax and tip, this felt like a crazy good bang for your buck! A return visit had me trying what I originally came for - the pork ribs. The combo comes with corn-on-the-cob and some rice, with that Asian influence sneaking in here as well. While I was waiting for my food, and it wasn't even long, I was kindly brought a couple dumplings to have while I waited. These guys rock! The ribs had a nice bit of char, and a light glaze on the exterior, but weren't too heavily seasoned or sauced. I don't think they were smoked, but they were wonderfully tender and juicy, and I liked that the pork stood on its own, rather than under a sugary slathering. I appreciated that the corn had a little bit of char from the grill as well, and while plain rice is a bit underwhelming as a side, I mixed in shredded bits of pork to amp it up. Johny's may not be what you expect, but it's all for the best as their service and especially their Asian offerings are top notch and more than worthy of your hard-earned dollars.

Be careful, because this food truck will change everything you thought you knew about fish & chips…read more Honestly, Bud the Spud just gifted us with the absolute best haddock we've ever had. So thick, meaty, fresh, and filling! Not oily or greasy. Just crunchy and hot and delicious. I doused mine in malt vinegar, wrapped the end in a napkin so I could dip into the tartar sauce, and I ate it by hand. No shame, guys. And the fries? The fries are something special. They have this amazing taste to them, and I suspect it has something to do with their frying process. Are they double fried? Maybe. It could also be that they're local potatoes? Whatever it is, they're addicting. They were cooked perfectly and needed no ketchup, salt, or whatever. So good, you could eat them by the handful. And I should know: I had their fries 3 times in 4 days. No judgements here. The portions are super generous, so don't let your eyes be bigger than your stomach! I split a plate of 2 pieces of fish & fries with my husband. A substantial lunch for both of us that only cost $8! They also sell some canned drinks, which you'll probably need to wash down the deliciousness. And they're cash only, so either come prepared or you may need to hit up the ATM at the pizza place like we did hahah. After our first amazing experience, we had to go back. Bud the Spud ended up being our last meal in Halifax before we headed to the airport, and it was the perfect way to end our trip. And of course, we can't get those giant fresh haddock pieces and amazing chips out of our heads. Is it unreasonable to book an international flight for a food truck? Asking for a friend ...

My wife say this is the Best fish & chips which her even eated. Just in Bud the Spud nearby Spring…read moreGraden Road.