The food court at Scotia Square, re-branded as the "The Mix," has really expanded since my last visit 3 years ago. It's bigger and brighter, with several new vendors. It's very reminiscent of the food courts in complexes connected by The PATH in Toronto (eg the Richmond-Adelaide Centre, TD Place, Commerce Court, etc.). I like that there are several independent vendors, and there are some chains that are specific to Atlantic Canada (which are cool to me because I'm from Ontario). There are of course also big national and international chains, but I didn't travel to Halifax to eat stuff that I can eat in Ottawa, right? However, if you live in Halifax and want an A&W burger or a Iced Capp from Tim Hortons, they have those at The Mix too. So some of their newest offerings are Katch and Pizza Girls (they are together), Tin Pan Alley Gourmet Fries, and Sushi Tonari. The older vendors include A Taste of India, A&W, Booster Juice, Freshii (which is newish), Korea Garden, Mama Gratti's, Mezza Lebanese Kitchen, Starbucks, Subway, Thai Express, and Tim Hortons. There is a lot of seating and the food court is bright, clean, and spacious. I'm a fan. read more

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Today I did something a little extreme and, perhaps, a little unnecessary. I went on a hunt for Scotia Square's best cookie. Baked goods are definitely "my thing" and I was curious to settle upon, for once and for all, which spot has the best cookie! The contenders: Starbucks, Second Cup, and Treats. These are the main places one may venture for a treat, and I didn't bother with Tim Horton's because the lines are always too long. I purchased one cookie from each store, and noted the selection available as well. Sitting down at a table in the mall, I laid all three cookies out in front of me and sampled each with a bite. The results? Starbucks! Best cookie, hands down. I purchased the white chocolate & maccadamian nut, which was soft and chewy just how I like it. Although Starbucks tends to run low on cookies fairly often, so that can be a drag. Second Cup comes in second, with a tasty chocolate chip, and Treats comes in last place because of the overly crisp (bordering burnt) taste. So there you have it folks. If you're looking for the best fix for a Scotia Square cookie, I'd recommend Starbucks. read more

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What...you're reviewing a food court? Are you serious? Okay, I agree, why would anyone review a fast food court? First off, they're all the same, filled with fatty, starchy foods like burgers, fries and pizza. And you can find some of that at Scotia Square but there's more....honest. Not since my days of eating in Montreal food courts where food is truly delicious - fine dining on a tray - fast, reasonably priced and healthy to boot. There's food from around the world - and I'm not talking about what you usually find at shopping mall food courts. I had some Korean Garden Express Spicy Shrimp that were huge, with really interesting fried rice - with no grease, I might add, Korean cabbage salad and a deep fried dumpling for less than $7 and I was a) full and be) ate everything. Usually I leave the mushy veggies and soggy rice. At the next table people were eating curry from A Taste of India, that smelled divine and some Middle Eastern fare from Ray's Lebanese - definitely the best in the city - food court or no. So, if you find yourself in downtown Halifax and you're looking for a cheap, delicious and healthy meal...head over to Duke & Barrington. Oh...I forgot to mention that since Scotia square is more an office building than a shopping mall, although they do a some stores, the food court is only open Monday - Friday. read more

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Yes! This food court brings the flavor: Indian, Korean, Middle Eastern, not to mention some mall favorites like KFC and A&W. I enjoyed a fantastic small plate at A Taste of India today during their buffet, which runs Thursday, Friday and Saturday. I had spiced rice, chickpeas, a fantastic spicy eggplant and pea dish, stewed cabbage and curried veggies. My lunch mate enjoyed a large falafel pita from Ray's, stuffed with the moist chickpea balls, tabouli and pickled turnips. It's cheap and fun, not to mention bustling on a Friday afternoon. Go for the food, not for the shopping! This is the best food court in the HRM. read more

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I do not like this good court as it fills up quickly and there really is not a lot if selection, home style wise anyway. It has been done over but really is the only biggest attraction in an otherwise gone to waste mall and it's sad to see it on slow days as the renos really look sad and forgotten. I do like a few new places there they've put in but not a place I'd run too on a regular. read more

Allegedly the "largest food court in Atlantic Canada" (because who's going to verify that claim?), the Scotia Square Food Court offers a great variety of food selection. Having worked in the area for several years, I have a few tips: * If you're going for lunch, try and go a bit early or a bit late; it gets insanely busy here. * There is lots of seating; you don't have to sit in the main section, there's a quieter, secluded area across from KFC. * Many places have daily specials, so poke around a bit. * Some places are busier or slower than others; take a moment and look at the lines and decide if you really want to wait in line for 10 minutes for a burger of if you just want to grab a slice of pizza instead. * Please, please, please read the instructions on the waste stations; Scotia Square has gone to great lengths to provide you options for recycling, composting, etc. * Good for groups; if you're downtown with a bunch of friends on a weekday and can't decide where to eat, there really is something for everyone here. For those of you concerned with such things there are lots of healthy options. For those of you not so interested, don't worry: there are more unhealthy options than healthy ones. read more

Honestly, I think this is the best food court there is. Yes of course it has KFC and A&W. But in addition there is: Indian, Korean, Chinese, Middle Eastern, Turkish, Japanese, Mom and Pop shop, and Quiznos. I think they try super hard to cheap it fresh and not the tire old food courts of the malls. Seating is in abundance but it is a super loud place to be with really annoying cleaning staff, so don't choose here to do any kind of work or waiting. read more

Despite being in the middle of a not-so-great mall, the food court of Scotia Square is the absolute best mall food court in Halifax. Considering the size of both the Halifax Shopping Centre and MicMac mall, this does surprise me. While I'm not going to comment on the individual restaurants and spots that make up Scotia Square's food court, it's the selection and variety that I'm focusing on. There's international food selections, local, coffee and desserts. For those who like the familiar fast food choices, the standard A&W and KFC (sans Taco Bell) have a place here, as does my favourite sub place Quiznos. There's a collection of coffee shops with Starbucks, Tim Hortons, Second Cup and Treats. (note that Second Cup will be closing soon). What surprises me, however, is the variety of international fare. A Taste of India, Cafe Istambul, Far East Cuisine, Korean Garden Express, Ray's Lebanese and Sushi You & Me. Plus, for more localized fare there's The Battered Fish. Pizza? COCO's Pizza. Plus Mama Gratti's Deli and PG's add to the choices. I'll admit I haven't come here much because it is slightly out of the way for me but just knowing that Scotia Square's food court exists is enough to make me smile but also knowing that it's not in a more appropriate mall makes me confused. But it is right in the centre of downtown Halifax and rumour has it, it does get quite busy at peak hours. This should be the standard that all malls aim for when designing a food court and its offerings. read more

How does Scotia Square - a food court right in the middle of all the incredible downtown restaurants - survive? I don't get it. I really don't. I only ever end up in Scotia Square out of necessity but I guess as far as food courts go, this one isn't all bad... Sure, it has the obligatory A&W but the other options actually do showcase some of the city's great local businesses. Yes - local businesses in an old-school mall eating trough! I have some love for the sweets and ciabatta sandwiches at Mama Gratti's, Café Istanbul has an express outlet for lunch on-the-go, Ray's falafel is still the best in the city, and The Battered Fish opening a booth gives it some new street cred. It's a good choice over other food courts, that much I'll admit, but it's never going to be my downtown foodie destination. read more

To a goverment employee this place is a gas station aka cheap coffee. When tims has a line up down the mall and starbucks is well starbucks where the line looks small but the wait is long. Mama Gratti's sits in the corner of the mall with never much of a line and coffee for only $1.25 any size tax in. So why don't more of these coffee fueled goverment and office workers from various builings in the area dive in? Your guess is as good as mine and my guess is people are brand bleep. OH and if you are looking for a heathy cheap lunch they have that too. read more

Since I just watched animal planet, I realized that Scotia Square food court resembles a watering hole but more of a man-made corporate version. Besides Halifax Shopping centre's and Mic Mac Mall's food court, Scotia Square's one has more choices to choose from. The stalls themselves aren't your typical franchise holders. With the exception the likes of A&W, McD and Tim Hortons, there's also an Indian and Chinese stall. In other words, there's a good mix to it compared to other food courts in the city. Well if I had no choice but to go to a watering hole to look for food, I would want to go to one like this. read more

Currently under renovation which typically means better things are on their way. What I really liked about the food court was that for the morning there were three coffee and breakfast options: mcdonalds, Tim Hortons and Starbucks. This I consider the trifecta whe it comes to coffee! Surely something to please anyone! Being the coffee snob (and some what proud) that I am I went to Starbucks three days in a row. I really wanted to try the Indian place but will on one of my next visits. Looks really good. Renovations should make this place a popular breakfast or lunch place in the future! read more

Great vegan choices at the Scotia Square food court including Freshii, Thai Express, Mezza, Subway and You & Me Sushi. Lots of seating in a clean comfortable environment. read more

Scotia Square food court brings the ethnic food like nobody's business. Instead of the usual fries and more fries, you can actually get food that's both good and good for you. Ray's Lebanese is located here and why he doesn't have a larger location in a stand-alone shop will forever be a mystery. He's been voted Best of Halifax for 12 years - a sure sign that something's going right. Along with Ray, you'll find Café Istanbul Express, offering a limited menu experience of their Spring Garden Road store. You can also stop into A Taste of India or Mamma Gratti's, a deli and bakery situation out of the main drag. I wouldn't intentionally head to Scotia Square for, well, anything. But if you happen to be in the neighbourhood, the food court is definitely worth a look. read more

While they have widened the spectrum of 'ethnic diversity' in the food court,did they have to get rid of Ray's to do it? And the Subway is a hit or miss at the best of times,but mostly miss. The majority of new kiosks are barely patronised. The old standby of A&W is always a good deal. And if they wanted to give a wider range of healthier alternatives in the food court,would McDonald's really be the best choice for the first new kiosk? read more

If you are wondering in the mall and have a desire for a quick meal, there are a few good options. There is an excellent mom & pop Indian outlet which serves excellent traditional and zesty Indian cuisine. Well worth standing in line. Least favorite - probably Mama Gratis only because the owner treats his staff so poorly and without hesitation in front of customers. Oh ! There is a sushi spot over by the large windows well worth trying their lunch #2 read more

Love this place when it's not super busy. Otherwise, you won't see me near the place. So loud and hectic during lunch but supper is great here with some nice options read more

I'm not even sure what I can say about this place. I work in the area so I have eaten here many times. I have eaten at every establishment in the food court and I can tell you... it may be the largest but bigger isn't always better. Here are some brief points on some of the places: 1- Tim Hortons - huge chain, everyone loves tims! At this location, you have a 50:50 shot of getting what you actually ordered and paid for and you have a 50:50 shot of getting back to work on time. 2 - Starbucks - huge chain, everyone loves starbucks! Warm drinks and warm milk. Quick service but the staff has no personality at all. 3- Mama Gratti's - Best variety in the food court. You may ask yourself... how can they have that much variety? Here's the answer: A lot of the "fresh" food sits on the shelf for days and days and days. The pasta salad or bean salad that you see on Monday is the same salad that you see on Friday. If Monday's special is baked chicken then Thursday's special will be chicken pasta with broccoli and friday will be "fresh" chicken pasta with broccoli and mushrooms. I have had multiple friends who have purchased pre-packaged salads there and while eating them have found DEAD BUGS stuck to the lettuce. When we went back to get their money back and let the owner know about it, we were refused a refund! WE ALMOST ATE DEAD INSECTS BUT WE CAN'T GET OUR MONEY BACK? Terrible. 4 - A&W - average food like all the other franchises... if the owner of the franchise is reading this.. a word of advice.... get some new staff! If I'm paying $5.00 for onion rings and I want two packs of ketchup.... I should not have to PAY EXTRA for ketchup! 5 - CoCo's Pizza - Friendly staff.... I think! Not much English spoken here. Slices are big, but there is nothing on them. Very cheap pizza. Salads are fresh but staff is very stingy with ingredients. 6 - Rays - First of all, if you are a woman and you do not like being hit on... don't go here. I guarantee that unless you are with a man or you look like a mutant, you will be asked for your phone number. Prices are decent and food tastes good. Unfortunately... "Ray" digs into each one of the containers in the table with his bare hands. Not my idea of appetizing. 7 - Taste of India - I can't say anything except.... NO. An open buffet where people serve themselves. Re-used cutlery and staff who have been seen "multi tasking" before handling the food. 8 - Korean Garden - Very popular for Seoul chicken. Food tastes good. Not much selection. Don't stray from the combos.... single dishes are extremely over priced. 9 - The Dill Pickle - Another very popular spot for the "healthy" eater. First things first... the toughest roughest nastiest chicken on the planet. The staff is 50:50. Some of the staff is very personable and friendly, while some of the staff is not. A large portion of the food is very over-priced and everything additional is an extra charge! Watch out for this because you can get carried away when you pick what goes into your wrap or on your salad. 10 - Far East Chinese Food - Very Very Very friendly staff. But the the food is not as friendly. You could probably get better Chinese food in brazil. Grocery store chicken balls, plain rice with soya sauce and frozen peas and carrots, plain bean sprouts with no taste and ramen noodles with soya sauce. Sesame chicken and ginger beef are more cornstarch and sauce with bits of gristle and knuckle and if you're lucky... a bit of meat. 11 - The battered fish - this place qualified for a review all on its own. 12 - KFC - The absolute worst KFC location in Nova Scotia. I have actually gone here.... multiple times and been told "Sorry... we have no chicken!" Seriously? A chicken restaurant with no chicken? 13 - Quiznos - typical chain restaurant. Mediocre food. High price. Lots of bright colors. 14 - You & Me sushi - this place has half decent food if you like sushi. Kind of pricey unless you get the special or the soup. Very difficult to communicate with the staff. Most of them speak very little english. 15 - Cafe Istanbul - Really good food. Average price. Most of the staff is great and has a great personality. I have had a couple of issues with the food there ( hair in my food, under cooked chicken and one time a big chunk of ceramic in my dip) but when I have returned the food, the staff has always been courteous and apologetic. I got my money back and a new meal. That is great customer service. The only down side is that there can frequently be a long wait because this place is quite popular. Hopefully these tips will help those of you who are going here to eat! EAT, EXPERIENCE & ENJOY! read more

If you aren't eating the Café Istanbul mixed kebab plate, you've already made your first mistake. Get it, take it to a table and devour it like a hyena on a delicious Mediterranean flavoured antelope. Yes, there are other restaurants here, but the value and quality per dollar at Cafe Istanbul is awesome. read more

Scotia Square has 3 separate office towers branching from it, which is why the food court is so amazing and always busy at lunchtime. I worked in this mall for 5 years, and rarely had a bad lunch. A Taste of India and Ray's are my favorites, followed closely by the Korean place. PG's has great spicy fries and Mama Gratti's has one of the best breakfast sandwiches in the city! I would avoid their fruit packs and anything else pre-packaged and found in the refrigerated middle section. I found mold on more than one container of fruit before I stopped getting them. I left before the Battered Fish opened and shortly after Quizno's arrived, which I am sorry for, because both are awesome. read more

Ruth is right, this is actually a really decent food court. I never want to spend too much time in a mall if I can avoid it, but occasionally you can't. Or, you're right by Scotia Square and you really need to pee (it happens) so you go to use a bathroom here and are won over by the food court and decide to stay. Whatever your reason, I have certainly seen worse. It does have the downsides that come with being in a mall though - I find the atmosphere pretty depressing in general, which is not at all helped by the bad lighting, and the clientele are not always looking their greatest. But, these things aside, I have eaten more good meals in here than you'd think possible from one mall food court. read more

Clean and popular location after recent renovations. Scotia Square used to be a downtown shopping mall many years ago. Now it is mostly commercial office space and parking, with just a few shops that are convenient for all the nearby white collar workers (like me). The property owner did a great job of renovating the food court. It's bigger, cleaner and more modern looking. The location is great for those of us who work within walking distance. The food court has a good variety of foods to choose from: Sandwiches, burgers and fries, Indian, Mediterranean, vegetarian, Thai, Chinese, Turkish, Korean, and others. My favorite businesses in the food court are Freshii, Taste of India, Mezza, and Thai Express. One place you should AVOID is Mama Gratti's. Why? Read my review. It contains the word 'rancid'. Nuff said? read more

I have to admit, this is a great food court. Go for the Turkish food or one of the smaller (non-chain) restaurants.

Cafe Istanbul is a great little Mediterranean spot in the middle of many great little food spots in the food court.

This food court is just amazing! There is so much variety, and options for everyone. Some favorite restaurants can be found in it! Be sure to check out Taste of India, Korea Garden, and Freshii! read more

Stopped for a burger at A&W whilst in a rush at a conference in Halifax and was blown away! This was honestly the best burger I have ever had. The midrange burger with sweet potato fries and a spicy dip was fresh, bright, crisp. It wasn't over packaged and it's hormone free. The staff were typically courteous and with a drink it came in at $11. I SO wish someone would bring these values over to the UK! read more

Surprisingly an amazing place for lunch, I'll take the 2015 food court over the 2012 one anyday of the week.

Ah the food court. A great place to people watch. When the herd of humanity rolls in at lunchtime it becomes a busy spot. I have tried many of the restaurants there. Did not like the Korean (potatoes overdone and mushy), did not like the Lebanese (I truly had no idea what I was eating, everything was tasteless), I found both to be rather bland when I was expecting a festival of flavor. The Chinese food place is usually okay (good ginger chicken and chow mein) but the last time I was there the fried rice tasted way to much like coffee smells. I think they must have been using the same spoon to stir both. Sorry Coco's pizza, have never gotten a slice there that I enjoyed and for the price you could get a huge slice in some other places. Quizno's has always been good in my experience and the KFC is just like KFC everywhere else and some days it's good some days it just is not. The A&W smells the best but I find it expensive (drinks not included with the meals?) but they quite often have good deals on their combos. The Battered Fish is very expensive so I avoid that though I do like their food. I have not tried the Dill Pickle (I see nothing on their menu that draws me in) nor have I tried the Turkish cuisine (because the Lebanese and Korean was such a disappointment) but someday I will. There is also a Japanese restaurant but I have never been there either. There once was a family run restaurant where the new Tim Horton's is but the management would not renew their lease after 20+ years. No doubt at the request of Tim Horton's hungry for a prime locale. It offered very reasonably priced meals that were very good and just what you expected but I don't think it was upscale enough for management's tastes. It's too bad because despite the many choices I find there is only two or three that I consistently enjoy and one of them disappeared when they didn't renew the lease. I believe it was called PG's. Anyway, that's business right? So overall it is an okay experience though I don't enjoy eating with 250 other people but that's the nature of the beast. I didn't say anything about Mama Gratti's because I did a review of them on here already and it speaks for itself. And of course Tim Horton's but since I have never drank coffee or tea in my life and only go there for a chocolate treat I didn't think that they were worth mentioning. Are they ever? Plus the stench of coffee just makes be cranky. I usually give it a wide berth. Would give the court more stars If there were more restaurants with food I had enjoyed but I still like it for the people watching. Tip: get your drinks at Dollarama (i.e. canned pop 4 for a buck, sometimes name brands sometimes not) because a $6.00 meal can balloon to $8.50 depending on what drink you choose. read more

DO NOT go to Freshii. TERRIBLE service. I never write reviews, but this location has the worst service of any business I have ever seen. I purchased a burrito today for the first time ever at Freshii Scotia Square...you have to pay for extra protein and I told them I did not want any as I am vegetarian and the black beans that came in the burrito were fine. They ended up giving me one with chicken and I didn't notice until about half way through the burrito! Let me just point out that this place offers to be a great option for vegans and vegetarians.... Anyway, as I haven't eaten meat in years I was quite turned off and asked for my money back. I had just opened my Perrier and also set that down. The manager there (didn't get her name but she had brown hair and glasses) refused to refund for the whole meal. "The burrito is the only thing wrong with it so that's all I am refunding for" is what she said. She was very nonchalant about the fact that she just fed me chicken and very unapologetic. She seemed like she was annoyed by the fact that I was even complaining about this. Another thing I will mention is that my coworker was behind me in line. She asked if they had any specials on. The girl at the cash answered "yes burritos for 7$ but it's over at 12:30". The time was 12:33! This place is a joke and has the worst customer service I have ever seen. I am absolutely disgusted. read more