We met a friend there for coffee and dessert. Really good coffee and yummy dessert. This is located in the lobby of Barrington Hotel in the heart of downtown Halifax. read more

Tempo Food + Drink - Apple crumble pie - Canadian (New) Near Me - Halifax, Nova Scotia

My husband and I had dinner at Tempo on our recent trip to Halifax. They had a Summer Lobster Special - a pound-and-a-quarter lobster, coleslaw, potato salad and a roll for $25. We loved it! We started with the Tempo House Greens ($9) which was mixed greens, beets, poached pears, goat cheese and pecan brittle crumbs. We wanted to share the salad as our appetizer and they actually split it and put it into 2 bowls for us. How nice is that? Most other places that we've been to just put the dish in the middle and give us 2 forks. I also forgot to tell our server when we ordered that I wanted the dressing on the side. I asked her a little while after ordering if it was too late to make that request and it turned out that the kitchen already made it, but they gladly remade it for me with the dressing on the side. What excellent customer service!! We both got the lobster special (obviously). The lobster was delicious and it was pre-cracked for us. The potato salad was good - and that's coming from someone who doesn't usually like potato salad. This one wasn't too "mayonnaisey" and it had peas in it which was cool. The coleslaw was vinaigrette based, not cream based, so I was a fan since I hate creamy coleslaw. I didn't eat my roll; it looked really dry. My husband ate both his roll and mine. He is a man of few words when it comes to describing food. When I asked him about it, he said "it was an ordinary roll." Whatever that means, lol. Our server was Arden, and she was great. She was really nice, refilled our waters without us having to ask and checked up on us appropriately. Decor is simple and clean. Tempo is attached to the Delta Barrington Hotel. In term of taste, value, and service, Tempo is my new favourite restaurant in Halifax. read more

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I had breakfast this morning at Tempo Food + Drink. I don't usually eat breakfast but I had time and I won't be able to have lunch 'til later this afternoon. I ordered two eggs (easy over) and a glass of milk. It was good until I came across a bit piece of egg shell. Accidents happen and I'm glad I found it on the plate and not while I was chewing it. It put me off the eggs so I ate the toast and some home fries. I let Lisa, my server, know about it when I was ready to pay. She handled it well and asked me if I wanted something else instead (I didn't). She didn't charge me for the meal. read more

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The food was amazing, staff friendly, and quick order to table time 10/10. I also recommend that the place itself looks amazing.

We wouldn't have eaten here if we hadn't been staying in the attached hotel, but it had its positives. The vibe is casual, with modern design and a bit of a cafeteria vibe, actually. Service was fine. They had a 1.25 lobster special, with corn on the cob, a roll, butter, and pickled cabbage (which they called coleslaw). My mom liked it, and she's pretty picky. My forbidden rice bowl, filled with pickled things and black rice, was delicious. The lemon tart dessert was less successful. Though it was unique, coming in a phyllo dough "cup," the lemon was entirely too sweet for us. On the flip side, my mom enjoyed the house wine, which was better than described by our server. For a quick, convenient meal and a taste of the well-priced lobster special, it was worthwhile. read more

Tempo Food + Drink - Canadian (New) Near Me - Halifax, Nova Scotia

Halifax hasn't traditionally had the same sort of hotel restaurant culture that a lot of larger cities have, although there does seem to be an effort to change that in the past few years or so. Seasons at the Atlantica, elements at the Westin and Harbour City Bar & Grill have all stepped up to the plate, bringing more competition to the more established Gio. Tempo is the latest and much vaunted update to the dining options at the Delta Barrington. With my girlfriend working nearby, we stopped by for what we hoped would be a quick lunch. The main dining area has a very...interesting design. The palette is fine, with warm oranges and browns, and the semi-open kitchen is commendable as well, but the seating simply feels like a cafeteria, with inelegant tables and low booths, with some higher tables and lounge chairs towards the end that opens up into the lounge area. Then there's that lovely view of...Barrington Street traffic and the concrete side of Scotia Square. I opted to go for their fancy-pants burger which tempted me with a promise of ground sirloin, smoked apple wood cheddar, lettuce, smoked tomato ketchup, fried onions, and candied bacon, along with the borscht to go with it, as this was my first meal of the day and I didn't think a burger and fries would lead to a productive afternoon. My better half chose the club sandwich and fries, because how can you go wrong with bacon and chicken? That's right, you can't. Well we chatted for a while, until you reach that point where you realize you don't have your food yet. The semi-open kitchen did let us see that some of the food was cooling off in the window while the rest was presumably being prepared, while we were mystified at the wait as we were the first one to order lunch, and the place hadn't exactly filled up after that either. When our food arrived, there was a solid 15 minutes left in an hour long lunch break. While the burger did look pretty, it was mostly disappointing upon taking that first bite, and each one after. It was room temperature at best, with some sweetness from the toppings, but not a lot of flavour topping out despite all the tasty descriptors in the menu. The bun proved to not be up to the task of being a bun and kindly collapsed halfway through the burger. The borscht was decidedly not borschty-looking, lacking the normal beet red colour, being quite translucent and containing your run of the mill mixed vegetables. It was OK, but certainly not what I expected. My girlfriend seemed to have made the better choice with the club sandwich and fries. The club's top slice of bread was actually a thin grilled cheese sandwich and the lemon chicken was tasty and moist. The fries came in an interesting presentation, being in a rectangular paper bag, the same sort that you would get from the chip trucks downtown in the summer. It was a neat toss out to them, but being stacked on top of one another made them go soggy quicker than they should have. Hopefully with some time Tempo can hammer out more consistent service and better execution of their dishes, because right now they're not up to speed. read more

Tempo Food + Drink - Tempo burger and borscht. - Canadian (New) Near Me - Halifax, Nova Scotia

I ordered delivery from tempo food and drink through the OneLocal app and I was very pleased. The lobb Cobb salad was amazing and it had an okay amount of lobster in it (was a little fresh though). Overall the salad was about a 7/10. The house chowder was pretty good. It comes with a little bread roll and it was full of seafood. Truly a must have. Overall it was about a 8/10 Best for last. The calamari was amazing. I ate everything on the plate, even the garnish of the tortilla chips and greens. There is a nice sauce that's drizzled all over the dish that really brings everything together and compliments the calamari, which was tender and just perfect! 10/10. read more

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We did get back here to enjoy a dinner service so back to update as promised. We went on a Saturday evening. I had inquired about reservations and they do not take them but was assured we'd have no problem on a Saturday and that was correct. We were relatively early, around 6:30 and there were few tables occupied. I like the decor and set up in the restaurant, it's got a hip, diner kind of feel with the banquettes, blonde wood of the tables and open kitchen. It's not an intimate, romantic dinner kind of setting but has a fun, energetic vibe. There is a good variety on the menu, mini mains and mains, enough to have something for most everyone. To start, I ordered the greens salad which included micro greens, pickled beets, goat cheese crumble, pecan brittle and warm pears, with a red pepper vinaigrette and B had the Caesar which came with romaine, parmesan crunch, bacon strip, tempura anchovies, and a garlic emulsion. Typically I'll order seafood or something I wouldn't normally have at home but the beef sounded so tempting we both ordered the Wholly Cow for our mains; pan seared 7oz striploin, braised beef cheeks, veal jus, grilled sweet potatoes, spiced walnuts, green beans, baby carrots. The wine list is fairly small and has only one red and one white Nova Scotian wine, which was okay because we liked both of those on the list. Service was friendly, fast and well timed, however, we were not informed of any specials for the evening so when shortly after we ordered the signs went up of the specials, I was dispappointed as I likely would have ordered the seafood pasta. Maybe next time. The bread basket had a couple slices of baguette and what looked like deep fried rice paper, their gluten free "bread". We both enjoyed our salads, lots of layers of flavour and textures and good sized portions. I would have liked a touch more vinaigrette and B a touch more garlic but that's up to personal taste. Wholly Cow is an understatement on our main dish. The steak was tender and the braised beef cheek and veal jus added a punch of beefy flavour. The grilled sweet potato was a tasy alternative to white potato and the beans and carrots done to a light crunch. Alas, no room for dessert but I will return to try the carrot cake I was so close to ordering. We returned later that night for nightcap in the bar. Enjoyed a sweet & tart lemon drop martini put together by the mixologist. A couple other people around but the place was pretty quiet and winding down for the night. From what I hear, this place is rocking it out at lunch time. The evenings are still fairly quiet but I could see that changing in time and especially in summer. We will be back. read more

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I had room service at the Barrington from Tempo. It was a sorry display. I ordered the "Hot Tempo". The eggs were brown and over hard, not the over medium I asked for. The bacon was straggly, under cooked and the rye toast wasn't even toasted. It was a sorry display. I did get the eggs replaced, but they too were burned, but over medium. Maybe next time I'll order poached. But there definitely won't be a next time. What a waste of time and money ($30C with tip). read more

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Apparently the third time is not a charm. Thanks Tempo for ruining that saying for me. Again, I really wanted to like this spot. Their interior is really nice, they're in a great location, the prices are pretty decent and they have a great menu, but, every time I've been there I've had an issue. They were never horribly major issues, but, they were enough to make me think "no you won't" after being told "see you again soon!" We went for breakfast; he wanted Eggs Benny and the last time we had them from there they were really good! This time - not so much; the hollandaise sauce tasted very sour and the salmon just tasted bad - it wasn't enjoyable whatsoever. After the first order and try we told Sara, who appeared to be the manager or supervisor. She was very apologetic and brought them back to the kitchen, she returned to say they were whipping up a new batch and she'll bring a new dish out as soon as possible! We didn't want to complain again, but, the new dish was no better. I even tried a bite again and had to force myself to swallow it. My breakfast on the other hand was delicious! I was torn between the pancakes and the French toast. I asked our server and she told me the French toast was the way to go, she was right! Layered with praline and topped with hazelnuts and strawberries it was probably the best French toast I've ever had! There always seems to be an issue whenever I go to Tempo. Whether it is the service or the meal - There are so many other restaurants in Halifax that I'm not sure if it's worth giving another try. read more

Tempo Food + Drink - French toast! - Canadian (New) Near Me - Halifax, Nova Scotia

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As far as lunch goes in Halifax, Sir Eetzalot gives this a five. Not trying to get anyone's expectations up too high, but worth checking out for a high-quality lunch experience. Sir E was indeed pleased. The service, portions, quality and price were all hits. Sir E thinks the fish tacos will have you saying 'yarrr matey' in Spanish, and they're even big enough to share... Though Sir E never would. Tempo is good value and won't break the bank, no matter who picks up the tab. -E. read more

Tempo Food + Drink - Couple fish tacos b'y - Canadian (New) Near Me - Halifax, Nova Scotia

Two words: pleasantly surprised. My friends and I went to Tempo recently to check out their selection for Burger Week. Holy mother of meat! The patty was massive and it was topped with a piece of candied bacon, just in case you're struggling to find ways to pack extra calories into your burger. Cause yeah. Like that's a common problem. Service was friendly, attentive and efficient. When we ordered ahead of a friend who then walked in a few minutes later, he put a rush on my friend's order so we all ate at the same time. The only reason this is a three-star review and not a four is that I'm not totally sold on the atmosphere. As others have noted, the three separate areas may work from a business perspective, but I'm not sure if I'm jazzed about it as a night spot. Still, the service and food were good enough that my friends and I will definitely be back. Maybe we'll give the lounge area and tapas a try. read more

Tempo Food + Drink - Burger week burger! $15 for this bad boy and it came with a pint! That's candied bacon. - Canadian (New) Near Me - Halifax, Nova Scotia

I wen there for dinner with a friend. I think I made good choices. Appetizers, potato puff. It's one of the best salad I've ever had so far. It was vegetarian, the stuffing on the potato was mushrooms, which was very tasty. The goat cheese added a delicate flavour to the salad. Entrées: beef lasagna (or something like that). It was the dish for meat lovers. It had so much beef! The taste was very rich, the texture very tender. I had ordered strawberry mousse for dessert, but they did not have it. I changed to passion fruit cheesecake. No loss at all. The passion fruit flavour made the cheesecake so fruity and you would never feel there's too much. Also, the presentation of it was absolutely art. I wish I could give them a five star, but frankly my friend and I had waited too long to be served. And it took too long time to prepare dishes. read more

Tempo Food + Drink - Appetizers, potato puff. It's one of the best salad I've ever had so far. - Canadian (New) Near Me - Halifax, Nova Scotia

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Ate here last night and the service was perfect, extremely quick and no issues. I had ordered an Old Fashion which they made perfectly and I had the Thai Steak Bowl which was spicy but ok, nothing to write home about. The service was quick which is why I would recommend the place, and it was quiet. Overall I had a good experience here, but again the food was not the best. read more

Tempo Food + Drink - Canadian (New) Near Me - Halifax, Nova Scotia

Here we are 5 years after I first reviewed this place and my first time back to it. In fairness, I no longer work in the city and am certainly not boycotting the place. Recently met up with some old work colleagues here and I confess, I was kind of disappointed when one of them chose this spot. I'd remembered it being kind of bland and wasn't excited when I knew there was so many other options in the city. Well, I was WRONG! I loved the menu options so much more this time than the first time I dined here. I had the Banh Mi Sliders with salad, very good. I loved that you had options of soup, salad or fries as a side without an up charge. I hate when restaurants overcharge for a few greens. Not only could I have a salad with my meal, but also could select from any of the salads. I chose the house salad because they had me at pickled beets and goat cheese. But next time I will try the kale with the smoked pineapple vinaigrette because a) that dressing sounds hella interesting and b) my friend had it and said it was delicious. My other friend had the Fish Tacos which also also looked very yum. The service was fast and very friendly. We did have one issue when my friend had a plastic piece in her salad. Might have come off a container or something. She didn't make a big deal out of it but the server comped her salad and apologized profusely, which wasn't asked for but was nice just the same. Overall, it was a lovely lunch on a Friday afternoon. And I would definitely check this place out again. read more

The seafood chowdar and fish tacos are awesome. It is literally a crime against humanity to not order these on your first visit to Tempo. Reservations are recommended if you wish to go during peak meal hours, other times you'll have no problems getting a table read more

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This place has lobster poutine, need I say more? Generous servings of lobster, shallot cream, are you flipping kidding me...this stuff is delicious. Had to order it, there was no doubt. Also had the seafood chowder, which was loaded with big chunks of lobster, haddock, shrimp, scallops, and potato. Undoubtedly the best chowder I've ever had in my life, I'm still thinking about the dish now. My buddy ordered the fish tacos and they looked awesome. Me thinks that tomorrow will call for another bowl of chowder and those fish tacos. read more

Tempo Food + Drink - Canadian (New) Near Me - Halifax, Nova Scotia

Tempo introduced me to Nova 7 and for that I'm eternally grateful. In case you don't know Nova 7 is a lovely, local, lightly sparkling white wine and Tempo serves it by the glass or the bottle. As for the restaurant itself I ate here twice - once for a proper lunch and once for more like a happy hour snack. Both times service was super friendly, which I always appreciate. For lunch I literally got the biggest plate of food imaginable because they let you get both a salad and fries if you order a sandwich/wrap. For happy hour they have a few small plates for food and the chips/dip one that I ordered was also a big portion with a small price tag. Restaurants in hotels are always a gamble, but Tempo was a win and if I find myself at the Delta Barrington again I wouldn't hesitate to stop back in. read more

I've made two visits to Tempo now, and can happily say that I'll absolutely be back. Last week, three friends and I hit up one of Tempo's launch parties to have a few drinks and check out the scene. And I've got to say, I was really impressed. The drinks: Amazing. They're classic and not sugary, without being too strong. The food: Their tapas were fantastic, especially the tempura veggies and the artichokes. The location and decor: I love this spot. It's close to my office and giant windows give you a great opportunity for people-watching. The decor is trendy and relaxed. The service: We stuck around after the party to order some food, and the service was slow. Very slow. But you know what? It was also stellar, because a staff member (not our waiter, perhaps a supervisor?) checked on us multiple times, apologized for the delays, and in the end comped part of the bill to make up for the long wait. I was ready to cut them some slack, seeing as the party had probably slammed the kitchen earlier in the night and they were likely still working some kinks out. So the compensation wasn't expected, but very much appreciated. I returned for lunch with a coworker, and had another great experience. My club sandwich was different and very tasty (though it's a lot of bread, so next time I'll have it with salad rather than fries) and the chef whipped up a delicious-looking meal for my vegan colleague. The service was fast and friendly, and our table by the window in the sun made for a lovely lunch outside the office. The dinner menu sounds great and I'm hearing good things about brunch, so I will be back in no time. read more

First time here at lunch for the burger week burger. Had to wait 15 mins for a table which sucked but not surprising and not their fault considering it was burger week and lunchtime downtown so no fail there and they were extremely efficient at moving the lunch crowd in and out so YAYYY TEMPO staff and management. Interior is like a fancy, modern cafeteria style on one side and an afterwork cocktail drinks and schmoozy side on the other. Service was above average, really great and that includes everyone we encountered, very knowledgeable staff and super friendly. THE BURGER was the second best burger i've ever had. It was on some crusty outside, soft inside garlic-ey buttery yummy grilled cheese bread, jalapeno chipotle mayo something something, fresh beef, jalepeno popper on top, gawd it was heavenly. I ate the entire thing (unusual for me). Fries were very good too, crunchy on outside soft on the inside, my personal favorite texture. Only downside was the washrooms were not inside the restaurant. Don't quote me on this because i was too lazy to ask cause servers were insanely busy but i think you have to go outside the restaurant to use washrooms because the restaurant is in the bottom of the hotel. Kind of of a mild pain in the ass but not a deal breaker because after that meal i will definitely be going back. Parking...it's a miracle swipe situation or park in scotia square and walk, not that far. Unless someone knows a better spot, I'd be grateful for the tips! Thanks TEMPO! read more

Had a delightful time here. The service was pleasant and quick, and the food was quite good. There wasn't anything on the menu that was vegan, so the kitchen whipped me up a huge plate with three different vegan things. The space is really interesting and contemporary. It's nice to see a cool spot on that corner. I'll definitely be back soon. read more

Admittedly, I've barely gone past first impression with Tempo but so far, so good in my books and I'll look forward to digging a little deeper in the coming weeks. But for now... I popped in for a quick drink before an event last week and found that unlike many other bars in Halifax, Tempo definitely seems like the kind of spot where you can just saddle up to the bar for a sip. The drink menu was sizeable but I kept it simple with a nice glas of Prosecco ($9). Service was crazy quick. I didn't spend much time in hanging in Tempo's other personality zones (sit-down dinner, take-out cafeteria) but this one was cozy and a little upper scale without any sort of snoot. That said, I find the massive TVs playing sports a little out of place - but that's personal preference, of course. With a little more time on the clock, I'll be glad to try some of their snacks next time. read more

I'm going to try not to judge based on my first visit to a new restaurant,however, here is an overview of a lunch visit during the workweek, Service: Slow as can be. My sister said to give them a break because they are a new place and still probably trying to work out the bugs with communication in the kitchen. They did offer the food on the house, but we paid anyways. They provided a free cupcake for our wait. I wouldn't eat here for lunch if you only have an hour. Food: It looked ok and tasted fine. I had the club sandwich with fries. I thought the fries were over seasoned and would have preferred my bottom slice of bread on the sandwich toasted. (the top was, not sure why the bottom was not). Real bacon as opposed to "bacon mayo" would have also made the sandwich tastier. Atmosphere: It was nice. The big windows looking onto Barrington Street add to the atmosphere. Some of the tables seemed a little too close together. It was fine for lunch, but maybe not for a more intimate evening meal. read more

Nice atmosphere and very good service, however, the food doesn't taste good or fresh at all. The tomatoes felt like they were cut and left for a day or two in the fridge so as the melon. read more

Tempo Food + Drink - Canadian (New) Near Me - Halifax, Nova Scotia

**Great Food** on the menu (can't say enough this one: very tasty). The drink list was a little short, though. And their wine list should be beefed up considerably. My only real complaint is the place's music. Dear Mgmt: your music is really really loud. And it bounces hard off of the exposes concrete decor. Is your lounge a lounge, or is it a place to dance? It would be wise to figure that out. +4 for the food. -1 for the music levels. You do the math. read more

Wow! I think I might just be in love with this place. Me and my man came here for brunch with my family on a Sunday afternoon (yes, afternoon brunch. Don't judge us, okay). It was not busy at all, so we were seated and served very quickly! Our server was very friendly and helpful, and was there when we needed her. The food. Was delicious. I had a salty and sweet grilled cheese sandwich, and let me just say, it was one of the strangest things I've ever eaten; but I'm going to be back for another. Sourdough bread with cheddar cheese, deep fried in a corn flake crust. It was crispy, chewy, gooey, and with all the best flavours. I had it with bacon, which was bacon so of course, amazing. And their wonderfully delicious hash browns, which have a hint of spice, which is lovely. My man had their waffles benedict (unfortunately, they were out of waffles, but he was offered brioche as a substitution), which looked delicious. Their portions were all large, but not large enough to be called ridiculous; with the exception being the skillet; $14 for a big bin of cheese, hashbrowns, bacon, sausage, all toasty, melty and warm. And the decor is very nice, very modern, everything very clean. Love it! read more

Overall, my experience at Tempo was good. I wasn't blown away by my meal but the cocktail I ordered was superb and the service was excellent. I ordered the Tempo Burger ($15) and although tasty, it was extremely messy and not all that different tasting than a burger I could make a home. My cocktail, The Key, was $9 and worth every penny. I'm usually quite particular about my cocktails (must be my "inner Carrie Bradshaw") but this one was fantastic. Our server was attentive right to the end and the atmosphere was very funky. I will say I found the place a tad confusing. With so many different points of entry, I wasn't sure which way to go in or which way to leave. Some signage would be helpful I imagine. read more

I was to Tempo for the first time Monday and was rather disappointed with my meal (though co-workers enjoyed theirs). I had the cod burger which was absolutely tasteless. Add to that, no salt or pepper on the table... or any table. I find a move like that to be pretentious and Tempo hasn't quite earned that right yet. The server was lovely. The only complaint is that she didn't come back to check on us until after we were all finished, nor did she make eye contact throughout the meal (or I would have asked her for some salt and pepper). I wish I could say the reason was because the place was packed and she was run off her feet but that simply wasn't the case. If I go back, it won't be my choice, but I'll glady try something different on the menu. The atmosphere is great and would make a great cocktail bar. read more

We will be back. Love the brightness. It is clean and spacious. I had a comfy booth seat. We really enjoyed our breakfasts - I had regular eggs benny with back bacon and home fries and it was yummy! He had cinnamon french toast which was also very tasty. I know he'll get it again next time and I will share a bite or two for sure! Our server was great. And the other staff also smiled and greeted us which is nice. The rest of the menu looked good too and so did the brunch menu. I always wanted to stop in and I'm glad we finally did. As I was staying in the hotel I grabbed a fruit parfait for breakfast the next day. Nice on the go brekkie. I didn't get a coffee but they had good coffee there. That reminds me - I saw tempting cupcakes and croissants there too... Oooh... Maybe next next time. My next visit will be brunch :) read more

Got some supper last night here - it was okay. From the outside it doesn't look all that special but when you walk in, you see that the owners are trying to make it a classy place - which is fine with me, even when I walk in with a hoodie. :) There was a group of 4 of us and we were literally the only people in the restaurant. I ordered the Tempo burger with the free beer - not bad for $15 I suppose. They also have GF options, so that's always a plus. My SO ordered the veggie tempura & Korean soup. The food was mediocre - although I must admit the candied bacon on my burger was pretty deelish. Service didn't make any sense to me. We were the only people in the restaurant the waitress didn't know the dips for the night or the soups of the day. Plus it seemed like it took her longer than it should've to get back to us. Either way, was fun to check out a new place as usual. read more

Nice spot for breakfast, plates are well put together apart from the "meh' garnish. I do love the idea of home fries in a paper bag, made it easy to grab and go on our busy day. Tasty breakfast, good service, I'd go back. read more

Tempo Food + Drink - Eggs in a hole - Canadian (New) Near Me - Halifax, Nova Scotia

Stayed at Delta Barrington hotel and thought this would be another terrible restaurant attached to a hotel. I was pleasantly surprised to find the opposite. We had brunch on a Sunday and the lobster eggs benedict were some of the best that I've had. We came back for breakfast the following day and the food was good as well. Service here is pleasant and friendly but they seemed to be understaffed on our first visit. That said, the server did her best to be attentive. read more

Burger week. The week where strategic burger choices are happen: weighing the pros and cons of things such as candied bacon or aged cheddar vs brie. With a number of options within travelling distance of work, a number of us decided to try Tempo's burger special on burger week. I'll be honest, it was the candied bacon and tempura pickle in the description that won most of my coworkers over. But a Barking Squirrel beer definitely added my vote. The special was $15 for a Barking Squirrel, burger and fries. But this is no $1.79 value menu burger. This burger was HUGE. We were lucky to get a big enough table to seat six of us, and our waitress was delightful. We all got the special. The atmosphere was nice. One of my colleagues remarked how awesome it was to be eating a burger with Thriller playing in the background. It's a neat place to people watch too, but you have to keep in mind that they can actually see you when your looking at them through the window. Back to the burger: it stood very tall, with a white bun, some fried onions, the massive (and I mean massive) patty, cheese, candied bacon and lettuce and tomatoes and a tempura pickle on top. I think there were some condiments on there, but not a whole lot. The first thing I did was take off the pickle and attempt to squish it down into something manageable. That was pretty much impossible, you'd have to have a mouth like Goliath to fit it all in. It was only by taking off the lettuce and tomato that I was actually able to eat it. Unfortunately for me, while the ingredients seemed right, I didn't enjoy the burger itself - it was much too thick (almost like eating a meatloaf sandwich) and too dry for my liking. The fries on the other hand were great. I'm not a big fry person, but these were hand-cut with some spice! Not burn-your-mouth spice but just enough to add deliciousness without it being overwhelming. I really liked them. I also liked the beer, but let's face it, that was a no-brainer. Overall I had a good experience. I'd definitely go back to try out some of their other menu items. read more

Tempo is located in the Barrington Hotel. It is convenient if you are staying there or at the Marriott. The service is good and the restaurant is clean an open. The food is a mix of a little bit of everything. I had the falafel and kale salad. The falafel was too dry and bland, but the kale salad was great. My friends ordered tacos and the fried chicken sandwich, both of which were good. We shared the lobster poutine as an appetizer which was great. Worth stopping by, but there are lots of other really tasty restaurants in town that I would recommend over Tempo. read more

After a long day of travel I was thrilled to have Tempo attached to the hotel. The bar was friendly and featured several local beers on tap. But it was the fish tacos that stole the show! The plate is huge and features two healthy tacos with a lightly battered crispy haddock piled on top of a crispy slaw drizzled with a tangy sauce that is reminiscent of a 1000 island or creamy French but so much better. All of this tastiness is inside a crispy taco shell and wrapped in a soft taco shell so that you get all the crispness and texture without the crumbling mess. Oh and I almost forgot the green salad featuring beers, goat cheese and yummy toppings of green apple and some kind of crispy deliciousness . There was also a bit of salsa on the side but I was so stuffed I didn't even get to it. The staff is super friendly and I thought the prices were fair. Definitely try it. read more

A nice spot to stop for a cocktail and a snack. The drinks menu is a step up from a basic martini list, without going quite as complex and expensive as Noble or the Drawing Room. We had a couple of delicious cocktails that seemed to take inspiration from local flavours, and a sharing appetizer selection of cured meats, olives, and artichoke blossoms. The service was friendly, engaging, and fast. The space is set up for now as a large open circle, so depending on if you need a table to eat at or are just happy sitting and sipping, you'll want to look around for the right type of seat. The location is great and the view is going to be wonderful once the construction across the intersection is complete. Lots of potential. The music was a bit odd - a classic rock sort of station that didn't fit in with the decor or mood, but it didn't spoil the experience. I'll definitely drop in again. read more

Had my first Tempo experience today, after having walked by a million times. The location is great, the decor superb, and their service is also excellent. I will have to go back again, so I can comment in a more well rounded way about their food. I had the thai chicken wrap. I have to say, this was different, but I wasn't expecting quite so much noodles in the wrap, making this a carb-intensive dish. I would recommend that the chef consider presenting the wrap in rice paper, instead of a bread wrap, with some peanut sauce as a dip, and substituting some of the noodle for lettuce. This would substantially lighten the dish without sacrificing quality or taste. It WAS tasty, just really heavy. The fries on the side were delicious. Homecut. My colleagues were also thrilled with their meals and all the plates were empty. All good signs. read more

I was here for a date back in December, and the experience could be categorized as different. First, this is a restaurant that doesn't take itself too seriously. With dishes that are named things like "Pig Penne" and "Baaad Azz Nachos", this place is not afraid to make fun of itself. The food itself was pretty good. We ordered Calamari as an appetizer, and it was pretty good. I had the Pig Penne for my main course, which, surprisingly, very tasty. My date had the Lobb Cobb salad, which she said was also very good. For Dessert, we split, a Pretzel Brownie, which was OK, not terrible, but not great either. Service was excellent, the staff where very attentive and we had our food very quickly. The decor is interesting and again, doesn't take itself too seriously. I was here during the start of the Christmas and they had a quote from a Dr. Seuss Book on the Blackboard over the Kitchen. Overall, I like Tempo, and would probably go back. Recommended. read more

I used to LOVE tempo (and converted a great many people to her) and was a dedicated customer, but everything seems to be slipping, except for the service. *NOTE: the following is a review of the To Go lunch After telling all their loyal patrons that they would no longer be updating Facebook with the daily specials, they directed us to visit their website (I'm sure to drive web traffic numbers). This website is so frequently WRONG (aka not updated for the current day or before lunch rush) that I have pretty much given up on checking it, and thus my visits have become less frequent. I'll pop by very infrequently to see if they have my favorite soup (curried cauliflower... OMG). Today I checked the site and it originally said they had my soup, oh joy oh bliss! So I run over only to be heartily disappointed. I was told that there must have been a mistake as that was not the special of the day. So to smooth my ruffled feathers, Peggy (who is AMAZING and deserves DOUBLE what she's paid), offered me a gluten free cupcake. I'll admit..... I was not happy but the offer of free sugar..... YES please! That is.... until I "ate" the thing (I will NOT call that a cupcake!). Their old Gluten free coconut lime cupcakes were golden, light, airy and deliciously crumbly. This thing was a brick with flecks of coconut and lime barely making an appearance. And the icing was gritty, had little to no lime flavor (the old one had this pillowy soft mound of lime scented heaven on the top) and tasted of sugar and shortening. This thing was GROSS. I'm so sad to see how far tempo has fallen and I really hope that they can bring things back to the standard that once was! Oh and massive props to Peggy and Chef Katherine who always greet me so warmly and help me get something delicious (I'm GF) read more

Ate here once about a month ago on a date with my boyfriend. The service was great, the menu was decent - but the food was not what I expected. I ordered the fried manicotti, and being of Italian descent, thought this would be a good choice. Unfortunately I was wrong - it was stuffed with a strange green mush and fried a little too long. The boyfriend had a burger which he said was "alright" but could have had better elsewhere. I was really expecting more from this place... I may be back - saw their brunch items listed, so I may give them a second shot. The decor was lovely, very modern, upscale. Service was great - our server was a very pleasant young man who kept our drinks refilled and inquired as to how our meals were. Overall, an OK place to eat, but not one of Halifax's best. read more