Happy hour drop in. At the bar. Very nice staff, great service. Comfortable. Nice music, good…read moreoysters (happy hour deal) and delicious beef tartar

Sat at the bar and had lunch. It's more of a tapas menu and the food was excellent. Enjoyed…read morewatching the impressive drink making skills of the bartender. Nice casual bar vibe but not divey. Well run establishment.

Oysters were some of the freshest I've tried, service was very friendly. Elevated but relaxed…read moreatmosphere.

do not let at here. We had a dozen oysters which were good…read moreand a bottle of wine which was also good but it goes downhill from here. unfortunately our server was not knowledgeable, she had to check with any questions we had. we had to ask for our wine. she did not pour it for myself. I ordered the fish tacos which we're supposed to have halibut but it was as literally minuscule serving of it. The tacos were very small. we ordered a mac n cheese wth chicken chicken. it was supposed to be a main course but it was as a very small portion and just ok. we also ordered a kale ceaser which was very salty. o very disappointing as it claimed to be high end. Not so! Would not recommend. So many other restaurants to enjoy.

Highly recommend this excellent restaurant. We were looking for a restaurant walking distance from…read moreour hotel, either this or studio east. Glad we picked this. Ambience was really nice and we were sat in the private space with beautiful designs on the wall. We ordered the oysters, caccio et Pepe spaghetti and the fish. Everything came very quickly. Everything was eaten almost instantly - it was so good and played beautifully. Our server and the hostess at the front were so kind and had a very warm vibe to them. 5/5!!

What a unexpected find on our visit to Halifax. The restaurant is in a quiet neighborhood away…read morefrom all the tourist. Jen was the perfect server - was patient in answering all our questions. We were not rushed through the meal and were able to enjoy every item. The fried brussels sprouts is a must have. The butter milk fried chicken is a great new addition to the menu. You must save room for the buttermilk cake - delish - it was moist with blueberries and almonds as a topping

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.

All around AMAZING! Im quite particular about my food and drinks, and this place did a fantastic…read morejob of creating a summer fresh, delicious and creative menu (with great service). I had minor critiques, but overall was in love and would return and recommend to anyone. Food: We started with the bread and mussels. Best mussels we've ever had, as they were cooked perfectly (and fresh) and the broth was heaven. The bread pairing was perfect to soak up all the buttery broth goodness. Next was the Shrimp Bao. The bread was fluffy and light, and shrimp was at chilled room temperature, perfect for a summer day. A good flavour of celery in case you dislike that, but I'd still suggest you try it! Finally we had the Zucchini and Beef Tartare. Zucchini didn't wow, though still fresh and summer minty vibes. Beef Tartare...hands down best we've ever had. The Asian fusion incorporated was perfect. Closed it out with a Strawberry & Cream, which albeit simpler was well done. Drinks: Go for them all. Very creative and they can walk you through tasting notes perfectly. Milk Punch (method; not actually milk; recommend), Strawberry Basil Negroni (strongly recommend; not traditional negroni alcohol forward), Eucalyptus Sour (subtle, calm and collected; recommend), Corn Star (be adventurous, as the chipotle is super subtle; worth the risk; recommend), Vesper (again, not alcohol forward; recommend). Atmosphere: Cozy and charming, yet the accents are vibrant and energizing. Indoor volume is medium, and great for a family, cocktail, date or a "i want a nice drink/bite" any day of the week.

Hipster spot that has small plates and larger plates and great drinks. My whiskey sour was just how…read moreI like it--shaken a lot. I wasn't that hungry, so I got two bao buns. Holy moly was that mushroom bao bun delicious. An explosion of flavor. Husband's scallops were delicious as well.

The service was good and the ambiance was quiet. It was early in the evening but it appears to be a…read morenice spot to come and have a drink and chat with friends. The bartender was great and Lexi K makes a great lemon drop martini.

Fine. I concede: The Bitter End has long sunk below the five-star rating it once deserved in my…read morebooks. Once upon a time, this was a gorgeous, classy space where you could order one of the best cocktails in the city. Unfortunately over the years, the rest of the city has grown up and the Bitter End has stayed exactly the same. Today, their martinis (that are actually sugary cocktails in martini glasses) fail to compete with some of the craft cocktails available elsewhere, the service often borders on apathetic, and the food never quite recovered from the menu reduction that happened several years ago. I could get over one or two of these things, but not all three at once. It's not all bad though. Sometimes you'll get a nice server, you'll almost *always* get an attractive one, I dig the soundtrack and DJs that they bring in, and they do boast prime patio real estate in the summers.

The four of us came here for drinks and had the best cocktails we have had probably in our 70…read moreyears. Shun, our bartender is a genius as a mixologist. Unfortunately, we leave tomorrow so we can't try food from the kitchen because we can't eat another thing after tonight's meal (see other review). We can't recommend Kyo Kitchen and Bar enough. Emily our server was fantastic.

New Italian restaurant from the Bertossi group (Bicycle Thief, Il Mercato etc) located at the…read morebottom of a newer upscale apartment complex - the Mills Residence. Two entrances to the place - one of Queen Street and one in an alley with cool shops and stores. Instagrammable interior - especially the lighting fixtures and bar. Standard Italian fare on menu. Service was excellent. The appetizers and dessert were the stars for me. Reasonable price considering it's a higher end restaurant in town. Definitely will need a reservation if you want to eat at a decent time! There is a patio - will be amazing when the weather is warmer. There are heaters above for cooler weather.

Via Condotti, I fear, is another restaurant simply popular for its appeal to Instagram. The…read moreinterior is quite nice, with tasteful decor. Our group came for brunch, and perhaps that it why it was not the fine dining experience we hoped to have. I had the "Eggs Royale" which was a smoked salmon eggs benedict. The eggs were perfectly poached, and the salmon was quite nice. The hollandaise had a great flavour, but I wish there was more of it. The potatoes and salad, however, left much to be desired. The potatoes were fried to a crisp, but they were very tough to eat. It almost felt like eating rocks, especially the smaller pieces. The salad was just a bowl of greens. No dressing or vinaigrette. If there was ever an opportunity to use the term "rabbit food," this would be it. If the goal was to be authentic, Via Condotti missed the mark. Italians will often dress a salad with, at minimum, salt, pepper, and olive oil. The drip coffee was okay. The service was average, a little odd at times. When ordering drinks upon our arrival, a couple of us were excluded from the order, I'm not sure why. Our server just didn't look at two of the people in our group and moved on. Our side salads arrived 5-10 minutes after our brunch plates arrived. We were not offered a refill on our drinks. In fact, our empty coffee cups were whisked away without a word. I would consider coming back to try their dinner menu, seeing as this is what they seem to be championing. I would not return here for brunch, unfortunately.

Excellent service, delicious food, and great cocktails. The ambiance is the perfect mix between…read moremodern and rustic; a suiting place for any occasion. I got tuna tartare to start and the tomahawk steak for the main; both I would get again in a heartbeat. For dessert I had the beignets (fried pastries drizzled with caramel and dashed with icing sugar). I had to order those twice because they were that good. Highly recommend checking this place out, I will definitely be returning the next time I'm in Halifax.

It was a cold evening outside but a deliciously cozy environment inside! I was in the area for work…read moreand this was a great place to wrap up my stay. There are a variety of cocktail and other drink options, including for someone who doesn't drink frequently. And the food! My colleague and I each ordered seafood meals and cleared our plates. I think the grilled lemon was an especially nice touch.

Everything we had was delicious! Egg fried rice, wings, edamame, chicken dumplings, and lamb stir…read morefry. They were accommodating with our food allergies as well.

Looking for non-pub fare, we decided to take a chance on Toridori which is located a stone's throw…read moreaway from the waterfront. We were greeted warmly by Leslie who gave us "front-view" seats to the open kitchen. What a treat to see dish-after-dish of sumptuous looking food. We were assisted by Opal (appropriately named because she was a gem!) who was friendly, patient and knowledgeable about the menu. We decided to share two dishes. The pound of red Thai curry mussels was sooo good. It was served with 5 pieces of toasted bread for dipping into the mildly spicy curry soup/sauce. The generous Hanoi bun cha platter was a combination of rice noodles, tender, perfectly seasoned thin pork slices, 4 pork patties, and 4 pieces of spring rolls. It came with a basket of lettuce, cilantro and that delicious Vietnamese dipping sauce that was made even tastier by what I think were cloves of pickled ginger. Throughout the meal, Opal came by just the right number of times to check if we were satisfied or needed something. We loved our experience here and highly suggest you try it out. You'll be very happy.