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

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

The quality of food,service and "attitude" was first class!…read more Coupled with a superb martini. A must!

We rolled into Ristorante A Mano after arriving in Halifax and getting settled at our hotel. We had…read morethe Fettuccine con Capasante which is their house made fettuccine, seared scallops, lemon, butter, chives, and a parsley gremolata. Also had Mezzi Rigatoni with chicken, bacon, and caramelized onions. Everything was wonderfully prepared and delicious. The service was also excellent. I highly recommend this spot. Note that we did not have a reservation, but there was no issue with getting a table very quickly.

Halifax has never had a shortage of Italian restaurants, with many of them being regarded among the…read morebest fine dining places in the city for years. And while I was in exile in Ottawa for several years, just the downtown has inexplicably added several more Italian spots. Of those though, it was Sapori's casual, street-food-inspired menu that piqued my interest the most (my condolences to the regrettably-named, Sketti and Ball). One day, my wife and I popped in for dinner after work. The elongated restaurant was decently full between regular diners and an solid showing for a pizza-making class. It happened to be Dine Around, so the arancini and square pizza would have to wait, as if there's one thing I like more than street food, it's a deal! Dine Around menus are typically prix fixe with an assortment of choices, and Sapori's was no different. Choose between a few apps, mains and desserts and voila, you've got yourself a three-course meal for $30. I kept it simple and went with the classics - a Caesar salad to start, spaghetti and meatballs, and a profiterole for dessert. The Caesar was sizeable and serviceable, with no departures from the formula, but no standout twists or quality ingredients here either. Romaine, real pancetta, and crumbled parmesan, which sadly wasn't the real deal Parmigiano Regiano. It was big enough for both my wife and I, which was an unexpected bonus though. Next up was the spaghetti and meatballs, a comfort food classic beloved by both young and old. The al dente spaghetti was evenly coated in the pomodoro sauce, and the two meatballs were saucy, tender and hearty. A solid coating of Parmesan and a sprinkle of parsley completed the picture. The star of the show was a bit of a tease, because there was just one (I get it, food costs, etc), but the profiterole was excellent. The choux pastry was lightly crisp on the outside, with a wonderfully rich vanilla cream inside, and a dusting of confectioners sugar and a caramel drizzle took things up a couple notches. And by "things" I mean "my blood sugar". My next time there found me swinging by for a solo lunch, with their casual fare in my sights. Their lunch deal (slice of pizza + soup or salad + a cookie) was an unreal deal for a place that isn't one of Halifax's dicey pizza points, so I jumped on that. Feeling hungry, and wanting to support them beyond the basic deal, I also tacked on a single arancini and a can of San Pellegrino. For my slice I chose the salsciccia which comes with Italian sausage (are the wires connecting on "salsciccia"?), salami, caramelized onions, and mozza, with a drizzle of honey to top it off. It was a hefty slice, with a thick, airy crust that reminded me of focaccia. The sweet honey paired well with the savoury and salty meats, as well as the lightly sweet and acidic tomato sauce. A solid slice, for sure! The garden salad was a mix of fresh greens, cherry tomatoes, cucumber and carrot, with an herbaceous vinaigrette to brighten up your palette. I enjoyed the crunch of the sizeable chunks of carrot, in contrast to the more common shredded carrot. The arancini disappeared quickly, as the crispy shell and cheesy rice within begged to be finished in as few bites as possible. A tip of the cap to Sapori for giving my lonely arancini a nice plating with a dollop of tomato sauce to hold it to the plate, and a sprinkle of fresh parsley and parm to top it off. Mid-day, mid-week staffing was minimal, and owner Luca Ferrante took mine and other customers' orders with friendly aplomb. Halifax's fine dining scene has long been dominated by Italian restaurants, but more casual fair like Sapori deserves its own place in the city and our bellies.

Staff were very friendly, but service was somewhat slow and they weren't very busy. The portions…read morewere large and the food was cooked well, but the chicken parm and spaghetti lacked any flavor or depth. Maybe it was an off day. The sausage and mushroom risotto was great! So much sausage and mushrooms throughout.

Being a fan of the Rinaldo brothers' previous endeavours of T-Dogs and their farmers market table…read morethat bore their surname and slung hero sandwiches and cannoli, I was both glad and a little disappointed when I heard they were opening shop in the recently-cavated TGFE location on Windsor. Glad because these guys deserve their own space to serve kickass food, but disappointed because I no longer lived around the corner. What a tease. After giving them some time after the initial opening to find their legs, and hoping for the crowds to settle down, my wife and I came by before one of my night shifts, just after they opened for the evening. The space is very much the same as the old TGFE, but updated with new furnishings and a several new coats of paint. It has the very common black/red/white palette, but here it's different than other spots that do it hyper-modern and chic; here it's much more casual and retro with framed family photos, wood paneling painted white, their classic neon sign, and their very, very red booths. Snagging one of the vibrant vinyl seats, I eagerly scoped out the broader offerings that I had been hearing a lot about. While not as compact as many modern restaurants' menus, Rinaldo's is still a mere fraction of the made-for-the-masses bulk of East Side Mario's, with a few each of apps, salads, heroes, general Italian mains, and several pizzas on offer. I'd heard lots of great things about their mozza sticks, so those were a lock, and my wife and I decided to get one more app and to share one of their pizzas, which we had heard were a decent size. The spicy cauliflower sounded interesting, and would constitute the vegetable portion of our meal, albeit a deep fried one. The mozza sticks arrived in quick order, and the cauliflower shortly thereafter. The thick sticks of breaded cheese were definitely heftier than your usual from-frozen pub mozza sticks. Plus the breading had a much better flavour and a sprinkle of parm and parsley rounded them out nicely, because if fried cheese needs a garnish, it's gotta be more cheese. The dipping sauce was dill-tastic and fresh, although I appreciated the stretchy cheese on its own. Cauliflower is hot right now in food circles, but the spicy cauliflower seemed like a bit of a misnomer, as the only heat seemed to come from a light sprinkling of sliced chiles. That said, the breading was nice and crunchy, and the cauliflower inside was surprisingly smooth and nearly creamy, without being a goopy, vegetal mess. The flavours of the other toppings all worked quite well, with the honey, parsley pesto, and pecorino making for a well-balanced dish (sans spice, anyway). Our pizza was a bit of a wait, but it was a sight to behold when it arrived. Topped with pepperoni, roasted garlic, mozza, Parmigiano Reggiano, and wonderful blobs of ricotta, it was big on great flavours. So many dishes, both Italian and otherwise, will throw a bunch of cheeses in a dish just to brag that it's a "X Cheese Dish", but here each stood out and played a part. The cornicione was airy and crispy, although the inner parts of the pie suffered the floppy doom of all thin crust pizzas. It did reheat quite well the next day though; via a frying pan and not the dreaded microwave, naturally. While not perfectly executed, it was a damned good meal with the structure to be even better with some minor polishing. It's worth the hype - go there and keep this place open until I am able to come back again.

This is my birthday go to. Excellent food, exceptional service and a cool vibe. It's not in one of…read morethe popular mainstream locations, and maybe that appeals to me as it gives the place a bit of a mom and pop feel.

Its a destination, if you are up for quality italian food with a ton of flavour. My son has been…read morehere many times, he says "I love it". Well I have to agree - the calamari was perfected fritzed for a small crunch. And the seafood Tagliatelle was wow - homemade fresh pasta and fresh scallops/shrimps that delivered so many wonderful flavours - enough so that I asked for a slice of fresh italian bread to sap up any remaining sauce. Why have I waited so long to check out this awesome italian resto. Winner !

Outstanding food, preparation and service. Chef Terry & Simone always deliver an outstanding meal…read moreand experience.

We walked in without a reservation. It's extremely busy. We were seated by the door which is very…read morecold. I ordered the lobster ravioli and hubs had ghe lobster risotto. Both dishes were excellent. We were a little jealous of the folks ordering the wood fired pizza. Each one looked more delicious than the next. Popular with Skip The Dishes. Many deliveries being boxed up. Staff was lovely and attentive. They were out of the wine we picked, but found a reasonable substitute. Decent prices.

Had the pizza and the pasta, they were both excellent. Love the wood-fired pizza and there were…read moreplenty of cheese and toppings. This is a nice place, service was friendly.

Very lovely authentic Italian restaurant with high quality food, great service and warm and cozy…read moreatmosphere. I came here with a friend for lunch on a weekday and sat on the patio. The staff were friendly and we were received with warm welcome. We were offered complimentary bread with olive oil and balsamic. We ordered "Local Mussels" and "Pan Seared Scallops" for appetizers. They were both fresh and delicious. For entrée, we ordered "Linguine Frutti di Mare" and "Triangoli All'Aragosta". Hands down one of the pasta I have had in my life. And we finished our 3-course meal with a fabulous "Tiramisu".

Over cooked pasta, insipid sauces, too much salt, too much garlic…read more All in all, not even adequate Italian food.

After spending time in Naples, I had to check out Trattoria Vesso (I think it was formerly called…read morePiatto, based on other reviews here) since they are True Neapolitan Pizza Association certified. Spoiler: it's not quite Naples, but it's the best pizza I've had in this city. The atmosphere is cozy, service is friendly if a bit slow, and they've got Italian beers on tap plus solid wine options. The pizza itself is thicker than traditional Neapolitan--somewhere between thin crust and hand-tossed--but the flavor profile is close. The dough lacks that signature airy stretch you get in Naples, but it's still leagues above typical Halifax pizza. I tried the Margherita (a lot less tomato forward than anything you'd find in Naples) and an EVOO pie (the olive oil was much more robust--my favorite). Thankfully, they don't do the stingy 1-2 basil leaves thing you get in Naples. The EVOO one had prosciutto and arugula that was an excellent touch, you could tell that they liked to use quality ingredients. Real fresh mozzarella on everything, not the cheap shredded stuff. Best pizza in Halifax? Possibly, but that might not be saying much. Worth the trip? Yes. Will I be back? Definitely, but next time I'm getting the pasta.

Just visited for the first time and wow what a great hidden Jem!! Staff was friendly, atmosphere…read morewas great for a family dinner before a moose game, and the food was AMAZING. As a super picky pasta lover I was pleasantly surprised to be able to modify something on the menu to make the most delicious dish. I will be back for sure!

Only place in canada (13 day trip) where we were proudly offered American Whiskey/Bourbon... Ended…read moreup being a great spot and I believe we were there the night the Blue Jays made the playoffs, so there were some happy fans at the bar. The staff was great and the drinks were on point they had a cask negroni I believe and this made me happy. I would definitely go here again.

Amazing !! I think it was Adam who was our server and he was wonderful!!! The food was also amazingread more