Bar Kismet was my favorite meal in Halifax! The ambiance was lovely with the dimly lit light and cozy atmosphere. The servers were nice and recommended a bar we should go to in the area afterwards. Our favorite was the Spaghetti alla chittara al limone, summer squash ($32) - the dish was creamy and delicious with a nice zest of lemon. Bar Kismet is definitely a spot to visit in Halifax, but make sure to make reservations ahead of time! read more

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Best meal I've had in Halifax. High expectations as this restaurant is always on the list of top 100 restaurants in Canada. Also the highest ranked restaurant in Nova Scotia. Hipster vibe. Definitely informal dining in a small dining room. May be hard to have a conversation because of the noise level. Had reservations, but can walk in for patio (come early!) They specialize in seafood. Split six dishes plus dessert. Amazing flavours. Fish done perfectly. Have read about poor/indifferent service on some reviews. Did not experience this at all - felt service was quite attentive and did not feel rushed. Spent a bit under two hours for dinner. Definitely worth trying if in Halifax and can snag a reservation! read more

Not easy to land a resy here so really glad this spot is so delicious. Cocktails sound odd but taste great and the small plates were super creative. Also loved the music and the plants- solid vibe. read more

Bar Kismet - Bars Near Me - Halifax, Nova Scotia

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My review is solely on the food and not drinks, therefore some might not consider this as a "full experience". We ordered oysters, chicken mousse pate and carrot with crab meat to start. I ordered halibut cheek as my main, as this is something I never seen in Toronto. My mom ordered the cod fish. The oysters were from PEI, fresh but not super plump. Overall, they tasted pretty good. The chicken pate was presented beautifully - piped on a slice of sourdough! The flavouring was on point. The balsamic vinegar glaze added a nice finish to it. All components of the grilled carrot with crab meat served on the bernaise sauce complemented each other very well. The main dishes were overly salty, especially the halibut cheeks. I think they salted the halibut too early amd therefore the salt drew out the water content of the protein. This caused the fish to be on the hard/firm side and therefore the fish lost the slightly buttery texture. It was my first time eating raw snow pea shoots - it was tossed in olive oil, coarse sea salt and a hint of lemon juice. The cod itself was not overly salted, however the salsa verde was very salty. The good thing is that the verde could be easily brushed. The potato cake/hash brown was good. Overall, I'm a bit disappointed with the flavoring of the food, but the ingredients are fresh. read more

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Food and service okay. Portions small. Confusing oral explanation of menu. Focus on alcohol side of business it appears. Aesthetically pleasing atmosphere, but too noisy. I won't return, but I hope you do well. read more

Had another great evening at Bar Kismet. Staff was very friendly, and informative, offering great suggestions for food and cocktails. Food was excellent with very tasty sauces and a great fancy tuna melt. read more

Relaxed vibe, local feel with adventurous food and drink. Worth a trip but be prepared not to like everything. The menu is small too so would not recommend for vegetarians or picky eaters. read more

Bar Kismet - Carrots and Crab - Bars Near Me - Halifax, Nova Scotia

This tuna tartare had a very unique delivery system. The seasoning on the top allowed me to mix it on my own and allowing it to maintain an excellent texture. The tuna tasted fresh and was overall an excellent part of the meal. The fries reminded me of Hickory Sticks due to the thin texture and was such a refreshing touch to the generic side of fries. Crispy, savoury, yet not dry. The gnocchi was my main dish and was one of the best I ever had. The pasta itself was silky and enveloped the sauce almost perfectly. The burnt walnuts added an extra level of flavour and allowed for a richer and nuttier taste to the dish. The raw oysters were the showstopper of the night. Not only did the oysters taste fresh out of the ocean, but it also came with horseradish to cleanse the pallet and onion infused vinegar to complement the appetizer. As far as service goes, my table's server went above and beyond to cater to our needs. We mentioned that we were visiting from out of town and he provided excellent recommendations. Even when I stepped away from my table, my server folded my napkin again when he saw it was in disarray. Towards the end of the meal, we struck up an excellent conversation about the history of the restaurant. The overall experience at the restaurant was wonderful. It had a very cozy yet classy feeling to the whole place. 5 stars for this wonderful restaurant. read more

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Over our Halifax holidays we've focused on food and drink, and this place was tied for top of the list. Overall an amazing dinner, great ambiance, and good service. Highly recommend everything we tried, and would return again if we could. Food: We started with Raw Oysters (small dish but packs a delicious punch; toppers are flavourful and overpower the oyster itself; still recommend), bread (standard but well priced; few "dipping" dishes), and Tuba Tartare (toppings are potent and you mix them in to your liking, including an aioli with matches the skinny fries it's served with; recommend). The mains were Carrots, Crab and Bernaise (strongly recommend; best dish of our trip; not as sweet as expected, but so so good) and Grilled Perch (strongly recommend; umami, with possibly pickled celery giving sour notes to compliment a minty/cilantro chimichurri on the perch). Dessert was strawberry rhubarb eclair (simple but creamy and delicious). In general I will say celery and salt are common ingredients, but I loved it. Drinks: We love complex drinks, so while all were delicious, our favourite were Approaching ease (tangerine sweetness to offset herbal feature of gentian and fur) and Pinkshinyultrablast (favourite of the night). Others were Badge of Honour, Mint Condition (least complex, but good to balance heavier Bitter Optimist), Bitter Optimist (old fashioned style; cherry came through at the end), and King of Impracticality (clarified drink; dessert drink that's coconut forward). read more

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Amazing food, drinks and service. Every bite and sip was perfection. We had a great time. Highly recommend

An unforgettable meal that matches up to its hype. Bar Kismet is a culinary hotspot with a variety of unique dishes to choose from. The tuna tartare is to die for, and I don't typically enjoy raw fish/meat. The chorizo stuffed squid was incentive and delicious. Unfortunately, the rapini orechiette was bland and priced 2x what it should have been - though beyond this, everything else was spot on! read more

Bar Kismet - Bars Near Me - Halifax, Nova Scotia

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Excellent service, great ambience. Cocktails were different and really good. The food! Just wonderful. Great flavours. The Big Salad was a revelation. Great scallops, oysters. A real treat. They went out of their way to make us welcome. Highly recommended. read more

Bar Kismet - Bar Kismet. - Bars Near Me - Halifax, Nova Scotia

First night out in Halifax and Bar Kismet was one to remember. Ambience is cozy with lots of cute plants. Service was quick and attentive. But the food... I can only say WOW. We ordered everything to be shared (seems like this is how it was meant to be). Started off with two smaller dishes. The tonnato melt and the tuna tartare. I could not put down my fork for the tartare. We then got a bigger dish. The halibut with corn and chanterelles. I wanted to lick the sauce off the plate. We then got some dessert (a cranberry cake and a fruit galette/tart). We also decided to try some of their semi soft cheese with the dessert. If you're hesitating about getting the cheese, I would just say get it. It's well worth it. Overall an amazing experience and we will be back the next time we're in Halifax. read more

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Incredible experience. Amazing food, amazing cocktails, amazing service, great atmosphere. Definitely the best restaurant in the city. The only place always worths your buck! Sorry couldn't include pictures on my review, I have been here 6 times now and everything is just so amazing, we always forget to take pictures... read more

Food and service were outstanding. Will definitely go back. Nice ambiance. Small and intimate. We ate at the bar which was awesome as we had a great bartender chatting with us and giving us suggestions on drinks and menu which turned out to be all excellent! read more

Good food. Lots of scallops and delicious seafood. Service was great and good ambiance

For our last night in Halifax we decided to return to Bar Kismet having had an amazing meal there earlier in our visit. It was wonderful to be greeted like old friends (oh good, you came back!) and to hang out at the bar. The food is delicious and brilliantly creative, only surpassed by the wine and cocktails, and the ambience of the whole place. What a treasure! read more

The place is tiny, I would not suggest a group over six, it's complex because you want six people so you can order EVERYTHING! I mean, I wanted everything on the menu. I would suggest before 6p if you have a large party. They don't take reservations. Tiny space, seasonal menu filled with delicious offerings, including balanced cocktails, friendly, knowledgeable servers. Bar Kismet makes you feel like you are in the know. I know I ate too much and drank too much and now I'm channeling Dave Matthews. I gotta go. |fun fact| If you are a whiskey fan, this is the place for you, the bartender is a bourbon nerd with over 200 whiskeys. read more

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Was really looking forward to having a drink and some food with friends but turned out to be a less than pleasant experience. They wouldn't push our table of 2 and table of 4 together and made a huge deal out of it. Claimed it "confuses" the kitchen. Even when we moved the chairs over, they insisted that we move back... never had I have that before. AC was blasting over our heads and the drinks weren't our taste. Food overall was above average but can't say that about everything else. How they got on a pristine list of top restaurants, I'm not sure. Personally I would never visit again. Better service would have completely changed my experience. Unfortunate. read more

The food was very tasty and well presented. Excellent service. Small menu selection because it changes to accommodate new items. Not extremely expensive but you need to be willing to try something different. Lovely atmosphere. read more

Had the Ahi Tartare...very creative and unique flavor from the sauces. Definite 4 stars

Well Bar Kismet, I'm impressed. You have excelled beyond the over saturated market of seafood restaurants in the city and left everyone behind in the dust. This is one of the best new restaurants in Halifax. I've only had 3 visits but felt compelled to review given the positive experience. This innovative, thought out, unique food and drink. This is fine dining at its best, without being pretentious and intimidating. Very approachable (they aren't kidding on their website). Atmosphere: this smaller space is well thought out. Tables are close together, but not over crowded and cramped. The decor is very hip and appeals to the younger crowd and area (whitewash, plants, wood, etc.). Lighting is soft and private during the evening, and light and airy during the day. Very welcoming. Good entrance area, and a place for guest to wait for tables. Food: EXCEPTIONAL! Everything I have tried has left me saying "this is my favorite part of the meal". The tartars are impressive portions, and the best in the city from what I've had. The fried smelt were divine- even if you're a picky eater, try them. And the chicken liver mousse is not only a rich texture and flavor explosion, but a work of art visually. Instagram foodies, get ready... Service: Knowledgeable, open to listening and giving suggestions, attentive. No complaints. Overall, I would eat here every night if I could afford to. Although not cheap, prices are reasonable and comparable, or cheaper, than other "fine dining" in Halifax. I would recommend trying more apps to share, and possibly splitting a main course. A must try if you are looking for something unique and delicious! I can't wait for future menus. read more

For the record, I don't think I've ever written a bad review? But man...This is a rough one. The food is great, there's no denying. Is there an air of pretentiousness, due to their popularity and great reviews? Definitely. My husband and I have eaten all over the world, at some of the best spots, Michelin-starred and holes in the wall alike. We dig it all! But we've never been told, an hour and a half in, after ordering pretty much everything on the menu, and not lingering on any dish....scarfing everything because we're fast eaters to begin with....we've never been told after ordering dessert that "you have 20 minutes to finish before the next table comes". Like really? Our bill for two was well over $200. The service industry is hard, I get it. They have stresses and constraints and have a bottom line to make. We're not unreasonable and totally empathize. But their treatment was frankly awful. We're not easily offended. It takes a lot. But this was tasteless and rude. We were friendly, loving our time there and just so happy to be out and on a date. To be told to basically GTFO....it totally ruined the entire experience. We'd heard from several people we trust that the service was highly pretentious, but we chose to experience it ourselves. Big mistake. Listen to your friends! And when we very civilly expressed our disappointment (there was no outrage or rudeness on our part, just like "this was a great meal and it was lovely but being given a countdown for our last bites was very off-putting. There may have been a nicer way to express that?") we were met with a blank stare and a terse "we understand, goodnight." It all just felt gross. Good food, gross experience. Not typical Nova Scotian warmth. Not by far. We won't be going back. read more

Great spot - excellent menu, good selection of cocktails and wine and service was very good! Outside the main downtown area but worth it to visit! read more

One of the top places in town. In my opinion. The food was cooked perfectly by a chef who clearly knows how to pair flavours. We split a few dishes - ahi tartare with alumette fries, whole hake with a green chorizo stuffing, gnocchi with a burnt walnut and cheese sauce, and a bitter orange tart to finish. Every single item we got was delicious. The cocktails were also of the same high caliber. And the service was exceptional. It doesn't have a lot of tables, which is great, but it also means it gets packed very quickly. We knew it would be busy on a Saturday evening so we got there early, around 6:30 and got one of the last tables. I wouldn't mind sitting at the bar though, had we not had a table. Can't say enough good things about this place. read more

I went on a Friday night knowing full well I'd have to wait as they don't take reservations. I sat on the waiting shelf and had myself a drink. Spittin' sparks. Which happened to be my favourite drink of the night. We got a table in the back, there was also one free by the window and of course being faced with a decision I asked what the host would recommended. I would now recommend sitting in the back if you get the choice. It was quieter, and not as many people walking past you. I had the potatoes and Arctic char to start, it was my favourite. The fish was so smoky delicious and the creme fraiche really balanced out that favour. Next we split the tonnanto melt, which was my bfs favourite of the night. The waiter came over to see how we were doing and said ".... it's like a fancy tuna melt" and after he walked away my bf turns to me and says... is there fish in this? Ha! He ate tuna and loved it. So there you go! That's how good it was. He ate something he hated, but it was so delicious he ended up loving it. He also had the the gnocchi from the large section of the menu. I LOVED it. Anything with fresh basil and I'm in. I could have eaten the whole plate. The dinnerware, decore wall paper and lights are all amazing and super cute. Great date night spot. Would very much recommend! Just be prepared for a wait, but it's worth it. The wait staff and lovely and attentive as well. read more

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Bar Kismet is off the beaten track but still accessible. Well worth the effort. Being a prairie boy I enjoy seafood as my go to after growing up on beef. Unfortunately I am frequently disappointed that the variety and quality is not up to expectations. Not so for Bar Kismet. Seafood is the priority here. And it is prepared with an European touch. Brings me back to Spain. Treat yourself. read more

I took my wife here for her birthday last night and was blown away. Didn't know what to expect but only heard good things. My wife got the ahi tuna tartare to start and REALLY liked it. I had a few bites and it was absolutely delicious. Perfect balance of flavours, and the potatoes were a neat addition. I got ricotta stuffed ravioli with a butter sauce and shaved black truffles, and my wife got a spicy Orecchiette and N'Duja pasta dish, which were both on another level for Halifax. Can't wait to go back and try more. For dessert we shared the Paris brest, and the grapefruit and campari sorbet. The sorbet was too bitter for our palate's, but the pastry was amazing. The service was excellent. Super attentive but subdued. Also we drank orange wine and that was excellent as well. read more

Phenomenal new restaurant ! Had the opportunity to indulge last night and wow so glad we did. 35ish seats including the stools at the bar created a very cozy setting. The service was incredibly attentive, personable and professional. We each had two handcrafted cocktails. I could only find one on the website - Floppy Disk but let me assure you all four were surprising and delicious. For food, we started with smoked sweetbreads with tuna tonnato and fried green tomatoes with pickled anchovies. These were both outstanding. The anchovies really made the tomatoes and was quite unexpected. For mains, we opted for another starter and a main - ahi tartar and cod. They were both well thought out and executed. The ahi was particularly luscious and the allumettes fries (matchstick) were a unique and fantastic choice. The ahi was paired with a Spanish wine that was somewhat acidic and really complimented it. The wine list was very obviously carefully curated with quite interesting choices. My one regret is that in our excitement we forgot to take food pics. I only have one and it is of half destroyed plates of ahi and cod. This is a MUST try and we will definitely be back. read more

Very different refreshing menu . Make you want tReasonable price . Appetizer and main course are great . Highly recommend . read more

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Bar Kismet is a surprising and amazing experience. The food is truly unique, fun and most importantly tastes amazing! The cocktails are interesting, unique and extremely well executed. The food is fantastic. One dish better than the next. Engage with the staff. They are knowledgeable and focused on you... Give them a little guidance and let them do their thing. Amazing night. Thank you Bar Kismet. read more

This place is a gem. I've been reminiscing about my meal for days and decided to make my first restaurant review ever, it was that good. Our group split the tuna tartare, gnocchi, fried green tomatoes and scallops. Every dish was exceptional. It is possible that this was the best gnocchi I have ever had (and I order it whenever it's on a menu). The pasta was just the right firm to soft ratio. The sauce was fresh and beautiful. Service and atmosphere were both A+. We showed up at 9 and walked down to Chainyard for some delicious cider while we waited about 50 min to get a table. Can't wait to go back and work my way through the menu. read more

Bar Kismet - Bars Near Me - Halifax, Nova Scotia

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Had a wonderful evening with a new acquaintance who picked it because it was a perfect place to talk for as long as we wanted to about food policy, of all things. We left as friends! What stands out for me was how humans evolved with fire, our first tool, and as a consequence still love barbecues and charred food. This chef is a master at charring food. We had charred bread for dippings-- couldn't keep myself from eating four slices!! The charred carrots were also among the tastiest I've eat enough. The fish -- cod -- wasn't charred. The lemon tart was a fantastic dessert, but split it between two of you so as not to lose the sense of it's exquisiteness. Great place to talk about food and the commons, such as the ocean,and about food as touching on the sacred aspects of our relationships with life. read more

Pretty sure this is the best food in Halifax. We got: - A couple of cocktails, both great - Scallop sashimi - excellent - Tuna tartare - pretty good - Charred carrots - great - Gnocchi - pretty good - Leeks - really, really good We'll be back next time we're in town! read more

I love the atmosphere of this place and the food! The small homey feel of the place, the close tables european-style, the use of old dishware, little curtains on the windows Etc. Serving staff was the most professional that I've seen in a long time in Halifax. Food was all delicious! And so were the drinks. read more

Great eclectic resto. As a group of 5, we ordered a table of apps - they were all so great. To definitely return.

YAAASSSS I love it here. I love the staff, the atmosphere, food, but most especially the drinks. I had a fantastic experience here. The squid and lentils were phenomenal. And they had Beemster Cheese on the menu. My favorite. The drinks were especially great, but it was the service that set this place apart. read more

A very nice atmosphere. Went with my girlfriends and the food was delicious and so were the drinks. Try the tartare!

A small gem in the North End, not pretentious but with fancy drinks and a small menu with an emphasis on really good seafood. We had delectable coquilles St. Jacques and a spring dish of culurgiones (dumplings Italian-style) on a bed of beautiful crunchy asparagus in brown butter and lemon. Friendly, cozy, modestly stylish, and walkable from our house. Recommended. read more

We had dinner the other night. With the best bartender in the city I am sure drinks are good. I no longer drinking so that was not an option. The tuna tar tartare was a huge portion for an app. I had the artic char stuffed squash blossoms were not as described. Ricotta stuffed deep fried is a better description hardly any fish in them and like 3 bites. Weird when the other person at my table got that huge tuna app. As for the mains. I had the Gnocchi while I did think it was well done nice fresh tomato sauce and handmade etc.. Again very small portion. The other person at my table ordered the whole Branzino and it looked good. The bite I tried was cold but she said it was hot. Overall it was nice and effort was made in the décor but would I return? For the tuna I would and maby the Branzino. My 3 stars was based on what I ordered not on anything else. Service was as expected. read more