Hipster spot that has small plates and larger plates and great drinks. My whiskey sour was just how I 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. read more

All around AMAZING! Im quite particular about my food and drinks, and this place did a fantastic job 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. read more

See all

The food and cocktails were great! Very unique and creative combinations. We had a dozen oysters and the sauces were so good (plum mignonette as well as a habanero and a boozy served as tinctures). We also had the octopus which was one of our fav octopus dishes ever (and we order often)! Wish we lived here so we could become regulars! read more

It's a 5 for me. Everything I have tried is great. Cool vibe. Top notch service. I think they have an edge on Lot 6 and Highway man for cocktails. It feels like a more personalized service. I had a chat with one of the bartenders here for a while. He made that tequila, mez, orgeat etc drink for me on 2 different occasions. Both times slightly different variations. I've never had a more delicious drink. Been a while. I have to go back here soon. One of my favourite places in HRM. read more

See all

I'd heard that Field Guide was a hipster haven, but I wasn't quite prepared for the levels to which it's been taken there. They've taken a lot of the interior design straight out of a field guide for modern restaurants - open kitchen, exposed filament light bulbs, milk bottles and jars for table water. Yellow and back reign on the palette, with some light woods and the....interesting choice of a plain chipboard panel below the chalkboard menu on the back wall. While EDNA across the street gets a mix of demographics, FG is all young and hipster, minus myself and my girlfriend, who comments that many people remind her of characters on Portlandia. I don't not like the vibe, but my strong sense of cynicism is feeling the weight of the clichés. The small restaurant runs long, and makes for diverse people watching on the corner of Gottingen and Falkland. They're well known now for their cocktail menu, but the strength of Nova Scotia's craft beer community is strongly reflected on their menu as well. Propeller, Boxing Rock, North Brewing, Hell Bay and Uncle Leo's all make appearances, as well as Vitamin O, which is a menu item with a shot of liquor, which deserves kudos. "When in Rome" though, so I went with a "whisky smash" - rye, muddled lemon, sugar and mint. It came in a tumbler with one of those huge ice cubes. I get that bar aficionados like them because they melt slower due to the reduced surface area, but I'm not a fan of getting hit in the mouth with ice went I'm finishing off the last few sips of my drink. That said, it was a good drink; tangy with just a hint of fresh mint, it went down with dangerous ease. The menu is all about sharing here, so we ordered a couple small plates at a time, starting off with the pork carnitas tacos and a chorizo and asparagus plate. Three delicious looking tacos came plated on a small cutting board, topped generously with green onion, red pepper, red onion and just a bit of cilantro. The pork was moist and had a nice pork flavour, and I appreciated that they didn't overload the tacos with the big punch that cilantro packs. The only downside was the slightly dry taco shells. Also, I'm steadfastly of the opinion that this city is in need of quality, fresh, corn tortillas. The chorizo and asparagus came with hunks of sausage, asparagus, pickled fiddleheads and arugula. The chorizo had a rougher texture than I prefer in a sausage, but it had a really nice spice to it without being overwhelming. The asparagus was cooked tender crisp and the arugula added its fresh, peppery bite. The fiddleheads were quite potent, with what tasted like balsamic vinegar taking front stage. For the next round we ordered their donair steam buns and confit chicken wings. Healthy stuff, I know. The little, folded steam buns with a meatloaf-like slab of donair meat, with chopped onions, tomato and donair sauce on them looked good but unfortunately the execution was a bit off. While the bun was light and fluffy, the meat was bland and lacking anything remotely similar to the donair flavour that Halifax knows and loves. The donair sauce was plentiful like any good donair, but was also lacking the garlicky-ness of the real thing, and only registered slightly sweet notes. Good hustle on this creative interpretation, but it definitely needs more refinement. I wasn't quite sure what to expect with the confited chicken wings. I was hoping for wings that were confited and finished in a fryer for a combination of ultra-tender and crisp. The pile of wings that we got were served with the sauce on and were crazy tender and flavourful, but alas no crispness. Still, very tasty and just as messy as a normal pub chicken wing. Service was friendly and very helpful over the course of the evening. Field Guide has some great ideas coming out of their bar and kitchen and with a little polishing, they'll be in the top levels of both in the city. Also if they cover up that chipboard wall. read more

See all

Delicious, tasty, they know what they're doing! Worth investigating, with great atmosphere. Had a grand time chatting with the bartender, who really knows his stuff. He used to work at the Drawing Room on the third floor of the Henry House. The food is fairly unique and all very locally sourced and fresh. Try the Big Boss cocktail, we tried all the house cocktails between a couple of us and that was the winner. I also requested something with citrus and gin, a little sweet, and got a lovely custom drink I'd love to recreate at home! The staff were super friendly, and I may change this to 5 stars in the future, but when we got there with a group of 4 we were told there was a wait for a table (they only seat 35 or so including 12 at the bar) so we got space at the bar and waited and ordered some things. When a table opened up we weren't shown to it, though I thought we would get one eventually. It was opening night so service was likely still getting ironed out, not a big deal. This place has loads of personality! read more

Field Guide - Lovely presentation on some classy beverages! - Canadian (New) Near Me - Halifax, Nova Scotia

See all

I've been to Field Guide 3 times, each more disappointing than the last. Pros: - Cute n' trendy space - Menu changes all the time/appears to be locally sourced - Tasty cocktails Cons: - Tiny overpriced plates. Like... comically tiny. Our $13 appetizer was literally one bite. - Didn't receive an explanation of anything on the charcuterie/cheese board combo we ordered, had to go up to the bar and ask our waiter. - On my last visit I learned that they employ someone in their kitchen who has repeatedly been outed and known in the local community for being abusive to women. There are tons of amazing places in Halifax that deserve your $$ much more. read more

What a lovely meal! Fresh and creative entrees with attentive wait staff and good drinks. We loved the kale salad and are trying to figure out every ingredient so we can try making it at home. The chanterelle risotto with lightly pickled hot peppers was soooo good. Try this place-you'll become a regular! read more

I'm gonna try not to get all gushy about this place but ... well, too late, it's a favourite spot. Why ? Because after a dozen or so visits they consistently deliver on the food and beverages. A seemingly simple menu written out on a chalkboard offers delicious, innovative & fresh fare made from local sources. The well thought out cocktail selection is varied, offering something for everyone. The lighting is dim, the stereo plays great tunes and the staff is knowledgable & friendly. read more

Field Guide - Canadian (New) Near Me - Halifax, Nova Scotia

Some of the food was good, but some wasn't special at all. I would be more ok with that, but it all came in tiny portions and therefore fell firmly into the category of overpriced. As a north-ender, I'm sad that all the new places opening up around here went straight to the uber-pricey and skipped over regular affordable food for non-rich people in their 20s. If you're willing to spend that much for a normal night out, great, but this place isn't very good value among the local options. read more

To say I was disappointed by Field Guide would be an understatement. Since this place has opened, I have heard nothing but amazing reviews. I've been incredibly excited to visit and check it out, and finally had the opportunity. It didn't meet or exceed any expectations I had; in fact, it fell markedly short. The food, the liquor, the service, the atmosphere; I can't say I'm a fan of anything. Me and my partner ordered a cheese plate to share (as to sit at a table and order liquor, you need to order food). We were given minimal explanations as to what each item was. Although the portions were fairly generous compared to other boards in the city, the cheese quality was not up to snuff. Two out of three cheeses were quite hard, and not well suited to spreading on crostini. Nothing paired well with the condiments we were given. For $18 I expect a little more thought; I could build a board for less at Obladee and be given a fantastic story about each item. I had the candy bar for dessert. It was fine; caramel, peanuts, and chocolate. It tasted like what you would expect. Now, the liquor. I think this is what really ruined the experience for us. Their wine list is relatively short: both red and white only have two options available by glass, everything else is by bottle. Which...doesn't really make much sense given the location and target audience. But, anyway. My partner got 3 of the wines you could get by glass, and not a single one came in a wine glass. They came in tumblers. Like, okay, you're trying to be cute, sure... but wine glasses are designed for a very specific purpose: they capture the aromas and direct them to one point - your nose. A tumbler that flares at the top diffuses any aromas for the wine, destroys the nose, and then you lose half the taste. The fact that the Pinot Noir we ordered was warm didn't help either. The service, well, mediocre. Nothing rude or awful, but I didn't feel at home or welcome. I've heard that this place is popular with the hipster crowd, and it certainly feels it. Everyone is a little cold or standoffish, and you feel like you're interrupting something. It was also very dark, very loud, and very warm inside. I had sent an email as I had a somewhat large group (6-8), and was hoping I might be able to let them know in advance. I never did get a reply though. Why bother having an email if you're not going to answer it? Unfortunately, Field Guide didn't impress me. I was very hopeful from word of mouth and reading through their website. Seems like just hype to me, though. read more

Great new bar/foodie joint. Small sharing menu that has a few gems on it like the shallots and cheese, charcuterie and steamed buns donairs (amongst other things). Charcuterie could deal with some cheese on the plate but other than that it's pretty good, they serve it with brioche which is a tasty and sweet addition. I will add that though it is delish, for what you get it is a little pricey. My best bit would be the drinks here, delish and simple cocktail menu with loads of beer options to choose from. I would recommend putting yourself in the hands of the moustache'd bartender with his choice of drink. He'll do right by you. Always trust a man with a moustache. read more

First off, I should say I live right next to this place, so it might be skewing my judgement a bit. But I've been twice now and was thoroughly impressed both times. It's small and vibrant. Great atmosphere. The food they serve is meant for sharing. Both times I've gone we just ordered a bunch of plates and everything has been amazing. Interesting plates too - chorizo with popcorn polenta, mini donairs on steam buns, beef cheek tacos. I went with a friend who used to cook, he's the first to complain if food isn't good and he was impressed. Perfect place to go have a few drinks and some food. read more

Such a wonderful place for drinks. When we first walked in, I was surprised at how small it was since it looks bigger from the outside. It's a perfect size though really, and the layout is great. If you're a larger group, you should get there early in order to get a table. This place gets full fairly quickly! I can't comment on the food since I only had drinks, but the drinks were delicious. read more

I went to the Field Guide for brunch today. We sat at the bar which was fun. The menu has good options and we were famished. It took a long time to order and then it took a long time for the food to come. Far too long. With so many other great options in the area, I'm not surprised that there was no wait here. The food was good when it arrived but overall, I'd say the place was "fine" and "nice," if that's the kind of underwhelmed you want. read more

This place food is unique and interesting. I guess it's a bar, we order some tapas, the chef is taking 30 minute to make one dish, love the beef Capraccio. After an hour and half, with two little dishes, we decide to cancel our third dish and just go home. Thenoofle is too sour, don't like it. read more

See all

The love for this place is lost on me, I have to admit. Stopped in for the first time for City Harvest to try their pork steam buns and spiced apple soda. The resto itself is incredibly small and unattractive. A few cheap-looking yellow chairs and little tables comprise the seating along the storefront. The bar is also tiny with a sparse display in their back bar. The kitchen appears to be against the wall at one end of the bar. Unfortunately this means the cooks' backs face the customers. While waiting for our buns they did not turn around or acknowledge us in any way. The steam buns were undercooked and barely warm. Fortunately they were cheap. The apple soda, however, was very good. The bartender seemed friendly. The server taking our money was also friendly. With so many better restos in Halifax I can't see myself returning. read more

Great cocktails and share plates. Cozy atmosphere and service was great. Gets busy later on in the evening so go a bit early to make sure you can get a seat. Try the cocktail with fruit loops on the top. You won't be disappointed. Mushroom boa was amazing as well. read more

Field Guide - Canadian (New) Near Me - Halifax, Nova Scotia

Holy Moley, I think this is my new place. First off, for such a small space, they use it wisely. Having the "kitchen" out front, you get the joy of watching them prep the insanely interesting and inspired dishes. I like the feel of this place too. But it's really the staff and the cocktails that are the best in this city. The cocktail menu is insanely inclusive, inspired and delicious. With most cocktails running 12$ for two ounces, they are a fair deal. And they serve the drinks in proper glasses, so you are getting the full taste of the drink. Also, if you want just a gin and tonic, it's only $7. Not bad. Best part is, they will make whatever cocktail you can think of and describe. Real bartenders. I can not praise them enough. Food options were supper interesting. It's not your supper place, but all plates are large enough for sharing. The Cheese plate was huge, gigantic wedges with housemade crostini and crab jelly. Divine. The charcuterie plate, as well....fantastic. Served with housemade sourdough....excellent. They take their time sourcing all their ingredients so I think you can expect the best. No Sysco products here. Prices are all fair and definitely worth the experience of this place. read more

Might have a felt a little old among the hipster kids, but the drinks were great, as was the food. Friendly bartender, cool space. Especially loved the "jaguars den" drink! Also, extra points for the flamingo wallpaper in the washrooms. read more

AMAZING place!! Great cocktails, excellent food. You MUST try the gnocchi!! Great date place! We ordered three dishes and shared them, tapas style. Highly recommend Field Guide! read more

Excellent food and drinks. Loved the carnitas tacos and the gnocchi. On Sundays they have a special of a (specific) cocktail and 2 tacos for $20. The service is also awesome! Would highly recommend. read more

Ate here on a Monday night and it was a nice evening, a good crowd. This place has kind of an industrial urban vibe, corrugate metal coupled with splashes of bright yellow metal chairs and rustic wood. The menu is an eclectic offering of local flavours put together creatively. Coupling pickled beets and mushrooms with a charcuterie tray was an interesting collection of flavours for sure. Actually the rough edges of the restaurant design makes the delicate combinations of flavours in the food even more surprising. My favorites were the pork tacos, which were rich and slightly spicy, wrapped in a tiny soft homemade tortilla. I could have eaten four or five of them, but resisted so we could try more dishes. Everything was Delicious including my house made grapefruit soda. Don't go here if you are in a hurry, but if you want to enjoy a drink with friends and snack on some excellent tapas like food, this is a great choice. Very relaxing, great food with a gourmet touch, but not pretentious at all! The service was personable and attentive. read more

What a disappointing night, despite the great food: the cocktail was great; the oysters were beyond fresh; and the beef carpaccio tasted refreshing and savoury. While I understand in some places like Spain or Italy, many people would sit in a tapa bar for +4 hours chatting and socializing - but that was not our goal tonight. So when the explanation is "we give you guys a break between each dish", it frustrates us as customers to learn that means waiting +20 minutes for every tiny dish to come out, especially when they are eaten within a minute. It's like waiting for a roller coaster ride: you wait half an hour for a ride that's going to take less than 5 minutes to complete, and by the time you finish it wasn't even up to your expectation. read more

We went to Field Guide last night. It is a place with a phenomenal bartender and two really creative chefs. The chefs make sharing plates and so we just kind of ordered one thing at a time until we were full. We had some charcuterie, then some chicken hearts with ramps in a chorizo broth (this was the stand out dish of the night, something about the earthy ramps and the gentle offal taste of the hearts and the salty chorizo broth was incredible), then some gnocchi with chard and Arctic char, then a fiddlehead dish with rhubarb and feta, then some Berkshire pork head cheese. Everything was prepared with a real thought to flavours and while each component of the dishes was independently delicious, putting them all together in a mouthful really brought it to another level. We were seated at the bar so everyone came over to explain all the food and drink to us, and we got to see everything being made. We have been to this restaurant a few times before, and it is definitely one of our favourites. They used to have a "punch of the day" at the bar, but don't any more. However, their cocktail menu said off-menu drinks are encouraged so we asked about the punch and the bartender made us up a Polynesian sharing bowl, which was super cool and the middle was on fire. He also made us a couple of other really delicious off-menu cocktails throughout the night. We were celebrating our anniversary and Field Guide made it such a special night. We left feeling just so incredibly happy (and full!). read more

This is another great addition to the street. Certainly cocktails are unbeatable and expertly prepared by very skilled staff with top end spirits. Food is limited but very interesting. Love the atmosphere. Great place to spend an evening after dinner. read more

The Field Guide is a happening haven of inspired, innovative small plates. Great food, great energy, great staff, great place for hanging out with great friends. read more

These guys understand what it means to present a more sophisticated, urban feel and actually pull it off (which I feel a lot of Halifax restaurants/bars are attempting and failing due to service not being up to snuff). Awesome beer and cocktail selection and a staff that is actually knowledgeable in what they're serving. Great menu. Service is friendly, attentive, knowledgeable. Price point is reasonable considering the high quality of the food/drinks/service. This place is the first I've found in Halifax that could be comparable to some of my favourites in larger urban markets. Other establishments should take notes from these guys. read more

The Field Guide is a great new restaurant. We took a group of six for a special celebration and it was a huge success. The home made bread is outstanding and is the perfect backdrop for the Charcuterie. The Donair Steam Buns are a great riff on a classic Nova Scotian take out-dish and is well worth it. Also happens to be one of patrons' favourites and is an item that has stayed on the menu from the beginning. The Pork Carnitas Tacos were the group favourite followed by the Braised Lamb Neck which is a brand new item. The Beets & Blue Cheese is a very tasty salad. The Fruit Hand Pie is delicious but the Candy Bar is decadent and my favourite. Josh was excellent as our server and dishes were provided to us in a steady stream. The open concept and intimate atmosphere makes for a different dining experience and you would pay a lot more for this kind of food elsewhere. They also have unique and tasty cocktails. Worth a visit and I will be returning regularly. read more

I'd give here a 3.5 actually. I've wanted to try here for a long time, but since it isn't open for lunch (the main times I go out to eat), it didn't happen until finally on a mild Wednesday evening in April. A friend and I arrived maybe around 6:30 and there were two other tables taken. I counted seating for 20 plus a dozen stools at the bar I think? Lots of natural lighting, bare bones atmosphere with chipboard walls, wooden tables, chalk board menu, bare light bulbs, tealights for when the sun goes down, large bar running the length of the place. Two small, dark individual bathrooms. Friendly service but a little slow. We split a bottle of Pinot Gris ($45), which was very good. I ordered it but the server poured the taster for my friend, which was odd, not that it matters or I'd ever say anything. (she is a hospitality expert and mentioned to me afterwards that this is not the normal way of doing things...lol). The cheese & charcuterie board ($30) was quite good, but more expensive than normal. Only came with two Quebec cheeses, a blue and a brie-like one that I cannot remember the name of. Three meats were all pork. Lots of bread and crustini on the board, with some pickled japapenos, apple slices, watercress, heirloom cherry tomatoes, a spicy mustard, and a cranberry something jelly. So lots of combinations of items, which I love. Then we split the Donair Steam Buns (2 for $10. Pork, lamb and lamb liver in an open faced steam bun with all the classic donair fixings) which were very good. The 'meatloaf' like patty was different, but the flavors and textures were very similar to a regular donair. My only complaint when eating these was that your fingers get sticky with sauce, and the cloth napkins aren't ideal for that. I asked if they had wet naps, and they do not, but the server did bring me just a moistened napkin which helped. For dessert, we split the 'Candy Bar' ($4) which came wrapped in paper with a knife. I liked it, finding the semi-sweet chocolate coating to be strong, but enjoyable. My friend found the caramelized sugar inside had a burnt taste and she didn't love it as much. I forget the full description, but to me it just hit the spot and the price was right for the size. Although our bill was over $100 and there was no actual entree, I would go back here some evening. Would rather if they were open for lunch though. read more

See all

I've been to Field Guide a couple of times now. I really enjoy the atmosphere here, it's really small, but that's what makes it lovely, intimate and genuine feeling. If you don't like sitting close to other people this might not be the best place for you. It's very dim so it would make a great place to take a first date, if you're into that kinda thing. If like me and you're not (ew, dating. No thanks) there is a large bar with seating that was full of people laughing, drinking and having a good time. It was busy on a Friday night, but not too bad. At least one table in the place was available throughout the duration of the night. The service was really great, one of those places where they ask if you've been in before, and offer to answer any menu questions you have. I ended up getting the beef tacos, which were amazing. They were pulled beef tenderloin with a sort of salsa on top. Not too spicy which I like, served on a soft tortilla. Delicious. I also tired the quail and roasted vegetables. It was pretty spicy for me, but the veggies were delicious. The wine and beer selection is great, and the tall Boxing Rock bottles are great for sharing. read more

Field Guide - Beer brisket tacos - Canadian (New) Near Me - Halifax, Nova Scotia

See all

AMAZING time when I was there in June. I have many allergies and they were super accommodating and I had THE BEST food! Manager(s) I had spoken to regarding my allergies were super understanding and I feel extremely comfortable. Such a great time! Recommendation to EVERYONE. read more

We loved the ambience, service and presentation of food! the items however were so unique and different with no written description that it was hard to pick. Yes the waiter explain them to us but they were quite complex sometimes and in the end I ended up ordering things that I ended up not liking. I would like to go back and try again! Although not cheap! read more

The star at Field Guide is the bar. The small plates are always fabulous, and always worth ordering, but the drinks, between 10-12 dollars, never feel overpriced. The amount of creativity, care and knowledge that goes into each fabulous one is worth every penny. I go again and again. read more

This is a must. If you haven't been to Field Guide you are missing out on a great experience. We opted for the $40 pp "house" choice and we were treated to an amazing selection of wonderful small plates. One plate was carrots....yes carrots...so flavourful. Will definitely be going back. read more

Obsessed. My go-to spot in Halifax for cocktails and tapas. Awesome vibes inside and sick music (for those who love hip hop/rap). The menu is small but everything on it is delicious and made with fresh ingredients. The drinks are unique and refreshing. I've been there probably about 10 times and have yet to be disappointed. I would definitely recommend the tacos and charcuterie. read more

A great place with great people. Came here for cocktails twice and was very impressed on both occasions. The quality and care they put into the drinks is on par with NYC cocktail bars that are among the best in the US. However, there is no pretension here, just friendly Canadian hospitality. Keep up the good work! read more

The service and atmosphere was great. The food was delectable, share it with a friend and try all the things.

What a great little find. Had an interesting, fun menu....we tried 5 items and they were all great and unique. Service was excellent and atmosphere was exactly what we were looking for - chill and relaxed. We went on a Sunday so it was a bit quieter, but still great. The vibe of the place was awesome. read more

I was greated warmly with a "Happy City Harvest" this afternoon. I enjoyed the pork bun and the apple spice soda was pie in a glass. But $5 for a pork bun seemed high. read more