Since we moved back to Halifax, and specifically the Dartmouth side of the harbour, there have been…read moremany new-to-us places that opened up while we were away for several years on our Ontario interlude. However, North Brewing in Cole Harbour falls under the category of "formerly-new, now-established" spots that I was able to visit once or twice back several years ago and am now experiencing again. A lot can change in that time span, especially in the restaurant industry, so I was looking forward to trying them out again. My wife and I found ourselves here after some plans changed and we needed an easy weekday dinner. The sun was shining so we set up shop on their patio. Hints of fall were in the air, but maybe that was just the heavy traffic of Cole Harbour Road - who knows! The menu was really interesting, with a dozen each of apps and sandwiches, with a few each of salads, larger dishes and desserts. It's mainly casual, pub-y food, but with a more creative angle, and several items go in the direction of a South Asian influence. My love of South Asian street foods made me go with the chaat dog, which sees an all-beef hotdog get the chaat treatment, getting topped with pomegranate seeds, fried chickpeas, curry leaves, sev, cilantro and pickled red onions, as well as tamarind sauce and a cilantro chutney. It was a messy boi, but I still opted to eat it with my hands versus the knife and fork method. The chaat flavours were well-executed, and were both a fun and delicious take on the hotdog, although I'm not sure if an all-beef hotdog is the Hindu version of kosher. Authenticity isn't the goal with a dish like this though, and it was a delight! A side of hand-cut fries were cooked to perfection but slightly under-seasoned. I also grabbed a pint of their Glorious and Free IPA, made from all-Canadian ingredients. It was well-balanced, with hops that made themselves known but didn't get too in-your-face, or taste buds, as it were. My wife was enticed by their pulled pork sandwich, as she often is. The pork had a nice texture (not mushy) with a sweet and savoury sauce and slight hint of heat from the spicy mayo, while a red cabbage slaw and pickles brought some textural contrast and pops of acidity. My wife subbed in their gluten-free bun for a modest fee, although near the end of the sandwich, the bun gave way to its messy cargo. She also upgraded her fries to get a coating of masala spices and a tamarind ketchup, which were a tasty little improvement. North Brewing is a delicious oasis in a sea of asphalt and chain restaurants, turning out creative, but accessible, dishes and drinks, and I'm looking forward to getting reacquainted with them some more.

Now, North Brewing has been a staple in E's repertoire for many years. Good grub, good grog. But E…read moremust say, a fouler taste has never graced E's flavour receptors in recent memory. E never thought E would bad mouth a beer, but this "beer" left a bad taste in E's mouth. So let's have an honest conversation about Figgy Pudding... E must say, this has to be the most revolting and expensive beer ever concocted. With hints of aluminum foil, sour feet, moldy grapefruits, summertime garbage disposals, and discount dark chocolate; this beer should have never been created, let alone sold to the public. And this is a new one... E has never yelped a beer, or even poured one down the shitter before today, but quite frankly E couldn't wait to see the last drop of that abomination of a beer slide down the drain into the dark abyss of the sewer system - where it belongs. E expected hidden cameras to pop out and say "Gotcha, I can't believe you drank the whole thing" or to get startled by Ashton Kutcher jumping out of the closet to say, "You got punked"... Was E part of some sick, deranged reality tv show? No, sadly not. Burn the recipe... Unless you're going to use this on an episode of fear factor. - E

If there's one brewery you need to go to it's this one! Best beer I had in Nova Scotia! This is a…read morehappening spot with indoor and plenty of outdoor seating! It's a vibe! They also have a lot of cool merch and to go beer to choose from! Good variety of beer! Staff was great and helpful! They had good recommendations! Definitely my favorite brewery spot this trip!

Quality/Quantity - If you are following, you know my wife gave me a brewery day;I am so lucky (and…read moreloved). And we always end our day here... Well, not this trip as they were closed for renovations?!?! Overall decent beer selections. Also available: wine, beer cocktails, sods, etc. Atmosphere - Copy and pasted from previous visit: Look forward to seeing the renovations on our next visit. Cool convenient space/location. Cool decor. Indoor/outdoor seating. Indoor counter, table, and lounge seating. Free wifi. Clean bathrooms. Dog friendly, both indoor and outdoor. Huge to-go cooler, probably for the locals...? Service - N/A. Price - See the menu or their website. Owner Suggestion - Congrats on your success since 1977 and fitting for me that your first beer was the Irish Red. Congrats on your success since 2006 opening this location and look forward to our next visit to see the renovations.

2 Stars for 2 Crows - Just Not the Experience We Hoped For…read more Unfortunately, 2 Crows Brewery didn't really hit the mark for us. Right off the bat, we were put off by a strange smell inside, and the overall vibe just didn't feel that welcoming. Still, we decided to give it a fair shot. We tried the Blackberry & Apricot Sour and a Double IPA. I thought the IPA was just okay, but my wife didn't enjoy it, and we both really didn't care for the sour--the flavour just didn't sit right. We even tried coming back another day to give it another chance and try their hot dogs and a flight, but when we walked in, we were told they wouldn't be open until 4:00 PM (despite their usual hours saying 12:00 PM), and there was no notice about the change anywhere online. Also a bit strange that they close at 10:00 PM, especially for a brewery. We genuinely wanted to give this place a fair shake, but between the off atmosphere, lack of communication, and underwhelming drinks, it just didn't work out for us. Hopefully others have a better experience!

So if you're only in town for half a day like we were during our short port stop on a cruise …read more.. definitely SKIP this place. Not only were they limited on their drafts ... but we tried to give them some business by buying some glassware and were told that they wouldn't sell it bc too many people steal it. What?!? It's too bad as their beer wasn't all that either. We got their Pollyanna - Northeast IPA (7.3%) ... which was barely a micro-IPA. Not sure this place is worth the heavy hike up from the boardwalk the next time we're in town. Only reason for 2 stars was that the beer-tender we had was super nice and tried to ask the other to sell us the glassware ... but it was a no. Oh well ... we won't be back any time soon!

Turn out the lights the party's over. Hard to succeed brewing just IPAs, unpleasant attitude as…read morewell.

If you are taking in the beer scene in Halifax, the three breweries I would highly recommend paying…read morea visit are Good Robot, Propeller, and Unfiltered. Speaking of Unfiltered, their Exile on North Street was easily the best beer I sampled during a brief visit. They also feature an orange DIPA that was excellent. They have a small spot on North Street that is nothing fancy but is a good place to be social. However the beer is the star and in Halifax you don't want to miss this place. They do have small snacks but if you are looking for a place with excellent beer and food I would recommend Good Robot, not far away from Unfiltered.

Great beer and such a chill atmosphere. I'd highly recommend checking this place…read more The food was good and the service was great Some really cool beers and mixes

Well, as we have been to Halifax in the past, my wife allowed me/us to have a brewery day. :) Lucky…read moreme. Keep following! Quality/Quantity - Thanks for updating your hours on Yelp. We got here at 3pm (posted Yelp & Google hours) and your friendly team said you open at 4pm... My wife and I did not want to just hang out for an hour, in the middle of nowhere and without beer.... Not sure if I was smart enough to check your website for business hours?!?! Heard good things about your beer, so we went out of our way to come. We walked about a mile! Small tap menu, small food menu. I am assuming keeping it simple = amazing quality?!?! Ambiance - Beautiful location. Nice indoor and outdoor space. Open 7 days a week; see their website for specific hours. There is an upstairs "speakeasy." Service - N/A. Well the employee was nice and told us they were not open until 4pm. And she also gave us recommendations of her favorite local breweries and bars; so off we went. Price - N/A. Owner Comment - Congrats on all your success since 2015 and your 3 locations.

For me, Propeller brews the finest IPA in Canada. It's a close run thing with some of their rivals,…read morebut it's the brew to which I will always default. Their location in Bedford opened last summer ('23) and has been my go-to lunchtime venue ever since. Their entire, stellar line up is available either on tap or in can and of course you can get any of the tap brews in a growler. Lots of parking, a drive through, a pleasant space, including an outdoor patio in season and they even brew small batches on site. Not much in the way of food at the moment, other that snacks, but I mainly come for the beer. And the cider. They do a very English style cloudy cider which is dry as a bone and quite delicious. Bar staff are fun, have good taste in music and there is usually something going on in the evening. A perfect local pub, with an eclectic clientele and for brews, something for everyone.

The owners closed the handicap parking spot to make room for their "patio party" leaving a…read morehandicaped person to walk from a distance. When questionned about, owner said that they are not required to offer a handicap spot. Handicaped people have the right to enjoy as the able people. I guess collecting some petty money was more important. I will never go to that company and I will never buy a propeller product ever again. Not supporting a company that ONLY cares about the money.

Made a reservation for a tour on Saturday at 1pm. It was a full tour and was great fun. Some have…read moresaid the tour wasn't very good. But i thoroughly enjoyed this historic brewery and their history. Several tastes were included and ended in a "pub" for a Scottish gathering and a couple more samples. Got to try a new beer-Cherry lime Gose. A great time and at 100$ for three people it was a reasonable price.

Keith put on a great brewery tour. It's not too often that you get to tour a 150 year old brewery…read more The historic building contains gorgeous fermentation tanks, the guides put on quite a show and the 30 ounce tasting included four different beers. Very enjoyable.

Opening up in late 2015, this small bar is the addition to Unfiltered Brewing's North Street…read morefacilities where they brew some of the city's hoppiest batches of beer. I popped in early one evening while in the neighbourhood getting a haircut. It was fairly quiet, with just a few people at the bar. The minimalist shelving is offset with a draft system covered in the stickers of breweries and general randomness, and a hand written "F*** Trump" sign (minus the censorship) sits amongst the curvaceous beer glasses. A few tables and booths flesh out the small space, which has a wide open view of North Street, for better or for worse. The sign is well in step with their MO of being unfiltered, a term they apply to their beer and marketing. I'm fine with off colour, I've thrived on it most of my life, but here it seems forced and painfully juvenile when used ad nauseum in a business' tweets and marketing materials. There's much to be said for timing. That said, I was keen on seeing the space for myself and trying out their food and more of their beer. I had forgotten that they have a limited menu, and much of it brought in from outside due to the lack of a kitchen. A small convection oven and slow cooked on the counter above a couple small fridges was the totality of their food prep area, and the lone bartender seemed to be doing double duty putting food orders together. The menu is mostly very cheap, snacks items, many under $3, that would be good for one person to munch on while imbibing one of Unfiltered's hoppy wonders - olives, chips (bagged, and hop-seasoned kettle chips), and non-processed string cheese fall into this category. For slightly heartier fare there was a beef dip sandwich and steak and cheese pie, and a couple vegetarian friendly dishes that didn't hold my gaze too long. I ordered a pint of Hops and Dreams, and a steak and cheese pie, which was supplied by North Mountain. While it re-heated in the oven, I sipped on my beer and stuck my face in my phone, occasionally chipping in with the friendly conversations flowing at the bar. The beer was well balanced with fruity tones and a smoother finish than many of its hopped-up brethren. At a hearty 8%, it packed twice the punch of a Coors Light, but with exponentially more flavour. The pie soon arrived, and served as a teaser for a place that's also on my list of places to try out. It was tasty and filling, although fully reviewing another business's reheated food seems odd, so I won't get into it. I'm sure Unfiltered's owners are eagerly awaiting the day when the Jessy's pizza next door folds so that they can have a full kitchen and additional seating. Paired up with the coming Portuguese chicken joint in the former Robin's space two doors down, this unassuming strip mall could be quite the food and drink destination. And there's even some parking for you suburb schmucks. Needing a bit more to eat, I ordered the hop-seasoned kettle chips and the string cheese, which I was informed was definitely not the flaccid processed tubes that are stuffed in kids' lunches, but rather a salty, Greek-ish cheese. Again, while these are cheap, if you're hungry and looking to share, you're going to need multiple orders. Luckily, I was sadly alone, so the portioning was fine. The kettle chips were crunchy and flecked with bits of green hops, which added a slight earthy herbiness for a unique taste, although I actually would have preferred a heavier hand with this unique seasoning. The bowl of cheese was equally perfect for snacking on while having a pint, with the salty threads of cheese begging to picked at. Service was unassuming, friendly and informative.  Without a dedicated kitchen, it's hard for Charm School to be anything more than a pit stop rather than a destination for a full night out, but I look forward to what those surly f***s have in store for the future.

This place never disappoints. I'd say the best beer available in Halifax…read more Always good tunes playing in the background. I really like sitting at the bay door. Don't take yourself too seriously walking in here. Throw all fucks out the window and don't give one.