We are always on the hunt for cask beer and found out about Stillwell. They had two cask beers to…read moretry out which my husband enjoyed. I went a for a non-alcoholic option and enjoyed it. I wish I was hungry when visiting because their food menu looked very good. I would recommend this place and would come back here.

The Hubs and I wanted to try some craft beer while at Halifax without having to go to each…read moremicrobrewery and Stillwell seems to fit the bill. They have 12 beers on tap, and various beers on cans and bottles. Food seems to be mostly sharable appetizers. We tried: - Propeller Galaxy (6.5% $7.6 for 16oz): hazy IPA style, simple, a hint of hoppy. - Trailway Voyager (7.8% $7 for 12 oz): like a hazy IPA, citrus, sweet, smooth. Bartender is attentive and chill atmosphere. Overall: great place to grab a drink and hangout.

Been here for food like over a few years ago- prices still awesome with some new meal additions and…read moreservice always great Will be returning soon!

Such a fun Halifax spot -- great energy, super friendly staff, and unbeatable prices. Loved the…read morelocal beer lineup (Keith's, Oland, Toller -- iconic), plus the nachos and poutine hit perfectly. Perfect place for casual drinks, dancing, and a laid-back East Coast vibe. Will definitely be back!

Charlie's is a pretty chill place to go hang out and have a few beers…read more The crowd can be a little rough around the edges but I guess the university throngs have pretty much pushed the average drinking man out of every other bar in Halifax. Pool tables are a nice addition... I wasn't really sure what the $2 cover was going towards besides upkeep? A grungy/funky spot in the North End that's for sure!

This is not a tourist bar, unless you are a linoleum architecture tourist, or a $2.75 tequila shot…read moretourist, or a tourist of watching tight knit groups of locals sit around in circular formation. Charlie's is where you go when you want to go to Cheers. (Not the Cheers on Grafton St., the Cheers on TV according to your 6 y/o mind, which is really just the the theme song, fuzzy visuals, and conflating real life people with Cliff and/or Rhea Pearlman.) In short, it's where you go when you come home nostalgic and want to see all your old friends, enthusiastically buy each other drinks like it's a genuine gift, dance to one of those weird new electric blue jukeboxes, shout and pontificate around a pool table, and generally have a back slappin, squeezey hugging, chortling little time. The decor is like any affordable house, only the door has a key code and a woman sits at a table with a guest book when you come in. This does not make you feel cool, but it does make you feel like life is funny. The bartender is so used to over-friendly drunk patrons that nothing can melt him. I imagine that deep in his core is something more kind than anything I have ever known, but it is too precious to be shared. The last time I came here, someone apologized for asking me to dance when I turned him down. Apologized. For my rejecting him. A dark little mineshaft to the salt of the earth this place is, lemme tell ya.

Absolutely disgraceful treatment. Our organization planned a large-scale pub crawl that concluded…read moreat this establishment. 150 of us, all in matching shirts, and we pre-paid every single cover charge in advance. When we arrived, the security manager decided, on the spot, that anyone who had altered their shirt (cut-off sleeves due to the hot weather) would be denied entry. That's half the group turned away after already paying. This is beyond unacceptable. No one in our group was rude or out of line. We are all military personnel and professionals who understand decorum in public. We were literally escorted with pipes and drums, getting nothing but smiles and photos elsewhere. Every other bar along the crawl welcomed us with open arms. This place, however, showed nothing but arrogance, inflexibility, and complete disregard for the agreement made. They knew in advance who we were, what we were doing, and how we were arriving. Enforcing a last-minute dress code after taking our money is nothing short of theft. If you value integrity, accountability, or basic hospitality, avoid this place at all costs. They do not deserve your business.

Really enjoyed my night at this place, particularly because of the band and the ambiance. Drinks at…read morenot as good however..

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.

The burger was good the fries is where they lack to much salt on the fries the service was ok but…read moreshe seemed to be oh yum about it

Alright, so I'm officially bad at taking notes on Battery Park. Granted, in the past we've either…read moregone with friends or been pretty busy, but taking four trips to actually get my first set of notes is a bit embarrassing. It's wild to think that Battery Park has been open for nearly a decade, but the years go by quickly! I'd only been there once before we left NS for several years, and once we returned and got a place in Dartmouth, I knew we'd be here frequently. Burgers and beer - what's not to like?! This first documented visit saw me diving into the Ace Burger part of the menu. I've loved Ace's burgers since their start in the kitchen at Gus' Pub, and I'm glad that they survived the ebb and flow of food trends, un like several other gourmet burger joints. I opted for the Dartmouth-Style Jughead, which is a sort of fancied-up version of In-N-Out's cult favourite, the Animal-Style burger, which involves cooking the patty in mustard on the flat top, and topping it with a messy burger sauce. Battery Park's iteration didn't evoke my vague memories of In-N-Out quite the same way that Stillwell's similarly-themed Burger Week offering did, but it was undeniably an excellent burger. Two, smashed patties with wonderfully crisp edges were lovingly topped with gooey slices of cheese, "Dartmouth sauce" and caramelized onions. This wasn't a pure umami bomb though, as classic accoutrements of lettuce, tomato and a pickle helped brighten up and balance out the burger. The fries were also top notch; the skin-on, hand-cut fries were nice and crispy, and addictively salty. My wife stuck with her long-running favourite, the Pig Mac, which unsurprisingly has pork subbing in for beef in another homage to a famous burger. The flavour is spot-on, and much, much better than its namesake, as in addition to the superior ingredients and execution, it doesn't come with that weird McDonald's aftertaste and regret. As we often do to get the best of both worlds, my wife had gotten a salad so that we could share our different sides. Battery Park's Caesar salad stuck close to the classic recipe, but stood out from the forgettable masses of this ubiquitous side thanks to their deeply rich and flavourful, house-made dressing, fried capers and real bacon. On my next time there, summer was now in full swing, and we snagged a table on the back patio. It was my first time out there, and I was impressed by the space. Patios in very urban settings often have limited real estate, but Battery Park's was a very good size, and had a chill vibe, like it was somebody's (large and busy) back deck. I wasn't feeling particularly burger-y with the heat, so I chose the mushroom dumplings and miso salad, while my other half went with the pork belly and pineapple burger. It was a little bit of a wait with a full house inside and out, but a cold beer and great company made it pass quickly. The dumplings were deep fried to a deep brown, but didn't taste at all burnt, with the spectacularly crisp wrapper encasing the rich mix of chopped mushrooms inside. A dipping sauce of perhaps soy and chili sauce brought added layers of flavour, and a little salad of radish and green onions added a splash of colour and freshness. My miso and ginger salad was very good, with plentiful fresh veg, apple and crisp slices of fried tofu that were beautifully encrusted with white and black sesame seeds, although the overall flavour profile wasn't as Asian as I expected. The namesake ingredients of the creamy dressing didn't really stand out, but it was a tasty salad nonetheless. My wife's burger was an impressive sight, with glistening, glazed slices of pork belly and a grilled section of pineapple on top of one of Ace's always-fantastic patties. The combination of sweet and savoury was a winning one, and it made me think of one of the first "gourmet" burgers I ever had, the Ultimate Burger at The Henry House, which also comes with pineapple. As expected, the top-notch fries were good to the last fry, and I should know, as I finished off what my wife didn't have room for! I suppose the idiom that "a lot of ink has been spilled" doesn't apply in this digital age, but fixtures like Battery Park still deserve attention for the great job that they're still doing after all these years.

This is a really cool speakeasy. In order to get in you need to find the email address to request…read morethe secret phrase. When you get that you are given admission thru the "cover" restaurant. We came in on a Saturday night when they opened at 7pm. We were escorted down around 7:15pm. Neat way to enter the actual speakeasy. Once in you are greeted in a dimly lit "library" with a bar. There was 50's jazz which added to the ambiance. Bar tender and servers were very friendly and attentive. Ordered a few special drinks. (See pictures). Overall a great speakeasy experience. Glad to have found one in Halifax.

You can't get in unless you know the password that is delivered via email when you are on the email…read morelist. We walked in said our password and they were 40 mins late on setting up on Saturday Halloween eve. Only servers can allow you in. Atmosphere is dungeon library with 1950s music. Drinks are $15-17 each. We ordered: - Grandma's Boy ($17): 3/5 similar to Old Fashioned. A very simple straight up old fashioned that didn't have much complexity. - The Last Barman Poet ($17): 3/5 tequila based sour. A bit savoury because of the spices. Not that complex either. Overall: Such as shame as the atmosphere is amazing. Compared to a lot of restaurants with cocktails, this one is pricier and less amazingly prepared. We were disappointed with the selections and that's why we only tried 2 and left.

The downtown Dartmouth scene is in an ebb and flow, transforming with some new additions but still…read moremanaging to maintain its very real and gritty nature. Then amidst the uncertainty, there stands Whiskey's - the paradigm of Dartmouth pub life, rolled into this Portland Street venue. I was reminded of Whiskey's when some of my pals went the other day. They ordered a pizza, sans cheese and tomato sauce (allergies and veganism) and the employees and cooks very happy to oblige. When I was there last, I sat on the patio and enjoyed the 5pm traffic and street activity with a posse of friends. There were very drunk people milling about, some screamers having matches, as well as workers enjoying beverages post workday. We ordered some pitchers and enjoyed the sun, before it disappeared behind one of the buildings. This is a great Dartmouth pub, worth the trip across the bridge. The patrons are colorful and unpredictable and the service is pretty great. Grab a brew and enjoy the always entertaining downtown Dartmouth scene.

When I lived on the Dartmouth side of the bridge, Whiskey's was usually my choice for a few post…read morework drinks, as it was within walking distance of both home and work. The atmosphere is extremely laid back, with a few VLTs lining one of the walls. There would often be a performer with a guitar and some classic cover tunes. There was one guy in particular that would do the theme song from "The Littlest Hobo" which went over quite well with myself and almost everyone else there. Whiskey's itself has no kitchen, but their menu is prepared next door by the same owners at Revana Pizza. There is an adjoining door between the two, which is helpful, because alas, Whiskey's has no washrooms. You simply cross through into the bright lights of the pizza joint to use their facilities. I especially enjoyed Whiskey's in the summer. The patio offers a nice view of the harbour, as well as some prime and varied people viewing. Now that I have crossed the bridge, making Downtown Halifax my home, I no longer stop in to Whiskey's, but there are times when I do miss it a little bit. It was the perfect relaxed location for me to unwind after a stressful work day, with almost no chance of running into a client, or someone I might know. Perhaps this summer I'll stop in for a pint or two, before boarding the ferry to Halifax, for old time's sake.