Where to enjoy NS wines when you dine in Halifax

It’s a great time to be a food lover in Nova Scotia. The city’s talented chefs have taken dining here to a whole new level, seeking out local ingredients and using them in innovative ways. Local wine is also enjoying an upswing in popularity, with ever more wineries and surprisingly sophisticated wines. Enjoy Nova Scotia wines at the following restaurants.

By Fred Decker

Hop Scotch Dinner Club

1

2058 Brunswick St, Halifax, NS B3K 2Y7

• Reserve
• Phone Number
  • 902-420-9626Primary
• Directions

Chives Canadian Bistro’s relaxed and playful vibe makes its stellar food even more fun. The wine menu changes seasonally, but count on Nova Scotia wines being well represented. That’s easy with white and sparkling wines, but – impressively – Chives makes room for plenty of Nova Scotia reds as well, notably L’Acadie Vineyards’ intense and powerful Passito. Try it with the delicious lamb pot roast.

This business is featured in the following Smart Lists:

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Five Fisherman Restaurant & Grill

2

1740 Argyle St, Halifax, NS B3J 2B6

• Phone Number
  • 902-422-4421Primary
• Directions
• Menu

It’s not easy being the gold standard for seafood in a coastal city, but The Five Fishermen makes it look that way. From its position overlooking the Grand Parade, the dining room – with its wood finishings and exposed brick – provides a suitable setting for some of the best seafood around. The wine list includes two local offerings, Luckett Vineyards’ Tidal Bay and Benjamin Bridge’s Nova 7 sparkler, but either works well with the restaurant’s namesake Five Fish entree.

This business is featured in the following Smart Lists:

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The Brooklyn Warehouse

3

2795 Windsor St, Halifax, NS B3K 5E3

• Phone Number
  • 902-446-8181Primary
• Directions

It’s not easy being the gold standard for seafood in a coastal city, but The Five Fishermen makes it look that way. From its position overlooking the Grand Parade, the dining room – with its wood finishings and exposed brick – provides a suitable setting for some of the best seafood around. The wine list includes two local offerings, Luckett Vineyards’ Tidal Bay and Benjamin Bridge’s Nova 7 sparkler, but either works well with the restaurant’s namesake Five Fish entree.

This business is featured in the following Smart Lists:

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The Old Triangle Irish Ale House

4

5136 Prince St, Halifax, NS B3J 1L4

• Phone Number
  • 902-492-4900Primary
• Directions
• Menu

If your taste runs more to pub food than hipster purism, Prince Street’s The Old Triangle is a worthy place to sample the local vintners’ art. The decor incorporates all the usual Irish pub trappings, but the food is varied and well-prepared – gluten-free is an option – and local wine is well represented on the list. Try Jost’s Eagle Tree Muscat with your fishcakes, or splurge on Benjamin Bridge Brut with your eggs Benny.

This business is featured in the following Smart Lists:

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Edna Restaurant

5

2053 Gottingen St, Halifax, NS B3K 3B2

• Phone Number
  • 902-431-5683Primary
• Directions
• Menu

The rustic wood and long, communal tables at Edna give it immediate appeal. The deceptively long dining area (it looks small from the front) is geared toward socializing, and the overall feel is very fresh and youthful. Proprietor Jenna Mooers oversees a hyper-local menu, and Nova Scotia wineries are liberally represented on the wine list. Look for the Tidal Bay and Chardonnay by shiny, new biodynamic winemakers Lightfood & Wolfville, and enjoy them with the fresh oysters or seared halibut.

This business is featured in the following Smart Lists:

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The Press Gang

6

5218 Prince St, Halifax, NS B3J 0B1

• Phone Number
  • 902-423-8816Primary
• Directions
• Menu

The Press Gang turns out some of Halifax’s best food from its home across from the Grand Parade in one of the city’s oldest buildings. The appetizers and entrees alike make excellent use of local ingredients, especially lobster and scallops, but it’s the oyster bar that keeps ’em coming back. Belly up to the bar, and order fresh oysters from Nova Scotia and the Maritimes, and wash them down with glasses of Tidal Bay by Gaspereau Vineyards.

This business is featured in the following Smart Lists:

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Obladee

7

1600 Barrington St, Halifax, NS B3J 1Z6

• Phone Number
  • 902-405-4505Primary
• Directions

When you want food with your wine, rather than wine with your food, this is your destination. The decor is casually elegant, and most of the province’s wineries are represented, either by the glass or the bottle. The food is chosen for wine-friendliness – no difficult matches here – and consists mostly of cheese and charcuterie plates, both with a strong local presence. Try the flight of local whites, with or without the optional paired cheeses.

This business is featured in the following Smart Lists:

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Agricola Street Brasserie

8

2540 Agricola St, Halifax, NS B3K 4C5

• Phone Number
  • 902-446-7664Primary
• Directions

The food is French-inspired, the ingredients are resolutely local and this once-industrial space is big and airy. Not every dish is a bistro classic – the menu includes occasional Asian and Latin elements – but it’s all carried off with gusto. If you really want to go all out, order the over-the-top seafood tower and wash it down with Quintessence from Planter’s Ridge or Tidal Bay by Avondale Sky.

This business is featured in the following Smart Lists:

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More from Fred Decker

Fred Decker is a Halifax native, with roots here over a century deep. He's a trained chef, freelance writer and formerly a local-food columnist for the Saint John, NB Telegraph-Journal. Like many writers he's a lifelong bookworm with never quite enough shelving to fit them all. His favorite things include street food, funky second-hand shops and any place reading material is sold.

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