4 Best Restaurants in Halifax, Nova Scotia

This small, on-trend restaurant and bar serves a seafood-heavy Spanish-inspired menu and delicious cocktails. There's a selection of oysters on ice, as well as other chilled and cured seafood and meats, classic Spanish tapas, and bar snacks that make for a perfect evening of grazing, but also a menu of hearty pasta and meat dishes should you require something more robust. Reservations are highly recommended.

"Canadian" cuisine is broadly defined here (French, German, and Asian influences are all evident), but there is no mistaking the provenance of chef and cookbook author Craig Flinn's ingredients, which are fresh and local. Each meal begins with Chives's signature buttermilk biscuits—and each should end with maple crème brûlée. In between, enjoy starters such as yellowfin tuna tartar, warm summer kale salad, or Jamo's perogi, then make the difficult choice between dishes like braised beef Wellington, grilled Digby scallops, or the N.S. Heritage Pork cut of the day. Each dish on the menu has wine suggestions, and gluten-free and vegetarian options are available.

Overlooking Privateer's Wharf on the harbor, Salty's wins the prize for best location in Halifax. Steaming bowls of shellfish stew and curried scallops crown a menu sure to satisfy seafood lovers, though there are also meat and pasta options. There is a less expensive Bar & Grill on the ground level. Salty's serves meals outside on the wharf in summer, but be warned that it can be very windy.

This fun, funky spot attracts health-conscious diners with its macrobiotic and organic food, locally brewed beer and wines, and fair-trade coffee. Aside from being good for you, though, the food here is also just plain good. Menu mainstays (the lentil burger, grass-fed braised beef, and line-caught haddock) are bound to win over skeptics. There's a second branch in Dartmouth.