Fabulous, Fresh Food and Fab Restaurants All Over Nova Scotia + Great Craft Beer & Wine

April 16, 2021 ctn_admin

From fabulous restaurants to casual seafood cookouts, dining in Nova Scotia is a treat and-a-half. You’ll also find amazing craft beer, local distilleries that use unique Nova Scotia products, and one of the world’s fastest-rising wineries.

The food and drink scene in Nova Scotia has figuratively exploded in the past dozen years, with wonderful options popping up all over the province. Here’s a look at some of the great options.

REMARKABLE RESTAURANTS

As the biggest city in Atlantic Canada, Halifax has had a great restaurant scene for years. Now you’ll find cutting-edge places serving up fare influenced by global ingredients, but with a focus on fresh, local produce, meats and seafood.

In the city’s buzzing north end, Agricola Street Brasserie is a jazzy, industrial-style space that makes everything from pappardelle pasta with duck confit to steak tartare made with local Atlantic beef. Also notable in the north end are EDNA and Brooklyn Warehouse, which might offer up Rabbit Steam buns with kimchi or seared salmon with a whiskey-peppercorn-butter sauce.

Dartmouth, which began emerging as a trendy Halifax neighborhood a few years ago, has a couple of terrific spots. The Canteen is a sunny, bright restaurant that’s famous for its “crobster” sandwiches, with lobster and crab on a toasted bun. At other times of year you might find a Reuben sandwich with Montreal smoked meat and local sauerkraut or a chickpea and coconut curry.

In downtown Halifax, 2 Doors Down in summer might feature a luscious salad with local greens, Nova Scotia peaches, goat cheese, toasted coconut, radishes and a golden beet vinaigrette, or perhaps a shrimp and scallops Pad Thai dish. Press Gang serves up fabulous scallops and other dishes in a building that dates back several hundred years and has tons of atmosphere.

On a more casual note, Halifax is famous for its donair sandwiches, which offer up roasted meats from an upright rotisserie (like a gyro), topped with a sweet white garlic sauce. If you’re looking for something more traditional. the city also now sports a Five Guys burger place.

The Halifax Seaport Farmers Market is a beauty that date back to 1750. There are more than 40 farmers markets scattered around Nova Scotia.

In Lunenburg, Salt Shaker Deli is a great spot that makes fantastic chowder with scallops, shrimp, smoked haddock and mussels, while the Banh Mi burger features Vietnamese style ginger & sesame spiced pork.

In Shelburne, Charlotte Lane Cafe has been run by a husband and wife for 26 years and has been named the the province’s top small restaurant on multiple occasions. The feeling and menu have been described as world cuisine mixed with charm and down-home, Nova Scotia hospitality. And that’s tough to beat.

Annapolis Royal is known for its French and English history, but German Bakery Sachsen Café and Restaurant has been baking the old-fashioned way since 1917.

In Wolfville, Juniper Food and Wine has a wide-ranging menu that goes from smoked local sturgeon with rosti (a Swiss potato dish) to crispy sunchokes and hot chicken sandwiches.

Cape Breton is famous for its seafood. In Margaree, Woodroad is a 25- seat restaurant located in the great room of a timber frame house a mere 30 metres from the ocean. They serve a set menu of seven courses, focused primarily on local seafood. In Sydney, the Boardwalk Tap Room and Eatery offers everything from pasta to fish and chips, and boasts wonderful views of the harbour.

Burntcoat Head Park on the Bay of Fundy has a spectacular dining option. You’ll enjoy a seafood feast for lunch, meet the chef and enjoy wine or craft beer. You then get a guided tour of the ocean floor, followed by a three-course meal at a long table set up on the ocean floor and then a campfire. Truly sensational.

NOVA SCOTIA WINE

Most of the wineries are concentrated around Wolfville, which is an hour north of Halifax and sits in a pretty valley. Benjamin Bridge has become known around the world for its sparkling wines. They also have a gorgeous winery building with a fantastic patio.

Luckett Vineyards is a lovely winery on a gentle hill overlooking Wolfville and the Gaspereau Valley, with fine views of Cape Blomidon. Look for the bright red British-style phone booth in the vineyard.

For a fun afternoon (and no worries about drinking and driving) try a Grape Escapes Wine Tour.

DISTILLERIES

One of the most established distilleries in Nova Scotia is Ironworks. Located in beautiful, historic Lunenburg, it’s run by a friendly husband and wife team and offers everything from vodka and brandy to pear eau du vie. The distillery is located in an old marine blacksmith’s workshop that dates to 1893.

Coldstream Clear Distillery is in the fine town of Antigonish and makes rum and vodka, as well as liqueurs, hard iced tea and gin soda.

CRAFT BEER AND CIDER

Breton Brewing, Sydney: Terrific craft beer and live music and trivia contest spot on Cape Breton Island.

Boxing Rock is a cool spot in Shelburne. Try the Hunky Dory Pale Ale or the Indigo Blueberry Sour. ht

Uncle Leo’s Brewery is in Pictou on the north shore and offers up everything from Ceilidh Ale to Smoked Porter.

Good Robot Brewing is in Halifax’s trendy north end and makes a wicked variety of beers, including a Go Kart Jackass Scottish Ale and an El Spinazo del Diablo Mexican Lager.

On the beautiful, quiet Eastern Shore, try the Oyster Stout or the Beach Stone Bitter at Sober Island Brewing Company in Sheet Harbour.

It’s not a craft beer, but the brewery tour at Alexander Keith’s production facility in Halifax is one of the most popular activities in the city.

Great cider places include Malagash Cidery on the North Shore, Lake City Cider in Dartmouth and Bulwark Cider in New Ross.

LOBSTER AND SEAFOOD

You shouldn’t visit Nova Scotia without trying their amazing, fresh seafood. Nova Scotia lobster is among the best in the world, fished from clear, clean Atlantic waters. Ditto for scallops, especially the world-renowned Digby scallops from the Bay of Fundy.

You’ll find local scallops and lobster in restaurants all around the province. One fun way to eat lobster is the lobster feast and Peggy’s Cove Adventure offered by OceanStone Seaside Resort. They’ll take you a couple km’s down the road to beautiful Peggy’s Cove, where you can both admire the scenery and meet local seafood expert. You’ll also visit Ryer’s Lobster Pound. Back at the resort, you can sit by a warm fire and dine on local oysters paired with the perfect craft beer.

You don’t want to run a great Nova Scotia lobster by cooking it incorrectly. The folks at Argyler Lodge in Glenwood (just south of Yarmouth) will help you build a fire on the beach so you can learn the perfect crustacean cooking technique.

Also on the south shore is Barrington, known as the Lobster Capital of Canada. Capt. Kat’s Lobster Shack has everything from lobster rolls to lobster pouting and lobster fondue.

Located in Hubbards, about 40 minutes from Halifax, the Shore Club does lobster suppers several days a week in season. On Saturday night they’ve got live music, including everything from rock to blues and New Orleans zydeco, which has its roots in Acadian music from Nova Scotia.

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