showing 21 to 30 of 75
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Best Chowder
on November 1, 2018 at 1:00AM
Gold Winner The Canteen
Silver Winner Esquire Restaurant
Bronze Winner Fredie's Fantastic Fish House
Lovers of The Canteen’s chowder, rest easy—this dish and all of its smoked haddock and smoked bacon can not, will not, ever go away. “There are three things that will never leave the menu and it’s one of them. It’s the number one seller in the summer and the winter,” says chef Reneé Lavallée of her dish, which she calls the kind of chowder you can just keep eating. “It’s very light and packed with seafood. It’s very different from what people are used to, people are used to a stick to your ribs chowder.”
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Best Clayton Park Area Restaurant
on November 1, 2018 at 1:00AM
Gold Winner Mezza Lebanese Kitchen
Silver Winner Tako Sushi and Ramen
Bronze Winner The Anchor
This well (olive) oiled machine takes home the Clayton Park “and area” (that includes Fairview and Bayers Lake, for those neighbourhood purists who’ve been calling out our invisible borders) yet again, for its quick service, heaping portions and addictive, craving-inducing Middle Eastern and Mediterranean flavours. Seriously. If this Hall of Fame chicken shawarma even so much as slips into your mind for a second, it’s impossible to shoo it out without making a trip to Mezza. The ever-expanding brand with nine Nova Scotian locations seems to leave a mark wherever it opens (or maybe that’s just lingering garlic sauce breath), especially in Clayton Park, where great dining options abound and it comes out on top.
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Best Cocktails
on November 1, 2018 at 1:00AM
Gold Winner Lot Six
Silver Winner The Watch That Ends the Night
Bronze Winner Antojo Tacos + Tequila
The theory at Lot Six is that if the staff is excited about the drinks they’re making, the customers will probably be excited too, which is why Sarah Amyotte says the interactive component of their drink slinging is super important. “They try and do their best to really educate and give people that experience, not just a drink put in front of them.” She shouts out longtime bar lead—and winner of many Best of Halifax awards—Shane Beehan for being at the centre of this approach. “His biggest goal at work is making sure everyone’s learning—the joke is your never stop learning—its a huge collaborative effort lead by Shane,” says Amyotte. “I joke that he’s the creativity to my business mind.”
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Best Coffee
on November 1, 2018 at 1:00AM
Gold Winner Java Blend Coffee Roasters
Silver Winner Two If By Sea
Bronze Winner Weird Harbour
If you had to pour a mug of Halifax it would be a piping hot cup of coffee from Java Blend. It’s been 80 years since the idea behind the North Street roastery and cafe was just a nugget in the brain of Theodore Sideris, and the family-owned business continues to hone in on what makes a great cup of joe: quality stuff, straight from the roaster. Now this coffee, and its home base, are institutions that the city wouldn’t be the city without. And that’s not just the caffeine talking (this blurb was fuelled by a cup of Sumatra), hundreds of voters agree.
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Best Cookie/ Cupcake/ Doughnut
on November 1, 2018 at 1:00AM
Gold Winner Vandal Doughnuts
Silver Winner Layers Cakes
Bronze Winner Ol' School Donuts
Homer’s odyssey. Purple rain. Vegan Boston cream. Oscar the grouch. Footy loops. Sensual seduction. These greasy little numbers, and lots more, make up the roster of creations coming out of the fryer at winner-supreme, Vandal Doughnuts (also your Best Bakery and Best New Business). “We did our best to be authentic and to give people an experience they may never have had at a bakery before,” says co-owner Nicole Tufts of the weird and wonderful desserts’ ability to leave an impression on voters. “Plus we put Kit Kat bars inside doughnuts.”
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Best Craft Brewery
on November 1, 2018 at 1:00AM
Gold Winner Nine Locks Brewing Company
Silver Winner Good Robot Brewing Co.
Bronze Winner Garrison Brewing Co.
Considering the sheer amount of new and exciting folks making moves on the local brewing scene, this category doesn’t get shuffled around this much. But this year, voters must have spent a lot of time lugging cans of Nine Locks on every beach day, canoe trip and camping getaway, because the Waverley-based brewery has risen to the top like a freshly poured pint. With brewmaster Jake Saunders at the helm, the two-and-a-half year old Nine Locks has established both a strong roster of year-round beers (like the ESB and Dirty Blonde) as well as seasonally appropriate faves (heyyyy Watermelon Blonde and Vanilla Porter) and after being our readers’ runner-up last year, it’s locked down the golden spot.
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Best Dartmouth Restaurant
on November 1, 2018 at 1:00AM
Gold Winner The Canteen
Silver Winner Mic Mac Bar and Grill
Bronze Winner The Wooden Monkey
“It’s been a big a year on the darkside, particularly on Portland Street, it’s amazing to see the changes since we’ve moved to Portland Street,” says Canteen co-owner Doug Townsend, who’s also chef Reneé Lavallée’s husband. “The quality and calibre—everybody’s upping everybody else’s game.” The downtown eatery nabs the top honours in this category from the tried-and-true Mic Mac Bar & Grill, and its owners are defi-nitely quick to share the accolade. “None of this happens without our team. For us it’s team first always. These guys take as much pride in what they do as we do as owners.”
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Best Desserts
on November 1, 2018 at 1:00AM
Gold Winner Sweet Hereafter Cheesecakery
Silver Winner Middle Spoon Desserterie
Bronze Winner Vandal Doughnuts
“It’s humbling to see how a little guy can compete in this world of big box stores,” says Sweet Hereafter’s Colin MacDougall. He’s been running the Quinpool cheesecakery with his wife Joanne for seven years now and says his sweet spot is still growing and still being discovered by new customers. “I feel like, last year and even this year we’re legitimate. The first few years you struggle to make a go of it, year five is a milestone and into year six and seven we see people who had their first date here and then we cater their wedding.” And though Sweet Hereafter is re-gaining its top spot after a few years as a runner-up, MacDougall says a win’s a win if it’s coming from you, dear Halifax.“Gold, silver or bronze it means some-body somewhere is thinking of you.”
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Best Diner
on November 1, 2018 at 1:00AM
Gold Winner The Armview Restaurant & Lounge
Silver Winner Ardmore Tea Room
Bronze Winner John's Lunch
When your restaurant has been in business since 1951, you don’t just have fans—you have generations of fans. “We’re a long running establishment so we’ve got a lot of history,” says co-owner George Kapetanakis. This year was a busy one for The Armview, getting a new prep kitchen in swing and killing it on the patio all sunny summer long, all the while maintaining its status as the ol’ reliable. “We stay true to our diner menu, we’ve polished it up a bit to be a little bit more healthy, but still generally it’s comfort food. We always associate diners with a comfortable place to come to at any time of the day, whether you’re by yourself, with family or out on a date.”
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Best Donair
on November 1, 2018 at 1:00AM
Gold Winner Tony's Pizza & Donair
Silver Winner Johnny K's Authentic Donairs
Bronze Winner Alexandra's Pizza
Hall of fame King of Donair, Quinpool Road
“There are so many great options but to be chosen number one is definitely humbling, it shows you you’re doing something right,” says Leo Salloum, whose family has been running Tony’s for over 40 years. The donair has made its way onto many a menu across town thanks to being Halifax’s official food, but Salloum says the Halifamous wrap—much like eating a smoked meat sandwich in Montreal—is just as much about the experience as the taste. And Tony’s can offer just that. “The traditional donair is the original donair. You can spin it off like any other type of food out there, but if you really want the experience you have to try the original one, peeling that foil off and getting that messy experience.”
