Diners' Choice: Innovative restaurants in Nova Scotia

OpenTable

Updated September 05, 2024

Looking for the best restaurants that are fit for foodies in Nova Scotia? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyzes nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favorite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

The Ostrich Club

4.9

4.9 (697)

CAN$30 and under

Tapas / Small Plates

Halifax

About the restaurant

The Ostrich Club is all about quality over quantity. Simple food with big flavours. Natural wines. Thoughtful cocktails. Warm and inviting service.

Please have a look at our menus though please note that the regular menus may not be entirely current as there may be a delay from open table in re-posting the most up-to-date ones. See our website for current menus.

We hope to welcome you soon!
#livefastdieyum

Top review

Ted

Dined on Sep 5, 2024

One of the very best experiences in Halifax, always consistently awesome!

Founders House Dining & Drinks

4.8

4.8 (471)

CAN$51 and over

Contemporary Canadian

Annapolis Royal

About the restaurant

We want you to feel welcomed & comfortable when visiting Founders House Dining & Drinks. Our dining room & bar are adorned with the warm tones & lush colours of our rustic New Scotland landscape – a nod to the Annapolis Royal 2017 Celebration Tartan. Our patio offers a refreshing salty breeze on warm summers days while boasting a stunning view of the Annapolis River & North Mountain beyond. Soft Celtic music playing in the background & fragrant aromas drifting from the kitchen will fill your senses while you sip on a local creation from behind our bar.

Our passion is locally sourced ingredients for dining, along with locally sourced beers, wines, ciders & spirits for our drinks. It’s about the astonishing quality we find in the Annapolis Valley & throughout Nova Scotia. It’s about making sure you always feel welcome with a creative taste of home served up with remarkable customer service in an absolutely beautiful setting. It's about Elev

Top review

Michele

Dined on Aug 30, 2024

As always, dinner at Founders was exceptional—the menu was exciting and excellent, the service impeccable, the atmosphere relatively quiet for conversation. It’s a memorable experience, one that we look forward to every summer. The extensive bar and cocktail possibilities are unique esp. for the area it serves. They deserve a Michelin star.

Sip Bar & Fare

4.8

4.8 (82)

CAN$31 to CAN$50

Contemporary Canadian

Dartmouth

About the restaurant

Centred around a roaring hearth with an airy atrium and terrace above, Sip offers food and drink with character. Our menu features upscale cocktails — including curated classics and custom concoctions — and shareable plates cooked over an open flame.

Join us for a bite or a bevvy. We’ll keep the fire going.

Top review

Matt

Dined 3 days ago

Absolutely delicious food and great service. So many flavours. The cocktails are unique and each one we’ve tried has been excellent. Beautiful ambience, and great views from upstairs. We will be back.

Discover more

Experience

Sip & Savor: A Wine Tasting Happy Hour

Pazzo Ristorante & Enoteca

4.7

4.7 (107)

CAN$31 to CAN$50

Italian

Halifax

About the restaurant

Benvenuto and welcome to Pazzo, a new Italian restaurant in the heart of downtown Halifax. Inspired by our love affair with Italian cuisine, we’ve beautifully transformed two floors of a Barrington Street heritage building into a cozy bar on the lower level and a gorgeous dining area upstairs. With a focus on fresh handmade pasta, meats and cheeses cured in-house, and wines that flow as freely as laughter around a family dinner table, we invite you to join us on a journey of Italy’s rich food culture and la dolce vita!

Top review

Lisavip

Dined on Sep 5, 2024

Lovely food, great wine, and importantly, a staff that make you feel like part of the family….

Discover more

Experience

Frescobaldi Wine Dinner - 700 years of wine making

Experience

Winery Dinner with Italy's, UMANI RONCHI

Peacock Wine Bar

4.6

4.6 (356)

CAN$31 to CAN$50

Wine Bar

Halifax

About the restaurant

A refreshing new breed of wine bar, Peacock is a relaxed and boisterous hideaway overlooking the city’s picturesque waterfront in the heart of Halifax’s bustling Queen’s Marque district. Serving an ever-evolving list of labels including small-production and hard-to-find bottles as well as an extensive by-the-glass selection, its menu features a thoughtfully curated list of sharing plates and handmade pastas lightly anchored in local seafood and seasonal vegetables.

Top review

Jeff

Dined on Sep 6, 2024

Appetizers were great Food was very good Service was really good at the start but as the place got busy, the service got a little worse Our waitress, who was very nice didn’t come to ask about our meals until we were almost done. The dessert, a coffee gelato, chocolate, crumble, apricote thing had way way way too much going on Food value was great, drinks and wine are a bit over priced Overall through….it was a nice evening and I’d recommend trying it

Discover more

Experience

The Chef's Fixe

Experience

Perch & Pour Happy Hour

Jack Astor's - Halifax (Bayers Lake)

4.5

4.5 (70)

CAN$30 and under

Canadian

Halifax

About the restaurant

Our mission? Great people helping other great people totally have a blast while enjoying amazing food. Wow, that was a mouthful. But can you blame us? We’re a restaurant. One that specializes in delicious food and great times. Our goal is to make you laugh. And depending on your hot sauce tolerance, cry.

In all seriousness, we take real pride in our food. Try our Cluckin’ Fresh Chicken Fingers, made and seasoned with fresh, never frozen chicken tenders. This isn’t run-of-the-mill pub grub. Our Band of Chefs are influenced by a wide variety of tastes and have travelled across the globe to gain inspiration.

But outside of the kitchen, we find it hard to take ourselves seriously. We have an Elvis booth. For no particular reason. Folks, that really does say it all. We’re sports fanatics, music nuts and love a good joke. If you’re into at least one of those things, we should hang out.

Top review

Wendy

Dined on Aug 9, 2024

Delicious meal and great service. It is a very noisy place so be prepared to speak loudly!

Drift

4.5

4.5 (1232)

CAN$31 to CAN$50

Canadian

Halifax

About the restaurant

A distinct new dining experience led by celebrated Chef Anthony Walsh, Drift features modern, elevated takes on classic Atlantic Canadian dishes and traditions. Located on the main level of the newly built Muir Hotel, our salon, bar and promenade offer a simple, modern and stylish setting in which to dine, drink, linger and relax without interruption. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily, as well as late night drinks, we warmly invite you to experience a taste of Drift at your leisure.

Top review

Linda

Dined 4 days ago

The breakfast was one of the best I ordered there.

Darya

4.4

4.4 (727)

CAN$31 to CAN$50

Mediterranean

Halifax

About the restaurant

A refined yet earthy dining destination on the Halifax waterfront, Daryâ offers a fresh, bright take on Eastern Mediterranean cooking. Featuring a globally-inspired wine list, vibrant cocktails and a large, sunny patio, Daryâ’s spirited, relaxed atmosphere invites diners to break bread with friends and loved ones and sample as many flavours and textures as possible.

Top review

Natashia

Dined 3 days ago

We had a group of 12. Great food and service. Was fun to do a shared meal for the whole table. Great location.

Discover more

Experience

Buffet Brunch at Darya

Asia Restaurant and Bar

4.4

4.4 (23)

CAN$51 and over

Asian

Downtown

About the restaurant

Welcome to ASIA, Halifax's premier destination for an unparalleled Pan-Asian dining experience.

Our restaurant redefines culinary adventure with a menu that showcases innovative dishes from across Asia, expertly crafted to tantalize your taste buds. Delight in our experimental cocktails and curated wine list, all designed to complement and elevate your meal. At ASIA, we promise a dining experience unlike anything you’ve encountered before, blending extraordinary flavors with an exceptional atmosphere.

Join us for a memorable journey through the vibrant and diverse world of Pan-Asian cuisine.

Top review

Laurenvip

Dined 2 days ago

The service was at a level we don’t see much of anymore. Very polite and helpful. The deck has beautiful views and the decor is lovely. The food was delicious and easily shared.

Moxies - Nova Centre

4.3

4.3 (50)

CAN$30 and under

American

Halifax

About the restaurant

Located at the heart of the city, the Nova Centre restaurant is a premium eatery with contemporary and modern fixtures and interior design.

Top review

OpenTable Diner

Dined on Aug 15, 2024

Great food! Drinks and meals were all fantastic and would return again.