Dear Friend, your service was excellent despite being packed, your small booth in the corner was cozy, your small plates made us say "mmmm!" with every bite. Your boozy cocktails were delicious and inexpensive.Best tartare we've had anywhere, the carrots were amazing (yes, order the carrots with your raw beef), oysters were so fresh with a fantastic house made hot sauce.1st time there, 1st class place. Book a res if you want a seat
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Beef Tartare
Emily M
Great small cocktail bar. The drinks were phenomenal. Bartenders are nice, but they were really pushy to order more drinks.. we went in to have 2 drinks each & felt as if she expected we would order more and seemed disappointed when we didn’t.
I went couples week back. I tried the oyster - best one I have tried so far in Halifax. I ordered beef tartare, short ribs beef, and falafel. Everything was 10/10. Beef tartare was so tasty. surprisingly it was my first time trying raw meat. 100%
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Katelin Spence
I’m always really impressed with the service when visiting here. Our server for Friday happy hour truly went above and beyond accommodating us when my husband and I popped in with baby & stroller in tow. The exceptional service really made our night. The cocktails and oysters were top notch as well!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Cure One
The owner may be one of the funniest people I ever met. This place rules. She gave me this weird chinese liquor once, it smelled like gasoline and I loved it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ryan G. Osborne
We could not have had a better experience! Our server (Jerry) was tremendous, took time to understand my allergies and explained what would be safe for me to eat. Neither of us drink, so what originally brought us to Dear Friend was a recommendation that they have great mocktails - and it turns out, they do! We really enjoyed the Nono Spritz. When I made the reservation, I added that this was for a date night and Jerry must've read these details when we arrived and asked about what else we had planned for the evening - we both loved the attention to detail. We will absolutely be coming back in the new year.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Tania Romera
Amazing Bar. I really enjoyed the decoration, the vibes, the music, how nice staff was. I enjoyed my cocktail. I recommend this place, book ahead it’s quite small and it becomes quickly busy.
A quiet little place with a quiet atmosphere. My daughter brought me here for my 53rd birthday and I was delighted with everything that was brought to our table. I will recommend this little gem to all who are looking for a tasting meal and a great cocktail.I look forward to returning.Thank you to all the staff for a wonderful evening.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Beef Tartare, House Marinated Olives
Sarah Lyon
Interesting food and such nice staff. Make a reservation to get your seat and let them choose what you are eating (it’s a menu option) you won’t be disappointed!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jim Wallace
Very nice place. Was quite busy on Saturday late afternoon. Oysters were fine and Karen's savory tart very tasty. Great place for wine with a snack. Karen and I will be back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
dan christensen
This spot slaps. Always unpretentiously inventive, keeping beautiful simple. I don’t know if I like the food or cocktails more … tight little wine selection. Top marks!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
India Najones
Their front door looks like any regular door but it’s not… it’s a portal to another place. As soon as you step through you are no longer in Dartmouth, you are in a major world city at one of its finest restaurants. From the interior you could be anywhere, a hidden gem in New York, a well loved local farm to table in Toronto, the buzzing atmosphere of a small Izakaya in Tokyo. If this is the future of dining in Dartmouth then yes please!! More of this please. After watching a movie and glancing at options for dinner as depressing as Jack Astors or Moxies and many places closing by 9pm… stumbling into this place and asking the friendly bartender if the kitchen was still serving and finding out it was totally transformed our night!We shared three dishes (the three at the bottom of the menu) potatoes with truffle, the zucchini tart and the ricotta stuffed pasta. All three were nuanced culinary delights clearly made by chefs who care deeply about the food they make and take pride in what they serve. I had the golden sky (or was it sun?) cocktail which had a similar level of care and delicacy from the bartending staff.This is the kind of restaurant you wish for when you go out to spend your hard earned money. This is the kind of place you look forward to returning to because you are excited to see what the chefs and bartenders create next.The people who attended to us were all very lovely including the woman from the kitchen who told us about the dish they were delivering to our table.The only downside I can think of is now eating anywhere else in the Dartmouth Halifax region will pale by comparison. This is the best place I have had dinner at in Nova Scotia and is right up there with the best places I have eaten in Toronto, New York and Tokyo.Congrats to everyone at Dear Friend Bar for creating an amazing dining experience. And thank you for a lovely evening!I hope other restaurants in the area are encouraged to follow your lead in making Dartmouth a culinary destination.Vegetarian options: All three of our dishes were vegetarian and extraordinary.
BRING BACK PAN CON TOMATE!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Dear Friend, your service was excellent despite being packed, your small booth in the corner was cozy, your small plates made us say "mmmm!" with every bite. Your boozy cocktails were delicious and inexpensive.Best tartare we've had anywhere, the carrots were amazing (yes, order the carrots with your raw beef), oysters were so fresh with a fantastic house made hot sauce.1st time there, 1st class place. Book a res if you want a seat
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Beef Tartare
Great small cocktail bar. The drinks were phenomenal. Bartenders are nice, but they were really pushy to order more drinks.. we went in to have 2 drinks each & felt as if she expected we would order more and seemed disappointed when we didn’t.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Bartenders are awesome!
Great food, drinks and service, as always.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Beef Tartare, Coconut Caramel Corn
I went couples week back. I tried the oyster - best one I have tried so far in Halifax. I ordered beef tartare, short ribs beef, and falafel. Everything was 10/10. Beef tartare was so tasty. surprisingly it was my first time trying raw meat. 100%
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
I’m always really impressed with the service when visiting here. Our server for Friday happy hour truly went above and beyond accommodating us when my husband and I popped in with baby & stroller in tow. The exceptional service really made our night. The cocktails and oysters were top notch as well!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The owner may be one of the funniest people I ever met. This place rules. She gave me this weird chinese liquor once, it smelled like gasoline and I loved it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We could not have had a better experience! Our server (Jerry) was tremendous, took time to understand my allergies and explained what would be safe for me to eat. Neither of us drink, so what originally brought us to Dear Friend was a recommendation that they have great mocktails - and it turns out, they do! We really enjoyed the Nono Spritz. When I made the reservation, I added that this was for a date night and Jerry must've read these details when we arrived and asked about what else we had planned for the evening - we both loved the attention to detail. We will absolutely be coming back in the new year.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Amazing Bar. I really enjoyed the decoration, the vibes, the music, how nice staff was. I enjoyed my cocktail. I recommend this place, book ahead it’s quite small and it becomes quickly busy.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
A quiet little place with a quiet atmosphere. My daughter brought me here for my 53rd birthday and I was delighted with everything that was brought to our table. I will recommend this little gem to all who are looking for a tasting meal and a great cocktail.I look forward to returning.Thank you to all the staff for a wonderful evening.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Beef Tartare, House Marinated Olives
Interesting food and such nice staff. Make a reservation to get your seat and let them choose what you are eating (it’s a menu option) you won’t be disappointed!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Very nice place. Was quite busy on Saturday late afternoon. Oysters were fine and Karen's savory tart very tasty. Great place for wine with a snack. Karen and I will be back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
This spot slaps. Always unpretentiously inventive, keeping beautiful simple. I don’t know if I like the food or cocktails more … tight little wine selection. Top marks!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Their front door looks like any regular door but it’s not… it’s a portal to another place. As soon as you step through you are no longer in Dartmouth, you are in a major world city at one of its finest restaurants. From the interior you could be anywhere, a hidden gem in New York, a well loved local farm to table in Toronto, the buzzing atmosphere of a small Izakaya in Tokyo. If this is the future of dining in Dartmouth then yes please!! More of this please. After watching a movie and glancing at options for dinner as depressing as Jack Astors or Moxies and many places closing by 9pm… stumbling into this place and asking the friendly bartender if the kitchen was still serving and finding out it was totally transformed our night!We shared three dishes (the three at the bottom of the menu) potatoes with truffle, the zucchini tart and the ricotta stuffed pasta. All three were nuanced culinary delights clearly made by chefs who care deeply about the food they make and take pride in what they serve. I had the golden sky (or was it sun?) cocktail which had a similar level of care and delicacy from the bartending staff.This is the kind of restaurant you wish for when you go out to spend your hard earned money. This is the kind of place you look forward to returning to because you are excited to see what the chefs and bartenders create next.The people who attended to us were all very lovely including the woman from the kitchen who told us about the dish they were delivering to our table.The only downside I can think of is now eating anywhere else in the Dartmouth Halifax region will pale by comparison. This is the best place I have had dinner at in Nova Scotia and is right up there with the best places I have eaten in Toronto, New York and Tokyo.Congrats to everyone at Dear Friend Bar for creating an amazing dining experience. And thank you for a lovely evening!I hope other restaurants in the area are encouraged to follow your lead in making Dartmouth a culinary destination.Vegetarian options: All three of our dishes were vegetarian and extraordinary.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5