Cocktails were really good! Thank you to the team!
Sherry Dinh
Bar Kismet is a beautiful hidden gem. This place knows how to highlight fresh seafoods in their raw tapas without overpowering their delicate natural flavors, and their house cocktails all have a maritime flavor profile that pairs well with seafood regardless of your choice. The atmosphere is charming as they repurposed the old architecture really well, and it is a perfect date night spot. We will definitely come back to this place in the future!
Antonino Urbano
It was incredible. Waiters super knowledgeable and friendly. Had an amazing sort-of-old-fashioned, rapini and pea dish, and then halibut cheek, had some amazing grappa too. And made a friend at the bar. Highly recommended.
John Macdonald
Great interesting place that knows how to serve and chef. Very creative. Cocktails great. Wine list eclectic and ok but not extensive. Found it to be of surprisingly great value given the creativity and quality
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Chloe K
I had high expectations for such a reputable restaurant. The atmosphere and our server were great; however, the food was quite disappointing and fell short of my expectations. The cocktails were not my personal favourites. We started with bread and carrots, crab with bearnaise which was delicious. For the mains, we ordered the arctic char, the perch, and tuna tartare. The arctic char was not only incredibly visually unappealing, the bisque was served lukewarm, the brassicas were hard, and the fish was bland. I’ve never sent a dish back but I unfortunately couldn’t eat more than two bites. Our server was very understanding and helped me pick out a different dish—I then ordered the ravioli, which was better than the char but mediocre at best. The perch was soft and buttery, but too salty. The tuna tartare was very plain and the fries were again, too salty. For a restaurant rated top 9 in Canada for 2 years, it lacked execution—not sure how it’s rated so highly
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
John Chow
Excellent food, cocktails, wine, service and environment. We had called earlier same day to see if we could get an earlier booking and was very pleased that they let us know that there was an earlier seating as a party had cancelled last minute. We ordered one of the starters and reordered same 15 minutes later, the raw scallop. Best way to have had anywhere in North America or Japan. Definitely a must eat at restaurant in Nova Scotia.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Oysters on the Half Shell, Raw Scallop Radish & Black Sesame, Charred Carrots with Crab
Andrew Illsley
Best cocktails, best wine, best food, best restaurant. That's all you need to know.
Jacob Noble
Service was fantastic. Food was a 4/5 as we didn’t enjoy the dessert that much. However our mains and drinks were great.
I was impressed with the number of cider options they had.
I’d recommend you visit this restaurant.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Nina Ribac
The restaurant's inviting ambiance and exceptional service created a delightful atmosphere, setting high expectations for the dining experience. However, the culinary offerings fell short of the establishment's reputation and accolades.
The menu, while ambitious, suffered from execution issues:
The crab dish with carrots and béarnaise sauce lacked balance, with the béarnaise being overly salty and scant on crab. The addition of fried shallots exacerbated the saltiness, detracting from the overall flavour profile. The tuna tartare was unremarkable, failing to leave a lasting impression. The fries, though crispy, were overseasoned, leading to palate fatigue. The ricotta gnocchi disappointed with its chewy texture, indicating the overworking of the dough. The accompanying tomato butter sauce was excessively acidic and would have benefited from straining for a smoother consistency. The squash caramelles in parmesan broth showed promise but were marred by the addition of fried rosemary, which disrupted the dish's textural harmony. The cocktail menu, while innovative, produced drinks that were challenging to finish, suggesting a disconnect between creativity and palatability.
Despite the restaurant's commendable atmosphere and service, the culinary experience was underwhelming. The dishes exhibited issues with seasoning, texture, and flavour balance, falling short of the expectations set by the establishment's reputation. While some elements showed potential, the overall execution lacked the refinement one would anticipate from a highly-regarded restaurant.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 5
Areeb Akhter
Bartender was condescending.
We asked the status of our Halibut Cheek, on a Thursday evening, since it had been 40+ mins.
Instead of answering the question or saying that he will check on it, he started to explain the preparation, ingredients & cooking process of the dish. When I reasked him to see how long it would take he said “oh you never told me you were on a time crunch. Should I cancel it?”
Will never come back. Spaghetti was terrible but halibut when it did come out was good (not worth the wait)
We didn't get much but the bread, and the carrots and crab was amazing. We were pleasantly suprised by the carrots and crab, it was buttery and comforting just soooo good!!
The drink menu was extensive as well. Service wasn't very warm, but it was busy so maybe that's why!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Oysters on the Half Shell, Carrots and Crab Meat
Claudia Bérubé
Amazing food, specially the lamb agnolotti. Great drinks.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Meng C
Everything was DELICIOUS We may have ordered the whole menu (not really but almost) My personal favorite dishes were the tuna tartar and cherry tomatoes. My friends' favorites were the fried halibut cheeks and raw albacore.
Cocktails were really good! Thank you to the team!
Bar Kismet is a beautiful hidden gem. This place knows how to highlight fresh seafoods in their raw tapas without overpowering their delicate natural flavors, and their house cocktails all have a maritime flavor profile that pairs well with seafood regardless of your choice. The atmosphere is charming as they repurposed the old architecture really well, and it is a perfect date night spot. We will definitely come back to this place in the future!
It was incredible. Waiters super knowledgeable and friendly. Had an amazing sort-of-old-fashioned, rapini and pea dish, and then halibut cheek, had some amazing grappa too. And made a friend at the bar. Highly recommended.
Great interesting place that knows how to serve and chef. Very creative. Cocktails great. Wine list eclectic and ok but not extensive. Found it to be of surprisingly great value given the creativity and quality
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
I had high expectations for such a reputable restaurant. The atmosphere and our server were great; however, the food was quite disappointing and fell short of my expectations. The cocktails were not my personal favourites. We started with bread and carrots, crab with bearnaise which was delicious. For the mains, we ordered the arctic char, the perch, and tuna tartare. The arctic char was not only incredibly visually unappealing, the bisque was served lukewarm, the brassicas were hard, and the fish was bland. I’ve never sent a dish back but I unfortunately couldn’t eat more than two bites. Our server was very understanding and helped me pick out a different dish—I then ordered the ravioli, which was better than the char but mediocre at best. The perch was soft and buttery, but too salty. The tuna tartare was very plain and the fries were again, too salty. For a restaurant rated top 9 in Canada for 2 years, it lacked execution—not sure how it’s rated so highly
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
Excellent food, cocktails, wine, service and environment. We had called earlier same day to see if we could get an earlier booking and was very pleased that they let us know that there was an earlier seating as a party had cancelled last minute. We ordered one of the starters and reordered same 15 minutes later, the raw scallop. Best way to have had anywhere in North America or Japan. Definitely a must eat at restaurant in Nova Scotia.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Oysters on the Half Shell, Raw Scallop Radish & Black Sesame, Charred Carrots with Crab
Best cocktails, best wine, best food, best restaurant. That's all you need to know.
Service was fantastic. Food was a 4/5 as we didn’t enjoy the dessert that much. However our mains and drinks were great.
I was impressed with the number of cider options they had.
I’d recommend you visit this restaurant.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
The restaurant's inviting ambiance and exceptional service created a delightful atmosphere, setting high expectations for the dining experience. However, the culinary offerings fell short of the establishment's reputation and accolades.
The menu, while ambitious, suffered from execution issues:
The crab dish with carrots and béarnaise sauce lacked balance, with the béarnaise being overly salty and scant on crab. The addition of fried shallots exacerbated the saltiness, detracting from the overall flavour profile. The tuna tartare was unremarkable, failing to leave a lasting impression. The fries, though crispy, were overseasoned, leading to palate fatigue. The ricotta gnocchi disappointed with its chewy texture, indicating the overworking of the dough. The accompanying tomato butter sauce was excessively acidic and would have benefited from straining for a smoother consistency. The squash caramelles in parmesan broth showed promise but were marred by the addition of fried rosemary, which disrupted the dish's textural harmony. The cocktail menu, while innovative, produced drinks that were challenging to finish, suggesting a disconnect between creativity and palatability.
Despite the restaurant's commendable atmosphere and service, the culinary experience was underwhelming. The dishes exhibited issues with seasoning, texture, and flavour balance, falling short of the expectations set by the establishment's reputation. While some elements showed potential, the overall execution lacked the refinement one would anticipate from a highly-regarded restaurant.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 5
Bartender was condescending.
We asked the status of our Halibut Cheek, on a Thursday evening, since it had been 40+ mins.
Instead of answering the question or saying that he will check on it, he started to explain the preparation, ingredients & cooking process of the dish. When I reasked him to see how long it would take he said “oh you never told me you were on a time crunch. Should I cancel it?”
Will never come back. Spaghetti was terrible but halibut when it did come out was good (not worth the wait)
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 1
Restaurantji Recommends
Waitress was rude, food mediocre and overpriced.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 1
Best restaurant in Halifax by
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We didn't get much but the bread, and the carrots and crab was amazing. We were pleasantly suprised by the carrots and crab, it was buttery and comforting just soooo good!!
The drink menu was extensive as well. Service wasn't very warm, but it was busy so maybe that's why!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Oysters on the Half Shell, Carrots and Crab Meat
Amazing food, specially the lamb agnolotti. Great drinks.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Everything was DELICIOUS
We may have ordered the whole menu (not really but almost)
My personal favorite dishes were the tuna tartar and cherry tomatoes. My friends' favorites were the fried halibut cheeks and raw albacore.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Ahi Tuna Tartare & Allumettes Fries
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