What a delicious and fresh dining experience. The food is quality and the cocktails are amazing. We had a lot of fun and the food was mouth watering. Ilya was Knowledgeable and friendly. Super nice guy and knew his drinks. Definitely recommend going to see him for drinks.

First and foremost, this is a classy bar with amazing food. When judged as such, it excels in most everything. The cocktails are unique and interesting, the spirit list is among the best in the country, service is amiable, and the food is absolutely delectable. However, we specifically came because of it being selected as a top 15 restaurant in Canada. With this in mind, there were a few shortcomings hence the four star review. Our cutlery was never changed out, you're only slotted two hours (even if you're spending), there is no espresso machine, and they don't take Amex. These might be small things for most or even petty to others, but in my mind if you're trying to compete with the best in the country then every box needs to be checked. I'd certainly recommend Bar Kismet to friends and come back for sure, but I am making this review with the #12 selection in mind and for that, I cannot give five stars faithfully.

We went on a weekday (Thursday), right at opening (5pm) and able to get table for 2 for 2 hours. Walk ins seem very limited and reservations are recommended. All of the dishes (carrots, grilled mackerel, olives, ahi tuna, scallops) especially the scallops- were incredible. Service and atmosphere were also lovely.

Service top notch but considering their rankings online I was expecting a bit more and was very sad to see the pasta greatly undercooked. Was not expecting tough pasta. Edit: my edit after the restaurant’s response. Sad to see a restaurant so defensive and to go further to suggest I am the one at fault reflects poorly. Reviewers should take note.

Wow, wow, wow what an experience! If you are ever in Halifax or just Nova Scotia in general do not miss out on Bar Kismet. Some of the best dishes I've had, could of ordered the entire menu if we had room! And our server Kolby was absolutely amazing and so knowledgeable of the food and beverage she guided our dining experience which was 20/10. I will 1000% be back ! Thank you to all the Bar Kismet staff, you're the real MVP

A gorgeous spot. A fun and original cocktail menu with lots of good beer and wine options. Food was all amazingly delicious (though we did need to Google a few items before ordering). Laid back staff are knowledgeable and check in the perfect amount. Prices are reasonable considering the care put into every aspect of this venue. Good stuff.

I thought FOR SURE that this place would disappoint me because… how could it be THAT good? Well it just is. I asked my waiter for the wackiest cocktail on the menu and he recommended For Whom The Bell Sotols without hesitating. I was skeptical because I saw another review saying to avoid that drink specifically…. Well I need to stop reading reviews before going to restaurants (and so do you!!) because I ordered it and I LOVED it. The food was incredible. We ordered 5 dishes and there wasn’t a single dud (except 1 actually… which I will mention later). Our favourite was the carrots, crab and béarnaise. Atmosphere is super cozy and not too loud. Our waiter was super attentive, it’s like he could read my mind when I wanted another drink or we were ready to order desserts. Speaking of desserts… maybe don’t order the maple pie if you have any crown/implant/root canals as it was INCREDIBLY sticky and might just rip it out. It almost felt like we were eating semi-dried glucose syrup which is not the most appealing experience, texturally.

I have a bit of a divided opinion on the place. There is a lot of hype surrounding the place so I came in with high expectations. The pasta dishes were stellar like the egg yoke ravioli and kale pasta. The sea food dishes were not that good like the carrot and crab dish. The service was good and the atmosphere was nice. Overall stick to the pasta and you'll be really happy.

Beautiful spot in the north end! It has a romantic type vibe to it and is the perfect date night spot! The carrots and crab and tuna tartare we both excellent dishes with a variety of ingredients. This place did have a lot of unique dishes to try and experience, however it is more of seafood centred place and there weren’t as many vegetarian options available. The staff were attentive and accommodating to our needs and made an effort to make us feel welcome. We will definitely be back!

this is my favourite restaurant in Halifax, maybe my favourite restaurant I've ever been to. Every single dish is mind blowingly delicious. I visit Halifax about 2 times every year and since my first visit, always make a plan to eat here for a night or two when I'm in town. I can't applaud the waitstaff, bartenders, or Chef & Kitchen enough. The flavours that come to you in every dish ate perfectly balanced and keep us excited to try more, beyond our favourites. Here are some pictures from my visit(s) this past April.

We brought our 16month toddler with us and we had an amazing time. No high chairs but we still had a great time on the patio. The food, the drinks, the servers, the ambiance was perfection. We would highly recommend. We had both pastas, the raw scallops, the floppy disk, bread and marinated olives and everything was delicious. We will definitely come back on our next trip to Halifax.

Decided to book our final meal while on vacation here, and it did not disappoint! Drinks: If you love cocktails, you'll love this place. The are always rotating what's on the menu so there is always something new to try. We tried 4 of the cocktails and liked them all. My only critique is that the key lime and peele drink was labeled as a Bourbon sour, but did not have an egg white foam on top which would have made it look like the meringue on a key lime pie! Service: We were sat at a table inside, but asked to go out on the patio and they accommodated. Our sever was attentive and our water was always refilled. They were able to direct us on what drinks we'd like based on our taste preferences and answered our questions about the food menu. Food: If you aren't a fan of seafood, there will be less food options for you, but what they did have was really good. Our favorite bites were the duck egg, the marinated goat cheese, and the agnolotti pasta. So good. We have the cilantro sucks gene, and they put the salsa verde that came on the side so we could try it and see if it tasted soapy. They also coursed out or food well, so we weren't overwhelmed with all of our dishes at once. My main critique for the food is that the bread you can order is just bread. No butter. Butter would have been nice!

One of the best dining experiences you'll get in Halifax, in its trendy North End neighbourhood. Food is simply delicious (yet a bit pricey), while the drinks selection is comprehensive and diversified, whether we're talking cocktails, wine or beer. Service is excellent, the place is wonderful and the atmosphere is quite nice. A must-try while in Halifax.

Over our Halifax holidays we’ve focused on food and drink, and this place was tied for top of the list. Overall an amazing dinner, great ambiance, and good service. Highly recommend everything we tried, and would return again if we could. Food: We started with Raw Oysters (small dish but packs a delicious punch; toppers are flavourful and overpower the oyster itself; still recommend), bread (standard but well priced; few “dipping” dishes), and Tuba Tartare (toppings are potent and you mix them in to your liking, including an aioli with matches the skinny fries it’s served with; recommend). The mains were Carrots, Crab and Bernaise (strongly recommend; best dish of our trip; not as sweet as expected, but so so good) and Grilled Perch (strongly recommend; umami, with possibly pickled celery giving sour notes to compliment a minty/cilantro chimichurri on the perch). Dessert was strawberry rhubarb eclair (simple but creamy and delicious). In general I will say celery and salt are common ingredients, but I loved it. Drinks: We love complex drinks, so while all were delicious, our favourite were Approaching ease (tangerine sweetness to offset herbal feature of gentian and fur) and Pinkshinyultrablast (favourite of the night). Others were Badge of Honour, Mint Condition (least complex, but good to balance heavier Bitter Optimist), Bitter Optimist (old fashioned style; cherry came through at the end), and King of Impracticality (clarified drink; dessert drink that’s coconut forward).

Very small restaurant, with only few people working, very warm comfy vibe, almost like a family style but with delicate decors. The food is remarkable, I especially enjoyed the crab&carrot dish, 10/10 recommend. Another couple highlights on the food are: the sour cream with horseradish that presented in the grilled mackerel dish, and the handmade fresh pasta. Unfortunately didn’t get to try the drinks but will definitely be back for the drinks. I have to mention that our server Gabe was attentive, knowledgeable, sophisticated, friendly, and professional. He is able to tell me all the ingredients from the sour cream and make essential recommendations which we ended up really liking. 10/10 recommend, since we almost had everything on the menu, I’m excited to see what the new menu will bring to the table.

The food was very delicious, would highly recommend if you’re in the area. One thing to nitpick was the tuna tartare - the fries seemed out of place and something crunchier & larger like toasted sourdough would’ve fit the dish better. On the other hand, the squash crown and scallops were amazing, I would highly recommend it to anyone who comes to Bar Kismet. It was a lively atmosphere, but there were times it got slightly loud.

Wow! An unreal experience. Very rare that we go to a place of this reputation and experience that “wow” moment with every single dish that we order. From start to finish the food, service, and cocktails were unreal. A can’t recommend this place enough, and can’t wait to go back. We ordered the oysters, carrots and béarnaise, halibut cheek, agnolotti, duck egg and asparagus, and rhubarb tart tartan - all were 10/10.

I went there after reading all the magazines recommendations. A good restaurant with excellent food but not a 5-star for me. I enjoyed my snow pea leaves salad though the halibut was slightly dry and chewy. My friend said that the tortellini was just ok, while she loved the gnocchi at her last visit. My main concern is the amount of salt that they use. Everything, from the fries to the tuna tartare would taste so much better with way less salt in the dishes, in the broth, in the sauce... Some other reviewers have mentioned this and I should have checked before going there. I am tempted to give a 3-star because of this but I will stick to my 4-star because it was an enjoyable experience overall.

Interior aesthetics were on point. Staff were also super friendly and knowledgeable about the menu. Menu was unique and there is a daily special that rotates. Plating was decent and the food did look appetizing. The ahi tuna tartare had great texture that went well with the fries flavour wise. However the other plates were not as interesting in flavour or textures. Some could have been seasoned better. In any case, the food was alright in comparison to the rest of the dining experience.

Excellent spot! The food was great—we ordered the tuna tartar, a cod dish, and one of the rotating cheeses. The tuna tartar was phenomenal; the cod was great except very rich/oily (mostly due to the potato patty); and the cheese was amazing. Our server (one of the bartenders) was professional, courteous, and friendly. I would recommend grabbing a seat at one of the dining tables as the bar seats have no backs and aren't the most comfortable for the tush. Edit: knocked down a star because my second visit wasn't quite as enjoyable. The shrimp dish was too salty.

Incredibly clear why Bar Kismet hit North America's top 50 list this year. We dined with 4 people. The hosts were incredibly quick and attentive, and provided expert feedback on menu items when asked. I was impressed by the drink menu, the Kale-ing Me Softly was a particularly well crafted and probably one of the most thought provoking drinks I've had in the past little while. The non-alcoholic options made one of the diners we were with feel incredibly included, and you could tell just as much care was put into them as the alcoholic options on the menu. Dishes came out very quickly and were hands down all great. I'd honestly lean toward preferring the veg dishes (Particularly the beet and endive), but don't think that speaks poorly of the fish on the menu, it just goes to show how much care is put in throughout the whole thing. The grilled mackerel and the striped bass came out a bit slower than the other courses, but that's to be expected with the size of the protein. Dessert was reasonable as well, with the pavlova being a standout - The meringue tasted like a molasses spice cookie, and the tiramisu being pretty darn good as well. Overall great experience with Bar Kismet and would implore anyone looking for a great, seafood focused dining experience to grab a reservation!

If you are a foodie, you must eat here. This was our second time at Bar Kismet and we were blown away yet again. You can (and we did) spend a whole 2+ hour dinner just talking about the food: The unique combination of flavours and textures, the plating, and even the creative cocktail names. Menu is adjusted every week - Fun to eat at a place where the chef and bartenders are clearly enjoying the creation of new items. Attentive service, great atmosphere. Also, although the reservation is for a 2 hour slot, we were not asked to leave after 2 hours (we were finishing up our desert at that time, left when we were done). A previous review noted this as a downside to the restaurant, but my take is that this is just written in case they did need to ask a lingering table to head out if they were all finished. (It is a business, after all!)

There is probably not a single person from halifax that will not recommend bar kismet. The atmosphere is cozy and warm and the staff is always wonderful. They have a rotating menu but one of their constants is the tuna tartar and it is a must have, it never fails to disappoint and there is just something about the flavours that is incredible. On their current menu they have a squash crown that is the perfect savoury but sweet pasta dish drizzled in brown butter its such a warm tasteful dish. You cannot go wrong with their food or drinks here - you can tell the owners care about the restaurant and want every visit to be just as good if not better than the last. I would book your reservation in advance since they are so good it can be hard to get a reservation but it is well worth it if you do!

Such a cute bar, deserving of 5 stars! Will definitely be back to try more of the menu. The carrots and crab were incredible. The butter profile was delicious. Carrot before the horse cocktail. Just try it. It works.

This is a really special spot with a great vibe and great service. The food was good, but I think we would order differently next time. Recommend sitting at the bar for a drink and the oysters were great!!!

For sure no complaints. I’d give it a 4.5 if I could. Food was epic, unique and I left full. I drank both rum cocktails and they were great. The bartender talked us through the drinks and the waitress explained the menu. I wouldn't say the menu is diverse when it comes to proteins, it was heavy on the fish for our visit, but every dish was a home run. The stuffed trout was awesome and The buttercup squash crown was the best thing I’ve ate in a while 10/10 on that. Would eat here again.

One of the best dining experiences in the city bar none. Great, attentive service, a very cool building, inventive and flavourful cocktails and food. Loved everything we had and can’t wait to return.

This is the best culinary experience in Halifax. The place, food, cocktail and service is excellent. Their wine list is unique! We are vegetarian and where absolutely pleased by their menu. It was absolutely delicious. Special mention to the raviolis. Bravo for you amazing work. Please do more vegetarian option.You definitely bring it to a next level!

The food was incredible! The oysters were great. The Monk fish was very tasty, but oh my goodness the pasta was incredible! Lexi was a fantastic waitress and gave us suggestions for local spots to try. Ilya was also a great bartender who was kind and welcoming too! Also, shout out to the owner's mom who made very nice looking masks.

David, our bartender and server, made the night great. Service was excellent and the food was inspired and amazing. Cocktails are very creative and beautifully assembled. Amazing place. Can’t wait to come back.