The Best Places to Drink Near Highwayman, by the Record

1. Air Canada 2018 · Finalist · Best New Restaurants
2. Canada's 100 Best Recommends
3. Spirited Awards 2024 · Top 4 Finalist · Best International Restaurant Bar

Bentwood bar stools and the general feeling of a European café that got off the ferry in Dartmouth and decided to stay. Dear Friend is a cocktail and oyster bar that helped put this side of the harbour on the map, and the drinks have a culinary lean that earns the comparison: dashi, spruce, sea buckthorn. Beers and ciders run local; wines run funky. Ranked among Canada's 100 Best Bars in 2026.

1. Canada's 100 Best #15 · Best Bars
2. Curated Magazine #13 · 50 Best Places to Eat
3. Nova Scotia Restaurant Awards Best Beverages Award

A Victorian house in Halifax's North End that survived the 1917 Halifax Explosion and got turned into a public house that feels like your most hospitable grandparent lives there. Rooms cluttered with memorabilia, hand-pumped cask ale, and fiddlers who sometimes bring a bagpiper along for weekends. In winter, a crackling fire makes it very easy to lose an afternoon. Ranked 12th on Canada's 100 Best Bars list in 2026.

1. Canada's 100 Best #12 · Best Bars