The Best Cocktail Bars in Halifax
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The best cocktail bars in Halifax, according to the experts: Canada's 100 Best, Curated Magazine, and Nova Scotia Restaurant Awards have all weighed in, and their honors are what rank this list. Dear Friend comes out on top, and the good stuff runs deepest in Dartmouth and Halifax.
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Rank 1. Dear Friend
Cocktail 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.
The awards
- Canada's 100 Best Canada's 100 Best: #15 · Best Bars
- Curated Magazine Curated Magazine: #13 · 50 Best Places to Eat
- Nova Scotia Restaurant Awards Nova Scotia Restaurant Awards: Best Beverages Award
- Canada's 100 Best #15 · Best Bars
- Curated Magazine #13 · 50 Best Places to Eat
- Nova Scotia Restaurant Awards Best Beverages Award
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Rank 2. Highwayman
American Cocktail Bar
The awards
- Air Canada Air Canada: 2016 · Top 10 · Best New Restaurants
- Curated Magazine Curated Magazine: #10 · 50 Best Places to Eat
- The 50 The 50: The 50 Discovery
- Air Canada 2016 · Top 10 · Best New Restaurants
- Curated Magazine #10 · 50 Best Places to Eat
- The 50 The 50 Discovery