My recent visit to Nova Scotia was a trip I've been dreaming about since the first grade. During a unit about the moon, we watched a film strip with a time lapse sequence of the world record-setting tides at Nova Scotia's Bay of Fundy. (Yikes, that makes me sound old—it was the early 1990s, I promise.) The image stuck with me, and as an adult, I added Nova Scotia to my travel bucket list.
Six-year-old me wasn't a foodie, but adult me was delighted to discover that Nova Scotia boasts amazing seafood, along with wonderful bakeries, unique cafes, and Halifax's impressive culinary scene. Here are the best things I ate in Nova Scotia. And yes, we did spend a day on the Bay of Fundy so that I could walk on the ocean floor in the morning and see the same landscape covered with 43 feet of water that same evening.
1. Lobster roll at Waterfront Warehouse (Halifax)
Halifax's waterfront is home to a two mile-long boardwalk along the harbor, lined with museums, public art, shops, and dozens of places to eat, from casual ice cream and poutine stands to upscale restaurants. We opted for Waterfront Warehouse thanks to its spacious patio with views of the water, plus their seafood-heavy menu. Although the chef's selection of a dozen local oysters was great (it always amazes me how a slight variation in location can make them taste so different), my lobster roll stole the show. It was heaped with so much lobster that I had to first eat it down with a fork in order to fit the roll in my mouth. There was barely any mayo so the sweet, seawater taste of the lobster took center stage, and I loved the tiny bits of diced celery for added crunch.
2. Alpine muesli at Dilly Dally Coffee Cafe (Halifax)
Dilly Dally Coffee Cafe is small neighborhood spot with big personality: it's furnished with mismatched antiques, there are dinosaur figurines and Christmas ornaments dangling from ceiling, and the bathroom key is attached to foot-tall Hulk action figure. On the Monday morning we visited, the clientele included construction workers in neon vests, women in expensive athletic apparel toting their yoga mats, college students, elders, and kids. If you want to feel like a Halifax local, take a 15-minute walk from your downtown hotel and get breakfast here—the food is just as fabulous as the vibe. I got the alpine muesli, a bowl of overnight oats thickened with chia seeds and flavored with orange zest and a berry compote. It was topped with a beautiful arrangement of fresh berries, sugared almonds, and an edible flower, for a picture-perfect and nourishing start to the day.
3. Grilled cheese on multigrain bread at White Sails Bakery & Deli (Tantallon)
Our original plan for our first full day in Nova Scotia was to drive from Halifax to Peggy's Cove to sightsee a bit and then eat lunch. What we didn't realize is that Peggy's Cove—a small, scenic fishing village with a lighthouse and rocky coastline—is absolutely packed with tourists by 11 a.m. We circled around for 30 minutes in search of parking spot before giving up in sheer frustration.
However, we still needed lunch, so we stopped further down the road at White Sails Bakery & Deli. Honestly, as picturesque as Peggy's Cove may be, this was definitely a better experience than fighting the hordes of tourists. Although White Sails gets plenty of tourist traffic, it's clearly a spot for locals, too, with loaves of sourdough, packages of dinner rolls, and take-and-bake pot pies. There are several picnic tables outside, overlooking a quiet bay. My grilled cheese on multigrain bread was pure comfort food, toasted to crisp and oozing with cheddar.
4. Blueberry scone at HodgePodge Lunenburg Eatery (Lunenburg)
HodgePodge Lunenburg Eatery lives up to its name, with a self-serve table of sweet and savory baked goods, a small cut-to-order-cheese case, and a menu of soups and sandwiches. What I suspect everything has in common is the quality. My plate-sized scone had a wonderful crumbly, tender texture and was studded with a plethora of blueberries. It was served warm with a little pat of butter, and the iced green tea with fresh mint and lemon was a perfect accompaniment. Sitting in the Adirondack chairs outside the cafe and admiring Lunenburg's UNESCO Heritage streetscape was one of my favorite moments in Nova Scotia.
5. Granola at No. 9 Coffee Bar (Lunenburg)
The decor at historic house-turned-coffee shop No. 9 Coffee Bar would be enough to make it memorable. There's a vintage fireplace, the walls are covered with sailing ship-themed wallpaper, and the furniture either dates back to the mid-1800s or does a convincing job of looking that old. On the other hand, the mostly gluten-free and vegan food menu is completely modern. I was initially a little skeptical of the unorthodox take on granola: it was mostly composed of seeds (sesame, pumpkin, and sunflower) and nuts (chopped pecans and whole almonds), with the oats acting as more of garnish. However, I loved the unusual texture, and it made for a satisfying breakfast.
6. Chocolate ice cream with chocolate chip cookie dough at The Real Scoop (Wolfville)
During our half-day wine tour of the Annapolis Valley, our guide recommended that we stop by The Real Scoop after the tour for dessert. Their housemade ice cream is a bit unusual: you choose a hard ice cream base and mix-ins, and then they put your chosen ingredients through a machine to make a custom soft serve-style treat. As a chocolate fanatic I jumped at the chance to create a chocolate chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream flavor, and the extra-creamy texture was delightfully richer than typical soft serve. The homemade waffle cone was great, too.
7. Chocolate chip oatcake at Just Us! (Grand Pre)
Oatcakes are popular throughout Nova Scotia thanks to waves of Scottish immigration in the 18th and 19th centuries, plus subsequent efforts to preserve Scottish heritage. Most of the local bakeries and coffee shops we visited throughout our trip had a version on the menu, from classic plain oatcakes to miniature oatcakes to chocolate-dipped oatcakes. They shared a sturdy, dense texture, and—chocolate-dipped version aside—aren't as sugary as a standard cookie. I was big fan of the chocolate chip oatcake at Just Us! thanks to the inclusion of whole rolled oats and the slightly chewy texture. It was wholesome-tasting and filling, and thanks to the chocolate chips, sweet enough to feel like a treat.
8. Sourdough at The Ostrich Club (Halifax)
Josh's parents kindly offered buy us dinner during our vacation, and we took them up on their offer with an amazing meal at The Ostrich Club in Halifax's Hydrostone neighborhood. Inside, it's an Art Deco-inspired cocktail bar, and outside, there's a streetside patio that was perfect for lingering with rounds of drinks and small plates. We started on a very high note with sourdough bread from nearby bakery Luke's Small Goods, transformed into likely the best toast I've eaten in my life—crusty, extra-thick, and grilled to perfection. It was somehow hearty and airy at the same time, and served with a wonderfully spreadable fresh housemade butter.
9. Peas at The Ostrich Club (Halifax)
I could easily include all of the dishes from our meal at The Ostrich Club in this list, but I'll limit myself to just one more: the snow and snap peas with snow crab, whipped ricotta, and elderflower vinegar. The slight sweetness of the snow crab complemented the grassy notes in the peas, and mixing in the ricotta created a sort of creamy salad. It was such a fresh-tasting and innovative dish—not something I ever would have thought to pair together, but that worked so well.
10. Caramel swirl at Lucy's Hydrostone Cafe (Halifax)
Lucy's Hydrostone Cafe has a huge selection of pastries—I think there were at least two dozen options on the morning we visited. I settled on the caramel swirl, which was somewhere between a cinnamon roll and a croissant in texture, with layers of buttery dough interspersed with a richly flavored caramel. It was so moist that I even enjoyed the edges, and it was a fittingly sweet end to my time in Nova Scotia.
I don't typically include hotel recommendations in these travel eats roundups, but we had such great experiences at our hotels in Halifax that I wanted to mention them.
Lord Nelson Hotel & Suites has a gorgeous wood-paneled lobby that dates back to the hotel's founding in 1928. The comfortable, modern guest rooms feel cohesive with the historic elements of the hotel, with bonus points for the ergonomic desk chair and abundance of outlets. The downtown location is great—just across the street from the elegant Victorian-style Halifax Public Gardens, a 5-minute walk from the Halifax Citadel National Historic Site, and a 15-minute walk to the waterfront.
Brewery Park Hotel is a boutique hotel in Halifax's North End. Each suite has unique, stylish decor (we opted for the modern vibe of 304), and we loved how spacious and thoughtfully-designed our room was. The surrounding Hydrostone neighborhood is an interesting historic section of Halifax that we wouldn't have explored otherwise, with local restaurants and shops.
Further reading: 10 Delicious Things I Ate in Montreal