Drift

Drift was easily one of the most memorable dinner spots during our time in Halifax and for good reason! The restaurant itself is gorgeous, with a sleek modern/chic interior and a beautiful outdoor patio. We were lucky to be helped by the hostess (I forgot to get a name!), who was so kind and helpful in getting us the perfect outdoor seating. I kicked things off with the Purple Mist mocktail. The lavender x lemon flavour came through nicely and was refreshing. We were also kindly given a complimentary appetizer to start. I can’t remember exactly what it was, but it was a unique burst of flavours and textures. A bit sweet and salty, a touch of acidity (maybe umami?), and a hint of earthiness. A really fun way to start! The Maritime Oysters and Atlantic Salmon Tartare appetizers were beautifully plated, tasty, and fresh. For my main, I had the Nova Scotian Hodge Podge, and I absolutely loved it. Rich, comforting, and well seasoned—I nearly licked the bowl clean! The Pecan Butter Tart Sundae was the cherry on top. It was cold, nutty, buttery, fruity, and just the perfect sweet ending. Our server, Piper, was also seriously amazing. They were attentive, friendly, and professional, making the whole dining experience feel special from start to finish. If you’re looking for a refined dining spot in Halifax with great east coast food and top-tier service, Drift is a must-visit.

A friend of mine recommended this place. So, maybe this is the reason I had high expectations. Service was good, atmosphere nice. Food was okay. I asked a salmon cooked medium and it came not as I asked. My friend ordered a dish with a portion smaller than he was expecting and not so well cooked. Not sure if I would repeat this place or recommend.

We visited this restaurant on Halifax on our first day in Nova Scotia, very recently. We spent 7 days touring around Nova Scotia this restaurant was by far one of the best throughout the province. Ambiance is good. Our server Angie was very nice and welcoming, I would say to be honest all the staff were very friendly. The chefs ability to combine flavours without overpowering anything, was superb. I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone visiting the Halifax area.

This restaurant came highly recommended to us but we weren’t able to make dinner so we did breakfast instead. The most memorable dish we had was the eggs Benedict. Instead of on an English muffin or toast or some other sort of carb, they put it on crab cakes and oh my goodness was this delicious. Not only was it so tasty, it had less carbs in it. The pancakes were good, they had crunchy bits to it with blueberries and I think getting it as a side is enough. That’s what we did and it was more than enough. The view is also really nice as it looks out onto the pier and ocean. The interior of the restaurant is also very well designed, modern and chic with hints of coastal in its own way. I would definitely come back to Drift and try their dinner next!

I recently visited Drift in Halifax and had an incredible experience! The special burger I tried was absolutely amazing… bursting with flavor and perfectly cooked. The staff were incredibly friendly and professional, making the visit even more enjoyable. Highly recommend this place for anyone looking for great food and a welcoming atmosphere!

We went for dinner to try "The Fried Fondue Burger" for Halifax Burger Bash 2025, and it is AMAZING!! 😍🍔 This is probably my favourite burger of Burger Bash. It has 2 smash patties which are greasy and delicious, Brothers bacon, caramelized onions, and the star of it was the fried cheese that oozed out when you took a bite. Besides the amazing burger, the service was great and the atmosphere was beautiful. I will definitely be back! For more reviews check out my Instagram or TikTok page @what.kate.ate !

Food was pretty good for the most part. We particularly enjoyed the brown bread and pork belly and scallops. The hodge-podge was decent, though I thought the fish cake was underwhelming and the included brown bread didn’t match too well with the dill cream sauce. Note that the hodge podge is also quite rich and heavy due to the cream based sauce. Service was pretty good except it took much longer than expected to get the bill. Once the patio space filled up, I think the lone server could’ve used some back up (maybe another team member to help). The space is beautiful regardless if you sit inside or outside, no complaints there.

Treated a good friend to a Birthday Brunch at Drift restaurant. The location was very scenic on the waterfront, but service was backed up. The food was worth the wait! I enjoyed my selection - Smoked Salmon and Cod Crab cakes. My Chai Latte was disappointing, but I was able to switch out for an Americano.

While my wife and I were having a mini-staycation at The Muir to break up the dullness of mid-winter in Nova Scotia, Drift was the obvious choice to break our fasts, with its lovely interior, top-notch food, and the ease of access to it, as The Muir's in-house restaurant. For our first of two breakfasts, we went down to the restaurant itself. We'd been for brunch once before a few years ago, and it's still as subtly elegant as ever, with the warm, light-toned wooden ceiling and accents, mid-century modern furniture and airy views of the Queen's Marque courtyard. I was eyeing up both their version of the Monte Cristo and the banger and hash, and decided to split them up over our two visits. Drift being Drift, this wasn't your standard Monte Cristo, loaded up as it was with quality ingredients like house-smoked turkey, confit pork belly, local gouda and brown bread French toast. The meats were wonderfully tender and flavourful, and the melted gouda brought its lightly salty sharpness. I was impressed by the thick, brown bread as it held up extremely well to the French toast treatment, and its notes of molasses doubled down on the sweetness of the maple syrup drizzle and dusting of confectioner's sugar. All told, it was a delicious mix of sweet and savoury. The sandwich also came with some cursory fresh fruit, a roasted tomato, and some criminally under-billed potatoes. Denoted simply as "grilled potatoes", I was just expecting some chunky home fries, but it was much fancier than that, more along the lines of a potato pavé, with delicately laminated layers of potato in a crisp rectangle of potato-y goodness. For our second breakfast (from Drift, the following day, not the hobbit-style second breakfast), we splurged a little more to get room service and make our check-out process a little easier. With just a half hour lead time, we had a rolling table brought to our room and unfurled in front of our window which overlooked the boardwalk and harbour. The banger and hash was a delicious mash-up of British and Nova Scotian food. The aforementioned grilled potatoes took the place of the "mash", while two, house-made sausages filled the other titular roll. The sausages had crisp casings, and the juicy interiors which had a pleasant , rustic grain to them. As much as I love a basic breakfast sausage, these were definitely next level! The dish didn't stop there though, as it had two, perfectly poached eggs, a hefty dollop of sweet and savoury baked beans, and for that Nova Scotian component, some green tomato chow to help cut through a very rich breakfast. We were also given two complimentary canelés, topped with groundcherries. Kudos to Drift's baker, as this was probably the best canelé I've ever had. The exterior was darkly caramelized without a hint of burnt taste, and was impossibly moist and airy on the interior. While this was a working staycation, our breakfasts at Drift were a wonderful component of a couple days spent (occasionally) relaxing and enjoying some of the treats that our city has to offer.

I was genuinely shocked by how Emily spoke to me. I've never felt so disrespected or humiliated. This experience was deeply upsetting, and I won't be coming back

I will preface this review by saying the food I had (PEI mussels) was absolutely delicious. So, no criticisms of the kitchen or chef. However, as a single woman diner, I was very disappointed with the service. When I entered the half-empty restaurant at peak lunch time, the front was empty. The hosts were chatting at the bar. Someone else stepped up, and asked me if I wanted to sit inside or out, and I said inside. Then two more hosts showed up. They whispered something to each other, and one said I should follow her. She then led me across the half-empty restaurant to a corner table. One of the two settings was removed, and I was gestured to sit in a seat facing the corner. After a brief break to the restroom, I returned, and sat facing the restaurant. I waited for the waitress to see if she would adjust the table setting, but she did not. So I then took it upon myself to set the table properly so I would not be facing the corner. For this reason alone, I would never return to Drift. There's more to a restaurant than good food, and I am happy to pay higher prices for good service AND good food. Be forewarned single women diners: this is probably not the restaurant for you. Note to Drift: train your hosts.

Enjoyed the freshest mussels cooked to perfection and a selection of creative cocktails that perfectly complemented the meal. The service was impeccable, making the dining experience even more memorable. If you're looking for a true taste of Canada, this place is a must-visit when you travel to Halifax

My drink was really good. But my food was bland. Server was lovely but for the prices being charged the food was underwhelming

We visited this restaurant a while back on our last visit to explore the newly designed area. This restaurant is one of many fairly new additions to the area. It is inspired by local East Coast cuisine with an elevated experience. We tried: 1. Burrata & Zucchini Exactly what'd you expect. Burrata and zucchini paired with basil and pistachio. We weren't huge fans of the combo as it missed some salt or pepper. The dish's burrata/zucchini ratio was off a bit off as we found the zucchini too much. 2. Lobster Bisque This was super buttery and creamy. Made with lobster chilli oil and tarragon. The bisque was pretty thick and the flavour was there. 3. Brown Bread A house bread paired with a honey butter. The bread was super light and fluffy, and the butter was such a good combo. 4. Steak Frites This was a striploin steak paired with fries as well as some veggies - tomato, arugula, watercress. The steak was tender and juicy with a flavourful peppery taste. The fries were basic, crispy and salty. 5. Salmon This was a blue salmon dish paired with pickled veggies and glass noodles. We wanted to try this combo, but flavour wise it was off. The salmon had no taste and veggies were super acidic and overpowering. 6. Apple pie Finishing off with dessert, this apple pie was probably the best item of the night. It had a mix of a sweet and savoury taste. The added cheese and fresh apples were delicious. Overall, this spot was a bit underwhelming as we expected more from a "new resto". We definitely appreciated the design and environment to make Halifax more developed. @alot.eats

Hubby and I stopped here on a Monday morning at 10am for brunch. While we didn't have a reservation, the host was so kind and squeezed us in. Will was our server and made the experience warm and friendly. Hubby ordered the blueberry pancakes and I ordered the Benedict. The portions were generous and plated with precision. Everything was executed well and so freaking delicious. One of the standout spots in Halifax!

I was staying in the Muir Hotel, unfortunately did not get a chance to have dinner at Drift but had a couple of breakfasts there. Everything was really great; the hipster toast was healthy, tasty and pretty filling. The Breakfast sandwich was really good and also very filling on its own (though may be tempting to order a side), the pancakes were also awesome. Can't wait to come back and check out the dinner menu

Drift is located in the new Queen's Marque complex that includes the Muir hotel and many other restaurants and retail outlets. The development is stunning and greatly expands Halifax's waterfront. The restaurant itself is beautifully decorated with a modern welcoming feel. Suitable for fine dining but casual enough that you feel comfortable in shorts and a Tee. It also boasts a partially covered and sheltered patio, which is where we were lucky enough to eat. Service is friendly and professional, maybe not as attentive as some fine dining venues, but on the other hand, your sitting on a patio in August on a Halifax Pier, what's the rush? We couldn't get reservations until 8:30 but, since we were walking by, checked in at 6:30 and were happily seated. The Drift has a nice local beer, creative cocktails and wine. Beer and cocktail prices seemed reasonable but wine by the glass seemed pricy to me. The menu is extensive and very creative, with something for everyone. I love that the chef integrates local flavours like rum and molasses into many dishes. Not many fine dining restaurants carry brown bread, Hodge Podge, and peas puddin' (which they call mushy peas) on the menu. They don't specifically flag gluten and dairy free on the menu but did accommodate us very nicely, you just have to ask. All of our dishes were wonderful. The salmon may have been the winner. However my cod was spectacular and the sauce on mussels with gf pasta was delicious. The Molasses Cake dessert was delicious as well. There was, however, a very large discrepancy between portion size. For a big appetite, my cod would be woefully deficient, while the pasta was even on the large size. Both the cod and salmon were reasonably sized, perhaps some added veg or peas would have helped. Perhaps not an epic, surreal meal, but definitely a go-to venue for fine dining or a casual meal.

Drift achieves the high-end, classy ambiance for which it strives. However... I feel like a curmudgeonly old man saying this, but it was actually too dark - we were all tilting our menus toward the dim lamp lighting, squinting to decipher the menu options. Our table for 6 was also the size of a table for 4, which left us knocking knees and awkwardly repositioning our long legs throughout the meal. The Siren's Call cocktail ($20) was basically a French 75 with a flair of orange. Tbh, it was comparable to the French 75s with triple sec that I make at home. Slightly disappointing given its place on the "signature" cocktail list. The oysters were locally sourced from Nova Scotia that evening. They were fresh, tasted fine, not memorable nor disappointing. The brown bread comes out as an order of two buns (not a loaf), and it was delightfully soft and fluffy. My scallops and pork belly entree was... fine. Three, maybe four, pieces of each resting atop two strips of squash, which itself was sliced paper-thin. Topped with a few sprouts. The entree could've used potatoes or risotto or a true vegetable side (something, anything) to feel complete - especially with a price point of $39. Our server (Brendan, I believe) was excellent. Overall, the experience wasn't unenjoyable, I just don't think the food lived up to their classy aspirations.

I are here a few times during my trip to Halifax and every meal was fabulous. The oysters, homemade bread, pork belly and scallops. On the last night I ordered a salad and added chicken to it and wow - that might have been the best chicken I have ever had. Great location. Pretty views of the waterfront. Only con is their coffee isn't very good. But all the food is delicious.

Against my own instincts, what's-her-name wanted to visit Drift, a posh restaurant in a fancy hotel along the Halifax waterfront, for breakfast. I said nothing as we passed Tim Hortons along the way because I know where my bread is buttered. While she ate the "full breakfast," I asked for coffee and a slice of the overpriced cinnamon coffee cake. The coffee was very good, but the pastry was last week's: tough and dry. Deduct four stars. Ate it in silence rather than mention Tim Horton and rock the boat. But near the last crumb, without prompting, the waitress asked how everything was and graciously agreed to hear the truth. Add two stars. She offered a replacement, but my waistline was already expanding. Despite protests, she removed the exorbitant price from the bill. Add another star. Exorbitant prices imply impeccable quality. All's well that ends well, however. I never mentioned Tim Hortons.

First place I went while visiting Halifax. Refined restaurant that's well staffed. Only dropped in for a drink and appetizer but both were great. Have to try the seafood while on the coast and the lobster / shrimp cake did not disappoint

Located in the Muir Autograph hotel on the waterfront. The decor and atmosphere is beautiful!! I had Mary's Brown bread which was perfect, it was still warm from the oven and the butter melted. I really recommend this. Comes with 2 pieces so it's good to share. The lobster bisque was just alright. I don't recommend. My main was the steak and frites, and it was truly the best steak I've ever had in my life. The brown jus it comes on is delicious. Our service was amazing as well. Highly recommend this place and will definitely be back. It's also fairly easy to get a reservation.

Felt like having a high-end breakfast at 7 a.m. in the morning and found this beautifully decorated restaurant in the heart of downtown Halifax by the docks. Service 5/5 Ambiance 4/5 Good 4/5

While checking in at my hotel I went to check out the restaurant off the lobby. Great ambiance: indoor-outdoor location right on the harbor front. Lucky for me i decided to try it out for dinner. Service was over the top. Everything we ordered was a home run. Our server Lexi made a good experience great. Kudos.

Traveled to Halifax for work and had dinner at this establishment. Very nice ambiance with a great vibe. They have a great menu selection of seafood offerings along with steak option, if that's what you fancy. Wine and cocktails selections were varied and a perfect accompaniment to the meal. Food was delicious, unfortunately I ordered the mussels as my main and was disappointed because the mussels were tiny and a tad over cooked. I must've missed the mussel season. My starter of lobster and shrimp cake was amazing and would definitely have that again. Dessert made with Nova Scotian wild blueberries was a nice finish to the evening. My dinner companions enjoyed their meals with positive comments. Vibe, service and food was worth going.

Really good breakfast with freshly squeezed orange juice. Eggs for Benedict were cooked perfectly, nice atmosphere and friendly staff.

Mediterranean dinner outside with my beloved. Apps were avocado fatoosh salad with pomegranate-- delicious, falafel balls "best I've ever eaten" from my falafel fan. Octopus was outstanding with a sauce to almost lick off the plate, beef kabob divinely done.... too full for desserts. Perfect service, not too cloying or interrupting. Can't wait to go back! Music was only issue-sounded like elevator music for restaurants.

Staying i@ Muir and it is very convenient for breakfast. Very nice staff, good food and a pretty nice selection for breakfast. I love the cod fish cake and the grits. It's a fancy place with a beautiful interior, elegant ambiance and great looking table setting

I was staying at the Marriott nearby and came here with some work colleagues for dinner. The restaurant had a really cool ambiance and felt very hip. The staff were all very nice and helpful. The food was amazing. We got a a bunch of appetizers, most which I forget except the crudo and brown bread, both of which were tasty. For my main I got the halibut and it was so flavorful and tasty. Had really great flavors that came together perfectly. I'd go here over and over.

I found Drift to be a delightful experience. the food is excellent with local seafood done in unusual ways. A cut above the usual fare. Our server(Stephan) was very attentive and the entire staff were friendly. well done Drift!

Service, food, and atmosphere were outstanding. Beet salad was perfection. Halibut dish and hodge-podge seafood dish were perfectly prepared. Warm blueberry cake for dessert was perfect ending. Definitely the place to go for a lovely and delicious upscale dinner.

Beautiful spot on the waterfront...I've been twice - the food & service were impeccable...our server Nathan was outstanding! Upscale yet casual...will definitely return again

We booked a table for the Dine Around menu: two courses and a cookie-to-go for $30. Both of us had the smoked haddock chowder which was absolutely delicious. The broth was creamy but not too thick. Mini potatoes, carrots, and, my favourite, turnip, with pieces of smoked haddock, made true whole thing very satisfying. My friend had the pasta dish, braised beef on a bed of pappardelle. She enjoyed it very much. I had smoked salmon on a buckwheat pancake with shaved fennel and citrus on top. The pancake was more like a big cracker, spread with cream cheese, and piled with a generous helping of smoked salmon. The fennel and citrus on top added crisp freshness to the whole dish. I took half of it all home. The service was friendly and attentive. I'd love to come back, but with the regular menu prices it would have to be a special occasion.

the worst. they forgot my order. they decided to offer me a salad as comp. but then they were out of stock of the sale. really not good.

We were very excited to return to Halifax after four years to find some new fine dining restaurants on the waterfront. We arrived over the holidays during a COVID spike so knew from the news that there would be limited options available. When we saw Drift was open and looked at the menu, we thought we would try it out. When we called, we were told but a curt host that the could accommodate us but that we needed to vacate the table by a certain time for other reservations. We arrived to a mostly empty restaurant and after settling in, had a decent meal. There were so few people there that our server was dismissed halfway through our service. By the end of the evening, we overcame the initial coldness of the experience and so decided the following evening to stop by for a nightcap. We arrived once again to a sparsely occupied space with a few people at the bar - with plenty of open seats - and were told by a very dismissive host that they had no space for us and that we would "overwhelm" the bartender. The overall vibe of the place felt very elite and unwelcoming. This was not what we would expect from a Halifax restaurant, given that we're regulars at many fine dining establishments in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York and London. Really disappointed that this is the vibe in my hometown - especially when I often give advice to friends around the world where to stay and eat when traveling to the east coast.

We went for the seafood per the online menu. Got the online Sunday brunch menu instead, and only half of the brunch menu posted online: eggs for days, and for seafood, smoked salmon only. Tiny portions (not that you'd want more) ruined by fussy, pretentious ingredients like sea buckthorn. Precious little lobster in the unappetizing "tarragon" lobster bisque. Stale, chewy "puff croutons" in the bisque and even in the blueberry grunt. Sponge cake for strawberry "shortcake." How is any of this "Nova Scotian"? Ear-splitting raucous music. Cordial, prompt service, but so little choice and such disappointing food that we'll never go back.