Best Dining Deals In and Around Halifax
After a year of online school, we all are desperate to find ways to de-stress and unwind. Assignments seem to be more abundant, exams tend to be more difficult and, at the end of a busy week, what could be better than enjoying a nice meal with your friends? This is especially enjoyable if the meal is affordable. Halifax is known to be a foodie’s heaven with restaurants on every block of the Downtown area, boasting in range from exotic to comforting options. Though, as a university student, money is always a worry and there is nothing better than getting a great meal at an even better price. In Halifax, dining deals are everywhere and this article is a one-stop-shop to find the best bang-for-your-buck when it comes to any meal of the day.
Breakfast
Elle’s Bistro: Located at 1678 Barrington Street, right in the middle of bustling downtown, Elle’s Bistro is one of the best choices for breakfast in the city. They offer a massive menu with no meal costing over $20. Their speciality is breakfast and they offer it all day and everyday, but they also provide lunch and dinner options. Elle’s Bistro is a great place to get a delicious breakfast that will leave you feeling full at a very cheap price!
Robie Street Station: Located near Dalhousie University and the Commons at 2394 Robie Street, the Robie Street Station is nothing short of delicious. With all-day breakfast and everything costing less than $15, this restaurant is the place for an affordable breakfast. They also sell delicious burgers and sandwiches for those looking for a lunchtime meal. Robie Street Station provides large servings and you’re almost guaranteed to be leaving with some leftovers. The dining experience at Robie Street Station is fantastic and it’s atmosphere inside reminds you of an 80’s diner with a family-owned feel. Robie Street Station is all about quantity and quality for both food and atmosphere!
Mary’s Place Cafe 2: Located on 5982 Spring Garden Road, Mary’s Place Cafe 2 is a quaint little restaurant that may go unnoticed until you give it a chance. This old-school restaurant is consistently voted one of the best breakfast spots in Halifax for a good reason. They offer delicious meals with nothing over $10 on the menu! They serve all-day breakfast and also offer a wide range of Middle Eastern meals that are great for any time of day.
Izzy’s Bagel Co.: Located at 1180 Bedford Highway, the drive to Bedford is worth it for this iconic Halifaxbagel shop. With sixteen different types of New York adjacent-style bagels and twelve different flavours of cream cheese, this adorable spot almost seems like it should be offered at gourmet prices. However, Izzy’s Bagel Co sells their bagels for $1.20 and $2.96 for one topped with their many cream cheeses. Customers can also purchase bagels to take home and toast themselves! Yum!
Ardmore Tea Room: The Ardmore Tea Room is a favourite for many Haligonians. Open from 8am-2pm everyday, this quaint spot knows exactly how to do breakfast the right way. The Ardmore Tea Room offers a variety of breakfast options that do not exceed $12.50, but they also sell delicious and affordable lunch options. One downside to the Ardmore Tea Room is that they only accept cash, however, their great food and delicious milkshakes are worth running to an ATM.
Photo by Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash
Lunch and Dinner
Wasabi House: Located on 6403 Quinpool Road, Wasabi House is full of deals. Wasabi House is a sushi restaurant that is the definition of bang-for-your-buck. With so many promotions, you are almost guaranteed to be getting at least one deal when you go. This restaurant is affordable, with amazingly low prices and constant deals and specials changing each day. Wasabi House also offers a 10% discount when you pay in cash and they always give 3-8 extra sushi rolls, for free, with each order.
Darrell’s Restaurant: With famous award-winning milkshakes and burgers, Darrell’s is the place to go for delicious grub. Darrell’s offers an extensive and unique menu, including fifteen different types of burgers so customers have an abundance of choices. The hard part is deciding what to order. Additionally, every Monday, Darrell’s offers BOGO 50% off burgers. Darrell’s is located at 5576 Fenwick Street.
Westcliffe Diner: A true hidden gem for university students. Westcliffe Diner, located at 3049 Oxford Street, is a struggling student's paradise. They serve home-cooked comfort food meals at a price that cannot be beat. Nothing on their menu is over $6.50 which makes this restaurant seem almost too good to be true.
The Roxbury Urban Dive Bar: All day and everyday, The Roxbury offers $6 meals and drinks. This $6 Grub List includes appetizers, salads, wraps, pastas, burgers and desserts at a shockingly cheap price. The food is delicious and is a great way to cure your hunger without putting a hole in your wallet.
The Pint Wing Night: On Wednesday nights, there is nowhere else you should be besides The Pint. Wing night at The Pint consists of $0.69 wings and $5 beers which is a deal that you won’t find anywhere else. The atmosphere at The Pint during Wing Night is even another reason to stop by. There is a reason Wednesday nights at The Pint are considered the best wing night in all of Halifax.
Freeman’s Little New York Nightly Specials: Right in the middle of the downtown area you will find Freeman’s Little New York on 1726 Grafton Street with deals galore. Each night of the week they have something special to offer. Mondays you can stop by for half-off appetizers, Tuesdays are $2 taquitos, Wednesdays are $5 nachos with the purchase of a pitcher and Thursdays are $0.89 wing night! Freeman’s also has a second location at 6092 Quinpool Road for those who are not looking to travel downtown.
Specific Deals With For Students With A Valid Student ID
Sobeys: Every Tuesday, when you show your student ID to the cashier at Sobeys you will be offered a 10% discount on your groceries. This discount can be really helpful and can really add up over time when your grocery order is usually expensive.
Bulk Barn: when candy and chocolate seems to be the only thing that will get you through your studying, the Bulk Barn is the place to go. On Wednesday’s, you will get a 10% discount when you show the cashier your valid student ID or alumni card.
Talay Thai: Located at 5164 Morris Street, Talay Thai gives students 10% off any order on Wednesdays when they show a valid student ID.
The Lower Deck: On Sunday’s, students get to waive the cover fee at The Lower Deck when they show their valid student ID. The Lower Deck is located at 1887 Upper Water Street and their Sunday entertainment makes free cover that much enjoyable!
SPC Card: For even more deals, an SPC card is a card that any student is eligible for that allows for countless deals and savings on retail, technology, travel and food. The membership fee is $10/year but provides students with deals all year long. These savings range from 10% to 25% on thousands of brands and companies, and the amount of money that it will save greatly outweighs the annual membership fee.
Last But Certainly Not Least
Maxwell’s Plum: A posthumous honorary mention goes to Maxwell’s Plum. Although it was recently closed due to COVID-19, there was no better deal in the city than Maxwell’s. With steak and fries for $3.99 on Tuesdays and $2.99 breakfast on Saturdays (and, daily from 11:00 pm to 1:00 am!), there really will never be a restaurant that masters dining deals better than Maxwell’s Plum. However, with Maxwell’s reopening soon under new management and ownership, we can only hope that it will give us the same deals we know and love.