Field Guide

The service and atmosphere was great. The food was delectable, share it with a friend and try all the things.

I’ve been to Field Guide a couple of times now. I really enjoy the atmosphere here, it’s really small, but that’s what makes it lovely, intimate and genuine feeling. If you don’t like sitting close to other people this might not be the best place for you. It’s very dim so it would make a great place to take a first date, if you’re into that kinda thing. If like me and you’re not (ew, dating. No thanks) there is a large bar with seating that was full of people laughing, drinking and having a good time. It was busy on a Friday night, but not too bad. At least one table in the place was available throughout the duration of the night. The service was really great, one of those places where they ask if you’ve been in before, and offer to answer any menu questions you have. I ended up getting the beef tacos, which were amazing. They were pulled beef tenderloin with a sort of salsa on top. Not too spicy which I like, served on a soft tortilla. Delicious. I also tired the quail and roasted vegetables. It was pretty spicy for me, but the veggies were delicious. The wine and beer selection is great, and the tall Boxing Rock bottles are great for sharing.

To say I was disappointed by Field Guide would be an understatement. Since this place has opened, I have heard nothing but amazing reviews. I’ve been incredibly excited to visit and check it out, and finally had the opportunity. It didn’t meet or exceed any expectations I had; in fact, it fell markedly short. The food, the liquor, the service, the atmosphere; I can’t say I’m a fan of anything.
Me and my partner ordered a cheese plate to share (as to sit at a table and order liquor, you need to order food). We were given minimal explanations as to what each item was. Although the portions were fairly generous compared to other boards in the city, the cheese quality was not up to snuff. Two out of three cheeses were quite hard, and not well suited to spreading on crostini. Nothing paired well with the condiments we were given. For $ 18 I expect a little more thought; I could build a board for less at Obladee and be given a fantastic story about each item. I had the candy bar for dessert. It was fine; caramel, peanuts, and chocolate. It tasted like what you would expect.
Now, the liquor. I think this is what really ruined the experience for us. Their wine list is relatively short: both red and white only have two options available by glass, everything else is by bottle. Which… doesn’t really make much sense given the location and target audience. But, anyway. My partner got 3 of the wines you could get by glass, and not a single one came in a wine glass. They came in tumblers. Like, okay, you’re trying to be cute, sure… but wine glasses are designed for a very specific purpose: they capture the aromas and direct them to one point — your nose. A tumbler that flares at the top diffuses any aromas for the wine, destroys the nose, and then you lose half the taste. The fact that the Pinot Noir we ordered was warm didn’t help either.
The service, well, mediocre. Nothing rude or awful, but I didn’t feel at home or welcome. I’ve heard that this place is popular with the hipster crowd, and it certainly feels it. Everyone is a little cold or standoffish, and you feel like you’re interrupting something. It was also very dark, very loud, and very warm inside. I had sent an email as I had a somewhat large group (6 – 8), and was hoping I might be able to let them know in advance. I never did get a reply though. Why bother having an email if you’re not going to answer it?
Unfortunately, Field Guide didn’t impress me. I was very hopeful from word of mouth and reading through their website. Seems like just hype to me, though.

A great place with great people. Came here for cocktails twice and was very impressed on both occasions. The quality and care they put into the drinks is on par with NYC cocktail bars that are among the best in the US. However, there is no pretension here, just friendly Canadian hospitality. Keep up the good work!

AMAZING time when I was there in June. I have many allergies and they were super accommodating and I had THE BEST food! Manager (s) I had spoken to regarding my allergies were super understanding and I feel extremely comfortable. Such a great time! Recommendation to EVERYONE.

We went to Field Guide last night. It is a place with a phenomenal bartender and two really creative chefs. The chefs make sharing plates and so we just kind of ordered one thing at a time until we were full. We had some charcuterie, then some chicken hearts with ramps in a chorizo broth (this was the stand out dish of the night, something about the earthy ramps and the gentle offal taste of the hearts and the salty chorizo broth was incredible), then some gnocchi with chard and Arctic char, then a fiddlehead dish with rhubarb and feta, then some Berkshire pork head cheese. Everything was prepared with a real thought to flavours and while each component of the dishes was independently delicious, putting them all together in a mouthful really brought it to another level. We were seated at the bar so everyone came over to explain all the food and drink to us, and we got to see everything being made.
We have been to this restaurant a few times before, and it is definitely one of our favourites. They used to have a «punch of the day» at the bar, but don’t any more. However, their cocktail menu said off-​menu drinks are encouraged so we asked about the punch and the bartender made us up a Polynesian sharing bowl, which was super cool and the middle was on fire. He also made us a couple of other really delicious off-​menu cocktails throughout the night.
We were celebrating our anniversary and Field Guide made it such a special night. We left feeling just so incredibly happy (and full!).

Awesome food. Kinda pricey but errr mah gawd the beef cheek lettuce wraps after phenomonial!

Holy Moley, I think this is my new place. First off, for such a small space, they use it wisely. Having the «kitchen» out front, you get the joy of watching them prep the insanely interesting and inspired dishes. I like the feel of this place too. But it’s really the staff and the cocktails that are the best in this city.
The cocktail menu is insanely inclusive, inspired and delicious. With most cocktails running 12 $ for two ounces, they are a fair deal. And they serve the drinks in proper glasses, so you are getting the full taste of the drink. Also, if you want just a gin and tonic, it’s only $ 7. Not bad. Best part is, they will make whatever cocktail you can think of and describe. Real bartenders. I can not praise them enough.
Food options were supper interesting. It’s not your supper place, but all plates are large enough for sharing. The Cheese plate was huge, gigantic wedges with housemade crostini and crab jelly. Divine. The charcuterie plate, as well… fantastic. Served with housemade sourdough… excellent. They take their time sourcing all their ingredients so I think you can expect the best. No Sysco products here.
Prices are all fair and definitely worth the experience of this place.

The love for this place is lost on me, I have to admit. Stopped in for the first time for City Harvest to try their pork steam buns and spiced apple soda.
The resto itself is incredibly small and unattractive. A few cheap-​looking yellow chairs and little tables comprise the seating along the storefront. The bar is also tiny with a sparse display in their back bar. The kitchen appears to be against the wall at one end of the bar. Unfortunately this means the cooks’ backs face the customers. While waiting for our buns they did not turn around or acknowledge us in any way. The steam buns were undercooked and barely warm. Fortunately they were cheap.
The apple soda, however, was very good. The bartender seemed friendly. The server taking our money was also friendly.
With so many better restos in Halifax I can’t see myself returning.

The Field Guide is a happening haven of inspired, innovative small plates. Great food, great energy, great staff, great place for hanging out with great friends.

I was greated warmly with a «Happy City Harvest» this afternoon. I enjoyed the pork bun and the apple spice soda was pie in a glass. But $ 5 for a pork bun seemed high.

I’d heard that Field Guide was a hipster haven, but I wasn’t quite prepared for the levels to which it’s been taken there. They’ve taken a lot of the interior design straight out of a field guide for modern restaurants — open kitchen, exposed filament light bulbs, milk bottles and jars for table water. Yellow and back reign on the palette, with some light woods and the… interesting choice of a plain chipboard panel below the chalkboard menu on the back wall. While EDNA across the street gets a mix of demographics, FG is all young and hipster, minus myself and my girlfriend, who comments that many people remind her of characters on Portlandia. I don’t not like the vibe, but my strong sense of cynicism is feeling the weight of the clichés. The small restaurant runs long, and makes for diverse people watching on the corner of Gottingen and Falkland.
They’re well known now for their cocktail menu, but the strength of Nova Scotia’s craft beer community is strongly reflected on their menu as well. Propeller, Boxing Rock, North Brewing, Hell Bay and Uncle Leo’s all make appearances, as well as Vitamin O, which is a menu item with a shot of liquor, which deserves kudos. «When in Rome» though, so I went with a «whisky smash» — rye, muddled lemon, sugar and mint. It came in a tumbler with one of those huge ice cubes. I get that bar aficionados like them because they melt slower due to the reduced surface area, but I’m not a fan of getting hit in the mouth with ice went I’m finishing off the last few sips of my drink. That said, it was a good drink; tangy with just a hint of fresh mint, it went down with dangerous ease.
The menu is all about sharing here, so we ordered a couple small plates at a time, starting off with the pork carnitas tacos and a chorizo and asparagus plate. Three delicious looking tacos came plated on a small cutting board, topped generously with green onion, red pepper, red onion and just a bit of cilantro. The pork was moist and had a nice pork flavour, and I appreciated that they didn’t overload the tacos with the big punch that cilantro packs. The only downside was the slightly dry taco shells. Also, I’m steadfastly of the opinion that this city is in need of quality, fresh, corn tortillas.
The chorizo and asparagus came with hunks of sausage, asparagus, pickled fiddleheads and arugula. The chorizo had a rougher texture than I prefer in a sausage, but it had a really nice spice to it without being overwhelming. The asparagus was cooked tender crisp and the arugula added its fresh, peppery bite. The fiddleheads were quite potent, with what tasted like balsamic vinegar taking front stage.
For the next round we ordered their donair steam buns and confit chicken wings. Healthy stuff, I know. The little, folded steam buns with a meatloaf-​like slab of donair meat, with chopped onions, tomato and donair sauce on them looked good but unfortunately the execution was a bit off. While the bun was light and fluffy, the meat was bland and lacking anything remotely similar to the donair flavour that Halifax knows and loves. The donair sauce was plentiful like any good donair, but was also lacking the garlicky-​ness of the real thing, and only registered slightly sweet notes. Good hustle on this creative interpretation, but it definitely needs more refinement.
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect with the confited chicken wings. I was hoping for wings that were confited and finished in a fryer for a combination of ultra-​tender and crisp. The pile of wings that we got were served with the sauce on and were crazy tender and flavourful, but alas no crispness. Still, very tasty and just as messy as a normal pub chicken wing.
Service was friendly and very helpful over the course of the evening.
Field Guide has some great ideas coming out of their bar and kitchen and with a little polishing, they’ll be in the top levels of both in the city. Also if they cover up that chipboard wall.

These guys understand what it means to present a more sophisticated, urban feel and actually pull it off (which I feel a lot of Halifax restaurants/​bars are attempting and failing due to service not being up to snuff).
Awesome beer and cocktail selection and a staff that is actually knowledgeable in what they’re serving. Great menu.
Service is friendly, attentive, knowledgeable. Price point is reasonable considering the high quality of the food/​drinks/​service. This place is the first I’ve found in Halifax that could be comparable to some of my favourites in larger urban markets. Other establishments should take notes from these guys.

This is another great addition to the street. Certainly cocktails are unbeatable and expertly prepared by very skilled staff with top end spirits. Food is limited but very interesting. Love the atmosphere. Great place to spend an evening after dinner.

Ate here on a Monday night and it was a nice evening, a good crowd. This place has kind of an industrial urban vibe, corrugate metal coupled with splashes of bright yellow metal chairs and rustic wood. The menu is an eclectic offering of local flavours put together creatively. Coupling pickled beets and mushrooms with a charcuterie tray was an interesting collection of flavours for sure.
Actually the rough edges of the restaurant design makes the delicate combinations of flavours in the food even more surprising. My favorites were the pork tacos, which were rich and slightly spicy, wrapped in a tiny soft homemade tortilla. I could have eaten four or five of them, but resisted so we could try more dishes. Everything was Delicious including my house made grapefruit soda.
Don’t go here if you are in a hurry, but if you want to enjoy a drink with friends and snack on some excellent tapas like food, this is a great choice. Very relaxing, great food with a gourmet touch, but not pretentious at all! The service was personable and attentive.

Some of the food was good, but some wasn’t special at all. I would be more ok with that, but it all came in tiny portions and therefore fell firmly into the category of overpriced.
As a north-​ender, I’m sad that all the new places opening up around here went straight to the über-​pricey and skipped over regular affordable food for non-​rich people in their 20s. If you’re willing to spend that much for a normal night out, great, but this place isn’t very good value among the local options.

Such a wonderful place for drinks. When we first walked in, I was surprised at how small it was since it looks bigger from the outside. It’s a perfect size though really, and the layout is great. If you’re a larger group, you should get there early in order to get a table. This place gets full fairly quickly!
I can’t comment on the food since I only had drinks, but the drinks were delicious.

Great new bar/​foodie joint. Small sharing menu that has a few gems on it like the shallots and cheese, charcuterie and steamed buns donairs (amongst other things). Charcuterie could deal with some cheese on the plate but other than that it’s pretty good, they serve it with brioche which is a tasty and sweet addition. I will add that though it is delish, for what you get it is a little pricey.
My best bit would be the drinks here, delish and simple cocktail menu with loads of beer options to choose from. I would recommend putting yourself in the hands of the moustache’d bartender with his choice of drink. He’ll do right by you. Always trust a man with a moustache.

First off, I should say I live right next to this place, so it might be skewing my judgement a bit. But I’ve been twice now and was thoroughly impressed both times.
It’s small and vibrant. Great atmosphere. The food they serve is meant for sharing. Both times I’ve gone we just ordered a bunch of plates and everything has been amazing. Interesting plates too — chorizo with popcorn polenta, mini donairs on steam buns, beef cheek tacos. I went with a friend who used to cook, he’s the first to complain if food isn’t good and he was impressed.
Perfect place to go have a few drinks and some food.

Delicious, tasty, they know what they’re doing! Worth investigating, with great atmosphere.
Had a grand time chatting with the bartender, who really knows his stuff. He used to work at the Drawing Room on the third floor of the Henry House. The food is fairly unique and all very locally sourced and fresh. Try the Big Boss cocktail, we tried all the house cocktails between a couple of us and that was the winner. I also requested something with citrus and gin, a little sweet, and got a lovely custom drink I’d love to recreate at home!
The staff were super friendly, and I may change this to 5 stars in the future, but when we got there with a group of 4 we were told there was a wait for a table (they only seat 35 or so including 12 at the bar) so we got space at the bar and waited and ordered some things. When a table opened up we weren’t shown to it, though I thought we would get one eventually. It was opening night so service was likely still getting ironed out, not a big deal. This place has loads of personality!