1477 Lower Water St Unit 140, Halifax, NS B3J 3Z2, Canada
This fine dining restaurant located on the waterfront serves delicious Asian Fusion cuisine with the best ambience and view in Halifax.
Thank so much for the experience, The recommendations of the server and the manager were in accordance with our taste. Everything was delicious, the price is right. It was the best place to celebrate the reunion with my mother after 5 years.
Stopped for lunch on a beautiful sunny day. Our waitress was absolutely wonderful, she smiled a lot and was happy to make us feel welcomed! We ordered sea food chowder and lobster on the bun with a small appetizer. View from this restaurant is beautiful! I also used the bathroom and it was super clean.
Sea Smoke Restaurant on the Halifax pier is an unforgettable dining experience, especially if you can snag one of their outdoor tables with a fire pit in the middle. We visited on a Monday night with a group of five and found ourselves wrapped in the cozy warmth of the fire and soft blankets they provided, despite the 12 to 13°C temperature. Though I was only wearing a T-shirt, between the fire’s glow and the blanket, I was more than comfortable, adding a special charm to the evening. The service was impeccable—our waitress was friendly, attentive, and more than happy to guide us through the menu. We started with appetizers, including the calamari, which I highly recommend. It was perfectly cooked, tender, and full of flavor. The aburi sushi was excellent as well, but the calamari really stole the show. For the main course, we decided to go family-style with a variety of sushi rolls. The sushi was fusion-style, more tailored to Western palates, with innovative and slightly sweet flavors that included unexpected ingredients like mango. It may not have been traditional sushi, but it was absolutely delicious and a culinary adventure in its own right. One standout was the Black Mamba roll, which left a lasting impression on us. Though we were initially told that only outdoor seating was available (despite noticing that half the restaurant inside was empty), I can’t complain. Sitting outside with the fire and string lights overhead created a magical atmosphere that elevated the entire experience. If you’re looking for sushi near the Halifax waterfront, Sea Smoke is definitely worth visiting. The food is delicious, the ambiance is unforgettable, and the whole evening felt like a unique, cozy adventure. I’ll definitely be returning to explore more of their sushi offerings!
Came for the atmosphere, stayed for the service! Amazing “fireplace” outdoor tables and cozy blankets. Excellent pier-side harbour views. We indulged in delicious after dinner apps, calamari, mussels, and shrimp tempura. Service was very friendly and helpful. I had an espresso martini which, while well executed, was not to my taste. Our lovely server noticed and removed it from the bill and helped me find another cocktail which was fantastic. Definitely stop in.
The food here was wonderful, with the Black Mamba sushi being a standout. The oysters were fresh and delicious, though the fish and chips weren’t my favorite (but others at the table enjoyed them). The atmosphere, both on the patio and inside, was fantastic—really sets the mood for a great dining experience. However, the service was just okay. We asked the waiter if they could make a specific drink, and when it arrived, it didn’t taste anything like it should have. When we asked about it, the waiter casually mentioned they had to substitute a couple of ingredients, which I think should have been communicated before making the drink. It was disappointing, and I ended up having to send it back. Overall, I’d go back for the food and atmosphere, but the service could use some improvement, especially when it comes to handling requests like this.
Overall very positive experience @ Sea Smoke. Their sushi selection was huge and my Tokyo roll and Spicy Tuna roll were as good as any I’ve had in my life. So good. The wine selection was vast — and we were really happy with our chard — but can’t recall the brand now. The location - right on the boardwalk at sunset - cannot be beat. Recommend!
I had high hopes for this place, although service was fantastic and restaurant was beautiful with a nice view of the harbour. The value for what you get just wasn’t quite there, it’s clear you are paying more for location. Cesar was not very good, and the price verses portions weren’t there. Spicy salmon roll had no spicy mayo, and not the best quality salmon, shrimp rolls barely any shrimp. Just over all below par for price point $100 meal gave us 18 rolls and 6 pieces of beef tataki. Across the harbour this would have been a $60 meal with better quality. My 12 year old son even looked at the bill shocked based on what we had gotten.
It was a good experience dining here. Even though there will be waiting time for the food to show up as they are busy most of the time, you won't be disappointed with the food (explained why they are always busy!). Since the restaurant is located right by the waterfront, it can be chilly but every table comes with a small fire pit lit up in the centre to keep people warm. They will also provide blankets from what I observed. Service was also great. I would recommend to try this place if you visit Halifax.
My food was delicious with a 4-Star presentation.
Server top notch food beyond amazing...great spot !!
Great first stop when coming to the east coast. Everything was amazing.
Beautiful place, delicious food and great service, i must go here again.
Fantastic food, delicious cocktails. Sushi-based restaurant. Outdoor fireplaces and blankets for those sitting outside. Sushi bar and lovely dining area for those inside. Our waitress was incredibly kind, helpful, and attentive. Highly recommend for those visiting the Halifax Waterfront - you won t be disappointed!
Our server was delightful and the drinks, appetizers and ambiance were lovely but the sushi we had was lackluster at best. When you are paying a premium price, you expect a premium product. To their credit, the shift manager tried to make it right and replaced one of my rolls, but I still wasn t overly impressed. I was sad because I have been there previously and thoroughly enjoyed my meal and we were out celebrating a special birthday.
Love this place right on the Harbourfront in downtown Halifax! Great food and drinks, and a cozy heater patio
Great place for fusion Japanese food, they have a variety of appetizers that if there are 2 of you could be shared as Tapas. Everything we tried on our two visits were excellent choices including rock shrimp tempura, crispy chicken, tuna and crispy rice, beef tataki. Updated Oct 2024, also great cocktails and fire tables that keep you warm well beyond normal patio season.
Fantastic food!
Our server was fantastic and the atmosphere was quite nice. We ordered spring rolls for an app and they were great. The sushi however was fairly disappointing. Everything fell apart and the ingredient combo was just bizarre, not to mention extremely expensive. Id def return but probably just order something else next time.
The grilled lobster was just PERFECT
Tasty food, great service. Great cocktails. Very pretty spot on the waterfront.
Service was a little slow, then what we are accustomed to.
Lovely atmosphere created by open flame beds in the outdoor tables, in which to enjoy delicious sushi rolls. Wheelchair accessibility: Good flat access from the boardwalk.
Great spot
One of the best restaurants in Halifax. A little is expensive but totally worth it.i love their soup and sushi.
Food was good, atmosphere and fire tables were rad. I d be back.
Nice food, fireplace tables and blankets were cherries on cake. Waterside patio experience was amazing.
Unfortunately we had a bad experience at this place. The waiter brought the wrong food to the table which was double the price of what my friend ordered. It tasted almost similar so we did not understand it was the wrong food. When we wanted to pay, we realized what happened and not only they did not apologize for the mistake they made, they made my friend to pay for the wrong food. So, no, I do not recommend this place.
Unfortunately we had a terrible experience at this place. It was going well at first until we went to order and my friend clearly ordered a meal and the waitress got it down incorrectly and served him the more expensive steak that was 70 dollars. The steaks looked the same but when we got the bill my friend realized her mistake and told her. She brought the manager and both of them were very dismissive of my friend and did not apologise at all, they made him pay for the wrong, more expensive order. This is very inappropriate.
As my friend mentioned in a recent review, I went to dinner here last night and was very disappointed with the service and the attitude of the manager. My friend very clearly ordered one dish, which the waitress repeated back to him and confirmed, yet he was given a different meal. We didn t realize this was the incorrect meal until we received the bill, which was $20 more. The waitress didn t apologize and the manager argued with my friend and forced him to pay over $70 for a meal he didn t order due to his waitresses misunderstanding (and she still didn t apologize). The food was good, but not worth the despicable attitude of the manager. Whatever you order at this place, make sure you triple check it is indeed your meal. Otherwise, the manager will expect that YOU have memorized THEIR menu disappointed.
Despite the food was good, my friends and I got terrible service. The waitress got the wrong order for my friend and the manager made my friend to pay for the waitress mistake. Food
Service can be a bit hit or miss sometimes, depending on who you get. Theyre all very nice and helpful if you ask, but what you get might be inconsistent when they forget to give you it. For example, Ive eaten lobster 3 times here, and this is the first time I have been given something to remove it from the shell. Their oysters are great though!
The fresh oysters with that come with a smoked single malt dropper were absolutely fantastic. The scallops were also very good. The big disappointment was the Lobster roll. Looked and tasted like a mash-up and definitely not stuffed like a traditional New England Lobster roll, but heck, we werent in New England, so there you have it! The rolls were ok. A little on the expensive side but in general, well worth the fresh sea food.
Lovely way to spend the end of a busy Halifax day! The service was exemplary and the food delicious. Hailey was a great server made us feel very welcome. And it was toasty warm beside the fire - blankets provided!
Unbelievable dinner experience. Outstanding view. Fire tables were a magnificent touch. Food was fantastic. Service was great. I loved every minute of it.
Bad service all around. Server forgot part of the order and pretended they didn t. Took away our wine when we went to the washroom with half glasses left. Did not show the slightest bit of hospitality in general. Took 15 minutes to get greeted (the greeting was what can I get you to drink ) and server seemed disturbed when we asked her to walk us through some items on the menu. Menus were dirty and table was dirty when we got sat, came around 5 minutes later to wipe it. Food was good but everything else wasn t and we really wanted to like the place. Would like to give it another chance in hopes of a better service.
I went in for dinner today and the service I got was the worst ever. The server didnt even care to explain anything about the menu. Seen them being nice to other guest I dont know if it is racism or anything, because the service I received today was very bad.
Nice restaurant with terrace on the Halifax boardwalk. Fusion dishes to share.
This was definitely a great choice. The food was wonderful and the service was great.
The patio offered tabletop fire pits and blankets. Great food great service
Restaurant located directly at the harbor.
Here s an updated version with that detail included: If I could give Sea Smoke Bar and Restaurant zero stars, I would. Despite the beautiful view and the fire-centered table, the overall experience was a disaster. Service was unbearably slow we waited over an hour for our food. When it finally arrived, my order was completely wrong. The Nigiri I requested seared came raw, and the one I ordered raw came seared. But the real disappointment was the fish and chips. The tempura batter was undercooked to the point of being raw, with no crispness whatsoever. When I peeled it back, it was just uncooked batter, and the fish inside was cold. To make matters worse, the server never once came to check on how things were, leaving us no opportunity to send the food back. When I finally mentioned the issue, I was met with attitude: Well, you ate it. Yes, I had eaten two pieces after waiting so long, but the third was shared among my tablemates, who all agreed it was terrible. The chips were soggy, adding to the disappointment. A manager offered us 50% off the bill, but when it arrived, it was only 15%. For a $136 meal, this level of service and food quality is unacceptable. Slow service, inattentive staff, and poorly prepared food make Sea Smoke a place I would not recommend. Save your time and money elsewhere.
What a fantastic place! Tried the surf & turf here and honestly it was delicious. The portion for both the steak and lobster were great, but more important they tasted fantastic. Highly worth checking this restaurant out. It can be pricey but I think still worth the visit.
Staff was not up to date on the deliveries made that day, I know it s a holiday but this is a tourist town and should have communication. I ordered the lobster roll and it was dry and tough and even the type of bun isn t the kind I would want even if fresh, the waiter was kind and brought me a fresh roll even though I ate most of it, but in general it was lacking flavour and seasoning, if this is your first time having a lobster roll maybe go do some research.
ORDER THE MUSSELS AND THE CHOWDER! I cant even type this louder than that. The mussels were the best we have EVER had anywhere. We took our time eating them and literally soaked up every drop of broth. The Seafood & Corn Chowder... was exactly the same. The best seafood chowder anywhere in the maritimes. I am so so glad we walked by this place and decided to go in. We are going back before we leave town! 10 stars! EDIT... We went back the next day for lunch! The black mamba rolls are THE BEST!
Went to Halifax for work, had a Lobster Pad Thai dish. They put a whole tail in. The noodles were delicious and hot until the last bite! The lobster was okay (Ive had better) may be because it was not in season it was not as bouncy as compared with what you get at a Chinese restaurant or when in season. Atmosphere was excellent. Great water view location.
Love the sushi.
Its lovely to sit at one of the outdoor tables and to enjoy the harbor view. They have generally closed the outdoor tables because of the weather, but were nice enough to offer me a table there.
Amazing apps
One of the best seafood spots I ve tried in Halifax
The vibe and atmosphere is really cool. All outdoor tables have a fireplace. The drinks were really good. Only problem was the extremely slow service.
Pro: staff are very friendly. Easy to get Takeout. Location is also great. Very crowded but you get to enjoy some company & Great views. Cons: we ordered the sea food chowder for dinner. Had minor symptoms of food poisoning right after I am guessing the ingredients weren t super fresh. Would not recommend
Everything we tried from the menu was extremely delicious. The patio is lovely, especially since most (or all) of the tables have their own little table top fire place to keep you warm! (They do no take reservations for the patio, its first come first served for seating on it.) A must try restaurant. I will certainly be back.
The plate of grilled lobster tail and the tuna starter were above our expectations! The view and the fire areas make for a great atmosphere! The only small flaw is the comfort of the tables which are very low for eating.
Dockside Seafood and Sushi restaurant. We stopped for a lite meal of starters shared around the table and all were excellent. Scenic view of the harbor from our outdoor table.
Excited to try a new spot and food was delicious! It was a Beautiful day we sat on the patio. Service was ok after taking our food and drink order we didn t see much of her afterwards and I didn t like they wouldn t take dishes away when we were done. We ordered mussels to start they were yummy. I had vegetable curry huge portion and had great flavour. Husband had halibut not cheap but a good side piece of fish. He said it was great just wanted more of a side!
Arrived in Halifax and took a stroll to the waterfront. We had a wonderful lobster roll, muscles snd cocktails. We are foodies from Boston, it was perfect!
Quickly became our favorite spot this summer. Whether it s a nice dinner, drinks & apps, or just meeting some friends, it s the best spot. Amazing sushi, wine, cocktails, etc. The best part is their outdoor seating in the waterfront. Each table has a center fire pit. Hard to beat these vibes!
Exceptional service and great food
One of the best seafood meals I have had in a long time.
I had the seared scallops, lobster sushi rolls and lobster corn chowder. All excellent. Sat outside and dined on a fire pit table. Oh yeah, I also had a local IPA
Blew us away! Perfect evening out!
4 of us shared the seafood tower, and didn t really need the two starters we ordered just in case. Our server was very friendly and attentive.
This was an unpleasant dining experience. I made a reservation at the restaurant through the OpenTable app, intending to book a dinner slot. However, it showed that dinner was fully booked, with only a 3:30 pm slot available. The reason for the reservation was to celebrate a birthday. When we arrived at the restaurant, we found that it wasnt busy at all. Including us, there were only two occupied tables in the entire room. During the hour and a half we were there, only one additional table was occupied. I really dont understand why the reservation app showed that all slots were fully booked. When we arrived at the restaurant, throughout the entire dining experience, not a single staff member wished us a happy birthday. In contrast, at another restaurant we booked through OpenTable, we were greeted with birthday wishes as soon as we walked in. The waiter also offered birthday wishes when we ordered, and they even provided a dessert with a candle on top. It was really heartwarming. On the other hand, this restaurant was even more absurd. We arrived at the restaurant before our reservation time, and after we placed our order and were waiting for the food, I received a notification that the restaurant had canceled my reservation. But we had already been seated for over half an hour! Even if they thought the reservation holder didnt show up, they should have called to confirm, but they didnt do anything and just canceled the reservation. We ordered five dishes in total. After finishing four dishes, we kept waiting for the fifth dish, but it never came. We thought it must not have been ordered. However, when we were settling the bill, that dish appeared on the bill. If I hadnt checked the bill carefully, we would have ended up paying for an extra dish. It was truly frustrating. To be honest, even though our dining experience was terrible, the food still tasted pretty good.
We went there , not so busy , ordered and waited for the food ( shrimps, measles and kids chicken tenders) more than one hour. Notice that everyone around us ( after us ) ate- finished - left and we were waiting the food .At least give us a time frame for ordering food and let us decide if we want to wait or leave .They offered sweet for the kids . Sorry but at that time we didn t want anything . Unfortunately everything horrible.
I loved everything about this restaurant. The variety of the food. It was such a perfect place for people watching alongside the boardwalk.
so good. highly recommend, the food was delicious. had the halibut, lobster, duck bao bun, salmon kailow wow! i come from toronto and have really high expectations of food. this was probably my most favourite meal from halifax. good job guys.
Sea Smoke is my absolute favourite place for sushi in the HRM. Never had a bad meal, the view is great, the atmosphere is classy yet relaxed, and the servers are always friendly and helpful. Hands down my recommendation to people who love sushi and seafood.
The service was amazing! Happy hour is a great time on their massive patio. The fire tables are amazing! Would go again! And again. Food : 5/5
Pretty good, service was ok although a bit scant but it was a rainy day so maybe everyone wasnt in however, the food was on point. A better cleaner for the table would be a good idea as it was sticky.
Excellent! The food was the best sushi we ever had, just delicious and the service was great from Danielle. Just wonderful.
We were a bit disappointed with the service and the food. It seems a bit overpriced. But the atmosphere is amazing, table fires are beautiful and it is by the water.
Waited twenty minutes for a server to even acknowledge us and didnt get any sort of apology. Food was decent but a little overpriced. The patio is magical though!
Can you really beat sushi right beside the ocean?
Excellent service and prices, especially during Happy Hour! Reduced prices on drinks and sushi roll appetizers.
Fresh and delicious Asian fusion seafood in town!!
Best black mamba I ever eat! Amazing menu!
Sat on the patio on a beautiful day facing the water. Went in for happy hour and our table had a fire as it was a little breezy. Fresh oysters at only $1.50/each and wine $6/glass. Very memorable! Loved it!
1. 75$ absolutely delicious Seafood Skillet served with rice. 2. Sea Smoke roll is really good. 3.Do not order Hako roll, I called it rice pie. 90% of rice and little filling. Servers were understanding and polite, they removed roll from the check. Food : 5/5
My child s broccoli and carrots had sesame on it which he s sensitive to. We sent it back, it arrived minutes later with sesame still on the broccoli. Manager said she watched them make the new plate with her own eyes and has no idea how this happened. Clearly they scraped it off the carrots but forgot about the broccoli underneath. This restaurant doesn t take food sensitivities seriously.
1st trip to Halifax and this restaurant did not disappoint. Definitely sit outside with the fire! Food, staff, atmosphere all amazing. Looking forward to going back!
Food was good. Service was good
Great waterfront restaurant with good food and drinks. Fireplace tables were a nice touch especially with the cooler weather. Annie was delightful!
This is a solid dinner spot. We were lucky and were able to walk right in without a reservation at 8:45pm on a Friday night. They had both indoor and outdoor seating available. They have a very cute patio with fire pits and blankets for those willing to tough out the chilly fall weather. They had a great selection of menu items for food. Here s what we ordered: Drinks: Coco Espresso Martini - good, not great Super Nova - good, not great Appies/Food Seared Scallops - great flavor, but slightly overcooked Sea Smoke Mussels - my favorite dish of the night, highly recommend Vegetable Tempura - very good, it was light & crispy and had a good dipping sauce Vegetable Curry - my least favorite of the night. The vegetables were cut way too thick, which messed with the cook times Sweet Potato Roll - very good Yasai Roll - very good, I was unsure about the oregano sauce, but it came together well Overall, it was a good dining experience. Our server was really sweet and attentive throughout our visit.
Great food and service was exceptional
Delicious food, amazing view
Excellent view and menu (the black mamba roll is amazing!). Worth a visit anytime!
Disappointed. Would not recommend. Overall impression is that of a restaurant suffering heavily from its own success. More to follow. --- I called one week in advance to make a reservation. After confirming our reservation, we had a placed note to sit outside. Unfortunately, they do not permit outdoor reservations. When we were outside, myself and a few other tables were annoyed by how incredibly low the seating was. It was an extremely poor design. Every single... I repeat, EVERY SINGLE person sitting in one of the outdoor seating areas was either leaning on the side or at the front of their seat just to reach the tables. The problem being that the seats themselves literally do not tuck under the tables. Even for an average height person, it was difficult getting your knees under the table. I get it if the patio seating was only for drinks and snacks, but they were serving food to people outside. It was crazy! Youd think a restaurant manager or owner would pick up on this and do something about it, but they likely dont care. Otherwise, this would never have happened at a fine dining establishment like this. When we asked to be seated inside, thankfully, they did find us seats and relocated us. Its for that reason, Im rating them a 2/5 for service and not 1/5. Our server was either stressed or incompetent because they did not bother removing the extra cutlery from our table after we moved. The other part was that rather than having a drink server, their servers were doing both food and drinks. I would have expected to have had a server for monitoring and refilling drinks and a dedicated server for food and ordering. I rated the food as a 2/5 because in all honesty, it was subpar. One of the prizes of Halifax and the maritime cities is Atlantic lobster. Unfortunately, our lobster was overcooked. What I would have expected as a spongy, fall out of the shell, succulent, well seasoned lobster was instead a disappointing, dry, artificially sweetened lobster. If I had to describe the texture, it would be like an overcooked frozen shrimp from the grocery. The scallops were cooked quite well, still lacking on seasoning. The vegetables were cooked to perfection. The salad was just terrible as well. A disappointing variation on a Caesar salad with no taste and poor seasoning. Too much olive oil and too much stringed beet garnish. The pears or whatever fruit it was completely damaged and overpowered by the olive oil. The redeeming part here being the ahi tuna which was only lacking seasoning salt. So that brings it back to neutral. The poke bowl was bad. In comparison to those Ive had in California and Nevada, this would be of the quality as a 10$ poke bowl joint in downtown Toronto with more stringified carrot garnish than is laughable. It was absurd. Super dry and in the wrong type of bowl. Not to mention, the chopsticks were completely inappropriate. They were providing Chinese-style thick chopsticks rather than traditional Japanese style chopsticks. If youre reading this review and dont know, search the difference on Google. It makes a difference in and should be expected of an establishment of this calibre. Another disappointing part is that they were charging 25 dollars for 5 dollars of ingredients, not including any meat. You cannot be calling it a vegetable poke bowl! Its a meatless poke bowl. The redeeming part here for the food is the vegetable curry. Im giving the food a 2.5/5 mostly because of this. Of the 4 dishes we ate, it was the best. Creamy, rich, and lime to cut through. My only complaint here being that the rice portion was small. Rice, being literally free in bulk, should not cost 5+ dollars per bowl. Thats ridiculous. The atmosphere was decent but the short tables, absence of closed umbrellas, and no heaters, killed it for me. The Aperol Spritz I ordered was a total disappointment again. Mostly ice and WAY too much grapefruit juice. Tasted more like a sad Paloma. For these reasons, I would not recommend this restaurant. I am opening to re-reviewing in the future at the owners request. Vegetarian options: Theyll be glad to take meat off and still charge you for it.
Amaaaazing Sushi!
The other day we went out for happy hour and had a bit of a wait to get inside, but we finally made it. The table we were given wasnt in the best spot and the seating was a bit uncomfortable, but it wasnt too bad. We ordered our food and drinks and noticed that a couple of tables that arrived after us got their food before we did. We started to wonder if our order got lost. Finally, our food arrived and it was the highlight of the evening. The sushi and oysters were incredibly fresh and delicious. The food alone makes it worth going back. Hopefully, the poor service was just a one-time thing. Well definitely give it another shot because the food is worth it, and with any luck, the service will be better next time, and so will our review.
Be careful when paying with card. Tipping rip-off.
Very nice location and service. Asian fusion restaurant on waterfront. Excellent happy hour
Great fusion sushi spot on the water. Take advantage of the patio if there is space. Sake is served in unique cups.
Great experience
Great food had the surf and turf it was perfect! The tables on the patio have a firepit in the middle which is great for the coolish evenings!
Great atmosphere by the waterfront! Great twist on salmon with taco: 5/5 Lobster roll: 4/5 (bun wasn t the best but lobster was pretty good) Scallops: 4.5/5
Its a nice place where you can drink beer while looking at the sea.. But beer wasnt cold. Food
Hailey was our Food Guide. She is awesome. Spent the afternoon trying different food and drinks. Really enjoyed this place Thank you, Hailey
Extremely delicious sushi in a great location. The fire pits at the table definitely make it a recommendation. Definitely go!
If you like to have your delicious meal in front of sea view, then this place is for you. Food was amazingly delicious and their ambience is adding more value, specially bonfire which helps to keep us warm. And dont forget to taste their Sushi Vegetarian options: They have options for vegetarians too.
Food is decent. Service is beyond terrible.
I ve been to Sea Smoke before (2 years ago) and had a great time, so I booked it for a celebration this year. What a mistake. The food was terrible!! Edamame completely overcooked so much the pods became mush in our hands. The jasmine smoked ribs were nothing but salt and char. The duck bao was the most insulting $23 for overcooked grains of duck that we had to build ourselves!! The duck was so overcooked and crunchy it was like eating mulch. The drinks were mid at best and tasted watered down. Took 25 mins to get our drink and app order only for our apps to arrive before our cocktails (another 30 mins later). Planning to eat and drink all night, we got the bill after the apps and ended up saving the night at Au Liban (delicious Mediterranean close by) Yes, they were busy. I see a lot of reviews on here letting that be an excuse. But when you re a waterfront restaurant with $$$$ prices, you should be able to handle the summer crowds. Tourist trap. If you choose to eat here get the sushi because they don t know how to cook food.
I picked this spot to spend my 27th birthday with some friends but was unfortunately very disappointed.. First, we were a group of 6 (originally meant to be 8) but took up no extra tables and there was a 21% automatic gratuity snuck onto everyones bills .. and no heads up given!! So everyone tipped on top of the gratuity, not being told about it at all.. I approached the host and manager afterwards and they pretty much told me im out of luck. Terrible customer service and sneaky with taking your money. So sad. I wont be returning. It was also 30 degrees inside .. just warning.
edamame was grossly overcooked, the sticky ribs were So salty they were almost inedible they also didn t have and notes of jasmine tea. The bao buns were the most egregious offender as it was 23 dollars and was build your own but was not stated on the menu, not a horrible thing build your own can be fun but the duck was dusty and flavourless while the sauce was just hoisin. The raw fish options are better. A busy Saturday night is no excuse for bad food and bad service. Avoid at all costs and what a high cost for this low quality
Can you do better than great food at the Halifax harbour? Great fusion of sushi/Asian/steak with a welcoming atmosphere. Not inexpensive, but more than worth it. Food : 5/5
Nice restaurant by the sea, beautiful view wherever you look at! The fireplace in the tables is something I have never seen before, super cozy. Bit quiet for myself, but something to expect during the lunch time. Waitress gave us a great introduction at the table and was super kind. Gave me a salmon recommendation which rocked! I recommend sea smoke for bourbon lovers. A bit pricey but worth it!
Great location and food over looking the Nova Scotia ocean view. Close to Titanic museum and Pier .
I went here with my bf for his birthday dinner. We heard so much about the restaurant and were excited to try it out. Sadly we were very disappointed. We paid $70 for a baby sized lobster that was so over cooked it poked me in the mouth to eat the meat, it was dry and the butter sauce was nothing special. We got spicy scallop sushi and a dynamite roll. They forgot to add the spicy mayo on the scallops and there were no other ingredients (usually spicy scallop has avocado, etc). $16 per roll. The dynamite had no other ingredients (only shrimp tempura was inside), even the waiter brought it saying here s your shrimp tempura roll. No sauce, nothing else inside and super bland. Really disappointed and the bill came out to $130. I should ve sent the lobster back to the kitchen but I hadn t eaten lobster in a long time and wanted to give it a try. Really a 1/10 for the food, nice environment though hopefully they can elevate the sushi, I ve had better rolls for $6.
The outdoor dining on the Halifax harbour was a sweet experience because of the amazing menu The Sea Smoke offered. The sushi was . Even the vegetarian curry dish we ordered was super amazing! Staff were very accommodating and friendly.
Great atmosphere! Every time I walk past, I have a pang of envy for the people sitting outside at the fire tables. There are a couple of good veggie options on the menu, and they have done a good job of every type of cocktail I have ordered.
We had a reservation for inside dining but since it was a beautiful evening, we asked to sit outside. They were most accommodating. I think most if not all the outside tables double as an outdoor fire pit. So the tables are a bit low to dine on. The cocktails are super inventive and worth trying a few. My steak was slightly overcooked and over sauces. But for the most part, it was tasty. Come here for the atmosphere, outside seating and service. Food was overall ok.
Stopped in for Happy Hour to take a break from walking. Cozy spot with fire tables. Great cocktails, ciders and beer selection. Oysters were unique they had tequila and bourbon which was nice. Sushi rolls were delicious. Loved the spring rolls! Kids and dogs are welcome on the patio too! Staff were very attentive and friendly!
Great food and service. Nice spot right at the boardwalk - great views.
Overall, this is a very nice restaurant to dine at with a large patio by the waterfront! The menu is very big and has a wide variety of items, from appetizers, rolls, specialty rolls and sushi/sashimi/nigiri sets. However, service is quite slow and it takes a long time to receive your food. The food is extremely pricey and is not any better quality than any other sushi you could get in Halifax for much cheaper. The food did not stand out to me, but the restaurants prime location and amazing view of the water definitely makes this restaurant worth coming here at least once in your life .
Terrible service......sitting 25 minutes without having any server come to you. We counted 17 people passing our table without ever coming to see us. We left after 30 minutes without service.
Amazing food and cocktails but the service in the late evening is meh after 10pm they are in a hurry to close up for 11pm and start forgetting about the table and they start to put things away. We had to ask the hostess who was cleaning up to get our waiter. The service was a major disappointment but we came ack because the food and drinks are fabulous
Best water front view bar and restaurant with fire arrangements.... We can spend the best time
If your looking for an over priced menu look no further. You will see you server every 30 minutes or so and the food will be under cooked or just overall not great, but the saving grace is the sushi is awesome very expensive but it is very good! So for a expensive sushi date this should be your spot other than that please avoid and save your money. only reason this isnt one star is because of the sushi.
The food was delicious, only issue was that the lobster was overdone but rest of the seafood was great. Nice and fresh flavors. Service was excellent, Hayley was amazing! We stopped in for cocktails the next day as well and we had Hayley again. Thanks for a great experience.
Visited in May and had a great time here. We sat on the patio with the fireplace on and a beautiful scenic view of the water. They also provided blankets and cushions to make us more comfortable!
Gorgeous location on patio with water view. Food misrepresented and disappointing- lobster pad thai billed as lobster tail and knuckles - the only lobster was a single unseasoned tail thrown atop plain pad thai noodles- not seasoned, or uncorporated into the dish in any way and very little meat (no knuckles whatsoever). Please change menu description or price- chef offered edamame beans as apology .. hmm
Awesome times in da maritimes
Great view and great food.
In town for a conference and my colleagues chose this venue. Weather was perfect for the patio. My table mate had the teriyaki steak which looked fantastic - he was very satisfied. I had the halibut which surprisingly came on a bed of mashed potatoes and even more surprisingly they went together really well. All the food was cooked perfectly and tasted fantastic. I went for the Luna Bliss for something citrussy on a warm June evening and was not disappointed. Together with the company and the ambience of the patio my experience was exceptional. Expect to spend a lot of money but this place is well worth it.
Great spot, just a little too crowded in terms of how close the tables are to each other. Would definitely return. Our server Emily was excellent, knowledgeable, polite and engaging!
Giving this place a 3 star, the food here is amazing but the service was lacking, the server and kitchen dont talk it seems. We didnt even finish getting our mains when the server came by with our bill, I explained we hadnt received an item and as I was explaining the item came. I ordered a drink to have with the main and it never came. Then the bill came and the drink was listed on there, so I asked for it to be removed, however, if I didnt notice then I would have been charged. Food is excellent but the service leaves more to be desired.
A wonderful place to enjoy delicious meals in the fresh sea air.
Friendly staff, lovely location but the food was awful and super over priced. We paid $24 for FIVE scallops, they were cold when we got them, and they tasted off. We told the waitress the issue and she offered us new ones but, we politely declined as we did not enjoy them. We also got calamari and most peices were so rubbery i couldnt get my teeth to break them. And lastly, french fries, they werent awful but they were not fulled cooked either, they seemed semi hard (not cripsy, just undercooked) we ended up still having to pay full price for the 2/5 scallops we ate. Not such a pleasant experience.
Best mussles. Black mamba is good too Too expensive Food : 5/5
Nice food and friendly customer service
You sit at the table with an open fire overlooking the sea. The food is very good. The employees are all very friendly.
Nice food and service Me and My Family loves it where from Calgary and great experience to this Restaurant thumbs up for the chef and server her section is near in the public washroom good view and we are happy for everything. Food
Sat on the patio with a nice fire table. Service was very good and the sushi.... Excellent!
Stellar spot for asian-inspired seafood. We had the sashimi boat it was absolutely spectacular. The oysters were the best Ive had in the province
I came here for lunch on a Friday and dined at the patio with an amazing view of the ocean. But I must admit that was the only exciting part about my experience. The service was really slow even though the restaurant wasn t that busy; it seemed like I was invisible. I ordered Lobster Roll with fries. The lobster roll was fresh and tasted good, but the fries were mostly burnt and very greasy.
Excellent view, cocktails and food Vegetarian options: Super excellent vegan roll combo Food : 5/5 |
Sea Smoke Restaurant in Halifax is a hidden gem, especially magical in the evening. Nestled on the waterfront, it offers a cozy outdoor dining experience around fire tables. This setting is perfect for enjoying their incredibly fresh and flavorful sushi. Popular choices like the Rock Shrimp Tempura and Black Mamba Roll consistently delight diners. The ambiance is inviting, making it a perfect spot for spring, summer, and fall evenings. While the service can sometimes be hit or miss, the exceptional quality of the food more than compensates. Overall, Sea Smoke is a must-visit for a memorable, five-star dining experience with stunning waterfront views.
Although the food is really good, that doesnt justify the price, even for that location. The location is obviously great, and the service is good, but they charge as a fancy restaurant. For some reason they dont like to have families with kids seated by the window.
UPDATE: Came here again tonight; greeeeat service, Emma was a gem!! The food was sooo good. We got the wontons and the Tiger Lily roll . Highly recommend! My husband took me to Sea Smoke tonight for my birthday and we had the best experience! The food was AMAZING and our server, Nick, was fabulous! We highly recommend Sea Smoke for anyone looking for authentic and delicious food!
Great food and drinks!
Excellent service and food....
We went here has a larger group of 10 for dinner. The service is one of the worst I have ever experienced. Our waiter was very slow, disappearing for lengthy periods of time, and would take orders from one end of the table and neglect the other. This went on all evening. It took me almost three hours to get him to take my food order. I specifically asked him to order food twice and he said he would take the drink orders at the other side of the table and return but would then disappear for 30 minutes. The food and space were great, but the service was absolutely terrible. As we were a large table, an automatic 21% gratuity was added to our bill. Perhaps since the waiter knew he was getting an excellent tip no matter what, he decided not to bother?
Lovely food and service
The staff are attentive, the food is great and the seafood tastes fresh. The highlight is their drink menu! Food
The sashimi was ok in quality but smaller in portion. Roll and scallop dish were good. The chowder is underwhelming.
Restaurant was packed, patio was packed, staff were busy - yet very attentive, food was great, and service was an excellent pace. Also, best oysters I ve ever had - have had lot s on the East Coast, West Coast, and some from other continents. Looking forward to going back :)
This was a really fun, tasty meal. We enjoyed the experience and felt looked after well by the staff. It has an excellent location for patio season and is also nice inside. Thanks!
Tuna on the menu was excellent, it was fresh and tasted delicious. Scallops on the other hand were terrible! Over cooked, and absolutely no flavour! Went by myself so was seated at the bar or had the option to wait outside for a patio table. They wouldnt let me wait at the bar for the patio table, said had to stand outside and wait. Stupid policy! They shouldnt treat lone diners with less respect then parties of 2 or more. Bartenders were pleasant. Got shoved to a corner of the bar to make room for more people and was stuck beside some steam machine that hot on my arm and pretty much ignored unless i was ordering something. New to Halifax and this spot didnt make me feel welcome at all! Especially since it cost me $100
--- I recently visited C. Smoke Restaurant and Bar and overall, Id rate it 4 out of 5 stars. The service was good, but unfortunately, it was quite slow. I ordered two sushi rolls, one lobster and one crab, which seemed fairly simple, but it took a considerable amount of time to receive them. When the rolls did arrive, the flavor was just average, earning a 7 in my book. They lacked the vibrant taste I was hoping for. On the positive side, the restaurant did acknowledge the delay and provided chips and dip as a gesture of service recovery, which I appreciated. However, this wasnt quite enough to elevate the overall experience. In summary, while the service was friendly and the effort to make up for the delay was noted, the long wait and average flavors left me feeling that the experience could have been better.
The food was good, but the mussels werent as fresh as I thought. the atmosphere was pleasant and the service was great.
Beautiful spot on the waterfront with excellent service. We especially loved our server Jenna - extremely knowledgeable, engaging, excellent recommendations and a great sense of humour. Highly recommend the SeaSmoke cocktail.
Beautiful spot, great food !!!!. Nice view . Food
Our experience was amazing at the Sea Smoke. Great food, service and atmosphere. The prices are very reasonable and the service we received from Stephen and staff were very friendly and professional. I will definitely be back. Would recommend.
Stopped in while walking the waterfront. Had happy hour drinks and happy hour sushi ...so good and satisfying. The food is always top end, freshly made and delicious. See you next time... Highly recommend.... Food
Sea Smokes service and food quality has always been my problem, especially the service from the bald manager, which is atrocious and embarrassing. We went there to celebrate a huge milestone and were shocked and disappointed by how horrible the service was. This truly ruined our night. After returning an inedible dish, the bald headded manager argued it was supposed to taste that way, treating us like we didnt know what we were eating. His attitude was as bad as the food, making one of our friends cry, and we were still charged for the two bites we took. This place tries to mimic Asian cuisine but fails every time. Despite the pretty ambiance, Sea Smoke is a disaster. The awful service overshadows everything. What an embarrassment to the dining scene.
I have gone there a couple times, never has been an amazing experience. We ordered some oysters and it seemed like they had been left out for days. They were so dry. Never taking the risk of falling ill by eating some oysters from that place. 0
Great Japanese foods with harbor view Vegetarian options: Highly recommanding Derakkusu Vegetarian combo. Food : 5/5 |
While town for a conference, I spotted this place on my walk along the pier and decided to come back in the evening for dinner. The place seemed very busy for a 7~ish Tuesday night (weather was poor so the patio was closed). If you did not have a reservation you were limited to the bar or sushi bar seating, but as a solo diner it didn t bother me. Sitting at the sushi bar turned out to be a treat, since you get to see all the amazing sushi platters get prepared and plated. I ordered the grilled lobster dinner and paired it with a nice chardonnay. The meal was as delicious as it looked. Staff were friendly and polite. Could not have asked for a better experience.
Cool vibe, sitting by the ocean with our own fire-table watching the people go by. The food was pretty good too.
A pleasant experience
Overpriced, and the quality of food was just average
Incredible sushi. Excellent cocktails. Make sure you visit Jesse at the bar
Lots of variety and great tasting food.. great views also !
The food and drinks were incredibly delicious. I had the salmon and the rock shrimp tempura and they were both great, also got a taste of the edamame and steak frites. Both great as well. Although the serving sizes arent the greatest, they couldve been worse. Typical for restaurants of this stature though. I found their mash potatoes pretty bland. No flavour. Will probably lean towards a different starch at my next visit. The Five Fortunes cocktail was also really well made. The service is where things didnt go so well. We got our table quickly but waited for quite a while before anybody checked on us. We had a fire on our table (which is a nice option in the chilly weather) but it was quite a bit too intense and nobody around to help for a while. We also didnt receive a single table touch from our server apart from taking our drink orders and food orders. Friendly staff. Just a little disappointed with the restaurant service experience. . But Ill be back again and hopefully have less negative things to say. Parking: If youre only stop is the restaurant, you could get lucky if its not a busy day downtown in the bishops landing parking lot. Otherwise, its probably best to expect to park from a distance somewhere along the waterfront and take the boardwalk. Wheelchair accessibility: Ground level parking and entrance.
The food and drink I had was really good. I sat outside when it was cold because of the fire pit tables, but the door of the fire pit I was seated at wouldnt close. One server tried to tape it closed with one thin piece of tape, but that failed. They then advised me to use my water. I was given to prop it closed. The wait for the food and drink was very long. Over 30 minutes of me sitting there shivering, I saw multiple patrons with similar blankets. Turns out they have blankets for the patio, but none of the servers who kept passing by offered or advised me they had those. I had to flag someone down who wasnt even my server. My server offered me a spoon for my meal, but they never brought it despite offering it to me. Tldr, food was really good, service and atmosphere were really bad.
This place has it all! Great atmosphere, excellent service and amazing food! We ate here two times in our trip because we really enjoyed it and wish we could try more of the items on the menu. Can t go wrong with the chowder.
Really surprised by the service!!! Wow!
Visiting from Toronto, we decided to give this place a shot as my son (a sushi fanatic!) insisted on trying their black mamba roll. Having had sushi from some of the best places in Toronto, I would say the food was a disappointment. The spicy salmon roll was very mediocre and dry, don t think the salmon was good quality. The rock shrimp were a disappointment too, some of the batter was coming off of the shrimp and the aioli didn t taste any better. Black mamba roll was good indeed but not something we would try again. I think the place is way overpriced for the quality of food.
Most of their foods are Japanese Sushi. They have liquid burning light if you seat out door.
Food is great. Our waiter diasppear after we sat for 15 minutes. The whole dinner, the waiter didnt come check on us. We waited for long time to pay our bill.
Horrible service. Horrible food. Possibly racist management.
The Black Mamba lobster roll is, apart from the name, a thing of beauty.
One of the best sushi in Halifax.
Inviting outdoor seating along Halifax waterfront, with firetables, and blankets to wrap yourselves up in while enjoying your meal.
Service was great, beautiful view of the harbour, we sat outside. We shared the endamae beans, vegetable tempura and vegan roll. The food was delicious!
Great location, fine food, friendly service.
Food is overpriced. Their sushi is adequate, I had better (especially with more reasonable price). Service is eh, they rush you in and then forget about you. The only good thing that I can think about the place is their outdoor patio. Good vibe and view. But then again, I can view the same thing a 2 meters away for free (maybe parking fee).
Visiting from Australia and came across this beautiful patio side restaurant. Max our server was incredibly kind and recommended plenty of dishes based off of my dietary restrictions
I don t get the chance to go out often , so when I do it s a treat and Max really made my experience here great. He was friendly , funny and had a good knowledge of the drink menu because I m pretty particular about my alcohol. Thank you Max and I ll definitely be back :)
Driving to Nova Scotia for our first visit we were extremely excited to enjoy some lobster and fish for dinner. Our shomei app was quite lovely. Clam chowder was good. The lobster was not great being on the mushy side rather than grilled. The halibut was cooked but without adding the citrus sauce, was really bland. Not being a fan of citrus based sauce, I had it on the side. Needless to say it was a mediocre dish at best. I feel the topper for our experience was when it came time to pay the bill. The waiter came with the POS machine and we said we didnt need it as we pay in cash. Three times we informed the server we didnt need it and three times he insisted he leave it. At first we were confused until we realized that he left the tipping amounts on the POS machine!! We had a great chuckle when we realized the reason he was insistent on leaving the machine. We rate the atmosphere at a 4 as the aesthetics are fantastic inside and out with a beautiful view. We came, we tried and can confidently say that there are more beautiful restaurants with better food and have equally as lovely views. We wouldn t recommend this restaurant, value for money just wasnt there.
The location is fantastic! The food and service however is mediocre. The presentation of the food was decent but the flavours were missing. The server was kind but lacking the attention required. A quick lunch took 2 hrs with even a long wait even for the bill. I m hoping it was just an off day and if we give it another try we have a better experience. I feel the potential is there.
Spicy salmon rolls were absolutely fantastic! Service was fast and kind, food was just as expected! We got there in time for happy hour where my other party had their special mango martini and that was super delicious! Very sweet mango taste, I myself got a white wine to pair with the sushi and it was delicious. They do have a very special, fire lit, waterfront, outdoor seating where they offer blankets but we did end up sitting inside due to rainy weather. Environment inside was just like any other restaurant. Loud due to being busy/popular area but all in all I will DEFINITELY be returning. Must stop shop for some sushi and drinks!