SWEET TREATS IN HALIFAX
There are some exceptional dessert Chefs in Halifax, and they can be discovered at many of the stellar restaurants we’ve listed in our Halifax blogs, and at some unexpected joints. Prime examples – Bar Kismet’s ever rotating dessert menu featuring and experimenting with seasonal flavours, the extensive dessert menu at EDNA that will usually serve a dose of nostalgia with a Sticky Toffee Pudding or Strawberry Shortcake, the “Gooey” cake at Tribute that will make you territorial about sharing, and the unsung heroes at Bar Stillwell that will throw out the occasional Matcha Tiramisu or the Stillwell Freehouse surprising us with a delicate Panna Cotta. The SWEET TREATS list is not about dessert menus; it’s about folks that are dedicated to the craft and culture of a sweet product that defines life in Halifax. Is that too dramatic?
Peace by Chocolate
BEGIN, AGAIN
Neighbourhood: Halifax Waterfront | Instagram | Website
Much of Halifax’s contemporary history is built on immigration. The resilient and remarkable story of the Hadhad family can be found in the feature film, Peace by Chocolate, which was premiered at Tribeca Film Festival, recognized at film festivals internationally, and widely released across Canada. They rebuilt their lives in rural Nova Scotia as refugees of Syria, where their family chocolate factory was destroyed in a bombing in 2012. The signature chocolate bars started as a movement to support Peace Building projects around the world, and Peace by Chocolate still supports those initiatives today. Growing from a rural Nova Scotian Factory to a premium location in the Queen’s Marque on the Halifax Waterfront, this sweet, sweet shop is a must-do.
PHOTO: @peacebychocolate
Rousseau Chocolatier
À LA MAIN
Neighbourhood: South End Halifax | Instagram | Website
Master Chocolatier, Julien Rousseau-Dumarcet, is a French transplant in good company with other excellent French-owned businesses featured on this list (Ratinaud, LF Bakery, Lou Pecou). Rousseau’s hand made, hand painted chocolates taste as good as they look, garnering international awards from the Academy of Chocolate, which is the reason the business has thrived for over 10 years. Drop in to make a personal selection or tap them for catering or custom partnerships.
PHOTO: @rousseauchoco
DAIRY BAR
YOUNG AT HEART
Neighbourhood: Downtown Halifax | Instagram | Website
The anchor venture of Sonny Adamski (Café Goodluck, HAVE FUN. COFFEE), the Dairy Bar reimagines soft serve ice cream and they dominate the downtown from May – October as part of the Stillwell Beergarden. You’ll find folks in “business casual” skipping the patio beers and walking home with a DAIRY BAR treat in hand. The small and mighty menu offers rotating and inventive soft serve flavours, nitro coffee ice cream floats, and artful sundaes to serve kids of all ages. Prepare to line up, because their milkshakes bring all the folks to the yard.
PART OF STILLWELL BEERGARDEN, ALSO LISTED IN [LUNCH SPOTS AND SANDYS] [BEST RESTAURANTS FOR LARGE GROUPS]
PHOTO: @dairybarhfx
Dee Dee's Ice Cream
MATRILINEALITY
Neighbourhood: Central/North End Halifax | Instagram | Website
We raved about the stand-out burritos at Dee Dee’s, but now the ice cream. Stirring up homemade ice cream for over 20 years, and in the North End of Halifax for over 15 years, Dee Dee’s is a legacy. In 2022, founder Ditta Kasden, put this sweet girl in the very capable hands of established entrepreneurs Jenna Mooers and Lindsay MacPhee. Mooers is the relentless leader that opened EDNA in 2013, starting the new wave of contemporary cuisine in Halifax. Oh, the ice cream is fantastic and comes in seasonal and experimental flavour combos. Feel free to stock up on their mini tubs to take home because we all do.
ALSO LISTED IN [LUNCH SPOTS AND SANDYS]
PHOTO: @deedeesicecream
LF Bakery
TARTE
Neighbourhood: Central/North End Halifax | Instagram | Website
LF baking is impeccable, as are their French pastries. Go to load up on your bread supply for the week, grab some croissants to take home, and treat yourself to an apple or blueberry tart as your reward.
ALSO LISTED IN [GREAT CAFÉS IN EVERY NEIGHBOURHOOD]
PHOTO: @lfbakeryhalifax
Luke's Small Goods
COOKIE MONSTER
Neighbourhood: North End Halifax | Instagram | Website
Here we are again with Luke’s, and it won’t be the last time. Their in-house baking is a cornerstone of North End life in Halifax, so consider making them your bread supplier; but do not sleep on their scones, pain au chocolat, or the COOKIES. Sorry, didn’t mean to yell, the cookies are unassuming but WILL have you hooked.
ALSO LISTED IN [LUNCH SPOTS AND SANDYS]
PHOTO: @lukessmallgoods
Ori Foods
BEAUCOUP BEAUCOUP
Neighbourhood: North End Dartmouth | Instagram | Website
It’s Ori, again. This time we want to talk about the bountiful spread of sweets. Always rotating the menu, Ori offers cookies (crème brulee, double chocolate, peanut butter, gluten free options), pastries (savoury and sweet), and desserts (tarts and cakes). Impress your friends by scooping an assorted box for your next dinner party or beach trip.
ALSO LISTED IN [GREAT CAFÉS IN EVERY NEIGHBOURHOOD] [LUNCH SPOTS AND SANDYS]
PHOTO: @orifoodsco
Want to download the map with our 50+ recommendations to your Google My Maps? Access below!
