Two If By Sea Cafe — Restaurant in Dartmouth

Another famous Dartmouth institution in an absolutely lovely spot. Very few places I actively recommend for travellers or visitors as a "must go," but TIBS is one.

It's been a long time since I've been there, quite a few years, since the "unpleasantness" that need not be mentioned, but this is better times, at least for TIBS. I used to live more-or-less next door, but I was feeling a hankering for their famous croissants. Usually, for seemingly gimmicky fare like artisan croissants, you don't expect them to be so constantly busy all these years later, but every time I drive by there's a line.

So, I purchased two croissants. My favorite, the prosciutto and provolone and a new-to-me croissant, the donair croissant. I was QUITE EXCITED. After biting into the P&P croissant, I was overjoyed. Crunchy, buttery, flaky, salty, sweet. The hard outer crust of their croissants is hit-or-miss for people. The donair croissant was something else. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it seemed like some sort of science experiment croissant engineering. It definitely is something for a donair enthusiast, and quite good, but somewhat more novel than anything else.

Coffee keeps the doors open, and I don't drink coffee anymore or caffeine, but I know a good cup still when I taste one. I had a medium roast, and it was quite good, smooth, slightly sweet even black. I had a taste of my companions latte, and it was quite good. It was exactly what you should expect from an upscale coffee place, but not the best I've ever had. Coffee drinkers will get tons of mileage out of TIBS, more than I would nowadays.

I rate this place at five stars even though there are four star establishments I would visit much more frequently, and my reasoning is this: TIBS does precisely what it sets out to do—make a premium artisan croissant. It executes this perfectly. It's a rich treat to enjoy...

I experienced the worst customer service from this business. I have never visited their establishment nor have I tried their food. I contacted them online for a catering order as a result of a recommendation. I submitted the form on their website a week in advance of the event I wanted the catering for, days went by and no reply. followed up by email, and waited again for a reply but finally got one on a Saturday, confirming that they could fulfill my order by the date needed. I responded right away and wanted to clarify my original questions about whether the order could be invoiced because it was for a work function. No reply again! The day before the event, which was the following Tuesday, I called the restaurant and spoke to someone who confirmed the order and when asked again for clarity about whether the order could be invoiced they didn’t know the answer and had to speak to the Manager. They came back to the phone to say no I could no be invoiced and would need to pay up front. So the day before my work event, they finally decided to answer my questions and because they couldn’t invoice, the order was cancelled. I had to chase this company for my business and not once did they apologize for any inconveniences caused by delays in their responses or that I was left with no catering for my meeting. I emailed, called messaged their Facebook account, and they were not responsive at all. I can’t rate their establishment or food but their customer service for catering services was hands down the worst I’ve ever experienced for professional events/meetings. It is a very common thing for vendors to provide catering for business functions and invoice so very disappointed that this was not an option. If that had been articulated from the get go, I would have sought catering elsewhere. Hopefully they improve their customer service for...

I absolutely love the croissants here and always have, I've never been disappointed in them and crave them every time I think about them. As for the coffee, I'm pretty indifferent about Anchored Coffee, it's just not my type of roast/flavour profiles, but they have a following and I think they have put together a good product for those that like it. I'm not a regular to TIBS, but I should be because I live in the area. We make a visit every few months to get some croissants but never have been inclined to come more than that because of the counter staff, frankly they are consistently difficult to deal with and have been for many years. There is an air of apathy from the staff when you arrive, and incredibly (especially for the level of product them make) an extreme lack of excitement or enjoyment about the product. If you follow their Instagram, the posts are exciting, fun and showcase their great product. There is a disconnect between they projected attitude and what is actually going on in the cafe that the owners should be addressing. Some of the other reviews talk about the place being too hipster, but when you go get a pizza upstairs or a beer next door both those business would be considered hipster and the staff is amazing and welcoming, so it really is an issue with the staff at TIBS. Will i go back, of course, but never more than every few months to get a croissant fix, but i would frequent more often if the apathetic culture change there. There have been many baristas in HRM that have lost their jobs recently, I'm sure there is a lot of talent out there ready...