Pacifico — Restaurant in Halifax

My husband and I are avid jive/swing dancers so I was excited to learn this venue existed when we moved to Halifax a year ago. Such a disappointment when we finally visited last month. The venue is beautiful but the service was appalling and the food and drinks similar.

Service: We were charged $5 cover each in a perplexing exchange at the door. When I gave the "doorman" a $20 he made $10 change from his wallet (?!) $10 cover was later added to our bill. When we informed the head bartender we had already paid he became angry and said we shouldn't have been charged at the door as there was no cover that night. What ensued was an aggressive exchange between the bartender and us, leading to a visit to the doorman, and finally finding the 'waiter' whom took our cash to verify we had paid at the door. I couldn't believe that the bartender did not believe we had already paid and made it such an issue! What I should have been questioning was why this was even a discussion if there was no cover. Once it was verified we had paid at the door the charge was removed from our bill. It was only after we left that I realized we should have also gotten $10 cash back as there was no cover The head bartender has a very fowl mouth. I am not offended by swearing, but it is unprofessional when every sentence contains the F word.

Band - Quite simply the band looked bored. We were there on a Saturday night so the G Street Band was playing. The singer sat on a stool off to the side. I have never seen this with a live band. And she spent more time "on break' looking at her phone while the band played sans singer than singing. My husband and I had come planning to dance and would have done so if the band had played anything with any energy at all.

Drinks - For some reason the drinks were awful and tasted nothing like what the classic cocktails should. I love whiskey sours, and had the sweetest whiskey sour I have ever tasted.

Food - We were there for drinks and dancing so only ordered the Tex Mex Dip. The dip was served ice cold in a tall glass bowl that made it difficult to eat. Unpleasant. And tiny serving for $14.

In summary, the worst experience I have ever had at a Halifax venue. We will never return due to the rude staff and bored band. And it seems we are owed $10. If I was the owner/manager I would be reviewing my...

I am going to hate myself..........

I was at Pacifico for the first Thursday night performance with the Mellotones at their new location on George Street . It was absolutely outstanding!!

The Mellotones will play every Thursday night for the foreseeable future.

The old bank is an amazing venue.....it feels and looks rich, European and exotic . It is superbly decorated and themed....marble, stone columns soaring ceilings and a great bar. Good staff.

The Mellotones are Halifax's premier dance band. We are lucky to have a band of this calibre in the city. Music on Thursdays finishes a bit early due to Covid but the focus will be on a slightly older crowd who have no place else, in the HRM, to go.

This makes it perfect for any couples looking for a date night.....groups of friends wanting to get together and singles desiring to see a live band in a fabulous venue.

You can have a great night, get home by 12:30 and still get up for work in the morning on Friday. You can spend Friday and Saturday night with the kids or whomever. But Thursdays with the Mellotones should not be missed.

My prediction is that the place is going to become THE place to be on a Thursday night and the over 35 crowd are going to flock here once word gets out. With Covid restrictions on the wane this place is going to rock.

And that is why I am going to hate myself. Once Thursday nights take off, and they will, it might be hard for me to get in, as I suspect it will become very busy.

A venue of this quality, in Halifax, and a great place to people watch, deserves nothing...

I had been looking forward to visiting Pacifico for quite some time. However, after being denied entry, I will never attempt to support this business again.

Just before entering Pacifico, as I handed the bouncer my ID, he informed me that I would not be able to "have my rag inside," explaining that "it's a rule enforced by the owners, so I have to follow it."

I understand that Pacifico is a more 'up-scale' bar compared to others, but I do not understand how other people can wear baseball caps inside while I could not wear a durag, a simple piece of silk fabric.

I felt discriminated against due to this dress code policy. The inconsistency in enforcing this policy (i.e., hats but no durags?) further highlights the discriminatory nature of the rule.

I am deeply disappointed by this situation. I cannot ignore the message being sent when targeting accessories, such as durags, which are predominantly worn by Black men and women.

If a rule is set in place, it should be enforced equally among everyone. If there were a strict no hat/head covering rule, I could understand, but that is definitely not the case.

I emailed the establishment, expressing my concerns and asking for a copy of the dress code policy, but received no response. This further highlights how they treat...