Sketti & Ball Co. — Restaurant in Halifax

I'd give here a 4.5 based on my first try, Feb 27 2024 with 5:30 reservations. Arrived a few mins early and we were greeted right away, seated at a two-seater table in the right side larger dining room. The whole place I would guess seats 50 in total or so? When you walk in, the layout is basically the same as it was for years when other restaurants occupied the space. A large bar to your left, a couple of high tables. Toward the rear, there are a couple of steps leading to a back dining section that has a few tables and the staircase to go to the washrooms in the basement. (Unfortunately, the business does not seem to be accessible with any elevator, plus a few steps at the front entrance to get inside anyway). It's a darker, warm atmosphere with a cushioned booth along one wall of the larger dining area, standard wooden tables with comfortable chairs for the person sitting on the non-booth side. Very friendly, relaxed service. First question from the server was if we had places to be after the meal bc they would try to help make sure we are not rushed. This evening had a crowd likely going to the Neptune or concert afterwards, so this is great that the restaurant appreciates the clock. We tried the $30 Dine Around dinner menu and were very happy with that choice. Good value. I opted for the Market Salad to start (romaine, radiccio, roasted beets, pickled red onion, fresh pears, focaccia crostini, Pecorino cheese, white balsamic vinaigrette). It was just the right size for a starter, had great flavor & crunch, although I don't remember seeing any crostini, am sure it was there. My friend ordered the Bread & Butter, which is a large slice of toasted focaccia and two whipped butters. One was a chives something and I forget the other now, but both were delicious. It paired so well with a glass of the Alluria pinot grigio. The Dine Around main is the 'build your own' with choice of base, sauce & balls. I got the spaghetti, the signature fresh tomato sauce & chicken balls. Good amount of spaghetti, delicious flavor for the sauce without there being too much sauce to drown in it. The five chicken balls had strong thyme flavor (lemon, thyme & roasted garlic as listed on the menu). They were a bit dry and tough, but still very edible and better if you do cut them up and mix them in with the pasta. I purposely ate half of the dish and asked for a doggie bag to eat the other half of this the next day, being on WW at the moment. My friend ordered the rigatoni base (which was cooked to the perfect el denti) with the spicy tomato sauce (said it was decently spicy and delicious) topped with the signature all beef meatball. The Dine Around menu also includes dessert options of two ice cream scoops that he ordered two chocolate (very creamy and good flavor). I got the espresso-topped ice cream, served in a glass. I've never had this before and was pleasantly surprised by my first bite at how great it was, the single scoop of vanilla sitting in the warm coffee. We will...

burger bash walk-in customer

So, we went to check this place out, specifically for Burger Bash… our hopes were high as we just got turned away at our previously planned stop. As soon as we walked in the door…. That hope dimmed QUICKLY.

We were seated at a slush table, totally fair we didn’t know about reservation. (I mean who does during burger week at a new to them place)… we were not comfortable but made the best of it… our server gave us a look of “oh god” when we pushed aside the normal menu and told her we just wanted the burger. That’s where things started to fall short for us.

We sat at our uncomfortable table, immediately outside the kitchen for a while… watching tables who came in after us get served first (I’m not complaining about timing!)… when our order hit the kitchen, (remember I said we were outside the window…) “oh man, 2 burgers and 1 cut in half, seriously? Can’t they just cut it themselves”… (which I replied) “yes we can if you’d prefer”. The hostess joked and said “if that’s your only problem my friend, your in for a long night” then there were some more comments made back and forth that I didn’t hear fully (bet the fact I answered their question was a shock)… one little bit I did hear was “some people have never worked in a kitchen” I wanted to say “yeah I have… thanks”, but didn’t because it was an under breath comment….

Now! So far I’ve been detailing the experience part of this… that’s the part that was a FAIL for us…

The burger, when we got it was AMAZING! I coulda eaten 20 of them! The cheese was melty, the balance of flavour was PERFECT, it was genuinely a GREAT burger!

Now, will I be back to this place? For the food YES, for everything else…NO.

Unimaginative cocktail menu, a wine list with a typo, condescending staff who weren’t shy about checking out my partner… don’t...

Four of us visited Sketti & Ball recently, intrigued by the promise of handmade pasta and Italian comfort food. While there were some positives to the evening—particularly the service—the food ultimately left us underwhelmed.

Finding the restaurant was a challenge due to poor signage, but once inside, we were impressed. The ambiance is lovely: exposed brick, low lighting, and cozy seating make for an inviting space that sets the mood for a relaxing evening.

The highlight of our night, hands down, was our server Riley. Friendly, funny, attentive, and professional—he elevated the entire experience. Truly one of the best waitstaff we’ve encountered in a long time. If he works elsewhere, we’d follow him there.

We shared two appetizers: a Caesar salad that was just okay, and fried artichokes that were a mixed bag—my husband enjoyed them more than I did. For mains, each of us tried a different pasta dish paired with wine. Unfortunately, the pastas arrived looking like they had sat too long under a heat lamp, with a visible film over the sauces.

My spicy chorizo pasta was forgettable, and my husband’s pork meatballs—surprisingly, given the restaurant’s name—were dry and lacking in flavor. One friend had the pasta al olio with salmon, which was fine, while another found his lamb meatballs delicious, though the pasta itself was again just mediocre.

With four cocktails, two glasses of wine, and a few shared plates, our total came to $134, which we thought was quite reasonable. But pricing aside, the food just didn’t deliver. It’s disappointing when the setting and service shine but the kitchen doesn’t follow through.

Unfortunately, none of us would be likely to return. That said, if Riley is working...