Tempo Food + Drink — Restaurant in Halifax

I'm going to tell a story about this place that makes Tempo my favourite place to eat in Halifax.

My boyfriend and I (we're both male) ate here on a Monday night on our way home from Dalhousie. They had a deal on for their nachos which were incredible but usually we get the fish tacos which are the best I've ever had. Service was very good as usual and they were excited to have customers because the night was slow. A nice touch is that they bring you seasoned popcorn while you wait for your food at night. No extra cost!

While we were eating, a man came into the restaurant and sat down with who we presumed to be his girlfriend. He was clearly intoxicated and we later found out he was on something else as well. He kept looking over at my boyfriend and I.

Finally the man comes to our table and puts his hand on my shoulder. He put quite a bit of his weight on me and I was starting to worry. He mumbled quite a bit and the general message of what he was trying to say was that his girlfriend thought we were gay and he wanted to confirm with us.

Now I don't have any issue with being open about the gay thing but I was a bit concerned for our safety. Finally the server noticed he had approached us but before he could get to the table the man left the restaurant. The woman apologized and tried to laugh it off.

Our server apologized to us and took half off our bills. I think it's important to tell that story because this was in no way at all the server's fault. He was sincere and kind and represents what I believe to be amazing service. We came back a few weeks later and the same server was there. He not only remembered us but also memorized our order from the time before!

This place gets 5 stars from me. The only problem some people might have is parking. If you can bus to it, it's right beside the Scotia Square bus terminal so it's easy to get to. Otherwise, you'll probably have to pay for parking inside the indoor lot...

We are in town for four days and have had poor experiences 2 out of 3 attempts at Tempo. On Friday we had a great experience, the food was tasty, the waitress was great and the service was quick.

On Saturday, when I went down for brunch they were closed. After a phone call, I learned that they where closed early due to staffing issues.

Today, my wife and I, went down for breakfast. After placing our orders; bagel and cream cheese for her and Eggs Benedict on gluten free toast for me, we received our juice and coffee. Then we waited, and waited. After three or four couples who were seated after us had ordered and gotten their food, we stopped the waitress and asked about our orders. Five minutes later, she walked by and said "It's being taken care of now." She didn't stop to talk to us, and she certainly did not apologize.

A few minutes later my wife stopped her a asked to speak to the floor manager. Our waitress replied "I guess that's me". She continued to say that it was taking time to bring the water to a boil to poach the eggs.

It was nothing but deflections and avoidance of ownership of the problem. An honest apology would of calmed my wife a great deal.

My wife then said she wasn't sure if she to have breakfast any more and the waitress indicated that if we didn't want to stay, it was fine.

We chose to leave. In all a very dissatisfactory experience that left my wife in tears back in...

I'm glad after two years (covid) the full service restaurant has reopened. I like the atmosphere here as it's pretty big, with basic comfortable tables & booths, lots of natural lighting. Mostly new staff, all friendly and attentive. I had the avocado toast last week, which was simple and good. I can't finish the carafe of coffee that they bring, but some people would love that they'd definitely get their caffeine fix for the morning. Parking validated if you use the hotel lot. I'll be back here regularly.

Aug 2023: 7am breakfast on a sunny Thursday. We were probably the first customers of the day and remained only one of two tables taken the entire time, which made it very relaxing. Chatty, friendly server. I tried the breakfast sandwich, which is a pretty standard one on toast with lettuce, tomato, bacon, cheese (?), and a sauce that I can't recall, so may just be mayo. Nothing exciting, but nothing wrong with it in any way. Frozen seasoned home fries make the meal itself filling. My friend had the basic breakfast and loves his eggs almost burnt. This place made them to his liking, which is hard for many places to achieve for...