The Garden Retreat Food Bar and Lounge — Restaurant in Halifax

Beautiful spot with wonderful food. We look forward to returning again.

Update: I finally returned, and my experience was the complete opposite. The service was good and the meals came out as quick as I would expect for a larger party, but that was it for the positives. I ordered the vegan huevos rancheros, and added an egg and it was the most disappointing dish I've had at a restaurant recently. The tofu wasn't seasoned, the 'flame grilled corn' tasted like it was just defrosted, the guacamole tasted like the stuff you get at superstore, the eggs were overcooked, and the potatoes were undercooked. It was also missing the roasted red pepper and the scallions. How does this even resemble huevos rancheros? No black beans, no salsa/pico/tomatoes based sauce, no tortillas, no hot sauce. It was just a weird dish. The others around me also complained of their dishes, specifically the avocado toast which seemed to be served on Dempster-style bread, not the sourdough the menu stated.

I also ordered a coffee, which was great, but the milk on the side was served in a small cup that was also clearly used for espresso shots. At first I didn't think anything of it, and assumed it was stained, but after a moment my milk turned brown. I wiped the edge and my finger easily removed the coffee residue. It was clearly just dirty and hadn't been cleaned between uses.

In the end the server exchanged the meal for a croissant, which was great, but after talking this place up all week I was really, really...

I was very excited to try this new place in Halifax after hearing all the hype about it. Boy, was I disappointed. As a server myself, I really expected something better. A couple minutes after sitting, our waitress came up to drop off water and take our order, but we were not yet ready. She said she would be back in two minutes, and we never saw her again. Another waitress came up and took our order, only to inform us if we wanted to order a certain salad off the menu we would have to go up to the counter and see someone else to make and pay for it. Drinks took 20 minutes to get, and no more water was brought to the table throughout our entire dining experience. We eventually had to go up to the bar to get some more water. After waiting an hour for our two appetizers and a single salad, we realized that all the tables around us that had sat after had all received their food. When the food finally arrived it was cold and soggy. No server came to check on us while eating to see how the food was. Server came over and removed one of our three plates of finished (yet not fully eaten because the food was sub-par) food before bringing our bills. We told them we were disappointed with the meal and the server glared at us and said nothing further. As a server I am very disappointed in the service and lack of communication, especially because the restaurant has a great atmosphere...

My foodie friends and I met at The Garden for a truly spectacular evening! Starting with the ambience, this place really is a gem. It's cozy but well lit and the extravagant chandeliers are to die for! We had a great server who was very attentive but not hovering as we wanted to spend the evening dining and drinking and catching up. The cocktails were delicious - three of four of us thoroughly enjoyed our Stargazers, which were just one of the highlights of the night. Oysters and Charcuterie board were fresh, plentiful and set us up for our main courses. The Halibut and the tenderloin were both cooked and presented perfectly. I personally wasn't a fan of the risotto that came with the Halibut, but it was good. More wine, then dessert. So apparently many people know what Nova Scotia snow pudding is, but two of us didn't, so we ordered that for our final course. While it wasn't what we expected, it was light but a bit too sweet for my liking. If you like Nova Scotia Snow Pudding, then it's apparently cooked and served exactly as it should. I should have gone with my first instinct of the parsnip cheesecake which was divine! All in all, this place is fantastic. Oh and don't get me started on how awesome the washroom is!! Yes, the over the top sinks and golden toilets make you feel pretty extra...