Via Condotti Restaurant | Halifax, Nova Scotia — Restaurant in Halifax

We visited last weekend and were very excited to try it. We walked in and the place was packed! Probably 20 people all standing at the door waiting to be seated. Our reso was for 8:30pm and we were about 10 mins early. They had a server coming around handing out glasses of prosecco to those who were waiting which was a nice touch! We were asked if we wanted to sit on the patio with the heaters and blankets if needed so we said sure. It was so cute and 10 times quieter than inside we could actually talk and hear each other at the table. We ordered our app to share between 3 and then our mains. One of which was the chicken parmigiana for my friends daughter. When our meals arrived and were set down it all looked great and the waitress left. Once we started digging in we realize that the chicken parmigiana has no pasta, it’s just the fries piece of chicken with some salad. So immediately we are confused where the pasta was. When the waitress came back over asking how the food was I asked why there was no pasta with the chicken and she says that the chicken parm doesn’t come with pasta! I was like what?? She says ya it’s not under the pasta section on the menu it’s under “ secondi “ I said ok but have you ever been to an Italian restaurant that serves chicken parm with no pasta? That’s ridiculous. So she goes on to say she understands our concern and we could get her some pasta for $9! I said she’s a kid you can’t just get her a small bowl? She said no. So we didn’t get the extra pasta cause that’s insane for what we already paid for her meal. So I said to her just for future reference if I were you I would be letting customers know that the chicken parm doesn’t come with pasta because I guarantee this is going to happen again. So of course we just can’t stop talking about how all of that unfolded while finishing our meals. Eventually a manager is walking around the patio asking how peoples meals were and when she got to us I said the food was great but I just have to say you might want to look into changing the chicken parm to the pasta section on the menu or having the servers tell customers because my friends daughter ordered it just assuming as anyone would that it comes with pasta. So she says she heard and would like to bring her pasta out. Now 2 of us have finished eating and I look at her plate she has one bite of the chicken left. So they did bring her a bowl of pasta which we obviously took home. taste wise everything was awesome we loved it all. The atmosphere is great and the decor is beautiful. So really the experience was overall good but I just hope they figure out the right way to tell customers that certain things don’t come with pasta when it’s things that are always on a plate together wether your in Canada or Europe!! Every single person we have told this story to is just...

Unfortunately our visit got off to a very rough start. We arrived on time for our reservation at 6:45, only to be told that our table wasn’t ready and that we could either sit outside (on a cold and windy October night) or wait at the bar. I asked for a time estimate and was told by the hostess that she couldn’t give us one as she “doesn’t know how long it takes people to eat”. Odd response and I’ve never been to a restaurant before where my table wasn’t ready for my reserved time. What is a reservation for if not to reserve a table at a specific time?

We opted to wait at the bar and have a drink. After 25 minutes the hostess came over to bring us to our table. We walked halfway across the restaurant only to find that our table had just been given away to another couple who arrived after us. The hostess looked shocked, apologized, and said “the next table that opens up will be yours.” We were pretty taken aback by this and more than a little annoyed. After another 15-20 minutes waiting at the bar again, we finally got a table. This unfortunately seems to be a trend based on all the other negative reviews I see here that mention reservation times not being honoured. The lobby and bar got very congested full of guests waiting for their delayed tables as well. The hosts seemed really disorganized. Very disappointing from the Bertossi group.

While the restaurant was beautiful inside, it was quite loud and the tables for two were very small and crammed together. I felt like I was dining with the other guests next to me which is quite uncomfortable. On the bright side, our cocktails and food were delicious, brought out extremely quickly, and our waitress was very nice. The charred broccolini was fantastic and so was the gnocchi. While the food made up for the poor experience it’s hard to recommend this restaurant to others. If you do visit, expect to wait at least 45 minutes past your reservation time for your table. You’re better off going to Bicycle Thief, Water Polo or A Mano as they all actually have your tables ready for you at your reserved time. I hope they work through this issue and bring this restaurant up to the standards of other Bertossi group...

Well Halifax, Via Condotti has taken the city to a whole new Foodie level. At a recent visit, I felt like I was in a restaurant in downtown Rome! The atmosphere has been clearly well thought out -- Modern Roman Minimalist with a warm Italian view from the street! Staff were so attentive to diners . . . The woman at the next table dropped her fork, her waiter must have heard it and was at her tableside in 5 seconds flat. Left me puzzled! But the most important part was the food. After ordering wine, a tasty Nebbiolo for me and hubby ordered the rich Malbec along with appetizers and main pasta dishes, we were brought complimentary starters of 2 types of focaccia bread (delish), pickled cauliflower and carrots, Genoa salami and pieces of parmigiano reggiano to keep us busy while waiting for our first course. Such a simple gesture that holds so much impact upon diners. Next our appetizers arrive. First, these filled our plates and looked like the quantity of a main course. Husband had the Calamari with a lovely aioli. He enjoyed it but I would have liked them a bit crisper. I order the in house created burrata and prosciutto -- absolutely delicious! I would also guess to say that the prosciutto was imported and not domestic as the saltiness was just perfect. Next arriving was our pasta dishes. Husband ordered the Casarecce del Pescatore (seafood pasta) which he loved. Seafood was cooked perfectly amd sauce was light and tasty but beware this dish has some heat that will help you get your daily dose of water to cool your mouth! I chose the incredible Pappardelle al Cinchiale (wild boar with fincchietto liquer). This my dear reader is to die for. The layers of flavour in this dish is beyond anything you could order in Halifax! It is another level of gastronomic that reminds me of North End Boston. Even my husband agreed that this was incredible. Dessert was an Amalfi Lemon Crostata shared. Nothing was left on the plate . . . So unusual for us. Completely recommend this resto and I will be back soon to try several other...