Nestled between Salter and Sackville Street on the Halifax Harbour, you’ll find the Salt Yard — a lively oceanfront space offering a collection of businesses that operate out of colourful, wooden-paneled huts. Among the souvenir shops, bicycle rentals and boat tour stands, the Salt Yard has an array of food kiosks that serve tourists and locals from spring to fall each year. If you can hear seagulls squawking and smell the aroma of delicious foods, you’ve made it to the right place.
The food kiosks all share a patio underneath hanging string lights, made up of picnic benches and bistro-style tables. Look to one side and you’ll see the modern skyscrapers and charming historic buildings of downtown, look to the other and you’ll see an expanse of sparkling water.
Here’s our guide to the waterfront kiosks, featuring everything from Canadian classics to East Coast gems.
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Dave’s Lobster
Sourced straight from Prince Edward Island’s waters, Dave’s serves an (almost) entirely lobster menu, with the exception of their grilled cheese and hot dog, served on the same buttered, split-top bun as their signature lobster roll.
The seafood vendor makes a classic rendition of the cold-served lobster roll called The Local — made with lobster claws and knuckles mixed with mayo and celery — but it’s their warm adaptation, Some Fancy, that really makes them stand out. The lobster meat on the warm sandwich is tossed with butter and a kick of lemon and garlic, a far punchier flavour than that of the typical cold roll. Can’t choose between the two? No problem. The Maritimes favorite lets you try both with their ‘Half and Half’ menu option.
Cow’s
To put it simply, Cow’s has got ice cream figured out. Fresh cream and real eggs provide the base for each of their drool-worthy flavours, all of which have their own punny cow name — Cownadian Maple, Gooey Mooey, Messie Bessie and Nanaimoo Bar being some of their most clever. And the sweetness doesn’t stop there — Cow’s make their waffle cones by hand and in-shop.
Other flavours like PEI Blueberry and PEI Apple Crisp give an ode to their humble beginnings on the Cavendish Boardwalk in the early 1980s. You can now find the brand’s cartoon cow logo at nine different locations on the East Coast and four others across Canada.
We can almost guarantee that you’ll have a hard time leaving the warm, sugary scent that fills the air around the oceanside spot.
Brawta Jamaican Jerk Hut
“Brawta” is a Jamaican saying which loosely translates to “a little extra”. The Jerk Chicken Box — the hut’s most popular meal — is true to this sentiment. The portion is generous with two juicy, spiced pieces of chicken (typically a thigh and a drumstick) served on a bed of rice and peas with a side of creamy coleslaw.
When Christine Allen and her daughter Dejhani — the women behind Brawta — moved to Halifax nearly a decade ago, they noticed the lack of Jamaican food available in the city. To fill a much-needed gap in Caribbean cuisine, the pair opened their main location on Halifax’s Grafton Street in 2019 and the hut two years later. At the harbourfront, you’ll find authentic dishes like their Jamaican patties and curry chicken as well as more whimsical options like their Jerk Chicken Mac and Cheese.
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Heartwood
Heartwood is well-recognized by Haligonians for its healthy, hearty and energizing vegetarian dishes. Amongst the many fried, fast-food-style options on the waterfront, Heartwood stands out for its veggie-focused bowls, wraps and salads.
From their falafel and fresh fruit smoothies to their hummus and various dressings, Heartwood makes all of its food from scratch with whole ingredients. Being one of the longest running huts at the Salt Yard, Heartwood has risen to the challenge of serving slow-made, thoughtful food in a fast-paced environment.
Beaver Tails
The definition of a Canadian classic, the Beaver Tails booth certainly makes the Salt Yard a special place. The waterfront location offers a full menu, including their signature crispy, flat pastry with dozens of sweet toppings, their donut-hole Beaver Bites drizzled with chocolate, maple and fruit sauces, as well as savoury menu items like their Poutail — a pastry topped with poutine.
Salt Yard Coffee Hut
There’s nothing like a sunny morning by the ocean with a cold, caffeinated drink in hand. Salt Yard Coffee Hut is the first to open its counter every morning at 7 a.m. — a couple of hours before the other vendors start service. The coffee hut prides itself on being able to make almost any espresso-based drink imaginable, with its plentiful milk alternatives and flavoured syrups. Chances are if you have an idea or a craving, they can make it within a matter of minutes.
The shop also brews their iced teas and makes freshly-squeezed lemonade sweetened with original homemade cane syrup. Local business 24 Carrots Bakery provides the coffee stop with fresh baked goods including berry muffins and buttery croissants.
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Waterfront Pizza & Wraps
Waterfront Pizza & Wraps is a one-stop shop similar to something you’d find at an amusement park. Think: jumbo pizza slices, chicken Caesar wraps, paninis, nachos and the like. The bright red kiosk pays homage to its Nova Scotian roots with its donair offerings, including a classic shaved beef pita with tomato and onion, and even donair-filled egg rolls. It’s a well-executed crowd-pleaser with dozens of options — the perfect concept for the Salt Yard which regularly sees thousands of people at a time when cruise ships dock nearby.
Smoke’s Poutinerie
There are few things in life better than french fries. Whether you’re adventurous with dressing your fries or stick to the basics, this cross-Canada eatery has a poutine for you. From their Bacon Cheeseburger poutine loaded with double-smoked bacon, prime ground beef and drizzled cheese sauce, to their Traditional poutine with Smoke’s infamous hand-cut fries, signature brown gravy and squeaky Quebec cheese curds, you can’t go wrong. The waterfront kiosk serves a standard medium-size for all of their poutines.
Black Bear Ice Cream
Cinnamon bun ice cream. Need we say more? If that isn’t enough to convince you to try Black Bear Ice Cream, we’re not sure what will. Eating their cinnamon bun flavour is like tasting a cold and creamy pumpkin pie — a strange but delicious phenomena. The Cookie Monster flavour — one of their best-sellers — is like if cookies and cream and cookie dough ice cream had a baby, with a neon blue coloured, brown-sugar base. Every flavour at the stand is homemade by Black Bear’s owner in Bedford, Nova Scotia.
There’s no need to fret if you have a dairy allergy or sensitivity, the dessert kiosk typically has a lactose-free vanilla or chocolate ice cream available. You can also try a Bear Claw — a warm and chewy salted pretzel.
Katch
You’ve heard of a corndog, but what about a Sea Dog? At Katch—the self-proclaimed “Modern Seafood Shack” — Salt Yard visitors can try the Sea Dog for themselves. The innovative recipe is a piece of deep-fried haddock on a locally baked New England-style hot dog bun, topped with green apple chipotle slaw and spicy mustard. It combines the familiar feel of holding a hot dog or lobster roll and the battered crispiness of a corn dog, with a salty and flaky fish interior.
Many of Katch’s menu items walk the line between recognizable fast-food eats and seafood dishes, such as their fish bites and fries which look almost identical to chicken nuggets. We’re all about making food playful, as long as it delivers on taste, and we can say with confidence that there’s no “katch” to this one: it’s real deal East Coast seafood.
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