Rogue’s Roost Brew Pub

First tried here over a year ago for supper on a Saturday night in the winter. Immediately liked the atmosphere, was busy, but not crazy (all tables inside full, but not a wait in line). Cozy, low lighting at night is my favorite «feel» for any restaurant or bar, so it achieved that, while being good for lots of natural light during the day with their front solarium-​like section. There’s also a decent sized deck outside. The only weird thing about the deck is that you have to exit Rogues itself, walk across the BMO front steps, then onto the deck. Also, the washrooms are shared with Tom’s Little Havana to the rear, so you can almost get lost trying to find them inside. (small, old bathrooms too).
Food and service were good on this first visit. I tried the Portobello & Pepper Sandwich ($ 10.95) which was definitely satisfying.
2^nd visit on a recent overcast Saturday in July. Myself and four girlfriends stopped by for brunch around noon and seated ourselves on the deck. There were two other tables occupied at the time and a male server at the bar. It took him awhile to bring us menus. We ordered the daily special drink: a pitcher of ‘Blue’ sangria, which wasn’t that blue or that great. We all drank it because it was refreshing, but a bit disappointing. It took a while longer to place our food orders, as there were two customers seated at the bar who seemed to occupy the server’s attention. We noticed another table that came after us experienced the same slowness. Then it took over half an hour to receive our meals once we did order. So overall, we weren’t that impressed with service this day. I would give them another chance, but never go there if in a rush. The brunch food itself was decent. I tried the Grazer ($ 9.95 sauteed peppers & onions on home fries, topped with a fried egg & hollandaise), which was very good and filling. The others in my group enjoyed their Morning After (same dish as mine but with bacon & ham added).

I love Rogues Roost. Trivia night is awesome — it is fun and challenging and the host is the best (his guest hosts are also a hoot).
Raspberry Wheat is my fave. Blueberry, when they have it, is a nice change. And I have sipped others’ faves and they are really good as well, I just stick to ordering my faves. They also serve Bulwarks yummy ciders.
The food is good and reasonably priced. There have been changes over the years and I think they are in a good groove right now — if you ever have a bad experience — don’t give up on it. I’ve been a consistent visitor for the past 4 years and the only complaint is the bathrooms are gross! And maybe one dish I didn’t like, but they changed the menu — so no more issues there.
I hope that this place never closes — please don’t — you’ve made it so long and you will be missed.

I have to give Rogue’s 5 stars because I am in love with the Raspberry Wheat that they brew there. It’s so good. It might not be your cup of tea but I’m all over it. It’s real love. We’re getting married. The food is your typical pub fare. I’ve enjoyed it whenever I’ve eaten here, burgers, fries, fish and chips. all that jazz. The trivia night is pretty top shelf too! It was packed when I went, and super fun. I guess Halifax takes its trivia nights really seriously. I love the layout of this place too. All the tables lined against the windows overlooking Spring Garden road. It also has an upstairs and what I hear is a fantastic patio on the roof. You can rent that roof out for special events (Like your kick butt birthday party) but I suspect you’d have to be on the ball with that.

I’m a beer lover and there was no lager on tap. Weird. I’m not into beers with fruit in their names; I like to say «Lager please» and get something like it. The drink I got was dark and tasty but not a lager, not a «normal» beer. One lager on tap among all those «craft» beers, that’s all I ask. Is that too much?

Had a fun time when I went for a nibble with my friend before the game out weekly game session the wait time was ok, the waitress was pleasant the wait was to be expected.
Had a cesar salad and fries, well the cesar wasn’t my liking sadly because I found it rather sour, but the fries were very nice, I could tell they were handled with care and the super fine salt they use was not your average table salt.
The combined effort of the sour salad and the the really strong beer frementing distiller was the only 2 things that knocked the perfect 5^th star on the review

I’ve frequented this place on three separate occasions and have yet to be disappointed. The food quality and selection is somewhat limited but the service and drink options are exceptional. Great for getting together a group of people or a nice one on one. I highly recommend giving it a try!

Raspberry wheat for the win! Growlers now cost $ 20.95, 8 of that is the deposit, so bring it back & pay 12.95 for refill.
Rogue’s is a great spot to sit and people watch out Spring Garden Road, enjoy some decent pub fare, and very decent beer brewed on the spot. It has been a great vantage point to watch the new central library under construction! It is almost always fairly busy, but you can usually find a table free as service is fairly quick, and generally friendly. They have some of the best quesadillas in Halifax, which unfortunately is not saying a whole lot as I don’t find them to be great around town here, but at least these are full of fresh peppers and chicken, and come with a good side of salsa and sour cream. I’ve enjoyed pretty much everything I’ve tried here.

Showed up at 6:30 on Saturday, so a wait was to be expected. Luckily we sat right down at an open table; however, we then sat there for 10 – 15 min without anyone even acknowledging we were sitting there. Only 2 guys were working the bar and taking all orders. Not near enough for a place with 20 – 30 tables.
Once someone finally came over we ordered a couple of beers and ordered food. As long as it took to first get noticed, the food actually came rather quick. Food was better than the beers although my BBQ chicken sandwich came with no BBQ sauce which again took a while to get because of the lack of staff.
Being a Brew Pub I was hoping for better beer. I had a Red and a Brown and they both tasted a little off, it’s like the glasses still had soap on them. One of the guys I was eating with had a beer from a can poured into a glass and he said that tasted the same way.
Sorry guys not coming back, next time I’m in Halifax.

Everyone remembers their first time.
Rogue’s will always have a special place in my heart.
No, not for what your sick mind has immediately raced to… come on now.
My first trivia night of course!
Wednesday night trivia got my cherry. It’s a great little bar, with some great mixed drinks (they make a hell of a long island). The atmosphere can be a bit loud, but that’s probably the old man in me talking.
It’s a dark and classic feeling spot complete with it’s own microbrewery in the back area where you can see the stills for yourself.
The trivia unfortunately is seemingly infiltrated by iPhone users (could be the bitterness in me) and so it’s tough to pull out a win most nights. There is plenty of topics, with a wide range of fun answers and fun to be had.
A great bit of fun though, and not much beats the rush to get a question or two for your group.

Enjoyed a few card games with friends here, and had a great time. The beer was brewed in house and very tasty, with floor staff regularly checking in to see how we were doing. Ordered a blue cheese burger, which was fresh, hot, and full of flavour. The fries were plain, which is great for those with allergy concerns, but not my cup of tea. Overall, a great casual atmosphere — I’d definitely visit again!

Came for lunch with a group from work. Took a very long time to get drinks, longer than you would expect even with a group of 10. The server was less than polite but not rude, seemed impatient.
My food arrived warm to cold.
The saving grace from a one star review was that the on premise brewed beer was actually very good.
For the cost of the meal, i would easily be able to find better for less in walking distance.

Great little place, for an awkward first date!
I went here last year, on a date. The date was uncomfortable but the beer I was drinking was one of the best!
This is gonna be more if a beer review then a pub review, as all I had was beer.
Ok, I got the raspberry wheat, oh my. It’s by far one of the best microbrew beers I’ve ever had (this comming from a Garrison girl)
I am a beer snob! I don’t believe just anyone can make beer, they say you can but I don’t agree.
The beer had a smooth flavour that didn’t overwhelm your taste buds with that typical «I’m a beer» flavour.
I drank 3 – 4 glasses of it! I wanted to take the big hopper home with me so I could drink more of it!
Next time I come in, I’m gonna have to order some food! So I can then amend my review to be about the food.
I’m feeling this review isn’t very helpful. But I say regardless, looking for a good beer, here’s where to find it!

This is not a review of the actual pub, but of the private party room which is upstairs. I recently got to visit The Quarterdeck (Not to be confused with the Lower Deck) for a birthday party and it was an amazing space!
Two rooms, one huge balcony overlooking Spring Garden, and a private bar? Yes, please! You can put up decorations, bring your friends in, and all for twenty bucks an hour?! Double Yes!
This was an awesome space, and I got to drink Raspberry and Cream beer, which is really all you need for a fun night. High five, Quarterdeck! You made a birthday celebration spectacular.

I’ve always loved this place both for the food (which is very reasonably priced) and the beer. I highly recommend stopping for a pint of the ipa (my wife loves the raspberry wheat)
The only reason it gets 4 stars is it might have the nastiest bathrooms in the city.

Average pub. Met here with some friends for a chat. It was strangely quiet for a sunny Sunday afternoon, maybe because people wanted to be outdoors, and they seem to only have indoor seating here. High ceilings, and tables that let you look out at passersby on busy Spring Garden Road below.
They brew their own beer. The Raspberry Wheat was OK. The IPA was better, and continued to improve with each pitcher.
Hot wings were decent. Service was functional.

Probably my favourite pub in Halifax. Beer is brewed in house. Beer is great here, no wait, EXCELLENT, especially the seasonal brews. Their Russian imperial stout is to die for. Food is straight forward pub food, not elaborate, but decently priced and tasty. The kitchen is not on the same floor, but in the basement and has to arrive via a little elevator, so when orders pile up, it can get a little slow.
Décor and atmosphere is straight forward. You come here to enjoy the beer. The staff run this place. No manager to dictate the way staff act and what music is played. So, each staff member takes and delivers orders according to their own style. Sometimes with a big smile, a mohawk, or a polite grunt. Music varies from the occasional live band to staff chosen music like Pink Floyd, Radiohead or even jazz. No. Bieber. Here. Ever (Thank God). Trivia nights here are very popular. There are televisions, but they are smaller and you have to sit at the bar to see them easily.
If you want to do a dual pub crawl, you can connect into Tom’s Cuban Havana through a shared hallway, especially nice during the winter. Summers are great, when they open their windows. Alternatively, sit on their patio. Year round, early evenings tend to be busier, and it can be hard to get a seat. Sometimes the seating area upstairs is open, but I guess it depends on the staff.

I like going here for drinks. The wait staff is nice, attentive and my boyfriend loves the beer, plus they carry a local cider! (always a huge bonus for me). But the food… the food. I really don’t like the french fries, and I love burgers, but I was really disappointed last time I went. I have also tried a few other dishes, but nothing was ever great.
So… go for a drink!

Excellent beer, average food and a snug, quirky, unpretentious layout make this one of our Halifax favourites.
The IPA here is one of David’s favourite Nova Scotian beers, and we make regular trips so he can enjoy it :)
The food is pretty ordinary, although we think the wings here are almost as good as some of our favourites back in Toronto — plump and juicy.
The Roost is well-​named: kind of hidden away, up above the street level, so it can be hard to find the first time, but it’s well worth it, particularly if you really love some real beer.

Rogue’s Roost is one of those places you might never notice when you’re walking along Spring Garden Road. I always wonder why their sign doesn’t focus more on the fact that they make their beer right on the premises. All these people walking by are missing some pretty awesome brews.
My girlfriend and I love to come down to Rogue’s Roost where I usually, but not always, have their IPA and she usually, but not always, has their raspberry wheat beer. Both are consistently excellent but I love the fact that it never tastes quite the same.
Rogue’s has a nice bar with a copper top, a wonderful sitting area overlooking the busy street and an underused mezzanine that overlooks the bar area. There is also a small patio outside, just a step down from the sidewalk.
The food is standard pub fare but it’s pretty good. This place is really about the beer though, which is why I always return!

If there’s a fixture on the Halifax pub scene, Rogue’s Roost is certainly it. Have you heard of anyone not liking this place? They have great craft beers, a nice atmosphere, one of the city’s original trivia nights and as I discovered on my most recent visit, darn tasty food.
My other half adores this place. When I’m not dragging her to a new restaurant that I want to try and get her to choose where we’re going to eat, there’s a very good chance that it’s going to be Rogue’s. Upon arriving we were promptly seen to and drink orders were taken while we perused the menu, although we both knew what we were going to get. After hearing a decent amount of hype about their pulled pork sandwich from my girlfriend, I decided I had to try it. Served with steak-​cut fries and house made coleslaw, our identical meals arrive piping hot after a short wait. It is painfully difficult to resist delicious looking fries that are straight out of the fryer and I’m pretty sure both our mouths suffer, but it hurts so good. The fries have a bit of crispness, are seasoned nicely and being thick cut are soft and potatoey on the inside. The coleslaw, while fresh and crisp, is a little on the bland side. The star of the show arrives on a bun that doesn’t look like your standard store-​bought fare, and stands up nicely to the saucy pork. The pork itself is sweet and a bit smoky, although it could stand to be a wee bit juicier or saucier. I like my pulled pork sammies messy!
All in all, it was a solid meal and was on par for Rogue’s — dependable food and drink with steady, friendly service. Like the rest of you reading this, I’ll be back to Rogue’s before too long.

Am St. Patrick’s Day ist in Halifax alles auf den Beinen und macht auf Irisch. Mich hat es am Abend in Rogue’s Roost verschlagen.
Man kann dort ganz ordentlich essen. Hauptsächlich sollte man aber die im Hause gebrauten Biere probieren. Neben den üblichen Sorten wie Red, Brown, Raspberry Wheat und Stout gibt es auch Biere der Saison.
Das beste aber war die Musik. Drei Jungs mit zwei Folk-​Gitarren und einem E-​Bass. Super Stimmen — Super Stimmung. Nach den ersten drei Liedern wurde ausgelassen getanzt. Das Publikum setzt sich aus Mitt-​Zwanzigern bis Mitt-​Dreißigern zusammen. Aufmerksame Bedienung, die sich auch gegenüber einem Ausländer bei erhöhtem Lärmpegel verständlich machen konnte.
Ein schöner Abend!
Die Bilder sind von der Rogue’s Webpage.