The Carleton

Emailed and called ahead for a group of girls to come and watch the show, after one reply from staff we arrived at the Carleton and we were informed by a very rude waiter that he could not accomdate us. Opted to try the shoe shop instead. Welcoming staff and great food there!!!

Great local spot. Went with a group of friends. Service was great. Food decent. Pub menu. Love music.

I was eager to try a new spot having been pre-​occupied with my accounting studies the past 2 months. It just so happened that one of my co-​workers was celebrating her retirement on Thursday and they chose The Carleton as the place of choice which excited me as I had heard lots of positive comments about the place.
We booked the private room for our party, which was quite cozy and possessed an 18^th or 19^th century charm with its stone walls while also having modern amenities like a flat-​screen TV and Wi-​Fi.
Most of the group assembled strongly favoured the calamari as well as the fish and chips, but I went with the baked haddock with basmati rice and seasonal vegetables along with a glass of cranberry juice. Since there were over 20 people in attendance, I thought I would also order a cup of seafood chowder as an appetizer.
The restrooms at The Carleton are a bit small, but were kept clean and they actually had a framed picture of some local groups (with a copy of one of their CD’s) above the urinals for some odd reason. Local talent featured in this framed picture included Great Big Sea, Rawlins Cross, and Natalie MacMaster.
The chowder arrived in 15 minutes and was one of the better chowders I have had in a while; there was a touch of spice to it, but it was really good and was the perfect appetizer for the main course. The haddock and vegetables arrived 10 – 15 minutes later and was very hot which is always a good thing. Although the rice was slightly bland, this does not deter the fact that I had a good experience on the whole and I would definitely come back in the very near future.
I actually did not hear a single complaint from our group regarding the food and a remark I heard quite frequently on the day was how much care was taken in both the preparation and presentation of the food. Our server was ‘top shelf’ as she was very attentive considering the level of noise in this small private room.
The Carleton seems like a happening place at night, between the music and the bar close by at less than 50 feet from the stage, so be sure to set aside some time to visit one of the more recognizable places in Downtown Halifax.

The carlton is a great music bar I find its best for live acoustic shows more then anything the staff are great and the food is awsome weekends there is normally a cover ($ 5) but we’ll worth it I would recommend this place to anyone

Best spot to listen to live music and have a cold one. Things tend to get weird at the later part of the night but that is the bar life for you. I have witnessed the bartenders dealing with problems really well so tip them good. They deserve it.

Tried this place for my birthday last night! I had a sangria and it was okay, wasn’t fruity enough for me personally.
I ordered the half rack ribs and they were delicious, as for the fries they were good but way too salty.
I was a little disappointed with the service as I tried to call to move my reservation to 5 as it was at 4 and no one would answer. Called 3 or 4 times and had to leave a message. Finally got someone after 4, to my knowledge it was busy but when we arrived we were the only ones there.
Great place !

I’m giving the Charleton 5 stars because it’s the best bar to see a band play at. I don’t usually go here unless I’m seeing a musician play. Have you been? They are so strict on the noise level, at first I was like. this is weird, it’s a bar. There will be noise, but after seeing a couple shows here, I can totally get behind the idea. It’s so nice hearing one of your favourite bands play without that drunk butthole at the table beside you screaming and yelling about how good it is, or how much he loves. whatever it is he’s currently loving. The service is really great as well. I had a few beers — I didn’t order any food when I was here, but I watched a lot of dishes coming out of the kitchen. They were plated beautifully. Can’t wait to check out the next show!

I’ve been to The Carleton a number of times over the past few years and have enjoyed it greatly each time. The combination of great food, atmosphere and music are enough to bring you in… but the frites… the glorious frites are the reason you will return. Guaranteed.
I’m not a french fry person but mother of God, the peppery frite goodness served up at The Carleton is hard to resist. Pair it with their tried, tested and true grown-​up grilled cheese made with smoked gouda, old cheddar and paprika mayo, and you’ll plotting your return visit before the bill even arrives. There is another grilled cheese on the menu now, as well… but the original is still the best in my books.

Service was terrific. Staff were as expected in Halifax super polite and friendly. Servers in Vancouver take note!
I had the steak and it was flavourful and tender. I have a place to go when in town for steak that is not the keg. Thank god.
My new go to place downtown.

Last night, we went to dinner at the Carleton. There was a group of us, about 12. I have to say I was tad skeptical because we had tickets to Neptune, the show started at 7:30 and there were so many reviews mentioning how slow the service was. We arrived at 5pm, the rest of the group trickled in until about 5:30 and I have to say, I was quite impressed. Even before everyone arrived we had a waiter come and ask us if we wanted anything to drink, provided us with menus and quickly brought our drinks back. As the evening went on, the waiter was extremely efficient, he was great at explaining anything anybody needed to know, i.e. the special of the day. He was right on top of everyone’s drinks and the appetizers that were ordered came very quickly. From where I was seated I could see him every so often looking over at us, I suspect he was eye balling our drinks, and I thought to myself, «that’s impressive» because he did it often. Our food orders were taken fairly promptly with enough time to sit and chat for a few minutes first. He took everyone’s order and shortly (shortly enough of course to cook everything of course) after our food arrived and it was DELICIOUS! I know there wasn’t too much chatting after our food arrived because everyone was just enjoying so much! I ordered the 8oz flat iron steak and frites, the steak was done to perfection «medium rare» and was so tender and flavorful. The frites were good but they were way too salty for my liking and had I known they were going to be salted like that, I would have asked them to bypass the salt. Everyone loved what they ordered, from pasta to pork sandwiches with blue cheese Then we went to dessert. I am a huge fan of carrot cake, IF it’s done properly, there were some tasty cheesecake offerings but I did opt for the carrot cake and let me tell you, I was so happy I did. The cheesecakes were all stunningly presented, and everyone raved about their desert. I sat quietly savoring every single bite of the giant carrot cake slice I received. It was so moist and had so much flavor and the icing was incredible. Kudos on the amazing food — the new menu is smart, and so delicious and wow. Also, the construction happening outside looks like it’s going to be fabulous as well. I can’t wait to go back.

I love this place. I really do. I love what they are trying to do with the music scene, and appreciate them for bringing me great new (and old) artists and reasonable prices. Thank you for that. FIVE stars.
But the food. Oh the food. I noticed a few months back that it was going down hill. But I though meh, that’s not their things really… the cocktails (delish) and drinks are their things, that accompanies the music. However, then I see they re-​vamped their menu, calling on Jane (from the on Commons) to help. I thought this was definitely in need of checking out. As well, they were offering 30% off for a period of time.
So off we go, prior to a hockey game (and yes we did give ourselves a lot of time). Luckily it was the tail end of happy hour so the shitty beer brands and wine (good wine though) were on for $ 5, good deal. The servers, as usual, I find are spread thin, and we could tell by looking at other tables, that after our drinks it was going to be a while to get the food. The new menu looked promising. I opted for the fish and frites, because I love their fries and I really felt like fish, R. got the bowl of seafood chowder. As we wait (a long time…) the table next to us gets their food in stages, with apologies. Then two of the people send it back because it wasn’t cooked thoroughly. The table in front of us also sends their appetizer back, and the table beside us has to go out of their way to find service. As we sit and wait, the two tables that came in after us got their food and were well into their meals before us. Usually we are not sticklers for time, but we had somewhere to be (so did the table beside us), and had already been there a while.
Finally our food arrives, the fish looks good. It is heavily battered, but that was fine, it was yummy. The tartar sauce being the best part. I usually ask for vinegar but alas our server was no where to be found. The frites were great as always. R.‘s chowder looked promising, full of seafood with a nice thick broth, however the taste was nothing… absolutely nothing. So bland. Not a spice to be had.
So as we sit and wait for our bill the people beside us flag another server down to ask for their and the server said «well who was your server» and the table said «we have no idea because two people served us and no one came back». Which is exactly how we felt. So disappointed in The Carleton. My used to go to fav.
So the bill never comes, it’s getting on game time. We have been in this resto for a while. I head up to the debit machine, I notice another man joins me and as my server is ringing me in (wrong, which needed correction), the man says «no one has come back to our table, we need our bill please». So this seemed to be the general feel across the resto. And they were not even full up that night. So being 30% we thought we were going to get away with a cheap night, somehow with two $ 5 drinks, a $ 10.50 bowl of chowder, and a $ 14 fish and chips. It came to more than it should have. Around $ 40. As I looked at the bill, I noticed the chowder was $ 2 more on the bill than the menu. Hah. I couldn’t be bothered saying anything.
Oh well… keep going with the music, really do. Halifax thanks you for that. But maybe cut the menu to delicious bites, apps, and shareables or try some new cooks.

4.5 stars– great spot for a leisurely lunch, nice tunes on the sound system, mostly by acts who have played here (blues, contemporary rock, Robyn Hitchcock!). We had the burger, frites, and caesar salad, all great & homemade.

They need a cook!
This was my 3^rd time at the Carleton and I want to like the place because they support local and great musicians.
She ordered a pasta and I ordered the strip loin medium rare. She said hers was overcooked 5 minutes. My strip loin was super thin, medium well done and the mashed potatoes were horrible. More like lumps because the cook was lazy. They offered another glass of wine, nice but did not show off any cooking skills. There was no salad, bread or veggies in a just meat and potatoes for $ 28.50. Had better for about half the price. House red was pleasant, especially the 2^nd glass.

The place has won awards from East Coast Music Awards and Music Nova Scotia for best venue for a reason.
It’s one of the few places in the city where you can go to a show, listen to music and have people around you not chatting up a storm like what happens at many other venues. The expectation is that this is a listening room and you don’t talk during the set.
Also if you have bought a ticket in advance, try to reserve an earlier time (maybe an hour to half hour before the show) if you want a good seat and not end up at the back of the venue. The venue makes their money off food and drink sales, so the earlier you get there to eat, the better.
Feeling kind of cash strapped? The frites are very affordable and very delicious. You’ll get a heaping mound of them for around $ 6.
Lots of notable Halifax musicians love the venue so don’t be surprised if Joel Plaskett or Matt Mays show up to play a song or two with whoever is playing that night.

I’m a little wary of giving the Carleton the coveted 5-​star rating as my review is only based on one experience, and I noticed some other not so great ratings on here. That being said though, my experience was really awesome and I have nothing but good things to say!
I went to the Carleton on a Friday evening around 8 o’clock with a girlfriend. We were promptly greeted upon sitting down at one of the only tables available. Would have been tough if there were more of us.
I really liked the look of the cocktail/​martini menu and had trouble deciding, everything looked so yummy. I ended up getting the Emergency and it was delish. This was followed by a different martini which was equally delicious.
For food, we decided to split three appetizers. An option they offer for 25 $.
We had:
Lamb Lollipops: Divine!!! So yummy! I think they are very popular
Mussels: Fantastic! Great dipping!
Artichoke dip: Some of the best I’ve tasted
I loved the atmosphere in here. I have never been to see a band here, but really look forward to coming again for this different experience.
Food and service were great, will definitely be back!

Oh, Carleton. I want to love you so much. So, so much
Your food is delicious, your wine is chilled to perfection, but your service… oh, the service.
Why must you be so slow. WHY???
I have been here for lunch, I have been here for dinner, I have been here for a fundraiser, I have been here for a busy Saturday night. And it doesn’t matter. I am always left sitting waiting for my chilled wine or my delicious food for WAY too long. It just makes me sad.
What makes me sadder is that I will continue to come back to you and wait for eons for my food and drink, all the while complaining about it to my dining companions and yet devouring my delicious food when it finally arrives.

Sometimes you go somewhere without a clue what to expect and you leave feeling disappointed…
This is not one of those times.
As a pre-​show get together for the Canada Heritage moments at the Carbon Arc (note to self: remember that review too), Meegan and I met some fellow Unilocalers here for some nosh and wine.
We were the first to arrive (around 5ish) and if I can give anyone a little piece of advice about going to check this place out for the first time let it be this — that was the perfect time to be there. There were only a few patrons inside so we were able to get some great service (both fast and super friendly). As it is a music bar and grill they seem to have an extensive list of upcoming events but when we went all was quiet.
While the menu can seem a little pricey we happened to go in during happy hour (4 – 6). Appetizers are 2 for 1, house wine $ 5 = Happy Tara!
There seems to be a lot of talk about the grilled cheese sandwich this place serves up but Meegan and I opted to for the lamb lollipops ($ 10ish), the torpedo shrimp ($ 9ish but remember we were there for happy hour) and then shared the Chipotle Chicken Sandwich with Avocado ($ 11ish). It was plenty of food for the both of us and I really thought everything was very good.
The house red was nothing to shake a stick at either (and three glasses later it was even better).
I loved the look of the place. Dark wood and plenty of seating without feeling like you’re bumping into one another. Located on the corner of Argyle and Prince it’s looks to be an awesome place to hang out especially on the patio during the summer.
If you go let me know how the grilled cheese sandwich is.

A new mom and I recently hit up the Carleton for a little food celebration. When we walked in it was pretty dead and were warned they were closing early for a private function. No worries on our end cause we had places to go and people to see. We were celebrating though and asked for a drink menu. Granted it was weekday and around 1:30, but the look of overall disapproval from the waitress was slightly uncalled for. Good thing we left the baby at home eh? My friend had an old school cocktail (and since she had not been drinking for well over a year was slightly tipsy after a few sips — highly amusing, I know), I chose a good glass of malbec.
We ordered their platter of custom appetizers and ended up picking some torpedo shrimp, lamb lollipops and the infamous Carleton frites. All were delicious — the dipping sauces were especially fantastic.
Although they were closing early, they didn’t rush us which we appreciated. The waitress though was a little pissy for some reason and gave us some attitude when we asked for change. Um, your service did not qualify for a 10 dollar tip lady — sorry. Overall, we walked out smelling like garlic and slightly warm and light headed — a good day if I ever saw one!

OK — so you missed the best show in Halifax this year — Matt Andersen at the Carleton! The Carleton is the prima venue in the Province for music, food and of course drink.
It holds only about 60 people, the stage is raised, as are the two back areas with tables, so sight lines are fantastic. Jon Cornwall has the sound system tweaked so that the audio matches the video (you know what I mean). The martinis, wine, beer are all top notch. Martinis in a cold glass, wines not found in the NSLC so they are a bit different than what you might be used to.
The food is excellent — plentiful, well presented and scrumptious.
Now some tips:
Get there early. Although all seats have good sight lines and sound, an early arrival means that you can pick a table close enough to pluck a guitar string on stage — if you wish — not that I am recommending this behaviour.
If you are there for a show, make sure to pay your bill a couple of songs before the encore. It will save you the after-​show rush and staff seem to appreciate the thought.
The final tip is to get on their mailing list. This is one place that provides special info to their mailing list that never makes it out to the public — like the fact that Matt Anderson was playing.
If you have never been there, pick a show and check it out. You will not be disappointed.

All is well at The Carleton. Never do I hesitate to send my clients to The Carleton for exceptional food (the frites!) and outstanding musical performances. The staff here are chipper, genuine, and on the ball as well.
For vegans the frites are THE BEST FRIES IN THE CITY. HANDS DOWN. Those long, skinny, salty sticks of deliciousness would grace my palate thrice weekly in my own personal foodie heaven. Also, the spinach salad with the pecans, mango, and ginger soy dressing will not disappoint. It is flavourful and filling, and I would bet that it’s also gluten free ! Bonus points: D I always ask how the other dishes are when I hear someone has recently gone to The Carleton. I have heard nothing but enthusiastic reviews of the other more carnivorous dishes they offer.
The best part at The Carleton is truly the music. Everyone is politely denied the use of their chatterboxes while the performer (s) are doing their thing. This way everyone wins, we are all graced with auditory perfection and love it all the more. Heck, there are even great speakers in the bathrooms so if you have to visit in the middle of a show you won’t miss a beat! Genius!
I appreciate how particular The Carlton is when they choose their musical performers. It seems clear that anyone who graces that beautiful stage is the cream of the crop. I love buying random tickets for artists I have never heard of before because it always blows my mind and I walk away at the end of the evening with a new favourite!
All in all, if you haven’t gone– GO.
If you’re humming and hawwing about going again– YOU’RE SILLY. Just buy the ticket and dedicate yourself to an awesome evening at The Carleton!