Lion & Bright

I was having a pint at 5pm and was waiting to order food from the evening menu (starts at 5pm). I was seated at a two person table and was told that unless I was accompanied, I would have to move to one of the communal bar tables. I was taken aback and asked the waiter «so, you’re telling me that unless I am accompanied, I can’t have a table to eat and drink my beer? «to which he confirmed «yes its because we’re busy for dinner «. I was very offended and asked for the bill which I paid without finishing my beer and left. Unilocalers: please comment. Am I wrong to be offended?
This place was one of my fav hangouts in Halifax, so I am pretty disappointed and will probably try to go elsewhere in the future. (To think that 5 minutes earlier, I was looking at buying a Lion & Bright t-​shirt.)
(SEE JOSHUA Y’s review below mine. Is this place having trouble surviving? If so, the new Gestapo table police will certainly not be the solution)

Not bad… used to be amazing… now good… we shall see…
I was debating a 3.5 or 4 star but I needed to take it down a notch from how I would review L&B in previous years.
Overview
Lion & Bright has been an excellent place for people to come, meet, talk business or just spend time with friends and family. However, these days they are getting to be a bit on the strict side when it comes to where people can sit. That’s the reason for them losing a star. One of the employees was really playing Sheriff with making sure people ate their food and left so they could free up the «lunch tables». Didn’t even know they were lunch tables. There was a time when the place was a free-​for-​all and to my knowledge, no one complained. Now if this is an idea of theirs to ensure they make as much money as they can at lunch time… it won’t work. It’s been turning people off and away. I have seen on multiple occasions customers asked to sit elsewhere to work and have their coffee and they would simply leave. But onwards to the reasons it at least gets three stars.
1. Consistency: Besides the above mentioned issue, everything else at Lion & Bright is very consistent. Love their food and their tea selection and when I drank coffee, I loved that too!
2. Customer Service: Depends on the person nowadays. It is getting to a point where I’m sensing the management or owners are doing some business-​squeezing and the staff aren’t having as much fun as they used to. That’s going to bite them if that’s the case. Oh and if the owners are listening to this, the solution isn’t telling your staff to just smile more. The solution is find out why they aren’t as happy as they used to be and fix that.
3. Atmosphere: Fantastic! One of the best in the city. It has a slight industrial yet relaxed element to it. And they support local artists on their walls.
4. Location: Really good. Somehow I always find parking.
5. Washrooms: This is always a mark to help you gauge how clean the kitchen is actually. And the mens washroom is very clean and stylish. A lot of thought was put into the design of every section of the coffee shop/​bar.
6. Food: Really good! I’ve never been disappointed. The variety and presentation is quite nice as well.
Conclusion
Lion & Bright started off with a bang and have been keeping that bang going for quite a few years successfully. But like a prized fighter who is getting a bit tired and wants to take the easy route, I’m noticing some new ways of working that are turning people off. We’ll have to just wait and see how things continue. I’ll still go, but other coffee shops/​bars aren’t far from their location anymore. So the pressure is on.

I’m missing something here. I am not totally getting it.
I love trendy places. I do. But this place did not do it for me. I liked the layout and atmosphere. Communal tables, great idea. Gives us laptop workers another place to do our work. However, on a date night with my friend, I really didn’t feel it was worth the $ 70 bill.
We shared a few entrees. Let me be clear, these were supposed to be entrees. Well… they seemed to be as small as a tapa. The food was cooked and seasoned well. Selection was inspired and great, however, the portions caused me to feel so disappointed. And I have heard this from friends, so I know it wasn’t just what we ordered. Beer selection was good. The drinks were fine. I like the servers idea of not bugging us, but being attentive.
I will try again, but for now, there are other spots I like better.

Not entirely impressed. Firstly, the interior decorating is really nice; there’s a lot of natural sunlight and the communal tables are a nice touch. In general beautiful décor, but the food and prices? not so much.
Coffee sizes are a notch or two smaller than the average café, and the coffee itself could use some improvement, what with the blends having a really strange sour taste. Also, food portions are small and prices are high; for example, it’s $ 7.50 for a grilled cheese sandwich. Also, beers are generally a dollar above regular price points for a pint in the city, but they have some good microbrews worth checking out, but you’re better off finding these at other pubs and bars in the city for more reasonable prices.
Overall, it has a cool look and you get a sense of the atmosphere it was striving for. However, it gives off a real «seen-​or-​be-​seen» type vibe that might turn some people off, although this has more to do with the sort of clientele rather than the place itself. It’s a place worth checking out at least once, but it’s not particularly inspiring, and seems to be part of that standard hipster-​café you’d come to expect in North End Halifax, only that it doesn’t seem to, or really want to, reinvent the wheel in any sort of way.

Absolutely wonderful first experience. Nice open space, natural light, minimalist but warm décor — fresh menu with local ingredients and great pricing. Staff were lovely and attentive — and they make a fantastic chai latte.

Very classy place; the wooden tables and rustic look really add to the relaxed atmosphere. Drink menu always hits the spot! Great place to meet up with friends or study/​read, as well as check out the local food market that is attached to.

I visited Lion and Bright for the first time last weekend, and was incredibly impressed. The space is large and spacious with high ceilings. It has a fantastic ambience and sort of urban-​hipster, industrial feel to it. Their walls are covered in paintings by local artists, which rotate every so often. The beer menu here is fantastic. I like bitter, hoppy, unfiltered, full bodied, amber-​red type beers and they had many options to enjoy! I had a few oysters too, which were delicious! Servers were friendly and accommodating when our group grew and we had to relocate to a larger table. Also a fun and mixed crowd in here — I like that!
Overall loved the place and will be back in the near future!
One minor complaint– bathrooms aren’t noticeably labelled by gender and I took a few visits to the men’s washroom unexpectedly. My suggestion? Get with the times! Gender neutral bathrooms.

A friend recommended it and so who am I to argue? Had one of their 2 Meat /​2 Cheese mix plates and was not overly impressed for $ 26. There was 2 oz. of meat and another 2 or maybe 3 oz. of cheese and some other spartan sides (jelly/​mustard). Looked at the menu and decided to leave after this appetizer. Love supporting local, but at this price, sorry.

Came here for coffee last Sunday and ended up staying for brunch and I wish we had just stuck with coffee because the coffee was excellent but the food was terrible. We both ordered the eggs benny on brioche which arrived cold on an obviously stale and very dry piece of brioche. The eggs were over cooked to the point that the yolks were grey and the whites tasted strongly of vinegar. It was too bad because my soy latte was first rate, the service was good and I liked the atmosphere. On a positive note the entire meal came to 15 dollars including a tip so not over priced but not an overly great spot for brunch either. My recommendation would be to stick with Lion & Bright’s drinks and avoid the food.

I recently moved back to Halifax and have been delighted to have come back to town with a place like lion and bright. Perfect size portions of delicious food at lunch, and delicious breakfast items (danishes and quiche are my fave). Lion and bright has a great atmosphere to either do work or drink — both activities I enjoy.
I tell all my friends to come here!

HORRIBLE. I’m sorry but I’m not coming back.
Me and my dear friend went to this place to go and try it out, sure it was brunch time but nothing on the menu was clicking to me because it’s so tailored to Hipster groups and cliché cliques that are into «whats hot and whats not» sorta things… My friend said the coffee was ok and get this… when I had a glass of coke [in a mason jar] it was so watered down from so much ice and that me thinks the machine needed to have a replacement for the syrup dispenser it tasted like sugar water, nothing else. No I’m not coming back. I’m too classy and Fed up with Cafes that try to be unique that end up overdoing it

Communal tables, local art, coffee, food and of course local beer. Lion and Bright covers all of of these bases and more. I have been going to this place more often lately and it is really growing on me. The staff is great and they love to give tips on which beer you should try on any given night. There is art on the wall to admire and fantastic coffee to drink during the day, this place changes from a coffee shop in the day to a fantastic bar during the night.
Plus where else city can you go to the bathroom and have chalk provided so you can create wall art or leave a reflective message.

The only problem I have with Lion and Bright is that I don’t live closer. Okay now that I think about it I have two problems. The other is that everyone and their sister seems to love this place too and the past couple times (day and night) I’ve gone, I find myself walking right back out. The place is packed. It’s off the hook busy. I love both sides of the coin at Lion and bright. When I was jobless and on the hunt it was a great camp site for overloading on coffee and convincing myself someone would interview me as I applied to countless postings that, as it turned out, no one wanted to interview me for. The coffee, I think, is great and the sweets are good too.
It’s weird that the same place turns into a happenin watering hole at night. The lights dim, local beer on tap, the apps are interesting — before I started going everyone raved about the $ 5 beef jerky. Slowly I became one of those ravers.
I know I started this review with negatives, but I love the atmosphere and the interesting people that always gather here. I have to give it 5 stars.

Great coffee, good drinks, terrible food. On more than one occasion, even after complaining, I have been served hot food here with things that should not be hot in them. For example, grilled wraps with grilled lettuce in them and quiche pastries filled with baked bean sprouts… Tastes like warm compost.

My ode to lion & bright:
This place is basically the love of my life right now. You can find me there just about every Friday night, I just can’t stay away! I almost don’t want to write a review because I want it to remain a secret but based on how busy it’s been the past few weekends I think is safe to say the secret is out. I suppose first, I can say the drink list is it of this world. This is where REAL bartenders work and show off their art. The cocktails are amazing, try the cucumber gimlet, my go to. They have a fantastic daily/​weekly local beer list. Any beer from tatamagouche is amazing. Or ask for a amazingly divine night cap, the espresso martini.
Now onto the décor this place is pleasantly urban, industrial, and raw. Dim lighting, and candle lit tables in the evening make this place especially sexy. Everything from the tables, bar, even down to the floors suit this description. It is very a very hip place, from the décor, to the people who go there. The staff can offer recommendations at the drop of a hat (drink or food), and do it in such a friendly manner. Also, they are very good at remembering you and your drink order! Welcome home!
I can honesty say I’ve never been there before 6pm but they apparently have an amazing coffee/​brunch menu (with cocktails to match). I would recommended coming to this place with friends to share a cheese plate and charcuterie board. Or share one of their amazing small plates, such as a hot pie. Or dig into their amazing tacos, the haddock one is messy but bursting with flavour! Also, they changed their clip-​board menus fairly often, seasonally appropriate and keeps you coming back!
LB is connected to the local source market, and lately they’ve been having some oyster nights on Friday from 6 – 8, how fabulous! My last comment is the chalk board lined walls in the bathroom, how clever!

Part coffee shop, part bakery, part wine bar, Lion & Bright doesn’t really know what it is, and I love it. It’s a splendid early morning to late evening mix of food, drink, and North End community space, serving in each role marvellously.
I had made it to other North End hip haunts earlier in my trip to Halifax – Field Guide, Edna, The Nook – but Lion & Bright is a smidge further North still, meaning the local vibe here isn’t put on or a farce, but through and through for real. Connected to the Local Source Market, the kind of place I would never actually do my grocery shopping but might dream of Sunday shops through their well curated aisles, Lion & Bright feels like a community gathering place as much as it does a coffee shop or a restaurant. A bank of seats have been demarcated as wifi seating, with industrial power boxes offering AC power from the ceiling. (This, I thought, was a clever fix to the clustering problem of computer users around the perimeter where there were power outlets and the big, roomy tables go a long way to saying, ‘you’re welcome to sit and work here’).
I came in for breakfast – a thoughtful if small menu of mostly continental-​style options. Coffee, by local Anchored Coffee with Foxhill milk was predictably excellent. A yogurt parfait accompanied by a local jam and granola was incredibly fresh and satisfying, and an order of toast, hearty bread served with a blueberry jam rekindled my love for a great berry jam. This was ‘lick your knife’ good – local berries and not gummy and sugary like the jar stuff. I left stuffed for $ 9 – and could have done with less food to fill my gaping hole of a stomach – so I can’t call Lion & Bright pricey. What amounted to a well rounded, fresh, local, hearty brunch for $ 9 was delicious and hardly worth a complaint.
While I can’t speak to it’s afternoon and evening offerings, as a place to idle through a local breakfast with a newspaper and friends or people watch a weekend morning away, Lion & Bright holds a high mark and makes it worthy of a visit.

Part of the great transformation going on in the north end, Lion & Bright is an interesting mix of a café and bar located between Local Source Market and Agricola Street Brasserie.
It’s a nice and open space inside — a large room with several long, wooden tables, some smaller ones and a combination of a bench and banquette along the brick wall on one side of the restaurant. A coffee counter on one side and bar at the back completes the room, which is finished with the de rigueur of cool, modern restaurants — hanging light bulbs with exposed elements. It’s a nice atmosphere, if not particularly unique. I will give them kudos though for their use of an ampersand in their name instead of jumping on the bandwagon of the plus sign. Ampersands for life!
While waiting for some friends to show up, my girlfriend and I ordered some drinks and one of their bar bites, pretzels with wholegrain honey mustard. To drink I went with the bourbon mint lemonade. As one would expect, it was a refreshing drink with the tartness of the lemonade and the punch of the bourbon, with just a hint of mint that didn’t overwhelm the other ingredients. The pretzels took way too long for a single small appetizer, about half an hour. The four thick pretzel sticks were stacked nicely, with the mustard on the side. I found the pretzels to be a bit on the stale side, not dry and crunchy like a regular pretzel, just slightly not quite right. The honey mustard somewhat helped out with that, although the honey didn’t make a noticeable appearance.
When our friends showed up, we got a couple of meats off their charcuterie list, going with a fancy pants ham and cured beef. Both were quite tasty, although I preferred the ham. Plenty of toasted baguette slices came with the board, which is often not the case at other places, and I also enjoyed the beets that came on the side.
I switched to some of the local and regional beers they have on tap, with some being better than others as it often goes when sampling beer. It would be a good idea for them to have some sort of light on their chalkboard draft menu as it became illegible once it got dark outside.
The menu is obviously made for change as it comes simply on small printed sheets of paper on a clipboard. There are several interesting items on it including some of the other bar bites (two types of jerky, maple chili popcorn), a few kids of tacos, meat and cheese plates, hot pies and grilled cheese sandwiches. We were all seduced by the allure of the tacos, and I was very interested in their housemade corn tortillas. Our server said the Korean beef were the best in his opinion, so I went with those.
The wait for our plates of tacos didn’t seem quite as bad, but I was a few more drinks deep and conversation was flowing just as freely. Upon arrival, the tacos looked nice, although I couldn’t smell the intoxicating scent of freshly cooked corn tortillas that I got hooked on in the States. The first bite didn’t allay those fears and the somewhat chewy meat made for a mouthful of disappointment. The single tortilla used in each didn’t hold up well either, falling apart after a bite or two. Learn from the pros — street-​side taquerias — and double up.
The beef jerky was a big hit — salty and rich, with just enough chew to be pleasant, but not requiring the jaw work that your typical gas station jerky needs.
With the level of competition in the north end and the city as a whole, Lion & Bright needs to step up their kitchen-​related game, both the pace at which food comes out and the finished product. That being said, I wouldn’t mind giving this oxen-​named bar another chance to pull its weight, however my pace to return will likely match that of the lumbering animals.

This place is a definite ⁵⁄₅ in terms of atmosphere. I was immediately drawn in walking by, by the dim warehouse-​looking interior, which manages to look VERY HIP. i’ll also give them credit where credit is due, I bet this place was fairly cheap to renovate, the light fixtures, as you can see from the pictures, are just lights suspended by a wire. The tables are reminiscent of a giant picnic table, BUT IT WORKS! Genius.
Ok. To get to the food/​drinks. I haven’t tried that much but what I have tried has been good. The first drink I tried was a lemon basil gimlet which a) made me feel extremely classy and b) was stiff, and quite good. My friends got the L&B old fashioned and they enjoyed them. I also enjoyed a espresso chocolate mousse which was by far one of the most delicious chocolate treats i’ve had the privilege of enjoying.
The main complaint with Lion and Bright is that the prices are high. $ 9 – 10 for a cocktail, ouch. This is also why I’m not here as much as I’d like to be, my friends are predominantly students who understandably don’t want to pay that much for a drink.
Overall I really like it, but wouldn’t come here if I was short on cash. I’d really like to try the food sometime.

So, hurricane Arthur… or Tropical Storm Arthur, came through Halifax this past weekend. Blowing out the power in many parts of Halifax, including my work! So what are people to do on a Saturday afternoon with no work? Eat and drink, obviously!
We all lived nearby so were extremely happy to see Lion and Bright was open for business, and not just the basics, the full meal deal! Lunch specials and music and amazing customer service! We were excited to take advantage of our day off and our server was more than happy to help us out! She made sure we knew about all the options available, which are generally made with amazing quality ingredients and unexpected combinations that work very well!
I had a grilled cheese with zucchini and a fantastic assortment of delish cheeses with a ½ pint of Bulwark Cider, all for 10 $$, there were also some veggie wraps, a tofu burger and some frittatas ordered. Many options and it was only 2pm! Not to mention their fully open bar and there non-​existent judgment of us drinking at 2pm!
We then enjoyed the speedy service and quality time together, before digging into some amazing desserts! Chocholate Cheesecake and a Honey Lemon Panna Cotta! These were equally amazing, I am a light dessert lover and the panna cotta was just enough and not overwhelming after a meal. The Chocolate Cheesecake is a great option to share as it is very rich, just the way it should be!
I have only been to Lion & Bright for lunch so far but I am aiming to be going back very soon and ideally in the evening to get a new perception of this great local spot! Not to mention the completely lovely fact that it is within a 2 minute walk from my place makes it a MUST for future meeting spots!

Stopped in on a whim this week and was pleasantly surprised! The atmosphere is bright (as the name suggests), clean and inviting. The staff was very friendly and helpful. My partner and I shared the fish tacos and the parsnip maple soup. Both were modest servings but very tasty. I would go back for the food. My partner had a coffee which was also good, and local. I found myself wanting to try their drafts and sweet treats, which is a good sign that I should come back. The space feels very communal and it’s easy to move around, a feature that is important in a neighbourhood like the North End where many people know each other and want to socialize, although I suspect it would get quite noisy in the evenings due to lack of sound absorption.
Lion and Bright are doing a lot of things right, and it is a place that I want to continue to give my business. Support local!