Halifax is an Atlantic port and eats like one. Lobster, scallops, haddock and mussels are the staples, and the scallops from Digby, along the province’s western shore, are among the best anywhere.
Oysters are the local obsession. Nova Scotia and neighbouring Prince Edward Island produce distinctive cold-water oysters, and Halifax restaurants list them by growing site, which makes a comparative tasting straightforward.
The donair is the city’s own invention and its official food: spiced beef on a spit, shaved into a pita with a sweet condensed-milk garlic sauce. It is a late-night institution. The Seaport Farmers’ Market, running since 1750, claims to be the oldest continuously operating market in North America.