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Halifax Alehouse
Categories: Restaurants Canadian (Traditional) Nightlife Bars Canadian (Traditional), Bars [Edit]
1717 Brunswick StHalifax, NS B3J 2G4
(902) 423-6113
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 10 am - 3:30 am
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Delivery:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Music:
- DJ, Live
- Best Nights:
- Fri, Wed, Sat
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- No
- Coat Check:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
13 reviews for Halifax Alehouse
13 reviews in English
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Review from Kim H.
12/7/2011 2 Check-ins Here
I am torn on the Alehouse - I don't mind it but I don't love it either. I have always had ok food and service there but I have never had great service or great food. The waitresses range from nice to downright neglectful, and the food I have had has ranged from tasty to overcooked. I guess I find them inconsistent - it's almost like it depends on who's working or something.
I also don't find the environment to be the most comfortable - most of their tables are either the super-high ones with stools that I can barely climb up into, or the low picnic-style ones with hard benches. And those picnic style ones seem large until you get more than 4 people around them, then it feels cramped. I think they only have one large booth at the back - which, granted, is very large - so if you come with a group of 6 or more you won't have many options unless you put tables together in front of the stage downstairs.
Also, I was there recently and sat downstairs and it was FREEZING! I don't know if it's just not heated very well because it's an old/airy building or if it's because the door is opened/shut so often, but I had to wear my coat the whole meal and that was really annoying. This isn't really an issue in the evening when it's crowded, but this shouldn't be an issue anytime, theoretically.
This being said, I do like the old building it's in and the way it's laid out - I like that you can stand at the railing at the top and overlook the stage to get a better view of the band. And they usually have pretty good live music here on the weekend evenings. And it IS a pub, so you have to expect a certain level of quality in terms of food and service since it's mostly about the beer and music when it comes right down to it.
Basically this is a place I would go if I was only interested in a few beers and some music with friends - and no one is picky about where we go. -
Review from Tiffany T.
Halifax, NS
10/4/2011
I used to thoroughly enjoy the Alehouse, maybe because I ended up there quite often when I was younger. But now, not so much.
You have to enter from the side door, which is fine. But they will let you leave from the Brunswick exit, but you can't get back in (smoker's beware, you will have to get back into line at the side door). I did like that the patio was still open and we could sit outside with a beer in hand.
Cover is not cheap and drinks aren't either. Where can I have a cheap good time, anyway?
The band takes forever to get on stage, they play cover songs all night and then the Alehouse turns into a country version of the Dome or Palace. This is what I liked about the Alehouse before, you could dance and drink without college kids coming up behind you and trying to grind on ya. Well, that's no longer true.
booListed in: 30 Day Yelp Challenge
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Review from Craig S.
3/26/2011
Some low reviews on this spot and some seem to be due to the later hours of which I have not experienced. So my 3 stars are because it was okay-good. Food was edible - some sort of club sandwich. The server was friendly and attentive.
They seem to have a decent variety of beverages which is expected given it is the "Alehouse"!
I'd go back for a quick bite to eat. -
Review from Adam B.
Halifax, NS
1/8/2010
The Alehouse is the home of bad wings and even worse DJ's. On any given night you will hear the following: Beer for My Horses, Sweet Caroline (Twice), Free Falling, Save a Horse Ride A Cowboy (Twice!), The Mull River Shuffle and Feel the Same Way Too. Did you miss one of those songs? No problem, go back the next night and you'll be sure to hear them all again.
And of course, Barrett's Privateers, how could I ever forget?
The problem with the Alehouse is that it tries to be authentic to the point that it is a parody. Go there once and have a great time if you're a come-from-away, but if you start frequenting the Alehouse you're trading a true Nova Scotian experience for what people who don't know any better call a true Nova Scotian Experience.
The Alehouse is always overstuffed on weekends and it can get very uncomfortable and you can grow a beard (yes, even me) waiting for a beer.
You may wonder why this is not a one star review, given that I don't seem to have anything nice to say about the Halifax Alehouse, well, allow me to explain. The Alehouse is a fun bar to visit once in a blue moon or twice a year and if you're in University all your collar-popped friends are going here so you might as well tag along. Go once or twice and sing along to Sweet Caroline and you'll have an alright time, but it gets old very fast. Neil Diamond was right, good times never seem so good... -
Review from Kris O.
Halifax, NS
9/30/2010
Alright, here's the deal. I used to absolutely love this place, I was there twice a week at times. There are not many places where you can still get a great deal like a pound of wings and a pitcher of beer for $11. They still do this and that's awesome but it's after 10pm when things start going sour.
If you're in before 10pm obviously you're not waiting in line, however I showed last weekend right around 10pm, bouncer out front checking IDs and about 10 - 15 people in line. I waited in line for 20 minutes and watched about another 15 people line up behind me. Not a single person was let in. Standing there frustrated I started thinking back to my experience with helping run / promote a bar. I was trying to figure out what legitimate reason they would have for not letting any of us in and making us wait for 35 minutes. Maybe cleaning up after dinner, moving tables off the dance floor to set up for the evening, setting up the front door for cover. These all would have been reasonable.
Finally I'm let in and it's 10:35pm, I pay a ridiculous $7 cover charge and make my way to the bar for my first drink. I order my drink of choice a double rum and coke. $11.50 and it tasted like it was made with dish detergent. So I had only walked from the door to the bar and spent $20 after tipping the girl taking cover (and I bet she earned it sitting on that stool flirting with the bouncer) and the bartender. For a place that caters mainly to students, you've messed up big time.
Then I take a walk around the bar, people are still eating, all the tables are still on the dance floor and the bar is relatively empty. So all the reasons I had come up with for having to wait in line for 35 minutes were false. If you exclude the time I waited in line I've been in the bar for about 5 minutes and I'm already having a bad time, unimpressed by the management and been robbed. But I've still got my friends walking in the door which is sure to turn the night around, after all it doesn't matter where you are as long as you're with good people.
We grab a table order a few more overpriced drinks and start to relax. Fast forward to midnight, the band is still not on but the bar is getting packed, for someone who comes out to a bar because they have a live band instead of a DJ, this is a little annoying. I get that the place is open until 3:30 in the morning but come on.
They finally take stage somewhere between midnight and 12:30, and a few of us decide to head down and bust a move. Although at this point, moving is a bit of an exaggeration. The place is so overfilled that you can't dance and you can barely get to the bar. This isn't just on the dance floor but on the stairs, on the second floor as well, and in / around the only washrooms which are located in the back of the main floor (the area with the slot machines is bigger than the washrooms btw). I don't have to look outside to know that there's a huge line and for some reason they're still letting people trickle in.
Before you start accusing me of being a little bitch who can't handle the downtown seen, consider this. I love going out, I love dancing and I love having a good time, anyone who knows me will tell you that. But none of that is happening at this place (well I guess I'm out but you get the idea). Looking around there are people who seem to be having a good time but they're either one broken heal away from being kicked out they're so drunk or they're sucking face with someone they just met. I'll admit it would be hard not to have a good time in that situation.
I take off shortly after two following a rule that was taught to me by a phenomenal TV show, How I Met Your Mother. But this was after being convinced twice to stay by friends who seemed to be hoping that things would get better if we just stayed longer. I'm guessing this is the feeling of a lot of people in this place.
So when it comes down to it, a bar catering to students should not have ridiculous cover and drink prices. The wings and beer deal is awesome I will admit but if you're out on a budget, get out of the bar by 10pm and go somewhere else. If you stick around there's a pretty good chance you will get trampled to death and nobody would even notice until the bar finally emptied at 4am. Also if there's ever a fire, everyone in that place is screwed. -
Review from Laura P.
3/25/2010 1 photo
Aye Carumba.
If you enjoy a night alongside the obnoxious personalities of overgrown frat boys and twiddling belles- this place may stand a chance.
But I don't have it in me to give this place two stars. From start to finish, a night out to the Ale House is utterly exhausting. I'll start with the incredibly mean-hearted bouncers. Where do these guys come from? Where are their mothers? They take great pleasure in snipping at anyone who crosses their path just because they can. The 'Ale House way' seems to approach people with suspicion and disregard, as oppose to embracing a fun evening out. (I realize they need to be thorough, but common.) I'd even go as far to call their behavior aggressive.
Once you finally get in and pay an overpriced cover charge, the place is a state mass confusion. Standing shoulder to shoulder in a thick cloud of sloppy mess, there is hardly an escape. Every single cliche 'good times' tune you could imagine plays on full blast, and I've found myself questioning the topic of my own moral integrity.
I enjoy a good night out. Let loose and get silly, weee! But this place... it urks me to think of ever going back. Its just a bad dream. Between the mean staffers, poor music choice and suffocating setting, there is absolutely nothing enjoyable about this Halifax bar. -
Review from Courtney M.
Halifax, NS
10/24/2009
The Halifax Alehouse is definitely a student bar, but if you can get past that (a few pints ought to help) then you can be in for a great time!
Local bands play here on weekends and typically play the 'Halifax favs' of sing along tunes such as: 'Sweet Caroline' along with some rousing maritime songs by bands like Flogging Molly and Great Big Sea. Get here early if you want to avail yourself of the secluded booths upstairs or just a table in general.
On Monday, Wednesday and Saturday from 4:30-10:00pm you can get a pitcher of Canadian and 10 chicken wings for $10.50. What's not to like about that? -
Review from Mary B.
9/2/2008
Earlier in the day when traipsing up the hill to the Citadel, the Leffe sign outside the Alehouse beckoned to me and I made a mental note to come back later to check the place out.
Fast forward a few hours and we're perched at a wooden table under a softly lit lantern, gazing at an old school beer bottle collection and a Jays game. O CANADA. After some initial confusion, our waitress (decked out in Bavarian beer maid threads) drops off menus and we peruse the copious beer selection and pub grub. I zeroed in on the fish and chips, as my previous evenings' F&C offering did not properly satisfy. My order was rounded out by a Pump House Blueberry Ale (from Moncton, holla to the herring chokers) and a greek salad to share.
The ale was delicious and served chilled. So nice, I had it twice. The greek salad was chock full of excellent veggies with no sign of filler iceberg lettuce. Then came THE fish and chips. Serious wonderment and awe. The haddock was fresh and tasty and the batter was crisp and light. The chips were done Belgian style with a creamy dill mayo on the side.
We fled when the bouncers started stalking the door and the lower dining area was cleared to become a dance floor so I have no idea what it's like after hours. But for a low key pub dinner, truly excellent indeed.Listed in: Have I.D., Will Travel., Livin' it up on AST
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Review from Candice W.
St John's, NL
9/29/2010
Drop by here if you're into university freshmen and being jostled around by huge, sweaty crowds like an awkward orgy. The kids get super drunk and they don't care about who they're groping. I once watched one girl wrap her legs around a guy's waist while simulating sex against the wall.
But hey, watching the scene from the open-roof above is entertaining. Plus the live music is...okay. -
Review from Lindsay K.
Halifax, NS
2/6/2010 1 photo
I always feel bad giving a one-star review, but in this case I just have to; nothing about this place merited two stars.
The waitress we had was absolutely the worst one I've ever experienced. She was snooty and rude, and neglected our calls for more drinks on more than once occasion. Not only were we ignored a couple of times, but our orders were messed up almost every time. We kept getting the wrong beer and drinks. I ordered a Keith's and received a Guinness... that's not quite the same. What's even more is that we were charged for the Guinness instead of the Keith's, which is a lot cheaper. We had to spend at least 10 minutes going through our bill and made about three changes before we were satisfied paying.
As if the service wasn't bad enough, the food wasn't good either. The wings were dry and seemed to be way too crunchy. We finished the first batch and actually had to cancel the second that was on the way. Lucky for us, the second wasn't brought to us right away.
I guess I don't really feel like giving any more than one star. Can you see why? -
Review from Tiffany S.
Toronto, ON
1/5/2010
Awful bouncers. So awful that my 9 friends and I visiting from Toronto turned around and left.
As a third year university student from Toronto in Halifax for a conference last year I was excited to check out a maritime bar with the 9 other students on the trip.
All excitement was dashed the moment I set foot in this place. It was early (9pmish), we were the only people in line, when I came inside I looked around to an empty floor and bar with a handful of patrons. That's when the bouncer grabbed my shoulder, spun me around and asked me where the f**k I thought I was going. I was standing still at this time and should also mention I'm a female of slender build, studious and with no attitude at all that would have provoked this kind of man-handling. He shoved me towards a nook off to the side with an attendant taking cover charges.
Fair enough, the place has cover. Living in Toronto I even get that bouncers can be huge jerks. I was not prepared for this rough, extremely rude, and unwelcoming greeting however. My friends and I turned around and left. On the way out we found another bouncer giving one member of our group a hard time because he thought her ID was fake. We all had Ontario IDs, just because she used a hair straightener before coming out didn't make hers fake. We were all 21-23.
The awful bouncer cost the bar 9 customers (university students who were basically on vacation) on a slow night. I recommend avoiding this place for somewhere more welcoming. -
Review from cheryl d.
Halifax, NS
6/24/2010 1 photo
Back in the day when the Halifax Ale House was Gerry's Pub and I remember this place used to be hopping and packed to the capacity where is was almost unsafe.
UMMM out with the girls on Saturday night we decided to stop at the Ale house for a beer and then continue on. Honestly things have changed and it is not a place that I would frequent if I was a regular DT.
Now some really like this location and say that the food is not that bad but for me I rather go further down in the trenches. -
Review from Krista L.
Westphal, NS
10/15/2009
The Halifax Alehouse is a true maritime bar, enjoyed mostly by the younger crowds.
It has a very basic setup with no fancy decor, so it's fine to go there on a Friday or Saturday night in jeans and a t-shirt. They have live music in there almost all the time, with entertainment by Kapyr, Shameless and other local bands that play all the favorite cover songs for a great night of fun and dancing. All the staff are uniquely dressed with the females wearing corsets and big puffy skirts, and the guys wearing shorts and suspenders.
If nothing else, you're guaranteed to have a unique Maritime experience when you go, but chances are that it'll prove to be much more.
