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The Good Food Emporium
Categories: Restaurants Breakfast & Brunch Restaurants Vegetarian Breakfast & Brunch, Vegetarian [Edit]
2186 Windsor StHalifax, NS B3K 5B8
(902) 422-3150
- Hours:
Mon-Tue 7 am - 6 pm
Wed-Fri 7 am - 9 pm
Sat-Sun 10 am - 2 pm
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Lunch, Breakfast, Brunch
- Alcohol:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
16 reviews for The Good Food Emporium
Review Highlights
"Mmm mmm mmm Tofu Sandwich, touch me all over."
(in 3 reviews)
"...ball is a crunchy little vegan treasure one must experience."
(in 4 reviews)
"I had the fish cakes which were excellent."
(in 3 reviews)
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16 reviews in English
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Review from Chad P.
Halifax, NS
12/2/2011 6 Check-ins Here
This place has helped me out in so many terrible times. So many Saturday mornings, broken and disheveled, I've stumbled through the door, and been greeted by lovely people who just want to help my hangover.
Breakfast? A splendid helping of beautifully sliced baked ham. Just enough. Home fries that contain CARROTS! and SWEET POTATOES! oh-em-eff-gee. With a little bit of cumin, and coriander, or something. Eggs that are always brilliantly done. And.. the bread.
THE BREAD. Struan bread is one of my favourite things ever. I'd marry it if I could. Also, you can buy it, and one time Neil Bailey did, and made garlic bread with it, and it totally looked like he burned it, but it was still moist and delicious on the inside.
I don't eat other things on the menu very often. Except the Ghettosocks. Sometimes a bowl of soup. The perogies are super good too. They put nutritional yeast flakes on them. It tastes like cheese.
Oh, the coffee's wicked good too. -
Review from Sandra M.
Dartmouth, NS
9/18/2011
This is a cute little place. I like the bright paint on the walls and the booths. The view is nice through the wall to wall windows and the washrooms were clean.
However...
Our service was terrible. The waitress didn't know anything about the menu items and then our food took an hour to come out with no updates from staff. Did she forget to put in our order or is there only one cook back there in the kitchen? Who knows. The food was - OK. One little tiny paper cup of maple syrup for 3 giant pancakes is a bit stingy and some more fruit would have been nice. The bread was delicious but the scrambled egg wasn't really scrambled. Just fried and then kind of sliced.
It took forever for our empty plates to be removed (two of them weren't) and getting up to pay at the counter when everything else is table service is a bit strange. Even stranger they rely on customers to remember what they had as there are no order receipts stored at the counter.
When I commented politely that our service had been questionable the answer I was given was that all the staff are new and the food will always take an hour to come out when it's that busy. I'm sorry, but it's pancakes, bread and eggs. Hire more staff because an hour wait for that in such a tiny place is unacceptable. I will not be going back. -
Review from Denise T.
Halifax, NS
9/14/2011
YUMMY! It's the best way to describe this place. Relaxing atmosphere, my food is always made with love, and the home made goodness is pure comfort! No deep fried food here, and everything on the menu is fresh, even the bread is home made.
If you enjoy food, you have to eat here.
Good Food Emporium feeds Candy Palmater ( The Candy Show) with awesome food and love!
Thank you for having an awesome place to pop in for a bite. -
Review from Eleanor M.
Point Edward, NS
7/30/2011
This is a nice little nook on Windsor street that I just discovered is ridiculously close to my soon-to-be apartment. I was visiting Halifax this week and was treating my friend for letting my sister and I stay at her place for the night. When I was showing the sis the area my apartment was in I noticed this place and immediately suggested going there for lunch (having heard good things) so we did.
Well, the restaurant is the cutest little thing ever! The inside is very colorful and full of a whole bunch of neat artwork, the staff are also very nice and cool. Upon ordering lunch for my friend and I, we received a little McDonald's toy so the waitress could find our table-- a nice little touch I must say! I'm glad they opted for toys instead of a little number.
The food was slightly disappointing though. I ordered the avocado melt while my friend decided on the ghettosocks (pretty similar to the melt, the only difference was an extra piece of bread really). Us kids that got the avocado stuff were pretty pleased. We also got some nice hearty yummy yummy soup (probably my favorite part of the meal, so full of curry and so delicious). Our food got there pretty snappy but the Emporium loses a star for the length of time it took for my sister and our other friend to get their meals (about 45 minutes). To be fair, the restaurant was busy and it looked like there was only one cook in the back (the poor girl!). But also my sister's veggie burger was burnt on one side and my friend's chicken melt had only a tiny bit of chicken on it and looked less than filling (she said it was tasty though).
For dessert I treated myself to a cookie (which was one of the best I've had in a while) while my friend got a cookie and a brownie (she liked the cookie a lot but she thought the brownie wasn't quite rich enough, which--after I tried a bite-- I agreed on).
I really want to go here again when it's less busy, I feel like that may have affected the quality, especially upon reading all of the rave reviews. I think this place needs a follow up visit... Stat! -
Review from Cadence M.
Halifax, NS
8/23/2011
GOOD FOOD EMPORIUM I LOVE YOU!!!
Though I don't get to go there as often as I used to, I love them and miss them now that I've moved. Good Food Emporium - pfft more like GREAT Food Emporium!! Also, Im pretty sure they have the best bread in the city hands down. -
Review from Terry K.
Halifax, NS
11/25/2011
yummy and good for you too. I love the atmosphere and food almost equally. The vibe is one of acceptance of all people of all walks and the food is for the soul. No processed crap to be found here. Only fresh made meals, coffee and treats. Even the bread is made fresh. This is one of my favorite places in Halifax to eat.
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Review from B H.
Halifax, NS
9/26/2011
I'm not a "scenster" and I'm not a "granola" so this will all be reflected in my review I guess. As a "square" going in I was horrified at the decor.. the tables... the chairs... the put-together-in-a-barn seats and benches. It's pretty shabby which made it look really dirty. But we decided to give it a chance. Most patrons were of the above mentioned and I guess as students and such... are used to sitting on crap like that.. sorry kids.
Ordered avacado sandwich and greek salad and my honey ordered fish cakes, ceasar salad and perogies.
The bread is yummy but really difficult to eat on a sandwich as it just kept breaking to pieces. The sandwich needed something... flavor that's it. It was filling and ingredients were fresh. I'd replace boring old mayonase with something with a kick perhaps. The salad was fresh and tasty.
My honey said the fishcakes were more like potato cakes. Lacking in fish. His ceasar salad was yummy and fresh. The perogies were okay but just potato so again bland. Perhaps cheese would have kicked it up a notch.
The staff were friendly. I especially liked the little girl behind the counter she was bubbly and sweet.
The water offered up in the crock pot was scary and drinking from a jar... um... maybe back in my university days when i couldn't afford a cup... so yeah... some glasses would be nice
would I go back? Nope
Fix up the inside... if you're catering to the "scenster" crowd from NSCAD at least hang some cool paintings offered for sale by local artists or something to go along with the surrounds. Just a thought.
and the food... tasteless... but i'll give it to them... it was fresh... -
Review from Ben B.
I really don't want to review this place. I really don't want to give it lots of stars. I really don't want everyone to find out about it. I really just want to keep this place a delightful secret for an inner circle of vegan-friendly, locally-focused, homemade-appreciating diners of which I am a very new member. But apparently this site is all about giving props where props are due...so fine, I'll do it but I'll do it begrudgingly.
When you head to someone's office for a lunch meeting and they say they'll provide the food, what do you expect? Pizza? Pete's made-to-go wraps? The nightmare of having to share several Chinese dishes with people you've never met and really can't fight for the vegetarian items without making a scene? Yeah. Me too. But today I was surprised with a selection of GFE sandwiches made on their own incredible bread and cookies that were so fresh that some of the chocolate chips were still all melty when we bit into them. RIDIC. I don't even remember the first half of the meeting.
The tofu sandwich? Yeeeaaaah. It was an ordeal. I really should have been alone to fully enjoy it. Not in a creepy way (okay, maybe a little bit), but in a perfectly normal way in which a man prefers to keep the company of a good sandwich to himself.
I seriously cannot WAIT to get my hungry vegetarian face all up in the GFE next time instead of takeout.Listed in: Vegetarian Bliss, Cheap Halifax Lunches, Seeking Out Sammiches
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Review from Teresa F.
Halifax, NS
Mmm mmm mmm Tofu Sandwich, touch me all over!
The GFE makes their own bread and let me tell you, it is fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine. If I wasn't thoroughly addicted to Ezekiel bread at home, this would be my absolute bread of choice. That's Reason #1 why I love their Tofu Sandwich so much.
Reason #2 is the positively magical, mysterious and unmockable mixture of tasty tofu that is so generously slathered throughout the center of this babe of a sammy. Even the mayo is vegan on this puppy. Goooooodness gracious, I could never decline the opportunity to chow on this should I find myself in the Gottingen street area.
The coffee is great (self serve!) with random and charming mugs. The ladies and gents of the GFE are quirky and also of the charming variety.
Oh, if you love the cheese and the avocado do yourself a sweet little favor and GET THE GHETTOSOCKS. My girlfriend loves the crap out of that thing. It also has the fiiiiiiiiiiinest bread in all the HFX land. Toasted.
Don't forget to check out the local art! Always impressive.
Oh, and the peanut butter crisp rice chocolate chip ball is a crunchy little vegan treasure one must experience.
Until we meet again, GFE! -
Review from Paul B.
3/31/2011
Not my usual kind of haunt - but I was invited for a free lunch which I couldn't pass up.
The place could be described as artsy, kitchy, run down and many other things. In other words, it's not a place that drew me in from street level.
Once inside, it had a nice vibe with a view right past the order counter into the kitchen and lots of small intimate nooks that housed lots of conversation. No TVs or VLTs here - just people.
The menu is on an overhead chalk board with some interesting choices - something with avocado and something - apparently called: Ghettosocks??
I had the fish cakes which were excellent. The accompanying chow and bread were fantastic. The payee had a tofu sandwich which turned out to be much more attractive that what I had pictured - no white slices of tofu between white slices of bread served here.
Overall it was a fun and interesting experience. Great food at great prices in an active and different venue. -
Review from Lesley-Anne S.
Halifax, NS
2/5/2011 1 Check-in Here
I should love this place, I want to love this place, but I don't. I think the atmosphere doesn't jive with me. Having said that, the food makes up for that.
What I do love: tasty bread (it's better as toast than for sandwiches. I find it crumbles apart easily) that's obviously homemade. The breakfast was terrific. No bacon, but the baked ham made up for that. The fried potato part of the breakfast was a pleasant surprise - it included sweet potato and carrot. I don't know what the jam was, but it was fantastic. One of the people I was eating with raved about the coconut-banana French toast. The coffee was also good. The staff are friendly and helpful.
What I don't love: I don't love self serve coffee/water and I feel like a snob for saying this, but I don't love mis-matched cups. We had to abandon the first booth we sat in because of a giant hole in the seat and exposed springs (we had too many people with us to ignore the hole).
It really is good food though, so I can see why people love it. I just don't love it as much as I want to.Listed in: North Ending, All Day Breakfast
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Review from Lacey H.
2/8/2010 7 photos
Ah, The Good Food Emporium, how do I love thee, let me count the ways. This North End, community centered and art oriented restaurant is a treasure, a sweet little place that sings to my taste buds and heart strings alike. It is a cooperative, as far as I understand, owned by a group of people that are as sweet as they are talented with the making of tasty dishes. Just this past Sunday, I went in for brunch with a group of friends. Now I have to be honest, I go to The Good Food Emporium every Sunday, and have been partaking in this weekly tradition for the last 6 months, with a consistent core group of about 5 friends. We've come to know our charming server, Bonnie, quite well - so, if I seem infatuated with most things Good Food, that's because I am. However, this should not detract from what I consider to be a well-informed and non-biased opinion!
Most Sundays, I indulge in 2 scrambled eggs, a bowl of hearty baked beans, with two slabs of the BEST homemade bread, spread with homemade soyonnaise (vegan mayo) - running only about $6 (give or take some change). My friends, some of the vegan persuasion, often order the aptly titled "Vegan Breakfast," offering a variety of choices from scrambled tofu, salad, fruit salad, roasted potatoes, and beans -choosing 2 items, plus toast, all for about $6.50. Recently, however, I've started having the pancakes! Hubba-Hubba! 3 light and fluffy treats, loaded with fresh fruit, and served with an ample amount of Nova Scotia maple syrup (about $6.50). Divine!
On any given week day, you can have breakfast until 11am (which consists of some of the above mentioned brunch items), plus you can choose from an assortment of sandwiches for lunch - avocado with tomato and cheddar, hummus and vegetable, straight up tomato and cheddar, and I'm sure some meat selections as well. The selling point undoubtedly for me, is the bread. I'm fairly certain it's made using local Speerville flour, which is both hearty and fluffy once baked into these precious loaves that I do so often crave! You can buy a loaf to take with you, if you feel so inclined, for about $3. The Good Food's one weakness for me, is that their soup is not always as flavorful as I hope it will be. It makes the cut with great ingredients, but sometime lacks that extra punch, which would take it from good to great!
In the end, if you're in the mood for a cozy and well worn restaurant, sweet service and lovingly made food, you should definitely check out The Good Food Emporium. Bring a book, bring a friend, and bring your appetite. You should probably bring your sweet tooth too, so that you can cap off your meal with a chocolate fudge brownie or a heaping date square.
*The Good Food Emporium also serves a Korean menu on some nights of the week. Give them a dingle to find out the exact details: 422-3150Listed in: Misses & Kisses, Best Places to Eat. Period.
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Review from Laura P.
Toronto, ON
6/17/2010
Lacy H's review exuded such splendorous details that I had to try for myself. Walking by often, it wasn't until last week that I got to try this resto's offerings first hand.
Simply delightful. Food, atmosphere, menu, product and pricing-- it was fabulous to a tee. I loved the veggie offerings and praise the fact that this is a place I can come for breakfast worry free. Forget the salads... The Good Food Emporium finds a way to give veggies/ gluten free/ vegan peeps a hearty breakfast and a full bodied menu.
Hooray! I implore folks with the mentioned preference to give this spot a whirl. They've got sweet vibes, succulent tastings and fab prices. What more is there to say? GO. -
Review from Bethany J.
Halifax, NS
4/22/2010
The Good Food Emporium is something you wouldn't necessarily expect along Gottingen Street: a nice hide-a-way where you can curl up in the front window with a pot of tea, some bakery goodness, and a good book.
This used to be known as Bob and Lori's Food Emporium until the business changed hands back in 2008. After a spate of changes to opening hours, the Good Food Emporium has settled into a nice routine, offering a pleasant escape if you're doing some shopping in the area.
In the "must have" department are the cheese, avocado and tomato melts - to die for, absolutely. -
Review from Lindsay K.
Halifax, NS
2/13/2010 1 photo
I always feel a little silly buying a sandwich from restaurants when I could very well just make them for myself at home... and probably for cheaper too.
Even so, that doesn't mean that Good Food Emporium doesn't make a mean sandwich. The bread is fresh, the ingredients are crisp, and the options are wonderful. I usually prefer to get a veggie sandwich, but they also make a nice roast beef and turkey. The sandwiches are healthy and quick... what more could you ask for?
Good Food Emporium makes it easy to eat healthy when thinking about eating out, something a lot of other places don't offer. -
Review from Jevon M.
Halifax, NS
Updated - 12/18/2010
I am updating to put GFE at 5 stars. No idea why I chose 4 before.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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10/13/2010
Cheap, fresh and pretty healthy. I am occasionally overcome with a craving for their fish cakes and… Read more »
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