Onyx

My fiancé and I dropped in to celebrate my birthday (first time there for both of us). No reservations, but we were early and beat the crowd. The atmosphere was lovely. Contemporary, yet warm and comfortable. We were seated by our amazing server, Jarrett (sp?). I truly hope management knows what a gem of an employee they have in him. Friendly, professional, and knowledgeable.
On to the food. I don’t have one complaint about anything either of us ate that night, and anyone who knows me knows what an accomplishment that is. Fiancé started with an extra spicy Caesar, then had the sliders for an appy, the scallops as an entrée, and the Turtle for dessert. I had the Florida Sour (yum!), the fried paneer for an appy, the tenderloin with crab for an entrée, and also the Turtle for dessert. Every bite was an experience. My fiancé, who is a self taught, and amazing, chef, said ‘when I eat a meal like this, I realize how little I know about cooking’. To sum it up, Onyx is worth every penny we spent, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to friends, or to visit it again. Hope Jarrett is working when I do.

You enter rock tunnel. A wild Onyx appears!
And basically, the atmosphere of this restaurant is vintage. Which does make you think of the classic Pokemon games for the quest to catch a clefairy. Candles, dark brown wooden floors & leather booths. It’s a really nice place.
I came here with my bf on date night and the waiter sat us at the booth for two. We were the only ones in the restaurant for while so we got to choose where to sit.
So we ordered some drinks as a warmup along with an appetizer grilled cheese… Just to start us off.
I quite liked our drinks. Fresh and unique. They do have the classic Tom Collins & Long Island Ice Teas but they also have a variety of creative cocktails. As a recommendation to the restaurant, I suggest having more cocktails with white or sparkling wine as a mix. The grilled cheese was quite good but we weren’t so fond of the mustard spread that was in the bottle. Thank-​god they didn’t put it on the grilled cheese.
For our main dish we ordered Pork Tenderloin with veggies & Digby Scallops on noodles. The pork was tasty but the veggies were undercooked a bit and rather tasteless. I loved my meal of scallops because they were cooked perfectly.
And just to finish it off, we then filled our second stomach with crème brûlée and the coffee cheesecake. I wasn’t overly impressed with the crème brûlée but my goodness… let me make this clear: I am not a fan of cheesecake but this one was definitely … amazing. it was really godly.
So, why did I only give it 3 stars?
The service was excellent. The food was good. The beverages divine. But the PRICE.
YIKES.
after receiving the bill I thought to myself. The food was good… but not THAT good. Would I come again? Maybe for the drinks because they were decently priced.
TIP: At Costco you can buy $ 100 gift card for $ 80. Which you should DEFINITELY bring.

I’ve gone for drinks a handful of times and have always had amazing service! The bartenders are exceptional; smoothest long island iced tea in halifax for sure. They also have an excellent wine menu!
There’s also a beautiful atmosphere and setup. Great spot for a romantic date or a night out with friends. Also it has easily the nicest (and cleanest) bathrooms on argyle street.

Everything on the menu sounds very appealing, however we tried a few things from the small plate and it wasn’t that great. It wasn’t very memorable, the duck confit sliders were too dry, the chicken chops were plain and we felt it’s something we could have made ourselves, the pork belly was satisfactory. My favourite item was the fried oyster taco. One order came with 2 tacos and the size was generous and filling. The restaurant had a great atmosphere for drinks etc. but the food overall was only satisfactory.

Finally we found a decent place in Halifax!
European style, amazing atmosphere, super friendly staff.
P.S: Turn the music up a little guys!!!

Unfortunately my visit here was not a great one. If I could rate the STAFF, I would give them a 5*.
Atmosphere was nice, outdoor dining was lovely. A great location to people watch!
I ordered a Grilled Cesar Salad to start, usually a favourite for me when I find it on a menu. This salad – was like none Ive experienced in the past. It was drenched – literally, in dressing. They were certainly diligent about not missing a place. Layer by layer, dressing, dressing and more dressing. I was able to eat about ¼ of the portion as I scrapped the sauce away. I’m not sure if this was the norm, or my order was an accidental exception?
My main was the Salmon with Risotto. One bite in on the delicious risotto and I spotted the dreaded… hair. Blah. I was so hungry (since I wasn’t able to eat my salad) I had considered taking it out and continue eating. But I just couldn’t. It was starring right at me mixed into the risotto. Meal was returned, and a fresh one brought out shortly after.
Im sure I was an exception to a bad night, but this is what this site is for right? To review your experience. Mine was awful in regards to the food. I don’t think we could blame it on being to busy as there was plenty of empty seating.
I will say BOTH items were removed from my bill, and I did not have to pay for them though.