Pavia Gallery

Excellent coffee … had the Caprese sandwich grilled, very tasty. Plus it’s in the spectacular new library. What’s not to like?

Very, very mediocre. Prices are middle of the road, maybe even on the «high-​average» side for coffee in Halifax, and the coffee is only OK. Sandwiches are disappointingly dry, and expensive. It’s a convenient location in the Library for sure, but it’s almost as though the owners decided to take it down a couple of notches from their known level of quality from their Herring Cove location. All in all, if you need a way to get no-​fuss coffee on the spot if you’re in the Library, this is about as good as it gets, but don’t expect to get blown away by it.

I found the coffee to be quite good. I just got a plain old brewed coffee, medium roast. It was pretty mild-​tasting, a bit of a sweetness to it. I was pleased with the portion size too – unlike some other reviewers – but I got mine in a mug (vs. a paper cup) so maybe that’s the way to go? I didn’t try the food so I can’t comment on that, but I have to say that the cookies and cakes on display looked delicious.

A niche business in the new Halifax Library but it doesn’t put out the product it should for having this HUGE advantage.
Since there are so many coffee shops in Halifax the only way to review them is to compare them to each other. Especially when there are 4 on one intersection (spring garden — queen)
This particular coffee shop tries harder than ever to make the «barista» a noted profession. However, a lot of the staff I have dealt with seem to be too caught up with preparing their ever so «sophisticated» Italian hot drinks and are just too above the faithful coffee goers to have a decent conversation.
The coffee isn’t bad. Nothing great. You can get good coffee anywhere in Halifax. Their sizes are rather pathetic and are set up to be a great scheme to anyone used to normal sized coffee cups. (a large size at pavia is equal to a medium or small size at other shops)
The food they have is extremely disappointing. Over priced. Most baked goods are dried to the bone. I haven’t attempted a sandwich because they look to sad in that lone sandwich case.
You’re better off bringing food into the library from other sources.

Good: everything is delicious!
Bad: a tad pricey (…according to some…)
This is a great addition to the new library. With locations on both the ground and fourth floor, you can get all your café needs met in one of two convenient locations.
You can get a nice fancy coffee or something a bit more relaxed. There are also a number of local sodas (Yay for Propeller ginger beer!) «on tap.» The selection of snacks? Fantastic.
Staff were very friendly and outgoing during the very busy opening week of the new library.
I haven’t sampled the whole menu but I’ll definitely be back to give it a try.