Red Stag Tavern

These were the worst mussels I’ve ever seen. Tiny and shrivelled up, there was barely any meat on them and they were clearly not fresh.
What a disappointment — if you can’t source fresh, quality mussels in a coastal city for whatever reason, at least let the server know so your guests can order something else!
Other than that, the service and beers were decent and the rest of the table had average pub fare. The potato wedges were quite nice.

Over serve much? Probably should take better care of guests.

Literally the exact same menu as lower deck which is not a bad thing to be the same as but relevant to know going in.
The waterfront location and rooftop seating make it an excellent choice to go to in the Summer!

I’d like to think of something positive to say first. My husband enjoyed his fish and chips. My food was awful. I sent back the lobster roll which was a mushy blend of unknown origin, and left most of my substitute hamburger which tasted more like meatloaf and was very overdone (who can ruin a hamburger?). The service was so slow that we had very little time to enjoy the Maritime Museum just down the street. Don’t make the same mistake — spend your time at the museum and skip this restaurant.

4 of us went here for a bite and drink. All 4 of us left because the serves and food were horrible. Do yourself a favor and eat anywhere but here. Most surrounding restaurants are 100% better then the gross red stag! Will never be back!

This was my local when I lived in Halifax, and I really do miss it. The staff and management here are like a family, and have really done some truly touching stuff with their «caring counts» campaign. Adam’s enthusiasm and commitment to ensuring everyone has a great time here really makes all the difference.
I have had some good meals here, but I have certainly had a few that I thought were average at best. Their veggie burger is a bit dry and lacks a certain «something»… however their nachos really are the best in town. They make their own tortilla chips and the caramelized onions are to die for!
Price wise it could be a little more competitive. I find the beer to be a little bit on the pricey side compared to some of the other bars and their happy hour prices. Having said this, their rewards program is one of the best I have ever seen: they send free food, drinks, and competitions to you regularly.
Roof Top Patio in summertime is a great way to spend an afternoon: gotta get in quick though!

The best fish and chips ive ever had. Highly recommended. The atmosphere and staff are great! The pricing is a little high, especially for alcohol. But all in all, great place.

Truly terrible food.
The service is good, but the food is awful.
Pub food is usually pretty safe, but at the red stager is awful. Nachos are overdone and underdone at the same time.
Go there for a beer, but go somewhere else for food.

Great atmosphere and great selection of beers. I didn’t really have high expectations however after my visit I was blown away by the service. I ended up having great time with my group of friends and was delightfully engaged with the staff all the while had great service.
If you are going for some beers and good ol’ fashioned pub food. Definitely this is a great spot.

I didn’t have high expectations for this place before going, so at least I wasn’t disappointed. Sometimes it pays to be a pessimist. :-)
My co-​workers and I beat the rush on a Friday evening and landed a good booth. Well, it was good until other people showed up. It filled quickly, and became INCREDIBLY NOISY quickly. Like, this place has the worst accoustics I’ve ever heard. The servers also spent a lot of time moving tables and chairs around. Rather than pick them up, they scra-​a-​a-​a-​ped them across the wooden floor. The only plus was there was no music playing, otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to hear anything my co-​workers said (as it was I had to strain).
Our server was upbeat and friendly, and patient as we all needed time to peruse the lengthy menu. I had a cosmo, which was very good. Foodwise we had their burgers, onion rings, sweet potato fries and haddock bites.
We did not care for their burgers. They taste like the ones at the Lower Deck: tough, with a strange taste. The potato wedges, however, were awesome. It’s rare to find potato that actually tastes like potato anymore (ie, not drenched in seasoning). The onion rings were the only thing we finished, they were hot, fresh and crunchy. However, we ended up leaving a lot of our mains on our plates.
Prices are reasonable and I could see returning here if it were *only* to drink and munch on appies. However, I would come during off times so you can hear yourself think.

A F*CKING MOUSE RAN THROUGH THE DINING ROOM.
A lady sitting across from me screamed, spoke to a waitress, and ended up leaving. Unfortunately, I had JUST finished eating and was paying my bill for my mediocre food. Gross.
The waitress who was at my table felt the need to justify the presence of rodents in the restaurant «oh my gosh, that woman probably had a phobia or something because there is absolutely no way any mice would get near the food… It’s an old building, we have pest control here all the time, I know the guy who does it! His name is AJ!» For waitstaff to be so oblivious to the safety and health risks of having live rodents running around a restaurant is truly disgusting on so many levels.
MICE!
Will not return or recommend.
If it matters, we got the lobster chowder (served luke warm with a cold and stale bun, very rich and some pieces of seafood was rubbery), and the mussels (lukewarm, served on a plate, minimal sauce, some mussels were not cleaned well. Cam out so fast, this dish could have been frozen. Bland).

Fish and Chips always seems like a safe choice at a pub. After all, one day of deep fryer training at McDonald’s essentially clinches the skill set needed to produce something edible. Take the fish and chips out of the freezer and its plastic packaging, bung it into the deep fryer, set a timer, and take it out when you hear the beeping. A plate and a spoonful of coleslaw and you have a meal you can charge $ 16.00 for.
Unfortunately, it appears that a surprising amount of deep fryer ineptitude exists at the Red Stag Tavern, namely in the listening for the beeping portion. Did you know that if you leave fish in the fryer long enough (or perhaps don’t ever change the oil in the fryer), the coating not only turns an ominous dark colour complete with matching chewiness, but the fish inside also turns rubbery?
Rubbery fish was new to me, and not something I ever really wanted to experience.
The pan-​fried haddock was equally disappointing and overcooked. Accompanying it was the off-​putting odour of mouldy rice with a disappointing not-​quite-​microwaved-​long-​enough texture (I didn’t realize al dente rice was a «thing») and some limp, anemic vegetables.
The beer had a thankfully appropriate taste and texture, so if you are only planning on consuming fluids, this may be the pub for you.

At first glance this place really seems like a tourist trap and maybe it is, but it was much better than any tourist trap in Toronto. They have a fantastic rooftop patio, which unfortunately knew nothing about but saw a few days later from afar.
I ordered the Steak Sandwich and my SO ordered the Chipotle Burger. The fries that accompanied both are nothing special, but then again when are fries ever special? I enjoyed my sandwich, it was something different and very tasty pub food. My guy enjoyed his burger but said it was a lot of food and left him feeling heavy. It’s pub food so no points off for that.
Service, though, was painfully slow. Considering how empty the place was, it was just so slow. Slow to get the menu, slow to get our order, quick to get our bill and pay. I find that’s always the case when it’s not so busy in a restaurant… so whatever. I’d rate this place 3.5 stars if I could.

I’ve been meaning to write a review on this place since I went for my first visit about 1 month ago. Getting to the restaurant can be slightly confusing because it’s a building within a building.
I’m always looking for locally owned businesses and out of the blue, my mother and I decided to try this place. The atmosphere is a little too dark for my liking but to be fair, this is a bar/​pub so that’s just how they are! There’s a huuuuge window where you can sit and look out which is quite enjoyable and the seating has a variety of booths or chairs.
It’s hard to judge the service because we were the only ones there so as soon as we entered, we were jumped on with great service! But… might have just been because they were getting rather bored. Nonetheless, my waitress was very nice.
I ordered the seafood linguine and my mother ordered the award-​winning fish and chips. I’m from Newfoundland so fish and chips are always lacking compared to the ones from my hometown. When I tried them, they were quite good but I was being somewhat mean and kinda had it in my mind that Newfoundland was better. However, that being said… ever since… I have been CRAVING their fish and chips! They were good and I would strongly recommended them. The seafood Lingune was absolutely delicious, I wouldn’t say the lobster bits were «generous portions» but it was still fantastic.
All in all, a great place, sure beats the chains we have in halifax =)

I did not know the Red Stag had a rooftop patio! Actually… I didn’t even know where the Red Stag was until I went there with a friend. I knew it by name only; so, for those of you who aren’t sure where it is located, and are too lazy to read the address above — it is in the historical farmers market… or Alexander Keith’s brewery!
It seems like it is a big place, but it really isn’t. We first made our way to the rooftop, which had lots of tables and a bar! But, it was far too windy, and we’re girls… with long hair… ya, it just didn’t work out in our favor. So, we went back downstairs and all of the tables were taken. We sat at the bar; the bartender was awesome though, so it wasn’t that bad. And, the guys sitting next to us bought us all a shot — so that was also awesome!
Two of us ordered the fish and chips; it came with a chipotle tartar sauce. YUM! I have no complaints, it was tasty all around. My other friend ordered the seafood chowder, which looked and smelled so, so good and was a pretty decent size.
I will definitely return! All of the staff that we encountered were all so nice, the restaurant has great character and the food was delicious! The menu is fairly large and the prices are all pretty decent!
I can’t wait for a not windy day to enjoy the rooftop!

I would put Red Stag in the middle of the pack in terms of food quality though the general atmosphere is nice and why wouldn’t it be when you have good looking girls in short skirts waiting on you.
The rooftop patio was not available on this day, so my buddy and I ate on the main floor; we both had the pan fried haddock and it was OK. I had earlier decided to substitute the potato wedges for rice and this turned out to be a good decision; however, the beverage I ordered was a bit watered down.
Our server was quite friendly and she was doing her best to make us sign up for one of those points cards as it would help her win a prize at the end of the month. We did have to wait a little bit for the food, but it was during lunch hour so that is to be expected.
Overall, I would go back to the Red Stag; however, it would not be on a regular basis.