Two Halifax restaurants named in top 100 best in Canada

CITYnews halifax / By Natasha O’Neill

An upscale Halifax eatery climbed the ranks, while a new cookery entered the scene, according to Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants list.

According to the publication dedicated to the list, Mystic went to 16th place this year, from 21st last year. The list also features Tribute, a waterfront destination, which is ranked 53.

The review says that Mystic’s building already invites guests into a different atmosphere, with “its clean modern lines, captures the play of light on water.”

Headed by Chef Malcolm Campbell, who creates an eight-course “hyper-seasonal” tasting menu.

“In the signature menus, snacks precede the Acadian caviar course of smoked egg yolk and wild sea flora, followed by perhaps a lobster raviolo enhanced by locally grown saffron, or baby halibut paired with gnocchi, smoked mussels and pickled wild leek,” it notes.

Related:

• Two Halifax eateries make Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants list
• 36% of Canadian restaurants operating at a loss or breaking even: Q1 report

New to the list is Tribute, also a waterfront eatery, which hosts a “cozy” and “welcoming” dining experience.

Chef Colin Bebbington, a Halifax-native, has worked in some of the world’s best restaurants before returning home to create the “wood-fired, open-flame restaurant on the waterfront.”

The menu often pairs meat and seafood with handmade pastas.

“The vibe is decidedly ‘kitchen party,’” the review notes.

Pressure on restaurants mounting

Restaurants Canada’s quarterly report reveals an industry “under growing financial strain” in early 2026, as business owners face the brunt of the nationwide affordability crisis, rising operating costs and inconsistent spending.

President and CEO Kelly Higginson says Canadians visit eateries 23 million times every day, supporting more than 1 million jobs, but when affordability is strained, there’s a ripple effect.

“The restaurant industry is typically the first to feel economic pressure when Canadians are struggling. And right now, that pressure is building,” said Higginson.

The report says nearly 50 per cent of restaurant operators reported lower sales in Q1, more than half reported fewer guests, and 71 per cent reported declining profitability.