The Press Gang Restaurant and Oyster Bar

Hands down our best meal in Nova Scotia. Incredible oysters, drinks, steaks and desserts. Chef Brian and crew were great and engaging! FANTASTIC!

Beautiful historic building. Romantic and inviting. The food is exemplerary as is the impeccable service. Amazing selection of oysters with freshly grated horseradish and traditional minuette. The charcuterie tray has great variety and is artfully presented. Lovely cocktail selection. Halibut and risotto.winner winner and the seafood and risotto is equally as good. The French fries with the works is delicious but steeply priced at 32.00.
Folks.they are French fries with gravy peas cranberry sauce some cheese curd and stuffing.very tasty but in my opinion highly over priced for dressed potatoes.
How does that justify 32.00? Don't get me wrong now.this is a wonderful restaurant but reviews should be honest. We tried 3 desserts.all were marvelous.

The favourite was the peanut butter.

The other thing I need to mention is that this is property is not handicap friendly and it will be difficult for anyone with mobility issues.bathrooms are not easily accessible and most certainly cannot accommodate a wheelchair.even someone using a walker would have issues.so.to sum up.

Great atmosphetic historic restaurant with accommodating professional staff - terrific food, cocktails, oysters and ambiance. Entertainment on Fridays and Saturdays.

This restaurant is amazing! Small town pub feel with a 5 star fine dining menu. I recommend The Drill from the dinner menu. It's a 4 course experience giving the kitchen the chance to impress you with non menu items. It's a definite palate pleasing experience! They have an array of fine Scotch, brandy, and wine. I highly recommend checking it out and joining the oyster cult while you are there. They have oysters from 13 different places.

The food is decent, I don't really have any complaints about it or the service. It's just really loud in the venue and the prices are higher than justified.

Quite disappointing experience all in all at the Press Gang. Would not come back nor recommend this to anyone visiting Halifax, it was a literal waste of our time and money.
No portion of our meal was enjoyable - from the non-existent welcome when we entered, to introducing us to a table that was pitch black without the candles lit, to the rubbery lobster; I cannot fathom the high ratings of the restaurant.
Perhaps the press gang has given up and is taking for granted the fact that tourists will continuously show up.
The oysters we had here were the worst out of all the restaurants we went to in Halifax (including Black Sheep, Lot 6 bar, Bicycle Thief, Five Fisherman), fishy and not fresh. Boiled lobster was over cooked and rubbery even after being sent back to the kitchen. The drinks were watered down and basically 80% ice. Also we found it odd that all sauces were 25% of the container they came in, and no lemon slices accompanying the oysters? Just an odd and disappointing experience altogether.

I’ll actually go on to say that the single best person at your restaurant was the lady cleaning up the plates - she was the only person who greeted us with a smile, and who was prompt in clearing the dishes after every course. She was probably also the only reason we left a normal tip and that we are even giving a three star rating.

We came here for a Wellspring event, a charity devoted to serving the emotional and mental recovery of cancer patients. Off the selected menu, I ordered the clam chowder as well as the risotto. Along with the friendly staff, I was lucky enough to taste the “finger licking good” clam chowder. Not only was the starter amazing, but so was the main! Amongst the 90 attendees, myself and the table noted how beautifully prepared this dish was, despite its mass production. If you are looking for a genuine Halifax restaurant experience, I would look no further!

Table of 20 had sat down and the restaurant were taking no orders for dinner for the rest of the evening (purportedly, the greeter could not communicate very clearly or respectfully). In my opinion we were dealt with disrespectfully and unprofessionally. Was looking forward to eating there based on reviews. Will not go back based on the quality of the staff hired. Not to mention the pitiful selection of beer available.

What a spectacular experience. Since the seating was full, we were offered a seat at the bar which we took. From the moment we sat down, we were treated like royalty by the staff, specifically one bartender who we never got the name of. He was incredibly hospitable and professional. Our drinks were very good, and the oysters were fresh and delicious. We ordered some food, a salmon dish and a tuna dish, which both came out with lightning-fast speed. Both were also wonderfully tasty and very sizeable for the price. The atmosphere is also great and welcoming. A must visit while in downtown Halifax!

Loved the restaurant!
The ambiance is fantastic!
There was even a live music.
Food was good too, though calamari were a bit too salty and pasta a bit too oily.
Staff was very nice and knowledgeable.
They told us that this place was a former manor, 1759, Second oldest building in the city.

Came here for a late night dinner and wasn’t disappointed. Our server was perfectly attentive and our food was spaced out better than I could have imagined. We had the calamari, seafood risotto and seared tuna and it was all delicious. The atmosphere can’t be described in words, you’ve gotta see it for yourself! Would recommend.

Tout était excellent! Les plats, surtout le risotto aux fruits de mer, la présentation et le service.tout était soigné. Nous avons passé une excellente soirée, en plus de nous régaler! Bravo au chef et à son équipe!

Dark and cozy spot which makes you feel like you are stepping back in time. The friendly bar staff will help you pick out the most delicious oysters.

We were a large group of guys and the restaurant managed us very well. Solid could Old Fashioned's and a nice tenderloin steak. Pricey but the value is there.

First thing I noticed is that the atmosphere is quite cozy and warm with candles and low light. This is good because the walls are largely old world masonry and stone.
We ordered the charcuterie board with a dozen oysters and a couple of beer on tap.
Everything tasted great, the waitress was charming and gave great recommendations but oddly enough it was the guy who was refilling our water that was the MVP.
He was on the ball with refills and it tied the service together to feel like everyone in the restaurant cared that we were taken care of.
It's not cheap but neither is the food or the experience. We enjoyed ourselves and would recommend for sure.

Great brick, mortar, and beamed joists showcasing a historic building that creates a close atmosphere fantastic for entertaining. Surrounding with excellent servers and kitchen staff that provide a delight to their patrons. Not to mention the lengths the bar goes to serve you, and the very fine and robust selection of beverages and oysters available. On top of that there is a piano and musician on hand. One needs to spend an evening to soak in an the qualities it offers.

Service was outstanding. Cocktails and fresh oysters were amazing. Wine was lovely.
Unfortunately the mains we ordered were lacking. Tuna, which is supposed to be rare, overcooked and very disappointing. Halibut was just okay. Atmosphere is clearly what you are paying for.

This place totally rocks. Lovely atmosphere, excellent bar and man are the oysters great! The amazing lady who served me was the most knowledgeable person I’ve met, explaining all the little details about each type of oyster she served me. And they put a mean charcuterie board together. If you’re into oysters this is the place but the rest of the menu looked delicious as well!

A centrally located gem in Halifax. The ambiance, decor and food is top notch. The service will ensure you are looked after. Reservations are encouraged but sitting at the bar is just as fun while dining. If you're in town make sure you stop by and have the risotto or goat pappardelle.

I had the chicken and scallop, which were good. My husband ordered the risotto and found it chewy and sent it back for the seafood phyllo. We also had the peanut butter dessert and it was DELICIOUS!

We dinned as a larger group and it was a memorable experience. The food was fantastic, the server we had was amazing and very delightful. However, within the first 5 minutes of dining the server spilled two drinks. The drinks spilt all over the back and pants of one of the individuals in our group, and down the side of the leg of another. The individual who got spilled as on was extremely nice about the whole situation, did not get mad and was very understanding that it was an accident. However, we were disappointed in how this was handled, the server apologized, there was no offer of comping the drinks that were dropped on two customers. For the next two hours that individual sat in went clothes throughout the dinner. At the end of the "experience" we asked for their meal to be covered, as they sat wet throughout the whole dinner. The management came over and was beyond rude to the whole group. They were very agressive and standoffish. They were quick to state it was an accident and that no one was at fault, scolding the individual who was wet for wanting a free meal. While we agreed it was an accident, and the server was not at fault, our friend was damp and uncomfortable throughout the whole meal. Based on how the management treated us, and if that is someone who represents how the company feels towards patrons we do not recommend it to anyone.

Very special place. Cozy and warm, with fantastic dishes, high quality food, tempting cocktails.
Update review: We went for another special dinner, and this time we were disappointed by the service. But more than that, I wrote a private message to the restaurant politely explaining the situation and my complaint, and left my email to be contacted about it, and I've heard nothing back. I expected better for a high end restaurant. Good good, good location, but disappointing service.