My favorite restaurant in Halifax. I've been going here for 6 years. Unfortunately another casualty of the COVID lockdowns--the restaurant is now permanently closed. I feel so bad for the owners having invested so much in the city only to have it taken away from them through no fault of their own. Thank you for all the good years.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Esther Lorenz
I had been getting weekly messages from Heartwood to use their discount coupons. We finally made a date to go, only to find it was CLOSED since MAY!!! We were told their “restaurant“ on Water street was open so we went there. However, although google maps said it was Water street was open, it refused to guide us there but kept directing us back to the one on Quinpool Rd. We finally got to the Heartwood Hut on Water st but found it was only a take out and closed at 6 pm! We ended up at the Bicycle Thief. It was excellent! Heartwood should dismantle their ads & messages & say CLOSED on their sites.This is really unfortunate bc it was the best vegetarian restaurant in the city! And the service was great! The only drawback there was the uncomfortable seating & the dark atmosphere and it was very cold in winter. It needed better seating, lighting, heating, & more brightly painted walls.Dietary restrictions: It was great to have lots of GF options!
Ordered the curry bowl at the Harbour location. . It was mostly rice with a few veggies and maybe 3 pieces of tofu. Very salty. Not worth it. Not recommended at all
Alison D
Waterfront location: ordered 3 wraps, all were extremely small. Bean burrito ingredients was supposed to be beans rice salsa spinach peppers and vegan caesar, it only included rice, tiny bit of beans and romaine lettuce. Nothing else. Extremely disappointing.
GFGoldenLady
I had the green poutine and the Cajun tofu steak.
The poutine wasn't very deep in flavour. I'd also have wanted to see a more creamy or melty vegan cheese. A cashew cheese sauce dollop on top would have been nice and complemented their healthier menu. It was also a ridiculously small portion for $18.
The Cajun tofu was OK. The tomato sauce was very reminiscent of a sloppy Joe, and the steamed greens had a pesto on top. Was a neat fusion that didn't work. The rice was clumpy and had some very dry hard bits as well. The veggies and greens had what felt like a bit of garden grit on them, and I truly hate that mouth feel.
I don't think I'd come back.
Updated from previous review on 2023-05-28
Emily Martin
I've been coming here for 8 years and I really like it. I always order the veggie curry burger. Usually it's a millet&quinoa patty (the BEST) but this time it was a black bean patty which was still yummy but not as good as the millet&quinoa one. The price is very fair for the portion size. Tea is very generous and nice and hot. The Greek salad is tasty and their roasted potatoes... Ughnhaahhnh delicious. Service was very pleasant.Vegetarian options: So swag. You can't go wrong with any of them.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
mariesusannel2022
Staff was friendly. Menu is promising but food was mediocre, bland and lukewarm. Bathrooms are not wheelchair accessible.
Jacqueline Ha
Terrible interaction with the staff. Prices aren't updated online and we showed them and instead of owning up to it, they proceeded to show us the in-person menu. Smoothie wasn't even blended properly, there was a HUGE chunk at the bottom. Avoid at all cost unless you wanna be gaslit and experience awful service :)
Ruchi Shah
This place serves everything vegan and vegetarian.We ordered the Thai Burger which came along with some roasted potatoes and a side salad. The burger tikki was made with lentils and seeds.We also ordered a vegan pizza. The base was a kamut flour base. We were satisfied with the quantity and it sure fills you up!The sweet potato and apple soup was good too.
MelBouchard
Had the veggie curry burger and it was delicious! #Veganuary
Nice concept and friendly atmosphere but a bit amateur in its execution. We got the Heartwood Bowls, two varieties. The peanut sauce with rice vermicelli noodles and the coconut curry.The peanut sauce was good, if a bit sweet. The coconut curry was disappointing, like a curry made by someone working off a recipe for the first time who had never attempted a curry before.The result was an unbalanced sauce with a bitter aftertaste, flavors that veered from one spice to another, and a sauce that generally clashed with the other ingredients. The roasted red beet, for example, didn’t really make sense in the context of what seemed to be an attempt at a Massaman curry.This wouldn’t have been as frustrating if server had been more familiar with the menu. They didn’t seem to know which dishes were spicy and which were not, or even with the ingredients listed in the menu, which ended making us switch plates to accommodate the person with no spice tolerance.All in all a ho-hum experience, neither impressive nor overly terrible. We might have just been unlucky and caught them on an off night. And the menu certainly has enough variety to leave room for hope should we ever find ourselves back here again.
Mia Isabelle
Despite our server only being there for a week, she made sure we had a great meal and had everything we needed. Super calm and interesting vibe to the restaurant, a must-visit if vegan!Vegetarian options: Almost every single item was vegan/had vegan options!Dietary restrictions: Gluten free / vegan options for those who desire/need
MLT
I really enjoy this spot, and it’s location. Having outdoor seating really drew me into trying this place out. The waitstaff are very friendly. It’s one of the OG vegetarian places in Halifax, and is still doing well. It’s a good spot to just take break and have a drink, or stop for brunch. High recommendations from me!
Joy to the world
I got the veggie curry burger it was unique and delicious!
Jon Gotlib
Lovely vegan friendly food, though the menu is quite small, the quality is certainly there. Service is a bit slow but overall a yummy and satisfyingly healthy experience.
My favorite restaurant in Halifax. I've been going here for 6 years. Unfortunately another casualty of the COVID lockdowns--the restaurant is now permanently closed. I feel so bad for the owners having invested so much in the city only to have it taken away from them through no fault of their own. Thank you for all the good years.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I had been getting weekly messages from Heartwood to use their discount coupons. We finally made a date to go, only to find it was CLOSED since MAY!!! We were told their “restaurant“ on Water street was open so we went there. However, although google maps said it was Water street was open, it refused to guide us there but kept directing us back to the one on Quinpool Rd. We finally got to the Heartwood Hut on Water st but found it was only a take out and closed at 6 pm! We ended up at the Bicycle Thief. It was excellent! Heartwood should dismantle their ads & messages & say CLOSED on their sites.This is really unfortunate bc it was the best vegetarian restaurant in the city! And the service was great! The only drawback there was the uncomfortable seating & the dark atmosphere and it was very cold in winter. It needed better seating, lighting, heating, & more brightly painted walls.Dietary restrictions: It was great to have lots of GF options!
Recommended dishes: Bean Burrito, Heartwood Bowl, Greek Salad, Pad Thai, Guacamole Hummus Platter, Taco Salad, Falafel Wrap, Nachos, Avocado Toast
Ordered the curry bowl at the Harbour location. . It was mostly rice with a few veggies and maybe 3 pieces of tofu. Very salty. Not worth it. Not recommended at all
Waterfront location: ordered 3 wraps, all were extremely small. Bean burrito ingredients was supposed to be beans rice salsa spinach peppers and vegan caesar, it only included rice, tiny bit of beans and romaine lettuce. Nothing else. Extremely disappointing.
I had the green poutine and the Cajun tofu steak. The poutine wasn't very deep in flavour. I'd also have wanted to see a more creamy or melty vegan cheese. A cashew cheese sauce dollop on top would have been nice and complemented their healthier menu. It was also a ridiculously small portion for $18. The Cajun tofu was OK. The tomato sauce was very reminiscent of a sloppy Joe, and the steamed greens had a pesto on top. Was a neat fusion that didn't work. The rice was clumpy and had some very dry hard bits as well. The veggies and greens had what felt like a bit of garden grit on them, and I truly hate that mouth feel. I don't think I'd come back. Updated from previous review on 2023-05-28
I've been coming here for 8 years and I really like it. I always order the veggie curry burger. Usually it's a millet&quinoa patty (the BEST) but this time it was a black bean patty which was still yummy but not as good as the millet&quinoa one. The price is very fair for the portion size. Tea is very generous and nice and hot. The Greek salad is tasty and their roasted potatoes... Ughnhaahhnh delicious. Service was very pleasant.Vegetarian options: So swag. You can't go wrong with any of them.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Staff was friendly. Menu is promising but food was mediocre, bland and lukewarm. Bathrooms are not wheelchair accessible.
Terrible interaction with the staff. Prices aren't updated online and we showed them and instead of owning up to it, they proceeded to show us the in-person menu. Smoothie wasn't even blended properly, there was a HUGE chunk at the bottom. Avoid at all cost unless you wanna be gaslit and experience awful service :)
This place serves everything vegan and vegetarian.We ordered the Thai Burger which came along with some roasted potatoes and a side salad. The burger tikki was made with lentils and seeds.We also ordered a vegan pizza. The base was a kamut flour base. We were satisfied with the quantity and it sure fills you up!The sweet potato and apple soup was good too.
Had the veggie curry burger and it was delicious! #Veganuary
Restaurantji Recommends
Nice concept and friendly atmosphere but a bit amateur in its execution. We got the Heartwood Bowls, two varieties. The peanut sauce with rice vermicelli noodles and the coconut curry.The peanut sauce was good, if a bit sweet. The coconut curry was disappointing, like a curry made by someone working off a recipe for the first time who had never attempted a curry before.The result was an unbalanced sauce with a bitter aftertaste, flavors that veered from one spice to another, and a sauce that generally clashed with the other ingredients. The roasted red beet, for example, didn’t really make sense in the context of what seemed to be an attempt at a Massaman curry.This wouldn’t have been as frustrating if server had been more familiar with the menu. They didn’t seem to know which dishes were spicy and which were not, or even with the ingredients listed in the menu, which ended making us switch plates to accommodate the person with no spice tolerance.All in all a ho-hum experience, neither impressive nor overly terrible. We might have just been unlucky and caught them on an off night. And the menu certainly has enough variety to leave room for hope should we ever find ourselves back here again.
Despite our server only being there for a week, she made sure we had a great meal and had everything we needed. Super calm and interesting vibe to the restaurant, a must-visit if vegan!Vegetarian options: Almost every single item was vegan/had vegan options!Dietary restrictions: Gluten free / vegan options for those who desire/need
I really enjoy this spot, and it’s location. Having outdoor seating really drew me into trying this place out. The waitstaff are very friendly. It’s one of the OG vegetarian places in Halifax, and is still doing well. It’s a good spot to just take break and have a drink, or stop for brunch. High recommendations from me!
I got the veggie curry burger it was unique and delicious!
Lovely vegan friendly food, though the menu is quite small, the quality is certainly there. Service is a bit slow but overall a yummy and satisfyingly healthy experience.